I think of planning a future garden in the same way that some plan for their future offspring.
Make sure you’ve got space
Build, or buy, beds
Make sure you plant your seed (so to speak) in fertile ground
Sit back and let nature take over, understanding that things will definitely NOT go according to your plans
In my case, i make detailed drawings of my beds, both winter and summer. I make multiple drawings, illustrating bed changes throughout the year. I use string and skewers to map out the garden plots. I plant my seeds. I take copious notes of how the plants are doing throughout the year. In a sense, Helicopter Gardening….
So now, I spend this cold, and possibly snowy later, day creating my plans. I’m looking up companion planting to make sure everyone gets along. I’m looking up frost dates to make sure everyone is comfortable, and doesn’t freeze to death. (The epitome of badparenting.) I’m setting up my greenhouse for any preemie plants that aren’t ready to face the big bad backyard world on their own. I’m reading books (the What to Expect, When You’re Expecting Vegetablestype).
And I’ll blog about it obsessively; posting updated pictures for all my friends to see, making them envious to get started on their own fertile ground.
In true park ranger/nature lover fashion, everything we did involved nature and national parks. M proposed to me under the July supermoon at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. I totally did NOT see this coming, but apparently my parents knew because my dad texted me within 12 hours with one word… “Well?!” Yeah, he knew what was coming.
Engaged!
Now several of you know me pretty well, and know that I’m not a ‘wedding bride’ kinda girl. I did not grow up imagining the perfect wedding dress, the perfect location, the perfect bridesmaids dresses, the perfect color scheme, etc. I’ve always been more of a ‘perfect party afterwards’ kind of girl. Any wedding I was to have would be outdoors, preferably private, and (given my complete white-girl adoration of fall) in the fall.
So M and I were in complete agreement over the fall wedding idea. But getting engaged in July and throwing a fall wedding reception for friends and family that are scattered across the US was just too much! So after a bit of discussing, we decided to elope, exchanging our own vows under the full moon in October. It didn’t take long for the perfect location to pop into M’s head… White Sands National Monument! The full moon on the white sand dunes would be magical!
And that is exactly what we did on October 8th….
Pre-wedding in our backyard, M in his fancy court-wear and I in my most perfect favorite skirtExchanging vows on perfect white gypsum sand dunesMy man and a most perfect sunset
We spent our wedding night in the not-so-perfect town of Alamogordo…. but the drive home through the Sacramento Mountains was completely worth it!
Mr. and Ms. M.H.!
Even though we got married in October, finding a location and time for a reception was proving most difficult. We finally settled on the first weekend of January, with both M’s brother and my brother in town for the holidays, we’d have the whole family together… and our families would meet for the very first time.
Sometimes called Fall in celebration of the falling of brilliantly colored leaves. Maybe due to the falling of all crops, all leaves, all blossoms?
Sometimes called Autumn, which to me denotes a more classic New England season full of apple cider, Martha Stewart crafts, and fuzzy sweaters.
I’ve experienced this, my favorite season, many places around the US. Each location has a distinct feel to it’s own Autumn.
Northern Minnesota
The 6 months I spent in Minnesota were very trying, mostly due to the weather. All I heard from locals was how odd, stormy, & cold that year was. When Fall came, there was little to rejoice over. We kinda went straight from cold rainy summer to cold rainy winter, with no leaf color & more snow than I can appreciate. Plus, most of the trees up there are spruce and pine so they just stay green!
Early October, only a few days before I left.
Southern Utah
Fall in the Southwest Colorado Plateau is unexpectedly magical. The desert flowers in the fall just as much as it does in the spring. All summer the land is baked, scorched by sun by day and hot rocks by night, leaving little greenery. Then in September, a magical thing happens – the nights cool off, countering the still hot days, & grasses, shrubs, & flowers begin to thrive. Berries pop out to feed deer & bears before they hibernate. The air turns crisp. On the mountain tops, aspen & birch begin to illuminate the landscape with brilliant yellows & reds, while pinion & juniper stay green and fluffy down below. Soon the cottonwoods will turn yellow along the drainages, reminding us that water is invisible, but present in the desert.
Usually the arrival of fall is preceded by a Monsoon season. (Monsoon- Arabic for ‘weather’)
The monsoon rains bring much needed moisture to the land; a celebration for all who survived the dry summer.
Texas Gulf Coast Pine Woods I grew up in the pine forests along the Texas Gulf Coast. Out there, fall starts in late October & lasts somewhere through Christmas. Many Halloween costumes were chosen for the warm night temperatures. And my family has spent far more Thanksgivings & Christmases drinking margaritas than hot toddies. Fall in east Houston isn’t showy with coloring leaves or wild flowers. It’s more of a feeling than a visual. The air gets a bit drier & crisper. The pine trees give off more amazing pine-scent. It’s Marching Band weather. My high school friends, & my parents, will most definitely understand that statement.
I don’t have any images of fall in Houston but I do have this photo of me in my twirling costume from marching band years.
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Northern Chihuahuan Desert
I’ve spent the last five years in the El Paso/Carlsbad area & have ‘Fall’en in love with this time of year in this part of the world. Very similar to the deserts of Utah, the plants & wild flowers are their best in the fall, after the monsoon rains of summer. Cool crisp breezes, sleeping with a box fan in the window, & wildflower hikes are all things I love about this season. The animals are very active right now, looking for food, buzzing around the glorious flowers, drinking from abundant water sources. Fall is most definitely a time of harvest here. A Thanksgiving for the pollinators.
Fall in the desert makes my hiker’s soul ache to be outdoors – whether it’s reading in my hammock, gardening, or hiking in the Guadalupian wilderness.
Appalachia
Never have I been more awed by Autumn than in the 4 years I spent in the Virginian Blue Ridge Mountains. A riot of colorful leaves begins in September with hints of red among the green, peaks in October with oranges, yellows, & reds, and then quickly fades away with the first ice storms of November. There are different bird calls in fall, more deer & bear sightings, & more tourists (called ‘Leafers’ by us locals) than rightly belong on any mountaintop. Finding a secluded spot to stop along Skyline Drive becomes futile. In fact, DRIVING Skyline Drive becomes a traffic-filled nightmare. I began hiking to get away from the visitors, & have been hiking ever since. Nothing compares to a cool weather hike with stupendous fall color views winding down into the ‘hollers’ where the bears are larger and shyer. Finding a quiet stream, shaded glen, or roaring waterfall with hardly another human in sight is most definitely worth the miles, & elevation, walked off the Drive. Popping back up to an overcrowded parking area makes me feel like Puxatawney Phil in spring.
Spent my morning off-trail changing bulbs with Kelly. We were dubbed the “light fairies” by a visitor.
The first is me, off trail & hiding the homemade specialized light tube carrier. The next two are Kelly, changing bulbs & climbing down some flowstone.
I was showing M some pics and he was surprised to see these. He said that the tiny green yuccas in the Texas photo grew up to be almost twice as tall as the sign and then were knocked over by the wind. He’s the expert – he drive past both of these every day.
Flipping through some old 1950s pics that my grandma Joy took of her trip with her mother (my nanny), and her two boys (my uncle and my dad) to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
I love that the majority of the places I’ve traveled are unintentionally in the footsteps of my grandmother.
Guadalupe Mountains NP rest area looking back at El Capitan!
Yesterday was a very long, but very interesting day. We walked down the natural entrance of the cave with a geologist. I learned SO MUCH new stuff.
What we know of sulfuric acid caves and how they are formed is currently changing. This geologist has a new theory that alters, not erases, what is believed to have happened 250 million years ago at Carlsbad Caverns. Very cool!
This last weekend M and I took a family vacation to Albuquerque with his 2 boys, his brother, and his parents to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. This was our FIRST family vacation… Yay!
M sprung for a great hotel, giving us a suite with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. 🙂 very cool, not expensive, and I’ll totally do it again.
We went out Friday evening to Pappadeux’s for their anniversary dinner. Pappadeux’s was their choice and they were very very happy. I was happy that when I told the waitress I was vegan, she immediately told me they’d do a plain (not buttered on the outside) baked potato and grilled asparagus with sea salt. Fantastic!
The next day the weather was threatening to rain and hail, so we smartly decided to spend the day at the aquarium and botanical gardens. (it ended up being beautiful)Â
M inside the “Pacific Room”The weird jellyfish tower
The shark tank… a huge crowd pleaser
The botanical gardens had a  Fairyland or Imagination Land or something like that for kids. It was awesome!
Locked in the castle tower…Giant Carrots!
Older brother trying to push Younger brother back into the egg he’s “hatching” out of….
The place was covered in flowers… COVERED! This was the Saturday before Easter so there were babies in their Easter clothes tip-toeing through the tulips, and they were so freaking cute!
I won’t bore you with all the pics of flowers… both M and I took tons.
Flowers!“Must take pictures of flowers!”The happy couple
There was a Japanese Garden. Those are my favorites…
Zen Younger brother
M’s family, and he, of course, has his camera 🙂
The aquarium and botanical garden also had this weird section with model trains… Its like they said “Hey, we LOVE model trains and wouldn’t it be fun to put them in a botanical garden?! That’s thematic, right?”
Well, whatever they were thinking, the trains were great! And because it was Easter, they were generous enough to give the Easter Bunny and all his (her?) friends a ride.
Easter Bunny and entourageThis village was playing the “chicken dance” song… there must have been a tiny wedding somewhere down there.LOVE the lighthouse. Not very New Mexican, but very fun!
After the 3 hours we spent there, the boys were ‘botanical-gardened’ out, so we headed back to the house.
But first we hit the Standard Diner, because they’d been featured in Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins (or whatever that show is called). It was AWESOME! Think 50s diner meets hipsters hangout meets really amazing food. I highly recommend this place.
After a nice long, and well-deserved, nap we went to a random Indian place for dinner. I was still stuffed from lunch so I only ate naan. I can always make room for naan bread, especially if it is filled with yummy potatoes. We discovered that the boys liked tandoori chicken, if its not too spicy.
I think by the end of Saturday, we were all stuffed and ready to never eat again!
Sunday was a quiet day – we said goodbye and headed back south 5 hours to home. We took the scenic way back, behind the Sandia Mountains, down to Salinas Pueblo Missions NM. We took lunch down to their picnic area and had a great meal. The dogs, and the boys, appreciated getting out of the car. Afterwards, a quick walk around the mission was needed and we found two bullsnakes gettin’ it on.
Oh yes… two snakes trying to make baby snakes. Great family vacation moment.
After witnessing the live show, we headed back to the car and headed for home. My new job was starting up bright and early the next morning. Vacation over!
Today (and yesterday) I’m most happy to be in Albuquerque with M and his family to celebrate a  50th Anniversary.
We had a great dinner last night at Pappadeux’s. (If you tell the waitress that you’re vegan, she’ll bring you grilled asparagus with olive oil and sea salt, and an unbuttered baked potato. Yum! I come with my own animal-free condiments so I was set!)
We’re staying in a Residence Inn…. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, one living room, one kitchen, 3 tvs for $150! That is a great deal! Plus, they have a waffle maker with their full service breakfast. (Shout out to my dad, who now asks each and every motel establishment if they have a waffle maker.)
Plus, we’ve got both Lennox and Winnie with us, making it a truly family affair. Chicory is kickin’ it back home and most likely enjoying herself.
High Rises to Hiking Boots 