fried olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, collard greens, leftover chicken, walnuts
on brown rice
Garden Tour
Click for larger pictures.
Potato Patch
Pumpkin and Winter Squash
Corn
Onion and Garlic with Parsnip on the edges
Onions
More Onions and Chard
Lettuce and radishes and lettuce sprouts.
I had planted some really old spinach that never came up so I reseeded with lettuce.
Carrots
Peppers
Tomatoes
Cabbage
Zucchini and Cucumbers
Cole Crops
Kidney Beans
Black Eyed Peas
This was originally Snap Peas, but only a few came up. So I replanted Beans and Cucumbers.
This post is linked to Tuesday’s Garden Party.
On Leading Goats
I want to share with you something that has made my life so much better.
It’s called a halter.
Growing up in town and moving to the country, I find that I know very little about much of anything. And any rudimentary knowledge is hard bought.
I love the halter.
This post is linked to Saturday on the Farm.
Compostable Chip Bag
Something of much interest!
Compostable Chip bag.
It says it will be mostly broken down in 13 weeks.
I can’t wait to try it!
Fruit Trees
This is what I have planted in the way of Fruit Trees.
This is my peach tree. It’s doing this weird thing where it is blooming and leafing out in layers going up the tree. We had a very early freeze last fall. All the leaves turned black on the trees before falling off. And then this spring, after the weather was warm and the trees were budding out, it froze. I think the buds must have froze harder higher on the tree. I’m hoping that’s not all dead. At least the dead is shrinking.
The peach trees are Reliance. My only complaint would be that the stone is not cling free.
This is an apple tree that my daughter planted from a seed. She planted it because I won’t buy red delicious apples and I also won’t buy a red delicious apple tree. I’m wondering if the apples will actually be red delicious. This tree is 3 years old. Don’t wait to plant an apple tree because they grow oh so slow.
My Bartlet Pear tree was planted last year.
Honey Crisp apple tree. I think it’s about 3 years old. I meant to clip down some of that extra length, but now that it’s leafed out I’ll wait until next year.
The wind was blowing when I took this picture. The tree was originally a MacIntosh apple tree, but the top died and the tree came up from the roots under the grafting point. I guess we will have to wait and see. It’s the same age as the apple tree above.
Superior Plum tree. Red Plum. It’s a semi dwarf and the only semi dwarf that I have, the rest are all standard. It is also 3 years old or this is its 3rd summer. The tree is full of developing plums. I was a little concerned when it had so many flowers because it needs the Alderman to pollinate. I didn’t have very many flowers on the Alderman. The plum flowers are not showy like apple or peach.
Alderman red plum. This is its second summer. It has maybe ten plums coming.
Sugar Pearl Apricot. I had 2 apricot trees, only 1 made it through and the top died. The tree wasn’t grafted so I’m thankful I have a shoot. I had trouble with all my newly planted trees this last year.
This is a Mulberry shoot trying to make a come back. The top of the tree died. It was only 6 inches tall when I planted it in the fall.
And I mustn’t forget my old apple tree. The picture is a little old. This was right before full bloom. Now we have a bunch of tiny apples. We counted 19 rings when we cut the top off.
This post is linked to Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage.
How I Quit Smoking
I smoked cigarettes from the age of 13 until I was 22. I was not a casual smoker, but a real addict.
Defeat comes, not when giving in to the temptation, but when becoming the Hare and relinquishing the race. The wisdom of the Tortoise is to “endure to the end.”
The techniques I used to quit smoking the final time, could be used to break any habit or sin.
1. I set aside some time where my only goal was quitting smoking.
2. I had a partner. My future husband quit smoking with me also.
3. I minimized the temptation. I spent 2 solid weeks backpacking only coming out of the mountains to replenish food supplies.
4. When I felt like smoking a cigarette I exercised.
5. I embraced the benefits. One of those was exercising. It’s so much nicer to exercise smoke free.
The Wisdom of the Tortoise and the Hare
In the summertime I try to keep the wisdom of the tortoise and the hare at forefront of my mind. Usually that means I remind myself that slow and steady wins the race.
I just have to keep going, no matter how slow, and great things will be accomplished. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water…whatever he does shall prosper.”
Reorganizing
I’m in desparate need to do some reorganizing through my entire house. I’m hoping I can stay motivated by just by posting before and after pics. Here are a few projects I’ve been working on.
Here is my messy kitchen wall.
Here is my kitchen wall after cleaning up!
Here is my messy pantry.
I took the picture after starting work.
The pantry after cleaning.
