Updates from the Aku Room

It's been about two months since I decided to do something with the aku room. I tidied up, I put together benches on Juneteenth, while listening to Ibrahim X. Kendi in conversation with Brene Brown re: anti-racism. And slowly I've been adding:

• A set of wall pockets we bought 30 years ago
• A thermometer (it reached 120 this past week. I kept watering, but wondered if I was really just boiling the roots of my plants)
• Two benches, in order to get my plants and seeds off the floor
• Some cute little vials for starting cuttings. I've successfully started calibrachoa cuttings and will repatriate them into their original planter on the porch. I've also created new starts of our amazing perennial basil that we've had for many years. I was worrying that this would be the last year of these plants and the cuttings are now doing better than the original. We finally ate some of the basil the other day. Similarly, thyme, grocery store basil, etc.
• Geranium plants from an estate sale that were not doing well on the front porch. I replanted in happy soil, fertilized, and now I have red flowers every day. Ahhhh.
• Cannas. Also faltering where they were hanging out. Replanted in happy soil, with lots of heat and sunshine and a good drink every day, they have tripled in size. Inspired by this, I'm bring different varieties inside.

The seed report is more spotty. Early on in the pandemic I watched a lot of weird videos that made growing things from seed look magical. Bury that thing you just ate in a wet paper towel! In time-lapse you will see it grow into something that you can cut up and eat again!

Things that failed (edible and non-edible):

• Shiso (cannot get it to start from seed -- ever)
• Echium Pretii (bought for mrguy and can't get it going)
• Cineraria (darn!)

Things that are going right now:

• Garlic (what the hell, right? stick it in some happy soil)
• Cara Cara oranges (from the last orange I got at grafting day)
• Bell pepper

The big hit are my tomato plants (from seed). I have some in a big planter with happy soil. Then I got two hanging thingies and put them in them with happy soil and they are happy but not putting out flowers yet. There is one in a pot on the upper lanai that has tiny fruitses, and the biggest one from the aku room is going like gangbusters. It has been such a bright spot in my day.

Before. Milk crates, failed beet sprouting, seed experiments, my lime pickle (mrguy hates but I think it is fabulous).

Clean aku room, with tomato starts in wall pockets, thermometer above them, and my new benches.

Today. Rug, gigantoid tomato plant, hanging tomato plants. The works.

My little vials that I use for starting plants from cuttings. Currently calibrachoa (which is also blooming) and grocery store basil.

Two garlic plants, pineapple sage (from a cutting) and red morning glory plants from seed, that aren't doing as well as the ones I didn't transplant.

A friend from Japan keeps a green onion going in a glass on the windowsill in her kitchen. I thought I'd do the same. The green growth is from two days in the glass, which is pretty cool.

Herbs that have moved from the glass vials to some self-watering planters. We ate some basil the other day.

The Mom Report

I would say that the pot is beginning its inevitable slow boil again. How do I know this? 

Went to visit the mama, and she really wanted me to take her somewhere in my car. Our household sheltering rule is that nobody goes in our cars but the two of us. Mom can't understand any of this. Our caregiver is the one who usually drives her places because the two of them are basically a household. But she lent her car to her son. So today a ride was not possible. Maybe tomorrow or the day after, when her son returns the car. And that should be ok with her. But it is not.

The litany of woe:

• You do not love me. Nobody loves me.
• If you loved me you would put me in your car.
• Prove to me that you love me by putting me in your car.
• When I come to your house tomorrow or the day after you will put me in your car? Why not? (Because I'll already be at my house, Woman. That's why.)
• Other family members put me in their car.
• You're just doing things because people tell you to.
• You used to think I was fun.
• I have done so much for you.
• If you're not taking me in your car today I'll just go back inside.
• Go home and have fun with my things and my money (a personal favorite.)

So that visit basically sucked, and I don't know what happens next.

I leave you with a pretty picture -- end paper from a mid 17th century autograph book:

Hollandaise

Made an insane recipe this morning, which I fed to mrguy. At one point I had a crisis of faith because my Hollandaise was too runny. I consulted a recipe and was just about to pull the trigger when the sauce firmed up.

I documented my success just in case the sauce broke.

Turned out fabulous.

Vacation food.