on the fence

 

This summer has been busy.  We haven't gone anywhere but thankfully the kids and grands have all been here at one time or another.

My little garden has been  invaded by the chipmunks and squirrels.  The little buggers have been snatching green cherry tomatoes, taking one bite of them and leaving them behind.  Grrrrrr.

The flowers have been gorgeous tho'.  The Resident Fisherman works hard, feeding, weeding and pruning.  So lovely.

Worse than the chipmunks and squirrels tho, are the large 'rodents'.  The deer are thick as thieves here and do a lot of damage.  So, we hired some friends to install a fence in our backyard.

It turned out great!  

We are looking forward to filling it up with flowers and food.  And places to sit so we can stop and smell the roses.

Of course, the fence won't keep out this fella: 

He stopped by for a visit about 6 weeks ago, but we didn't roll out the welcome mat.  He has apparently moved on to greener pastures/dumpsters.

While the Resident Fisherman is out working in the flowers, I am often in working in the kitchen.  I know I am not alone in feeling an urgency to put food up for the winter.  Yes, I can buy it from the grocery store.  However, I am only going to the grocery store once a month.  The rest of the time I am shopping at the Farmer's Market.  

I am filling our freezer,dehydrator and canned goods shelves with things I buy there:

squash, onions, peppers, peas, beans, celery, and cucumbers. Soon I will be getting a few boxes of tomatoes to can.

I am so thankful to see the freezer full. The canned goods shelves are crowded.  Yes, canning is work, but I love knowing where my food comes from.  I know the names of the farmers and chat with them at the market about how things are going on their farm.

I'm thankful to live in a place where, although the winters are long and cold, things grow well here.

I also buy food from our local farm share.  Tonight's dinner will be Swedish meatballs with ground beef and pork from about 50 miles away. The potatoes for mashed potatoes and the summer squash, sauteed with garlic, were grown even closer than that.

What's for supper at your house tonight?

say it with coleus

I bought this handsome fella as a nod to my sweet  paternal grandmother who always had a cement toad (frog?) on her porch steps.  My sister has it now.  Fond memories.

Early in our marriage I discovered the joys of coleus.  A versatile plant.  Easily propagated.  At home outside during our summers, comfortable inside during the winter.

I haven't had any coleus for years now and this past spring went a little crazy, buying four plants.

There are so many different varieties and the colorful leaves have grown more striking as the years have gone on.

They are super easy to propagate.  Simply snip off (above two opposing leaves) a stem or five, put in a glass jar of water and wait.  They grow roots and then you plant them in a pot.

So my new venture is to become the crazy plant lady.  I have now potted up many cuttings and am on the hunt for more pots.

Apparently my brother in law has bought up all the pots at the antique/thrift stores in town, so I'll have to get up earlier in the morning to beat him.  :)

 Why so many coleus, you ask?

I'm glad you asked.    Flowers are expensive.  I have decided to add color to our garden and home by these  beauties.  AND...a pot of coleus taken to a sick or grieving friend will help brighten a little corner of their room.  Also suitable for birthdays or just because.

Always ready, frugally purchased, easily transportable and longer lasting than flowers, I think these make a perfect gift.

I've also had success rooting sweet potato vines and impatiens.

 How about you?

while they are young

The beautiful monarda above, alas, no longer grace our front garden.  Mrs. Doe came in one night bringing Fawn (thing) 1 and Fawn (thing) 2 and taught them how delicious our bee balm are and how one should mow them down and not leave one single flower behind.

So that is what they did.

The resident fisherman has waged war on the deer.  He sprays bobbex.  He applies Deer Scram.  He bought wireless fences and recharges and refills them.   I fear he will follow Bill Murray's playbook in Caddyshack and resort to more drastic means.

The deer in our neighborhood refuse to believe what is written about them.  That they don't like: bleeding heart, daffodils, rhubarb, and several other things that if they don't like them, they certainly have been taught to clean their plates or go to bed without supper.

It is surprising that we have any flowers in our yard at all.

Hunting is prohibited in our little section of the northwoods, a land full of hunters, and the deer seem to know it.  It is not unusual for me to see 6-12 deer on my morning walk.  They are beautiful.  They would be even beautifuller if they did not make a salad bar out of our flower garden.

Alas.

But they are doing something right.  Teaching their young while they are teachable where the good stuff is.

That is what we did with our kids and now our grandkids.  The kids loved  ( and love) going to church because we do.  They love Jesus.  They are teaching their kids to do the same and we get the fun of partnering with them on this.

This sweetie comes to spend time with us several times a week while Mommy and Daddy  work.  Every other week, when Mommy has to work on  Sunday she comes here and we take her to church where her daddy is associate pastor.  While we buckle her in the carseat we say, "We're going to church!"  She says, "Yay!" and claps.

Like our neighborhood deer, we are teaching our little ones while they are young.  We know where the good stuff is too.

just because

Everyone needs flowers in their life.  We are so blessed to have a yard full of them.

My daily early morning daily walk is preceded by a walk through the flowers, admiring the fragrance and the variations of color, leaf and blossom shapes.  Sometimes there is a bit of consternation as I notice the deer have helped themselves to the smorgasbord.

But mostly, joy, pure joy, at the beauty.

We are so blessed with an abundance of blooms!  Thank you, GOD!

what is that in your hand

There are snippets of Bible phrases that run through my head and inform my days - how I live my life.

One such phrase has been running through my head lately - "What do you have in your hand?"

I knew how I was applying it to my life, but wanted to refresh my memory as to how it was used in Scripture

In Exodus, Moses is afraid that the Egyptians (specifically Pharaoh) won't listen to him.  God asks him what is in his hand (a staff) and tells him how to use it to get their attention.
( Check out Exodus 4)


God is not asking me to release a nation from slavery, but I do hear that still, small voice asking me what I have in my hand.

Today, it was herbs in my garden.  I occasionally use them in cooking but I have not done a good job of preserving them. It is not hard.

Cut them.

Rinse them.

Tie them in bunches and hang them in a cool dry place.

When they are fully dry, remove them from the stems and chop them up.

Then you will have something that might look like this:

.I now have a few jars of dried herbs in my pantry.  From garden to pantry.  Summer flavors will be enjoyed this winter.

rhubarb bread

This flower, the name of which escapes me, has nothing to do with the subject of today's blog.  But it sure is pretty!

We either have a highly sophiscated batch of deer who frequent our yard(with a more cosmopolitan palate) or an illiterate bunch.
ALL the books say that deer do not like/eat: daffodils, crocuses, lilies of the valley, bleeding heart and rhubarb to name a few.

Our deer have eaten each and every one of those down to nothing.  So much for the books

 I had to resort to some unique techniques of my own to score some rhubarb.  I call it 'putting the word out'.  So thanks to my brother-in-law, an area business, and some sweet friends, I was able to  slice up three gallons of rhubarb for the freezer.

Our oldest son and his son are here for a few days.  Nate loves rhubarb pie.  There is one in the oven right now.  I mentioned this to my sister, who has also come into possession of rhubarb from a friend.  She asked me for favorite recipes.  Other than pie and sauce (which I put into a standard muffin mix), I often bake rhubarb bread.

This recipe comes from a sweet friend, Dee Dee, who just turned 75 last Saturday.  Here's to many more DeeDee!

RHUBARB BREAD

1.5 C brown sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup liquid shortening (I use oil)
1 C. milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2.5 C. flour
1.5 C diced rhubarb
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix and pour into a greased and floured loaf pan.
Topping:
1/2 C. white sugar
1 TBS. butter
Mix and sprinkle on top of batter.
Bake at 350* for 1 hour.
Of course, you could leave the topping off...

free fall

We stopped and talked to one of our neighbors the other day,  I asked about his garden - 'Were those pumpkins, I saw?'

Yep. pumpkins.  And two days later he was on our front steps dropping off some of his bounty.

See the one on the top step?  On one side it is dark green, on the other light greenish/orange (see picture below).  I believe it is a pumpkin cross pollinated with a winter squash.  Or vice versa.  Pretty cool either way.  And so kind of our neighbor to be so generous and thoughtful.

The pumpkins will stay on the front steps until the first frost approaches and then I will bring them in and bake them.  After the flesh in pureed it will be frozen in two cup batches and over the next month or two made into pumpkins pies and bars.

We have not had a frost yet, but it did get down to 37 degrees the other night which was low enough to turn my basil into little black shriveled up leaves.  This was my second crop, but I shoulda harvested it earlier.  Live and learn.

Some other friends went to an apple farm and brought us about 20 pounds of apples.  They would not let us pay for them either.  After tonight's supper of chili, we will enjoy a warm serving of apple betty.

~~~~~~

If you need a break from the sewing machine, but like to have a little handwork to stitch on in the evenings, good ol' Martha has a bunch of cute cross-stitch ideas.  Be sure to look at all the pages!

categorically speaking

My mind is running in a lot of different directions these days.

I'm still mentally processing all the information I gathered at the conference we attended last week. As director of children's ministries, I need to choose the curriculum for our fledgling church.

In one of the seminars we learned that there are three types of curricula:
1) Biblically based
2) Values based
3) Entertainment oriented.

Of course, I will be choosing the Biblically based kind and have narrowed it down to two possibilities:

1) Generations of Grace
2) Harvest Bible Chapel Children's Curriculum

I want to make this decision by the end of the month and begin recruiting teachers.

AND
Now that we know grandbaby #3 is a girl, I can start making a quilt for her.
I'm undecided between a patchwork type quilt or this one. Any advice? Particularly from the baby's mama?

ALSO
There is a wedding in our future. Daniel and Laura have set the date of March 31 of next year. While as the mother of the groom I have limited responsibilities, I am collecting ideas to make the rehearsal dinner fun and enjoyable. And I might try to lose 10-15 -pounds. :)

PLUS
The garden didn't weed itself while we were gone. Strawberries are now in season and I need to go pickin' and jammin'.

Lots of categories to concentrate on! What's on your mind these days?

to go

Spring hurtles on. We have gone from daffodils to tulips to lilacs to roses. Now the lavender is coming on strong. Plus, we have already eaten a whole row of radishes.

Life hurtles on as well. So much to do, so little time. I have several blog subjects churning in my mind, but no chance to sit and put pen to paper, so to speak.

The picture above, however, reminds me that I need to stop. And smell the roses.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

I hesitate to mention this...

but I got to play in the dirt yesterday. A beautiful day - temperatures in the 60's.

Don't worry Northwoods friends. The geese are flying your way and spring will arrive in your neck of the woods soon.

Yesterday was just a weeding day. But soon I'll be planting greens, peas, radishes and carrots.

In anticipation of this:

pesto change-o

butterfly garden

The garden has begun to give us sweet tiny cherry tomatoes. As good as candy!

On the savory side, I harvested a bunch of basil and made a batch of pesto. You've never had pesto? You must!

Here is the recipe I used (adapted from Simply in Season - a cookbook I highly recommend):

1 C. packed fresh basil leaves and stems
1-3 cloves garlic
1/3 C. toasted walnuts
6 T. Parmesan cheese (grated)
1/2 tsp. salt

Blend in blender or food processor while you gradually add 1/3-1/2 C. Olive oil.

Serve on crackers or on French bread (toasted with a slice of tomato and mozzarella cheese broiled on top).

Yummy stuff! If you aren't growing your own (it's easy!) - buy some from the farmer's market.
~~~~
In other news: FOUR MORE DAYS!!!

rampage

Normally, I am a rather mild-mannered person. Ya know...Sunday school teacher, singing in the choir, sewing for my grandchildren.

But every once in a while my vicious side comes out and I go on a killing spree.

Yes, I said killing spree.

The objects of my violence are these:

Japanese beetles!

They appeared about a week ago and their arrival is so alarming that our neighbor came scurrying over to tell us 'the Japanese beetles are back!'.

He deals with Japanese beetles by spraying copious amounts of poison all over his yard. The other morning I could smell the poison half a block away. Cough, gak.

We have a different method. First we walk around the yard mourning and marveling. Mourning the loss of healthy leaves. Marveling at how much the nasty critters can eat in one day. The leaves on our rose bushes, zinnias and rhubarb resemble lace. Dozens of the greenish/coppery beetles languish - eating away.

Then we step into action. Armed with a mayo jar filled with soapy water, we pluck and plunk. The unsuspecting beetles are drowned - never to eat our roses again. Bwah-hah-hah!


We remove and kill dozens every day. They will be here for about another month and we will diligently pluck and plunk them every. single. day.

Until they leave.

Then Granny and Grampy Rambo will resume their mild-mannered ways.

simple, productive

We made our first trek of the year to the Amish farmer's market. Lots of bedding plants for sale, some baked goods and greens. Despite the fact that it is more than a mile off the main highway, and you have to go through a one-lane road under a train trestle (their road is called "Needle-Eye" - well named!), there were dozens of cars there.

We came away with spinach, lettuce, cucumbers and some sticky buns (hangs head in shame). They make the most delicious sticky buns! Too good to resist.

Saturday afternoon was spent in the garden. All the tomato plants and basil and the free hostas are now planted. Now onto flowers (glads, zinnias, cosmos to name a few) and a second planting of radishes and lettuces (we harvested our first radishes on Saturday!).

All in all, a productive weekend. I had my last official practice with my Praise Kids last night. One brief 'dress rehearsal' on Wednesday and then they sing Sunday night. Should be fun.

Hope you had a great weekend - I'm heading out now to water and weed!

apple blossoms

bloomin'

crabapple tree

Currently blooming in our yard:

• tulips
• grape hyacinths
• lilacs
• dogwood
  
• apple trees
  
• crabapple tree
• cherry tree
• blueberry bush
• loropetalum

It is such a pleasure to walk around the yard and smell the beautiful fragrances and see the lovely flowers; each so different; each carefully and imaginatively crafted by our Creator.

We are thoroughly enjoying this time of year as the yard wakes up and dons more colorful attire each day.

Course the weeds are growing too, but that it okay - gives me an excuse to get outside and get my hands dirty!

~~~~~
Kimmee had a set-back yesterday but seems a little better today. She was one sick puppy!

seriously. not.

I had a longish, thought-provoking (imho) post planned for today.

But the sun is shining, teeny tiny baby lettuce and radish seedlings are beginning to appear.

And. I planted pansies yesterday.

I can't be serious when I look at sweet pansy faces.

spring cookies decorated by Miss Emilee

Have a beautiful day! It is almost spring!

it might be here

The weather was so nice that Mom and Dad walked over to our house twice. The second time they found me bending over this delicate little wildflower,
identification book in hand.
Mountain Bluet.

I think spring arrived in southeast Tennessee yesterday.

Though the morning was chilly, the day quickly warmed. Windows were opened. Laundry was hung .

I hoed the garden and planted carrots, two varieties of lettuce and two varieties of radish.

We saw our first crocus.

Pat and I walked around the block three times at various times throughout the day. During one walk we discovered that our neighbor had a wheelbarrow full of sod. He cut this from the edges of his driveway for a brick laying project. These cuttings were perfect for some bare spots in our yard. With his permission and blessing we took the sod and patched it in our yard.

Another walk around the block - 2/3 of a mile - took us well over an hour to complete because there were other neighbors strolling around.

Everyone was in a good mood.

Sunshine and warm temperatures will do that. Hope you are enjoying hints of spring wherever you are!

pressing the mute button

With February well along its way, I realized I have several things I need to get done.

• Queen size quilt to be quilted and bound
• Baby quilt for granddaughter
• presents for Joshua' birthday on April 29
• Christmas stockings for Nate and Michelle (I do have a little time on this one)
• And...don't hate me...it is not too early to start direct sowing lettuce, peas and radishes

According to Cheri's perpetual gardening calendar, these things as well as kale, mustard and onions can be planted in February.

So, I'll be taking a bit of a blogging break to get on top of some of these projects. I'll pop in here now and again if there is anything newsworthy to report. Otherwise, Lord willing,
I'll be back March 1.

Hopefully with a few finished projects to display.

And a big shout of Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter-in-love, Michelle on Wednesday.
Have a wonderful day, Michelle!

while we enjoy our company...

...here are some pretty asters from our backyard for you to enjoy!

routine

He has made me glads

Suzi joked last week that she felt like she was living out the Groundhog Day movie. Every day the same. Get up in the morning - turn on the news -learn about Michael Jackson's death. Go to the hospital. Sit with Dad. Out for lunch. Sit with Dad. Go home. Sit on the porch.

Actually having Dad in the hospital was far from our ordinary routine. Despite Dad's health problems - diabetes and high blood pressure and a pacemaker - he is a very healthy, active person. It is unusual to see him laid up like this.

Routines can make life seem boring and predictable. For me, routines help me to accomplish things. I go on auto-pilot first thing in the morning and sometimes feel like I get more done by nine in the morning than I do the rest of the day.

But routines around here are enhanced by a walk through the garden. Love the gladiolas (pictured above) that have begun blooming. Bursts of glorious color. The purple glad has already faded and some peach colored ones are almost ready to break out.

Sometimes there are some surprises in the yard that aren't quite as pleasant. Saw this little guy rooting around in the lot next to ours yesterday morning:

Pardon the dark, blurry picture. I'm sure you will understand why I didn't get closer.

flowers for you

The beastly hot weather was temporarily cooled by a severe thunderstorm.

More beastly hot stuff today.

Off to a doctor appointment. We are very thankful for air conditioning! lilies
speedwell