Updates: #4

Who is that pair of handsome dudes, anyway? Oh yes, I recognize them as those Alcatraz comic book men, signing copies of their collaborative efforts at Escapist Comics, and looking pretty pleased with the world.

The Purple Viking potatoes - planted in February and harvested in May - have once again performed well. As in 10 full pounds of well. Yumm...

And, well yes, the artichoke did something too, obviously something pretty, but not enough for bragging.

Mom came for a visit, and together we hit every nursery, botanical garden and flower tour in the region. Her favorite: Annie's Annuals, although somehow she didn't quite manage to spend all of her gift certificate. I guess it will keep until next time.

And Princess just waited for everyone to shut up, go home and let her get on with the business of stalking those pesky squirrels.

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Oh yeah, and what about that upset result from the Virginia primary? Did too many, or too few, voters turn out for Eric Cantor? Just shows to go ya, someone's gotta vote, and it probably should be you.

Knitting is for the Birds

You've heard about oil spills. And you've heard about the devastating effects that an oil spill can have on wildlife in the area. Which means that you may have also heard about the campaign(s) for hand knitted sweaters for penguins in Australia and New Zealand. As well as the excessive abundance of those adorable little sweaters that now used to dress up plushy penguin toys.

I missed that - must have been working on some mittens for afghans for Afghans. But this time, I'm not missing out:

Wildcare in San Rafael is asking for handcrafted "nests" (think round, dopey hats) for orphaned baby birds. Yup, baby bird season is in full-swing right now, and somebody has to keep those newborns snug and warm until they are old enough, and feathery enough, to go back into the wild.

Wildcare is asking for 1200 woolen nests, and, as of today, has already received close to 400. I have six almost ready to be mailed off. They are really fast to knit but it's that "almost" that I'm working on this week. Because this time, my dopey hats really are going to the birds.

Instructions for making nests yourself can be found here.

And my stack of nest-hats can be found here.

And the Race is On

Even though they are not on the ballot this time (yes, don't forget to vote on June 3rd. It's silly, I know, but it's just whatchagottado.), the candidates for Oakland mayor are very busy. Not surprisingly (as "from the Land of Dah"), all of the candidates have three main, the-same priorities:

• Security, and we're not talking blankets and bedtime stories.
• Education, so why then do we have a separate school district with its own board?
• Jobs, jobs and jobs. Especially, high tech, high paying, low impact and green, all-at-the-same-time jobs. 

And what about that nasty budget stuff? Right...

Since each one's message and campaign literature all look, smell and sound the same, how do you know how to vote in November? Recently the candidates have been coming door-to-door: Jean Quan, Joe Tuman and Brian Parker have all shown up. For us, this approach just adds to the recycling pile and makes Princess the cat race for the back door. Otherwise, it's not that useful.

(As an aside, I think Jean Quan graduated with honors from the Look 'Em in the Eye and Shake that Hand Very, Very, Very Firmly Academy because she just mashed my hand. And I can say that the mangling started even before I said that I probably wouldn't be voting for her... )

But the house party we attended last week (not a fundraiser, only a forum) featuring Libby Schaaf was very informative. Yes, I knew the name, but since nothing else distinguished her from the other ones running, so what? Well, the what is that this format provided the time and space to ask questions and have them answered more fully. I mean, there was even talk about potholes and no one was joking. Yup, potholes, not potshots. (Thank you llana & Sam and Leslie & Gary.)

So I plan to go to these neighborhood house parties, attend those Meet the Candidates events and ask, listen and ask and listen some more. You might also want to try this strategy: trust me, it beats the heck out of getting your hand crushed.

The Peas are Dead, Long Live the Peas!

Cascadia Sugar Snap Peas

The snap peas which were planted in November, 2013 have been feeding us since March 1st: raw, lightly steamed or sautéed, dressed up for a salad or added to a stir-fry. It's all been good, very good.

But the vines are dying back, powdery mildew is moving in and the new baby peas are beginning to exhibit unusual birth defects (the parental age effect in peas, perhaps? Someone could get shortlisted for an Ig Noble Prize studying this...). Which means that it's time now to replant that little patch with some summer vegetables: peppers, basil and maybe a zucchini.

Oregon Giant Snow Peas

You see, regime change really can begin at home. Gardeners have known this for years; they call it "crop rotation."

Or maybe not. Along the side of the house in March, I planted Oregon Giant Snow Peas, close cousins to the snaps peas, but more tolerant of shady conditions. The first snow peas should be ready in a day or two.

The dynasty continues...

Dinner

A Quiet Saturday Night at Home

I tried to convince the home team that they wanted to go see the second annual Oakland Internet Cat Video Festival, but the response was not encouraging:

So we stayed in and watched Doctor Who, instead. Maybe next year...

Larner Seeds

Baby Blues Eyes and Clarkias

California Poppy, Coastal Form

A little while ago my best guy spent the day teaching a watercolor workshop at Point Reyes and I tagged along. Not to paint, but to take a spring hike and visit Larner Seeds, a small seed company located in Bolinas where, as they say it, "we seek to promote the riches of our California flora." How could anyone argue with that?

It was a fun visit, although beware: Larner Seeds is only open on certain weekends of the year. However, you can always order seeds online, anytime of the day or night.

And the hike? Fabulous. Great wildflower displays, marsh wrens singing away in plain view (I rarely get to see marsh wrens) and an osprey family in the making, tucked up high in its branchy nest. 

I heard that the painters also had a wonderful day.

What's That in the Composter?

I still have, and even use, that old black plastic composting bin which Alameda County used to make available at a deeply discounted price. And every so often I go through and harvest its rewards to use in the garden. This is one of those times, since I need that compost for hilling up those Purple Viking potatoes (planted in February) and getting the tin tubs ready for baby lettuces.

But you never quite know what else will show up, mixed in with the compost. Round here, it's usually just millions and millions of little red worms, shiny black beetles, roly-polies and the occasional ensatina salamander.  Sometimes though, there are some true surprises:

The soup spoon that went missing months (or was it years?) ago.

Or Princess, the helpful garden cat.*

* Honest. I did not stage this photo. She is a cat and, as such, just wanted to be part of the activities.

Escape from Alcatraz: Issue 4

Not the movie. Not the triathlon (good Lord!). Nope, it's the comic, or graphic novel, if you so prefer. Yes, the fourth volume in the series of comics describing all of the break-out attempts from Alcatraz (aka "The Rock") from way-back-when, when it was a federal prison (now it's part of the national park system).

And my best guy got to be part of this comic adventure.

So you know when you have a friend who has hidden talents (no, I did not say super powers, but, in fact, that is fairly close to the truth), and this friend invites you out to lunch where you then discover that, in addition to a successful real life, he has another successful life in the land of comics. And best of all, he wants you to be part of the action.

No, this is not one of those imaginary friend things (those guys never pick up the lunch tab) but Wren Nowan. Last year he was commissioned by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, a non-profit which supports the Golden Gate National Parks, to produce this fourth comic in the escape series. Heck, they even paid him.

So at this lunch, Wren asked if Michael would consider collaborating with him on the project and, although I wasn't there, I think the answer sounded something like "you betcha!"

They got to work and now, a few months later, Escape from Alcatraz: The Final Breakout, is ready.

There will be a book signing event at Escapist Comics in Oakland on Sunday, April 27th at 3 pm. Stop on by if you get a chance.

From Winter to Spring and Back Again (And I'm Not Only Talking About the Crazy Weather)

Hellebore collected from my Uncle Joe's yard in Alabama

These garden toughies may be the salvation of my backyard. Known as hellebores (common names include "Christmas rose" and "Lenten rose"), they are among some of the best performers for that hellhole of a garden spot usually referred to as "dry shade". In addition to coping with little water and little light, they even can deal with icky-sticky heavy clay. Of course they prefer an easier life (who doesn't?), but that still doesn't stop them from blooming from here to almost forever.

However, snails and slugs may chew on them, so get your pitching arm in shape by winging those buggers out of the yard (boy, do I still miss that mockingbird which used to wait for me to show up in the early morning and "deliver" breakfast for the entire family).

With time (I have one which I planted somewhere around 15 or more years ago), the plants can get quite large - two-plus feet around or more.  Depending on the variety, the plant will die back and look a bit ragged in the fall (keep that flinging arm in shape or else), at which point the older leaves may be cut back to make room for new growth.

This year, mine started blooming in late December, are still going strong, and will probably be in bloom until June. With a breather, they will do it all over again with next winter's rains.

Annie's Annuals has a great selection of hellebores in a wide range of colors. Not all are available at any one time, and for sure these babies aren't cheap, but they may be your garden champions for life.

The Red Chair

Princess & the Red Chair

We didn't move, not really. But my best guy did bring his painting studio back home, which meant that the TV room had to take over the computer space, which put the computer stuff in my workroom, which… you get the picture. Too little house for too much furniture.

So we've been re-arranging stuff, recycling stuff, selling stuff, and just generally moving stuff along. Including giving stuff away. Some things have been easy to part with, and some have been a lot harder. In the middle range was the Red Chair. The chair that was given to me by college chums and in which I wrote my graduate thesis. It wasn't red then, but at some point it got painted red (Guilty. I confess. I did it.) and brightened up a corner of the small alcove just off the living room. Obviously a great place for a small, furry animal on a sunny afternoon. Like Princess, for example.

Luckily, Jackie and Adrian, with a new home to furnish in Alameda, saved the day and the chair. It's new role is to be Jackie's work chair, assuming that she can ever reclaim it from Mushu…

Mushu & the Red Chair

Photo courtesy of Jacquelyn Frost