Cautiously summer seems to have arrived here in the Pacific Northwest. The newspaper predicts we won't see the temperature hit 80 degrees until the 4th of July, but we do have sun and temperatures in the 70's.
Mr. P and I had a wonderful anniversary. We ate a delicious dinner at Cafe Soriah outside on their lovely patio. It was a nice warm evening and the patio was filled with blooming flowers and yummy smells. We exchanged the traditional 2nd year anniversary of cotton. I love how the traditional anniversary presents stay relatively inexpensive for the first few years of marriage. It is very understanding of young poor newlyweds and their struggling budgets!
Our garden is slowly growing vegetables. More and more starts are coming everyday. It is so exciting to go out each evening and see what has grown. We are fighting an epic battle with slugs however. Mr. P and Mr. Wilson go out on slug raids frequently, we have surrounded the beds with salt and ash in hopes of detouring them yet still they persist. Yesterday we found the secret weapon...beer. Pans of beer in the the slugs path leer them away from our vegetables and to their own demise*.
I have been riding my bicycle to work which I am really enjoying. It was just gorgeous this morning at 8 am. It's beautiful and sunny with a cool morning breeze. My office is just under 5 miles away from our house and it takes about 25 minutes to ride. Since I sit all day once I'm at work it is really nice to get exercise before and after work.
*We are keeping are garden 100% organic and pesticide free so slug poison and snail bait is not an option. The slug/snail problem is particularly bad where we live because it is such a wet climate. It's also particularly bad at our house because our lot borders a natural stormwater drainage ditch. At night the slugs coming pouring out of the ditch in alarming numbers and head straight for our garden. Salt can be very effective but I think since there are simply too many at our house. If you do use the salt method you want to keep the salt barrier some distance from your actual garden beds as too much salt isn't good for the soil. The beer method which is by far most effective is relatively easy. Bury some tin pie plates or large Tupperware containers in the grounds so the surface is ground level. Fill mostly full with beer, any beer will do so I would go buy cheap gross beer. The slugs and snails are attracted to the beer and will head straight to it where they will drown. There were 20 slugs in our beer trap this morning.
Love messing in the garden too. When I found out that I had cancer that was one of the first things my husband did for me. There is nothing like organic fruit and veggies. So much cheaper then buying at the store. I have never heard of beer...interesting. HOpe all is well.
ReplyDeleteWow good to know about that beer trap! Our problem down here in the south isn't slugs though. But still!
ReplyDeleteWhat cotton gifts did you exchange? We haven't done the traditional gift exchanges, though I want to hear about it!