Out and about on an adventure, I came upon this family of plastic ducks.
Play & Have Fun
To a young heart everything is fun.
Charles Dickens
Spring in Wisconsin... oh feel that sunshine.
What to do in case of emergency:
1. Pick up your hat.
2. Grab your coat.
3. Leave your worries on the doorstep.
4. Direct your feet to the sunny side of the street.
Susan Branch
Do not worry... it is a plastic bug.
While studying to become a Master Gardener, we took several classes with the Insect Diagnostic Lab U.W. Madison. P.J. Liesch was our instructor.
P.J. has recently shared a new website to celebrate the Cicada. I have shared the information below.
Are you in the path of the Cicada "invasion"?
"Now that the solar eclipse has passed, the next big natural phenomenon in Wisconsin will be the emergence of Brood XIII periodical cicadas in late May and June. These insects last emerged in the state in 2007 around the time that Steve Jobs was releasing the very first iPhone. While there were some reports of out-of-sync “stragglers” a few years ago, 2024 will be the year of their big emergence. Since these insects emerge every 17 years, you might only have a handful of opportunities to see them in the Badger State in your entire life. Despite having grown up in southeastern Wisconsin and turning 40 next year, I still have not witnessed an emergence myself and I’m really looking forward to this year’s activity.
With all the “buzz” about these amazing insects, I recently developed a new Wisconsin Periodical Cicada Website: cicadas.wisc.edu. This site covers the biology, ecology, and distribution of these insects, with lots of photos, audio recordings, cool historical videos, and other resources."
Click here to go to P.J.'s website
From P.J. Liesch Insect Diagnostic Lab U.W. Madison
We flipped the calendar. Here is what Ernie has been up to..
♥ doing very well with sit and stay... will listen to guests to sit to receive a treat
♥ playing fetch... brings back his ball or toy, placing it by your feet
♥ walks very well on his lead and listens to sit and stay on our walks
♥ working on... barking... he loves to bark at our neighbor kids when they are out playing
♥
Carla
Happy Hodgepodge my friends, it is Wednesday, time for the Hodgepodge.
Joyce asks the questions.
We answer the questions.
1. Do you complete your own tax returns or hire out? Something you've found taxing lately?
We hire out to have our tax return completed.
Something I have found taxing lately is the weather. We had a strange winter, with temperatures in the 60's in February. In March we get cold, right down to 0!! In April we have a blizzard with below wind chills. All this goofy weather has stressed one of our hens. She has a respiratory illness. Thankfully she is getting better, she is four years old, getting up there for a hen. I am very happy to see and hear she is feeling better. She had a cough that sounded awful.
2. It's spring (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...would you rather spend the day hiking in the great outdoors or planting a garden? Do you/will you have a garden this year? Flowers, vegetables, or a bit of both?
I am a gardener by trade. I have a seasonal flower business ..
We grow vegetables, flowers and have fruit too.
3. Do you consider yourself a patient person? Yes, I am a patient person. In what sort of situation is patience not desirable? I think if trouble is brewing, one better step in. I can be slow to do this, I need to work on learning to step in a bit faster. Are you happy with the degree of patience you have in your daily life? Yes. If not, what can you do to cultivate more of this quality in your life?
4. Do you like the flavor cinnamon? Yes. If so what's your favorite something made with cinnamon? I like a hot cinnamon tea.... coffee cake, cookies, cinnamon ice cream.....
5. Learn by watching or learn by doing? Elaborate.
By doing... I am hands on. My husband will be the first to tell you this. When he wants to teach me something or if I need him to teach me something, he knows he will hear "let me do it with your instruction." This really comes with tech stuff, if he does it for me, I forget right after he does it, how to do it. I have to do it with him walking me through the steps.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Taking a trip down memory lane. In 2021 with our local library, I put on a Garden Chat, May - September... it was just as people were coming out of the woodwork from the lock-downs/Covid19.
Hello Friends, here it is the 2024 TePaske Easter Cake...
drum roll....
Strawberry Layer Cake
with
Buttercream Frosting
I used Lindt chocolate shaped tulips as the spring decoration on top of the cake.
Everyone loved this cake, it may have become our new favorite cake.
My husband as requested I make it using raspberries for our next celebration.
We enjoyed a lovely Easter with our boys.
And as always, it is very special for me to continue the TePaske Easter cake tradition. I love the excitement my grown boys still get out of seeing what mom created this Easter.
♥
Carla
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Hello April,
It is the Hodgepodge!
Joyce asks the questions.
We answer the questions.
1. What's a talent you wish you had?
I wish I had the gift of music, I cannot sing or play any instrument or keep a beat to be honest about it. I am a mess... but I love music.
2. In one word, what's your state of mind right now?
HAPPY
3. What's the next major purchase you need to make? Will it happen this month? This year?
One may not think a vacuum cleaner as a major purchase, but it takes some research on what one to purchase. Yes, we will be purchasing a new vacuum cleaner this week.
Ernie + Penenlope + Me = a lot of hair to vacuum up. I shed as much as the dog and cat in the Spring. Ha Ha!!!
Is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich something you eat weekly or more?No, but my husband loves PB&J sandwich's and he eats them weekly.
What's your favorite kind of jelly? Strawberry
5. Are you easily intimidated? Who or what intimidates you?
I do not want to make this a looooong story... so I will share the short version.
Who intimidates me... are people HIGH on drugs. During the summer of 2023 our neighbor across they way got hooked up with a fella, that ended up on drugs. He started to bother me while I was out working in my garden. His eyes would be popping out of his face, he was sweating and acting very strange. Needless to say, he intimidated me BIG TIME!!! There is more to this story that I will share another day.
I am thankful for my husband, family and friends who stepped in and helped me during this time... until the fella was escorted out of my neighborhood.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
"Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances."
C.S. Lewis
 |
| 2023's Easter Cake |
Hello Friends, it will be that time, the 2024 Easter cake reveal. And this year all of our family will be together to celebrate. Our son Sam has missed two Easter's with us due to deployments. When he is able to be with us, it makes it extra special. Both of our son's enjoy the Easter cake reveal, we make a big deal out of it.
Next week I will reveal the 2024 Easter cake... until then...
At Easter, we remember a love that sacrificed all... a power that conquered all... a hope that reaches out to all.
♥
Carla
Hello Friends,
Today I will be sharing the article I wrote for our local newspaper, Cameron Chronicle, "The Little Paper with Personality."
I started writing for the Cameron Chronicle June 2021. This may be the last article published in print form. Marty the owner of the paper informed me the March issue may be the last printed issue of the Cameron Chronicle. She is having trouble locating affordable printing.
There will be NO printed April issue of the Cameron Chronicle. Marty will share my April article on the Cameron Chronicle Facebook Page
in the meantime, here is the article I wrote for March.
Rhubarb
By Carla TePaske of Cameron, WI ~ The Little Garden That Could
Rhubarb is an early bird surprise for us gardeners. It is cut and come again. We use it in sweet and savory dishes. Rhubarb is incredibly long lived. Once established, it grows happily in the same spot year after year.
Rhubarb is good for us. It is particularly high in vitamin C and fiber.
The best way to plant rhubarb is to plant rhubarb crowns. Rhubarb is greedy, work mulch into the soil and around the planting. Wait two or three years for the plant to get established before harvesting.
If you spot a towering flower plume, pick it, the plume may reduce your crop.
The best way to harvest rhubarb is to run your finger down the groove of the stem until you reach the root. Give a gentle tug and it will come off in your hands, leaving any buds forming just below your mature stem to develop into the next crop. For the plants sake, do not over pick, leave some of the stems. A general rule is pick ⅔ of the stems, leaving ⅓.
Until next time, happy gardening!
Porch sitting?
How about garage sitting?
Our neighbors cat likes to watch me do my outdoor chores. And she likes to tease Ernie while she enjoys her garage sitting.
It is time for an Ernie update.
Several of you have asked about how we came up with Ernie to be the name of our little copper dog. We stuck with the name that Little Red Barn Dog Rescue gave, Ernie.
Ernie enjoyed a big adventure to the winter shores of Lake Superior. It was a grand day of adventure for the little copper dog.
Ahoy Matey!
Hello Friends,
My friend Judy gifted me a study written by Max Lucado. The study focuses on setting aside anxiety and fear in this ever - changing world.
I will be honest, I can get anxious. Living in an upside down world, I think if each one of us is honest with ourselves, we can say we feel anxious every now and then. Max shares that one way to replace your "anxious" thought is to replace it with "already". Look at what you already have. Treat each anxious thought with a grateful one.
"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
Abraham Lincoln
Happy March and today is Wednesday, time for the Hodgepodge.
Joyce asks the questions.
We answer the questions.
1. Has March come in like a lion where you live?Living in Wisconsin the weather can change in the hour. It is rather difficult to say. I can say this, on Sunday we enjoyed 65 degrees and sunshine. On Monday we had a snowstorm and over an inch of snow floated down in the form of huge flakes. If not a lion then what
animal would you use to describe the weather in your area this first
week of March? Turtle... sunshine days peeking out of his shell... winter days going back into his shell. Does the weather affect your emotions?I like sunshine days. If we have days and days of cloudy weather I might get grumpy. When did you last
feel 'under the weather'? Thankfully we have been healthy this season.
2. Do you know what your name means?Free Woman Does the meaning of your name fit with your personality? Yes, I enjoy my freedom. Do you like your name? Yes! If you have children did you consider the meaning of their names before choosing them? No, we did not. We chose names that meant something to us as a couple.
3. It's National Sauce Month...what's your favorite sauce? Roasted Tomato Sauce Last thing you ate that used a sauce? Eggplant Parmesan ... note we froze eggplant this season to make Eggplant Parmesan during the winter, it worked out fantastic. I was worried it would be soggy, but it is not, just about perfect as fresh from the garden.
4. Something you've seen, tasted, done lately that you'd describe as 'awesome sauce'?
We went on an adventure to Lake Superior and stopped at two waterfall along the way.
5. What kinds of things do you love to collect?
Plants
Heart shaped rocks
Sea glass
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Hello Friends,
A little of this and that from me to you.
Our weekly newspaper has a YesterYear section. I had to chuckle to read the February 22, 1884 entry.
The first bounty ever paid to a woman in this county by killing a wild animal was paid this week to Mrs. Louisa Demars of Stanfold for dispatching, with a club according to the law, a wildcat that was bent on destruction for Mrs. Demars' chickens.
I shared this with my friend Judy, who commented... " Don't mess with those chicken lovin' mamas!!!"
Our Wisconsin weather has been going from This to That... above you will see Ernie going for a walk with his friend Charlie and it was 55 degrees in February. I have Spring Fever and set out our lawn furniture and look what happened.
My husband enjoys tapping our maple trees and cooking down the sap. The start of our 2024 syrup season, dark sweet syrup. Yum!
Joy List Monday
♥ a weekly ritual ♥
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
♥ the above kitchen towel, paper weight and message are gifts from a friend... for no reason but to spread kindness
Kindness Counts ... Pass It On!
Go plant a seed of kindness and watch the world bloom
So, plant a seed of kindness
And we'll chase away the gloom.
♥ text messages from friends and family
♥ watching my seedlings start to pop up
♥ a friend stopping in for a visit and bringing my favorite sweet roll
♥ visits with our neighbor over the fence and yes it is just like Wilson... from Home Improvement
Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.
Hello Friends, it is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge.
Joyce asks the questions.
We answer the questions.
1. What kind of thinker are you-doer concrete thinking) analyst (analytical and abstract thinking), orator (logical thinking) inventor (imaginative thinking) or original thinker (creative)? What makes you say so? You can try this little quiz (link here) to help with your answer.
I did not take the quiz. I read the outline of all the thinkers. And I am..
The Original Thinker: Creative Thinking
You have a rare and valuable ability to think creatively.
Creative thinking is the ability to look at problems and situations from a different perspective and find unusual and often surprising solutions.
Creative thinking is a rare skill and is needed in all types of work.
I usually can find solutions for problems and many times they are outside the box.
2. Do you own a crock pot, air fryer, and/or instapot? Do you leave said small appliance sitting out? How often do you use it/them? Favorite thing to make in one of these?
I do own a crock pot. No, I do not leave our crock pot sitting out.
I use my crock pot several times in a month.
I made this recipe last week, it was delicious.
Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Sweet and Salty Sauce
3. What's something you hold a strong opinion on that matters not at all in the grand scheme of things?
Pick up the dog poop!
I just got home from my walk with Ernie, I hold a strong opinion on dog owners leaving poop on the sidewalk, in other folks lawns and even on the street.
Hello Friends, today I am sharing the article I wrote for our local paper, Cameron Chronicle.. "The Little Paper with Personality."
Sweet Peas
By Carla TePaske of Cameron, WI ~ The Little Garden That Could
Sweet peas are the perfect flower if you are looking to add fragrance and romance to your garden.
Sweet peas have a hard seed coat. To aid germination you may find it helpful to leave the seeds in a small saucer of water for 24 hours before sowing.
Sweet peas do not like to have their roots messed with. An easy way to sow sweet peas early in the house is to use a rootrainer or a toilet paper roll. They are ideal as they provide a deep, narrow area for the root to run. If you choose to use the toilet paper roll, you can plant it right into the ground when you are ready to plant out your sweet peas.
When
there are three or four pairs of leaves, pinch out the leaders –
just squeeze off the growing tip between your finger and thumb. This
promotes vigorous side shoot formation, with the energy of the plant
directed toward growing out, not up.
Check your plants regularly
and water them lightly if the surface begins to look dry. About a
month from germination, check the bottom of the pot for white
roots.
When potting out make
sure you plant your sweet peas alongside a vertical support such as a
tee-pee, an arch or a tunnel. Plant 2 plants to each rod of a
vertical support.
As the young sweet pea plants begin to grow, tie them into the frame – don’t leave them to flop around. They’ll grow more quickly and make stronger plants tied in regularly.
Feed and water your sweet peas. They are hungry plants and do not like to dry out.
You can let your flowers go to seed and collect the seed pods in the Autumn. Let the seeds dry out for a few months and store in a labeled envelope. The seeds that you collected may vary slightly from the parent, especially if you grew a mix of varieties. You will have created your very own unique sweet pea.
Until next time, happy gardening!
Our 2024 Northwest Wisconsin Winter has been strange.
No snow.
Mild Temps and when I say mild, 50 degrees.
Yet, we had one week of BELOW ZERO weather. And what does one do when you have negative temperatures?
You make luminaries and sun-catchers.
Fill your bucket with water, toss in your decorations.
I used pine boughs, pinecone, cranberries and oranges.
We taped another container down into the water to have it make our area for the candle to sit after freezing.
The sun-catchers are made by filling a pie tin with water. Place your string in the water, I placed an orange slice to hold my string in place to freeze. Again I used pine boughs, pinecone, cranberries and oranges to decorate my sun-catchers.
Below are photos of the finished luminaries and sun-catchers.
And at night...
And then the warm temperatures arrived...
❤
Carla
Joy is not in things, it is in us.
Benjamin Franklin
