North Holland – The Cedar Journal

It is really September on the calendar? I guess I have been so busy with my new straw garden that time slipped by quickly.

The Hummm… file has been growing and now is on overload in my digital file cabinet. So where to start?

Hummm… let’s start with this!

Hummm… have small aliens landed in my garden? No! Just some slug control experiment. Everyone who has read this blog knows I hate plastic, so I have been working on a non-plastic solution for the Dutch slug problem.

This next Hummm… comes from our wonderful municipal government, a solution for traffic control. Recently, after giving out several tickets in this location, the solution was to place these wonderful traffic encourages. Now, they are suppose to work like this… green means you are driving under the speed limit ( usually accompanied with a nice smiley face also green), Red is flashing and very very bad! Must slow down.

Hummmm… we aren’t sure what green with a sad smile means… but 23 is very very slow for this street!

This next Hummm… comes from the Dutch farming community.

This old tractor was broken for sure! The conversation I had with the man who popped up from behind the tractor was so interesting I had to include it with this Hummmm…

He was practicing for … a plowing contest? No kidding! He had broken down and was now not going to be able to participate. Being a former farm kid, I just had to ask all about the contest (if there was such a thing and he wasn’t making up an excuse that the tractor was broken just to impress me). Plus, I did make a joke that the reason it broke down was it was a Ferguson!

My dad had many tractors and types while I grew up and it seemed (to me) that the Ferguson was always a bit allergic to work, it would break down just when needed most.

Anyway, there are things in the world such as plowing competitions, historic tractors and farmers who find creative ways to “Jerry rig” solutions.

Blocks of wood holding the battery in place. Hummm… looks like something my Dad would do, yup, confirmed via email, looks like something my dad would find as an appropriate solution.

Hummm… is that a level on the plow? What is that for? To make sure the row is exactly level the entire length of the field! Really? Who knew! Although I was informed that they are not allowed the level use in competition. Wow! That sounds hard!

Enough about tractors let’s move to an indoor Hummm…

Hummm… what ? A replacement of a facet (simple 10 min job… right?). This project lead to a tear down of the kitchen and thus several trips to the hardware store for an exchange of the exact facet we had purchased but had a backwards off/on on the hot water side! A Friday afternoon manufacturers issue? This must be wrong! … But, no! Come to find out all new facets are made so that off/on is opposite on the hot side!!!! This is chaos! No more right is open left is closed? Who dreams up this stuff?

Hummm… what is the rumor about that gardener who is growing veggies on the straw bales? Is it an American thing?

Seriously, I am the talk of the gardening community (although most are afraid to come and ask me directly). One person admitted to me today that she called her Dutch/American aunt in Arkansas to ask if this was an actual thing in the US!
LMAO!
Really?
The person could have walked less than 50 meters and asked me instead of confirming (actually her aunt from Arkansas had no idea) with her aunt.

Hummm… what happened to our world during COVID? Did everyone lose their communication skills? The nerve to ask questions at the source?

Hummm…

I know that Straw bales provide a nice place for frogs! This guy was hopping out of the straw when I went to move things around.

I will leave all of you with some peaceful reflection of a straw bale garden. Enjoy all the Hummm… in life!

The entrance of the garden

The walk to the back of the garden

Maybe we all need a break from the weather? I know I sure do! My DNA was never meant to spend any sort of time in weather above 75 degrees with any humidity over 50%!!!

Today the inside the house temperature is 75 degrees F!

I feel like I am either going to explode or melt.

Best time to add a small Hummm…