Harvesting…

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Last fall was a very busy time, so much happening, so little time and then the ground froze on me. I panicked, as I didn't have a chance to harvest our Jerusalem Artichoke. I thought that maybe we would get a January thaw, but no such luck.

On Thursday, I saw a squirrel dig in the grass and decided to see what's happening in the back yard to get it so excited.. lo and behold, much of the ground is thawed. So I pulled on the sunchoke plant (they are annuals), and it came easily out of the ground, not many artichokes though. When I pulled out the next plant however, I found a few chokes in the soil.. I went and got the shovel.. and here my dears is my harvest:

Jerusalem-artichokes-harvest

I haven't weighed it yet, but I guess it's around 3kg.

This is from 6 plants. I had put them in the middle of the garden. Not knowing how exactly they would do in my space (it was my first time trying them), I regretted that decision, as they blocked all the light from my swiss chard harvest (i.e. there was no swiss chard harvest last year). This year they are going against the back fence, to block the view and to let them have fun and expand.

My husband was worried if the chokes would taste okay after being frozen in the ground, and they did. It was after reading in many places that once you plant them, they are very hard to get rid off, that I decided that the tubers must likely be okay to stay in the ground during the winter.. now on to preserving and cooking them.. yummy!… 

If you cook with them and have a favourite recipe, I would love to hear about it.

Harey Business

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Not for easter, so not way behind schedule, yet so pleased to having gotten this done together with Huxley.

Bunny-cage-1 

Bunny-cage-2 

Bunny-cage-3 

Bunny-cage-4
 
 
 Project notes:

Bunny hutch from the dollar store (sorry, but that big "M" craft store was selling these for almost $5, I got this one for $1). The bunnies and the hare are by Schleich (although some of ours might not be available anymore.

Needle felted lettuce, mega carrot (with a little bit of wet felting to make it less hairy) and water bowl – made by me.

Needle felted straw hutch insert and grassland including a little pond made by Huxley. 

I used a very large about 3" thick piece of upholstery foam to needle felt on. I sat right besides Huxley and instructed him very closely on how to wield the dangerous tool. 

There is a constant struggle in my life of finding time to make projects with Huxley. After spending the morning at the studio (from 7 am until 10:50 am), picking him up at kindergarten, driving home, making a full lunch (which tends to be our main meal of the day, sitting down with daddy), then doing the dishes, having a snooze for 10 minutes (I get up at 5 am), while Huxley has his quiet time for about an hour, I am then ridden with guilt if I don't do my housewife duties for the whole afternoon. I need to try to set one afternoon a week aside at least where we just do something. The above project took about half an hour to make. So it is definitely doable. 

Hop, hop, hop…..

To walk a year in my shoes

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Studio shoes that is…

Walk-in-my-shoes 
 

Walk a year in my shoes…

you will create paintings

you will cry tears about missed times 

    where you will not create

    because you do NOT hold the time in your hands

    you do not have the time

    your hands do not work when you have

    the 

time

    they are painful

    so no matter you feel 

creative

    you can not hold a brush in

those precious, rough, sandpaper like 

hands

Walk a year in my shoes…

you will hold your family dear

    cry with love for them

you will get paints on your hands

    and can't get it off before you leave

so people will think it is blood

    the blood of creation

Walk a year in my shoes 

you will just have spent a year 

grateful

disappointed

challenged

you will have gotten married

learned to sew french seams

    in cream silk

felt low about the little time your day has

    for you to spend at the studio

yet you will also have come to realize

that 

important is

    that the fast fleeting years you have with 

    your son so young 

    will be gone

    too soon

so now is the time to worry less

    steal time when you can 

    and treasure and be 

grateful

because, oh, so handsome he is

Austronaut-explorer