Cherry Jam Class

A few of our chapter farmgirls got together at MaryGail's home and made Cherry Jam. We started out pitting about 18 pounds of cherries, getting a few on the floor and staining our hands and clothing.  Don't know how I will get the color off my hands, but it does prove I worked hard helping make some 35 jars of jam. We made some with Agave (organic natural sweetener) and I could not tell the difference from the real sugar batch. It  was a bit of a job but one we will remember each time we open up a fresh new jar of our own homemade jam.

It took us a little over four hours to get it all cooked up and canned but well worth it. I have to say it was a lot more fun to do this with friends , not only having the company can make the time go faster but just the extra hands was a big help. We had a really fun time chatting and sharing and are looking forward to our next lesson which MaryGail will be showing how to can beets. That's one class I'll sit back and watch as I don't do beets. Now when this summer produces a bunch of tomatoes and peppers, I'm there for the salsa making.
Thanks gals for a great day and a lesson in canning cherry jam.

Colors of Nature

I just love it when my flowers are blooming. The smells in the air are so refreshing all I want to do is open all the windows and let them penetrate the house.

 I walked around my garden and snapped a few pics of what is in bloom right now.

 I really love my dianthus pinks (bottom) and the lavenders. They seem to put off the strongest fragrances. My roses are not in bloom yet. It has only been in the 80's for a couple of days now.

The speedwell is a new plant but I really like how it looks so I am hoping it will come back next year.

I have a lot of pink and purple flowers. I really love how some of them just flow so softly through the breeze. I have had a few butterfly visit already and I'm sure the hummingbirds will be back soon too.

These little pink flowers (right) are from a bulb I planted a couple of years ago in my ceramic frog. They pop back each spring.

Well I guess I will go and plant some more seeds to see what pops up later as the warm weather looks like it is finally here to stay for awhile. Hope you enjoyed my flowers as I have and happy gardening.

Color Me Happy

Well I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, probably not the kind I should be doing as I have been a bit down. So I decided I needed more color in my life to help brighten my spirits. I began by spending a fortune on paint and decided the hen coop had to be my first project. This is only because it is the first thing I see when I look out off my deck. Besides I figured they could use some cheering up too. Here is what it looked like.

This is the second look. And I say that because as I was painting the door, I was not pleased with the contrast so close to the window.

So I decided it needed the trim paint on the door as well. It is more appealing to my eyes anyway. Do you think this will get the hens to lay more eggs? Yeah, I doubt it too. I do like the way it all kind of blends into the surrounding scenery. My hubby did'nt even see it at first. Go figure.

Next I hope to put up a better fence around the coop. I'm thinking a white picket will do just fine. Today I am off to town. Need some dark purple to go with the light purple I have. I'm thinking I have a couple of chairs that could use a nice sprucing up as well.

Lord, don't stop me now. This is better than a coloring book and crayons. At least these colors will be seen more often and not closed away in a book.  With luck I won't need a therapist and I will again brighten each of my days.

A Victorian Tea Party

Let me tell you what a wonderful tea party I attended on Sunday the 13th. MaryGail and April (chicks in our chapter) opened their home and put on the most elegant, Victorian tea party I have ever been to. First off we had to come in our 'fancy' hats and aprons to help set the mood. The table was adorned with MaryGail's mom's beautiful laced tablecloth and napkins. There were beautiful china tea cups, MaryGail has been collecting for years,  and real silverware, candles and mouth watering foods.

We sat down and at each place setting was a gift of garden seeds for us to take home. We were then served by the ladies,  Oriental Chicken Salad placed in lettuce leafs, which I proudly had two and a half of. There was shrimp, stuffed creme cheese peppers, blueberry scones (to die for), cookies and muffins and a Victorian Tea that I just fell in love with that I just had to have the recipe for.

You can see how beautiful everything is. 

Along with this beautiful spread, we also had our monthly meeting and were suprised with four new gals that wanted to join us. We have such a diverse and wonderful group of ladies and I hope to continue to enjoy their company for many years to come.

Thanks to MaryGail (left) and April (right) this was a tea party I will not soon forget.

Working Ol' Hank

Between mowing and weed eating and watering, there is no time to sit idle. With warm weather and sunshine, I can keep myself pretty occupied outside. Just don't send any company my way or I'll have to go inside and clean up a bunch. I really don't like to clean house when I could be outside planting seeds and watching my things grow. (Hubby does'nt like it much either)

Since most of our driveway has somehow dissapeared, we had a load of gravel brought in to replenish it. So, guess what I did?  I put ol' Hank to work. At least I had fun playing with the bucket, pushing it into the pile of gravel and trying not to tip over. You really got to manuver the bucket just right to pick up a nice load, keep it in the bucket, and dump it in the right spot. I think I did okay. I managed to get quite a few piles placed around the drive, then thought I would try the scraper blade on the back of Hank to see what it could do.  Managed to scrape it off the drive easier than spreading it around. So I gave up on that one for now.

Figured I'd better leave some for hubby to do or he'll tell me I put it in the wrong spots.

So I parked ol' Hank and got out the hand shovel and wheel barrel and loaded several piles of gravel into the new dog kennel. Thought it would keep them from digging as well as getting muddy every day, but they still dig. I think they like this play yard a lot better as they have more room to run around (this is a before the gravel). I'm always afraid some big hawk will swoop down and get them as they are so small so prefer to keep them safe in their pen. They are close enough to watch mom in the garden so they know they are not alone. The only thing is, they will bark to come out so they can use the restroom. They refuse to poop in their play pen. 

Many of my flowers are starting to bloom and I put out a bunch more seeds today. We are suppose to get rain again for a couple of days , but so far only really windy. I just keep watering the beds to keep the seeds in one place. Has anyone ever grown Sweet Annie? I received some seeds from a farmgirl last summer, planted them and none came up. So I am trying again this year. The seeds alone smell wonderful so I sure hope the will come up this year. I would love to have wild flowers all over the places where I really don't want to look at dried up old weeds.

This here is Allium. I really should plant more of these. Isn't it pretty? I did plant six more plants of Pinks. I just love that they smell like carnations and come back each year. I have put out a lot more bulbs, and my daughter gave me a bunch of Tulips of beautiful red that I hope to see blooming out here next Spring. I am hoping to fill this here garden area with tons of flowers and herbs with hopes of having some for drying and making poupouri. It's just a matter of seeing what will keep coming back each year that the frost won't kill off.

Wow, the wind is really blowing hard outside today. Guess I better go and water down my seeds again.

Hard work pays off

You all know I have been needing to keep myself busy as to help me heal and here is part of that busy. You remember when I started, it was just a hill with weeds and not an easy task for mowing or weed eating. So for two days, I pulled weeds, and moved rock. With my daughter's help we got it cleared off enough to begin planting new shrub and flowers. With some soil amendments and a good compost (there were worms in the soil also), things should do okay. Especially since we have been having some good rains come our way. So here is what it looked like.

This is pretty compare to how it could get. But now it is starting to look the way I could picture it and I cannot wait until everything is really grown up. This is a night garden so everything is planted in the white or silver shades with evergreens. Bulbs have been planted over the entire hill also. Next year will really show what I've done. But you'll get the idea. The rocks are what I could roll or lift over, but I am waiting for Big Hank (tractor) to bring in some really big boulders. It will not only look nice but it will keep the soil and mulch from running off. Just at the flat top of this hill I'm thinking of putting down a slate patio to sit out on. When hubby retires, we are moving my stairway on the deck to this backside, and it will be much wider. Another project, another time. Anyway this is what keeps me going, no matter how much hand cream or gloves I use, you can always tell I'm digging in the dirt.

The Broken Chain

This poem was sent to me and I needed to share it with you.


                                           The Broken Chain

                              We little knew that morning that God
                                   Was going to call your name.
                               In life we loved you dearly,
                                     In death we do the same.
                               It broke our hearts to lose you,
                                    You did not go alone;
                               For part of us went with you,
                                  The day God called you home.
                                You left us peaceful memories,
                                   Your love is still our guide;
                               And though we can not see you,
                                   You are always at our side.
                                   Our family chain is broken,
                               And nothing seems the same;
                                 But as God calls us one by one,
                                   THE CHAIN will link again.

                                               

Eileen A. Conklin

1948-2010

To my sister ,

You were my mentor and my strength. I will miss you but will never forget you. Until we meet again my heart will be broken.

I have spent my days staying busy gardening until I am bone tired to just shower and fall into bed. Today I went to town to start getting back into my routine of life. I will continue to keep myself going and knowing through heartaches and sorrow I can watch life from beginning to end in my garden where this is the 'simplest of life's blessings.' "We must have faith that in all things there is a time and a season. It is a gentle and healing reminder that allows hope to be restored and joy to become renewed. " (quoted from MJ magazine)