Turning the calendar ... what is new with Ernie

 

We flipped the calendar.. it is time to do an Ernie report.

April 22nd marked Ernie's six month date of being rescued by us.

He has come a long way!! When we first brought him home he was scared of everything. We slowly introduced him to our home, yard and neighborhood. 

Today, he is very comfortable in his home, yard and neighborhood. It all takes time and patience. 

He loves to have belly rubs. 

He loves to be brushed. After our hikes in the woods, we have to do a tick check, he sees the brush and gets ready for a good scratch. 

He loves to stop and visit our neighbors dogs, Simon and Prince when we go for our neighborhood walk.

 

We are working on jumping. He gets so excited to see us when we arrive home and gets excited when we have friends over. 

He does not mind being brushed, but if we do find a tick, he does not like us trying to pull it off. With all the wire hair it is not that easy. Working on letting us pull ticks. Thankfully he has only had three stuck.

 

 ♥

Carla

 

It is a "I DID IT" Hodgepodge

 

Happy Mother's Day

a little hanky and photo of me and my mom

Hello Friends, today 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. Did you watch the Kentucky Derby this past weekend? No, I did not.  Have you ever been to a horse race? No, I have not.  Ever ridden a horse? Yes, I have. Did you enjoy it? Yes, I did. My uncle and aunt use to own a riding stable. They had a lovely business. Beautiful trails in the woods and very gentle horses.   Have you ever been to Kentucky? Yes.. just a drive thru. Do you like Bourbon? Yes.

2.  What's something you wish you'd placed in a time capsule fifteen years ago? 

Memories that I made fifteen years ago, that I cannot seem to remember today. Ha ha!

3. Are you adventurous? Elaborate. 

I will say, Yes. When we canoe or go kayaking I will be the first to say, how about we paddle down this stream. The last time I said this we got stuck on a sand bar on a little creek, we could not really turn around, it was a true adventure to get out. 

4. Something you want to make this year? It can be a new recipe, craft, diy project, a milestone you've set for yourself...anything at all. 

I just finished a huge project (for me) a T-shirt quilt for our oldest son.

I finished it Friday, May 3!!

We gave it to him for his birthday on Saturday, May 4th.

Note.. his birthday is April 7th, but he was away with the Wisconsin National Guard during his birthday, we celebrated this Saturday.

 

 

Using T-shirts from when he was a little boy, to a teen boy. It was a lot of fun to create this special memory quilt for him.

 

We celebrated Sam's birthday at Pattison State Park. Pattison State Park is Sam's favorite Wisconsin state park. He was very touched by the quilt and it made my heart swell!! We enjoyed a day of hiking, a fun picnic and birthday cupcakes.

 

5. Cinco de Mayo was also celebrated this past weekend...do you like Mexican food? I do. We have a fantastic Mexican Restaurant in our area,  Casa Mexicana . If so what's your favorite dish? Chimichanga de Tinga  Have you ever been to Mexico? Yes.  Margarita-yes or no? Yes.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 A few photos from our day out at Pattison State Park.

 

 

Step - Over Fruit Trees

 

 

Hello Friends, today I am sharing the last article I wrote for the Cameron Chronicle.. "The Little Paper with Personality." I started writing for our village paper June 2021. I shared garden tips and tricks. I also shared gift ideas for gardeners. 

In March of this year, Marty the owner of the paper shared that she was having trouble finding affordable printing. She has decided to retire the Cameron Chronicle.

My April article and last article for the Cameron Chronicle  was posted on the Cameron Chronicle Facebook Page.

Cameron Chronicle Facebook Page 

 

The Garden is Living, it should be changing...

 

Just as the garden is changing our lives change as well. I will miss writing for our village paper and I will miss reading our village paper. It was a fun paper with personality.

 

And now for my last article... enjoy.

 

♥

Carla

Step-Over Fruit Trees

By Carla TePaske of Cameron WI ~ The Little Garden That Could

What are step-overs? A step-over is an extremely dwarf apple or pear tree that is grown typically as a fruitful hedge or border to an ornamental vegetable garden or a potager garden. Their success is totally dependent on growing them on an extremely dwarfing rootstock. If this tree is left to grow to it’s full size it may reach to your chest of even shoulder, however it was never intended to be grown as a 'tree' but rather as a step-over.

To grow a step-over fruit tree, you learn the art of espalier. The art of espalier is all about selectively pruning and training to a desired shape.

Fun Facts about the Origins of Espalier

Espalier is the ancient horticultural art of pruning and training a tree or shrub to grow flat against a support, creating a living sculpture. According to American Garden History, espalier was originally used to create outdoor "walls" in Europe during the Middle Ages and was also planted in interior courtyard walls to prevent late frost bud-kill.

Other records show this technique dates back to ancient Egypt, where hieroglyphs of espaliered fig trees have been found in tombs dating back to 1400 B.C.

The French word "espalier" (ess-PAL-yay) was originally a noun that referred to the trellis or support upon which the tree was grown; today, it refers to the technique itself.

You can use the same technique to train your tree as a step-over.

A step-over is a trained tree 20 inches from the ground, creating a T shape. The name derives from the fact that you can “step over” the low branches. They are ideal for planting along the edge of a path or lawn or for creating sections in a vegetable garden.

Until next time, happy gardening!