Fall is Clearly on the Way...

There's been a chill in the air for a few days now and it seems it's here to stay... a sure fire indication that Fall is on the way.

I know the official date was Sunday but officially the air has been proof without a set date. I'm pretty sure the changes in nature would come regardless of the date on any given calendar. lol

They're beautiful to look at, these subtle changes. A few red leaves here and there, a few yellow leaves too. The full leaf changing effect won't be here for a couple more weeks and yet I still find myself watching closely so I don't miss a thing. One day I'll awake to the green in the woods, the next day it'll be a splash of color like few artists can duplicate on canvas.

This will be my third year watching the color of the leaves change and I was told I would get used to it, that it would become common place. That hasn't happened at all. Indeed, I do believe I look forward to it more each time it comes.

The only bit of anxiousness is knowing what comes after this remarkable change. It's a small bit of anxiousness to be sure because winter too has its own sort of beauty. Yet knowing the cold will come finds me making plans for it in my head; get out the winter coats, scarves, socks and winter clothes. Put the garden to bed, find places for the potted plants that have to over-winter indoors, roll up the garden hose and bring in the motion sensor sprinklers. Oh, there's a lot more but you can see where my mind goes.

I always enjoy being outside but I feel the need to spend as much time as possible out there right now because the day will come when it's too cold for this transplanted Florida girl to brave the weather for much longer than a few minutes.

I let a few household chores go so I have them to tend to when I can't be outside. These are the little, tedious things that aren't much fun anyway you look at them. Like changing the foil on the stove burners, cleaning the front of the kitchen cabinets and organizing my filing. Any takers?? lol!

I'm not the only one sensing this change upon us. The animals know it's coming too. The humming birds aren't outside the window fighting in mid air, I no longer hear their squawk or the hum of their wings. It's time to bring in the feeders, get them cleaned up and stored away until springtime comes again.

I anticipate the return of the woodpeckers and the blue birds even while knowing some of the others will migrate south, or north depending on the bird. I think I'll try those suet cages this year after seeing them on a facebook friend's page. It seems "if I feed them, they will come" is a long standing motto for me :) That includes you people! LOL

Changing the subject to something that has fueled a passion in me, I read a book over the summer and had the chance to meet the author. The book is called, "My Kitchen Cure" and it was written by a lady named Mee Tracy McCormick. If you get the chance to read her story, I think you might just find yourself making a few changes in your food eating decisions.

Hers is an amazing journey from being close to death to healing herself with food. It's true! The story isn't long or drawn out, she gets right to the point. After her story she defines the foods, she describes her kitchen tools and she provides recipes should you want to embark on this healing as well.

It's worth the time to read the story even if you aren't in a serious condition as she was. Even if you feel fairly healthy, you might find that there are still some really bad things going into your body that can turn on you later. Some things just aren't food and yet they are sold as such and we believe the false advertising and we eat them. Reading her story explains so much of it. It can't hurt to read it, can it?

I know I've been a nut about healthy eating and good-for-you-food for quite some time now but this lady nails it.

The farmers market I visited each Friday has closed for the season now. I understand how this has to happen as the garden begins to fade and the crops change from summer to Fall. A few good things came of it this year as I met some really nice farmers and in doing so, I've been invited to come to their farms and purchase what I need in the way of sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, greens such as collards and turnips and even some winter squashes.

The farmers are really nice folks. They seem to enjoy talking about what's growing on the farm, what's ailing the crops, how the weather had its effects, etc. You know me, I soak it all up and store it for future use in my own little farm garden.

Between the real life farmers and the new "Farmers Almanac" (thank you Kris!) I should be all set for the next planting season! yay!

In the meantime, the day lilies and irises need to be divided and the divisions need to be planted in new places. The seeds of lettuce can be planted along with radishes and kale. My silly tomatillos are just now coming in but I'm not sure how hearty they are up here so if a frost comes, they'll have to be covered up. I may even lose them. Those of you for whom the tomatillo salsa was promised, well, sorry to disappoint. I do have plenty of hot peppers canned if that sounds like a good substitute for you????

That's the way of the garden and how nature can be the determining factor.
That's the way I enjoy living and I count my blessings every day that I'm able to do so.


"Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heartstrings that play soft and low..."
~Van Morrison

This Beautiful Place...

The morning dawned foggy and a cool sixty five degrees outside. As it is July 1st, that's a pretty nice treat! Looking out over the front yard gave me such a thrill it seemed others should know about this beautiful place.

I know I've written about it many times but this time comes after being here for three years. While it is no longer new to my eyes, nor will it ever be again, rest assured it hasn't lost what I saw in it three years ago. It is a pure delight to awaken to this each day of my life.

I still watch for every, little, changing detail of my surroundings. I still look at the birds and the butterflies and even the carpenter bees that insist on trying to make their nests in the walls of the cabin.

There are so many birds singing it's difficult for me to sort them out. The cardinal and the humming bird are two that I have down pat. I'm only able to hear the doves when they fly. If they make a sound other than at that time, it escapes me.

Butterflies are everywhere this time of year and though their life spans are short, they make up for it by putting on one heck of a colorful show! Monarchs are the only ones I can identify. More study time needed there... note to self. There are pretty, little, light blue butterflies about the size of a dime that fly all about, landing for just a second. They don't stay put long enough for me to even think about getting a picture but there's a picture in my head and I'm saving it for winter when they are long gone.

There are bright blue and black butterflies that, unfortunately, land on dog poop. Why in the world would something so beautiful be interested in something so, well, not beautiful??? lol That's nature for you.

There are grasshoppers and dragonflies and mosquitoes and gnats. Nothing you can do about any of them but they are a sure sign summer is here. When they're gone, winter is close, so don't wish them away too soon! A little bug spray should do the trick in the meantime :)

The grass grows crazy and while we enjoy a nice rainy day, it only makes it grow all the more faster. I have a self-propelled mower that I use up close to the cabin and I have a riding mower that I use for the big spaces like the front yard. Good thing I like mowing! Wally uses the tractor with the finish mower attached when the driveway needs mowing. A few more lessons and I'll be on the tractor myself - can't wait!

The trees are no longer in bloom but they are all different colors of green in this beautiful place. I've thought many times to create a coloring book of just trees. It would come with a box of just green crayons... with the many variations of green available. Maybe a brown here and there for pine cones and branches and bark. It would keep me happily busy for days just trying to color all the pages.

Flowers are blooming and their colors are wonderful to look at. They come of their own accord as most are wild flowers and were not planted by my hands. Those that were planted by me are blooming as well, but none so prolifically as the brown-eye Susans. Everywhere you look those flowers are smiling up at the sun even when the sun refuses to come out and shine on them. They are not to be deterred!

It is again what nature has to offer. What we take of it is our own lesson. So is what we don't. For me it's all of it. I want to breathe the fresh, mountain air, I want my clothes drying in the wind on the line and I want to know that much of what I eat, I grow.  One doesn't have to live in this beautiful place for all of that to happen, but it sure does make it much easier.

So when I look out now, I still feel the excitement like I did when I first moved here. The difference is that the reality of still being here has finally set in.  To wake up in this beautiful place every day makes my heart swell like the Grinch's did that sweet Christmas morning in "Who-ville."

Nature has once again stolen my heart and is determined to keep it. Just look outside, really look out there. Surely there is something you've seen but not really paid much attention to. I wonder what you'll find when you try.

Sometimes it's the little things we overlook that are the most important. Like the bird nest in my geranium plant... The nest was built in less than a day, the eggs were laid soon thereafter and just yesterday I checked and three baby birds are tucked neatly in that nest. They don't know to be afraid of me yet but they'll soon learn for their mother is quite diligent in their care. For now I get to look at them every day with their little beaks opening and closing, hoping for a bite to eat. Soon they'll get their flying lessons and the whole family will move on. If that plant hadn't needed water, I suppose I never would have noticed the nest.

Living in this beautiful place is more than just making a life for myself. It's taking care of it too for the next person and with any luck, writing about it so others will want to see what I see. It's there for the taking and few things are free. I'll just keep looking at the views in this beautiful place and smile thinking you might look someday too.


"The most beautiful view is the one I share with you."  ~Author Unknown

A Day at the Centerville Farmer's Market

It's that time of year again when Farmers' markets across the nation are opening early and laying out a huge selection of fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs. For me it's simply irresistible!

Nearby is just such a market. Well, nearby for me is about 20 miles :) Still I go. It's open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7:30-12:30 though it will stay open later if the customers are still coming in and if they still have harvested goods to sell. Today I arrived earlier than I usually do as I've found they sometimes sell out early.

It was about 7:30 and one farmer was all set up. The other had just arrived and was in the process of setting up his tables to be followed by unloading all his freshly picked vegetables and herbs. You would think this would be a peaceful, unhurried thing for the farmer to do. The sun is out, there are no clouds, there are people calmly waiting in their cars. Turns out there are also people who have no patience and who won't wait for the farmer to get set up.

As I stood and watched the farmer unload, I thought maybe I should offer to help him. Before I could finish that thought, this lady comes walking up to his tables and sees that his harvest is still in his vehicle. Does she wait for him to get set up like the rest of us are doing? No! She just makes herself at home and starts going through his bags of vegetables picking what she wants before he can even manage to get his tables set up. Rude, rude, rude!!!

What gives her the right? Clearly she thought she deserved to plunder through this man's vegetables, picking what she wanted and rushing him to the point where he couldn't even finish setting up for having to answer her questions, weigh her selections, find his bags and make change for her purchases. If it bothered me, certainly he must have been annoyed.

Did he show his annoyance? Not in the least. He just helped her like he would any other paying customer and when she was gone, there was a audible sigh of relief. Not just from him but from the other shoppers like myself who witnessed this rudeness.

I actually did help him out a bit. While he was weighing eggplants for this 'lady,' I offered to arrange his beets in a basket which he brought to display them. He seemed grateful for the offer. Poor man.

I bought beets, onions, sage, eggplant and cauliflower from him. From the farmer across the way I bought tomatoes, corn and cantaloupe. I didn't rush anyone and I didn't try to cut in front of the other shoppers, I just went down the line and got what I needed. That's how shopping at the Farmer's Market should be. Casual, calm, fun and laid back.

The farmers are more than happy to talk about their harvest for the week and what they hope to have next time. They'll even tell you their favorite way to serve the vegetables, fruits and herbs that they grow and sell. They especially like helping me with answering my many garden trouble questions.

For me the Farmer's Market is more than just buying food. Why not pick their brains? They do this for a living and they do it very well. Their corn is coming in while mine is only about 2 feet tall. Their squash, while a bit small yet, is starting to flourish. Their tomatoes are big and juicy whereas mine are still green and each plant has only a couple tomatoes hanging on them.

What is it they do differently? I've no clue. I know I did the research and I followed the planting calendar. I bought plants from reputable sources and goodness knows I've cared for them all diligently! Still they grow slowly. Perhaps it's not the plant itself. Indeed, it could very well be my lack of patience. Lord, I hope I'm not like the rushing lady at the market!! lol

Time will tell if I've done the right thing by these vegetables and herbs of mine. I really enjoyed the strawberries and radishes I grew and the peas, while few, when done will provide just enough for Wally and I to share at one meal.

Not to be deterred, I planted again today. Beets are in the ground for a fall harvest. Beans are in to replace those that the rabbits ate and carrots will go in later this afternoon when things cool off a bit.

The lesson in patience is a difficult one but you really have no choice in the matter. I only wish the lady at the market had learned hers. Perhaps she has never grown anything herself and therefore was clueless? Perhaps she felt entitled, for whatever reason? Perhaps she just wasn't raised right? She needed a good pop on the head in my opinion but then, I'm not her mother. Were I her mother, that's exactly what she would have received! lol

Driving home is a completely relaxing experience here. There's no traffic to speak of and the drivers of the few trucks that did go by waved at me. I've no idea who they were, people just do that around here. It was just after 8:00 am. In Florida, not only would people not wave at me but there would definitely be more than just a few trucks on the road... more like a few hundred!! lol I can't say I miss that traffic at all.

Maybe, just maybe, with the help of the farmers I've been talking to I'll be able to set up a table at the Farmer's Market someday. I hope if that lady shows up at my table that I'll be able to be just as nice as that farmer was. Clearly he's had the lesson :)

"Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience." 
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Season For Growing...

A wonderfully sweet friend of mine sent me an email the other day. She was concerned with how I've been because my last blog posting was over a month ago. I assured her I was doing just fine and then began the mental process of storing up thoughts to include on the next post.

How sweet that someone should think of me because of a lapse in posts :) I didn't realize my writing would be missed and believe you me, it was a really good feeling. Thank you Daiana!

As I said, I've been doing just fine. I've been in the gardens on the farm! I now have three flower gardens, a 12x47 vegetable garden and a variety of potted plants that include both flowers and vegetables and even one pot with fruit.

I started a bunch of seedlings indoors but truthfully, I'm not so good at transplanting them and only four survived in the vegetable garden. I look forward to my one Brussels Sprout plant growing taller and stronger every day. The same with my cabbage plants; just three of seven survived! The tomatillos perished within two days of transplanting and the lavender just simply never showed up.

Not to be daunted, I decided to sow the seeds directly into the soil. The tomatillos have sprouted (yay!), the broccoli is about 10 inches tall (yay!) and just yesterday I noticed that the lavender has finally made a showing (yay!!!) Only one little seedling has sprouted but I'm happy with that. To me it means there's hope more lavender will be coming up soon!

My squash is growing fast and has the brightest yellow/orange flowers on it you've ever seen! It's a pure delight to look upon that row and see such a color as that of the squash. The baby squash it's producing are just as pleasing to the eye, indeed, I can picture them already chopped up and made into pickled squash. Don't make a face at the thought of pickled squash...trust me, I had my doubts myself. Turns out, it's a very nice treat. It's crunchy, sweet and tart all at the same time. It's so good that when we open a jar, we eat the entire contents in one sitting. It's so good, it's actually all gone!

I'll be making more when the rush of summer squash begins. It comes in fast and furious and there are so many farmers growing it that there is always extra. I know I'll be able to buy some if need be. I'm figuring we'll need a least 14 pints of this yummy stuff to get us through the next winter and up to the time the squash comes in again. That's what you call planning ahead my friends :)

I have three cabbage plants that I started from seed and eight that came from a farmer over on Hwy. 100. All are doing well though the ones I bought are considerably bigger than the seedlings I started. Not to worry though. If they all grew at the same rate, I'd be up to my elbows in cabbages! LOL I love cabbage, don't get me wrong, but a little goes a long way! The cranberry slaw is already making my mouth water just thinking about it :)

The peppers haven't proven as stout as I had hoped they would. They're growing but slowly. They also show signs of something nibbling at them...little brown rimmed holes on the leaves? I have sweet and hot banana peppers, sweet green bell peppers and hot jalapeno peppers. Of the 14 plants total, I would say 4 are looking decent. The others are just looking so-so. A disappointment to be sure because I had such big plans for making more hot pickled peppers this year.

Perhaps I'll be offered the chance to go pick from our friend's garden over in Centerville. Last year he told me to come pick how ever much I wanted because he was done picking even though his peppers were nowhere near done growing. I picked probably four grocery bags full of sweet bell peppers and another three or four bags of hot peppers. It was wonderful!!!

Working with peppers is tricky so I've stocked up on gloves for when the time comes to once again begin the chopping of those hot little vegetables! Thank you Debbie!

My tomatoes are growing with wild abandon - just as they should! Already I have had to stake them and I have tied them twice to the stakes and still, every day, they require more attention. I love the smell of the tomato plant and I certainly love that they produce so heavily but best of all is eating them! Oh man, I don't know about y'all but that first one off the vine and in my mouth is like nothing else that the season brings!

Canning tomatoes is something I've done for years. It began with a dear friend, Sherry, and her super sweet and feisty mom, Sis. We literally bought boxes of tomatoes and canned every last one of them. My what a wonderful time that was :) Looking back, I do believe that event in my life kindled the fire leading to my current addiction of getting vegetables in a jar. When I look at them on the shelf, I can't help but think of those happy memories :) and feel grateful to those two beautiful ladies.

I have two called "German Queen." This plant grows very tall and puts out huge, purplish colored tomatoes. I have two "Early Girl" tomato plants which I believe should be the plant that every first time tomato grower should try. They grow fast, they don't get unruly to the point of requiring all that staking business and they put out tomatoes within about 40 days...that's a good month before any others even have baby green tomatoes on them. They may not get as big as some others but they sure make up for it in flavor and quantity. My first "Early Girl" put out about 25 tomatoes!

The rest of the plants are called "Mountain Fresh." This one is a pretty quick grower. It's supposed to be determinant but I've found that, in this case, it just means it might not get as tall as other varieties but it will still have to be staked and tied - every other day or so! lol Oh for the love of tomatoes...

This is the first year I've tried to grow corn and I'm pleased to say that it is about 8" tall and growing taller by the minute. I swear you can almost watch corn grow! You can imagine my excitement! I planted it in amongst the squash in the hope that the birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc. will leave it alone. Time will tell. I know it won't be nearly as sweet as that of Zellwood corn but I'm ever so hopeful it will at least be edible! Fingers crossed...

As a follow up, corn can be planted continually so when these plants are about 2' tall, I'll go ahead and put some more in the ground for a second harvest :)

I have okra and green beans in the garden. They were planted just two days apart and that's exactly how much time there was in between them coming up. The okra grows tall and straight with pretty yellow flowers letting you know the pods are on their way. I'll be making pickled okra with this harvest and with any luck, maybe I'll even be able to see some of it. It's not easy to part with by any means so anyone who likes pickled okra is always happy to find someone who will sell it. It's an easy process but not everyone gets into it like I do :) For me it's fun, fun, fun in the canning condo!

The beans are a bush variety and if you've been following the blog you know that I've planted beans every year since I've been here. Trouble is, something always eat them. Whatever that something is, it doesn't just eat the beans, it eats the entire plant. It leaves me with nothing but sticks! This year I'm hoping the motion sprinklers will keep whatever it is at bay... last year I ended up with one little mess of beans and that was it! I had to buy them at the farmer's market in order to have enough to get through the year. What a bummer!

On the bright side, my friend Martha (a recent Michigan transplant to GA) suggested I try making "dilled beans." I did a little reading in my canning book and found a simple recipe. As it turned out, I had all the ingredients and that was all it took. I made a batch and wished I had  more beans to make another one. They were so awesome!! I say "were" because they're now gone. If you like pickled okra, you're likely to enjoy these beans as well. I say they would be great in a Bloody Mary... mmmmm!

My peas have taken off after a somewhat slow start. They have plenty of room to climb and I'm hoping they have protection from the wildlife out there too! Again, this is where the motion sprinklers come in handy. The peas don't have blooms on them yet and you can eat them just as they are but if I've learned anything gardening here, it's that patience is truly a virtue. I'm being patient and I'm determined to have plenty of peas for our table. I've said a little prayer and I keep my fingers and toes crossed. I love peas... give peas a chance LOL!

The tomatillos are something I've never tried to grow but after making tomatillo salsa last year I was hooked. It's a lot like my regular salsa but the tomatillos make it a bit tangier - not sure if that's the right word but you definitely know something different is in the mix. I feel like it's such a treat to open a jar of summer salsa on a cold winter's day and scoop some out onto a chip. You can really pretend that it's 85 degrees outside instead of 35 degrees! Come on up and see for yourself.

I have taken orders for this salsa. So far I have 15 pints ordered and scheduled to leave when the canning process is done. It's going to be either hot or mild. No medium being made here. It's just too hard to decide what medium is... hot is hot and mild is mild. It's just that simple!

I have radishes and beets in pots where they seem to be doing pretty well. I already ate a radish, it was begging me... The leaves are getting tall and I'm starting to see the tips of the radishes peeking out from under the dirt. The beets take longer but they're showing a promise of things to come. It seems I'm the antsy one rather than these vegetables of mine. They are taking their sweet time getting to the point where I can eat them!

I know not many people like beets but I also know a lot of those people say they don't like them without ever having tried them...you know who you are! LOL I love them roasted with just a little salt on them and I love them in my salads with Italian dressing (Good Seasons, of course) and hard boiled eggs. Give them a try and see if you don't agree. Better yet, come let me make you a salad!

My strawberries have taken off like wild fire and we're eating them as they come off the plants. Sweetly ripened by that early morning sun, strawberries are nutritious and delicious! I know now that I should have planted at least twice as many plants as I did... remind me of that next year when I get ready to plant LOL Meanwhile, we'll be having ours right off the plant, in smoothies and chopped up in our yogurt. Makes me hungry thinking about those little morsels!

Last but not least, as there is lots more to plant, I have celery growing. I started it from the end of a stalk (thank you Kris!) and while it is an extremely slow grower, I know I will be eating it in a couple month's time. It's really pretty to have in the garden and it surprised me by sprouting the frilly leaves up top first! I started another one in water 3 days ago and already it can go in the dirt.

I hope I haven't bored you with my garden tales and I'd love for you to come see all of it and get the experience first hand. But I do understand that your life keeps you busy much as mine does me. It's always good to go dig in the dirt and plant something... even if you never have before!

As all these things grow in my garden, I find that I too have done some growing. Yes, even at 50 years of age, it's possible to grow. It's also possible to share and I hope you've enjoyed what I've shared here all along.

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflecting on Spring Days...

There haven't been many spring days and yet my head is simply full of spring things to write about. I put pictures of the farm, flowers and animals on facebook and that's all well and good. But there isn't really time to reflect on the things I see, smell, hear and touch. For those things, I resort to the blog so here goes!

First let me say that you may have read about all these things in an older post but as this spring finds me at home full time, I find it bears repeating. Certainly I'll try not to ramble but if you read my posts already, you should be fully aware of what you're in for... hahaha

Today is April 13th, tomorrow my son (my youngest) will be 16. Amazing how time flies and amazing what we miss while it does so. It seems life goes so quickly and there are so many things to see, say and do that there's simply no way to get it all in. I decided to stop trying. Indeed, focusing on the things that make me happy has opened up many hours of gazing, contemplation and physical activity that I never knew existed. I hope my children will take note now that they are both old enough to understand what I'm saying. I hope all of you will do the same.

Part of it lies in what spring time has taught me this year. It's beautiful to be sure. The grass is getting green, the trees are blooming, flowers are everywhere and the animals are all acting lively again. Truly a sight for my eyes to behold. Truly a sight whether I'm looking or not and that's part of the beauty of it. I've learned it will come regardless of me. Just like Christmas came regardless of how hard the Grinch tried to stop it.

The Dogwood tree is a petite one. It's buds stand up and open into the most delicate, little white flower...everything green on this tree turns white with blooms!

The Red bud tree is tall and lanky and when it seems it has succumbed to winter's harshness, suddenly, it finds deep within what it takes and throws off hundreds of magenta colored flowers that bloom to beat the band!

The Tulip Poplar doesn't have any flowers on it yet but man is it ever green!! In my yard, looking out my kitchen window, other than the cedar that stays green all year, this Tulip Poplar is the brightest green in the yard. Remember the crayon called "green-yellow?" That's the color of this tree's leaves! Go get your kids' crayon boxes (or your own if you're like me) and you'll know exactly what I mean.

Yes, I love my tulips and my daffodils and the pansies that just won't give up. What's not to love? The iris's and day lilies and allium yet to come keep me anxious. The packet after packet of seeds I've planted are doing their thing in the ground. When I'm planting, I'm in another world altogether.

I've taken to naming some of my plants after people I know. Don't get excited if your name hasn't been assigned yet. The plant has to tell me what it wants to be called just like Aunt Karen's cats. In one flower bed, I have Sweet William and in another is Jack. The Lemon (not a tree) seeds are still in their packet but they'll be planted tomorrow. The iris's in the big flower bed are Claudia's and the hydrangeas are Carol's Cuties. I have Ernie's Wanderer in my kitchen window :)

The vegetable garden is challenging me this year because, of course, I want some of everything. While that's not humanly possible, nor is it practical, it's still in my head for whatever reason. I can only do so much and this I've come to realize in a short amount of time. I think it took one day.

Corn is on the list with carrots, beets, radishes, celery and strawberries. There are Brussels sprouts, broccoli, peas, bush beans, tomatoes, tomatillos, cabbage, squash, sweet peppers and hot peppers and okra to be sure. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and dill... cilantro (though why I don't know - I'm famous only for killing rather than growing this herb) and lettuce. This is probably way more than I can handle but only time will tell. For the most part, once in the ground, they take care of themselves.

Sure I'll have to help the peas find their way to the poles and the peppers won't be allowed to hang in the same garden as the rest. The tomatoes will require daily staking and the cabbage will have to be inspected for worms but this to me is food for the soul as well as food I will be eating once it begins to produce.

Funny, I never thought of myself as a farmer. I suppose if this season is successful, perhaps I should begin to consider that title. I've only ever thought of myself as someone who loves to grow things, not always successfully but a grower of things just the same.

If you had to come up with a title for me, I wonder what it would be. Don't limit yourself to grower of things or farmer... let your mind go and see what it comes up with! hahaha I bet some of you will have some pretty funny things to say :)

The plans in my head lead to my hands in the dirt and that, my friends, leads to food in my stomach. It sounds simple really but for me it is an intense feeling of needing to nurture, of giving and protecting. Much the same way I feel about my loved ones. There is so much in me to give which kind of explains why I want to grow some of everything. Perhaps then I would be able to give and give of this that I feel inside me. Perhaps, I'll never be able to give enough.

So the gardening/farming/growing goes on for me. While I'm at it, I stop and smell the smells around me. I stop and look at the tree right next to where I'm standing. I notice if it has new buds or just the old leaves leftover from last year. I notice if it has branches in need of trimming and if it does, why is the tree guy no longer on this earth? It's not for me to decide but surely he sits in the biggest tree in heaven watching me admire and observe these trees that are here for all of us to enjoy. Surely.

I stop and listen to the sounds of the outdoors. The birds singing, the chickens whining (yes, they whine most of the day), the dogs barking, the leaves rustling, the owl hooting in the woods, the woodpecker pecking away at dead trees. I watch the squirrels scurrying this way and that collecting acorns and hickory nuts that they love to hide in my flower beds. The occasional gun shots off in the distance whenever it is turkey season, or deer season, or just target practice. I've actually learned the difference!

I can be outside all day and every day I hear something new. Every day I smell a new scent or notice a new flower or wander off into the woods just because. The woods call me down the path and I go with abandon. I follow the path and sometimes wander off of it until my heart is content. It can't be helped. I always find a cool walking stick and I rustle leaves with it to be sure no snakes are there before I step. I look for bird's nests and turtles and tracks on the ground and scat (aka animal poop). I can even identify some of the animal tracks and even the animal the scat comes from - not sure if that's important or not LOL, not sure I spelled it right either. Just thought it would be funny to include it! I have learned is what is important.

This life in the woods may not be for everyone, in fact I know a few of you who wouldn't have it at all. But you know me well and you know what all of this means to me. If I can bring some of it to you in this style of writing I've found within me, then I thank God for a gift I didn't know I had. And for loved ones I wouldn't have any other way than just the way they are, I am truly thankful.

I've said it before but I can never say it enough. Stop and smell the flowers my children, my family, my friends. You'll be surprised at what you've been missing. You may even be surprised and what you find makes you happy that you haven't known about all these years. Maybe you'll pass it on as I have to you. I know I would be honored to hear what it was you found. :) xoxox

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."  ~Margaret Atwood

Time For Homemade Stuff...

Winter time means a little extra time on my hands. All those things I ponder about trying but don't have time for during spring, summer and fall are now within reach. I find that I like making everyday products at home. They're typically less expensive and seem to work just as well. While there are some up front costs, the end result saves me money. It's not that I'm cheap :) I just like to save money lol

I would wager to guess that these things I want to do stem from my love of all things old-timey or old fashioned, however you prefer to describe it. For as long as I can remember I wanted to try growing, harvesting and canning vegetables. I was always eager to listen to stories of how my great grandmother did things. It was all fascinating to me when I first heard the stories and it still fascinates me to this day.

I was fortunate enough to be able to do that last year and I found that I absolutely loved it! I'm doing it again this year. I'm going to try growing things I never thought I could; cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts...and corn. I see everyone growing corn but I've never tried it. This year, corn is on my list!

And so it is that I began to get a little urge to make things on my own. I've enjoyed it so far, even though some of it has been a stretch for me but I made it through and each time I make something, I want to make something else. I think I'm addicted. I get most of my ideas from a website called "onegoodthingbyjillee." I'm asked her if she cared if I mentioned her website but she never wrote back so I'm just hoping it's okay.

Homemade Soap
I've been pondering homemade soap for a couple years now but I've always put off making it for one reason or another. Well, the other day I decided it was time. Now or never kind of decision. For this undertaking I needed a few items including an old slow cooker, a mixer of some sort, some essential oils, olive oil, coconut oil and a scale. An old plastic bowl was also used and some lye.

I think my hesitation all this time was the lye. I've heard and read so many scary things about it and it had me a bit on edge. Turns out the lye was the least of my worries. Apparently I'm challenged with measuring liquid ounces. Aside from that, making slow cooker soap was pretty darn easy.

I finally got everything together in the cooker, left it on low for an hour and then poured the mixture into an old plastic bowl. The recipe I used said to leave it for 8 hours to cure. Simple enough, I just left if overnight. This morning when I checked on it, it looked pretty good. There was a little bit of oil in the bowl - maybe my measurements weren't exact? lol I just poured it out and I'll save it for another use, like rubbing it into the dry, winter skin on my hands!

The soap came right out of the bowl and I used a bread knife to cut it into manageable pieces. I think it was supposed to be much harder than what I ended up with but hey, it works. I'm not complaining. I will, however, try it with vegetable oil or some other oil than the olive oil. It's too pricey for as much of it as you have to use.

The cinnamon and orange essential oils give it a fragrance that can't be beat! I can't wait to use it in the shower tomorrow and see if I come out smelling like the soap! I think I'm ready to move on to a larger batch of soap but I'll keep using this slow cooker method until I get brave enough and until I have an adequate frame for the soap to set up in.

Homemade Laundry Detergent
Next on my list was homemade laundry detergent. A few simple ingredients are required but from what I've been reading, once purchased, a gallon of homemade liquid detergent costs just .17.... where I come from that's a HUGE savings. A gallon of Gain costs anywhere from $8.99-$12.99 at the store. And I can use Gain dish washing liquid to make it smell like Gain.

I did have trouble finding one ingredient called Washing Soda. This is not to be confused with Baking Soda although you can make Washing Soda out of Baking Soda if you have to. I had to. Turns out Washing Soda was used a long time ago as a stain remover. Since the advent of all the new detergents out there, Washing Soda sort of fell to the wayside. It's making a comeback in this household! As I later found out, Wal-Mart carries it... ugh, who wants to go there for me? Really?

My homemade laundry detergent works every bit as well as any store bought detergent and I love that I'm saving money every time I do a load of clothes...I have a load going right now :) It seems homemade does more for me than just the money saving. I think it makes me feel like I'm living in a different era. One where people did things on their own if at all possible, one that gave them confidence when they accomplished it. I feel more self-sufficient as a result.

Homemade Dryer Sheets
I'm not one much for fabric softener. I've never liked the feel of my clothes when I used it. I'm also not one much for static cling. As far as I know combatting it means using either fabric softener or dryer sheets. In Florida I found that dryer sheets worked well to resolve the static cling issue. Here, however, the static is dangerous stuff! Literally, it shocks the crap out of me when I'm folding clothes lol

I read about making my own dryer sheets and how it would save me money over time. The recipe required fabric softener...I happened to have some from last year when I thought it would help with the static but I couldn't take that slippery feel it gave my clothes so I quit using it. I dug it out of the cabinet and poured some into a jar. I took an old, but clean, cleaning rag and cut it into two pieces. I found a jar with a lid and I was ready to go.

This is so basic I can't believe I never thought of it. Pour some fabric softener into the jar, put the rag pieces in with it. Screw the lid on and give it a shake until the rag has soaked up the fabric softener. When you get ready to dry your clothes, simply take a rag out - wring it a bit and toss it in the dryer with your clothes.

When you remove the clothes from the dryer, simply put the rag back in the jar and let it soap up softener again. Not only will it do much better at keeping the static down, it doesn't leave my clothes with that slippery feeling. I haven't bought dryer sheets in months and the fabric softener isn't even half gone. In fact, I'm still soaking the rags in the first amount I poured into the jar. Oh yeah, another benefit of this "dryer sheet" is that the whole house smells like whatever kind of fabric softener you choose to use.  Awesome!

Homemade Lotion
I had no idea I could make this on my own but low and behold I went to a canning class one Tuesday morning and I came home with a recipe for lotion! The canning class was great and I learned quite a bit while there. We actually canned some apple preserves and a cranberry relish that reminds me of hot pepper jelly. If you've never had it, I'd love to share it with you. The ingredients don't sound like they would go well together; cranberries and onions, but they do. There are some other things in it too but who would have thought to put those two together?

I digress... the lotion recipe was a bonus for me. I found it at the end of the materials they gave us in the canning class and couldn't resist making it. I stopped at the Dollar General on my way home from the class to get what I would need and made it as soon as I got home.

It's called "Gardener's Lotion." I don't know why except to say that it is quite thick and maybe if you're a gardener you need a heavier lotion for the dried out skin on your hands...I'm just guessing here. I gave some away as Christmas gifts and so far, everyone has said they liked it. I'll be making more in the weeks to come because before I know it, spring will be here and my hands will be gardening again. Lotion feels wonderful on hard-working hands no matter what time of year it is.

Homemade Exfoliating Mask
I don't know if this one is successful or not though I did make some, I didn't try it myself. Indeed, this homemade experience has been passed on so I'll have to let you know if it works once I've been informed. I can say this much, it was easy to make and I had everything on hand to make it. It smelled really, really good. Going forward, I'll be saving the little pots that my Avon-bought facial lotion comes in so I have something in which to store the mixture next time I make it. Re-using things or re-purposing things is another fetish I've yet to kick. Not that I'm really trying LOL

I'm anxious to hear about this one and it shouldn't be too long before I do.

Homemade Stationery
I never even thought about making my own stationery but when I went to buy some at the store I found the pages were very small and the pictures were well, silly. I wanted something with texture, something pretty or at least something that would stand out. In a world where very few people exchange letters, I wanted to find some paper that would encourage a letter written back. The store had nothing to fit the requirements. This led me to the internet where I happened to find a very easy recipe for homemade paper. You really can find anything out there...

I was seriously gung-ho for this project and set out to gather the tools. The project required two of those grease splatter screens - you know the ones, they look like Miss Nancy's magic mirror that never, ever saw "Darcy" out there... lol I'm not harboring any resentment towards her, I know my name isn't a popular one. I'm good with it.

I have one here but when I tried to find another one, it was non-existent. Instead I went to the grilling section and found a great stand-in. I like it so much I'm not even going to look for another screen. It's a simple little grill grate that is just slightly bigger than the screen and works perfectly.

The basics of making your own paper go like this. Tear up about 5 sheets of scrap paper; junk mail, bills, flyers, etc., use whatever you have. The paper goes into some water to soak and then its blended into a slurry. From there you have to get it on the screen, sponge out most of the water and let it dry!

Simple Simon Met a Pieman... Watch your mail, you never know when you'll be receiving a letter from me on my very own homemade paper. If there were flowers to be picked, I would have put a few petals on the paper as it dried...and essential oils, and herbs... oh my the list never ends!

As Days Go By my homemade (list of things), home grown (vegetables), home spun (memories) will continue to find their way to the blog as long as you keep finding your way here to read about them. Meanwhile, I'm scouring the internet to find more things I can make at home and if successful, I'll pass them on. If they're unsuccessful, I'll still let you in on it so you can save yourself the trouble of trying them too! I know you're getting all geared up to try all this stuff... lol especially Francis and Kat bahahahaha! Just kidding, y'all know I love you!


...Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
~Mary Oliver, "The Summer Day" (poem)

Why the Can of Pepper You Ask?

A can of pepper may seem like nothing special to you and to be honest, in most cases, I would feel the same way. It's only ever been really important to notice a can of pepper when the can you currently have, is going empty on you.

You add it to your shopping list and use it sparingly until the next trip to the store gets closer. Here, the trips to the store are few and far between so I try to buy a new can of pepper when my current one starts to feel just a bit light. There's always room in the cupboard for that small can of pepper.

In this posting, the can of pepper tells a story. It's a story from the heart and you may even consider it to be somewhat sappy. Bear with me - with writer's block being over, this is one of those thoughts that won't leave my head until its been written about so it appears I've no choice but to let it out.

So grab some tissues and read along... I needed a couple of them myself :)

Why is this can different? Because it came from my mom's apartment. I elected myself to be the one who sorted through all the odds and ends of things remaining when she passed and found this to be many things all at once; sad, happy, thought-provoking, cleansing, fullfulling and mostly a pleasure.

After all, this was my mom's stuff. She kept it for a reason and even though those reasons were unbeknownst to me, it was still important that attention be paid and in doing so, I learned more than I ever knew about her and found some new memories of her to keep with me forever.

My mom loved paperwork apparently. There was enough paperwork to fill many lawn size garbage bags and even a couple bags for shredding. She kept things like prescription bags with the receipts still stapled to them. They dated back into the 1970s. They were very well organized. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

She kept our report cards. Not every single one but close! She kept our shot records - every single one. She kept bank statements and cancelled checks in order by month, with each month in a separate folder. At year's end, she took the folders and put a big, fat rubber band around each month and kept that year together. For many, many years...

She kept receipts for everything she bought. Pretty sure everything... it seemed like it. She kept her credit card statements and written on every one of them, in her beautiful left-handed script, was the date she paid it and by which means. It's her handwriting that stays in my mind. Typically left-handed folks have odd looking penmanship. Not my mom. Hers truly was beautiful. It flowed, it was graceful and it was perfect. She wouldn't have it any other way. Reminds me of her :)

There were books and pictures and what-nots. There were decorations for Christmas, Easter and Halloween. There were old bowls that have been handed down through the family and there were clothes, baskets, candles and records. The records she played on her record player. We didn't care much for them when we were little but what I wouldn't give nowadays to see the pleasure in her eyes while she listened to them. Like I said, I brought home memories :)

Mom was a great cook. I wish I had paid more attention back then. She could make dinner for six with a couple cans and a pack of meat. Neccy has that knack, I don't. I don't know if Davey and Dougy do but I hope so. She made fried chicken, country fried steak (on the rare occassion we could afford it!), pot roast, broiled fish (that I've never been able to duplicate), homemade drop biscuits, mashed potatoes (the best in the world - for real!), and all sorts of other great meals. How she fed us all on the slim budget she had still amazes me.

Her cookware was nothing special or fancy. She had the same stuff forever. It was seasoned, it was scratched, it was stained and it was chipped. But it didn't matter. She cooked with it without complaint and never even thought to replace any of it. It worked. Why fix it if it ain't broken...?

It was hard to let that stuff go. I kept some and gave some to whoever wanted it because there was just too much for me to take it all. Besides, that would have been greedy. As it turned out, a friend of mine was related to a 70 year old lady who had just lost everything she had in a home fire. Most of the pots and pans, dishes and glasses, bowls and cups and saucers went to this lady who lost everything. What are the chances of us having so much to give at the same time that someone else has lost all of it? We gave her the microwave and the little 4 cup coffee maker.

I made coffee for mom one day when she wasn't feeling well. I was over there making breakfast and cleaning the kitchen. It all goes hand in hand. I don't drink coffee so the process was new to me. I put the measured amount of coffee in that little paper filter and turned on the maker. I finished breakfast, cleaned up the dishes and mom very patiently asked if she could have that coffee I promised.

It never brewed. Hmmm??? I looked at the switch, which was on but other than that, I was clueless. Come to find out, you have to add water to the coffee maker! LOL She really got a kick out of that and even waited, with a little snicker on her face, for me to make another attempt. She got her coffee that day and she got a story to share and laugh about. I do funny things sometimes... not as often as she did nor were any of my things near as funny. That's how she was. More memories to take home with me just looking at that little coffee pot. I hope the lady who has it now enjoys it as we did that day!

I ended up with the old electric skillet. Neccy felt it was the right thing to do and if she ever needs to use it, she knows where it is. The skillet doesn't have its non-stick surface any longer but it does have its cover, the cutting board that came with it, the cord and the serving tray. There is sticky grease on the handles she held, scratch marks all over the cutting board from it being used for the Thanksgiving turkey and you can barely read the temperature on the cord. The tray looks brand new even though it too was used quite often. I remember it being piled high with ham slices, turkey pieces, vegetables from dad's garden and all sorts of other good things to eat. They made things to last way back when. I brought that memory home physically...makes me think of her everytime I look at it. I've yet to use it but when I do, that will be a whole new story.

When I cleaned out the cupboard where the seasonings were stored, I wanted to keep them all. I knew that wasn't the right thing to do so I shared them with the only other person I knew loved to cook like I do - Jack Davis. He was happy to have them and was talking about which ones he would use on what sort of food he was cooking. He already had plans for those seasonings.

Me? Well, I did pack myself a small box of things from the cupboard. Each of them were ones she used rarely but wouldn't be without. Things like whole cloves, anise seed, fennel seeds and ground cumin. You may not need them often but you don't want to have to go out and get them at the last minute. And I kept the pepper.

The pepper was opened but the tab had been broken so the pepper would just spill out if you weren't careful. She wrapped plastic wrap around it and used it like there was no problem. Someone else might have tossed the can but not mom. It held the pepper just fine. The plastic wrap kept it in the can. I couldn't leave without taking it. I was taking home a memory.

When I used the last of the pepper, I felt really weird. I couldn't throw away the can. It was just a silly can but her hands had touched it and I needed to touch something she touched. I'm sure the day will come when I'll be able to part with that can but for now, it's here with me to stay a while. Maybe that's what healing is about?

As hard as this was to write, and believe me, I had to walk away several times, I'm glad its out now. I feel like a story was told about my mom and her things. Some of them made her who she was. They sure made some great memories.

It would be a pleasure to me for people to think that of my things when I'm gone.

Rest in peace sweetest woman in the world. You have two of the sweetest men in the world with you now and I'm seriously jealous of that!

Love to all. Thanks for reading.

P.S. My eternal thanks to all those of you who were there to help with everything...

Writer's Block Could Be Over...

If you like to write and you write as much as you can then you probably know what it feels like to get writer's block. I've never experienced it until July of 2012. Somehow losing my mom made me lose my urge to write. It's kind of like the reader who will read and read and read and then, for no reason, the reader might not read again for a couple months. I've had that happen.

Well, recently I've been feeling the urge to write coming back. I wake up at 4am, nothing new there, but running through my head are a million things I want to write down. Indeed there is so much that I can't keep it sorted out and my mind goes from one subject to the next before I can finish a complete thought. I figure this must mean I need to write it down so I can make room for more. Out with the old, in with the new sort of thing.

So for those of you who enjoy reading my posts, I suppose you'll be in for a treat for a while unless the evil writer's block comes back... boooooo!!

I recently entered the realm of facebook and I find that while it is nice to be in touch with everyone, it is also extremely high maintenance. I typically log on once or twice a day, depending on the weather, and in doing so I'll see that I have upwards of 30 something "comments," "likes," or shared things to my timeline (whatever that means!). It's all so confusing and sometimes I just have to let it go.

I do love seeing pictures of friends and family in other states and I'm especially fond of the chat option. It makes me laugh when people say funny things in their comments. That's about the extent of it. I'll keep going on so I can keep seeing everything everyone says but for now, the blog calls...so I must respond.

I've written about people and animals and I've written lots and lots about food. Part of this post will be about what I've been reading.

 I've been reading a lot of magazines now that the weather keeps me indoors. One of them is called "MaryJane'sFarm" and I find it to be fairly interesting. Some articles are a little high-falutin for my tastes but other things are incredibly important to me. For one, she always has updates on what is in the food we eat or how the food we eat is grown. Those articles teach me so much about the way the government controls the ingredients, the labeling, or the lack thereof.

The government doesn't feel the need to require growers to label foods that are grown using Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The seeds are modified to make vegetables grow faster, taller and provide more yield. Granted, I can see the growers standpoint. They make more money. But we EAT this stuff. It's not a natural vegetable after modifications have been made to it. Why modify a corn plant? The corn will grow and it will provide what it can based on the soil, the temperatures and the watering.

The biggest opponent of requiring labeling is Monsanto. They spend millions (literally) of dollars annually to prevent the labels from indicating a GMO was used. They are also the biggest seller of GMO seeds so it makes sense they would spend that kind of money, right?  If the GMO seeds don't present any sort of health problem, why would Monsanto be so afraid to label them as such????? Again, we EAT this stuff.

There are small seed companies out there, you really have to look for them, who sell non-modified seeds. They are few and far between but wouldn't you agree they are worth the search just to know your food has not been strangely modified in some way? I'll get off my soapbox now :)

I like the magazine for that sort of information and also because it allows the readers to write on a variety of subject matters and then they publish what readers have sent in. Some of the people write the most beautiful stories. They keep them short, usually only one page, but they are so heartfelt! I like knowing that this magazine promotes the average person by publishing their works.

I've also been reading "Prevention" magazine. I'm not so impressed. I like the exercises they give and some of the articles are of interest to me but it seems to me their main goal is promoting their advertisers. I get it, that's how they make money. I just don't like being bombarded with ads, little cards that are perforated for you to pull out and the constant reference to websites. I'm not saying for you to skip "Prevention," I'm just saying it's not a favorite of mine.

The recipes sound interesting until I read all the ingredients. I find, for the most part, they include things that I just don't keep on hand. Things like Sesame Oil or Thai Chilies. Things like flax seed and panko breadcrumbs. I guess I'm a more down-to-earth type cook. Do you keep these things on hand?

Other than the magazines, these days, thanks to my sister-in-law, Gerry, and my dear friend, Sydna, I'm addicted to Pinterest and Etsy. I get lost in all there is to read about on these sites. My goodness, it's amazing what people are doing, selling, creating and sharing. I love Gerry's interior decor pictures on Pinterest. She has a classy but calm style with just a bit of country to make it feel homey. I love Sydna's flowers and I'm constantly wanting more of the overload the sites provide.

The sites distract me from the fact that I can't go plant or harvest something. I can't can any vegetables but I can read all about what other people have canned and make notes for the upcoming season. Tomatillo salsa is definitely on the list again. This time I think I'll grow my own!

As is typical of my writing, I tend to slip into the food conversation. It can't be helped. I found the recipe for the tomatillo salsa in an old canning book that belonged to Wally's grandma. I had everything except the tomatillos...it was then that I was wishing I had grown some but I knew a trip to the store was in short order. These little green veggies are pretty cheap at the store so I bought a bunch of them. It was a lot when I looked at them but when I started on the recipe I found I could have probably used twice what I bought.

I peeled them, chopped them, added them to the other ingredients and then poured the mixture into my jars. The amount I bought filled just 5 little pint jars. Everyone wanted a jar. Who knew it would be so good, so popular, so easy??? I hope it's just as good this year! I'll make a few batches now that I know what I need. lol

Well my seed packets have been gathered, I have some starter pots in the shed and bags of potting soil for the seeds that will start out in pots. I'm ready to garden but the weather is not ready to let me start. Indeed, the weather-person is calling for a wintry mix come Wednesday. That's really not good for planting lol!  

We won't have it near as bad as the folks up north - thankfully - but we still won't have consistently nice weather days until spring so it's wait, wait, wait for now. Those of you in FL should have your gardens ready for planting this weekend. Peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, squash... all those veggies are good to go in FL weather. In fact, if you wait much longer, the heat will get to be too much for all but the peppers.

So go get your hands dirty and send me pictures of what you're growing! I can't wait to see your crop :)

Winter Brings a Variety of Birds...

While I've been busy posting snowy pictures to facebook, I've also been observing the birds coming and going on my bird feeders. Some I'm unable to identify while others are obvious, even to my untrained "bird" eye.

Just this morning I've seen the male and female cardinals, two different species of woodpeckers, at least 5 morning doves and lots of little yellow bellied finches. They seem to have a preference of feeder, choosing from one of three available. They also have a hierarchy that I'm not privy to.

The cardinals are the bosses of all the birds on my feeders unless, the "Hairy Woodpecker" is about. He takes precedence over all others. There doesn't appear to be any discussion over this, it just happens. At least so far as I can tell.

The "Hairy Woodpecker," which I'll just call Hairy, comes to the feeder and eats his fill then flies off into the sky. He is black and white with just a bit of red around his neck. Hmmmm a redneck woodpecker perhaps? lol I had to look up this bird in my book because I had never seen one before. Have you? I have a picture of one on my pinterest page if you would like to have a look at him. I'll try to remember to put it on FB but I'm not one much for a memory these days.

I thought Hairy was a fairly large bird until the better known, "Red Headed Woodpecker" showed up the other day. Now this bird is huge in comparison. From my view out the front door, I'd say he's probably a good 10 inches tall. His head is the brightest red, especially when the sun hits it just right. The rest of his feathers are black and white but not as clearly defined as Hairy's are. He's a beautiful bird just the same!

I'm impressed they come to my feeders! I bought fairly cheap birdseed and didn't really expect this kind of action. They stay busy eating the seed and I stay busy filling the feeders so they can! lol

The cardinals are just beautiful birds, simply said, they make a statement. The deep red color of the  male is striking against the bright, white snow. When it's not snowing, he stands out against the green leaves and grasses. The female may be brownish in color but her beak is bright orange and she has just a bit of red feathers puffing up from on top of her head and a spot on her wings as well. A fine specimen if ever I saw one!

The little finches are pigs on the feeders. Since they are a smaller bird, four sometimes five, can land on the feeder at the same time. When one takes off, the feeder goes to spinning and the others are on a circus ride! Round and round they go! They don't seem to mind, they just keep eating. I think I'd be ill trying to eat on a perch that's spinning round LOL not these birds.

A host of little birds come that I can't identify. I think one species is called a "Carolina Chickadee" but I can't be certain. I think there might be a few sparrows or wrens but I can't tell the difference so I can't say for sure which they are. Possibly both?

The doves stay on the ground and their wings make a very distinct sound when they fly. Most birds I can't even hear when they fly. The doves I can hear. I can't tell the difference in the male and female doves...they all look the same?

All the birds are quick to fly away when I walk toward the feeders but some only fly as high as the roof and then they come right back. Others fly off into the woods or out by the chicken coop. They come back but not right away.

I never paid much attention to birds when I was in FL. I did have a woodpecker that was super huge and he would peck away at the metal rim around the edge of the roof line. I also had cardinals in the big oak tree. They stayed year after year, unless it was a new pair but I like to think it was the same family.

I had some little brown birds build a nest in a Christmas cactus planter. I couldn't water until the babies flew. It was the first time I witnessed a flying lesson too. The mama bird nudged them out of the nest and they flew right to the window screen where they held on for dear life. It was cute to see three little baby birds all clinging to the screen at the same time.

The woodlands have given me more sights to see with the birds that live here and if my little feeders will ensure they keep coming back, then so be it. I'll keep right on feeding them! If I can't dig in the dirt and plant something, feeding and watching birds is the next best thing :) Hope you enjoy them too!

The snow has all but melted already but we're expected to get more in the morning. They (weather people) say it will be freezing rain first with snow to follow. From what I hear, this makes for a dangerous situation. You can't see the frozen ice under the snow but you can easily slip on it when you step down. You know I'm not the most coordinated person on the farm so the risk is high for me to even walk around outside. I will walk around though. Indeed, it's quite irresistible to go crunching around out there.

Come Sunday we'll be hunkering down to cook chicken wings and watch the superbowl...I don't have a favorite team playing so I'll just hope for a good game. I suppose if I had to choose, it would be the 49ers since Rebecca used to like them and Ricky Kline does still like them. I don't know anyone who likes the Ravens?????

We rode the farm fence line a little while ago and there are a few trees down from last week's storm but none that are in the way of the trails. It was really neat to see the snow laying on the limbs and blowing in the wind as we made our way through the pathways. The creek was up a bit and the water was flowing quickly through the creek bed. I didn't venture to put my hand in the water but odds are, it was darn cold!

I didn't see any deer on our ride but they're out there. I saw five in the yard last night just before darkness decended on the farm. It's hard to say whether they were bucks or does because the bucks will have scaped their antlers off by now. From what I hear, the squirrels and other woodland animals find these antlers to be a real treat and they simply gobble them up. I'd love to find some to hang on the potting shed or the outhouse but I'm not ready to go tromping through the woods when there's snow on the ground lol. It's pretty to look at, not so much fun to be outside in it for very long.

So our weekend begins and it looks like it'll be a good one. I hope yours is. I'll be thinking about all of you and all those superbowl Sunday's we shared at the Oriole's...what a blast!!!  Enjoy!

Kale Chips? Really...?

Admittedly Kale is not high on the list of vegetables that I love. Indeed, sometimes it barely makes the list. As this nutrient dense vegetable is so completely good for me, I decided to set myself on a mission to find a way that I could eat it and like it.

I tried a salad recipe that was good. I could eat that salad a couple times a week. It was really the dressing on the salad that did it though, not so much the kale. My mission continued...

I tried a white bean and kale soup with sausage. It was just okay. I preferred the white beans by themselves as the kale seemed bitter in the soup and the sausage seemed to overpower everything else. My mission continued...

I tried sauteing it in garlic butter, which seemed to be the most popular method on the internet, but found that recipe to be bitter and tough to chew. EW! My mission continued...

Just the other day I was watching foodnetwork, and let me preface this by saying that while I love to watch cooking shows, foodnetwork is a bit disappointing these days but we'll go there later. I was watching the show with Ann Burrell, something about cooking like a restaurant chef, I believe. She's kind of annoying but kind of entertaining so I take it with a grain of salt because she usually has very cool recipes.

To my surprise she was cooking with kale! I figured I might as well sit down for the half hour show and see what she had to say about it. Like me, most times she finds it to be too bitter to tolerate. Like me, she found she was at a loss as to how it would be best served to others. Interesting...even a chef has trouble with some foods.

Her resolution was to prepare Kale Chips. I never would have thought of that, would you? Surely you would have told me so... LOL

So Ann takes the washed and dried kale and removes the woody stems. This is easy enough to do by just grabbing the leaves from the thick end of the stems and pulling them down and away. They come free with little or no trouble at all.

If the leaves are too big to stick in your mouth, chop them up a bit. The bunch that I bought from the farmer's market had little leaves so no chopping was necessary - you decide. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and get out your sheet pan/s.

Put the kale in a large bowl, depending on how much you're using, and sprinkle with olive oil. Don't overdo it, sprinkle then mix with your hands and once all the leaves feel coated, that's all you need of the oil. After the oil, sprinkle with the salt of your choice. I used Kosher because that's what was on hand but any kind of sea salt would do this recipe justice as well for it's the salt that makes the kale edible in my mind.

Don't get too carried away with the salt unless you prefer really salty chips. I do! Spread out the kale on your sheet pan/s and set them in the oven. The recipe says leave them in for 25-30 minutes. I found that mine were done at exactly 30 minutes. You may want yours less done but mine were crispy and crunchy and perfectly salty! mmm mmm good

Mission accomplished!

Thanks to Ann Burrell :)

So now you can try kale and hopefully enjoy it as much as I now do!

My issue with foodnetwork? Well, it's mostly the fact that they still insist on using lots of white flour, and white breads for sandwiches or subs or even breadcrumbs. I don't think they should promote the use of such an unhealthy food. The same goes for pasta. They still use processed white pasta instead of the more wholesome, whole wheat versions that are so readily available. And what about the healthier alternative - barley?

My biggest issue is the amount of sugar used. My goodness, I know we limit sweeteners because of the diabetes but watching those shows reminds me of the time when we ate that bad stuff. It is something that is incredibly difficult to eliminate but just as incredibly important to do so. The United States has an epidemic of diabetes and not just in adults. Children are now reported to have the highest rates of diabetes ever...ever! That's not a good thing folks.

When I see the Nestle Quik commercials on TV, I want to shut it off. Those kids have evil eyes that look like they are craving that chocolate syrup like there is nothing else in the world to satisfy them. It is soooooooooo bad for them, for all of us.

So when foodnetwork chefs (cooks) dump a cup of sugar into something, I cringe. Surely they could make it with honey or organic applesauce or hey, just don't make it at all! LOL

That's my newest soapbox...I can't get away from it either. I would like to see you on board with me but I know how you are about your candy bars and cookies and such so I'll leave it at this. For now. For however long I can stand to go without bringing it up again...LOL

I'm off to read about growing garlic in the house...gotta grow something!

Two Posts In One Week??? Crazy, Right?

Woo Hoo I found I had a few minutes of time so I thought I would write to update you on the planting I've done. As you know not much can be planted up here this time of year but when a good friend sent me a box of 40 bulbs, well I found it hard to resist.

Forty bulbs may sound like a lot to most of you but if you have ever planted mass quantities of bulbs, forty is easy street. To start with, I had to decide where to plant them or in what to plant them. I didn't really want to dig in the ground with it being such rough terrain, especially when the ground is close to being frozen.

I finally decided on this old speckled pot that was Wally's grandma's pot. It somehow ended up with a couple holes in it and so now it has been turned into a planter. It's more than ample in size to hold 40 bulbs and so my mind was set.

I got my gloves and my little digger and set out with my box of bulbs in hand. I had to clean out some roots from the calibricoa that was planted there over the summer (and that the chickens gobbled up in no time) and clean out a handful of rocks. I used the digger to kind of stir up the potting soil and move it up on the sides of the pot so the bulbs could go in the center.

Come spring, I should see from the center towards the outside, 4 "Striped Red and Yellow" tulips, 10 "Sky Blue" lilies, 15 "Rock Garden Mixed" Allium, and 20 "Mixed" crocus flowers. They all bloom close to the same time and were planted with the taller plants in the center and shorter ones towards the outside.

I don't know if it's true of everyone (probably not) but it sure does me good to get my hands dirty! Thank you Karla!

As I was exploring the best place to put these bulbs, I noticed that some of last years tulips and hyacinths were poking out of the ground. Out of 12 tulips, I could see just 4 peaking out. The hyacinths were all there - none were flowering but their green tips could be seen. Spring should be colorful indeed!

My rosemary is growing just as if winter never arrived. It doesn't seem to be bothered in the least by cold temperatures. Next time I'm at the store, I'll get a chicken to roast and clip some of the rosemary with which to season it.

I'm also growing my own celery. I know, crazy, crazy, crazy. Kris found the instructions on-line and sent them to me so I thought, what the heck. I took the celery from the refrigerator and cut it from the root end. The stalks I put in a glass of water and the root end went into a bowl of water.

Within three days, the root end began to sprout! Who knew? It's a slow grower to be sure but what could be better than growing your own celery? And in a bowl to boot!! LOL I know I'll have to transfer it to dirt before too long and that's just fine. When you go through celery like I do, it's nice to have some growing at all times. I even bought another bunch of it just so I can get another plant started.

With any luck, the first root will get me through until the next one is ready and then, guess what? I'll just use those roots and start again...if it works that way or not, I'm not really sure but you know me, I'll try it out! And if I'm not too busy, I'll let you know how it works out for me. I sure never thought I'd be a celery farmer hahahahaha bet you aren't too surprised though, huh?

I tried a new recipe the other day, it's a sticky candy that is diabetic friendly and super yummy. The ingredients are simple; honey, nuts and egg whites. You bring the honey to a boil in a pot and then set it aside as soon as it boils. You roast the nuts and set them aside. You mix the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the honey and bring to a light simmer. Cook on medium for 15-20 minutes. When it turns a burnt orange color, add the nuts and press into a parchment paper lined 9x9 casserole/bowl/dish/pan - whatever you have. Use another piece of parchment to press it down and refrigerate for 3 hours. That's it!

It's soooooooooooo good. It's sticky, chewy, crunchy, sweet and a wonderful treat! I already have an order for a batch to be sent to friends in Georgia LOL

I've been reading the blog of "OneGoodThingbyJillee." I don't know if you've heard of it but she puts something on the blog every day and in most cases, they are helpful hints, cleaning solutions and lots of homemade remedies. I've tried a few with moderate results.

For those of you who like to use fabric softener but forget to add it, she has a good solution. The solution began as an idea for dryer sheets instead of always buying dryer sheets. When I tried it, I found it was more like using fabric softener than a dryer sheet. I'm not a fan of fabric softener so I'll be back to using my dryer sheets but you might like the idea.

She instructs you to pour the fabric softener into a jar or other lidded container. Don't fill it to the top, only go about half way. Using an old dish towel (or other old towel) cut it into pieces the size of about 5x5 or smaller. I cut one old dish towel into thirds and they were fine for this process.

Put the towels into the container and when you're ready to dry your clothes, take one out, lightly wring it back into the container and toss into the dryer with your clothes. As they dry, they'll be softened by the fabric softener and it will also prevent static cling.

If you often forget your softener, this might be a good solution for you. I had two issues with it; wringing it out is kind of messy and I don't like the feel of my clothes with fabric softener on them. I don't like static cling either but dryer sheets take care of that issue just fine for me. Let me know if you like her idea though.

Another solution, instead of buying swiffer dry sheets, she suggests using a fuzzy sock instead. I haven't tried this one yet because none of my fuzzy socks will fit over the swiffer head. I looked for larger size fuzzy socks at the Dollar General but all they had were little sizes, smaller even than mine. Oh well, so much for that solution LOL!

The weather man is calling for the possibility of snow first thing in the morning. If it happens, I'll get some pictures! There's one of me on the flickr site with a little bit of snow falling. It hasn't been much so far this year but that's okay, they say mid-January there's more to come.

I hope you're enjoying this fine Friday afternoon. Hugs to all and know that you're missed xoxoxox

"Life is tough pilgrim, and it's even tougher when your stupid." John Wayne
(contributed by Sydna! Love it!)