Backyard Vegetable Garden 2019 Recap

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

It’s a very fruitful harvest summer in the #MaryaGarden this year.

It was my first year using a raise garden bed. The Mister and my Father in Law built it for me, upon my request last year. After my success last summer, I felt excited to go a little further. And this year’s victories felt really good.

Initially it was just 1 big rectangular box, but when I started planning my garden I realized that wouldn’t work. I asked the Mister to 2 add planks to create 3 sections to plant in, I ended up only using one. Reason being 1) I didn’t buy enough garden soil when I bought the plants and 2) the weather in late May / early June was still unpredictable (ie: some days were still dipping around 10 degrees Celsius). I decided to keep things small and more manageable for my first time with the larger space.

I ended up planning 3 tomato plants (slicer and small fruit: cherries and grape) as well as a zucchini and cucumber plant. I also used the large railing planter for herbs (cilantro, mojito mint and basil) We didn’t receive any veggie harvest until around some time after July 20th. Which was much later than 2018, when we got our first cherry tomatoes on July 10 (thanks Instagram!).

But since then, we’ve had a steady harvest of toms, cukes and zucks. The first two of which I’ve had no problem incorporating into our diets, Our go to salad is tomatoes, cucumber, cilantro and avocados. As for the zucchini, we took a few to the cottage which was used quickly. And for the remaining zucchinis, I’ve shredded and frozen them to be used for zucchini bread, muffins or veggie dippers.

The herbs were used on a daily basis. I would put them in salads or infused my water :)

Of course, with any of my endeavors, there is always goals set and lessons to be learned. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that good note talking and revision of my progress, really help my future success. And as the garden season winds down, it’s the perfect time to think about what worked, what I’d like to improve on and what I’d like to try next year!

Lessons Learned:

1) Plant cucumbers and zucchinis further apart and in their own box

1) Trim back tomatoes (the crop near the top) earlier on to allow the nutrients (water / sunshine) to feed the stronger growing fruits (near the bottom)

3) Tie plant stalk to the fence earlier in the season (to avoid the tomato jungle).

4) Build better trellises, this year I found that the dollar store trellis just couldn’t hold up a strong plant with large fruit. Will need to do more research on Pinterest for this one!

5) Add more flowers in between the veggies (lavenders and marigolds). Flowers attract the bees (obviously) and the bees help with the pollination of the vegetable plants (not so obvious)

Goal setting for next year:

1) Research the crop that we want to grow, research vertical gardens and garden bed layouts

2) Plan plan plan!! Create the garden plan on paper! Grouping types of plants together (herbs vs root or green veggies)

3) Mark my calendar for the tasks that support our garden (prep the soil, organize the garden beds, break up the soil, remove the weeds, buy organic seeds/plants, start seeds indoors and do the actual planting!)

4) Try something new: Garlic, Pumpkin, CBD, Hungarian wax peppers, carrots, lettuce (ok definitely not all of these, just putting some ideas down for next year)

5) Figure out how to get my cilantro to grow for longer (I think I end up planting them too late and because the temperature and combined humidity is unpredictable in July I only get maybe 4 weeks of cilantro)

6) Install more dividers earlier in the season if needed

7) Create a mini greenhouse / tent to support plants during older evenings

Do you have a backyard garden? If you could successfully grow any vegetable or fruit what would it be?

Fall back into Action!

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

“Soar, eat ether, see what has never been see; depart, be lost, but climb” // Edna St. Vincent Millay

I love September! Fresh start, crisp mornings, new recipes, tall boots, beautiful fall photography :)

September has always felt like the start of a New Year of Learning. And although I no longer am in school or formal education, it’s important for me to remember that I should continue to grow and learn. I try to do this as often and as easily I can by: doing new things, reading books, listening to podcasts/Ted Talks or simply by changing my perspective to understand a topic more deeply. I often forget that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed or confused some days. It’s on those days that I need to take a time to rest and recover but also not forget to keep my goal in mind and continue to scale that mountain.

I am taking this this upcoming month to fall back into action! I want to get back into good routines and stay focused. I put together this checklist to keep me motivated and ahead of my goals as we move into the colder months!

Book Review – Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

This book was over hyped for me (thanks to the internet/social media/online influencers) and unfortunately I was not impressed.
There are some important thoughts and gems of advice but overall the book “shipped too early” 😆

It needs to have an edition review and some parts can be removed. Seth Godin knows that this book may not be well received and or believable to some readers and tells us at the start that those who have had enough should skip to chapter 10.

But for the sake of finding the learning from every experience, I will share the points/topics that really resonated with me:

“Do not internalize the industrial models. You are not of the myriad interchangeable pieces, but a unique human being, and if you’ve got something to say, say it and think well of yourself while you’re learning to say it better” – D. Mamet

To me this essentially means you need to find a new path for your career journey. The standard career path of the past will no longer work. Furthermore, everyone should bring their real self to their work and to their career. I tend to agree with that. You will feel more empowered and your career with align with your purpose when you are more true to yourself and those around you.

Combination of engaged employees, cutting edge products and fun brings people (customers) back

I think this quote is pretty powerful – especially as I can only count on one hand corporations who operate like this.

Win by being faster, more remarkable and more human.

It’s hard to be faster, remarkable and more human when you are surrounded by red tape, bureaucracy and hierarchy. But I can see this being useful and motivational for start ups and entrepreneurs.

TGIF workers are PERL workers

Although this idea was brought up with respect to the typical factory worker, the percentage of easily replaceable labourers (PERL) are the type of people who live for Fridays. If you take pride in your work and even more so are willing to work on your passion projects during your free time – you don’t fall into this group. It’s the people who live for Fridays as an escape from their work life that have the to make a change.

Other people have survived th corporate school system, survived their fist job, have survived a mother in law telling them what to do — and have done the challenging work to become indispensable

Best advice! Everyone survives. And so can you (and me!). We can move up and onward. We can push through our current situation or get out – either way we are successful. Most important thing to remember – you always have a choice.

Job where you do more than follow instructions – not something they taught you in school. Job where you take intellectual risks, prepare to be promoted

The world of work is really changing. And not just the actual job part but the types of work you do, the hours you work and the type of employees / cohorts. If climbing the ladder is your end game – this is good advice.

Except the genius label

We are all genuses! This book is really about getting rid of the conspiracy of previous generations: That you need to JUST PUT IN THE TIME at a job. That your CREATIVITY DOES MATTER.

The new american dream: Be remarkable, be generous, create art, make judgement calls, connect people and idea

The problem lies with the system that punishes artists and rewards bureaucrats

Geniuses make art. They make judgement calls. Connect people/ideas. Find a new way of getting things done. Work is a chance to art.

Whether its your 9-5, your entrepreneurial pursuits, a creative passion or your career journey – think of your work as a way to do and make art.

Poverty Mentality: If I give you something, it costs me what I gave you. The more you have the less I have. The more I share the more I lose.

I absolutely LOVE the though process behind what is known as the OPPOSITE of the poverty mentality aka the ABUNDANCE mindset. I think I lived most of my life in the poverty mindset and it is the most debilitating mindset ever. As soon as you thing with abundance, you are set free.

Great bosses and world class organizations hire motivated people, set high expectations and give their people room to become remarkable.

If you’ve ever had a bad boss or left a company because of a bad boss – this statement must ring true for you.

Ishita’s Meditation

Google it! – it’s always a choice!

What do you do when your art doesn’t work – make more art. If you give up and become a cog you are failing.

This statement pretty much sums up the entire book.

Check out the other books I’ve read in 2019!

What’s in my cart – Books Edition

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I normally read books on my e-reader or borrow books from the library. But I do this so that I only buy books that really touch me and inspire me so much so, that I NEED to have them in my house at close proximity at any time. I don’t like busy shelves with books collecting dust so I am very selective with my books!

I’ve ready 4.5 of the books above. One that has sparked my interest and there other I read during undergrad (required reading) that I just want to read again.

How I embrace holidays in a comparison society

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Being a mom is hard. Being a mom in today’s world is hard. Mom’s are working 24/7. Some are being moms while possibly handling a business, others are working 7-10 hrs outside of the home and then coming home to do the most important work of all – being a mom! We are pushed and pulled in a million different directions, sometimes out of our own decisions and often because we are needed (or think we are needed). We put everyone else’s needs before our own, we are nurturers by nature, we cater to everyone, we feel like our homes need to be clean all the time, we eat left overs from our kids plates and drink cold coffee or tea. We no longer have the same level of community that mothers of previous generations relied on. And I don’t know if an online community of moms is the same thing? I mean can you call them over in a pinch to watch your kid? I am sure that mom’s have been judged for centuries, but it feels that we need to raise our children and break glass ceilings all at the same time.

And if all that wasn’t enough, we are dealing with a level of social comparison that is so intense it’s creating anxiety and unnecessary stress around holidays and special occasions.

Around valentines I read an Instagram post by a mom who didn’t feel compelled to send heart shaped sandwiches in her kids lunch, she didn’t bother getting valentines for her kid’s classmates or dressing her kids in red or pink. She made the point because her feed was filled with other moms who were doing all the “things” to make the holiday “special” for kids. She didn’t feel like doing any of it and wondered if she was the only one feeling inadequate.

I totally get it. I completely agree that making magic is a tiresome task. It’s yet another thing we need to add to our to do lists.

That said, I want to still do it.

I still want to put in the energy. I still want to be present for those silly hallmark moments or cheesy opportunities to add a smile to my kid’s day. I still want to make magic for them during the holidays. Because that magic isn’t JUST for them, it isn’t for sharing on social media, it’s for me and my memories too.

The problem here is the social media aspect of it. When you are doing something for external validation, its never going to feel right. So in the end you have to do what you feel is going to work for you, even if your friends are doing something different or when someone you admire isn’t on the same page as you. It’s about being true to yourself and not about putting yourself out there to be judged by strangers on the internet 😚

Lolo’s 2nd birthday

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Holy shIt this is a long post! I wanted share some photos of E’s birthday celebrations and I didn’t know exactly what to write. And then the words just started flying off from my fingers to the key board to the screen. I decided to publish this for my memories and for Miss E if she ever wants to know how she entered the world…!

I still remember the days leading up to Lolo’s birth 2 years ago. It all started on the Friday before she was born, March 3 2017. Our current family of 3 had gone out to dinner and started to walk around the mall letting Miss S ride the coin rides, a typical family date night tradition for us that we had become accustom to for about a year at that point.

As we were walking around the mall, I started getting intense pains – which I honestly though were gas. Gas that was coming and going. Thinking back on it, the pain was pretty intense in that I had to stop walking and just hold a chair, wall, pillar – really anything for support. I know now they were contractions, but they weren’t consistent and went away later on that night.

The next day I also had the contraction pains on and off, but again by the evening when we headed to my in laws for dinner, all the pain had disappeared. I figured I was going to go into labour soon, I just thought I was a 3-5 days away. I was really banking on being able to take my vacation starting Wednesday of that coming work week, but I really should have taken a clue from when I was pregnant with Miss S – these girls won’t let me take a vacation 😜

Sunday March 5 2017, around 10:30am, contractions started again and quickly became very regular. I was focused on my breathing telling Miss S that I was doing “yoga breathing”. And she knew something else was going on. I’ll always remember to this day what she said to me: “mummy, you are doing yoga breathing because my baby sister is coming soon”.

We put down Miss S for her nap and Mister A started tracking the contractions on an app. They were getting closer but because I had 2 days of disappearing contractions I figured I should take a shower to calm down. Before getting in the shower, we called my parents to let them know the status. I continue to have contractions in the shower and it was then I realized this might be the real deal. I got out of the shower got dressed, called my parents, got emotional, they said they were on their way, so I did my make up and Mister A loaded up the car. By the time my parents arrived I was in full on labour but doing a good job of breathing through the pain. My dad said that if the baby was coming to just pull over and call 911 as they could deliver the baby on the side of the road. 😬

We started to pull out of our neighbourhood only to realize I had forgotten my purse…! So we turned around to grab it. The next 27 minutes were a blur but completely reminiscent of a movie scene of the husband trying to speed to the hospital with his labouring wife screaming at him to drive faster.

We arrived at the hospital around 3:35pm. On the walk up to labour & delivery triage I had 2 contractions and was even offered a wheel chair by a nurse who was returning to her shift. I declined and continued having contractions but waddled and breathed my way through them. As soon as I got to the desk I told them I wanted a female doctor with slender fingers. They asked if it as my first and I said no, and everyone went into serious mode: “She’s 38-5, multips, we need to get her checked”. I got checked and I was 7cm (way further along than I was expecting). I told the nurse I had to use the washroom, and she warned me not to push 😟

I remember them clearly saying “she’s multips, mother is multips, multips wants an epidural, multips x min apart”. I finally asked what “multips” was, the nurse told me that mothers of multiple (multips = multiple) children usually go through the last phase of labour pretty fast – so they wanted to act quickly. Within 20 min of being admitted I was in a labour room and they had called for the anesthesiologist. I was 8cm when I got the epidural and I was glad to finally have had it. It was around 4:30pm when I finally was able to just lay back. But not for long…! The nurse was in and out checking the monitors, fixing the catheter, adjusting my position. Mister A had to make all the calls, take pictures, call the nurse when I had questions. Around 5:50, I was checked again and it was time to push. I pushed maybe 4-5 times and the doctor told me to stop. Turns out the cord was wrapped around her neck twice hence why the nurse had to keep checking the monitors and adjusting me.

Miss E was born at 6:12pm on Sunday March 5 2017. She cried non stop until about 8:30pm. Mister A asked I could put her back 😬

All sarcasm aside, she is our cuddle bug and she completes our family. She has the most mischievous yet contagious smile, she loves broccoli and running after sister. She’s very stubborn and head strong because she knows what she wants. She reminds me every day that kids are not obligated to their parents. She and her sister always show me that they belong to this earth and we can only guide them to be strong, independent and good people.