Inner and Outer Space

The cypress near our garden. This is a mystifying new landscape for me.

Despite our continual busyness, Nathanael and I have been enjoying our thesis-free time immensely.  
We have already put much more work into our garden, but even that time has felt more relaxed, both because there are no obligations awaiting us at home, and because the drive between home and the garden ins much shorter.

Our garden a few weeks ago, when we were just beginning to plant

Nathanael is building a few rows of woven bamboo trellis to train our beans, melons, cucumbers and gourds upon, and they are such pretty structures. (I don't have pictures of those because he finished building them in the dark, but you will see them soon!)

It is really relaxing to work in the garden a few evenings each week, and it also feels productive.  The landscape surrounding our garden is beautiful, and gives us more pieces of Louisiana to appreciate, like the majestic cypress or the ever intriguing horsetail plants

One of the plants with highest silica, those ridges are good for scouring and buffing.

Each of these segments "pops" out and will click back into place...though it won't grow after that.

While moving some wood we uncovered some mysterious looking creatures that we have yet to look up.

They look like a cross between a stick bug and a crawfish.

Though I don't plan on eating one.

Seriously, if these came from another planet, how would we even know...why are we not as intrigued by their presence here as we would be elsewhere. Who knows, they may be trying to communicate.

In the evenings after gardening we have occasionally have a cup of Mexican hot chocolate (Abuelita), while Nathanael reads C.S. Lewis' space trillogy to me.  We are on the first book, Out of the Silent Planet.  I have never read (or listened) to them before, but so far I am intrigued and my imagination is getting some good exercise.  Additionally, C.S. Lewis' carefully crafted English makes listening (or reading) feel as though you are discovering the truest form of written communication, and when you are reading all of it aloud your mouth feels privileged to have such fine things to say.

So Lucy,
   I have selected this song for you this week because I have been thinking about exploring and about outer space, and actually a lot of people have been thinking about outer space this week.  And though we now know that none of the planets in our solar system have any (conspicuous) unearthly creatures and giant purple forests, the lands and spaces we will never personally visit will always drive our creative minds, whether those far away places be the in depths of the ocean, in the corners of the solar system or on other earthly continents.  Or actually, living right here in a state where didn't grow up has shown me creatures and forests to which I previously gave no thought, so I am beginning to realize that I don't need to travel far to be surprised.  For this song of the week, I have chosen Mercury from Gustav Holst's the Planets.  I think we all end up listening to the same ten or twelve classical music pieces all of the time (thanks pandora), while missing out on so many exciting and imaginative compositions. So please enjoy, while thinking of planets (and earthly spaces) undiscovered.

Note: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis is a story about a trip to the planet we know as Mars (while the silent planet is earth), but I was more in the mood for Gustav Holst's Mercury. So, different planet.

Can You Canoe?

Nathanael's Masters of Science in Agronomy: Weed Science is officially complete.  He flew to Wisconsin to defend it on May 25, and again to submit the paper copy in person on June 8.

Nathanael with his cane knife.
Very old Louisiana of him, though he was using it for bamboo, not sugar.

And me? Well I have been here building up my expectations for our new found time, without taking note that high expectations don't mix well with fatigue from multiple light night/early morning drives to the airport...even if you do have a full picnic dinner on the way.

Last night my tired self was having a hard time using my arm muscles, and at the same time sad that we were not hiking, biking and frolicking through fields already...since Nathanael had been back a whole 18 hours.  But Nathanael humored me, ate cupcakes with me, read me a bedtime story, and made it a fun night despite my floppy arms incapacities.  I'm silly, I know...if you think my tired self is silly, you should meet my half awake self....

My fully awake self is a little more rational, but still itching to get out of buildings and into the wild. (We'll get back to that in a minute.)


My friend, and graduate school roommate Lucy, (who I have mentioned a few times) and I have decided to exchange a song with each other each week.  We also decided to post the songs on our blogs (Lucy's post this week) to share with our friends, and others who enjoy discovering a wide variety of music.  And, since we did not establish rules, you will be encountering a wide variety of music.  Lucy and I like to have fun.  Sometimes we have classy music selections (I gravitate toward xylophones, banjos, hammered dulcimers and ukuleles; and Lucy gravitates toward Newfoundlanders), and sometimes we just feel like listening to Saturday Night on repeat for a while (ok, ok a short while).

So Lucy,
Since I am set on roaming with my friend Nathanael, as you've heard, when this song came on NPR a few days ago it held fast to my subconscious.  So despite it being a kid'song, I present you with Can You Canoe, by the Okie Dokie Brothers, and since you are also an outdoor's lady, and since the guys singing look silly every time they say the word "canoe" throughout this video, I think you will enjoy it.

Please pretend I am right there with you this evening, with all my banjo loving self.  Though, I am most certainly at the opposite end of the Mississippi as these fellows and their canoe.

May the Vegetables Rise Up to Meet You

Spring is glorious. 

Though now that I'm on the topic, I'm not sure we get spring here in Louisiana. I think the two seasons are probably summer, and "summer lite".

We are gardening...well, breaking ground for a garden.

 It is starting off very very slowly partially because we have been busy, partially because our garden has moved.  Jennie (of the former garden property) moved, and since we didn't know if we would have a new location, we did not tend the good old garden during the winter end of 2011.  But by the grace of God and through the love of friends, and people soon to be friends, we have a new and exciting garden location for which our exotic vegetable dreams are even more elaborate.  More on that once there are actually seeds in the ground...

The weekend before Jennie moved out we removed all of the stakes, tall dead plants, and fence from our old garden and released it too the wild.

It looks like an extremely diverse patch of meadow in a sea of sparse turf. 

So what has been keeping us so busy?

Well, Hemp Sesbania (Sesbania exaltata)... 

....and Indian Jointvetch (Aeschynomene indica L. )...

and the study of the influence they have on rice yield.

Nathanael has been away from home for long hours each day planting rice and weeds in far off locations with his research group.  A few weeks ago he did some germination studies (pictured), and he used the germination rates to calculate how much weed seed to apply to his research plots.  Then he and I weighed out Hemp Sesbania and Indian Jointvetch seeds carefully and packed them into little whorl-pak bags to be distributed for his studies.

I really like this guy.

He has been working so hard. 

In addition to his PhD research during the day, he has working on the end of his MS for Wisconsin at night. (His thesis for Wisconsin is also in Weed Science, but instead of rice, his research was in corn an soybean, and looked at more northern weeds.)  After weeks and weeks of writing and low sleep he finally has a defense date

 May 25

 I think I am going to make it a family holiday from this year forth.

Seriously, when that date comes it will be the first time since before we got married that Nathanael won't have something else he should be doing every evening and weekend.  I always feel bad for distracting him  from writing, but less than a month from now I can distract all I want!

 I have so many fun plans that have been building up.  We are going to go camping, and hiking, and visit goat farms, and take an airboat ride in the Atachafalaya Basin, babysit our friends kids so they can have date nights (and we can have play time), and maybe even dance in the evenings.
Nathanael said he is getting intimidated by this new life we are going to have...it might be because I have some new plans for the chore chart too...

Don't get me wrong, we've been having plenty of fun with the time we do have together, but what a wonderful relief it will be for both of us to have a more balanced schedule. (And for him to regularly get more than four hours of sleep.) 

I am so excited!

 

Birthday Bounty

I am 26 now, as of last Friday.

And a glorious day it was. 

Friday has always been my favorite day of the week.

I have been thinking about the placement of birthdays, and I am glad to have my birthday at the beginning of the year. 

Probably each month has its benefits, but January has a crisp newness that is bigger than me. I like that. Plus, now that I am old enough to forget how old I am, being born at the beginning of the year makes it easier to calculate, which is probably why most of Asia traditionally adds a year to their age on the Chinese New Year regardless of their month of birth.  (Happy Year of the Dragon by the way.)

Nathanael was the crafter of almost all of the things that made my birthday so fantastic.

The main thing I created was the wonderful brightly colored outfit that is not shown here...but probably would have landed me a part as one of the Wizard of Oz munchkins back in the day just so that Technicolor triumph could have been fully appreciated. Though, Nathanael did help me decide that it was not too ridiculous for work...being that it was Friday and all.

Isn't this wrapping job fun? 

Newspaper never looked so fine.

Nathanael received some restaurant recommendations from people in his office, but he decided that he could make a more delectable meal at home (and without spending our using up all of our money). So, while I relaxed in the living room reading some junior fiction, he created a mystery dinner masterpiece. The first course, was beer cheese soup fit for any Wisconsin palate.

Next was a salad of romaine lettuce, pecans, craisins, and apple poppy seed dressing. 

Next, because our kitchen is small, he brought these into the living room to cool, which should have probably keyed me in on the main course, but I was still oblivious...

to the seasoned hamburgers sizzling away.

But once I figured it out I was pretty excited about both the burgers, and the toppings; red wine caramelized onions, slices of avocado, and shoe string potato chips for a bit of crunch.

I went to bed stuffed to the top.

Then, the next morning, my second day of 26, Nathanael took me out for a mystery breakfast. I was a little worried he was taking me to ihop (I love waffles, but I just wasn't in the mood for that particular atomosphere). Not only was I not disappointed, but I was quite excited. He brought me to a beignet shop. The setting of which is more like a European cafe. 

(Taking more pictures of the two of us together is my one New Year's resolution. As you can see, it is in its early stages. Also, those are the clothes we are wearing indoors and out these days.)

Ah beignets.

If you haven't tried them...

well...

get yourself down here to Louisiana to visit us!

Weekend Links : The Alphabet

The alphabet, she inspires me.
And even though I have a leg up in that department, here are a few prime ways for everyone to have fun with all 26 letters.

Small fabric scraps can be used make a fabric alphabet, which is not only a fun learning toy (I love these big letters for toddlers, or smaller, magnetic ones for new spellers), but the letters can also be clipped to a ribbon and used for a birthday banner or bedroom name bunting.

You could also make a leaf alphabet. It's just about the perfect craft right now if you live somewhere with changing leaves. I have always appreciated creative alphabet books, and this project reminds me of Eric Carle.

Another thing that might be fun to attempt on your own, Garret Steider created a food alphabet, with prints available to decorate your kitchen and entertain your guests.

If you aren't in a crafty mood, but would still love to decorate with letters, whip out the cardstock and try these well designed free printables!

Finally, this fantastic alphabet montage might just shoot creativity straight into your mind.

More alphabet fun:
homemade alphabet pretzels 
 food alphabet on etsy
animal alphabet on etsy
whimsical German alphabet on etsy

(And if you're in the mood for reminiscing, why not watch everyone's favorite giant yellow bird being ridiculous? If you didn't watch Sesame Street as a child, this video is a very important part of your cultural education.)

Fall Gardening in the Land of Ever Growth

I told you about the Indian peppers already.

But they are not the only thing growing while we slack off on our tending. You see, gardening in the
"fall" here is a little different than gardening in Wisconsin in the fall.

Our pumpkins and other squashes were planted relatively recently, as were the root vegetables, because 
the weather was just too hot for them earlier. However, the exotics we chose are still growing with delight.

Gongura. 

Beautiful, no?

We planted a row of these plants by the name of Thai Roselle for their flowers, and each plant turned into
a gigantic bush taller than us in all directions. The dried flowers are often known in tea as hibiscus (not the
same as the ornamental hibiscus) and turn herbal teas--like Tazo Passion, and Celestial Seasonings
Raspberry Zinger--purple and tangy. Well, all summer the flowers fell off, and we figured we would never
have a use for the giant bushes. But one day, a friend of ours from India noticed the plant and told us how
excited she was to see that we were growing gongura. 

And now that we have been taught to concoct Indian chutneys out of these tangy leaves we are pretty excited too.

However, with the cold nights we have been having, the flowers are finally persisting to maturity.

And these leaves?

Okra. A local favorite.

These were our first five, and we fried them up for a crunchy cornmeal dinner. But, I do have a very good
 recipe for something more interesting (and spicier) to do with okra that I will be sharing shortly.

Yes, our vegetables are in that pecan tree.
Getting them out was a group effort, as you can see, but getting them in was the work of one man...
I'll let you guess who.
This particular handsome fellow trained our Sweet Honey Sponge Gourds to grow up this particular tree
 because we like to do fun things with our gardening. And having edible gourds hanging higher than a pruner
or fruit picker could reach really was entertaining. 

If you think you're not familiar with sponge gourds you are probably right and wrong. Because, while you
may not have eaten them as a vegetable (like a looser, sweeter echo of a zucchini), you probably have seen
them sold in the bath section by their other name, loofahs. If we let them grow past the young tender eating
stage, they gradually grow more fibrous until they are ready to decompose, and then everything except the
fibers falls away, leaving a spoungey gourd skeleton (which usually needs to be washed, and sometimes left
 to sun bleach).
I have been using one of our grown loofahs instead of a plastic "poofah" lately and I have been quite happy
 with it. Though mine is smaller and has finer fibers than the ones at most stores.

Also in a tree, I found this spider.
I have never seen anything like it before!
I would assume he is well defended from birds.

Out of the trees and into the yard, we have also found crawfish, who like to wander especially after a rain.
And don't worry, we didn't take this one's portrait and then eat him.
He is another creature we set into the wild.
And isn't he just perfect at posing? He didn't even need to be told to look at the camera.

Beneath the Clemson Spineless...a Tiny Turtle.

A couple of months ago, when we were uprooting the old amaranth bed, we found a dozen of what we thought were snake eggs.

We relocated them under the okra, but I forgot...and when I went to plant the spaghetti squash I found this little guy.

The last one to hatch. 

I think the fire ants scarred him a bit, and may have gotten to a sibling or two.

He was groggy, until I put him in the water.

Only a puddle really.

Then he swam like the expert he was born to be.

We set him free.