Protecting my plants

Although this weekend wasn't quite as nice as last weekend, we were still able to get out in the yard and do some work. First up on the task list: protecting my roses. They have been under attack since last weekend, when they were first planted. This one has been dug up and dragged out to the lawn at least 3 times, despite the thick thorns on the stems.

We also planted the blueberries and put up protective fencing around them as well. The disturbed dirt around them makes them both irresistible, and incredibly easy to dig up. To avoid a repeat of the rose incidents, we waited to plant the blueberries until we could adequately protect them.

So, until they are established and look like real plants, instead of just twigs ripe for chewing, they are contained in cages.

In addition, in an attempt to rehabilitate the canal system/open pit mine that our lawn has become, a section of it is walled off as well. Some of the sod from the blueberry holes has been transplanted there, in the hopes that it will take root and spread. Once this area looks better (if it ever does) the cage will be moved to the next bare spot needing help. I will also be putting down some grass seed, or other ground cover, when I get back to the garden store. (We made one big trip this weekend, but I was unwilling to go back until later).


And the cause of all this fencing? You're looking at him - Trouble Puppy Miikka. So cute, and so destructive. Sigh.

Friday Miikka

Here are some Miikka pictures for your Friday enjoyment. Miikka in repose, having destroyed a cardboard cracker box (one of his favorite activities), and Miikka in action, trying to figure out how a squirrel eluded him (they all do).

That's it from me for the week. Enjoy your weekend. The weather is supposed to be decent here, and if Benjamin and I can rally enough energy from our cold-stricken states, we might get started on our raised beds for our vegetable garden. But then again, we might just loll around the house, blowing our noses and moaning.

Gyoza, yum

We made gyoza by hand this weekend, and it was good. Gyoza are small dumplings, filled with a mixture of vegetables and meat (or tofu, I suppose, although I would rather just have vegetables at that point). I love to order gyoza when we go out to an Asian restaurant, but I also love to eat them at home. Because I don't really like buying frozen meals, I don't buy them at the grocery store, which severely limits my access. Now, though, I have made them and know I can make them any time (well, any time I have an hour to fill all the dumplings and then another 30 minutes to cook them...).

I used a recipe I found here*, and modified the process just a bit. Instead of hand chopping the vegetables I used my Cuisinart to chop all the vegetables and to mix the pork in, and since I know my own limits, I used store-bought won ton wrappers instead of making them from scratch. It took a while to fill all the wrappers, and the filling did use an entire package of wrappers, but with Benjamin doing the cooking part, everything went pretty smoothly. They were so yummy, and we have plenty in the freezer for my next snack attack.

*(I am sure there are plenty of other variations on this recipe out on the interwebs, and even, gasp, in cookbooks. This just happens to be the one I used.)