gardening and enjoying life in Salem, Massachusetts
I love this post by Pat Eby for the St Louis Post Dispatch and thought it would make a great share for today. In our family the center point is our dinner together, it’s that simple. We come and go at this time of year but I strive for us to eat together as much as possible for all of the reasons that are mentioned. Enjoy everything! Michele
Family meals inspire cook to do the same for his young twins : Stltoday.
My little guy was hard at work yesterday…
These will be awesome jack o’lanterns in a few weeks~
Enjoy everything today!
Love, Michele
The moment you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived!
Yesterday we harvested our pot of potatoes!
We had a few friends visiting after school who helped out.
Here comes the wheelbarrow.
The team lifted up the pot and dumped it in!
Success!!
We found the pottery and rocks that we’d put in for drainage.
And here they go, a treasure hunt for potatoes…the kids loved this!
We were all quite surprised to find potatoes in there!
Everyone found a few..
Here’s our little harvest. Next summer we’re planning to plant several pots, start toward the bottom third of each pot and gradually add soil as the plants grow. We did a little bit of that but probably not enough. For this year, we were just excited to see that we grew potatoes!
After we’d removed potatoes and pottery the girls spent about twenty minutes digging around in the dirt and admiring the amazing bugs that they found. That made my day!
This is what gardening with children is all about!
Here’s a little inside look at our favorite ship in Salem! You can read all about her here. There are wonderful ranger guided tours, but, since we have our own ranger we like to stop in and look around once in awhile.
The rigging is amazing. The ship’s crew spends countless hours working on this.
Cargo
Imagine sleeping here..
More cargo and maybe a sail?
Counter space and a cute pie..
The view from the deck
Another outside view, looking forward (I believe there’s a nautical term for “forward”)…
The captains quarters was closed for repair. I’ll try to get some shots there sometime soon. I could have taken a photo of the steering wheel ..I think that there may also be a nautical term for “steering wheel”, please feel free to chime in and correct me…
Sometimes I can’t believe that this is where we live, work and play. What a lucky family I have.
Enjoy everything!
Michele
This memorial to the victims of 9/11 was created by our Fire Department. The steel beam is from the World Trade Center. It’s always lovingly tended to and I’m sure that people from all over the world stop and visit when their here in Salem. The weather today is just like it was eleven years ago, 73 and sunny, one of those perfect New England days. It brings me right back to 2001. Everyone has a story from that day. Some are very personal and some more removed, but we will all never forget.
I’m sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of my giveaway… this getting back to school (and activities) is a tough business!
The winner is
Vera! Congratulations Vera! And thanks to all who played. Yes, that is Michelle’s garden. It’s a large part of her initiative to decrease childhood obesity and to connect children with their food source. I’ll publish a separate post with more photos of the garden in the next few days. It goes without saying that I’m very happy that the garden’s benefits to children are being highlighted by the First Lady.
I thought it might be fun to try a giveaway so here we go! The question is:
Who’s garden is this?
Since lots of people are looking but no one’s guessing, here’s a hint, I would have looked at it through a large metal fence while on vacation this summer..
Leave your answer in the reply box just below. All correct guesses will be entered into a random drawing for a $10 Home Depot Gift Card! Now is the perfect time to look for a pot or two of perennials (on sale!) to plant and enjoy next year! You have until noon on Tuesday to enter, one entry per person please! The winner will be announced on Tuesday afternoon.
This is not sponsored by or affiliated with Home Depot in any way, it’s just a fun little contest! Please feel free to share widely with your friends!
Love, Michele
Good Morning! We’ve made it through the first three days of school here. That always feels like a huge accomplishment to me. All of my kids seem to be happy and settling in well in all of their new environments. I think we’re off to a great start for the school year. Out in the garden things are still perking along. As much as I wanted to have a great fall garden going, our August activities took over and I didn’t get much planted. One of the things that I love about gardening is my hope and plan for next year. Next year there will be brussel sprouts at the very least! Since I just shared that with the world I’ll be feeling very accountable next summer and I’ll find those plants or grow some!
okay, so… here’s the potatoes. I’m waiting for that last plant to die back before we pull them out. Will there be potatoes?? We’ll find out soon!
The pumpkins are ready and just in time… see that dying foliage? I think the squash borer got to them but the pumpkins can be picked so we made it!
Here’s the other one. They really are beautiful!
I’m still picking tomatoes. Roma, roma, roma… really the best tomato to grow if you want to do lots of cooking with them.
More basil! I cut it back hard a month or so ago and now there’s more to freeze and dry.
And the mesclun is ready! I’ll try to add another little bed of this somewhere. If the temps stay warm we’ll have it for awhile!
Peppers are coming along. I never grow enough to really “process and preserve” them the way I’d like to but we’re enjoying them as we pick them.
I cut the oregano way back too. I’ll cut it before it flowers and dry it in the oven. I hope it turns out as nicely as my basil did in August.
Kentucky pole beans. I keep saying that they needed poles, poor things..
A little tiny foxglove peeking out. I love foxglove! It’s nice to see a hint of it in September.
The liatris that I planted are being eaten by bunnies. Enough said. 
This guy keeps an eye on everything.. 
Here’s a view in over the fence. Please notice my complete lack of perfection. Will someone please pull out those cucumber plants on the left? Really!! It doesn’t have to be perfect all the time, just loved and enjoyed.
And it is! Off to a kid’s dentist appointment and then the first game of the season for my little guys’ soccer team. Go Tornados!!
Happy Saturday! Love you all!
Michele
I donated some weeding time to our church auction a few months ago. This morning was weeding day for the kind friends who purchased my services. I love to weed! It’s relaxing and I love seeing an area of the garden pop out and shine. I enjoyed it even more than usual today because this was my view:
Peace and tranquility at it’s best!
and a nice finished product at the end!
Well, almost finished, I made a few more passes over this before I was done.
Enjoy everything today!
Love, Michele
Here in Salem we have access to ocean air and history all year round. One of the best places to experience this is out on Derby Wharf. It’s a great place to walk and play. The wharf is located right on Derby Street and is part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Pedrick’s Store House is the only building on the wharf. Historically the wharf was lined with warehouses like this that stored goods that came in on ships from all over the world. This building is originally from Marblehead and was moved to Derby Wharf a few years ago.
Next stop on the right is the Friendship, the centerpiece of the historic site, if not the whole city! Friendship is a fully rigged ship that was built by the National Park Service with the support of the Salem Partnership. She provides lots of educational opportunities for visitors from near and far. Everyone loves the ship! (Does anyone know this guy on the bike?) 😉
She really is a work of art. Did you know that ships are always referred to as “she’s”? I’m going to have to research this and do a post on why that’s so. This sounds like a good winter project.
I love this view of the NPS flag and the American flag together.
Going a few steps further out you’ll find these great exhibits. They teach about navigation and Salem’s maritime history and they add a huge element of fun when you walk with kids!
I think my little guy was testing his running speed in nautical miles per hour here.
One of the neat things about these exhibits is that their designed to blend in with the wharf. When you look out from the street, or even walk along the path, their very slim and discrete. 
They tell the story of all that happened on the waterfront over time. 
We’ve reached our destination, the lighthouse!
I remember sitting on the ground on the other side with my eyes closed (obviously many, many years ago before kids) and opening them to see a huge German Shepherd standing right over me. He scared me half to death! We were both fine but I think of that dog every time I’m out there.
There’s always lots and lots of boat traffic. It’s fun to watch everything from party boats, to lobster boats to yachts going by.
And then there’s the view out to the open ocean. I love to stand here and just breathe in that air!
Turn around and there’s a great view of the houses on Derby Street.
You can’t quite see it but when we were first married Michael and I lived in a little loft apartment over the blue building on the right. 
The House of Seven Gables is just to the right.
Here’s a closer shot. 
Walking in, more exhibits…
And back to Derby Street!
It’s nice to take a rest in the shade of one of these yards. Their all part of the National Historic Site, so everyone is welcome!
This is really one of my favorite walks in the world. You just can’t beat it, history, exercise and nature all in one place. If you make your way to Salem as a visitor, or if you live here, take a few minutes to take a walk on the wharf!
Michele
I was having my coffee this morning and I looked up and saw this…
I couldn’t believe it, the first glimmer of fall!
Fall in New England is knocking at our door. I really don’t feel ready for it, but I’m never really ready for anything (except for maybe spring and summer).
Are you ready for fall? Winter isn’t far behind…
The Salem Garden 