Morning Star



I stopped in at Larry's last night, amidst the selling of Christmas trees and wreaths. I wished him a Merry Christmas and he asked if I bought a tree. No, I said, because we are not here for the holiday, but we did buy a wreath for the door, for the scent. Larry said I should have seen him first, he would have given me one. I told him that it was okay for us to buy a wreath and he said thank you. He then worried about us driving to Minnesota in our old van, imploring us to rent a car. We'll be okay, we've already drove it to Minnesota with no trouble. I shook his large hand, wished him yet again a Merry Christmas.

Early, out the window.

Venus and what are known to the FAA as rotor craft.


Pepe


Last night I discovered on a local blog (thank goodness for those) that my local deli man, Pepe, died at work of a heart attack. He was 42. I am shocked by this. He was always there, and always a smiling face, and even though I didn't order everyday, or even every week, he always knew what I was there for,  and I know it's a cliche about the man at the counter. Just a few days ago he ribbed me about my roast beef. This is a tragedy for his two children, 5 and 7, and his wife. And no one saw it coming.

__________________________________


I've decided to begin rising earlier than I have been, and consequently, needing my full 8 hours, going to bed earlier. Why stay up to midnight, carousing on the Internet, watching comedy reruns, bad news? Getting up at 5:30 am, heading out to the studio, arriving by 7 am. It has to be that early. I went today harangued by standing room only buses, gobs of school kids, lines at the breakfast counter. Eight aye em is just too late. Then I rushed, ruined lots of hard won progress, left too late and was then a half hour late to work. So, tomorrow I set the alarm for 5:30 am, arrive at the studio by 7 am, leaving me 3 hours to work before I leave for work.

Leaving this winter for Minnesota I feel a minor sense of, I'll call it, negative anticipation. I feel as if we may be running the gauntlet of weather. Now, I am exceptionally adept at reading the weather -at least as presented in graphical form on the Internet. I can anticipate the movement of clouds via satellite images, make future sense of a series of radar graphics, understand the effects the isobars of pressure represent, and spot the hole and shoot for it! Then, I think of Rex, my father in law, who knows little of this Internet, yet can look at the sky, interpret the barometer and hygrometer readings, name clouds and know what they mean relative to multiple other factors, the way any Navy weatherman should, having done so long before satellite images were reality. In fact, he invented a wheel that can forecast the weather based on a selection of factors, but his company at the time, Honeywell, saw no market for it.

But I'm not sure he or his invention would do us any good driving the gauntlet, as predicting weather is generally based on a fixed location, adding movement ramps down probabilities. He will, however, be happy to see us, in one piece, in Minnesota, where his daughter belongs, not the liberal, heathen NYC, that has so many wonders he admires. I am hoping for a visit to New Ulm, the original midwestern German town, from which my wife's family descends, and well known for it's warring past that inspired President Lincoln to say that he "...could not afford to hang men for votes." With that in mind, I may just dance my lederhosen off with a gaggle of giant gnomes.



Bluster




Flurries blowing around, yeah, that's the spirit. Temperature at my leaky building is 27 degrees F, and I think going down to at most 20 degrees, but more likely somewhere in the teens. I think I hear the wind whoopin' the siding. Oh, yeah, that's the spirit. In Mound, Mn, it's already negative 1.5 degrees F, going down to a cool negative 15. Hmm, where are my gloves?

Winter Is Light





It's going to get cold tonight, early morning, as the high pressure slips down behind the cold front. I'm listening to the first program of Radiogarden as advertised on GardenRant. In listening to this story, I began to hear my gardening stories in my head and then I realize I'm not listening. I allow the humming to suggest my own humming, similar but unique, and wonder how it all harmonizes.

Minneapolis, Minnesota has just received 16 inches of snow. This is a lot of snow for them to receive at once. Incidentally, I have one painting in a show, the white one -Minnesota snow, up at "Gallery 61" at 16 W61st street, 11th floor,  until Jan 18th. By springtime, maybe May, I'll have enough new work to put together a show of my own, maybe in Brooklyn, maybe elsewhere.  

While I am in Minnesota I plan to update my art site with new work and better images and maybe work on a couple of photo books. Did you know that St. Mark's Bookshop sells handmade books by artists? My wife Betsy sold out a series of books she made last spring and is now putting together another edition of a new book. She's pushing for me to put my photos in small book form, where I think they will work best because they need to be a series and my camera's pixel count is quite low by today's standards for printing (it is going on 7 years). One will be B&W Prospect Park images, and the other of the community garden at Ft. Tilden. What I really need to work out is the ICC profiles, and ink types (I read carbon blacks are the way to go) for printing. These handmade books won't be high priced, although I do not know what they will go for yet -depending rather simply on what they cost to produce.



Probability and Pincushion


The day was warm, so it was all the more tolerable to be outside, under the hood, blindly feeling about for the tab that disconnects the harness. A neighbor passes, shouts "not only does he he make gardens, he repairs cars too." A man of many seasons.

I would have rather been in the garden -it hasn't been prepared for winter at all.  Three gray cats lay in the side yard, like sunbathers, satisfied grins, chins up to the sun.

I dug a trench to place the potted perennials into, but not before stepping in cat shit. I emptied the compost bucket, moved the cold frame to a location less desirable for the cats, who like to sit on the lid, depressing it until it pops from its frame. I swept the poor man's patio, a name more apt today than last spring. I emptied unused pots and planters, the last of the vegetable boxes, and placed them where I would prefer the cats not to shit. I didn't prune, or chop, except for the sunflowers, which I broke, so they wouldn't hang over the fence. It is not without hesitation before one sets on removing a good amount of the parts under the hood, with the short days, the rain coming tomorrow, and then the alternate side dancing.

The problem with the van began yesterday morning. Everything was fine until I left the bank, where I was getting new debit cards after someone stole my numbers to buy a few 100 dollar gift cards at a big bath towel store. I swiped on the heater after a few minutes, but nothing came out, nothing, not even a whir. Switch, relay, fuse, module, resistor, fan motor, wires? None of that matters when you are driving through Pennsylvania, through the lake snow states, through the arctic prairie chill of northern Illinois, then Wisconsin, and finally Minnesota.

When I had all the parts out and awoke to the probability that looking alone would not solve the problem, I chose to put everything back so that, heat or not, at least we could drive the van.

That's when "Crystal" appeared, with her gold glitter eyeliner and bleach blond hair. "Whacha doing, fixing your car? What's your name (Joe)? Is this your building (no)? What's wrong with it (I'm sorry, but I have one hour before the sun goes down)? Do you have a few bucks I can borrow?" I've seen her around, never been sure if she's a prostitute or a druggie from our local methadone dispensary, or both. I imagine her and her friends smashing my windows for the tool box, jack, or some other thing.

I got everything back into its place just after the sun dropped below the trees, with nothing solved but the knowledge that I can get to the part that might be the problem and how long it can take to do so in pleasant weather. Tomorrow it will be warm and rainy, and on Monday the cold returns. The probable part will need to be ordered and the trip? Next week.


Pincushion in the morning sun.


Iris



I'm very happy to see that the iris is blooming indoors. Did the right thing -cut the stems because of my nagging frosty sense. I waited, waited, waited, because too soon and the buds would not have been developed enough to flower. If you're wondering, scented slightly citrus, less robustly than out of doors in spring.

The others, pincushion or Scabiosa columbaria and 'Sheffield Pink' Mum or Chrysanthemum koreanum, Chrysanthemum x rubellum, or Dendranthema, that have taken to vase life high above the feline.

Oh, one more time.


Wack Frost



Tonight, at 8:33 pm, my thermometer reads 29.8 degrees F, and that's up against the building. Tonight, all will be lost. Should it get down to 22 degrees, which is possible being below the 30 degree mark so early and with clear sky, we will remember why it is that we respect winter. This however, is not the story. Tonight, apparently, is a drop in the cold bucket compared to what is about to knock us off our fleece-footed indifference. It is being said that next Tuesday night, and you'll probably forget this by then, we should have temps nearing the single digits, at the very most the teens after a weekend storm which may or may not bring us some white. This is highly unusual for this time of the year, or any really, in NYC, but definitely unusual for pre-solstice.


This has been a stellar year for lake effect snows. Why does this matter, we've no lakes? Well, in less than two weeks, Betsy and I will be headed for Minnesota, where it is already 4.9 degrees F as I write this. Our route, driving with two shivering cats, cuts across the the lake effect zone, creating misery and tension for unseasoned winter drivers like myself. I've an exceptional record when it comes to spotting the break in the storm on satellite, for pushing ahead to miss the bulk of a coming snow storm, but there's no missing those long bands of lake effect, they go on and on and on. From the PA 'Wilds' to somewhere in Indiana, you never know what you're gonna get.

I took one last look at the flowers out there after I put out the recyclables. Smelled the roses. Picked up a potted annual, brought it inside. I thought of cutting the 'New Dawn' buds for the vase, but they're so high up and too thorny for night time acrobatics. Tomorrow morning, bust out the camera for some frosty rose petal pics. It's not all bad.




Mr. Clean Greens



I spent at least a half hour snipping roots from the greens. I washed them at least 5 times -three before the root snipping, two after. Then, into the spinner for drying, and then the fridge. The last two nights I've eaten greens for dinner. This was weird -tonight I ate orzo with pecorino romano, breaded and fried chicken breast, tossed over the salted and peppered greens. 

Incidently, the garden hasn't frozen yet. The 'New Dawn' rose has two buds about to bloom. Also, the vase of flowers is holding up, and the chrysanthemums, pincushions, borage, and eupatorium are doing well. But the big news is the iris apical bud is about to bloom. Awesome.




Beach Farm: Week 18



The snap peas are flowering well now. A decision must be made. 

 I pulled most of the radishes.

The broccoli has been doing well, but there simply isn't enough energy in this low sun to have grown them for harvesting before a serious freeze. I also haven't brought more plastic to fully tent these. Ah, I suppose I'm giving up. Good luck broccoli.

I harvested most of the asian greens and arugula. This is what I left. I started snipping, but then just went with all out pulling.

 The bundle of greens.

 Recent heavy rains made lots of splash up and the wet soil stuck well to the growing roots.

 A bit of buttock.

 On my way to the compost, I spotted this in the field.

 The seed says nothing short of geranium.

This three bin system, instituted by our fearless NPS Ranger Thaddeus, will hardly work. All bins filled. Cannot turn the heap, cannot transfer into the next bin. A compost corral would be way better for the quantity of organic matter we're creating here.

On my way out, decision made. I chopped the snap peas for the greens. I will saute them in butter and garlic with pancetta and serve with pasta -better than waiting for 10 pea pods and then finding everything frozen on my next visit.


Cat Flowers



It all started rather simply. I cut the iris stalks this morning, sure that a good frost would do them in. Well, after my return from the studio, I decided why not pull in some sunflowers and chrysanthemums before they succumb? And that's how it all began.

Why stop there? I went back out and picked some pineapple sage, the remaining pincushion flowers, some borage, even some hardy ageratum that hadn't yet fully bloomed.

While I was out there, and even earlier in the day, I thought to myself how I had not found the mantis eggs this year. Well, while I was pulling leaves off the chrysanthemums, nothing but that happened to fall off. I brought it outside and put it on the rose bush.

But, we cannot have nice things. Why? Because beast cat Pinkie will, as soon as you turn away, destroy all your nice things. For this reason, we never have cut flowers in the house, or if we do, they must be put way up on top of the fridge. While I was cutting the stems, she was there waiting for her turn to participate. Even as I write this I caught her on the table, paw to the flowers. If I were to keep this on the table and leave, I would return to find the vase broken on the floor, the flowers spread all around, and, of course, the puddle.


Update: pineapple sage did not care for a few hours in the vase -wilt, wilt, wilt, trash. The borage is mixed, some floppy, some strong. I must admit to really liking cut flowers and if I had a large space would probably have an area just for growing cuts. And since I am dreaming, I would also have a space where the cat don't shine, and the vase unfazed by capricious felinity.



Flowers This Morning


Are maybe a little rugged looking, but then, who or what isn't in the morning. Of course, the roses are still blooming, and the honeysuckle too, and a thing or two otherwise, but these got in front of the camera.





 Okay, not a flower, but more enjoyable than the ragged coneflower with petals.

 And again, not a flower, but the anticipation.













 Sometimes more blue.

 And others more purple.

Fully expecting freeze tonight. Maybe for an hour, maybe for four hours, anybody's guess.



Freeze Tomorrow Night?


Maybe. Tonight, there's some cloud cover, and moderate humidity. I think the beach farm will be spared tonight, and that iris out there in the side garden as well. Tomorrow, that's another matter altogether.  I think I shall try to hit the farm tomorrow morning. It's been all of two weeks. To fully tent, or not to fully tent the broccoli -that is the question. Answer tomorrow.



Praise Borage



I did not spend the time during this very busy week getting decent photos of the borage that has so artfully returned, an encore performance that I think is rather striking for its season. It is so wonderful to see plants simply turning their noses up at the cold weather and flourishing.  Best of all is that I had little to do with it -the borage simply re-seeded itself from the spring flowering. I pulled all that remained sometime this summer, after deadheading and cutting back to nothing worth keeping. Now I see that I should pull them right after they begin to decline and wait for the seeds to sprout for the fall display.

Ha! I truly believe this is the first time I uploaded a blurry photo to the blog.