Back to School Hodgepodge

 

It is Wednesday! 

It is Back to School!

 And soon it will be Christmas.. Gosh, that calendar will not slow down. 

It is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions. 

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

1. August is National Golf month...do you play? Do you enjoy following golf? Have you ever been to a professional tournament? 

I played golf once with my friend A. Her mom let me use her golf clubs. It was a hoot of a time. We played golf and drove around in the golf cart just having a good old time. It was a carefree golf day.

My husband works for a company that makes turf equipment for golf courses all over the world. It is fun to learn what courses use the machines that he helps design and create. 

No, I have not been to a professional tournament.

 2. Astronaut Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame passed away this past Thursday. Are you interested in outer space and what's happening today in terms of space exploration? I am not all that interested, but I keep up with a bit of it because our oldest son is interested in it and I like to be able to chat with him on topics he likes. If space travel became common in your lifetime would you go? Only if I had to go visit a family member who might be living on Mars. How do you personally relate to the idea of exploring something vast and mysterious...does the idea excite you, intimidate you, or something else? I do not mind going off to explore, but I DO NOT want to have to wear a special suit to keep me alive. I like earth.

 3. Describe your communication style in three words. 

Listen

Share

Digest

 4. Do you have a favorite cookbook? A favorite celebrity chef? Do you watch any cooking shows on TV? 

My favorite cookbooks change through out the year, right now I am enjoying many recipes from  ...

 The Prairie Homestead Cookbook

A favorite celebrity chef? Do you watch any cooking shows on TV?

Julia Child

I enjoy watching Julia Child cooking shows, I have learned a lot from Julia.

 

 5. As a child did you have any back to school traditions? If so, did you carry on those same traditions with your own children? Do you have any back to school traditions you've started on your own? 

 We would go back to school shopping. It was fun to pick out a new trapper keeper, folders, notebooks, pens, pencils and more. My mom took a photo of our first day of school. I carried on with that tradition.

 Do you have any back to school traditions you've started on your own?

We had our boys write out .. what are your goals for this school year. And then at the end of the school year, we would have our boys write out... what goals shifted during the school year, what goals did you accomplish and what are you looking forward to for the next school year.

  6. Insert your own random thought here. 

School seems to start earlier and earlier.. actually I do not think it ever ends in my neck of the woods. I walk past the Middle and High School of our local district and kids have been at the school all summer. 

 

Dog Days

 

Ernie, chilling on my mom's chair.

 

Hello Friends, do I have a story for you. Two weeks ago our neighbor stopped me to have me meet their new puppy, Lucy. I noticed Lucy had band-aids  on her sweet puppy face.

Lucy was attacked the day before by a pit-bull that lives down the street from us. I did not even know a pit-bull lived at that house.  The pit-bull got out of his fenced backyard and traveled down Arlington Avenue. Lucy the puppy was out with her 7 year old owner, when all heck broke loose. The pit-bull attacked Lucy the puppy, threw her up in the air. In the meantime, Stella our other neighbors dog sensed trouble, she got in between the pit-bull and the little girl. All the commotion brought all the adults out. They were able to get the pit-bull and called the police. 

The pit-bull was taken back to the home that it belongs and told to keep that dog in its fenced yard. 

YIKES!

This week I was out for my evening walk with Ernie. A white dog started to follow us from behind down the sidewalk as we did our usual walk around our neighborhood. A father out playing with his three children saw the dog and tried to catch it. This gave me time to get a move on and hightail it home.

YIKES!!

And for my final dog days story. The evening of Thursday of last week,  my husband and I set out for our evening walk. We see a women with a dog ahead, she does not have the dog on a leash. As we get closer, we are walking faster than she is, she says, "No worries, my dog is friendly." As the dog proceeds to run full speed, barking and  foaming at the mouth towards us. It happens all so fast!! That dog is after our Ernie, who is on a leash. I cannot pick Ernie up because the foaming at the mouth dog is pushing into me. My husband is trying to grab the dog. The women yells at us, "I will handle this." She turns on her shocker that she has in her hand to full blast, the dog begins to yelp in pain and is paralyzed.

We once again, hightail it home.

YIKES!!! 

We look over Ernie, he is fine. We look at each other and shake our heads. 

"What in the blue moon is going on with people!"

April 1st

 

Hello Friends,

April 1st has come and gone. And if you are a regular reader here at The River, you may have remembered that I was running for village trustee for the first time. 

My first election. 

I will share a quick recap of how I got into this... I already am on a few committees with the village government. I decided to attend the monthly board meetings last year, because I started to hear rumblings about some issues that really bothered me. After attending the village board meetings, I decided that if I wanted to change things, I would need to get involved in our local government. 

One of the rumblings that really had me concerned was de-funding our police department.  That really bothered me. We raised our family here in the village. Our boys could ride their bikes up and down the street, stop at the local park and I did not worry. Why?

We had a village chief of police who knew the kids of the village and looked out for them. A side story here, one of our deputies retired, we recently bumped into him at a local function. He asked us what our boys are up to now after they flew the nest. He said, I just loved watching them ride their bikes and playing with friends. 

When I heard that current village board members wanted to de-fund our police, I decided to run in the spring election. 

It all has been a learning process for me. I met with the village clerk to learn how I go about getting on the ballot.  My neighbor nominated me, I completed all the paperwork and I was on the ballot. 

We decided to send out postcards with a photo of me and our dog, Ernie.  Ernie and I walk the streets daily, we thought that would be a good way to be recognized by those who do not know me.

 Others know me as the "Flower Lady" with my fresh cut flower business.

I was running against well known Cameron people. When I say this, born and raised here for generations. That is not me, we moved here, we are transplants. (I have a lot of stories about that too, I have shared some here on the blog.)

I know you are saying "Come on Carla, get to the results, did you win?" 

Jessica Larson 377 votes

Carla TePaske 297 votes

Randy Hill 361 votes

Dave Ebner 375 votes

I did not make it on the board. 

The village clerk called me today, she congratulated me on how well I did for my  first time in an election.  She also shared that if any of the board members resign in the future the spot will go to me, election law. 

She encouraged me to try again, she said you did really well for your first time. 

Many friends and family reached out to me during the day on Wednesday. Giving me encouragement or a hug. I am thankful for that, because I did feel sad, I wanted to try to make a difference... shake it up. Hee Hee!

I am so thankful for all those who cheered me on and also encouraged me that I should give it another try. "You were so close and you have good ideas, keep in the fight."

But there was one text message that gave me "Happy Tears" ...

 

Good Morning Mom!! Proud of you for trying!

Love, Sam

 

Sam is our oldest son. 

♥

Carla

 

A Duel with Fear

 

Someone painted hearts on trees along our river walk.

 Hello Friends, today I am going to share some news with you. Monday, January 13th my husband and I attended our local caucus at our village board meeting, I was nominated to be on the ballot to run as trustee for our village board. We have been attending our local board meetings for a year now. We decided we wanted to know more about what was going on in our village. As we started to know more, we saw that some ideas of change in our village are not going in the direction that we would like. We started to talk about running for trustee in the 2025 election. 

My husband is already the treasure of our local Sportsman's Club. He also is the keeper of the website for the Sportsman's Club. He really did not feel he could add more to his schedule and still have the free time for family, friends and hobbies that he would like.

We talked about me running for the position. I asked him his honest opinion, because he knows me best.  He told me I ask good questions about things that "no one on the board" ask. You are a thinker and you feel passionate about our little village. 

This was all in December. With that I asked my dear friends to pray for my decision.

I met with our village clerk to find out just how do I get on the ballot. I had to be nominated at the caucus, I could nominate myself if I wanted. And I needed a second.

I asked my neighbor Dave if he would be willing to nominate me, he was and he did. He was happy I was running. He said, "Yay, about time we had some representation on the South Side." And my friend Kathy seconded the nomination.

I completed my paper work Friday January, 17th. I am going to be on the ballot. 

I do not know that I will win. I am running against two fellas that are born and raised in our village and they have been on the board F.O.R.E.V.E.R.  I am not born and raised in our village or am I from the county we live in. We are transplants, but we have lived here going on 28 years. We raised a family here and work here in the village. 

Because of my flower business, I am known as The Flower Lady. 

So here it goes... The Flower Lady for Village Trustee.

 

To duel with fear and walk away champion. 

To remember the last always goes first, the servant before the crown and humbly take my place in line. 

Help me pray the ultimate words of faith... thy will be done.

 

 

 

Holly Jolly Christmas

 

Each December our little Village has a Christmas parade. It is always well attended and full of creative floats.

 

 

I love all the creativity.

 

 

I love all the twinkle lights!

 

 

Our friend Larry.. see his smile. He loves driving in the parade. 

 

 

Our local garbage service .. I liked Oscar the Grouch waving out from the garbage can.

 

 

Here comes my favorite float of the night. The Cameron Fire Department had HUGE blow ups. Well as you can see they are getting away. No worries, people jumped up to help hold the extra ropes so Santa and his Elf would not move around so much.

 

 And who is last to come.. Santa..riding on a firetruck.

 

 To finish the night Santa sits for you to come visit and receive a bag full of treats.

 

 

 Merry Christmas!!

 

Hello November and It is the Hodgepodge

 

Goodbye Autumn leaves... the wind and rain took the last of our leaves.

Hello Friends, 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. What is one good thing you often take for granted? 

The freedom of going where I want when I want. I can just hop in our car and go.

2. What's the boldest piece of clothing in your wardrobe? 

 My winter bathrobe, it is grey with bright polka dots.  Hee Hee. 

3. Do you think common interests or common values are the key to people getting along? Elaborate. 

In my life it has been both. I have relationships with people who have different values, yet we have common interests. Those who I am closest with in life, we share interests and values.

4. November 6 is National Nacho Day...do you like nachos? How do you like yours? Do you make them at home or only order out? 

I love nachos! 

We make a chicken nacho board... it is so good. 

Chips

Cheese

Chicken

Black beans and white beans.

Peppers, olives, onions, tomatoes,  and more cheese.

Place in the oven to let it all melt together... yum!

A dash of lime. A dollop of guacamole. A wee bit of sour cream.

 

 5. Have you spent any time in Washington D.C.?  If so what did you think? If not, is that a place you'd like to visit? What do you think about politics as a career choice? 

I have not visited Washington D.C.

I would like to visit.. but at this time it is not high on my places to visit list.

Local leadership is where my husband and I have been dedicating our time. This year we have attended our local monthly Village board meetings.   

I am currently serving on two committees, zoning and the community building. My husband is serving on the library board.

I am not a fan of leaders becoming 'career' politics.

 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

 

"The United State of America is a true miracle."

 

 

Courage and Man's Best Friend

 

Hello Friends, here it is August and I still have not shared my 2024 word of the year. It is not because I did not have one. It was because I was not sure how to share the why I  decided on the word COURAGE.

April of 2023 two police officers were murdered a half mile from my house. It was a terrible day for our village and rural community. 

I shared the story here .. I titled my post .. Courage, Dear Heart

Our Village was down an officer and the neighboring community was down an officer. Because of the situation many officers needed time off after witnessing the death of two officers. It was a very difficult time for our local police departments.  We were shorted staffed.. in fact as I type this we are still short staffed for law enforcement in our village and county.

 

 In May our next door neighbors daughter had her boyfriend move in with her. As I was working out in my front gardens, he started to watch me. He would say comments across the way to me. One morning as I was setting up my flower stand, he approached me from behind, he introduced himself and started to say how lucky my husband was to have me. I finished setting up my stand and went to put my sign up on our main street of our village. As I was walking back, he showed me his genitals. 

I was sick to my stomach by the time I got into the house.

The next day, he did it again. 

The next day he came up to my house and started to tap on my windows and peeping in.

He started to sit at the end of his driveway and stare into our dinning room window. He again showed me his genitals. 

Yes, I went to the police. Yes, they were helpful and would do what they could to help me. They also wanted to be honest with me and shared with me, "we are shorted staffed."  In the meantime the police ask that I start a journal. I should record the dates and times this man bothered me, what he did, said and so on. 

May - June of 2023 

I no longer worked out in my front gardens unless my husband was home. 

I kept all our curtains closed that looked out at that neighbor.

I changed the hours of opening my flower stand, so I had my other neighbor to watch out for me.

My friends and family rallied around me. 

 

July came and he was gone. 

He robbed a convenience store, beat up the cashier, made threats with a gun and took off. Thank goodness he was caught.. he already had a record. As I type this he is in prison. 

He was gone. But I was not alright.

I was unsettled. I did not feel comfortable being alone anymore. I did not like to talk to anyone I did not know. I was tired of all the evil in the world. And asked over and over... WHY?

And so when 2024 came along... I decided courage would be my word for the year.

Past word's of the year...

2022 Sunshine

2023 Truth

2024 Courage

 

Courage n.   fearlessness   valor   brave    fearless

And that brings me to Ernie. If you are a regular reader of The River, you know we adopted a rescue dog in October of 2023. After the situation of what happened May - June, I started to want another dog. Our dog Molly passed in 2018, she was 13 years old. We were not sure if we wanted another dog. After all this happened, I wanted a buddy to be with me at home, in the garden, on my walks ( I no longer wanted to walk alone) ... to be my best friend.

 

 

This world is ugly. It is mean and cruel. I still ask the "WHY"? 

I am thankful for family. 

I am thankful for friends.

I am thankful for the beauty of my garden, nature and the good I do see. 

♥

Carla

 

This and That

 

 

Hello Friends, a little of this and that to share with you today. 

We will start with flowers.

 

"Never live faster than your guardian angels can fly"

Susan Branch

 

I harvested our first batch of fresh lettuce.

 

 

 "I seek quiet joys."

John Clare 

 

Shug asked me to take a photo of the Osprey nest that I shared in my post from last week... in case you missed the post click here to read about our local Ospreys.

Look up at the stadium lights.  

 

"Blessed are the happiness makers!"

Henry Ward Beecher

 

Meet us in Narrows Park

We enjoyed a picnic with some of my past coworkers and volunteers from DAYBREAK. 

 

"Fun is Good."

Susan Branch 

 

 

Each morning a load of culverts have been unloaded for a big project that will be happening in our village. 

 

" Life is either a great adventure or nothing."

Helen Keller

 

 I started this begonia from seed...  I cannot believe the size of it.

 

Have a great week my friends. 

I will be on an adventure... be back soon.

♥

 Carla

 

Ospreys

 

Our local osprey... photo taken with our phone.

Hello Friends, today I am going to share about the osprey that nest at the football field  at our local school. They have been nesting at this location for about three years. The school placed a special platform for the osprey to build their nest up on the football lights. Their nests are huge and can weigh up to half a ton!

We know when the osprey are back, because we can hear its call. It is a whistle-like call.

Another name for an osprey is, fish hawk, and for good reason. Ninety-nine percent of the osprey's diet consists of live fish. 

The base of the ospreys' nest is made with sticks. We were lucky enough to witness an osprey grab a dead branch from our neighbors tree, it was amazing. Osprey are strong enough to grab a dead branch and break it off a tree trunk!

It is always a joy for us when we take our dog Ernie for his walk, we walk the school path which is right along the football field, so we can keep a look out for .... Jack and Diane. 

That is what my husband and I decided to name our osprey. 

♥

Carla

 

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!

Rhubarb

 

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!

Joy List Monday

 

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

Watch here 

 Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

Writing for the Cameron Chronicle in 2024

 

Hello Friends, 

I will be writing garden articles  for our local village newspaper again in 2024. 

Cameron Chronicle "The Little Paper with Personality."

I am sharing the article I wrote for the January 2024 issue.

  

Roses

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

Happy New Year to you all. As we jump into a new gardening year I plan to pick certain plants and flowers to discuss and give tips for success.

Roses are a favorite of mine, but lately I have been having pest and black spot problems. We will start talking pests. Rose aphids are the pest that I have been having the most trouble with. We garden organically. I will be sharing organic ways of managing pests. It may sound gross, but it works, use finger and thumb to squash aphid colonies on your plants. Encourage aphid predators in your garden, ladybugs, wasps and earwigs all like to eat aphids.

Black spot is the next problem I have with our roses. It is caused by a fungus, Diplocarpon rosae, which infects the leaves and greatly reduces plant vigor.

Underplanting with salvia has been proven to help the health of roses.

The sulphur in the salvia’s scent profile means that when they warm up, they release a natural fungicide. This helps keep the roses strong, healthy, mildew and black spot free.

Underplanting with salvias is a great organic gardening method, which allows you to forgo pesticides and chemicals. If you spot the signs of black spot, clear anyway any dead leaves which might work as a natural host for harmful spores.

I planted a salvia under one of my roses in late summer. I am in hopes it helps with black spot and other pests. I will keep you updated.

Until next time, happy gardening!

Christmas Poinsettia

 

Merry Christmas from my garden to your garden. ♥

Hello Friends,

Today I am sharing the December article I wrote for our village newspaper, Cameron Chronicle, The Little Paper with Personality.

 

 

Christmas Poinsettia

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

Merry Christmas from The Little Garden That Could.

How many of you get excited when you see that lovely red and green plant at the supermarket? Oh, I just must have a poinsettia. We bring it home all lovely, only to struggle to keep it alive. Here are a few tips.

Don’t leave your plant in the car. Bring it home wrapped up cozy in paper or a plastic bag.

Poinsettia like a bright spot, but not direct sunlight.

Used to drought, poinsettia hate being over-watered so don’t leave them sitting in water, but instead let the soil dry out a little before watering again (usually every 3-4 days).

A few more jobs for the month of December.

Organize your seed bin. Sort out any leftover or half empty seed packets. Make an inventory of the seeds you will need to purchase.

Check summer flowering bulbs and tubers that are being stored over winter. If any show signs of mold or rot, remove the affected one or separate to prevent it spreading.

Check stored squash, pumpkins, and apples. If any signs of mold or rot, remove to prevent it from spreading.

Merry Christmas

"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" – Bob Hope