Yard Stuff

We’ve been working in the yard a little bit lately.  The garden here at home is now gone…everything that had been out there had pretty much burned up, so I did a little clean-up.  The garden area is now a sea of black plastic; from the look of some of our tomato plants we began to suspect a disease, so we are sterilizing the soil by letting it bake under the plastic for a few weeks.  We will spend this fall and winter adding compost and amendments in an effort to rebuild the soil, and hopefully it will be better than before.

Despite our piddly results here at home, Robert is still active in the community garden he helped establish over in the city in which he works.  He will be having a fall garden there and has started some plants here at home for that little plot of earth.  Here are his plants:

Yes, you are seeing things correctly.  Those corn plants on the far left were planted in toilet paper rolls.  I had read about this awhile back and we’ve always wanted to try it.  The neat thing is that when it is time to transplant there is no need to disturb the tender young plant.  You simply place the whole roll into the ground where it will gradually break down (plus the plants can send roots shooting out of the open bottom of the roll).  So far we are kind of liking this idea…Updates to come…

I still have all kinds of critters here in the yard.  I removed a pot that was sitting on top of two flagstones to find this little guy:

Needless to say, I promptly replaced the pot so as to not disrupt the integrity of his hiding spot and to protect him from our hound dogs.

Then there is this guy:

I have seen him all over the garden all summer long.  With his fantastic camouflage he has managed to elude the dogs and Opal Chicken, quite a feat .

As part of our clean-up efforts we relocated the big compost bin, which meant dumping all of the compost out on the ground for awhile.  Opal was one happy chicken, let me tell you.  I’ve never seen a girl have as much fun playing in a compost pile!

Our latest round of compost has reached the stage that we finally have consolidated all three bins into one, large, full bin:

We are so happy that it is finally under 100° (for the most part), and we got some much needed rain this weekend.  Opal Chicken is finally able to sleep in her own little coop, leaving me free to reclaim the craft room.  Even though this year’s garden is over, there is always something to do outside, and Opal and Nestlé both love when we spend a lot of time outside because it means more time for them to “free range” in the yard.

Everyone wins!

Here’s the Buzz…Paisley is Two!

The Most Bee-utiful Child in the World turned two, and everyone was buzzing with excitement.  Paisley’s parents put together an absolutely wonderful party at their own little hive:

 There was bee-themed hoopla everywhere:

And, of course, lots of presents:

And some cake:

Robert’s mother, Lynda, came up for the event, and we were so glad that she was able to join us.  Jeromy’s family was there, as well as some of Paisley’s “playmates”.  I didn’t count, but I’m guessing there were about 30 guests or so.  Jeromy, a master griller, cooked out for everyone, and Mandy had already done her part on all of those wonderful decorations, etc. (Mandy is learning to really utilize the Cricut machine, and she even used her sewing machine to make ruffled crepe paper streamers!)

Paisley certainly is one lucky little honey!

Finished!

Awhile back, my daughter introduced me to “Pinterest”.  She is also the one who encouraged me to try Facebook, and then to read blogs, and finally to write blogs.  She also probably knows how to do things with my cell phone that I don’t even know that I can do – I’m convinced that she just knows everything!  Okay, back to Pinterest.  I originally saw Pinterest as a neat way to keep track of things that I discovered on the web without having to resort to having 500 things on my “Favorites” list.  Then I discovered that you could not only keep track of the things that you find, but that you could also see all the wonderful things that your friends (and even people whom you have never met) were finding.

This has been both a blessing and a curse for me.  I must confess, I love all of the wonderful ideas that I see for home décor, gardening, crafts, etc.  However, even though I don’t spend a lot of time on the computer, I was finding that the more time I spent on Pinterest, the more unhappy I was becoming.  It took awhile, but I finally figured out why.  You see, every room, every garden, every finished craft that is showcased on Pinterest is absolutely perfect (even down to the perfect photography!).  My house….well, can we just say that it is not perfect?  Unlike those staged scenes, my house has real people and real animals living in it, and they all have stuff…stuff that is cluttering up the space here.  In addition, no matter how much I work at it there is always another floor that needs mopping; there’s another plant that, for reasons unknown, is dying; and there’s yet another craft project that just will never reach the level of perfection that you see in those pictures that are showcased on the world-wide web.   All of this served to make me dislike my house even more than I already did.  Comparing my house to all of those picture-perfect rooms was making me feel like I was the only person in the world who just could not get it together at all.

Things got at least somewhat better this weekend.  Paisley’s birthday party was yesterday (more to come on that), and my mother-in-law came to stay with us so that she could participate in celebrating the most wonderful child in the world.  Ever since Alan left, I have been working on his old room ever-so-little-at-a-time.  With Lynda’s visit becoming the new deadline, it was time for me to finally get in gear and get that room done!  I had already completed a lot of clearing and de-cluttering, so now it was time to wash the mattress cover and trot out the new sheets, bedspread, and curtains that I had bought when Alan left for Yellowstone the first time.  So here it is, finally finished…this is probably the one room in my house that will ever even come close to one of those Pinterest rooms:

I was pleased with how it turned out (even though the photography still stinks), and it is going to be so nice to have at least one room that is clean, clutter-free, and “company ready”.  By moving some of the other furniture out of the room, there is now even a spot for a cot for a certain beautiful child to spend the night if she can ever get well and stay that way – two cases of pneumonia in just six months is just not good!

I also have found one minor success in the garden of which I can be proud.  Before Alan left this spring, he helped me to transplant a little rose bush.  It had been in a flower bed in the front yard and the poor thing had just struggled for years.  Well, “bloom where you are planted” may apply to people, but I have learned that it doesn’t apply to roses.  At the time we moved it, the sad bush was down to just one lone little branch that was still alive.  After moving it to my decorative bed in the back yard, that bush took off!  Here is a picture that I took not too long ago:

In a yard filled with scorched, sorry looking plants, this is my one little gem.  It, too, is almost Pinterest worthy!

I took a break from Pinterest and other venues like it for awhile, but have decided to give it another try.  I am working on learning to be inspired without becoming mired in self-doubt, dissatisfaction, and feelings of ineptitude.  My house (like my soul) as a whole will never be perfect, but I can find little nuggets of perfection here and there as each little corner or some little project finally reaches the stage of “finished”.

Alone…But Not Lonely

When we lost our lovely Ruby Chicken, I was concerned that Opal would be lonely.  I was so concerned, in fact, that I even got another chicken, Pearl, who in the end turned out to be an Earl (for a flashback, click here).

After (P)Earl went back to his original owners, we didn’t even try to get another hen.  By then, Opal had made it clear that being Queen of the Coop was just fine with her.  I’ve tried to schedule a little more time for Opal so that she can free-range more often in the yard.  And the one good thing about having only one chicken is that when it is blazing hot outside (it’s Texas, ya’ll), I can bring her inside during the hottest part of the day and put her in a dog crate that’s sitting in my craft room.  Opal has let me know that she really, really likes air conditioning – she snuggles right down and rests.  I know, I know…but I’m just a pushover!

Opal has always liked to cuddle with us in the evenings, but lately she has really taken a shine to Robert.  She doesn’t confine her snuggling to the dusky hours, but feels free to pester him at any time, even when he’s busy doing something:

She also still loves to get in the one flower bed that I have that is of a more ornamental nature and she just scratches it to pieces.  Robert put up these cute little pieces of picket fencing for me:

It still doesn’t keep her out, but at least it looks cute.

Yes, my Opal seems to like being the Lone Ranger just fine.  High-yo Silver!

Cooking With Herbs

In honor of my wonderful husband being able to fix our kitchen sink problem (doing a way better job than that plumber who we hired did), I wanted to post some recipes I got when I attended meeting of the Herb Society back in January.  (Actually, I was going to post them anyway, but I am so excited at having a working kitchen again that I had to sneak that part in!)

During the meeting, a demonstration was given by Judith Griffin.  I was so impressed with her demonstration that I just had to buy her book, “Mother Nature’s Herbal”:

It is full of all kinds of information on growing herbs and their many uses – and not just for cooking, but for beauty products and other remedies as well.  Her demonstration was not just informative; her sense of humor made the whole thing really fun.  If you would like to learn more about her and her line of products, she has a website (click here).

Here are the recipes that she shared with us that day.  Enjoy!

Beef, Lamb, or Pork Blends

Change the flavor of your meat and create a new twist to your main entrée. Serve vegetable blends that are seasonally compatible.

Option 1:  Mix 1 teaspoon each lemon thyme, rosemary, ground ginger, and lemon zest for each pound of meat.

Option 2:  Mix 1 teaspoon each marjoram, thyme, orange peel; ½ teaspoon ground cloves; and ½ teaspoon minced garlic for each pound of meat.

Option 3:  Mix 1 teaspoon each ground chili powder, minced onion, spicy Mexican oregano and ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seed for each pound of meat.

Option 4:  1 tablespoon mint, such as applemint, spearmint, or cinnamon basil. This is especially tasty on lamb.

Homemade Pork and Sage Sausage

Sage enhances the flavor and helps to digest pork.

5 pounds lean ground pork or ground venison

4 teaspoons no-salt herbal blend (Option 1, above, was used during the demonstration)

½ cup ground, dried sage

¼ - ½ cup crushed hot pepper, more if desired

Combine and mix thoroughly. Divide into patties and cook in a frying pan until done or freeze the patties for later use.

Asparagus:  Asparagi Italiana

Italians cook white asparagus, but green will do. Asparagi is served as a main course.

½ cup butter or ghee

2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts

2 pounds asparagus

½ cup freshly grated romano and parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh, chopped parsley, basil, and thyme or lemon thyme

Heat butter or ghee until it turns golden. Remove from heat and blend with 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts. Cook asparagus in non-aluminum pot 12-I7 minutes. Drain, sprinkle herbs and cheese on top of asparagus and spoon the hazelnut butter over them. Serves 6.

Roasted Lemon Herbal Tuscany Chicken

Ingredients:

3-lb roasting chicken

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons ground rosemary (freshly ground)

2 tablespoons fresh ground lemon thyme

2 bell peppers, yellow or green, seeded, cut into 4ths

2 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into 4ths

1 teaspoon ground fennel seed

6 bay leaves, placed between legs, wings

2 red onions or 1 large onion, sliced

6 new potatoes

1 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio is recommended)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Brush chicken skin with olive oil.

Grind or pound (mortar and pestle):  Rosemary, lemon thyme, fennel seeds, garlic.  Rub onto brushed chicken or place inside the skin or cavity.

Place chicken in a roasting pan and cover/surround bird with veggies.

Cover and roast at 350° for 1-1/2 hours.  Uncover and brown 30 minutes.

Garnish with herbs, lemon slices, olives, and serve with an herbal flavored rice or wild rice.

From Mother Nature's Herbal by Judy Griffin, PH.D. GFWHS Meeting 1/21/12

Defying Convention

I am not the rebellious type – truly, I’m not.  I don’t mean to break the rules of conventional wisdom; somehow, it just seems to happen.  I notice this at times when I am sitting in Sunday school.  Like all the times I have heard that when things are going well, we tend to forget the Lord, and then as soon as things begin to go badly we are “stirred up in remembrance” and turn to Him.  “I’m just a freak,” I find myself thinking, mostly because I know secretly that I am prone to feel more spiritual when things are going well and get a little agitated (spiritually and emotionally) when things are not going so great.

Gardening has proven to be no exception to my weirdness.  I have been trying to garden for about five years now and I had decided in the beginning that I wanted to be as organic in my approach as possible.  The pests in the area were delighted with this decision and I have struggled every year.  Having been told that garlic pepper tea was an excellent deterrent I whipped some up to deter pests.  Compost tea and other organic amendments (including some primo bunny poo) have been added to enhance plant health and growth.  Yet, once again, this year my tomato plants looked terrible; they looked so terrible, in fact, that I threw up my hands and decided to forget it.  They were a lost cause and I would save my money and my time by doing nothing more than watering them and letting nature take its course.  It wasn’t long before one of Robert’s “experiments” actually started taking over one of my tomato plants:

Logic would tell you that a plant that looks that terrible and that has been that neglected wouldn’t produce a thing, yet I am amazed every time I venture outside to see that those awful looking plants keep churning out these cute little tomatoes:

Meanwhile, my Cherokee purple tomato plants have grown big…

….and have produced tomatoes that are badly cracked and not so pretty.  Who would have thought?

Our living situation has also defied conventional wisdom.  (And before I start, let me say that yes, I know that in these times I should just be grateful that I have a house.  The logical, spiritual part of me knows this, but it is the irrational, upset part of me that is writing this particular post today).

I have been begging Robert for some time to consider moving…out of Texas (way too hot);  then okay, not out of Texas , but at least out of the metroplex (way too crowded);  then okay, just to a house with a bigger yard and some windows.  I just hate the house we are in.  There is very little natural light in the house itself.  The yard is great if all you want to do is have barbeques and then go inside, but if you want to garden you are very limited in space.  And our newest wonder of wonders happened this weekend when we discovered that what we thought was a clogged kitchen sink turned out to be our 40-year old metal pipes going bad.  Replacing them is going to mean tearing up something in the kitchen (floors or walls or both), and the repair is probably going to eat into any money that we had to buy some land somewhere.

“I know you want to move,” Robert has told me (even before this weekend’s fiasco), “But moving is just logistically impossible.  There’s just no way to do it.”

Really?  Logistically impossible?  How many new families have shown up in church recently?  From other places?  And how many of these people are even in our age range?  How many families that we really liked have recently moved away?  To other places?  Some of which are not even in Texas?  Why are we the only family we know who finds it logistically impossible to move?

Since we have once again defied all trends and happenings, I have been working on trying to make our cluttered, smothering, dark little house more bearable.  I recently went on a cleaning/packing spree.  The back of Mom’s little Honda CR-V was loaded completely with a donation for Goodwill.  I will be sending this little stack of items to our local 4-Paws animal rescue group  for their annual garage sale:

Mom and I even have rented a little storage unit in which to put some items that we don’t really use but aren’t quite ready to get rid of yet.  This also defies the wisdom of most organizational gurus who would say if you have to store it, you really don’t need it.  However, I don’t want to be too heavy-handed in my de-cluttering efforts just now.  I’m hoping that if I can get to the point that I don’t have to move two things out of the way to reach the one thing that I actually am going for, I might like our house a little more… because it has become clear that I’m going to have to…(sigh).

On a lighter note, it seems that The Most Beautiful Child in the World has a knack for defying convention, too (although as she gets closer to being two,  Mandy probably would say “defiant” instead of “defying”).  I saw an example of this yesterday evening during a visit from Mandy and Paisley.  You see, my little Nestlé bunny loves being in her run so much that when it is time for her to come in for the night, she runs away from her mother every single time.  Said mother has threatened on more than one occasion to leave her out for the owl, but after lots of chasing, Nestlés mother finally reels the errant bunny safely in.  Well,  you can imagine my surprise last night when I witnessed Nestlé happily stay in place while Paisley walked up to her!  Nestlé even let that little curly-haired girl pet her:

And then pet her some more:

Is Paisley a bunny wrangler or what?  The kid who is allergic to animals seems to be the one who has a special way with them!  Doesn’t that just defy all?

The Herb Society – A Great Place to Learn and “Grow”

Late last year I discovered The Greater Fort Worth Herb Society.  I have yet to conquer this whole gardening thing, and I am always looking for another resource to help me learn a little more.  I have attended a couple of meetings and I learned a lot, but l also know that I really need to make more of an effort to truly get involved.  In addition to their regular monthly meetings (which always have an interesting “how to” on some topic), they maintain a garden area at the Log Cabin Village.  In fact, this was where I was first able to meet some of the members and learn more about the organization.

Here are some pictures taken at Log Cabin Village:

It seems that no matter what the event may be, the GFWHS always has some wonderful handouts with some nifty thing that I want to know.  Even on that very first day at the Log Cabin Village, there were handouts.  Here is the information they shared with me as it appears in the handouts I received (they gave me their permission to share it):

Spicy Herbal Car Freshener

½ cup Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Ground or Whole Cloves

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 ½  teaspoons Ground Thyme

1 Tablespoon Crushed Peppermint or Lemon Balm leaves

1 Tablespoon Dried Rosemary leaves

1 Tablespoon Dried Lavender

Mix ingredients. Pour the freshener into an old sock or muslin bag. Close the sock or bag opening by tying a ribbon around it, place in car or room. You can also use old bandanas instead of muslin. OR use a small jelly jar with the lid band. Fill the jar 2/3 full, place a circular cut of the bandana as a lid, screw on the lid band. Place the jar in your cup holder.  Periodically shake the bag/sock or jar to refresh the scent.

May be placed in some vacuum bags to scent while cleaning. Check your vacuum model to make sure this appropriate before using.

Keep away from pets and children.

Herbal Bath Salts

Yield: 16 ounces, enough for four baths

One cup Epsom Salts

One cup Kosher Salt or sea salt or rock table salt

10 drops essential oil, lavender or sweet orange, vanilla, carnation, geranium

Mix Epsom salts, kosher salt and essential oil in large bowl. Pour into container and cover with lid.

To make foaming salts, mix your essential oil into 1/4 cup liquid soap for every 2 cups of salt. Mix the soap/oil mixture into the salts and spread out onto a cookie sheet to dry. Once dry, pour into container with lid.

Lemongrass Glass Cleaner

2 cups Lemongrass Tea (see recipe below)

½ cup Vinegar

Combine in a spray bottle, shake and use just like other window cleaners. If windows are very dirty, 1 Tablespoon of Cream of Tartar can be added to the solution.

Lemongrass Tea: Pour 3 cups of boiling water over 1 Stalk of fresh Lemongrass, or 4 Tablespoons of dried Lemongrass. Steep for 5 minutes then strain.

Credit: Frontier Natural Products Coop http://www.frontiercoop.comjlearn/herbsavvy16.php

Soapwort Cleaning Solution/Shampoo

2 handfuls of Soapwort

1 ½  cups water

1 ½ Tablespoons chopped fresh Rosemary

1 cup water

Put soapwort in a small pan and add 1 ½  cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Cover and leave to cool. (Will smell like spinach cooking.) Strain the cooled liquid into a bottle.

Put Rosemary in a bowl and pour 1 cup of boiling water over it. Cover to steep for 20 minutes. After cooling, strain into the bottle with the soapwort solution. (If you prefer a lavender smell, replace the Rosemary with Lavender in the recipe.)

Shake vigorously before using. Use within 4-5 days. Store in the refrigerator.

Can be used as a cleaning solution for delicate fabrics or as a shampoo.

Warning - if using as a shampoo or on skin, first test a small amount on a small area of skin 24 hours before use to test for allergic reaction.

Adapted from a recipe in "Herbal Delights" by Lewis Esson

Greater Fort Worth Herb Society Log Cabin Village "Frontier Fall Fest" October 2011

Good Herbs to Grow in the Fall and Winter

Calendula – Easy to grow from seed. Blooms best in the cool seasons. Flowers are various shades of yellow and orange. If grown organically, flower petals are edible.

Chamomile - Green foliage with small daisy-like flowers that have white petals and yellow centers. Flowers have an apple-like scent. Has a calming effect and is commonly used in tea.

Chives - Onion chives have dark green tubular leaves with pink and purple blooms. Garlic chives have flat green leaves and produce white blooms in late summer. Onion chives produce foliage better during cool seasons. Garlic chives have a milder flavor and with foliage that is available all year, plus they easily multiply by seed.

Cilantro - Sow seeds every couple of weeks during the cool season. The plants bolt (produce flowers) and go to seed quickly when the weather warms. This plant does not grow in the heat of the summer. The seed is more commonly known as coriander.

Dill – Easy to grow from seed, sow in the fall and spring for the best crop. Once weather warms, the plant will quickly flower, produce seed and leaf production will cease. If the winter is mild, dill may survive producing lush foliage in the spring. Swallowtail butterflies like to lay eggs on this plant, and some people grow it just for butterflies.

Fennel- Has an anise or licorice flavor. Lacy leaves can be used in teas. Bulbs are used as vegetables. Bronze fennel adds a dark red or burgundy color to the garden. Flowers are similar to dill, and some butterflies also feed on this plant.

Lemon Balm - A delicate leaf that has a lemony scent and flavor. This plant spreads quite well by seed. Best leaf production is in the cooler seasons. Cut back to the ground in late spring after it flowers and it will produce lush foliage again in the fall. It is a good tea herb. Steep the leaves in hot water and use the base to make lemonade.

Pansies and Violas - A great flower to add color to the fall and winter garden. Looks great planted with parsley. If grown organically, the flowers are edible. Add them to salads or ice rings for beautiful color. Can also be crystallized and makes a great decoration for cakes or cookies. They also attract butterflies.

Parsley - A biennial (flowers and dies in second year); it is full of vitamins and minerals. It enhances the flavor of cooked foods. Can be added to salads and all sorts of dishes. Will wilt and look dead at temperatures below freezing, but will revive as the day warms.

Rosemary - An evergreen shrub in our area that blooms with blue, lavender or white flowers. Good in savory dishes, or in cookies, breads and teas. It has a strong flavor so use sparingly. Needs good drainage.

Sage - A common herb around Thanksgiving, it also adds flavor to roasted vegetables, or can be pan cooked in butter to add to vegetables. Also good in teas. Comes in many varieties that can add color to the garden or bouquets. Some have grey leaves, others purple or variegated with yellow. Needs good drainage.

Thyme - An evergreen low-growing plant that blooms in spring or summer. Commonly used in cooking, and teas. It comes in many varieties including lemon, lavender and coconut.

“Greater Fort Worth Herb Society  www.gfwhs.org  Log Cabin Village “Frontier Fall Fest" October 2011”

I love herbs because they are easy for me to grow (I would be ashamed to show you my cucumber and tomato plants – they started great but aren’t looking so hot right now).  I originally just wanted to grow herbs for some inexpensive, unique, fragrant landscaping; however, the more I learn about herbs, the more I want to learn to use them for so many other things as well.  I have more wonderful recipes to share with you in a future post, and I will share the things I learn in upcoming meetings, too.

One of the things that some people do with herbs is to make fantastic soaps out of them.  I attended the Herb Festival sponsored by the GFWHS this weekend and there was a vendor there who had the best smelling soap!

I asked the lady what the “Breathe Easy” soap was all about and she said that it has eucalyptus and other ingredients that help people with sinus problems.  I am going to try it this week and if it really works, I am going to order a case or so.  As for the Rosemary Mint and the Ginger Snap…well, I just bought those because they smell heavenly.  If you would like more information, you can visit her website.  She was also excited to tell me that some of the Whole Foods stores in our area will soon be carrying her products.

Yep, I’m thinking that I could really learn to love herbs!