Why I Oughta...

I spent the better part of this week in our nation's capitol and with the projects on my plate, it appears that we'll be getting closely acquainted.  I've been to DC only a handful of times and I can start to get used to the place.

This is the first time I'm growing Ruby Red Cabbage.  I was looking for some new crops to introduce to both widen the scope of what I was growing but also as a way to help aid in my rotation goal to reduce the stress on the soil.  These started as seedlings and have really spread out big time.  I planted them the recommended distance apart and they've mostly grown together.  Up until this morning, I was wondering what was going to happen:  would the current leaves curl back up and form the head?  Or would something else entirely form?  Based on this post , it seems that the cabbage head will sprout up in the middle of the current leaves.  Nat was a little skeptical about cabbage.  After all....what were we going to do with it?  Besides making a big batch of cole slaw, what else can we do with it?  Give it away?  But after seeing them grow, she *actually* likes them and thinks that we should think about planting them elsewhere in the landscape because they're so nea

A month back, Nat and I snuck out for a date night that included a stop at a pizza place on our list and a comedy show that was part of the TBS Just for Laughs Comedy Festival .  We picked Spacca Napoli - #15 on the list of the Top 25 Pizza Places in Chicago.  And while it comes in ahead of such notables as Louisa's and Aurelio's, I can tell you that this one is ranked too high.  The place itself couldn't be cuter.  It appears to just spring up in the middle of a residential neighborhood and has a ton of outdoor seating.  It is VERY popular and we had to wait about an hour to get our table.  We weren't in any hurry, so that was fine.  We ended up sitting outside and as the night wore on, the temperature dropped.  So, we might have outsmarted ourselves with the outdoor seats. The menu is filled with what we've come to expect at most neopolitan places:  a few twists on the Margherita and a bunch of white pies.  I went with the Diavola and Nat (surprisingly) wen

We have a handful of squash plants in the garden and the yellow ones are the furthest ahead.  Lots of blooms on this plant so hopefully they'll grow out into squash.  Uneven watering can be detrimental to these little beauties as they'll start to grow uneven over time. 

I spent some time this past week digging around online and physically in ONE pet store looking at fish tanks and equipment.  I had a tank when I was younger (junior high-ish) that was 30 gallons and I had a lot of fun with it.  The Elmhurst Library has a tank and every time I take the Babe there, it is our first stop in the children's section and she goes nuts.  I figure that this might be a fun family activity: keeping a tank.  Nat thinks this is a VERY bad idea for a variety of reasons including the work involved, the upkeep, my track record on things, etc. She's likely correct, but that doesn't mean I won't keep looking and perhaps even pull the trigger. Do you guys have tanks at home with your kids?  Tell me I'm nuts - that this will end up being too much work.  Or...do you and your kids love it?  I think big, so 10 gallons is too small potatoes for me.  I was thinking of 30 gallons as a nice middle ground starter tank.  Freshwater, too.  I'd loooove

As you can see, there are a lot of little green plum tomatoes on our San Marzano plants .   They were slow starters, but have come on fast in the recent days.  Also, on the right you can see a few of the yellow flowers that will (hopefully) turn into even more fruits.  Ideally the plants come in at the same time so I can make a BIG batch of canned tomatoes and not a few different little ones.  Guess I should get out and buy a new case of jars to get the canning process lined up. 

  I planted this little strawberry plant last spring and it really didn't produce anything last year.  But this year?  We have actual berries.  I *think* they're a bit late (Michigan strawberries came in June) but we have one big red berry and a few emerging white-ish ones.   The plant itself is starting to spread out and establish itself, so next year we should see even more.  I'll pull the one berry off soon and the Babe will have a special little treat!

In just a matter of weeks, the little seeds that I planted in the ground have sprung up to cover a lot of the trellis that I installed.  Here's what they looked like three weeks ago right when I put up the trellis . I think I likely planted a few too many seeds, but that's a problem we can fix next year.  They're growing on top of each other, but I'm still hopeful that they'll throw off a lot of beans.  The snap peas, on the other hand, are already flowering and in great shape.  The peas are on the left.  The beans are on the right.  And Maisy snuck in there on the bottom left.

10 steaming yards of it delivered on the driveway.   Our beds are going to be soooo happy.

Yes.  Today is *both* my wife Natalie and my mother Dorothy birthday.  Crazy, eh? As we've done in year's past, we went up to Ravinia to celebrate.  Just like last year, they both are holding cupcakes in the photo , but because we went to see the CSO, they're 'shhhhsh-ing' us like the folks sitting around our group were doing all night.  Here's two incredible special women that I wouldn't be the same without in my life.  Happy Birthday, Nat.  You too, Ma!