To The Surbiton Manor Born

  We came back home to Steepmeadow after 10 days in the Canadian Rockies to find that we had many, many ripe strawberries, and a lot of weeding to take care of. First off, suffice to say that Jasper and Banff National Parks in Canada are mindbogglingly stunning. Pictures just can't capture the power of that landscape. It was a great place to run a marathon (a slightly disappointing, but considering the extra 4,000 feet in altitude not too bad 4:23).  A good friend was kind enough to watch over our cats and even water our garden, which would surely have perished in the smothering 90 degree heat in our absence without it.  We need to rethink long vacations in June. It's prime farming season.  In any case, the plants all just about doubled in size while we were gone. A few ancho peppers were ready to harvest.  We had a LOT of volunteer tomatoes pop up in last year's tomato beds. I replanted some of them into containers and into spots (notably the peppers in the Megalith bed) w

  Curb Appeal Weekend The Memorial Day weekend was a doozy. We moved dirt. We planted something in every bed. Memorial Day is a big one here. Stuff needs to be in the ground. And while it wore us to nubs, we got it done. And a 20 mile run to prep for the next marathon. (Note to self: Planting large garden and marathon training are not necessarily complimentary activities. Consider a fall marathon next year.) And so, intrepid reader, we move on to a visual tour of Steepmeadow as it stands today: Above, we can see the landscaping. That's a whole lotta mulch and dirt and a large number of hostas moved from the side of the house where they dwelt under the abuse of the Hated Previous Owners (HPOs). The Teeny Weenie Free Zucchini Garden, planted by Kiki & and a passel of neighbor kids. We shall see what comes up. The new raised box over the remnants of the felled shabby decorative tree left by the HPOs. It's got Hubbard squash and flowers in it. The three year old blueberry bushe