Marriage--Surprise After Surprise!

Having been married for 25 years, you don't have to tell me that marriage is complicated, beautiful, frustrating, satisfying, and...complicated. Knowing this, I was hesitate to wade into Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage. After reading Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, which I enjoyed, I was afraid that Gilbert was going to poo-poo marriage as a subversive institution that oppressed women and sabotaged relationships. I won't spoil the book for you, but I will share two morsels that were eye-opening for me. One is that marriage is NOT a Christian institution, at least not historically. The early Christians actually spoke out against marriage, preaching celibacy instead, but eventually relented when partnering up just wouldn't go away. The other tidbit is that marriage and family might actually be a rebellious act. Yes! Amazing, isn't it? You'll have to read the book for yourself to hear the full arguments, but I think you'll enjoy the journey!

Reading and Gardening--Two of My Great Loves

Happy Valentine's Day! I know we're still deep in the throes of Winter, but Valentine's Day--for me--always marks the turning of the corner towards Spring! With that in mind, here's a run-down from a book I read a few years ago. I found my notes during a cleaning spree this weekend!

Great Garden Shortcuts, ed. Joan Benjamin, Roadale Press, 1996:

Animal Pests

• Flashtape--set it out only as fruit ripesn because the birds become used to it
• Sticky balls--cover red balls with plastic bag and "gooey stuff" (quite a technical term!), like Tanglefoot; 1 = dwarf tree, 3 or 4 = semi-dwarf or regular size

Asparagus

• Plant 4" deep
• Thicker spears = better
• Mulch wit h3-4" sawdust
• Fertilize heavily
• You don't have to wait to harvest--you can harvest in the first year

Corn

• Plant corn in trenches and cover with gutter protector while small
• Fill trench in as plants grow

Cukes

• Plant between rows of sunflowers for afternoon shade

Disease

• Verticillium wilt = chopped African marigolds

Fertilizing

• (and tomato staking!) 2" PVC pipe 5 feet long
• Drill holes into end going into ground to deliver fertilizer into the soil
• Drill holes at intervals to thread twine/wire to stake plant

Grapes

• Easy to grow! Choose disease resistant cultivars

Ground Covers

• Add clematis to low-growing juniper for surprising flowers; don't have to be trellised
• Use house plants for shady spot ground cover
• Use clay flue tiles to corral aggressive plants, like mint or oregano

Herbs

• You can root basil in water like philodendrum

Intensive Gardening

• Use differently sized bottles as spacing guides; use the bottoms
• Plant lettuce, etc., under taller crops like corn
• Also use lettuce around other crops as a living mulch

Melons

• Don't rush to plant melons; wait for the soil to warm
• Seed melons directly; don't attempt to transplant them
• Hold off water 8-10 days prior to harvest to develop sugars that provide taste

Peas

• Ignore usual spacing guidelines on seed packets and plant them extra thick
• Plant peas early in large container like whiskey barrel (I actually tried this one year. I planted peas, lettuce, etc., in large pots on the south side of the house. They did great!)

Perennials

• Pre-germinate seeds: Use an unbleached coffee filter and a plastic container with a clear lid. Spray the filter and seeds with water (no puddles). Place it on top of the fridge, and check seeds in 3-4 days.

Potatoes

• Sometimes potatoes planted too early merely rot in the soil. Avoid disease by planting early in containers.

Season Extension

• Sink heat lovers in bottomless plastic pots

Seeds & Seedlings

• Create seed mixess-custom

Soil Prep

• Turning the soil actually encourages weeds because you expose weed seeds to light, etc.

Spinach

• Boost germination by throwing cardboard over after planting and watering; take it off when spinach has sprouted

Squash

• Plant a ring of radishes around squash plants

Vegetables

• Don't furrow. Push seeds/sets into ground with finger.

These are some good ideas. I can't wait to try some of them out in a few months! It's also nice to be able to get the notes someplace where they'll be helpful, rather than sitting in the abandoned school bag.

Upcycling!

I ran into the term "upcycle" the other day shopping on Etsy. I can't remember what I was initially looking at, maybe scarves or jewelry, but I ran into a site offering "upcycled" glasses, coasters, and other things made from old bottles. I have a fondness for crafts like this as my father, a retired shop teacher, had his students making glasses from coke bottles and things in the 70s. Cutting glass is a lot harder than you might imagine, and Dad explained that they used the welder and wires or something to create the cut. Anyway, I love the glasses and coasters on the site.

Wikipedia defines upcycling as "the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value." While I don't upcycle on quite as grand a scale as YAVA Glass on Etsy.com, I do have my moments. Here are pics of my efforts (with a lot of help from family!):


These are "upcycled" cheese boards my aunt made in her pottery kiln. The one laying flat is a gorgeous cobalt blue. The jars are my own upcycling efforts--not nearly as exciting as my aunt's! I cleaned up my junk drawer and needed small containers for safety pins and Christmas ornament hangers. I luckily remembered jars that I had just washed up and saved, knowing a non-cluttery woman would just go ahead and recycle them. I couldn't bring myself to because these two jars are just too cute! The shorter one is a pesto jar that comes in an adorable Atlas jar with measurements along the side. The taller jar is a Polaner All Fruit spread jar that has gorgeous facets. Here are close-ups:



Another "upcycled" piece I have is an olive oil bottle I use for dish soap. I guess I really like glass, and I have a difficult time getting rid of bottles and jars that are unique, cool, or pretty!

Here I Go!

I think...alot...too much. Sometimes I exhaust myself. I talk in my head until I'm tired and must rest. It's ridiculous! Maybe a blog will help. Maybe a blog will help me compartmentalize, segregate--a time for thinking and a time for not thinking. We'll see!


I named the blog Currently Reading because I seem to always be reading when I should be doing something else. I should be grading papers or cleaning or cooking supper, but I'm reading. I've been known to read the telephone book!



Lately, I've been reading a lot of travel nonfiction: Frances Mayes, Peter Mayle, and others. I especially enjoy reading about France. Today I went to the library and got copies of French Women for all Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, & Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano (nonfiction) and Anything Considered by Peter Mayle (fiction).