Mouse house

We sighted the first oriole, a Scott's, at breakfast this morning. And a female Magnificent hummingbird! She was certainly the biggest hummer that I have ever seen. The hummingbird feeder hangs here all year round, but the holes are too small for those oriole beaks, so I hurried up and made some nectar for the oriole feeder.

I keep the unused feeders in a box on the potting bench, which is not hermetically sealed and often houses some rodent or other, sometimes a cotton tail, sometimes a towhee. But I was not prepared for this ingenious mouse nest, though I was happy that no one was home and that I did not have to evict anybody.

The little pots on the heating pads are starting to sport little sprouts that are now transported daily to the cold frame for a bit of sunshine, but still spend the nights in the garage. I agree that they need to put on some "meat", but that will not be long.

El Challenge

Shannon, our niece, has discovered cycling, and has fallen in love with it. So much so that she is bike-commuting to her job and has even started a blog about it.

I have always enjoyed cycling: I think it's in my blood, like growing things. But unlike my love for gardening, I knew about cycling at an early age, hailing from that country that is so renowned for it. This snippet is a bit representative of my childhood. My parents never owned a car, and public transportation was how we went places if we did not walk or bike. Unless on vacation, then we flew, my father working for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

So I have been encouraging Shannon in her new pursuit, asked if she was interested doing El Tour de Tucson, a renowned bicycle event in November. Well, she is. Our tentative plan is to train for the 66 mile distance. And because this ride takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving, she and Jon will be having Thanksgiving with us. And this girl likes to cook!

Garden beginnings, and Dan's website update

We had so many experiences and saw so much on our vacation that it felt as if we had been gone for a month, rather than a week. Consequently, I had the feeling that I was way behind with the garden. Nonsense, of course, but there you have it. Thankfully almost all the beds had been manured and fertilized, so this morning it was just a matter of levelling and popping in the seeds.

I planted snap peas, beets, carrots, lettuce, a variety of bunching onions, and some arugula and radishes for instant gratification. All are protected by the wonderful cages that my friend Phil gave to me last year.

The tomatoes, peppers and cantaloupes are standing in little pots on hot pads in the laundry room. I can't wait to see some greenery.

Meanwhile, Dan has updated his website with his best Baja photos. Go and take a look.