We’re going to build a 3′ x 3′ box for the lettuce, carrots, and some of the shorter herbs, and I bought a few plastic containers for our tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and beans. In the 3′ x 3′ box, we’re going to do square foot gardening as usual. We bought some other containers for our lettuce and carrots. It is all containers this year! They are easier to move and don’t require building anything.

I also started the seeds for our tomato and pepper plants today. I will be starting our cucumber seeds in a couple weeks, as they take less time to grow and I don’t want them to get too leggy before getting outside. While doing that, I took some photos to record my process so I could share it with all of you.

Supplies used:

peat pellets (I like these because they are cheap, easy to find,  and last for years, plus you don’t have to take the plant out of the peat thingie when you transplant it)
small bowl of water
seeds  (I got mine from John Scheepers this year)
toothpicks

for post-planting:
masking tape
sharpie markers
ziploc bags
container for your seedlings to sit in after being started (I use a tupperware)

Take the number of peat pellets out that correspond to the number of seedlings you want to start. Fill a small bowl with water and put your pellets in. Let them soak for several minutes, until they expand to several times their original size and are filled with water.They will look something like this:

You can see the difference before and after:

Sometimes it takes five minutes (like today), but other times it has taken thirty minutes or more for them to grow to their full size. I think it has something to do with how old they are. The older the pellets are, the longer it takes them to expand in the water.

Take one of the peat pots (I am going to call them pots after they have expanded) out of the water and place it on your working surface. It will be very wet and soft! Take a toothpick and insert it about one-third of the way down the peat pot’s length, then work the toothpick around in a circular motion so you are creating a hole in the middle of the pot.

Once you’ve got a hole in your pot, pick up a seed or two and and drop it in the hole. If you put more than one in there, it is no worry. You can always thin your plants after they germinate.

Then pinch together the top of the pot so the peat covers the seed, and push the peat down into the hole.

I like to push the peat down neatly and make the top as flat as possible and that’s it for the planting.

The next step is marking them, so I know which is which. This is especially important with different varieties of the same type of plant, like tomatoes. When the seeds first sprout, they all look alike, but there is a definite different once the plants get their first true leaves. However, when you have lots of varieties of the same species, it is important to know which is which in case one doesn’t sprout and you need to re-start: time is of the essence.

Once again, I use the toothpicks. I just tear off a little bit of masking tape, wrap it around the top of the toothpick so it forms something like a flag, and then write on it with a sharpie. I usually write a big T for tomato, P for pepper, C for cucumber, and so on. Then I write the variety in small letters near the bigger letter, and stick the flag in the peat pot!

Once I’m done planting and marking, I put them all in a container (I use whatever tupperware fits the number of pots I have) and put them in my favorite germination place. The top of the refrigerator!

March 20 Update: I ended up moving these off the fridge top after a few days. This fridge, unlike the previous one, does not get warm on the top. So I moved all the pots to a glass baking dish, placed a dishtowel underneath it, and placed it on top of the toaster oven. That certainly gets warm, and the towel and glass will insulate the seedlings from cold/hot plus keep in a bit of warmth to help the seeds germinate. It has worked well so far… see some seedlings below.

I’ve learned a few things about starting seeds after having them go bad:

before seeds germinate, they like:
warmth
dark
not too much water (the seeds could rot)

after they germinate, they like:
warmth
light
not too much water (the roots could rot)

So, the top of the fridge top of the toaster oven works best for germination here as it’s warm and dark in our house and I can keep an eye on them there. I then transfer them to a sunny windowsill after they germinate. Once they get a little taller and too big for their peat pots, I transplant them in the pots to yogurt cups filled with potting soil and keep them on the window sill. Then after the last frost, I’ll put them outside and keep an eye on them there.

Nat started a bunch of herb seeds a few days after I did the tomatoes and peppers. Here are some seedlings as they were in the window this afternoon. I am going to start some cucumbers today, now that I am out of class.

Starting plants from seeds takes a lot of work and attention, but it’s definitely worth it. I love seeing them poke up through the soil, the cotyledons unfurling slowly but surely. Then they get their true leaves, and you can tell they are little tomato or pepper plants!

It is an exciting time of year. I feel like I come alive when it warms up and the sun shines once more. I am truly glad for daylight savings time and springtime. Our garlic has shot up since it has stopped raining buckets, and even the Pyong Vang has come up out of the ground. The daffodils, crocuses, tulips, and all sorts of things are blooming or about to and I am feeling better after a hard winter. I am looking forward to a good gardening season. I hope you are, too!

Here are some of the things I ordered. If we need any more, or the seedlings don’t do well, I will supplement what we have with transplants from the farmer’s market or garden center. Most of these are varieties I’ve never planted before.

Jade Green Bush Beans

Parmex Baby Ball Carrots

These are the round carrots shown here. I’ve grown baby carrots before, but not a ball variety. They are supposed to be nice and sweet!

Sugar Ann Snap Peas

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

These are the tomatoes I originally went looking for. I have grown them for the past two years, and can’t get enough of their flavor. We are sticking to cherry tomatoes this year, because the season is shorter here and larger tomatoes take too long to ripen. With cherry tomatoes, you get to have one or more each day when you walk by to harvest them. Tomatoes rarely make it inside the house when I pick them, and I like picking them regularly.

Black Cherry Tomatoes

Nat loves black tomatoes. One day, we’ll grow Paul Robesons… but for now, we’ll stick with the Black Cherry tomatoes. I bet they’re good!

I also purchased these: Silor Mini Cucumber, Colorful Fantasia Sunflower Mixture, Torino Italian Misticanza salad blend, Catnip, Dukat Dill, Lemon Balm, Hidcote Lavender, True Greek Oregano, Gigante d’Italia Parsley, French Summer Thyme, Sweet Broadleaf Basil, Caribe Coriander/Cilantro, and Alma Spicy Paprika Peppers.

We’ll be doing at least one 4×4 box of square foot gardening, along with some bushels of tomatoes, beans, and the peas in the ground. Our soil is quite acidic here, but I have heard tomatoes like acidic soil. I also have some agricultural lime to sprinkle where we want to push the soil towards a more neutral pH. I need to sprinkle some on the garlic, now that I think of it!

What are you going to grow this spring?

I just digitized 4 LPs that you never bothered to put on CD with some help from Toast, mp3splt, and turntables. (I admit some of these are on CD. Still, they are generally HTF.)

Because I have to share my sometimes dubious musical taste, I’m posting a couple blurbs and images here. (images taken from flickr users and linked back to the photo page)

Various Artists: Dance, Be Happy!, 1957

I think my sister originally bought this, either at a thrift store, The Great Escape, or the man I bought lots of records from as a teenager (aka “The Record Man”). I think this was inspired by Swing Kids. Eventually, she tired of it and it drifted to me. It has lots of great songs and well-known band leaders such as Benny Goodman, Percy Faith, Duke Ellington, and Xavier Cugat. Definitely worth a listen if you can find it!

Bobby Sherman: Bobby Sherman, 1969

Oh, Bobby and his gorgeous blue eyes! This album actually belonged to my father. My sister and I just loved the songs: Bobby has a great voice and these are very catchy tunes. It includes the hits “Seattle” and “Little Woman”, along with some tunes written by Bobby himself! One of my favorites is “This Guy’s in Love with You”, written by Burt Bacharach and originally performed by Herb Alpert. (Don’t worry, I have some of his albums to digitize, too!) Just sit back and gaze into the bluest eyes this side of The Sound of Music.

Petula Clark: My Love, 1966

Amazingly, this is the only Petula Clark album I own. I can’t recall where I got it. This has her hits “My Love”, “Sign of the Times”, and other good tunes such as her cover of “We Can Work it Out” by the Beatles and “If I Were a Bell” from Guys & Dolls.

Burt Bacharach: Reach Out, 1967

I remember why I bought this album: I had heard the delightfully strange “Bond Street” (from Casino Royale, I think?) and had to have my own copy of it. This features Bacharach playing his own songs as well as instrumental versions… one standout is “The Look of Love” . I think my favorite might be “Lisa”, which is really quite lovely, even if its lyrics are rather insipid.

As you can tell, I have a great fondness for 1960s pop and music from before then. I don’t say that my taste is impeccable, but I do derive much joy from the music I love. Even if it is cheesy. I love cheese! Now I’m off to find that cd full of Price is Right themes…

Chef! starring Lenny Henry

IN THE BACKYARD

snow

cardinals

chickadees

tufted titmice

various sparrows

a few Eastern Towhees

downy woodpecker

red-bellied woodpecker

brown thrasher

eastern gray squirrel

and all are very hungry!

I am recovering from a 2-day migraine by sitting inside, eating, watching TV, and watching birds.

City Lights (prod. Charles Chaplin), Part Four: The Perfect, Problematic Ending Of City Lights.

I have loved this series of posts on City Lights, one of my favorite movies of all time. The last post is all about the ending which always reduces me to tears: tears of joy and pain. It is so bittersweet, and I enjoy the ambiguity of the last scene.

Then again, I am sentimental at heart and love that part of Chaplin and his films. I even love Limelight!

Do not read the entry if you don’t want spoilers or haven’t seen it. But if you haven’t seen the film: why not!?! It truly is a marvelous work, and one that is often recommended to people who have never seen a silent film before.

In other news, I’ve been watching Bravo all afternoon. I can so easily get addicted to their realit shows. Today it was Tabatha’s Salon Takeover, wherein Tabatha comes in to turn around failing salons and get them profitable again! My favorite today was the ovary-phobic all-male 30-minutes short-cut high-end salon… HA! It illuminated what you sometimes find in exclusively gay male environments, the feeling of “EW, GIRLS!” that isn’t that far removed from the misogyny in hetero male culture. Well, she changed that and things actually got better and the stylists enjoyed working with women.

I also caught several epsiodes of Launch My Line, wherein non-fashion designers work with designer experts to launch their own fashion lines. Most ridiculous so far is the architect who chose blacks and lavenders as base fabrics, which made everything he did look like some modern version of mourning dress. But another is the DJ Club impresario who somehow impresses the judges enough with his barely competent designs. Wow. My favorite is Merle, because she uses great colors. I also admit I love a convertible design, which is what Merle is all about. I blame my weakness for them on my Day to Night Barbie!

These kinds of shows are why I don’t need to have cable in my house. Too much time lost to marathons!

Currently, I’m watching Poirot adapations with Suchet: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Cards on the Table. I rented them from the library (yay!), and had recently read both novels again. I did do some investigation on bridge for that book, as I had no idea what it was beyond complicated 4-person game that Omar Sharif wrote about for the papers.

I am always disappointed in the tv versions of Christie works in that they always change things or make things more dramatic, especially the endings. The same thing happened tonight in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I suppose poison and suicide wasn’t good enough for an ending!?! I am not sure why in this adaptation of Cards on the Table that they changed Inspector Battle to Inspector Whosit and Colonel Race to Colonel Sahib, though. ETA: And why did they make so many other things different? Rhoda and Ann, Mrs. Lorrimer, etc. DAMN folks, just keep it the same… why change things so drastically?

But one way in which I am never disappointed with Christie adaptations is seeing so many familiar faces in the cast. There are always people from Austen adaptations, Harry Potter, Jeeves & Wooster, Sherlock Holmes, and many other BBC/Granada/etc productions turning up in these. I always pull up IMDB after or during one of these films.

However, I still enjoy the book and have re-read it many times. This time, re-reading sparked in me the desire to look on youtube and the web to find out if any portions of these films were available online. I already knew some users on youtube had uploaded musical sequences from early sound musicals, but I had not checked for any non-musical films.

One of the films mentioned that particularly caught my interest in Eyman’s book was 1929′s Bulldog Drummond, starring Ronald Colman, Joan Bennett, Lilyan Tashman, Claud Allister, Montagu Love, and Wilson Benge (who seems to have played a butler every time he made a picture.) It was directed by F. Richard Jones, and art direction was by William Cameron Menzies.

“Bulldog Drummond matches a polished, sophisticated, hero against polished, sophisticated villainy, something Hitchcock was to do for the next half-century, and whenever the tone threatens to get too trivial, Menzies’ ominous, expressionist sets serve to ground the proceedings and keep the film from floating away on arch clouds of stiff-upper-lip Englishness.” Scott Eyman, The Speed of Sound

Bulldog Drummond is the hero of a series of British adventure novels from between the wars.

Captain Drummond finds himself bored after WWI, and puts an ad in the paper advertising his services for just about anything, as long as it is exciting.

He gets a pile of letters, and responds to one from Phyllis, a beautiful and mysterious blonde who is worried about he care her uncle is receiving at a local “hospital” from Dr. Lakington & Co. (including heavy Carl Peterson and devious gal pal Irma, as well as a gang of roughs).

Along for the ride are Drummond’s upper-class twit pal Algie and faithful butler Danny.

Dr. Lakington and Co. (male versions) are suitably creepy and menacing.

Irma is tough, seductive, and strong.

More gory scenes like Dr. Lakington injecting drugs into Uncle Travers or Bulldog fighting with Dr. Lakington are done in silhouette, which I rather liked.

The sets are very nice, with lots of shadows and interesting effects. This is the vestibule at the hospital.

The nefarious lab

Algie attempting to chat up Irma

Tied up with planks!

A happy ending?

This film lived up to my expectations and even more so. Lots of wit is to be had, as well as shooting, jumping in and out of cars and buildings, and many attempts by Algie to get Irma’s phone number. The sound is quite good, although Joan Bennett’s enunciation is not very clear and it is quite difficult to figure out just what words she is saying, particularly in the beginning. Ronald Colman is just as dashing and smooth as ever, and the rest of the actors have relatively clear voices for a 1929 production. The camera moves more than others I’ve seen, but is still static in some cases. However, there are some good outside shots and shots featuring moving cars, featuring both the inside and outside of the car.

There’s even a couple song interludes with the barmaid and her beau downstairs at the inn.

The picture quality is not too bad, with lots of contrast between light and dark and few if any shots where you’re left wondering what the hell it is on screen.

There are quite a few more in the Bulldog Drummond series of films, with at least one more starring Colman. I highly recommend this one. Maybe even go up and pick up one of the books the movies are based on. They’re just as much fun as James Bond.

The film can be found in a couple places, as it is in the public domain now. I watched it on Hulu, but was greatly annoyed by the commercials playing every 7-10 minutes. There is also a partial copy at the Internet Archive, but it conks out at about 42 minutes, far short of the original 90 minutes.

Another review link: Best Actor Of 1929-30: Ronald Colman (Bulldog Drummond)

One of the readings for a class some weeks ago was Christine Rosen’s “The Age of Egocasting.” It’s a fascinating article, and we all had something to say about it, whether agreeing or disagreeing. I recommend everyone read it, as it’s bound to start a train of thought and interesting discussion.

I was speaking with one of my classmates about how much technology we allow into our lives and have found myself thinking about a tech/non-tech life balance ever since. How far do we allow technology and personal devices into our lives?

It’s amusing, as I think I’m getting a reputation in class as a techie. We were asked what services and/or computer-y things we do, and I was one of the 2 people who raised our hands to almost every question. But I don’t think of myself as a techie. I suppose I’ve always thought of tech people as people who enjoy technology for technology’s sake. Perhaps I’m a part of that after all. But I’m not interested in building the technology or making new technology or getting behind the scenes with it at all. But I do like using technology to explore things I enjoy. I’m a practical user of technology, but also one who enjoys trying out new things if they can do something useful and interesting. This is some sort of tenuous distinction, I admit.

I currently use these social networking services (some under my real name, some not):
facebook
flickr
last.fm
youtube
librarything
etsy
livejournal
dreamwidth
google reader
delicious
tumblr
kaboodle
netflix
iPod
myspace (dormant)
twitter (dormant)

I am an advocate of open-source software and love customizing my computing and web experience. We have Ubuntu on 2 laptops (this one and my netbook, which is dual-boot XP & UNR capable), love firefox and its add-ons and userscripts, and generally advocate the “information wants to be free” idea. I also have this website and blog and have made some short videos and plan to do more since I am in The Studio every week. So I suppose I could be considered a techie (but not by techies themselves, because I am a gurl.)

I agree with Rosen in some ways: I don’t enjoy listening to tvs when I’m in a restaurant, or piped-in music when I’m outside, or hearing everyone’s cell phone conversations when I’m anywhere. I would love to tell the world to SHUT UP some times and just let me think, or hear, or see, or smell by myself. I don’t need the constant input from the media or other people.

So, I’ve made some choices as to things I don’t do with technology:

texting
watching broadcast/cable tv
DVR-ing
always talking on the phone
surfing the web on my phone
listening to my iPod all the time

so I can have some peace. And most people I know do this as well. It all depends on our comfort level with the technology and how much we enjoy doing what it enables us to do.

Example:
I don’t listen to my iPod most of the time, because I like hearing what is going on. Not only will I be able to interact with people on my journeys, but it is also safer to not have something blaring in your ears when you need your senses to figure out what’s going on. Even when I’m gardening, I don’t take my iPod with me. I want to hear the birds chirping or my neighbor saying hello.

I also consciously choose to do activities that don’t involve the internet or media. Gardening doesn’t require a streaming video feed to keep me interested and watching the birds in the backyard doesn’t need real-time comments to be fun. When N and I go on a walk, we take along the Sibley’s and that’s it. Sometimes when we see or hear a new bird, we can’t precisely identify it even with the Sibley’s, so we check out Cornell’s awesome All About Birds. So the web does help in non-web activities, but I still try and structure time away from the internet and electricity if possible.

So I think the way to avoid the catastrophe that Rosen seems to think is inevitable is to pick and choose what we use, how we use it, and when we use it. And doing that is very hard, because it relies on us as individuals to tune out of some things and stop blindly following the ads and what the corporations and media want us to do (consume, consume, consume!) and use our minds and hearts and really pay attention.

What’s the point of this blog if not to keep it updated, right?

I did get into grad school, and we will be moving to Knoxville in a couple months or so.

Perhaps I will make this a library school blog with a side of crafts in the future. Thanks for sticking around, if you’re still here.

Click any of the photos below to get to my etsy.