July 11, 2012 by Born To Organize

A Users Guide to Comments on WordPress

Blogging from the Heart

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog!

I look forward to your comments and reply to every one of them. I’ve recently learned, however that many of you don’t see my replies, and therefore don’t know I’ve responded to your comment or question. That doesn’t seem fair.

Here is a brief primer for following along:

If you are already blogging on WordPress, your comments will appear on your own site when you log in.

If you don’t blog yourself, but enjoy following one or more bloggers, go ahead and create a Gravatar, short for Globally Recognized Avatar so you can easily post around the net. It’s quick and easy and its free. Bloggers love engaging their readers. Your comments are always welcome.

If you leave a comment on my site, please click on the button below your comment that says you can choose to automatically receive email updates about other comments on a specific post by checking the Notify me of follow-up comments via email check-box that appears in the comment form.

Finally, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking the “Follow My Blog Via Email” link in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

You will receive an email notification whenever I post. If you subscribe to comments, you will also receive comment notifications.

That’s it! Thanks for reading.

Alys ♥

July 11, 2012 by Born To Organize

Slinky in the Garden

Slinky’s Domain

Slinky Malinki, our shiny black kitty, arrived a few years back. Her haunting green eyes, spoke of unhappy lives; slight moves put her on the attack.

We fed her each day; she would eat and run away, returning each night for a meal.

Should I venture a reach? She would greet me with teeth, trying to pet her lost all its appeal.

Slinky gradually came ‘round, but remains leery and unbound, affection is given with care.

Now she sleeps near my pillow and head-butts my face, it’s hands she continues to fear. Each passing year, a little less fear, what I wouldn’t give to let her know she’s safe.

Slinky Near the Strawberry Patch

Like a Sunflower, Slinky Rotates with the Sun

Proud Lady

Making Progress

Did you know:

Cats head-butt as a way of showing affection.
Feral cats can be tamed. Here is an informative, compassionate article written by The Lucky Few
We named our Slinky after a wonderful children’s book: Slinky Malinki by New Zealand writer Lynley Dodd

July 10, 2012 by Born To Organize

Mason Bees Move In!

I snapped this photo of our Mason Bee Habitat, unaware that several of the tubes were already filled. We mounted the tubes to the side of the house above the vegetable garden last summer, but never saw any activity.

Mason Bee Tubes

I prepared to write about my disappointment when the enlarged photo revealed this:

Mason Bee Tubes
Space Still Available

Those clever Masons have been nesting away while I had my nose to the ground, planting.

We bought our Orcon PlanBee! kit at Yamagamis Nursery, along with a book by Christopher O’Toole called The Mason Bees, Taking the Sting Out of Beekeeping. Mason bees live in holes like hollowed-out twigs or reeds, so they are easily attracted to nesting tubes like the ones pictured above. Blue orchard and horn-faced bees are spring season pollinators and will only sting if squeezed or stepped on. They don’t have a queen, so no hive to protect. They are both beneficial and docile.

You can read more about these beneficial Mason Bees and their nesting habits in this wiki article. Resources, below, for buying or making a nesting box of your own.

Orcon’s PlanBee Mason Bee Nest
Do-it-yourself Mason Bee nest (for woodworkers)
Do-it-yourself Mason Bee nest (using reclaimed materials)

July 9, 2012 by Born To Organize

Waiting for Tomatoes: Looks Aren’t Everything

Green Tomatoes

All six tomato plants are healthy, sporting a plethora of green tomatoes. We have a heat wave moving through this week, with temps predicted in the 100s three days in a row, a boon for ripening fruit. What’s good for the tomato isn’t good for this fair-haired gardener, however, so I may follow the cats lead and take a nap on the cool tile floor for the entire afternoon. Ha!

Tomato sandwiches were a summer staple growing up. We grew our own tomatoes and used them in a variety of ways. I love eating warm cherry tomatoes, straight from the garden, bursting with flavor in my mouth. I miss those delicious red beacons of summer.

We rarely enjoy tomatoes served in restaurants these days, and find few tasty options at the grocery store. I assumed it had more to do with a too-early harvest, but I learned this last week from our local paper that it’s even worse.

Accordingly to Lisa Krieger of the Mercury News:

“Scientists have caught the culprit behind those tasteless tomatoes. Turns out, tomato growers’ best intentions over decades are to blame.

By Breeding tomatoes to ripen evenly and harvest easier, growers unwittingly robbed those sumptuous ruby reds of their taste.”

By disabling the GLK2 gene, tomatoes were more efficient and economical to process. What farmers didn’t know, is that tomatoes with the normal version of the gene are 20% higher in sugar content and 30% higher in lycopene thought to be useful in human nutrition.

What can we do?

Heirloom tomatoes retain the gene, along with sweet cherry tomatoes. If you plant your own, be sure to choose these varieties.
Shop at farmer’s markets when possible, where you are more likely to find heirlooms.
Take some time to inform yourself of the Right to Know Movement. If you live in California, you can vote to label genetically engineered foods on the Ballot this November. Help ensure Californians have the right to know and choose what they buy to feed their families.

You can read Lisa’s full article on-line at Mercury News.com.

July 8, 2012 by Born To Organize

Growing a Birdhouse

Birdhouse Seeds

Though we were out of room in our planter boxes, we went ahead and tucked in a few of these Gourd hard-shelled birdhouse seeds. They were too cool to pass up.

Botanical Interests gourd heirloom seeds grow into the birdhouse shape on the left. When dried, they last indefinitely. Gourds can be carved, painted or drilled. I sure hope we can grow at least one. We have two viable plants, each about 18 inches long. The packet says the vines can grow an astonishing 15′ (5 meters) to 35′(11 meters) long.

The pumpkin vines are about a month ahead in the growing cycle, so as those vines give the last push towards ripening, the gourd vines will have lots of room to grow.

Here are a few pointers on birdhouses:

Drill the hole for the size of the intended bird and not a speck more. This prevents predatory birds from following the mama bird indoors. The entrance hole should be high enough that the mama bird can line her nest and still protect her young from view.
Likewise, the perch often shown on commercially produced birdhouses is not only unnecessary, but again allows a predator a place to perch and peer in.
Drill a small hole in the bottom of the birdhouse to allow for drainage.

Fingers crossed!

Gourd Vines

July 7, 2012 by Born To Organize

Sunflower Success

Early in the season I envisioned a wall of sunflowers growing across the front of the deck. After several false starts, I configured a system of screens, designed to deter squirrels and birds from eating the seeds and seedlings. It worked! All three planters have several healthy plants. I can’t wait till they flower. I can see the plants from my kitchen window as well as on deck, and they can also been seen from the street.

The lower leaves are full of holes but no sign of the culprit…until this week when I saw a bird in the act of pecking away at the leaves. My friend Doug, also a nurseryman, thinks they are trying to get to the as-yet unavailable seeds. The leaves look tattered, but the plant remains healthy so all is well.

With warmer temperatures, the plants are shooting skyward. I can’t wait till they bloom.

Wall of Sunflowers

Broken Lantern Covers Keep the Screen Open at the Top

Lantern Cover in Place

Sunflowers: Looking Up

Bird Snack

July 6, 2012 by Born To Organize

Bonnie’s Organic Strawberry Patch

Our strawberries are popping out lush, red fruit daily. They are delicious, and as yet, untouched by garden pests. I only planted three plants and had a fourth come back from last summer. Now I wish I had planted more. Next year…

July 5, 2012 by Born To Organize

The Ladybug Diet

Water First

Weight Watchers teaches you to eat well, and South Beach helps break sugar cravings, but have you heard of the Ladybug Diet? Those red-spotted beauties consume several times their body weight, ridding your roses of numerous garden pests. I wish I could consume several times my body weight in a day and remain looking as fresh as the Coccinella septempunctata.

Ladybugs, also referred to as ladybirds, eat Aphids, Spider Mites, Thrips, White Fly and other harmful pests. They are a boon to organic gardeners and a treat for the youngsters in the house, who enjoy setting them out at dusk.

Most garden centers now sell containers of live lady bugs. I bought ours at Almaden Valley Nursery. Keep them in a cool place during the day when they’re inactive.

Tuesday night we watered the infested plant, cut open the mesh bag and offered them dinner. By morning, they had done a decent job eradicating the pests. Some years it takes two “applications” to wipe out the aphids or flies, but it’s always a treat to see hundreds of them gathered in one place so we don’t mind.

Ladybugs and Aphids

Garden Lady’s: Nature’s Pest Control

Dinner Awaits

It’s 9:00. Do you know where your ladybugs are?

Read more about these farming heroes and the origin of the ladybug rhyme at Animal Planet.

July 4, 2012 by Born To Organize

4th of July Flowers

4th of July Bin

I’ll use any excuse to decorate so I headed to my favorite nursery on Tuesday and picked up some red, white and bluish flowers for the garden.

I replanted the curb-side pot, spruced it up with goodies from the 4th of July bin and used the extras for the fairy garden. We’re cooling our jets during the mid-day sun, but will join the block party shortly.

If you celebrate the 4th, may you have a fun and festive day. If it’s just another day on the calendar, I hope you are simply enjoying life in your corner of the world.

Celebratory Planter

: Small Vinyl Bag from the Holiday Bin

Fairy Garden: Ready to Celebrate

July 4, 2012 by Born To Organize

4th of July: The Canine Contingency

Our neighborhood pool association hosts a parade and watermelon eating contest every year in honor of Independence Day. Now that my boys are older, they fly off on their bikes, leaving me free to snap photos of the four-legged participants. Here they are: