Oops....

It's a really long story [excuse] as to why I didn't get the garden pictures taken OR posted yesterday.  At about 9 o'clock last night I said to the Irishman--CRAP! I forgot to take my garden pictures today!  And he looked at me like I was nuts and said, so take 'em tomorrow.  You can imagine the look I gave him when I said, WEDNESDAYS wonderful world of garden????  On THURSDAY ????  And he just shook his head.

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SO, here it is Thursday morning. And cool, cool, cool.  Looks like it's gonna rain any minute, which would be fine with me. Not that anything is in dire need of watering right now. I just like rain.

 The chickens are out and fed and watered. The other assorted and sundry critters are tended. The coffee is made and I have finished off the cantaloupe. Last nights supper was a big plate of potatoes and eggs and toast and chunked cantaloupe that needed eating. It was heavenly. However, when Mr Man got it out to put some in his lunch this morning, he left it out on the counter and rather than try to find a spot for it, I just ate it. Wasn't really that much of it left anyway...

  Okay--here's the garden this morning...

Lettuces-the bronze romaine and the green leaf are both doing fine.

Between last weeks storm and the cats, the onions get a little bent out of shape, but are growing well.

French Breakfast Radishes

Edamame !!  (weeded and everything)

Potatoes are starting to flower...this one is one of our seed potatoes from last years garden.

Snow peas..climbing the string trellis

 Blue Lake Bush Beans..mmm...we love our green beans around these parts...

I love the look of these garlic chives flowering...

The tomatoes all snug in their little straw bed mulch.

One of two eggplants I put in a few days ago..

Butternut squash

Butterbeans!!  Growing up the teepee poles just like they're s'posed to !!

These little cukes are planted in the center of the teepee, because cucumbers love pole beans...they're in both teepees...

Close up of the butters!!

OKRA!!

 And that's the end of the vegetable portion of our program. I didn't get a shot of the quinoa, because it's out front and the grass was wet. lol

 Here are some of my deck pots though...

Rosemary

The Mothers day Herb pot

Mixed pot with ivy, geranium and million bells petunias

And the colorful hardy vincas that can weather these hot dry summers like a miracle.

And there you have it...Thursdays Wednesdays garden tour.  lol

  I'm off to sit with my neighbor for a few hours...it's still chilly here and hasn't rained yet. Looks like any minute though....the AC is off and the windows are open...ahhh...midwestern summers.

Namaste.

Tuesdays Tales

  Had a lovely day.  Got my house cleaned up, got my laundry all washed and hung out on the line to dry, and even got it all back in again. lol A good day indeed.

  I don't know what's going on with me...I have been so emotional the past day or two.  Today I was sitting on the couch taking a break and that darn ASPCA ad came on with Sarah McLaughlin singing...I turned the volume off even. But just seeing the faces of those poor abandoned and abused animals got me crying. Sheesh.  Then later, after the husband came home and we had dinner...he was going in the other room and I said I love you...and he said-I love you too, sweetums.  And all I could think was that today when he called me on his lunch break he said, (like he always says) Hey babe...how are ya?? And every time he leaves a message on my voice mail, it's babe or honey or sweetums or beautiful...and I started to cry...because I was thinking--20 years, and he still calls me sweetums. 20 years and he still loves me as much as he did in the beginning. And here I am...I'm mean and I'm grouchy and I'm impatient all the time. Surely I don't deserve this. And I sat there and blubbered like a baby. He came back in the room and said--Hey, what's wrong?? And of course all I can do is sniffle and snort and say, nothing's wrong. I just don't know how this happened. And he's like--how what happened? talk to me, babe...  And--do you see how ridiculous this is?  LOL

  Must be the planetary alignment or something making me all goofy like this.

  Our anniversary is in 2 weeks. Maybe that's part of it too.  Sweet lord.  I may not live through this year....lol

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   Made a wonderful stir fry for supper, with brown rice and corn on the cob. lol  Corn, because when I shopped last week, I bought 4 ears.  And when he stopped to pick up some Napa Cabbage for me, he bought 4 ears as well.  But it was so good, loaded with veggies...red onion, garlic scapes and cloves, brussels sprouts, zucchini, red cabbage, snow peas, organic carrots and celery,  red and green bell pepper, cauliflower and broccoli, seasoned with dried basil, sea salt and cracked black pepper. Cooked in a little sesame oil. It was really good...bursting with all those fresh flavors. And I was really hungry, after laboring mightily all day.

  After supper, we went out and planted 2 eggplants and about 15 cucumbers. Weeded a little. Checked the progress of everything. I am not real happy with those new sweet potatoes I got. I may replace them when Pappy's has the Beauregards in a week or two. Everything else looks marvelous. The edamame got weeded yesterday before the storm and it looks really good now.  The tomatoes are ready to be staked, that will go on tomorrows list. 

  My big list for tomorrow is mowing. And making granola bars. And finish up the planting with the lemon grass, sage and rosemary that are sitting on my kitchen island.  That's it. (she said ruefully) It will be a full day... This weekend is my family reunion, and my husband just informed me that he mistakenly rescheduled the District Meeting for that day. So, he won't be going to the reunion with me. Which means that I may go down a day earlier than planned and spend some extra time with my family, since he'll be here to care for the animals. He's more upset about it than I am....lol

  Okay. I'm about ready to hit the hay. I worked hard today and it's late.

  Have a good Wednesday, everyone. I'm still recuperating from being out in the sun all day Monday...

Namaste.

Howling llike a tornado...

It's late Monday night. It isounds like a massive storm out there. I suddenly realized that I couldn't remember the Irishman putting up the chickens, so I got a flashlight and went out. The coop was open. The wind is howling and the lightning is in big circular arcs in the sky. As scary as it was to walk across the yard and open that steel fencing and gate, I got the chickens closed up. The trees are swaying and cracking.

 The rain is just now coming...and it sounds like a monsoon. I brought my rosemary pot in (it's on a stand and I knew it would blow over.) and I'm thinking that I should go out and take down my hanging baskets off the front porch. Problem is, I can't reach them without a l;adder. And I am sure as hell not standing on an aluminum ladder in this mess. lol  I wanted rain, but I don't want my garden plants and fruit trees damaged !!

 This is going to hopefully break this hot streak we've had. Today was a barn burner too...

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  We went to a bbq with some friends today. It was nice...I took baked beans. So I ate that and chips and some salad and a chicken leg. So far, no bad effects from it. Keeping my fingers crossed, and drinking lots of water. The Irishman pigged out and almost went into a meat coma on the drive home. (Luckily, I was driving!) He had a burger, a bratwurst, a hot dog and some chicken. hmmm....Turns out that on his weekend hikes with his buddy, he is eating meat all the time. sigh...he's the one who (for several years) has been saying we should stop eating meat...what's wrong with this picture????   I still don't want to eat it, and what he does is his business...but still.

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  I had better get off here.  It sounds like it's hailing out there, but I just looked out the front door and I guess it's all debris. 

I'll be back tomorrow.

Decoration Day weekend...

Fresh lemonade was one of my dad's favorite things, and today, in his memory, I made some fresh lemonade. Sort of. Actually, I used lemons, limes and cara cara oranges, which have a deep pinkish orange fruit and are sweet as all get out. The two quart jars are back-ups, and plain.  The big gallon jar is an herbal lemonade...complete with anise hyssop (which tastes more like sassafras than anise to me), white and purple clovers, dandelions and a few honeysuckle flowers. And the flowers off my basil. And sweetened with a combination of agave and local honey. It is extremely refreshing and tastes just heavenly. BUT--next time i think I'll leave out the limes, because they are a little bitter. But strawberries or raspberries would be good, wouldn't they?

 I love playing with flavors like this. I wonder how a lemon and rosemary drink would be? I like those two together on fish....

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  My father was a member of an Army contingent called the Blue Devils. They apparently stormed their way across Italy and Europe during WWII wreaking havoc and establishing freedom.  Not that he hardly ever talked about his time in the service, except to say that he  was proud to be a member of the US Army and that he did what any American would do. His oldest brother Willard was killed paratrooping in France.  His other brother was in the service as well. My youngest brother was also in the Army. My husband joined the Marine Corps when he was 18. My father in law was a sailor with the US Navy. 

  On this day, I want to remember them all with gratitude for serving their country. I have a deep and abiding respect for anyone who is this selfless, who is willing to go to any lengths to ensure  that we can continue to live a life of freedom and  liberties and the pursuit of happiness. 

  So, in memory of all who served, and continue to serve...I thank you.

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   It's been an interesting weekend. It's been scorching hot with temps hovering near, but not quite getting to, 100.  Too hot to do much of anything in the way of yard work, which desperately needs doing. The grass needs mowed-it's looking raggedy out there. The edamame is getting big enough now that there's no excuse for not weeding that bed. The beans , tomatoes, potatoes and butterbeans have all been mulched with straw.  (We are now officially out of straw.) Saturday night we went to the movies and saw Men In Black 3. It was entertaining, as expected. Tommy Lee Jones is starting to look a little old in this one, lol.  Today we went to a Spring Festival for a few hours. It was nice, lots of arts and crafts. But hot. At least there was a bit of a breeze blowing.  Then we came home and had a nice picnic type supper of grilled corn on the cob, leftover cold baked beans (YUM!) and veggie burgers. I also cut up a small bowl of veggies--red bell peppers, snow peas, french breakfast radishes and cucumber. I didn't realize how famished I was until I started eating.

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  I have been researching making home made pinwheels. I want them to put in the garden as a bird and deer deterrent...the big kind that any little breeze will spin.  I am thinking about attaching small jingle bells to them, if it won't make them too heavy to spin. I have a bunch of them left over from some Xmas crafts I did one year, I think. Has anyone ever made pinwheels or whirligigs ?? Any suggestions??

  I used to have some big giant sunflower ones that were specifically for the garden, but they have all broken and come apart, and I can't remember where I got them. But it should be an easy enough thing to make from recyclable materials, don't you think?

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   Well, I'm sipping lemonade and reading emails and generally winding down after a long day. The Irishman is off tomorrow as well, and I will be doing laundry and probably mowing, unless it rains, which they are hinting at. We're supposed to get a cool down for a few days--that would be nice.  Although I must say, the hot weather has cause a nice spike in the garden growth. I have 2 eggplants and some herbs sitting on my kitchen island that need to go in the ground too. I was gonna do that tonight once it cooled off...but at 8:30, it was still 89 degrees...yowsa.

  This heat is wearing me out, so I will probably be in bed early tonight. I feel like I could go to sleep now, but it's only 9:30...if I do that, I'll be up at 3 AM....lol

   I hope everyone is having a good weekend. Take care in the heat, if that's how it is where you are.  And just take care of yourselves in  general...you are precious to me!

Namaste.

  What a day it has been! (FYI-this was started Thursday night)

  I meant to try and get in here and jot some stuff down, but never quite made it.   Now it is late and I am wiped out, lol.

  Had a great discussion  group tonight...watched a film about the Peak Oil event in Cuba, back in 1989...and what has happened there. A remarkable series of events that was prefaced by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the things that transpired when the country suddenly had no oil, no food, no money. It was a surprise to me...I don't recall hearing about all this happening there. I mean, I knew about the Russia thing, but.....

I'm going to have to finish this tomorrow morning...I am beat.  Can barely make my fingers work. lol

GOOD NIGHT.

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  And now it's Friday night. whew!   It was a full day today again...in the first part of the day, the Irishman worked outside, mulching the potatoes, green beans, butterbeans and tomatoes with straw. He weeded too. I worked on the inside part of the house, vacuuming and mopping and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. as of this moment, it's still MOSTLY clean.  lol  Every where my poor little Caylee goes, she leaves behind a pound and a half of dog hair.  Bless her heart..it comes out in big chunks, like somebody is snatching her baldheaded, as my mother used to say. I could easily vacuum again...BUT I'M NOT GOING TO !!!!   lol

  I cleaned and decluttered my kitchen counters and island, de-limed my coffee pot and the kitchen sink (you know--where all that limey crap can build up around the faucets and around the very edge of the drain). Cleaned the microwave thoroughly. Vacuumed and mopped all the wood/tile floors. Cleaned the master bathroom counter and sinks and all 3 mirrors. Aired out dog beds and blankets.  I strained another batch of citrus cleaner I had going in the kitchen and used that to clean, so the house has a nice lemony-orange- vinegar scent. And I refilled that quart jar with more white vinegar and put it back on the windowsill...because frankly, it looks so pretty!!  This makes a great cleaner...

  When it finally got so hot he couldn't stay out, the Irishman went to his favorite girl barber for a haircut and when he got back, he showered and we changed clothes and set off to the big city to look for him some sandals. We had dinner at Mr. Curry's, an Indian food establishment that we love. I had the Paneer masala, which is a soft cheese cubes in that rich tomato and cream masala sauce, served over jasmine rice.  It's heavenly.  We found the mister shoes at Kohls...big sale going on, of course (Memorial Day weekend) and so we got a nice pair of 65 dollar sandals for 25 dollars. They're not exactly a sandal...but sort of. Hard to explain, so I won't.  lol  Anyway, he was pleased. he said that it was almost painless...lol. (He's been out 3 times looking for sandals--god, he's such a MAN...)

  We were back home by 7 and went out back to water. Supposed to be another hot day tomorrow..even hotter than today. And dry.  We really could use some rain....just a little!)  He used the water in our rain barrel and watering cans and I used the hose and between the two of us, we got everything (Including my 2 hanging baskets out front, the 5 yucca plants he and the boy planted on Mothers Day AND the quinoa, which is in the front yard plot.) good and watered. 

  Back inside just in time to watch 2 more episodes of Foley's War, on PBS...a WWII series set in Britain.

  It's been all downhill from there.  lol

 I'm pretty pooped and have to get up early to make the Farmers Market before I hit the 10 AM mtg. At least that's the tentative plan. lol  I may not get up as early as I need to, and that will just postpone my first trip to the FM until next week.  There's nothing I REALLY need...I just wanna go. lol  I love Farmers Markets...

 It's been a productive and satisfying day.  I hope yours was too. I saw the Pileated Woodpecker again today. That is cause for celebration. And 2 Great Blue Herons fishing at the pond.  The hummingbirds are back in full force and the feeders are out and I expect to see Indigo Buntings any day. 

  Life is good here on Honeysuckle Hill...How blessed am I ?????

Namaste.

Wednesdays World of Gardens

  The first [real] daylily of the year...(not counting the Stellas, of course).  Blooming right down by the cherry tree.

  I was out this morning in the cool of early, and letting chooks out, filling water bowls,  cleaning up chicken-poopied nesting boxes (young ones don't get (yet) that the nesting box is NOT their personal toilet...) and of course, taking pictures of the gardens.

 Here they are, scratching their little chook hearts out...

 And lets not forget the "big girls" who are still chasing and pecking the errant chick that happens to come over the fence onto "Their" part of the yard. sigh....

Interestingly, it's only the black one (Australorp) that chases and pecks the chicks. My beautiful Goldie (Buff Orpington) could care less.

  So, onto the garden tour, shall we??

 Okra is up, spotty, but up. This is one of the bigger plants. I love okra--I dry it, freeze it, pickle it...yum!

Bell Peppers of all varieties, as well as 4 jalapenos.

Onions !!!!!!!  

Edamame (and weeds) and marigolds!  The beans are finally coming up good, be able to safely weed soon! 

"Maters! 16 tomato plants might not be enough, but it's what we've got. And they look healthy.

Herbs in front (parsley,oregano,hyssop and chives (3 kinds) and 'Taters in the back. They are huge!!

 Blue Lake bush beans...we love green beans!!

 Oregon snow peas and my brilliant string trellis endeavor (except in the early stages and wind) lol

Butternut squash.  Germination is very spotty and slow, but they are finally showing them selves.

...look at these beauties...growing like gangbusters! and in case that's not enough butterbeans for ya,

I'm going to plant a circle of zinnia seeds around the very edge of these beds. Won't that be pretty?

These are quinoa sprouts. So far, so good.  We'll see-they are planted in front, between the apple and cherry trees.

 Cherries are starting to ripen. Can we beat the birds to 'em ???

 The apple tree is loaded this year, and so are the peaches, which I did not take a picture of, for some reason.

 This is one of the walking onions, with a full head already! Here is the bed:

...and we conclude today's tour with a stop by the transplanted wild yarrow bed. 

   Have a great Wednesday, y'all... I'm off to the market for some honey and stuff!!

Namaste.

ROAD TRIP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can see by her face that she is a bad influence...lol

A road trip is one really good way to avoid doing any work. I had good intentions today, even though I woke up late (didn't get to sleep until after 2), and was going to get some mowing done. Nope.  And I as going to make up another batch of the artisan bread for the fridge...nope.  And I thought I might get outside and start scrubbing down the house with vinegar (I bought a new Libman long handled scrub brush last week)  to get all the green mold and mildew off the siding...nope. A million things that need doing...

 So, Roxie suggested that we go for a drive, and I was all over it.  We loaded up in the car and took off.  So, really...it was all her fault. Once we were in the car and heading down the road, wind blowing in our hair, we were almost too giddy to figure out where to go. I stopped at the ATM and we set out in a northerly direction.

The brilliant thought occurred to me that I could justify this running amok by ...wait for it....BUYING GARDEN STUFF.  Which of course made me think of the plant lady who has the little roadside shop since 1978. So--we were off. Once there, we got marigolds for companion planting, zinnia seed, because they didn't have any plants and sunflower seeds. I also got 2 dozen sweet potato plants, Georgia Jets they're called, for the Irishman to plant, since he's been asking me every other day when the sweet 'taters would be in.

  On the way, Roxie suggested we go to either Lake Yeager or the Hillsboro lakes, where we could get out and run through the grass and look at the water. She does like to look at the water, and sometimes even goes in, though she's got no legs to speak of...she's all shoulders and feet. Little bitty stubby legs.  Flippers almost, so I guess that does work...anyway, we did that and fooled around a bit and ate a sandwich and drank some water. And then it was on to the plant place and then home again, home again, clippity clop.

  By the time we got here it was after 4.  I spent the next two and a half hours planting the 2 dozen marigolds I bought all around the garden. I plant them because they repel bugs. I also planted sunflower seeds in a few spots (Russian mammoth Sunflowers). Then I started watering things. I watered everything except the bed he was going to be putting the 'taters in. He got home about 6:30--he gave a kid from work a ride home. And after making a phone call, he ponied up and got those 'taters in the ground. I went in the house and made giant salads for supper. We didn't eat until 8 o'clock, which is way too late for folks like us. But, hear this, people:

THE GARDEN IS OFFICIALLY IN.  woohoo!

And just wait until you see tomorrows pictures...this garden is looking good (she said, trying not to anger the Garden Gods and jinx the harvest)... 

 I am thoroughly exhausted.  Not sure why, except I didn't sleep well last night...couldn't go to sleep initially and had a ringing in my ears. Got up and turned off the ceiling fan, but it wasn't that.  Anyway I finally went to sleep and then tossed and turned all night. I went to bed at a little after 2 and didn't get up until almost 9:30 this morning. And felt like I'd been hit by a truck.  I'm going to take a couple of aspirin in a minute and finish up here and maybe read a few emails and then hit the hay. Everyone else is already asleep, and that includes 3 dogs that are in here with me and little Roxie the Roamer, who's snug as a bug in her own little bed.  2 cats are sleeping with the Irishman. Several others are sacked out all over the living room, on couches and chairs and probably the dining room table, although they are not supposed to be up there.

  Tomorrow I will run a few errands early in the morning and then try to get at least a little of the mowing done.  The Irishman has a 4 day weekend coming up because of Memorial Day. So I'll make sure to save some of it for him.  :)  I have 2 rosemary plants to plant...one will go in the herb garden and one will go in a pot. I will bring that one in this winter and the other one I am going to experiment with..thought I'd cut the branches off and dry the herb and then massively cover and insulate the plant and see if it will overwinter. They normally don't, but if this next winter is anything like the last one, there's a good chance it will survive being in the ground.  Wish me luck!!

  I took a quick shower to wash the garden off my feet and legs and the hot water nearly took me out...hopefully I will sleep better tonight and dream the dreams of the just. (cough).  I hope you all have a grand evening, wherever you are, and whatever you do.

  Remember this:  "Tend the Earth...Feed the Soul."

  Namaste.

Monkeying around on a Monday...

  And that just about sums up my relationship with dirt.  LOL

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   I spent the whole day today catching up on blog reading, fooling around on Facebook and talking on the phone. In between (to avoid any guilty feelings I may or may not experience) I vacuumed and dusted, I baked a loaf of bread (last batch of dough in the fridge), I made a quinoa chili, I  made a new batch of granola, this time with dried apples and bananas in it and I swept the front porch.  In my defense, the front porch runs the entire length of my house.  All in all, it was a good day and I felt pretty good about it all. 

  The storm came in yesterday evening and blew things around, but didn't really drop that much rain on us. Still, things outside look like they enjoyed the massive energy input from it...the tomatoes look taller and the onions are now all above ground, instead of here and there. Nearly everything is up now, somethings a little better than others, but still in all, it's looking good out there. I am waiting for the sweet potato slips to come in at Pappy's Market, where I usually buy them, and that will be it until we plant the late plantings and fall crops.

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  That quinoa chili was delicious. I got a little carried away putting veggies in it...I used onions (red and yellow), 6 cloves of garlic, minced. I put in a large sweet potato, diced and a zucchini and a bell pepper, diced. I used about 3/4 of a cup of quinoa, a small can of tomato paste, a small can opf chopped green chilis and probably a gallon and a half of water. 3 types of beans: cannelini, black beans and navy beans. I used smoky paprika, black pepper, cumin, chili powder and sea salt. It was a delightfully hearty sweet and spicy dish that went well with that small loaf of bread I had just baked. I was going to make corn bread, but...I didn't.  Enough for leftovers and enough to freeze 2 large yogurt containers. (Are those a quart??) 

  Tomorrow I will probably make another batch of the bread dough...by the time you make the last loaf of it, it is getting pretty sour and has a wonderful taste.  The crumb was absolutely beautiful. I think I will add vital wheat gluten to this next batch...maybe it will raise a little higher.  That would make me very happy.  lol

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 Had a hysterical moment today with the Kelley critters. The dogs were out front and went into a barking frenzy. I kept hollering at them to be quiet, but nothing was getting through to them, so I went out the front door, and there were little Roxie and Caylee down in the driveway. The other 2 were up at the porch barking their brains out. I look to see a mylar helium balloon that says Happy Birthday laying in the drive--apparently had floated in from somewhere. Roxie was going nuts and suddenly the wind moved it about 2 inches and she turned and ran as if her life depended on it, barking furiously the whole time.  Caylee was next and the wind caught it again...and she jumped like someone had poked her and ran back up to cower behind my legs. With Roxie.  I nearly died laughing...my 2 guard dogs....

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  Little Roo is trying his best to crow. He's getting better, but still sounds damn funny. They are getting big, and I need to check my blog to see when we got them, so I can figure out how old they are. At 16-22 weeks, they should be getting ready to lay, and we'll need to change their food too.  The 2 older hens have finally finished their moult and are starting to lay again. I don't recall that our Rhodies ever stopped laying completely when they were moulting, but maybe they did.  I should probably keep a chicken journal, like my garden journal. Or maybe just a general homestead journal... or hell, just check my blog. I put everything in here anyway. LOL

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  Well, that's about it from Honeysuckle Hill.  My family reunion is in 12 days.  My pregnant niece is coming and we are apparently having a baby shower for her while she is here (she lives in Florida). I heard about it once and haven't heard another word...maybe I'm just not invited.  lol

   Not sure what all is on tomorrow's agenda, but whatever it is, I'll tackle it with a clear head and an open heart, being grateful all the while that I get to live such a life as this, and share it with friends such as you. 

And I'll cook.  Oh yes, children...THERE WILL BE FOOD.

Namaste.

Sunday's segues...

...into Mondays, unfortunately.  lol  Ah, the beginning of a new week.

  And today there was  a total eclipse.  Of course we couldn't/didn't see it here.  Storms passed through and we had dark cloudy skies and high winds, with not nearly enough rain. lol  It's been very hot and dry around here and we've been watering about every other night. I managed to get laundry done and even get the string trellis made for the peas. Himself hammered the stakes into the ground for me and I did the rest. It's an easy and cheap way to keep your peas up off the ground, and I've been doing it this way for several years. I never grow regular peas, only the edible pod types. The other ones are too labor intensive for me, lol.  I grow edamame and that's all the shelling I can stand. lol

 The gardens are really going well...everything has sprouted, including the 2 celery butts I planted in the ground as an experiment. AWESOME!  Those monster lima beans are going nuts, the potatoes just got hilled again and in a week or two we'll be strawing those bad boys. I'm happy with the way everything has germinated so far...even the quinoa has come up already (6 days from planting). So, it's looking llike a real garden out there finally.  I'll have some shocking pictures on Wednesday! lol

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  Been a nice weekend. I baked some more artisan bread, and the Irishman has almost eaten it all already. I have dough enough for one more loaf in the fridge and then I'll have to remake that.  Yesterday I made a cold soba salad for supper and it was a hit. Lots of zip and zing from wasabi and fresh minced ginger (not too much though, thank goodness--just enough to really make it flavorful).  I posted that recipe on Dragon Woman's Kitchen... it was easy enough to make and excellent. Here's a plate of it:

yummy.

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 Hasn't been a really exciting time the past few days, lol...but sometimes life needs to quiet down a notch. Our family reunion will be in 2 weeks, and our second cousins from southern Missouri are all coming to meet the rest of the family. It will be a really good time and I can't wait. I think they are a little nervous, but excited too...I told them we're all a bunch of nuts, and they'll feel right at home.  lol

   I have been finding old long lost friends on Facebook the past week or so, and that's kind of weird and neat.Lots from here,  from my misspent youth and some from California too.  Looking at pictures, I can see I'm not the only one that got old. lol  A friend of mine became a grandmother for the 16th time (she had a passel of kids) and another one found her long lost sister. They were put in separate foster homes and adopted and never knew for years what had happened to the other. The kind of story that makes you cry.  I'm really feeling my age lately. lol  I watched the movie version of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan this afternoon and cried almost all the way through it.  I remember when I read that book the first time...and another of hers that is a favorite of mine is called Saving Fish From Drowning.  Feeling all emotional and sad for some reason or another. Not in a bad way, necessarily--just is what it is.  

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  The computer signal is a little better, but has still gone away a time or two.  I think I will still call them this week...As you can see, I'm able to actually get a little posted. lol

  And now it's midnight and I am tired. Think I'll hit the hay. Hope you all had a great weekend. and will have an even better week ahead.

Namaste.

 

Fridays Fascinations...

 

Thanks to Linda M at Hello it's Me!  for awarding me this lovely Kreativ Blogger award. I'm supposed to pass it on (the hard part) and tell you 7 things about me.

Hmmmmm...

1. I have always secretly wanted to play the violin.
2  I have 4 unfinished or unedited novellas in my computer.
                                                      3. I write poetry, not as much now as I did in my youth.
                                                      4. I met Dustin Hoffman.
                                                      5. Cooking for others satisfies a  need I have to feed the world.
                                                      6. I can sing.
                                                      7.  I have a basket fetish.


 And the hardest part is picking out some bloggers to bestow this award upon....there are so many awesome blogs out there. My victims, er, I mean...honorees, are:  Dear Cloudia who never ceases to astound me with her love and photography. New addition to my blogroll, Kymber, who is a delightful breath of fresh air.  Lori, the "bag" lady, lol...Sweet sweet Beth Marie, who lives upwind of me here in Illinois.  Lo who is exactly what I want to be when I grow up.  Julie
at Wild Moon Cottage who is a wise wild woman and finally, the newest addition to my reading pleasure, Lisa .  Thank you all for making my life so much richer!!


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  Having a time with my computer signal coming and going...think my modem might need replacing.  I've been trying to write this post for 2 days, so I'm going to post it and maybe come back later and fill it in...

  Toodles!!

Wednesday World of Gardens

 And WHAT--you may ask--do teenaged chicks have to do with gardens ???  Well, I'm glad you asked.  (Here they are--you go first, no YOU go first--coming out of the coop in the morning...) Aren't they precious??

   Chicken manure and straw from the coop are an important part of our composting routine. IF we didn't have so many dogs, cats and coyotes around here, they'd be free ranging and eating up bus from the garden. Maybe. My last experience with that was that I had to fence my garden, because they LOVE tomatoes, all green plants and especially green beans and peas, as well as bugs and weeds.  LOL  As it is, we exploit their waste product, which is very high in nitrogen and ammonia. So, after it's been good and composted, we use it on the gardens...but not before, because chicken poo is very HOT and can burn anything you plant in it. (And yes, this IS the voice of experience talking. lol)

   The gardens are off to a good start, it looks like.  All the flowers that should just be blooming are almost finished (irises and such) the Clematis is in full bloom already, and this morning the first  Stella D'Oro day lily bloomed !!

   I have quite a few of these planted around the place. They're great and they bloom almost all summer long.

  For some reason I'm not seeing the picture I took of the clematis...hmmm...

  Anyway, here are some shots of the vegetable gardens in their infancy (mostly):

Assorted and Sundry Bell Peppers...

 Sugar edible pea pods

Green Beans

French Breakfast Radish babies (the rest of this bed is planted in 2 lettuces, spinach, chard and onions and the 2 bottoms of celery experiment!)

Christmas Pole Limas--not sprouted yet..a lovely maroon and white speckled bean. 2 trellises,7 poles, 3 beans per = 42 plants (Our first time to do this--we'll see.)

  'Maters--4 Big Boy, $ Better Boy and 4 Beefsteaks

Taters--Red Pontiacs, Kennebecs and Irish Cobblers

Edamame bed--no sign yet, and can't pull weeds, just in case. lol

And GOOSEBERRIES!!  In the backyard by a big old dead tree and I didn't even know they were there until Ellyn pointed them out on our stroll yesterday!

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 The peaches are going to be great this year!!

The apples too!

And this is the quinoa bed-an experiment- and it was just planted 2 days ago.

Ahhh...here's the clematis--came through when I downloaded a second time.

And the evening primrose at the front porch.

And finally---the king of everything, Sir Jinga

 So, there you have it...the gardens at Honeysuckle Hill in the middle of May.   Hope you enjoyed the tour!!!!

Namaste.