Joy List Monday

 

Joy List Monday

 ♥ a weekly reminder ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life

magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

 

 ♥ heartfelt notes and prayers from family and friends

Our National Guard son was called to duty to help with the unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He just completed a 4 month mission conducting COVID19 testing in the heart of Milwaukee. He started school on August 24th. 

Off he goes again.. thank you for the prayers.

♥ beautiful weekend weather

 ♥ eggplant, summer squash, tomatoes and cucumbers all fresh from the garden

 ♥ our youngest son coming home for the weekend

 ♥ the following note on a box of vases from our neighbors

If you are new here to The River, I have a self serve flower shop called The Flower Shack.

May you have .. warm hugs to greet you.

Fun times to meet you.

Joy in whatever you do.

God's love to guide you.

Good friends beside you.

And happiness!

 

A Little Blog Housekeeping

 

Hello Friends,

A little blog housekeeping.

Sadly, I have been getting a slew of inappropriate comments. 

I am trying something different regarding the comment section of my blog.

I am in hopes you are still able to comment, because I enjoy our blog friendships. And many of us have been blog buddies for years and years. And some of us are new blog buddies. 

I am hoping my little housekeeping works.

August color of the Month ~ Blue

 Each and every month I have been picking a color of the month and sharing random photos of that color.

January ~ White

February ~ Red

March ~ Green

April ~ Pink

May ~ Red, White and Blue

June ~ Yellow

July ~ Purple

August ~ Blue

Blue is my favorite color and August is my favorite month!

Take it away blue...

 

Blue Sky

Blue Lantern

Blue Jeans

White Moon in a Blue Sky

Wisconsin's Flag

Blue Car

Blue Lego's

Remembering Molly on the Hodgepodge!

 

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

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Molly our Boston Terrier

RIP  Labor Day 2018

She was a best friend to all in our family.

Click here to join the fun!

 

 

 1. The Hodgepodge lands on National Dog Day this year (August 26th). Do you own a dog?Currently, we do not own a dog. Our sweet Molly passed  away from old age Labor Day 2018. She was a true best friend. Did you have a dog when you were growing up, or maybe some other kind of pet? When I was growing up my dad had a dog, named Lucas. He was a special dog in many ways and a true best friend to my dad. Would you say you're more of a dog person or a cat person? Neither is okay too : ) I like both. I do get nervous around dogs that do not have responsible owners. I was knocked down by a big dog while biking, that memory hangs with me when I am around dogs that have not been loved or trained by their owners.

 

 2. Last time you felt 'dog tired'?

Tuesday, I am so tired of what is going on in our country. In my own state of Wisconsin, as turmoil continues.

I am so tired of the virus, the hate and the destruction.

 

 3. It's said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. When did you last prove this idiom true or prove it wrong?

I am going to use my husband to answer this question. I am so proud of him. He has always wanted to learn to play guitar. I gifted him  a guitar and lessons for his 2020 birthday in January. He made his last lesson just before the shut down!

He played This Land is Your Land for me the other night and Edelweiss. 

4. A favorite book, television show, or movie featuring a dog. Why did you love it?

Where the Red Fern Grows is a favorite of mine.

I cry my eyes out each time I read it. Why do I still love it? It is all about LOVE!

 

 5. Last time you had reason to (literally or figuratively) exclaim 'hot diggity dog'?

I have been listening to my favorite baseball team play ball, the Milwaukee Brewers. They have been on a down hill slide, but last night, "hot diggity dog" they won!

 

 6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

 

Our cat, Penelope, wanted to be sure to say "Hi" today.

 

 

Wisconsin Master Gardener Volunteering during COVID 19

 

This week would be the week the North Country Master Gardener Volunteer's would be hosting the Twilight Garden Tour. With COVID 19 the tour has been cancelled.

Ah, but us Master Gardener's got creative on how we can still reach out to those that like to learn about gardening. 

 

 

Many of us have filmed videos at our homes or at the research gardens.

Above is a photo of me doing a video on Tips and Tricks with making bouquets using flowers in your flower garden. My husband helped me create the video.

We had all kinds of stops and starts.  We had wind, a lawn mower, a helicopter fly over and our resident wren got in the video too. And even though I was at home doing this in front of my husband, I was nervous. I also had to keep the video at about 5 to 6 minutes, so I did not want to get carried away talking about flowers.. that I can do very easily. Ha ha!

The summer of 2018 and 2019 I held bouquet making classes, with people attending, it was fun and I think it was easier, because people interact with you.

 

I do think I would do better filming my second time around after seeing how I did this first time. Do you have any tips when filming, please share with me.

Click here to learn and watch more from the North Country Master Gardeners

Here is a bouquet from me to you!

♥

The Great Garlic and Onion Harvest!

 The great garlic and onion harvest. 

At the end of July I harvested our garlic.

My husband built me a fantastic drying rack down in our basement. I lay the garlic on the racks and place a fan to blow on the garlic for about three weeks.

After the three week drying time, my husband bundles the garlic and hangs it in the basement.

 

Time to harvest the onions.

 I do the same. I harvest the onions. I place them on the drying racks and I have the fan blowing on them. After three weeks of drying time I will gather them and put them into baskets and store in the basement. I grew four different variety of onion this season. I am very pleased with the flavor of the red onion.

Best storage onion.. Copra

Long Day Sampler.. 

Walla Walla.. yellow onion

Ringmaster.. white onion

Redwing.. red onion

 

Are you harvesting and preserving any garden goodness?

It is a 5 Years Ago Hodgepodge!

 

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. Five years ago this month hubs and I relocated from New Jersey to the Palmetto State. What were you doing five years ago this month?

 We visited The Paine Paine Art Center and Gardens 

to see the Downton Dressing exhibit.

 

2. What was the last 9-5 job you worked? Tell us about it.
 

 I worked in Accounts Payable at Marquip located in Phillips, Wisconsin.

I enjoyed my job and my co workers. I enjoyed dressing up for work Monday - Thursday and on Friday, was casual Friday.

3. Plead the fifth, high five, take five, it's five o'clock somewhere, or the big 5-0...which number five phrase relates to your life in some way currently? Tell us how.

Take Five

 

We have been busy moving our boys to the apartment they are renting together. We have been busy setting up house. They are happily moved in and we are taking five!

4. During this season of spending so much time at home, what distractions get in the way of being your most productive? Or have you been extra productive since this whole thing started?

I have been extra productive, with the help that my husband was home for two months April and May when our state shut down non essential business. We tackled projects that had been on the to do list. My husband is back to work and I am continuing to work on projects. I am harvesting and preserving more from our garden this season.

5. Give us a list here of your top five anything.
 

 

1.  Friends and Family

My dear friend Marv, who is 92, and is a Korean War Veteran, stopped in to see our National Guard son when he returned from his 4 month mission in Milwaukee with COVID19 testing.

2. Our Garden

August brings harvest. Eating fresh veggies everyday from the garden. Yum.

3. Butterflies

We have monarch butterflies visiting the garden daily.

4. Baseball

I am still listening to the Milwaukee Brewers on the radio. Having that brings just a wee bit of normal to this 2020 summer.

5. Low humidity and highs in the 70's

We are enjoying a great weather week.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Spotted during a day trip.

Zombie Crossing! 

The Tale of Two Brothers

 The Tale of Two Brothers

 August 1st our two son's moved into a two bedroom apartment together. Our National Guard son is heading back to college August 24th. He will have online courses Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He travels to campus on Tuesday and Thursday for in class learning.

 Our 2020 Graduate son is currently working full time. He is looking at starting his generals at Chippewa Valley Tech College in the Spring semester of 2021.

 Here is a peek at the apartment.

 

 

I gave the boys an outdoor plant and put some solar lights in it. They love having a patio. We loved that the apartment was on the first level and we could use the patio door to move in.

 

 

We found a fun shower curtain. 

We put in the shelving for them. They each have a shelf and baskets for their toiletries. The bathroom is small,  by adding the shelving it will work out well for them.

 

 

The kitchen is spacious, with lots of counter space. 

We are very pleased with the new apartment for the boys. 

It has a washer and dryer in the apartment. Their very own washer and dryer. Yay!

It also has a dishwasher and microwave.

 

 

I created this little corner for them in the kitchen. Tomatoes, onions and garlic from mom's garden.

They both like to cook. 

 They are doing well and are happy with their place.

 

And with the move, that means that my husband and I are in an empty nest. 

I have gotten use to Sam being off and on his own. 

Having my little guy head out the door, well to be honest, my heart broke for a few days. I am so excited for the boys to venture out into the world and want to make it a better place.

At the same time, it is the big. ugly. world. and in 2020 it seems even more ugly.

I am thankful for friends and family that cheered me on the first few weeks of the empty nest.

I am getting use to the empty house. I am not use to the echo that is in their old room, with all the furniture gone. We are going to re do their bedroom into a guest room. I already have paint colors picked out and the way I want to decorate it, so that has been something to get my mind off the echo. Ha!

A dear friend gave me some positives to ponder...

♥ They still want to live together as friends, not only as brothers.

Good job on fostering that relationship, mama!

 ♥ They are responsible enough to live ALONE!

Good job teaching those  "real life" skills, mama!

 ♥ They can afford to live on their own. 

Good job teaching those budgeting skills, mama!

 ♥ You survived and thrived, adapted and learned these past 18 years as their parent and you will continue to do so in God's grace. 

YOU'VE GOT THIS!

July Garden Tour

 July has come and gone.  

In one way, 2020 is slowly moving along, corona virus, could please go away, you have been here long enough. 

In another way it is zipping along, harvesting cucumber, tomatoes, green beans, peppers and making flower bouquets and all the while I am starting to notice late summer is arriving here in Wisconsin.

When I am in my garden the season goes so quickly.

Here we go, let us take a July garden tour.

Hot July brings picnic joys, firecrackers for girls and boys.

Tasha Tudor

In the garden, July brings garden goodness.

A soon to be white pumpkin is growing big and round.

 

Nasturtiums.. yum.. yum.

 

 

Some of my succulents.

 

A stroll among the flowers.

 

Our gladiolus are now, starting to bloom.

 

Hops

I add hops to my bouquets, they are fun to share with people.

They are fun to touch and bring out conversation.

That is one thing I miss during this time of corona, is taking my bouquets to nursing homes and to Daybreak. The power flower bouquets have on people is incredible, especially memory.

 

Below is a photo of our tomato and pepper patch.  

I can not believe the change a few weeks can do, we have red tomatoes and peppers today.

 

 

The onion patch.

 I harvested the onions yesterday. 

I  will share more in a future blog post about our onion harvest.

 

 

I decided to do a Red, White and Blue theme on our front deck, in honor of all that our troops are doing for our nation this year regarding the virus and more.

 I am so pleased with the way the petunias filled out and did just as I wanted them to do. 

 

 

And a little stroll around the back of the garden.

 

Thank you for strolling along with me in my July garden.

♥

In August swallows southward fly, summers waning, fall is nigh.

Tasha Tudor