I haven't had a gardening update for a while so here is a view of my Victory Garden, or Obamagarden for those inclined to view this dig for victory thing with some scepticism. I read last week that Michelle Obama got dug in at the White House but we here on Ramrod Key aren't just followers of fashion in these things I've been trying to grow my own vegetables for months.
My original attempt located the beds I built underneath my stilt house putting the seeds and plants too far out of the sun, especially in the heart of winter so I relocated the beds into the so-far empty lot next to my house. This has been a Very Good Thing.
I was eyeing the cauliflowers wondering about making some cauliflower cheese such as I enjoyed as a child in England. My wife who has not enjoyed the benefits of English boarding school life and grew up in Palo Alto California looked a bit dubious at my suggestion."I've been reading about mashed cauliflowers, "my wife said as we peered at the large yellow brain-like structures surrounded by foliage. "You should like that." She said it rather in the way of an accusation because I don't think progressive parents subjected their offspring to cauliflower in the Palo Alto of the 1960's. I was trying to cope with an institutional diet that included canned sardines on toast and pink jello in my English boarding school. Mashed cauliflowers sounded promising to my weird palate. "They should taste like potatoes according to the book," she said. Then we discovered a new problem."When do we pick them?"my wife asked and we peered some more. "Perhaps before they change appearance...?"
The lettuce has been a rip snorting success. We pulled the leaves off the tall one and had several meals garnished by our own leaves. I've been prancing in to work with home grown salads often enough my colleagues are starting to express their boredom at my elation:
These canal side lots used to be worth anything up to $400,000 in the recent bubble economy before American International Group reduced us all to medieval serfdom and you can see my neighbors' boat trailers parked amidst the flourishing weedery in the middle of the lot. Elena came over to inspect the vegetables on a recent inspection trip to their canal home and she noted no one has been seen in the lot for years. Each spring I inspect the tax rolls hoping for a default but these people are all richer than God down here, especially when they don't actually live here.I am glad I get to borrow a small sliver of open space to test my growing prowess. My boat spends the winter on it's trailer firmly in my lot. My fruit trees are doing well:
I have had impressed upon me the importance of daily waterings so I bought a 25-foot extension hose and now i can water everything without using a watering can as an intermediary. That was a bit biblical, hauling water by hand, but I expect we should get used to it as a useful form of exercise in a post apocalyptic world. We'll be glad to have water then, never mind carrying it around like donkeys. The trees themselves have shown exciting signs of life (exciting if you are into this kind of thing). A large flower on the pomegranate, my birthday gift from Dolly:
As well as flowers on the Key Lime and the lemon tree:
I find it about as hard to photograph plants as I do to grow them, but here for what it's worth are flowers:
In addition my three strawberry plants have been flowering and producing berries so that they create an inducement to come down, talk to the plants and then eat them from time to time. My next problem is finding and killing the effing iguana that comes down and beats me to it, leaving stupid little "I was here first" messages on the backs of half eaten berries. The berries keep coming:These canal side lots used to be worth anything up to $400,000 in the recent bubble economy before American International Group reduced us all to medieval serfdom and you can see my neighbors' boat trailers parked amidst the flourishing weedery in the middle of the lot. Elena came over to inspect the vegetables on a recent inspection trip to their canal home and she noted no one has been seen in the lot for years. Each spring I inspect the tax rolls hoping for a default but these people are all richer than God down here, especially when they don't actually live here.I am glad I get to borrow a small sliver of open space to test my growing prowess. My boat spends the winter on it's trailer firmly in my lot. My fruit trees are doing well:I have had impressed upon me the importance of daily waterings so I bought a 25-foot extension hose and now i can water everything without using a watering can as an intermediary. That was a bit biblical, hauling water by hand, but I expect we should get used to it as a useful form of exercise in a post apocalyptic world. We'll be glad to have water then, never mind carrying it around like donkeys. The trees themselves have shown exciting signs of life (exciting if you are into this kind of thing). A large flower on the pomegranate, my birthday gift from Dolly:As well as flowers on the Key Lime and the lemon tree:I find it about as hard to photograph plants as I do to grow them, but here for what it's worth are flowers:
Tomatoes have not been the rip roaring success we had hoped. Most people grow these things almost by accident, in spite of themselves as it were. We don't, so my wife went to the Big Pine Flea market last weekend and bought a couple of plants with specific instructions. Here goes nothing:
And when in Miami recently Target yielded this upside down planter which seems like cruelty to dumb friends but supposedly the tomato plant should be delighted to hang upside down. It was a struggle of Mr Bean proportions to get the bag filled with dirt, tomato plant and hanging:
My two pineapple cuttings given to me by Lisa seem to enjoy their sunnier surroundings. One is a slug and not actually producing anything, the other one is starting to show signs of potential fruit:
We also have a collection of potted herbs and stuff on the deck:
(the porch light was on in the background because I was leaving for work and I turn the lights off downstairs so I can turn them on at 6:30 in the morning when I get home. In case you were wondering). My wife also got a lettuce plant at the Flea Market and we stuck that in a pot. It hasn't quite got going yet though I hope it will revive soon:
My jack fruit gown from seeds of a a fruit I ate at Fairchild gardens last winter are doing well. This one got a chunk eaten by that thrice damned iguana but apparently it's not to the lizard's taste happily:
So there we have it.Not exactly a survival garden if it was ever supposed to be.Lean times would be upon us had we to survive on this lot, though I suppose we would have to find out if iguana meat really does taste like chicken. On the subject of taste's like chicken, it's that time of year, snowbirds are out hiking up and down the street looking very busy:Another month and it will be peace and quiet again (they will have left for Up North) except for the sounds of thudding coconuts:
That will probably end up being our survival food, coconuts and grunts, which are fish. Which reminds me, my wife and I have sworn we are going to learn to kill fish for food this summer. That should be hilarious, we've each killed fish before and found nothing to enjoy about it. I prefer mine on Cuban bread at Sandy's Cafe. I like civilization. Damn AIG!
From time to time it happens that we look after a friend's dog and we enjoy it very much but each time we also enjoy getting back to an empty house once again. I fear I tend to prefer the company of dogs to people and the fact that we haven't rescued a dog from the pound makes me feel guilty when I know there ar eso many thta could use good homes. However the work involved in keeping a dog and the emotional commitment feels overwhelming... 
I take great pleasure in wandering the back country, but this winter I find the dry season is almost over and I've hardly done much wandering at all. It's shocking how time flies, so it was an extra pleasure to clump around in the mangroves under Florida's Big Skies with Emma. We walked out to an old dumping ground in the wilderness. A few years ago this trailer was parked upright but someone took the time to tip it on it's side; Emma found it fascinating:
We found all sorts of trash showed up around the trailer, like this wheel and even a sea buoy:
This sign said: No Dumping. Fat chance sez I.
I had a similar reaction to this one, though I doubt it was a serious offer in a semi submerged National Wildlife Reserve:
One thing that did puzzle me was where did all the broken glass come from? I guess the heaping mounds of trash all over the back country are testament to the inefficiency of the waste removal system or the frugal nature of earlier Keys residents who would rather foul up their back yards than pay to dispose of this stuff. Still the carpet of glass was quite intriguing, all those bottles:
These waterways are no longer a mystery to me or long time readers of this endless blog. In two words:mosquito control. Apparently they dug out the little canals, and put fish in them that eat mosquito larvae and that hibernate in the mud during dry season. Apparently someone planned a development in this most unpropitious spot:
I was, it turned out properly attired for the wet conditions, though thorns have a habit of penetrating the soles of the clogs and they hurt when they work their way through the rubber:
And there in the distance was the Maxima, ready to haul us home to refreshing cups of tea (me) and cold water (Emma):
Th pity of the dog is that it interferes with one's ability to ride a motorcycle. And no, I'm not yet ready for a side car, thanks for offering.
A beautiful spring afternoon in Key West and there I was with the car, picking up a dog for a friend and with nowhere particular to be, so I pulled out the camera on South Roosevelt Boulevard:
The great avalanche of Harleys is only rarely interrupted by the odd Honda Goldwing or a gaggle of "serious cruisers" riding BMW motorcycles equipped as though they were on an Andean expedition. Sometimes people rumble into town on three wheelers:
Of course it wouldn't be Key West without a few scooters and owing to the fact that I had positioned myself on South Roosevelt most of them were rentals as far as I could tell:
Scooter rentals come in gaggles too:
At least this lot wasn't honking their horns in the usual obnoxious manner. Youngsters like to look cool on their rides:
Others ride with their Dads and they wear helmets:
The only other helmet I saw that afternoon was covering this gent's noggin, who appeared to be seeking out the Khyber Pass in his colonial topee, rather than simply taking a constitutional under the Florida sun:
This dude was wearing a cool beanie as he passed Rescue Three on the inside:
I know a lot of people get their knickers in a twist over All The Gear All The Time, especially new riders, but in Florida anyone 21 years of age or older who has medical insurance can ride without a helmet so lots of people puttering around town do their thing helmet free:
This guy was riding his sport bike most nonchalantly with only one hand, probably because he is human and finds the crouched riding position of a sport bike tiring. It amazes new riders that motorcycles can be ridden with one hand only. But there you are, helmet-less one handed and enjoying the afternoon, and I don't want to hear it from the peanut gallery thank you. Snow bound Canadians need to remember we can only afford to bailout banks in the US. Single payer health care is too expensive, so we recover from motorcycle wrecks with bake sales and bankruptcy:
Well they are riding bicycles, it's true, but bicycle helmets are rare as hen's teeth in Key West, usually only seen on visitors. I have no idea why.
I have been reading about the excessively long winter with snow and all that stuff. Personally I have no idea why there isn't a line out the door of people heading south with resumes in hand, but I am told some people enjoy different seasons. I do too, pretty soon we'll be in rainy season which transmogrifies into hurricane season and then into snowbird season and so on. Instead of wondering if you can ride on snow you could be chatting up a neighbor on the seawall overlooking the Straits of Florida:
Or riding your scooter in shirt sleeves:
Or hauling your wife around in shirt sleeves:
And yes I know there are sandals visible on some feet in the picture. I remember reading on a scooter forum once about someone considering a trip to key West but she decided not to come because she thought she would look stupid dressed up in ATGATT (all the gear etc...) which is silly because no one cares what you wear. I even end up on Duval Street after my commute sometimes in my jacket and helmet and stuff and so what?
There are other ways of getting around that can be classified as unsafe. Running your boat aground is a pain and can be expensive. How this flush decked sailboat drifted into the shallows I don't know- a sleepy captain or a dragging anchor are likely culprits- but the owner of the casino boat at that has broken loose repeatedly around the harbor may get landed with an $84,000 fine to pay for the removal of his errant boat. This boat may be lucky if there's a high enough tide making an expensive tow unnecessary:
If you're a risk taker you can trying getting around on foot but that didn't work for me too well when I tripped and scabbed my knee a few weeks ago and which only now has almost healed...
Failing that there are electric cars, the cute kind:
Or the more mundane, if slightly more dignified kind of electric car: 
I was contemplating the beauty of the water glistening in the Straits of Florida when my reverie was rudely interrupted by more people having fun, and they too were helmetless I might add:
Just like this guy still cruising his sport bike...
...or this woman with that magnificent back drop:
Better that than bottled up and bored in a car:
I guess that fact that I was driving the Nissan made me a little sensitive to all the people out having fun on two wheels.