Mint prison.

Three plastic pots, sunk into the bed to hold mint so it (hopefully) won’t escape and become a menace. I love mint though so I’m having a hard time plotting against it :(

nakedbearladies:

Today i drew a dinosaur on my resume in an attempt to distract employers from my total lack of relevant job experience.

My favorite thing except for the dinosaur: This actually functions as a resume! That seems like a low bar or faint praise but I’ve seen way too many creative resumes that fail at the basic task of showing me why I should hire you for this particular job. I bet you get it!

yajifun:

Ôkuninushi no Mikoto, the White Hare of Inaba, and the Crocodiles / Hokusai

大国主命と因幡の白兎と鰐　葛飾北斎画　年代不詳

鰐にサメ説とワニ説がある。子供の頃に読んだ本の挿絵はサメだった。

“I’m pretty famous - please don’t hurt me!”

Pest Control - organic (and lazy) style.

Diatomaceous earth on the eggplant and tomato leaves to get rid of flea beetles. Those little jumping assholes chew teeny holes in the leaves and set the plants back. The powder works pretty well though so I have high hopes.

I’m trying marigolds for the first time this year to keep away squash beetles away from the summer squash and the cucumbers. I planted a variety of types in rings around the places I am sowing the seeds. Also I hope they will cut down on the gnats in the evenings too.

biomedicalephemera:

Indian Pangolin - Manis crassicaudata

Indian pangolin eating a snack of ants on a log in the Berlin Zoo.

Like all pangolins, the Indian pangolin is almost exclusively insectivorous. Despite the adaptability of this species (it’s able to live from high altitudes, to deserts, to the wettest rainforests), it’s currently facing endangerment due to being poached for traditional Chinese “medicine”.

Brehms Tierleben: Allgemeine Kunde des Tierreichs. Prof. Dr. Otto zur Strassen, 1915.

(via compendium-of-beasts)

Lamb’s Quarters.

This is a patch that I actually planted last year from seeds harvested the year before. They self-seed like crazy, I just find it convenient to have a nice patch of them. They are a weed, springing up on their own on tilled ground, and they are very good to eat. When the leaves are tiny they are nice in salad, older they are good lightly sauteed or steamed. I like them in smoothies too, but they have to be mixed with kale and parsley or the flavor is a bit odd to me.

Herbs!!! Again!!!

Lemon Verbena and Tricolor Sage. I love all sages, so I’m excited now to have three (Purple, Broadleaf and now this guy). Never grown or used Lemon Verbena, but it looked and smelled so good. Still planning to put another Rosemary in, hopefully this weekend. I also realized I need Lavender. I had one over next to the house but it doesn’t seem to have survived the winter. I’m running out of space in the herb corner, so I’ll probably start putting them elsewhere.

I made process toward mint by sinking three big plastic pots - I’ll post the pics of that once I get the plants in. Mmmmmmmmm!

Oregano - first harvest of 2012.

Gave the huuuuuge oregano a drastic haircut. Filled a whole Double Gulp Cup [totally legit unit of herb measurement] with the clippings. Gonna freeze them on a cookie sheet then crumble them into a jar for long lasting flavor. I don’t actually use oregano that much, but it’s gratifying how well it grows.

OMG babies! Last night a robin came into my studio/bike shed to get out of the rain, and this morning my boyfriend discovered that it has a nest right next to the door. So pretty, but a bit risky I must say. I can’t really stop using that door, so I’ll just hope that the momma bird doesn’t get freaked out and abandon the nest.

So I watched this episode after missing most of the season, and thank goodness I did! I heartily approve of these girls with dinosaur heads.

(Source: thegayfabray)

Gryposaurus on Flickr.

Gryposaurus
Drawn at Amherst College, May 2012

This guy is built right into the wall. A nice use of space.

Smilodon on Flickr.

Drawn at Amherst College, May 2012.
Had a hard time getting the skull right, but in the end I like it.

T. rex skull, neon on Flickr.

Neon T. rex skull
Amherst College, May 2012

Does anyone know what the dots/depressions along the bottom of the skull, above the teeth are? I’ve noticed them on a bunch of carnivore dino skulls and always enjoyed them as a graphic element but didn’t think to wonder what they are. I suppose I could google or read a book, huh?

Irish Elk on Flickr.

I need to start drawing more frequently, if for no other reason than to build up my stamina. I spent about 45 minutes on this and by the 30 minute mark I was breaking down. My legs ached no matter how I stretched, my eyes didn’t want to LOOK any more and my hand just sped ahead of itself. You can tell where I was in the drawing when this got really bad - the legs and ribs are all shaky like I was feeling.

45 minutes is a sketch, Figus! Suck it up…

Herbs!!!

My herb bed seems to be maturing well - this is year 2 or 3 for most of the plants. The rosemary doesn’t seem to be coming back this time so I planted a new one. The oregano and thyme are spreading like crazy, and the chives are like two feet tall. In another few days when the chive blossoms open I’ll make a bottle of vinegar with them - I did it last year and it gets this gorgeous pink color and is very tasty. Oregano gets freeze-dried, probably will do that with the thyme this year too.

I want a big mint plant, I’m thinking I’ll get a terra cotta pot and set it in the garden. If I owned the property I’d just put it in the ground and let it spread because I love it, but I’d feel guilty doing it and then leaving it for the next tenant to handle. I’ve grown it on the deck in the past but it ends up getting neglected. I’ve been trying to centralize by putting flowers in the veggie garden and it helps me counteract my core laziness. One place to water and weed is a lot more realistic than 3 or 4 for me.