Beans...beans...more beans

With all the rain and the warm weather we've been having, things grow in the garden. My tomato plants are huge and they carry loads of tomatoes, all still green, though. The peppers are also quite plentiful this year. Last year for some reason my Gypsy peppers didn't do much, but this year they are quite prolific. I saved some seeds last year from peppers I bought in the store. The peppers are long and red and expensive to buy. I thought I'd give them a try in the garden, so I seeded some into containers in early Spring. The seeds sprouted and I transplanted the seedlings into the garden beginning of June. I'm happy to report that I have many peppers on the plants. The Banana peppers are also growing nicely.

We've harvested a few zucchini, yellow ones, and ate them yesterday. The green zucchini are growing well again this year. We haven't had much luck with them for a few years. I've harvested four so far. I don't let them grow to large. They're only good for baking if they get too large.

One thing that always amazes me are the beans. You plant one little bean and you get a ton of beans from this one tiny bean. I usually seed one packet of yellow beans and one packet of purple beans. The plants supply us with more beans than we can eat. The purple beans turn green when boiled. And the yellow one taste great boiled and served in a sour-cream sauce with plenty of dill. We had one supper with yellow beans already. Sometimes my wife makes a salad with vinegar. Also tastes great.
Yesterday I harvested my beans and was surprised how many were on the plants. We still have some left from the last time I picked.

Beans are healthy and prolific growers. I don't know why not more people have gardens and grow a few beans, a few tomatoes, and maybe a few peppers. Lettuce grows mostly in the Spring, but is also easy to grow. I doesn't do well once the weather turns hot. Having a garden is fun and the rewards are well worth the effort of planting, seeding, and spending a little time weeding and watering. And a garden is soothing for the soul and nourishing for the body.  There is nothing better and more satisfying than eating fresh vegetables picked in ones own garden. There are no chemicals to worry about. It's a win-win-situation.

beans...beans...more beans

3 yellow zucchini. They taste delicious sliced and steamed on the BBQ.

Gypsy peppers on the plant.

Robins vs. Relatives

Robins are like relatives. You hardly see them until there is something to get, like when a rich uncle or aunt dies. In the case of robins nobody died, which is a good thing. So why am I comparing robins to relatives?

We usually get a lot of robins in the Spring. One year I counted over a hundred on the grass and in the trees. They hang around for a few days and then they disappear. A few stay behind for the summer. They come after a rain to search for worms or they take a bath in the birdbaths with plenty of splashing.

We have a couple of chokecherry trees in our yard. This morning I saw a large flock of robins congregating in the big tree. At first I wondered why, and then it dawned on me. They came for the cherries. You see, the tree is laden with juicy, black chokecherries. And robins love chokecherries. Years ago my wife used to make jelly from chokecherries. I collected wild cherries, but now she doesn’t make it anymore. With the kids out of the house nobody eats jelly. I eat mostly honey. So it’s fortunate that we don’t need the chokecherries from our tree. We may never get any because of the birds, even though we have a smaller tree that also has plenty of berries. Somehow the birds don’t seem to find that one until later. They seem to prefer the one closest to the house.

I went fishing for Goldeye last week. We only caught seven between the three of us. Not that great when the limit is 10 per angler, but there was one conciliation...all the fish were large. The smallest was 32 cm. The other six all qualified for a Master Angler award, but we didn’t bother. The season for Goldeye is just beginning and I am hoping for larger fish. The minimum for an award is 35.5 cm (14 inch.). The waves were quite high again, but I was okay. I took a Gravol pill an hour before we went on the water and I was fine all day. I even ate my lunch.

It was a nice day. A bit cloudy, but sometimes the sun did make an appearance. There is nothing better than sitting in a boat with good friends and watching the waves and the float bopping on the water, hoping for that sudden jerk on the line which signals the bait has been taken. Landing the fish is, of course, an even greater thrill, especially with all the yelling going on when the man with the net misses the fish on the first swipe. Sometimes a fish manages to jump of the hook just before it can be brought close enough and then everyone is in agreement that it was a huge fish, even if deep down we all know it was just barely larger than a minnow. But that’s what fish-tales are made of. It’s all part of the fun. I'm looking forward to the next fishing trip, which, hopefully, will be more successful.

Seven beautiful Goldeye

Nothing can beat a day like this

I took him for a ride across the river

Finally I caught one of the little rabbits in my trap. It  happened before supper, so I had supper first before I did anything. The little guy tried to escape, but he also ate the carrot and the greens inside the cage. I guess he wasn't too scared. After supper I took the cage with the rabbit for a short ride to the other side of the Red River and released the little feller. I wished him a good and long life. There was plenty of protection there for him and lots of trees and shrubs. He has a good chance. As long as he doesn't find his way back across the bridge because he is homesick or something. Now I have to catch the other little one and possibly the mother, too. I may just make a meal out of the big rabbit. The trouble is I wouldn't be able to kill it. I can shoot one with a gun,  but it is a different story when you're close. One look into those large brown eyes and I'm putty.

Another culinary delight

Anyone who has ever eaten Swiss Chard may know what I'm talking about. We harvested a bag full of Swiss Chard today and had it for supper. The funny thing with this vegetable is that even if you have a bag full, once it is cooked there isn't much there.

My wife boiled it, chopped it up a little, then she sauteed it with onions. We eat it with mashed potatoes, fried eggs, a couple of wieners, and a little Maggi (like Soya sauce) mixed into the Swiss Chard. It tasted delicious.

Talking about culinary delights. We are having trouble with rabbits. There is one large one, probably the mother, and two small ones. They are both of different sizes. My wife caught the little one and carried it into the neighbor's yard. We have large properties and she thought it would be okay. My neighbor has a corner in his yard that is a bit messy, with hay and all kinds of stuff. A good place for a rabbit to make a home. Well, this one didn't like it there. It came back. As the saying goes: No good deed goes unpunished. It's been eating most of the lilies. Now we put a wire fence around a couple of the flower beds, then the little bugger moved to another flowerbed. You just can't put a fence around every flower bed. In the beginning the mother ate some of my lettuce and the beans until I chased her out every day. I even shot at her with my slingshot. She may have gotten the hint, but now she came back also.

The mother doesn't hang around too often, though. I guess she found another dining room with one of the neighbors. The smaller one is probably doing his share of destroying our place. I put up a trap, but so far no luck. They are smart and wary.

Yesterday a hawk came by and walked under the cedars. Usually, we chase the hawk away, because we feed the birds, but this time we didn't. We hoped he'd get one of the rabbits. We think he got one a while ago, because we found a piece of fur and a small rabbit tail. He didn't get anything this time. All three rabbits made an appearance today. Nothing seems to help. We've been spraying the plants with a concoction of water, garlic, and hot sauce. That doesn't seem to deter them.

Today one of the small ones was inside the cage but didn't spring the trigger. It ate the
carrots I put in. Now I rigged the trigger so it will collapse the cage when barely bumped. Hoping it works. I feel like Elmer Fudd. We can't  discharge weapons in our area, otherwise I would go rabbit hunting. They do taste good. I just want to catch them and take them across the river and release them. They won't come back from there. Maybe they'll annoy some farmer and he'll get them. One can only hope. Some people may find this offensive, because all they see are cute little bunnies. Rabbits can be a great nuisance, and they multiply like...well, like rabbits.

Fresh Beans

There is nothing better than fresh vegetables from the garden. Yesterday we harvested the first beans. Purple and yellow ones. We ate some of the yellow ones with sour cream and freshly cut dill, accompanied by sliced potatoes and barbequed chicken breasts. Delicious. My wife drank white wine and I had a bottle of beer. Life is great when you have a wonderful meal like that.

Everything in the garden is growing great. There is no sign of the dreaded Blight (yellowing of leaves) on the tomatoes. I’ve been spraying faithfully once a week with Bordo, a copper spray. It works. Also mulching with grass seems to do the trick. There are plenty of nice-sized tomatoes already on the vines, but it will be a while before they turn red. The peppers are also growing, especially the Hungarian (hot) ones, and the Banana and Gypsy. Most plants have many blooms. I haven’t seen any bees to do the pollinating, but I saw a bumble bee zooming around on the tomato plants. I sprayed my peppers today again with a solution of Epsom salt. It provides the plants with magnesium.

We’ve been eating lettuce from the garden every day for the last week or so. I cut it in the morning when it is still wet and fresh looking. I have two kinds: A Mesclun mix and Butterchrunch. Tomorrow we’ll be eating Rhubarb Swiss Chard. My wife chops it real fine and boils it. We eat it with mashed potatoes, fried eggs, and sausages. We also add a generous amount of ‘Maggi’ to the mush of Swiss Chard. Gives it a nice taste. I used to grow Spinach, but the problem with Spinach is that it goes to seed too quickly, especially when the weather is hot. Swiss Chard doesn’t do that.

We’ve also been eating new cucumbers. They aren’t as plentiful as some other years, but we have enough for the two of us. The dill is everywhere, even though we've pulled most of it when it was small. At that stage it is at its best. We freeze it for the winter. Now the plants are tall and are beginning to bloom and go to seed. They aren't as green anymore either, but still good to eat.

The red beets are growing nicely, but I have no luck with Kohlrabi. Last year I bought 6 plants but this year nobody carried them so I seeded myself. There are plenty of plants, but they look pathetic and won’t form any heads. Too bad. We like fresh Kohlrabi.

This year I seeded some Corn in the basement. It sprouted within 3 days. When I transplanted it into the garden it was about 6 inches tall. That was June 7th. Today it is already 5 feet tall and the tops are growing out of it. It sure grows fast. A friend of mine told me that if you listen carefully you can hear it grow. Well, I’ve been listening and I haven’t heard anything. Then, of course, I’m a little hard of hearing anyway. Can’t wait to see the first cobs forming. Maybe we’ll have our own corn this year. The variety I planted is Peaches and Cream. I’m looking forward to it.

As long as we don’t get any hail or strong winds we should have a great harvest. Now all I have to do is keep the rabbits and crows out of the garden.

He will sing no more. Robbie: May 20, 2001 - July 15, 2013

We buried our little canary this morning. His name was Robbie. He passed away during the night. Yesterday morning he still sang and poked my nose with his beak, the way he always did to show his affection. He must have had a stroke in the afternoon, because when we came home from shopping, he sat in his tub, something he never did, and was gasping for air. When I lifted him out to put him back into the cage onto a dry paper towel, he didn’t struggle or make a little chirp of protest. He just crouched on the floor, his feathers soaked with water, his breathing laboured. He was twelve years old, a good, ripe age for a canary. And he lived a good life. My wife cleaned his cage every morning, changed his seeds and water every day, twice when it was hot. And he ate only the best seeds we could buy. He returned the love we gave him tenfold with his songs and his affection. When we buried him in one of the flowerbeds wrapped in a piece of tissue paper we buried a small part of our life with him. We put a nice rock over his tiny grave to protect him from wild animals that might want to dig him up.

As small as he was, he had a large personality and made himself known. When it was time for lunch, he sat on his usual spot on his perch and chirped loudly to let us know he wanted his apple, or lettuce, or piece of broccoli. When he got it he fluttered his wings and started eating before we could even fasten it to the cage. He poked our finger with his open beak to say thanks. He had a beautiful voice and he was loud. The louder we talked, the louder he sang just to make certain we didn’t ignore him.

He had a bit of a temper also. When we left him alone for the day, we had to coax him to forgive us. He showed us his cold shoulder by turning away when we talked to him, but he was quick to forgive and favored us with a loud song.

He was a part of our routine. In the morning we played a tape for him. Classical music with canaries singing along. And he usually sang along also. It was plain to see he loved classical music. Didn’t care much for the modern stuff.

We got him when he was a month old. He was so small but he already had a big voice. Before him, we had a female canary. We called her Bobby. When we bought her, the store owner assured us it was a male, because she sang almost like a male. In hindsight we should have known this was not a male, because males, apparently, don’t get as tame and affectionate the way she did. We let her fly around and she sat on our shoulders, pulled on our ears and hair. She ate from my egg and drank orange juice when my wife offered it to her. Well, when she laid her first egg, we knew we had no male. We gave her to a lady who bred canaries and that’s how we got our little Robbie. He was from her first brood.

We’ve always had canaries. Our first two lived nine years. The next one, Joey, lived only three years, but we believe he was an old bird when we got him, because he didn’t like to fly around when we opened the cage, unlike Robbie, who enjoyed spending time outside his cage. Only in his later years he didn’t care to leave his cage. He didn’t have the strength to fly around, but that was okay. He was perfectly happy inside his cage.

Starting in Spring, he spent most of his day in our sun-room. He loved looking out of the windows and watch the wild birds outside. He talked with them and sang to them.

He didn’t like it when we cut his nails, but it needed to be done. When his nails were long, he couldn’t hold on to the perch and many times he fell off. A few times he got his toes caught either on his swing or even on the edge of his seed container. Hanging upside down, he screamed for help and we had to rescue him. He did actually lose one of his nails when he ripped it off after getting his toe caught. Luckily we were home, and we put cinnamon on the bleeding wound to stop the bleeding. Canaries are bleeders and can die from loss of blood. He did give us a bit of scare that day. So we made sure to cut his nails.

He was only a little bird, but he was a large part of our lives for twelve years. He brought us much joy and a ray of sunshine, and we will certainly miss him. We will miss playing his tape and listening to his songs. He didn’t ask for much, just to be recognized and appreciated, but he gave so much of his little self. He wasn't perfect; his feathers looked a bit ruffled, after all, he was getting old, but to us he was the most handsome canary around.

We will probably get another canary, but Robbie was one of a kind with his own character and personality and he’ll be in our hearts and memory forever.

Criminals and other Undesirables

I have no love for criminals. They are vultures and the scum of any society. I’m not talking about what governments consider criminals, like citizens who don’t pay their fair share on taxes, or lag behind paying them, or don’t take part in government functions, or people who broadcast military secrets that shouldn’t be secrets in the first place, and stuff like that. I’m talking about those undesirables who prey on hardworking citizens by stealing their money, by breaking into other people’s houses, stealing cars and things that don’t belong to them, things that people worked hard for to obtain. The worst criminals are the ones who not only steal but wantonly destroy other people’s property.

Why am I bringing this up? I got an email from one of my cousins in Germany. They have a house in Hungary, more like a retreat they visit once in a while. Last month somebody broke into the house and pretty much emptied it, but they also destroyed doors, screens, the garage door, and other items. Sure, the police was there, but, according to my cousin, nothing much will happen. That’s how these things are usually handled. It happens too often. Not only in Hungary. We have plenty of crime happening right in our own backyard.

One must ask why do people behave like that. Why add insult to injury? Isn’t enough to steal property that doesn’t belong to them? Why must they still commit this willful destruction? What kind of people become criminals anyway? Is in their genes? They are certainly not useful members of any society. They are the reason for too many restrictive laws we shouldn't have in the first place.

I wrote about this before, but my family and lots of friends have been touched by crime too many times. Here is a list:

Criminals broke into...  (and stole furniture and other things)

My mother’s house

My brother’s house

My brother’s cottage

Our son’s house

My cousin’s house

The houses of at least four of our friends

Our car

The car of one of our friends

Cottages near our former cottage

Houses and cars near our present residence

Criminals stole:

Our son’s bicycles (twice)

The bicycle of my wife’s former boss’s son. Actually he was robbed.

A car of our friend’s son

Construction material from one of our friends and two of the contractors I worked for.

One of my Electric Services from a commercial building I worked at.

My money from my wallet when they broke into my locker while in the swimming pool.

A lot of merchandize from a store my brother and I owned for a while.

A golden cross from my wife, which was a present from her parents.

My mother’s golden watch (English soldiers did that when they occupied Germany)

Young hoodlums (future criminals) broke our driveway lites last year, egged our house twice, and tried to steal stuff from our back yard.

There is probably more, but this is plenty so far. That’s why I despise criminals.

We are way too lenient with criminals when they are caught. Our justice system does not punish them enough. There are too many lawyers who don’t care about justice. Money and fame is more important to them than having criminals punished for the crimes they committed. Criminals can literally get away with murder if they have enough money to hire a scrupulous lawyer. If murderers get away where does that leave the so-called ‘petty criminals’? One can’t even blame the police for not being interested in catching thieves. Why should they bother if the criminals get only a slap on the wrist or sentences that are much too light?

We have quite a number of car thieves in Winnipeg, most of them are repeat offenders. Why they are still walking around free is a crime in itself. They should be locked away and the key lost. The problem is the bleeding hearts in our society. People who have never been touched by crime don’t have any idea how much it hurts to have been a victim of crime. It is not only the material loss but also the mental stress and the time involved getting back to a normal life. Every time you go away you wonder if you locked the doors, if you put all your valuables into the safe or made sure they are out of sight. We bought new motion detectors and even a camera to catch anyone trying to break in or steal something. Unnecessary expenses and unwanted worries.

One also wonders why some people are so against proper punishment. Are they possibly involved in crime themselves or is a member of their family? Why else would they be so concerned.

They used to hang horse thieves. Isn’t a car the equivalence of a horse in these modern times? Under Shari‘ah law of an Islamic state they cut off the hand of a thief. It sounds brutal, but I can see a deterrent to stealing stuff. Obviously, I don’t support such a barbaric law. It is inhumane and illogical. All they create are handicapped people who will be depending on others. But something needs to be done about all criminals. Perhaps some old-fashioned public floggings (televised these days) and the publication of the pictures, names and addresses of thieves and home-invaders might help. Or maybe if citizens get together and dole out some punishments. But that would be against the law. You can’t even beat up a criminal when you catch him (or her) breaking into your house. Forget about shooting one. Then you’re the criminal in the eyes of the law. There have been plenty of cases where a criminal sued his victim. I personally know of a couple of cases. That’s how screwed up our laws are.

All we can do is be vigilant and hope no criminals target our homes. And if they do we take measures to ensure they never come back.

Is gardening really fun?

For three days we’ve been weeding the garden. Not much fun in the heat wave we’re presently experiencing, but it needs to be done. Weeds grow profusely with heat and moisture. They can take over a garden in no time. That’s why they are called weeds. Eventually, if given free run, they will choke out the ‘good’ plants...the vegetables.

A garden demands work. If one isn’t prepared to do the work then it is best not to have a garden. I remember when we lived in our first house in our early years of marriage, the neighbors next door worked like beavers in the Spring to seed and plant their garden. But that’s when they stopped working it. By summer the garden was nothing but a giant weed bed. I don’t remember if they ever did any harvesting.

The work in the garden starts with getting it prepared, like tilling, adding fertilizer, making the beds, and, finally, the seeding and planting. Then the soil needs to be watered regularly. The emerging small plants need to be protected from early frost, high winds, and even the unexpected hail. Then their are other dangers, like rabbits, cats, and even the occasional dog running across the garden. Sometimes birds may pick the seeds.

Once the plants are growing, other interested parties come to investigate, even move in. There are aphids, moths, butterflies, and other undesirables trying to share or even destroy the young and delectable plants. Some, like cutworms, hide in the soil to attack tomato and pepper plants. And then come the weeds. It is a constant battle.

So why have a garden in the first place? Well, people have different reasons. For me it’s the joy of putting tiny plants or seeds into the ground and then watching them grow into tall, strong plants, and eventually picking the fruit. There is nothing more satisfying than picking the first cucumber or the first tomato with the knowledge that I grew them myself. You just cant compare the taste of store-bought vegetables with vegetables that have ripened on the plant. Every time I pick fresh beans I am amazed how many shoots are on one plant and to know they all came from one tiny bean, which I put into the ground only weeks before. It truly is a miracle. One has to experience it to understand nature.

To be a gardener one has to be a bit of a scientist. It is important to learn about soil, the different types of fertilizers, about watering, and other information to grow a successful garden. One has to study up on the different vegetables, how to take care of them, when to fertilize, when to water, and when to pick the fruit. Even on how to prepare them once they’ve been picked. Fortunately, there is a ton of information to be found on the internet and in books. And the beginning gardener can always ask an older gardener. Gardeners love to talk about the gardens and are only too eager to share their experiences and knowledge with novices. And sometimes even experienced gardeners talk with each other to share information.

And one doesn’t have to have a huge parcel of land to have a garden. Just a few tomato plants, a couple of cucumber plants, some peppers, and a few beans don’t need much space. One can even use large pots to grow a tomato plant or a few herbs. The desire and the interest to do it has to be there, of course. And no fear of a little bit of hard work.

Sometimes, when I drive through poorer neighborhoods and I see the backyards littered with junk or overgrown with weeds, I cannot have sympathy with those people when they complain about having nothing to eat. What’s wrong with a small garden and growing some vegetables? They could even plant potatoes. Sure, it takes work, and that is the problem. Some people are just plain too lazy to work. That’s why  many of them live the way they do. I grew up poor in the Old Country after the war, but my parents had a garden, we raised rabbits for meat. We even had a couple of goats for milk, butter, and cheese. I remember as a kid picking dandelions and other plants in the ditch for the rabbits, because we didn’t have land of our own. Nobody complained about child labor. Where there is a will there is a way. That’s an old saying and it is so true.

The garden looks good now, with most of the weeds gone. I already picked one cucumber and there are three nice ones growing to be picked next week. By the end of this week we’ll be eating our first of the lettuce. There are a few tiny tomatoes on some of the plants, and the plants all look healthy. I sprayed them yesterday with Bordo, a copper-solution, to prevent ‘The Blight’, which means the yellowing of the leaves, a virus that is in the soil. So I put grass clippings for mulch around the plants when I planted them and that seems to help also. Things are looking fine. As long as we don’t get any hail we should have a good harvest with plenty of beans, beets, and tomatoes, along with all the other veggies. I usually plant too much, but that allows me to give lots away and make other people happy.

Canada Day, eh?

While the Americans celebrate the fourth of July, Canadians celebrate Canada Day on the first of July. This year it happened to fall on a Monday. Wen went to watch the fireworks in Selkirk, a small city north of where we live. It all happens on the waterfront. There are activities going on all day long, but that is mostly for younger kids and teenagers, even though a lot of older folks go there, too. There are bands playing and food vendors, and games for the kids. It is always a lot of fun.

As usual, the people who put on the show, did a marvelous job. It lasts about half an hour. We take our collapsible chairs and sit by the river watching the show with a huge crowd of other people. Once in a while everyone will go 'oh' and 'ah' at at particular beautiful spectacle with exploding colored lights and sparks flying in the sky.

Of course, there is always some little thing to spoil it. There were a couple of guys standing behind us yapping loudly about one of the guy's job. They were talking loud enough to make it annoying, even over the sound of the exploding firecrackers. Why they even bothered to come to watch the fireworks is beyond me. Nobody wants to listen to some stranger's problems and work in public. That is just as annoying as listening to some guy talking loudly on his cell phone at the next table when eating in a restaurant. And that happens a lot. These people are just rude.

Anyway, we did enjoy the show. Before we went, we ate hot dogs and fries just to put us into the mood. We ate at home. It is cheaper and better. A few years ago we went to Skinners in Lockport and almost died when we had to pay $12.00 for a hot dog with way too much mustard, a small bag of soggy fries that seemed to have been scraped from the bottom of the basket, and a small soft drink. Ours tasted better, even though we used frozen fries. At least they were solid and whole.

The next fireworks we'll be watching will be at the end of August in Lockport, about five minutes from where we live. That one is not quite as spectacular and elaborate as the one in Selkirk but nice enough to make it enjoyable and worth going there.