Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Owning up to '09


One of my 2009 resolutions was to hybridize my very own Columbine.  Of all the things I pledged to do last year, that's the one that got me a ton and a half of emails.*


I'm finding it hard to come up with 2010 resolutions when I'm still fretting about the stuff I resolved to do last year.  So I revisited last January's blog post to see what, if anything, I had accomplished.

Owning up to '09:

2009 Resolution #1: Finish Rock Garden, part two.
Done! Not only done ~ extra credit!!! In the form of 287 spring bulbs squeezed into that pretty little spot. So, there.

'09 Resolution #2: Grow all of my own summer veggies.
A couple heirloom tomatoes, a few squiggly carrots, rotted beans and awol snap peas (bad rabbit!) though I am NOT calling this a complete failure because 1) I tried and 2) having nothing to eat fit quite nicely into my next resolution....


'09 Resolution #3: Lose 1 pound, per month, throughout 2009 
Done! Losing a pound a month was a piece of cake! Oh, fine... I avoided the piece of cake but what really did the trick was saying no to the most important food group for this Irish Lass: potatoes. Plus, I snowshoed. Everywhere. Did you know that snowshoeing burns more calories than blogging? 'Tis true.

'09 Resolution #4: Install a water feature.
I plugged in the old one. Does that count?


'09 Resolution #5: Go on vacation with the horse.
Spoke to the powers that be (that would be me!) and I got an extension on this one. Bella and I head to Arizona on our first ever horse and rider vacation, March 20th, 2010.

'09 Resolution #6: Hybridize my very own Columbine.
This got a lot of people talking! Blogging friends were very impressed! While I appreciate the fact that some folks thought I was a botanical brainiac this resolution was nothing more than a cross-pollinating magic trick. You see, Columbines have the loosest morals of any perennial I know, happily messing around with whatever Columbine is growing nearby.

It goes something like this...

Purple meets Yellow.
Yellow thinks Purple is kind of cute.

They go out on a couple of dates...
Things are working out pretty well...
Bada bing,
Bada boom...

Twins!

Okay, maybe not quite like that but you get the picture.

* Full disclosure. I can't even tell you if the chemical term K means potassium or phosphate. Haven't a clue how to hybridize Columbines (though I loved all of your emails!) I leave Columbine pollination up to the hummingbirds.




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30 comments:

Melanie J Watts said...

Yes Columbines do have a habit of not running true to seed. I just let mine get on with it in their corner of the garden:)
Your resolution #5, going on holiday with the horse, conjures up an image of you jumping on its back, saddle bags packed, and heading off down the road.

Iron Needles said...

Seems to me you measured up pretty darn well to 2009. I personally depend on the birds and bees to do half my work for me.

Noelle Johnson said...

Hi Kate,

I love this post! I think it is a great idea to look back to see how your resolutions turned out. I hope you have a great time in my neck of the woods in March with your horse :-)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Melanie;
Thanks for paying me a visit. The horse vacation? Far more complicated... hitching a ride with the only person I know who owns a truck big enough to carry 3 horses, 3 people and tons of gear. I'm so excited.

I shall head over to check out your blog...

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thanks, Iron! I'm particularly pleased with walking off the 12 pounds. :)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hey, Noelle - We'll be in Prescott. Is that near you? Anyhoo, thanks for the comment. I guess this blog is sort of a virtual diary. Only I don't spill the really good stuff. :D

Anonymous said...

Your columbines are gorgeous and posting your resolutions is courageous. I look forward to following you this year.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thanks, Peggy. If I don't post them, I won't follow through. ;)

jan said...

I am guessing that you have made progress with Bella that you have not shared, if you are going to depend on her as a travel 'companion'! I had a visual, too, of you saddling up and riding down towards the border...

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Jan!
Try outs have begun. So far, Bell's in the lead. But if she wacks out me I'll put her in a time out and take Meg, instead. :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Kate girl .. I had no idea about your 2009 resolutions but I am totally impressed !! .. I don't make resolutions any more but I do formulate "WISHES" ?? haha
You have such a talent for creating one beautiful blog and I had no idea about the Columbine .. that is fantastic. You should be very proud.
But .. I have to ask this .. are you taking some one with you for that vacation with your horse ? Please tell me you are NOT going alone .. that is scary .. I am the type that needs a safety net for those ".. just in case ?" moments: )
One aspiration for 2010 .. I am going to have at least one butterfly that leaves a few kids behind in my garden even if I have to kidnap them !!! haha
Joy : )

Jan said...

Your Columbines are so lovely; I wish they would grow down here, but it is way to warm for them. Thanks for stopping by and being sympathetic about our cold temps even though you are used to much worse. Saturday is supposed to be very cold with lows in the teens. This could break some 1924 records.

Jan
Always Growing

Liisa said...

Kate,
Looks as though you faired quite well in owning up to your 2009 resolutions! Your Columbines are beautiful. I look forward to seeing your wildflower meadow!
Best wishes for happiness, health, and great adventure in 2010!!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Joy;
Thanks for the very kind words. Your blog is pretty snappy too, ya know.

And, I appreciate your concern but I'm not mature enough to travel anywhere alone! My horse vacation is to an Arizona trail, with several other horsie type people and their noble steeds! :)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Jan and Liisa;
Thanks for stopping by. Such a fun thing for me to find both of you last night -- Deep South (which I love) and Far North (have often claimed if I'd discovered Vermont before the Rocky Mtns. that is where I would have landed. :)

Jan, I'll be watching the weather report....

Happy Gardening!

Anonymous said...

Well, I loved the columbine love story and the offspring are amazing! True love will find a way, it seems. Congrats on meeting your resolutions so well. The horse one is tricky, good luck with it. Doesn't everything burn more calories than blogging? HA :-)
Frances

Rose said...

Kate, I think you accomplished a lot in 2009! My vegetable garden was mostly a success this summer and we had lots of fresh veggies from it, but the tomatoes eventually succumbed to the leaf blight rampant around here. Sometimes the weather and pests conspire to defeat even the best gardener.

Dieting is one of my resolutions every year--I like your goal of one pound a month; sounds much more doable than my goals. But I didn't do even that last year--I guess I thought the finger exercise from blogging burned more calories than it did:)

Beautiful columbines! I leave such matters as cross-pollination up to others, too.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thanks, Frances -- Not sure if you can grow Columbines west of the Miss. - they're are a fun flower because I rarely see the same colors 2 years in a row!

Hi, Rose -- That 1 pound per month goal seemed to work pretty well. I didn't feel very deprived so I managed to stick with it all year. [Plus Fridays are my days. If I want to dive head first into a chili dog, that's my perogative. Only on Fridays... ]

Shady Gardener said...

What a good idea for a post. I just updated my goals from 2007/8 and a lot of them are still "in progress." Love the results of the Columbine date. I don't have a super great track record with columbines (except for the Wild Variety). :-) Happy 2010!

sweetbay said...

Your columbine are gorgeous! I really love the combination of the pink columbine with the Dicentra.

(Your mystery annual in your sidebar, if it hasn't been IDed already, looks like Verbena 'Blue Princess'.)

Suz LIpman said...

Wow, Kate! Beautiful pictures and inspiring on all counts. Happy 2010.

The Unusual Farmchick said...

Hi Kate, Beautiful shots! Perfect for transporting one from the foot of snow into a meadow of bliss...at least for the moment :)
As to your question from comment on my blog:
the tomato strainer is a MUSt for those who can their own tomatoes. I pre boil to loosen the skins then they go into the tomato strainer which seperates the skin, seeds and pulp. Makes for such smoother sauce and an easier job processing. My new one is on its way, so I will do a post about it. I love this new one of course because it is a meat grinder and sausage stuffer, but having a tomato press strainer is not something I have ever seen with one. This particular meat grinder has a veggie shredder you can order seperate for avg. of $30. That is going on my wish list!
I hope that answers the question. I do stray a bit which is the same when having conversations with me...LOL

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Shady --
Perhaps the Barlow Columbines would do well for you. They seem to like richer soil...

Sweet Bay --
I popped over to say hi this morning and decided I need to come live there forever. What beautiful gardens you have!

Hi, Suze --
Thanks for the kind compliments. Happy 2010 to you, too. I excited for this new gardening year. :))

Thanks Farmchick! --
My goal is to get smarter on this stuff this year and I know I'll learn a lot from your blog. :)

Chloe m said...

Okay, I will get out the snowshoes. You convinced me.
You are an awesome and inspirational blogger. I learn alot from you!
Rosey

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

How kind of you to say, Rosey. I find yours equally inspirational. :)

Granny J said...

Don't know which I liked best -- the columbine (my favorite flower) or that beautiful coyote you met out in the snow! Happy New Year!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Granny and Happy New Year to you, too! I hope you had a marvy time with O and dotter. Fingers crossed they enjoyed plentiful sunshine. :)

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi Kate,
I enjoyed reading how your last year's resolutions turned out. Congratulations on the weight loss. A few years ago, I went from 186 to 122, by going to Weight Watchers. My leader wanted me to stop at 140 to 155, but I was skinny even into my 20s, and wanted to get back there. Plus, I was exercising, and it was easy.

Well, I am now back to 147, and am having trouble with my portion sizes and have gotten into eating too much chocolate. I don't work out consistently because of aches, pains, and illnesses that pop up. I am starting to get back into my aerobics and hope to get back into the weight lifting. My goal is 135.

Well, I didn't plan on going into such detail, but now that I typed it, I'll send it, assuming you won't mind. LOL

I've never heard of taking a vacation with a horse, maybe since I don't have one. That sounds like fun!

Your columbines are pretty!

Happy New Year!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Sue;
Thanks for the note and I'm glad you did go into detail. I was always the skinny little gal amongst my friends, too, but then I turned 40 and my metabolism went AWOL. I guess we'll just have to burn our calories in the garden this summer. :)

PS: you look great.

Unknown said...

Ahh...ooooohh....uuuuu...wow....and so on...and do all of you bloggers take writing courses??