A blog is a lot like weeding your garden. A little maintenance here and there and it looks lovely. But sometimes, life gets in the way, work gets a little busy, the needles start to get dusty, and you realize that you haven't knit a full row in over a month. You start to forget how much pleasure the delicate stitches gave you, and the comfort a tube of stockinette could provide. The effort of picking up an unfinished object to figure out where you'd left off weeks and weeks ago seems too much trouble. You become ashamed. Reluctant. The excuse that posting with so little knitting to show for yourself gets in the way of actually writing anything.
If you let it go, a week maybe four, ten minutes of pulling the odd weed here and there turns into a full days work usually involving a machete, the neighbor's weed wacker and 911 on speed dial in case either gets a little out of control. This is where I find myself. A backyard filled with 6 foot tall weeds without a machete in sight and the only thing to do my much needed maintenance with is a butter knife.
To say that I haven't been knitting at all is not entirely true. I have in my brief and sadly rare moments spent time working on Mariah's sleeves, still not quite done yet, and also a pair of worsted weight socks. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill worsted weight in this wonderfully plummy color. I started out planning to make them into knee highs but realized that it wouldn't be all that flattering on me and I didnt remember to put in calf shaping, or a stretchy enough bind off at the cuff. Definitely a downer when you can't get your socks on.
My sister tried them on and they dont fit her either so its not entirely my chubby feet at fault here.
March in San Diego is the beginning of a long extended summer for us. With the change of Daylight Savings Time, the longer days have allowed me to spend more time with Lila the WonderDog. She's starting to grey around the muzzle, reminding me that life is so short, and I've only got a few years left with my darling fur child. I dread that day coming, and try to enjoy every moment I have with her.
That stuffed animal she's got in her mouth is a hedgehog that she loves with all her little heart. She'll carry that thing around all day and then bing it to bed with her. It's lasted nearly three weeks and now there is a bit of a split down the center of it. It'll have to go into the trash soon but I'll leave it with her as long as I can.
With the longer days has come warmer weather as well, and I've taken advantage of it to start my spring planting. Tomatoes, strawberries, green beans, radishes, cucumbers, and peppers are all on the agenda this year. Last year's blueberries are starting to flower, as well as the wee nectarine and tangerine trees I have in pots so I'm hoping for a really great harvest of wonderful home grown produce.
Clockwise from the top:
Nectarine flowers, Tomatoes, Blueberries, and Tangerines
Does anyone out in blogland know how to get rid of aphids? They have over taken my roses and are absolutely decimating the buds. Check out the grossness:
When you find time, the knitting mojo will come back :)
As to aphids, I sometimes have luck with horticultural oil. It works for many pests, and acts to suffocate them without anything toxic. However, it may not work on an infestation that bad. It works best as preventative or when it just starts. A systemic insecticide may be your best bet to save the bush. A systemic is poured in solution at the roots, taken up by the plant and then poisons the buggers. Although an insecticide, it doesn't require broadcasting over and around the plant, limiting the spread of the chemical and potential exposure to pets and people. Good luck!
Posted by: jillian | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 07:33 AM
I can pick up some ladybugs for you from our local nursery, they love aphids--it worked for me last year. I also have a machete. And brown upholstery thread and a needle to sew up the h'hog. Good hedgehogs are hard to find, and she's already seasoned it just right. ;)
Posted by: Wendy | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 09:42 AM
Ladybugs can get rid of most of the aphids once the ladies get established -- but I'd try a bit of soap with water in a spray bottle (if you have a few bushes) or in a sprayer you attach to your hose (if you have many bushes). The soap lowers the surface tension of the water, the aphids breathe through their exoskeleton (like all insects) and they drown. The idea is not forceful spraying that knocks them off -- just get them wet. Every other day for a week should do it - but watch out for the next hatch -- it usually takes several cycles of application to get the population down to a manageable level once you have a full blown infestation. Next year just start soap spray at the first sign of an aphid and they won't be able to build up to such levels.
Posted by: Kabira | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 03:54 PM
Lila looks like a little puppy in those pictures! How cute! Sorry about the aphids - my friend Shona says she treats her roses with a systemic solution in the winter which helps keep the aphids to a minimum in the spring. Then you can treat with a spray of dishwashing liquid and water.
When I had roses a neighbor told me to plant a clove of garlic alongside the bush and it would keep aphids away. I think it might have worked.
Posted by: Hilari | Thursday, March 22, 2007 at 11:27 AM