Honesty Jar

I have a Fresh Cut Flower stand during the summer months in the front of our home.

This past week I found the following in the Honesty Jar, along with $0.50.

Sorry I don't have much.

I didn't take a flower...

but really just wanted to take a minute to say,

they are beautiful!

and this is a really wonderful and trusting and unique creative plan.

Have a good day sorry 4 wasting your bags. Here is a quarter.

P.S. Nicely done yard.

 

Monarch Love and it is the Hodgepodge

It is Wednesday. It is time for the Hodgepodge.

 Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun.

  1. Did you watch the solar eclipse? Your thoughts? Sun Chips, Moon Pies, Starburst candies, a Blue Moon beer, a Sunkist orange, or a Milky Way candy bar...what's your favorite eclipse related snack on this list?

I was working during the eclipse. When I returned to the kitchen with my Meals on Wheels travel totes, my co worker was looking up with her fun 2017 Solar Eclipse glasses. She let me take a peek. It was fun. I think it really is amazing!!

Sunkist orange for me! I love oranges.

 2. What are you 'over the moon' about these days? What's something you enjoy doing every 'once in a blue moon'?

'over the moon'

I am in love with all the flowers in my garden.

Each and every garden season is different. My flowers are doing so well. My zinnia are so thick and the stems are strong. Sweet peas, oh my, my first year growing sweet peas and the fragrance is so wonderful.

'once in a blue moon'

I will shoot trap with my boys. My boys are on a trap shooting team. They love it. I do not really enjoy shooting, but I will do it once in a blue moon just to be with my boys. I love how they coach me. I do try, but I am just not gifted in shooting. 

3. Tell us about something in the realm of science that interests you. How do you feed that interest?

I am interested in insets. Butterflies are number one on the list. 

We just finished hatching two monarch butterflies.

 4. What are a few things you remember about going back to school as a child?

New clothes, shoes, backpack, lunch box, books and teachers. 

 5. I've seen several versions of this around the net so let's make one of our own...share with us five words that touch your soul and briefly tell us why.

Family ~ the love for my husband and boys.

Home ~ home is where my heart is.

Love ~ I think the world simply needs more love.

Faith ~ I have faith. 

Gratitude ~ I am thankful for all I have been blessed with.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

 Our youngest had an accident while wood working. He cut into his tendon. 

We met with a surgeon today, he confirmed all will heal on its own, no surgery required. We are so thankful. If the cut would have been just a wee bit deeper it would have been surgery. 

Atticus will be in a splint for four weeks. 

He is doing well and in good spirits.

 

Harvesting Garlic

 Way back in October of 2016 we planted our garlic.

I was given garlic from a friend I met at the Farmer Market.

She told me to break the cloves off the large garlic head and plant.

 We separated our cloves. You plant one clove. And then another and then another.

 The garlic patch!

 This photo was taken in late spring. 

We have garlic!

Summer arrived and the garlic grew. It grew its flower, also known as a scape.

We harvested the scapes and made Garlic Pesto.

Click here to read my post about harvesting garlic scapes and making garlic pesto.

You have to cut the scapes off even if you are not going to use them. You do not want the flower to bloom. You want all the plants energy going into making the bulb of garlic.

We harvested our garlic the last week of July.

This is one of our largest heads that we harvested.

I harvest them by digging them up careful with a garden fork. 

I left some of the dirt on and set the the bulbs in the basement on newspaper for a few days.

After the few days, my husband hung the garlic to dry and keep in our basement. 

At the time of writing this post, August 18th 2017, the garlic is doing great. We ate our first clove of our homegrown garlic in a fresh salsa we made this week.

August Days ~ It is the Hodgepodge

Hello, It is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 1. Do your actions match your words? Elaborate.

Yes, if I say something, I follow thru with it.

 2. Sick as a dog, go to the dogs, dog days of summer, dog tired, it's a dog's life, every dog has it's day, can't teach an old dog new tricks...now doggone it which saying could most recently be applied to your life?

 Dog Days of Summer

We are in the dog days of summer here in Wisconsin. The garden is happy with rain, humidity and warm days. Everything is growing, growing, growing.

 3. Your favorite book featuring a dog in the storyline? What makes it a favorite?

(source)

 

Because of Winn-Dixie

Author: Kate DiCamillo

 

I simply love this story. 

I read this story aloud to my grandpa during his last summer. 

It will always have a special place in my heart. 

 

 4. What's something you hope to one day have the confidence to do?

I never know if it is best to sit back and simply let a "bossy" woman continue to be that "bossy" woman because that is the way "they" are?  Or should I say "Enough already, you no longer need to be the BIG LOUD MOUTH HEN in the HEN HOUSE."

 5. August 16th is National Tell a Joke Day. So tell us a joke.

One of our local Veterinary clinics has a sense of humor.

I took these photos February 2016. No, Wisconsin does not have snow as of yet. 

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Have a Great Day!

 a little buddy in the garden

 

Book Reveiw ~ Bear Town

My latest read or should I say listen. I listen to audio books the two weeks I do my Meals on Wheels route.

I have read A Man Called Ove, My Grandma Asked Me To Tell You She is Sorry and And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer all by Fredrik Backman.

Bear Town was very different from my favorite, A Man Called Ove.

If you have read Bear Town, what was your opinion of the story? 

Fredrik Backman has become a favorite author of mine. He has a way of digging into the heart of the matter. And writes about how love can hurt in an honest way.

 

One For My Baby ~ It is the Hodgepodge

Get Ready!

Get Set!

Go and join up with the Hodgepodge. 

Click here to join the fun! 

A special Congratulations to Joyce, the author of the Hodgepodge.

She is a Grandma!

 

Take a peek at Snips and Snails and Nana Tales to share in the excitement with Joyce.

 

 1. Do you try to set rules for yourself about how you use your time? Explain.

 Yes, I do. I have a daily to do list.

I also set month and year goals that I work to achieve.

I also limit my screen time. Which sometimes can be hard to do.

 2. Monday was National Lighthouse Day. Have you ever visited a lighthouse? If not, do you have any desire to see one up close? Of the 10 Most Beautiful that made this list which would you most like to see in person-
Lindau Lighthouse (Germany), Fanad Lighthouse (Ireland), Portland Head Light (Maine), Yaquina Bay Light (Oregon) The St. Augustine Light (Florida), Peggys Point Lighthouse (Canada), Start Point Lighthouse (England), Tower of Hercules (Spain), Bass Harbor Head Station (Maine), and White Shoal Light (Michigan)
When you've been away, what's your 'lighthouse' telling you you're on the right road home?

I love lighthouses. I have visited several. My love of them started during a road trip that I shared with my grandpa and mom. We traveled to Michigan via taking a Ferry across Lake Michigan.

We sailed the SS Badger click here to learn more.

Out of the 10, I will pick Bass Harbor Head Station (Maine).

When we travel West to Montana our ride to Montana is full of prairie and sky. When we travel back to Wisconsin we know we are getting close to home, Wisconsin is full of beautiful trees.

 3. What have you unintentionally stopped doing? Is this something you need to pick back up and begin again, or is it something you need to let go of for now (or even permanently)?

I have not been getting up at my alarm. I get very busy in the garden during the summer. As the summer starts I go to bed later and later. I do not mean to hit that snooze button two or three times.

Yes, I will need to get back into the routine, school will be starting for the boys. We all will need to be back at it.

 4. We've had a full week of August. Share a GRAND moment from your month so far.

 Enjoying time with our friends on their boat. 

The boys had a GRAND ride!

 5. Tell us one song you love with the word 'baby' in the title.

Frank Sinatra - One For My Baby (And One More For the Road) 

  6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

We went to Dunkirk over the weekend. 

We felt it was well done.

 

 

 

Meet Me in the Garden

Meet Me in the Garden

 Good Looking and Tasty Plants

Interspersing Edibles in the Ornamental Garden

What is that all about?

This was my first speaking engagement as a Master Gardener.

We brought in design ideas: herbs in pots, cherry tomatoes in window boxes, small fruit trees, peppers among sun loving flowers, lettuce and radish with chard.

Sue Reinardy

Sue was one of my instructors in my Master Gardener class. She is down to earth, easy to talk with and does not make you feel silly for asking questions.

She was in charge of creating Meet Me in the Garden.

 Katie Childs

Katie discussed the history of ornamental edibles.

She used fun ideas from Andrew Sankey.

 Carol Taylor

Carol has many fun containers that she brought from her deck. She likes to container garden. It is easy for her to walk out on her deck to pick fresh veggies and herbs for her dinner.

 Me!

I brought in my cherry tomato, marigold, garlic chive container.

Meet Me in The Garden was held July 13, 2017.  The plants have doubled in size since that day.

Yes, I am wearing a wool sweater! It was only 58 degrees the evening of July 13th! 

Crazy! Wisconsin! Weather!

 I also created an edible bouquet. Everything I have in the bouquet you can eat!

Bee Balm ... tea

Garlic Scapes ... Garlic Pesto

Chocolate Mint ... add to chocolate brownies

Carrots ... see the red dragon carrot in my bouquet. My new favorite carrot.

 I was a wee bit nervous. This was my first garden talk.

 My husband was having fun taking photos.

 Donna Amidon

Donna did many bouquets. She added wild flowers and grasses to her bouquets. 

She used chard in the one she is holding.

 Beets, Carrots, Kale, 

So many fun ideas to create edible bouquets.

  

Mitch and Brent

Edible weeds that are found in the garden.

Mitch and Brent both shared what we can eat that are weeds in our garden.

Purslane, Clover, Lamb's Quarters, Mallow, Wild Amaranth, Curly Dock, and Milkweed.

 It was a fun experience for me. 

I am looking forward to next year's theme for Meet Me in the Garden.