North Philly "Paradise" Lost

Anyone who's been to my house in the spring or summer and walked down the path between mine and my neighbor's house will have noticed the flowers on her side contrasted with the vegetables on mine. I created my neighbor's flower garden by taking flowers out of my garden, since she was interested in having one but at a loss for how to get started (and perhaps needed a little boost to get going?). It actually worked out really well because in my vegetable obsession I was taking out all kind of flowers and putting them in her bed. She'd add some touches herself each year, but I'd have to do a lot of the weeding.

Anyway, my neighbor has moved out. And the house is being managed by an asset manager. And one day a week or two ago, a truck pulled up and a bunch of guys got out with their yard tools. And after picking some daisies for his wife from the garden, the project manager had the guys cut down all of the flowers (except for the daisies and a very few other clumps). I watched through the window, open-mouthed, as they razed the garden to the ground. I thought about interfering or getting hysterical as I watched beautiful sections being cut down (after thinking, "Oh, surely they'll leave those flowers"). But I was stopped in my reflections by a loud cry of distress and genuine weeping from the basement. Micah was playing down there and saw all of the flowers being cut down and wanted to know, "Mommy! Why are they cutting down all the flowers??!" So I comforted him instead of indulging in my own distress for a while. Let me tell you, it was very hard to explain to a five year-old why those flowers had to go (and I was certainly not the best one to do it, since I thought it was all ridiculous).

This is what's left of the butterfly bush that was in bloom.

There were beautiful arching white flowers under the bay window. There were also irises, but they'll come back. The arching white flowers are not all gone. I watered as an act of rebellion after they left, and at least next year they should be beautiful again. The salvia will recover also. And they did leave the small crepe myrtle. I'm not sure how a bare dirt patch is more of a selling point. In fairness, there were weeds mixed in with the flowers. But now there are no flowers to compete with the weeds. And weeds recover from a "mowing" much quicker than flowers do.

I wish I would have taken a picture of the view of our gardens filling that passageway before--I didn't know the destroyers were coming or I would have.

I had just picked flowers from the garden the day before they cut them down. After my neighbor moved out, I decided I should start doing that regularly. The roses and arching white flowers were my favorites to pick. I actually cut the big butterfly bush bloom off the top of their "scrap pile" before they threw all of the flowers out.

Green Energy, Take Three: the Saga Concludes

We finally got it--our green electricity!  It was a long and stressful process, but here's how it worked out . . .

First Attempt:  We tried signing on with a company who installs solar panels onto your roof and then you commit to buying the energy they produce over a period of 5 or 20 years.  They went bankrupt while we eagerly awaited the installation.

Second Attempt:  We tried to buy a solar panel.  This option came closer to fruition.  We actually came pretty close, had the loans and the company all lined up.  I was very excited.  However, it turns out that the tax break offered for the panel applies only to those actually earning enough money to be paying federal taxes.  Who knew?  I, for one, had no idea we weren't paying federal taxes.  So that one was out.

Third Attempt (The One that Took):  We switched from PECO to The Energy Cooperative, a company that features renewable energy sources.  And, though it costs slightly more than their other options, we can buy 100% renewable energy from them--and still pay less than we were paying PECO to be our supplier.

Yeah!

Urban Gardening Planting schedule (zone 5b)

Here in Philadelphia, we're at the beginning of the spring planting.  I put in a few things in March, but hope to get most of the seeds in in April and some of the plants in the ground around Mother's Day.  From what I've heard and read (and contrary to what I thought before), the early bird doesn't always catch the worm.  Even if your plants survive the nights, they might not be as healthy if they are too cold in the beginning.  I think my planting schedule will look something like this:

March: 

• peas, arugula, spring onion, sugar peas, and broccoli rabe (seeded in ground)
• tomatoes, eggplant, crookneck squash, buttercup squash, zucchini, cucumber, celery (indoors)

April - early May

• green beans, radishes, lettuce, swiss chard, kale, basil (seeded in ground)
• tomatoes, eggplant, crookneck squash, buttercup squash, zucchini, cucumber, celery (seedlings put outside) . . . and pepper and herb plants I'll have to buy since I didn't start those from seed
• (plant raspberries and strawberries if you didn't last year)

June

• second planting of green beans
• carrot, kale, arugula, leeks (seeded in ground, to harvest in fall or spring)

A Pleasant Valley Sunday . . .

Having church start at 1:15 on Sunday, as we do, leaves a lovely open slot each week to have a family bonding experience.  We have started hiking every Sunday morning, and we love it. 

This picture is from Valley Forge National Historical Park (the Revolutionary War site).  It's ranked one of the top ten parks in the nation for viewing fall leaves.  We had a great time, though we did have to space out the sandwiches and apples strategically to lure some of the family members through the full two miles + (one bailed anyway, and had to be carried).  Happy hiking!