Red Dirt Ramblings®

Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil

RDR’s year in review, Part I

Last March, violas in the snow

It’s been a year of changes at the Red Dirt Ranch. I am calling it a ranch these days because we have twenty-eight chickens, a bunny, three dogs and five cats (three in the garage and two in he house). We also sport field fencing and split rail, so it’s a very small ranch. In the past, I’ve had horses and goats. My dream was once for a Jersey cow, but since I can’t eat dairy, that’s one dream which needs to blow blissfully away.

Last year, for Christmas we had the blizzard everyone else in the country seems to be having this year. People still talk about those fourteen inches of the white stuff with a kind of awe. It is Oklahoma after all.

January was much more quiet. I answered gardening questions from a reader moving to Oklahoma. To keep busy while it was cold, I forced bulbs, baked gluten free bread and dreamed of the spring to come. With Fiskars’ blessing, I gave away a mower, and the contest was so much fun, I even involved YOU and my NGBF (non-gardening best friend) Aimee as the judges.

Forced hyacinths in the prettiest vase I found at T.J. Maxx

In February, I counted houseplants, wrote of my new love, terrariums and pondered garden stewardship. February is the cruelest month in my calendar, so I held another contest about raising lifelong gardeners. It was seed starting time, and I considered my lifelong love affair with tomatoes. A winter cloche party was on, and I went too.

Suddenly it was March, and Carol, Mary Ann and I began our yearly gardening letters. March in Oklahoma is all about pruning roses so I freed the Dowager Duchess and realized how much pruning is like raising teens. I reviewed books by two of my friends. In Oklahoma, we celebratedthe first day of spring with more snow. I was thrilled. Not really.

Magical April with its better weather and beautiful bulbs arrived

Woolly March left, and magical April came. With eight other writers (now eleven) across the U.S., I began writing for Lowe’s Garden Grow Along blog. It’s been a fun ride, and my latest post is about staying sane through winter. Just about the time trees began to leaf out, and birds began singing their dawn chorus, we had a hail storm so bad, it knocked holes in the sides of buildings and piled up like snow on the ground. Fortunately, it wasn’t that bad at the ranch. Just seeing the redbuds bloom made spring chores easier. I traveled almost an hour to Whispering Springs Greenhouse which was a new-to-me nursery, and I came home with loads of new plants.

'Karl Rosenfield' peony, an easy one to find and grow

With its color overload and peony impact, May nearly shouted hello. Is there a better month on the calendar? I don’t think so. The best and easiest vegetables to grow in Oklahoma were planted and harvested. I deadheaded furiously and still felt behind the eight ball although the last post was from guest blogger, Jennifer Benner. One of my garden mentors, Sharon Lovejoy, came to visit, and I was so happy to meet she and Jeff in person I could barely contain my enthusiasm. (I wonder if it showed.)

Because they were laying so many eggs, chicken love was always on my mind.

June vibrated with the hum of pollinators, like honeybees, and other insects. We went on vacation to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and Diva kept the garden humming. She did a wonderful job. We fought a battle with raccoons over our chickens and finally won. My dear friend, Gail from Clay and Limestone and a new friend, Carrie, came to visit. The garden continued to grow and produce, and I got my first tomato of the season.

Echinacea and honeybee

At June’s end, I celebrated the bright colors of the south.

The first half of the year was quite busy, but there is so much more to celebrate before year’s end like how grateful I am for all of you. Thanks my friends for coming to read my little blog. I think of you every day.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David perry

    Whether the North Star or one of the seven sisters, each of us, just by ‘being’ and glowing where we are can add to the light of the world and serve as a navigational point that others can help chart their own courses by. You a a star. Your warm glow is a gift to many and just by being true to who you are you provide reference points to others who would love to vector more in that direction. Keep up your generous work, friend. We who watch are better for knowing you.

    • Dee Nash

      Dave, what can I say to such kind words? My eyes welled up with tears because you understand exactly what I’ve tried to do with the blog. I know you are doing the same through your photos and beautiful words. Happy New Year my friend.~~Dee

  2. commonweeder

    What a great review. One of the benefits of blogging that I had not really understood when I began three years ago was the excellent record of doings in the garden – and in family/community life.

  3. Mom

    I so enjoyed the look back thru last year from a gardeners point of view. I know how very busy you were in addition to all the things you wrote about. It is a lovely reminder of all the beautiful things you grow, even with all the Oklahoma weather challenges, especially the tomatoes. You provided me with them for over a month, even in the hospital. Thank you for the reminder. I love you, Mom

    • Dee Nash

      Hey Mom, you do know how busy everything was. Let’s hope for a happy and healthy new year for our family too. I’m glad you love the tomatoes. I’ll do my best to make more. LOL!~~Dee

  5. Helen

    Goodness you seem to have had some extreme weather last spring, I hope this coming spring is kinder to you. It amazes me how we gardeners get time to blog but somehow we do and I think it brings such an interesting dimension to our gardening.

    • Dee Nash

      We did, but you guys are having weird winter weather it seems. I hope this spring just doesn’t have a late freeze. Happy New Year Helen.

  6. Rose

    It’s fun to look back on the past year and remember all that happened. You certainly had a busy year, Dee! Seeing that echinacea with the bee is making me long for spring already.

  8. gail

    Dear Dee, It’s been a good year despite extreme weather events! I am so delighted to have been a part of it. Visiting you and your garden was the highlight of this summer for me! (Readers~trust Dee when she says a gluten free treat can be tasty!) I look forward to reading the rest of the year’s review. Thank you for the linklove! xxoogail

  9. Tatyana

    I enjoyed reading your review. You were BUSY, Dee! Now, I’ll go and read some posts that I missed. Thanks for the links. Have a happy and healthy 2011!

  10. Pam/Digging

    What a busy, productive year you’ve had, Dee. By the way, I love the new look of your blog, and it’s much faster to load without the big header picture. The background color plays off the red-dirt photo you’re using. Very nice!

  14. sharon Lovejoy

    Phew, I’m pooped out just reading this and I KNOW you did a heck of a lot more than what you wrote.

    I am so happy you’re my friend, my good gardening friend, fellow Lowe’s blogger, and lover of nature,

    Happy new year to you all,

    Sharon

  15. Carolflowerhill

    Dear Dee, I like the sound of ‘ranch’. This is a lovely way to recount the year. It is great fun to meet our blogging friends in real time. Wishing you many happy, healthy and loved filled days to come in the New Year.

  16. Aimee Ryan

    Wow, you were busier than we thought when we talked about what you were doing each day. That is alot of good gardening/life advice, even from a non-gardener.

  17. Susan Tomlinson

    Dee, I can hear your voice throughout, but I laughed out loud when you said “In Oklahoma, we celebratedthe first day of spring with more snow. I was thrilled. Not really.” Hoot! It sounds just like you in my head.

    Thanks for such wonderful writing.