When we moved to a small town in rural New Mexico last spring, I knew I was taking a chance that I might never find a job that would allow me to use my experience and education. But, we loved the lifestyle and the country and we were really burned out on the big city (Houston). After 20 years of working at a major research university, I was ready to try something else–something that made me feel like I was making a difference some how. So when the opportunity came up for my husband to transfer to southern New Mexico, I just said go for it…I’ll find something to do with my career when we get there.
Boy, am I glad I did that. I would never in a million years have thought of museum education as a career. But here I am planning education programs around some of my lifelong passions. My interests outside of work and family are gardening–organically and using ecologically sound, sustainable methods–fiber arts, especially knitting and crochet and anything else that lets me play with gorgeous yarn; and historical crafts, patterns and gardening methods. So what am I doing right now at work, you may ask?? Well, I am planning a big event for spinners, weavers and other yarnies (in April-happy birthday to me), a rendezvous that includes traditional crafts that were part of the mountain man era–spinning, weaving, quilting, basket making, corn husk dolls (and I’m still researching it–it will be in mid-July), and I’ve been discussing a collaboration with Julia Price of
Sierra Dove to establish community gardens in the area, with the museum garden having a focus on traditional methods used in the
southwest. I am going to work every day and researching my hobbies and planning events with people who love the things I love.
Could it get any better than that? Whoop!!
So tell me–have you thought about what interests and passions you could turn into a career?
Permalink
Leave a Comment
One thing that I have missed here is the wire panels I used for just about everything back in Texas. Welded wire comes in many sizes and I’ve used it with T-posts to make trellises, dog kennels, temporary pens, covers over my kennel–very versatile stuff.
I built a small greenhouse for my tomatoes that became their support as they grew. I cut a piece of 4″ by 4″
welded wire panel slightly larger than my tomato bed (this requires bolt cutters). I drove metal T-posts in at the corners and on the sides. I laid the wire panel over the posts and lowered it to about one foot above my newly planted, small tomato plants. I draped 6 ml plastic over the whole thing until danger of frost had passed (I was living in south Texas at the time-zone 8). As the tomatoes started growing, they grew up through the welded wire, which supported them beautifully. As they got taller, I added a second layer of welded wire and secured it near the top of the T-posts. I had tomatoes all summer, up until they froze in December (this was also a lasagna garden).
When the hot Texas sun made an oven of my dog kennel, I secured a piece of welded wire across the top and planted gourds all around the outside. The gourds quickly covered the top of the kennel and I had the added bonus of harvesting dried gourds to use in craft projects. In the winter, the foliage died back and the sun could get through, but in summer it provided deep shade for my dogs, plus little critters lived in the leaves and provided many hours of wiener dog entertainment.
The metal panel is rigid enough that you can bend it and stand it upright to make a trellis. You need sufficient length to make it as high as you need it. I used a 20 foot length cut to about 3 feet wide (actually a left over from another project) to put a trellis over my back gate. I just secured it at each corner by wiring it to the gate post or putting in a T-post on the outside corner. Once covered with flowering vines, you couldn’t really see the metal or the T-posts. We used a wider panel to build a trellis for climbing roses, then put a bench underneath it.
Because wiener dogs are diggers, we used strips of welded wire about 18″ wide to put under the sides of the kennel, flat on the ground, all the way around. We covered it with mulch so the dogs could walk on it. It kept them from digging under the kennel fence and was flat and rigid enough that we could mow over it.
I have no doubt that when I build my garden preserve here, welded wire panels will play a key role. It is definitely on my top ten list of useful material for country living.
Permalink
Leave a Comment
One of the things I have learned since our move to New Mexico is that I will have to learn a new way of gardening. I used to compost everything–but food in a compost pile attracts critters like bears and we don’t want to invite bears to our yard. A friend of mine who lived in a town house started worm composting, which was a good way to dispose of kitchen scraps. You can also buy enclosed composters that aren’t quite as messy as my favorite, out-under-a-tree compost bin. Here, the composter will have to be in the house, garage or basement to keep animals from getting into it, so I am still thinking about exactly how to do that given that our winter nights can get rather cold. Worms would probably die from the cold, but I do have an unfinished basement where I could stash an enclosed composter, if I can make it mouse proof.
Another problem is protecting plants from deer and elk. They will hop right up on your deck and eat things. We have a deck that goes completely around our house and being that we are on a hill, three sides are hard to reach. The deer would have to walk in from the back side of the house. I’m gambling they won’t do that, but we’ll see. The deck on the south side of the house could easily be blocked off with a gate, assuming deer won’t jump over it because it is a rather restricted space requiring that they negotiate stairs.
I’ve grown tomatoes and peppers in a simple grow box made from a laundry basket lined with a heavy plastic trash bag with holes poked through all layers for drainage. That was for a class project my son had in school, but worked fairly well. However, I would recommend that you give more thought to what kind of plastic the basket is lined with–something I will definitely look into before I repeat that project. I came across this
article on grow boxes, which has some good and fairly simple ideas. Eventually, I hope to build an enclosed garden space somewhere on our property, but that is a project for another day. For now, it will have to be the south deck.
Two other resources that might prove useful for small space gardening are
Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza and
All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. I used the lasagna method last year and had the best tomatoes by far that I have ever raised. Growing in small spaces with raised beds means completely rethinking how you space your plants. Traditional rows are not necessary. I recommend both these books for small space gardens. They give you a whole new way to think about gardening.
Permalink
Leave a Comment
We love berries around here, especially blueberries and strawberries. This time of year you can get fresh berries aplenty, so we decided to put some up in the freezer. I’ve used this method with blueberries, strawberries and blackberries and it is a fairly quick and easy way to put them up.
First, I clean all the green stemmy bits out–hull strawberries, but leave them whole. Pick stems and leaves out and any mushy or too-green berries. Rinse them well in a colander. I put down several layers of newspaper, then cover those with paper towels (you can add the soggy paper to your compost pile afterward). You could also use cuptowels, but they will have berry stains when you are finished. If you are putting up a lot of berries, you may want to build a screen or perforated tray of some kind to spread them on to let them drain.
I spread the berries out on the towels and let them drain well, then spread them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer and pop them in the freezer. In two to three hours, they are frozen enough that I can scoop them into a freezer container or freezer baggie and put them in the deep freeze. By freezing them on a cookie sheet, they will stay separated so that you can just scoop out a cup or so as you need them. It also allows you to grab a handful for a nice frozen treat when the weather is hot–eat them plain or stir them into yogurt.
I have a book that was given to me years ago that I use constantly when putting up fruits and veggies. It is called
Stocking Up, by Carol Stupping, and the newest version is available on Amazon. It is a very comprehensive book on preserving foods and my version even has plans for building a storage area in a cellar for your stores of food, drying trays, home made driers–just about anything you would need. It provides information on freezing, drying and canning fruits and vegetables, preserving dairy products and meat, making butter, storing nuts, seeds and grains and a ton of other useful information. I highly recommend this book if you are growing and preserving your own food.
Permalink
Leave a Comment
One of my favorite times of year is finally here–hummingbird season. I put out one feeder, just to see who was in the neighborhood, and so far have seen at least three different hummingbirds coming to visit and sup. I make my hummingbird treat with one part sugar and four parts RO water–no dye, no honey, no artificial sweeteners. Those are all no-no’s for hummingbirds. The only problem is that the hanger is over the deck and every time it swings a little, it drips sugar water. I have a messy spot on the deck and it attracts ants, so we will have to find a better location.
My feeders are plastic and were here at the house when we moved in. They look like giant strawberries–not that attractive. However,
this article on Crafting a Green World has a tutorial on making your own feeder from a glass bottle and copper tubing–another great way to repurpose a glass bottle. There are also links to other DIY projects that are hummer related. If you are a gardener, you can get
top ten lists for native plants and exotic plants that hummers love at
RubyThroat.org, as well as lots of other info on hummingbirds.
Permalink
Leave a Comment
I’m learning things today that I have never had to think about before. The wind has been AWFUL here in Richmond (as have my allergies) and we’ve had some grass fires around Austin in the news lately. The Firewise movement started as an effort to help homeowners protect their lives and property in the event of a wildfire. Even here in Texas, given the drought in some areas of the state and the high winds we sometimes experience, Firewise principles could save homes and lives.
The house we are moving to in New Mexico is in an area that is rated very dangerous for wildfires. As I was looking for information on gardening in New Mexico, I began to learn that landscaping can save your house, and your butt, in areas that are subject to wildfires. The New Mexico State Forestry Division has a web page devoted to
strategies for making your house more defensible in the event of a fire and provides lists of plants that are fire resistant. One of the first things we will have to do is establish a Zone 1 around our house. It has been empty for several years and the brush and dry grass have accumulated way to close to the house. We are on a hill, and fire loves to run uphill, so it will be particularly critical on the downhill side of the house. One more thing on my to-do list.
Permalink
Leave a Comment
