Puns and Posies

The standoff.

2011-10-03T10:51:00.003-05:00

And now we're into October. The leaves are beginning to turn, and temperatures are starting to drop indoors and out.

Speaking of drop, if I catch the little tree rat that keeps digging up my geranium, I'm gonna drop-kick him into the bushes across the street. I give you corn, you creep! Stay out of my plants!

Anyhow, the falling temps. Since we live in a house of hardwood floors, it's time to break out the socks and slippers. And sweaters and blankets. It's kind of a competition around our neighborhood. "Did you turn on the heater yet?"

It's funny how that one little phrase can be such a source of pride or humiliation. Admitting to turning up the heat before January is apparently like confessing that you like ketchup on your kittens or something. A shameful thing. On the other hand, you score big if you can point to the thermostat with a shivering blue finger and announce, "Yep, still off!"

In my opinion, if you can't hear the radio over the chattering of your teeth, it's time to crank up the thermostat. Some like it hot. Do you?

About spiders...

2011-09-12T14:32:00.001-05:00

I'd be a poor sort of gardener if I didn't appreciate the need for spiders. After all, they eat bugs and keep the backyard ecosystem in balance. That being said, I think spiders have their place, and I definitely believe that they should remain there.

I don't freak out just because a spider shows up in a odd corner of the house. There was the time I found a brown recluse in my clothes, but that was justifiable homicide. Most of the time, I figure that a spider minding his own business in the rafters will do me the favor of keeping my yarn stash safe from moths. Live and let live, right?

Spiders in the yard are always to be encouraged. Go for it, little dudes! Eat the mosquitoes and flies!

The only problem with arachnid leniency is that spiders are hard to train. Many of them insist on building their webs any old where, often with disastrous results. This weekend was a prime example.

The space between two trees looked like a fine spot to spin a web. Unfortunately, some fool put a sidewalk there first. Heading up that sidewalk in the darkness was, you guessed it, me. I walked face-first into a net that would have done the Starkist fleet proud.

It was occupied.

I can look back on the incident now and be glad that it was too dark for anybody to see my "DEAR GOD, GET IT OFF ME!!" dance. At the time, I was too busy dealing with eight legs running laps around my neck to show gratitude. I stopped short of beating myself senseless and stomped into the house.

I swear I heard crickets giggling...

Suffering Succotash. And Carrots, And Potatoes, And...

2011-08-08T11:01:00.003-05:00

On the plus side, there's the fact that the AC didn't break until the heat wave did. Humidity or no (and we have plenty), one hundred twelve degrees is just freakin' HOT. So, when I came home from work to find a dead air conditioner, I was fully prepared to weep and sweat.

Trying to sleep while the in-house temps are above ninety is... doubleplusungood.

Today, the repair dude arrived. With the rain.

This is my dilemma. Shall I be disgruntled at the prospect of waiting another day to pay a massive bill, since no one in their right mind would do electrical repair under a huge maple tree in a thunderstorm? Or should I take my coffee onto the porch and enjoy the cool breeze and less-crispy lawn?

Mother Nature doesn't always play nice, but at least she seems to be cutting me some slack today.

How was your weekend?

In which I get new ears.

2011-07-11T21:41:00.001-05:00

My sweaty spouse clumped his way up the porch steps and peeked around the door. "Well, everything's pretty much dead, but we got some corn. Oh, and here's some tomatoes!" He handed me one large yellow and one medium red tomato. I eyed the thumbprint-sized gouge in the yellow tomato.

"I see something's been enjoying this one already."

"Well, yeah. But you can cut that part off, right?"

Larry is convinced that if we'd intended to raise weeds, we would instead have thriving vegetables. As it stands now, the lack of water has ensured a lack of bountiful harvest. But hey, several dollars' worth of organic veggies is a great return on a few cents' worth of seeds. We're not complaining.

We took our day's harvest home. My contribution to the produce effort was about to begin. I filled the big pot with water and set it to boil before turning to the ears waiting in the sink. After wrestling with and swearing at the trash can (When, oh WHEN will they make a 14-gallon bag to fit in my 13-gallon trash can? Just an extra inch of fold over would be nice.), I started shucking the corn.

I was pretty gleeful at this point, stopping just short of yelling, "Wow! It looks like real corn!" I nearly did a happy dance. Whilst peeling the seventh ear, I looked under my thumb and DID do a dance. I also came close to dislocating my elbow as I hastily returned said ear to the sink.

"Hey, this one's occupied! I'm gonna give it to the squirrels."

The water finally achieved boil and the corn was blanched. Into a zipper bag, suck out the air, toss it in the freezer. Our first corn. Bask with me in this moment of quiet triumph, sharing a bond with our global ancestors who taught us the secrets of storing food for an uncertain future.

That's nice. Now pass the butter.

Weird Wednesday: towering termites!

2011-06-22T16:23:00.002-05:00

According to FactsAboutAnimals, the world's termite population outnumbers that of humans by a ratio of ten to one.

Green Monday: grow the love!

2011-06-13T12:06:00.005-05:00

Hey, looky what I got from Marian Allen!

After a brief pause to bask in my newfound glory...

...ah, that was nice. Anyhow, now I must meet certain obligations that come with this award. First, the thanks. Marian, if I had the gas money, I would drive to your house and make a chocolate flan cake just for you. It has a caramel glaze and uses seven free-range eggs.

Now I'm supposed to tell seven random facts about myself. This should be easy. Most of my life has been fairly random.

1. I was once named "Joke Teller of the Week" at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas.

2. I can write with both hands at once. Now if I only had twice as many paychecks to sign...

3. My absolute favorite pasta dish is Shrimp Alfredo with broccoli.

4. I firmly believe that life is too short to drink bad coffee.

5. The only shopping that I really enjoy is in yarn or book stores.

6. I am not the shortest person in my family.

7. My closet is full of theater costumes. And yarn.

Now then, it's time to pass it on. The number of recipients seems to be chosen at random, so I'll pick four because there's a dreidel on the couch and it has four sides. First up, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Alex is an author and dedicated blogger who never fails to return visits. He also has some very stylish blue binary code on his page.

Next up, we have N. R. Williams. Hey, anybody who writes a book featuring a gal with a magic flute is definitely deserving of a style award. And the book itself is much cooler than my one-line synopsis. Go and peek; she has excerpts available.

Can't pass out style awards without giving one to Stephen Tremp. Speaking as someone with a wardrobe consisting of jeans and t-shirts, I am properly impresse d by a guy who can wear a suit and smile. And he can write!

Cool and groovy person number four shall be... Peggy Frezon! Writing about and on behalf of pets, Peggy has a knack for bringing out the warmth and humor in a given situation. Plus, she's got a really cute dog.

There you have it! Flippancy aside, these four folks (and Marian, too) have the talent for making you feel something when you read their words. They also know a whole raft of other really interesting people, so don't be shy about visiting their blogs and perusing their reading lists. As for me, I'd better go peruse the garden. We got about ten drops of rain, which means the weeds are sure to be on the move.

Weird Wednesday: snails!

2011-06-08T09:08:00.003-05:00

According to Speed of Animals, a typical garden snail (Helix aspersa) travels at the blistering pace of .1 kilometer per hour, or .062 mph.

I guess nobody told him about the cake in the kitchen.

Green Monday: grow it yourself?

2011-05-30T17:32:00.001-05:00

So we planted a garden. I use "we" only in the loosest sense; Larry did pretty much everything. This is not due to my usual laziness, however. It's because my husband, in spite of being a dyed-in-the-wool city boy, is also a garden control freak. Once our friends tilled up a chunk of ground for our use, Larry took over. He picked the seeds, he decided where the rows would be, he did the planting.

I got to pay for the seeds.

Asking to assist with simple tasks was pointless. If I even suggested something that I wanted to do, he jumped in and did it straightaway. I'm not complaining, really. I just sort of expected that this would be our little bit of outdoor togetherness. Fortune has smiled elsewhere, however.

The tomatoes look like they're in shock, the corn was carried off by creatures before it had a chance to sprout, and the potatoes are apparently on strike. Droughts are hard on everybody, what can I say? Having polar-opposite schedules doesn't help much when it comes to maintenance duties, either.

There was one area in which I had free rein and no small amount of success: the radishes. In our little clan of three, I am the only one who enjoys radishes. I therefore insisted on having a row of them planted in our garden. Said row was apparently once a dumping ground for nuclear waste.

The radishes are mutants.

I chose French Breakfast radishes, because they're small and flavorful without a lot of fire. These puppies are flavorful, all right, but small went out the window after last weeks' stormfest. Four inches of rain has led to a crop of HUGE radishes. They average roughly the length of my hand in size and look like something that should be on the end of a string in the Thanksgiving Day parade.

I'm almost afraid to go back into the garden after the mud dries up. The radishes might be working out a sequel to "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes".

Green Monday: magic carpet ride!

2011-05-16T18:10:00.002-05:00

Okay, how cool is this? I'm sitting in the break room at work this morning, drinking coffee and squinting at the clock. It says 5:15, which seems like a terrible time to be awake, but at least the news on T.V is positive and interesting for a change.

Between the weather report (sunny and pleasant) and a peek at launch preparations for Shuttle Endeavor, I heard the phrase, "Go green!"

It got my attention.

There's apparently a new business in town that recycles old carpet! Even the news anchor sounded enthusiastic. I was too bleary-eared to get exact quotes, but here's some info I found online.

According to Carpet America Recovery Effort, around five billion pounds of old carpet went to landfills in 2003. CARE was established to help reduce those numbers and put those old carpets to good use.

Items including composite lumber, car parts, shingles and even railroad ties can be and are being made with recycled carpet. CARE has set a target goal of 40% diversion by 2012. In plain terms, this means they want to recycle around 2.8 billion pounds of carpet per year.

There is a bit of a catch to this: carpet recycling is not free. You can expect to pay a few cents per pound (more in some places) of carpet recycled. This fee helps cover haul-away service, plus the process of recycling itself.

If you're thinking about ditching that 30-year-old orange shag carpet (and who isn't?), consider teaming up with a carpet recycling service. You can do one good deed for the environment and another for your eyes.

Green Monday: conserving water.

2011-05-02T14:56:00.002-05:00

Hi, all. Welcome to May! After a fun weekend of music with friends, making and delivering a wedding cake, and starting a major lace project, it's time to get down to looking for more ways to "live green". Today, we'll focus on water conservation.

Quick, how many ways can you think of to save water?

Besides showering in pairs, smarty.

There are plenty of ways to be water wise, so let's pick out ten simple ideas. Take sprinklers, for example. How many times have you been out for your daily constitutional and had to dodge a badly-aimed sprinkler? Sidewalks won't grow, but your water bill will with that kind of waste.

Got a pool? Get a cover. Not only will you promote safety, you'll prevent evaporation.

Here's a great one from www.wateruseitwisely.com: "For cold drinks keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way, every drop goes down you and not the drain."

One thing that drives me nuts is seeing gas stations and such sending employees out to hose down the lot. A good old-fashioned broom instead of a hose (or gas-guzzling leaf blower) will save gallons of water and give you some exercise in the bargain.

The season of cold drinks is upon us. Did you drop an ice cube? Toss it in a potted plant! It's kind of like picking up pennies. It doesn't seem like you're saving much, but it adds up.

Set up rain barrels to collect roof runoff. Free water for your lawn and plants, woo-hoo!

While showering, shut off the water while you lather up. It works just as well as buying a water-saving shower head, and saves you an afternoon of plumbing detail.

Looking for a landscaping upgrade? Choose plants with low water requirements and group plants with similar water needs together. This can help prevent over-watering and reduce your overall use.

Learn the locations of shutoff valves in your home. In case there's a problem, you can save water and prevent damage by getting to the source ASAP.

This one's obvious, but gets overlooked because it's the least fun. Fix those leaks! Put some food coloring in your toilet tank to see if it leaks. Check faucets for drips. If you find one, fix it as soon as you can to save hundreds of gallons of water.

There, that wasn't so bad. I'll bet most of you already knew this stuff, too. Share these ideas and any others you may have with your friends and neighbors. While you're at it, post your best water conservation tips here. I'm always up for some green game plans!

Free Range Friday: Coffee and cardinals.

2011-04-29T22:03:00.002-05:00

Moving away from the coffeepot, she thought vaguely of sitting on the porch to take in the sunrise. One shoulder glanced off of the kitchen door frame, and hot coffee sloshed over the rim of the mug. A wince; a mumbled expletive.

The door latch wasn't keen on cooperating at such an early hour, but it finally gave in and she was free. Gray-painted boards creaked softly under her feet, logging her steps to the Sun Seat. She settled in and watched the sky change.

Blowing on her cup, anticipating the Zen-like moment of the first sip, she was caught off guard by the appearance of a visitor. Dressed in red and wearing a black mask, he eyed her from the porch rail.

"Zeep?" inquired the cardinal. "Zeep?"

"Seeds? Is that what you're after?"

"Zeep!" The cardinal's reply was confident.

With a slowness born from caution rather than fatigue now, she eased out of the chair and sidled toward the door. There was a sack of birdseed in the mudroom; maybe the cardinal would bring a friend or two and she could watch them enjoy their breakfast.

"Wait here, Zeep. I'll be right back."

Yay, flowers!

2011-04-26T13:20:00.003-05:00

Once again, my crummy photography skills present a marginally acceptable picture for your enjoyment.

This is my new geranium. I've never had one before, but the screaming purple color (Rocky Mountain Violet) grabbed me by the eyeballs and insisted that I take this one home.

It's actually thriving.

Since I'd like it to continue thriving, I did a little research. My little potted plant is one of over two hundred species of Pelargonium, with lots of hybrid cousins. I've also learned that the geranium has a crummy reputation, considering its popularity.

I told my mom that I'd gotten one, and was knocked over with a shout of dismay. "Ew, yuck! Those things reek! Why would you want one?"

Because it's pretty? And it actually doesn't smell like much of anything, really. True, many geraniums flowers have a very... distinctive scent, but there are plenty of varieties with scented leaves that smell like things from roses to peppermint.

So, on to geranium care. Like about ten billion other plants, geraniums enjoy lots of sun and well-drained soil. Shocking. They don't mind a little fertilizer, but avoid too much of a good thing or you'll get leggy plants with few flowers.

You'll want to walk a fine line with watering. Let the soil get kind of dry between waterings, but not so dry that the leaves droop. Too much water can lead to root rot, while too little leads to empty containers. When you do get dried leaves (or limp blooms) remove them from your plant to prevent killer fungus.

Unlike your typical tropical houseplant, the geranium is keen on cooler temperatures. If it's got the window seat, make sure it doesn't share space with a radiator.

With a little care and a lot of light, you can propagate geraniums from seeds and cuttings. With a little more care, you can enjoy this attractive plant both in and out of your home.

Green Monday: give me coffee!

2011-04-18T16:40:00.002-05:00

We live in a small town with a lot of volunteer opportunities. Our local library loves finding good uses for volunteers, so it's one of my favorite places. I'm "the yarn lady", hosting knitting lessons throughout the summer. The library folks seem to like me, too. They submitted my name for the annual county volunteer luncheon, which was an eye-opening event.

The room was jam-packed with like-minded folks from all walks of life, all having a great time. If you're ever feeling lonely, check out your local volunteer organizations. You'll make instant friends and do a good deed or twelve.

Aside from the great food (barbecue sandwiches) and terrific company, the volunteer luncheon gave me another opportunity to "go green". I won a door prize!

Clutching my little red ticket, I trotted up to the prize table to take my choice. Among the planners, trivets and always-tempting chocolates, there was a coffee cup. You know those paper cups with plastic lids that get used once and then dumped? Picture one made of tough plastic, with a rubber grip. That's what I saw on the prize table, and that's what is now sitting on MY table.

I'll never have to use a paper coffee cup again, thanks to a kind donor. Some coffeehouses offer discounts to patrons who bring their own cups, and you can just imagine how much can be saved in the way of resources if more people did the "reduce, reuse, recycle" routine.

Of course, there is one problem. How do I convince Junior that this is my sippy?

Green Monday: free aspirin.

2011-04-11T21:25:00.002-05:00

Hi, there! Today's post is brought to you on a virus-free notebook, courtesy of my last paycheck. Would you believe a Trojan that FOUR antivirus programs couldn't scrub? Not wanting to lose the rest of my mind, I disabled the LAN on the laptop and relegated it to document and photo storage.

It also plays games, woo-hoo!

This new little beastie will do all of my online stuff. No storage. If something gets through the Mighty Firewall of Doom, I can just wipe the whole thing and reinstall the works. Go, me!

Anyhow, in honor of all those who wish to be rid of annoying viruses of all kinds, I bring you free medicine. Note: I am not a doctor, and I don't play one on TV. This is just something that I do myself that could be helpful to you. Talk to your doctor, yadda, yadda, yadda. Thus endeth the C.Y.A.

Sometimes I wonder if the FDA and the USDA might be in cahoots with the medical mavens that promote all of those "new and improved" drugs on the market today. Suppose there's an elaborate plot to put bad-for-you stuff in the food supply (like soy and high fructose crap syrup) so that more and more people have to be treated for things like infertility and prostate cancer and all manner of other things, bringing huge profits to the companies involved?

Strictly a theory, mind you.

Having recently torn my rotator cuff, I am on a first-name basis with interesting pain. Reaching for my wallet has been an adventure for a few weeks. Jumping jacks are right out. For the most part, it hasn't been too awful, but there have been a few times that left me sniveling on the floor, clutching my shoulder.

Do I take a handy-dandy pill, available without a prescription and in numerous candy colors? No. I hate taking pills, largely due to the fact that they get stuck against my golf ball-sized tonsils and make me sound like Donald Duck on a bad trip.

So, I head for my pantry. On the top shelf is a bag of what look like sticks. They are thin strips of dried willow bark, which I tear up and steep in boiling water. Willow bark contains salicylic acid, Mother Nature's version of...

Aspirin.

Yup, aspirin tea. Dose it with honey, and it doesn't taste like boiled bitter bark. It tastes like sweet boiled bitter bark!

Hey, cheap and effective, and no plastic bottle to go in the landfill. I won't gripe a little thing like taste. Except for that shirt the dude in the park was wearing when I gathered the bark. Sheeeesh...

Green Monday: a drinking game?

2011-04-04T10:25:00.007-05:00

Hi, folks. We're kind of taking stock today after a whopper of a storm blew through. Hail, wind gusts up to eighty miles per hour, and Mother Nature's version of the Anvil Chorus. Someone who shall remain nameless but is known as My Husband put my impatiens outside AFTER I had brought them in from the wind. I now have a lovely basket of green stalks. Chagrin.

With gardening season upon us, it's time to think about other ways that plants can lose leaves. Two major culprits around here are deer and slugs. We'll leave the deer alone today and focus on the slugs.

Now, I'm totally fine with the "all life is sacred" creed. I still brush my teeth, but I brake for snakes in the road. In spite of this, I can not wrap my head around why we have things like slugs. Not just any slugs, either. These are big dudes, about five inches long, and every now and then we'll find one in the house.

Bleagh.

My dear spouse (the impatien stripper) once displayed his incredible balletic prowess when he marched into the front room and stepped on an intruder slug.

Barefoot. *snicker*

So anyway, slugs are here and they want to eat our plants. To avoid this, you can try one of these three easy methods. First, save the shells from your morning eggs. Let 'em dry and crunch 'em up. Sprinkle the crunched-up shell bits to make a thick border around any places you'd like to keep slug-free. Imagine walking across broken glass, and you'll see just why this works.

If you've just come into some money, you can buy copper strips to encircle your plant beds. Imagine sucking on a penny all day. Yeah, the slugs don't like it, either.

The third method involves a little-known fact: slugs are party animals. They like to drink. Miniature lampshades, teeny-weeny martinis; the works. You can take advantage of this fact with a judicious application of beer. Note: if you're not keen on killing things, skip this method. Get a pie pan, preferably disposable. You probably won't want it back. Sink it into your garden, right up to the rim, and fill it with beer. The slugs will come charging out of the greenery at the speed of... Okay, they'll gradually make their way to the beer and literally drown their sorrows. I'm not sure if they fall in first, or if they get drunk and pass out in their drinks, but the end result is the same: sloshed slugs on their way to gastropod Valahlla.

Makes you think twice about asking for a slug of beer, eh?

Do you get slugs in your garden? How do you deal with them?

Weird Wednesday: food on the fly.

2011-03-30T14:10:00.002-05:00

Like the legendary Rubber Biscuit, cranberries are sorted by bouncing. "If it don't bounce back, you go hungry!" Click here if you'd like a blast from the rubbery past.

Free Range Friday: how do you say it?

2011-03-25T16:58:00.002-05:00

I finally got to make a trip to Kansas City's fabled River Market. In addition to the great company and an incredible Ethiopian meal, I enjoyed the sights and smells of fresh produce and dried herbs. I was especially excited to see Roma tomatoes priced at seven for a dollar.

The interesting thing about fruits and vegetables is the fact that we can make them as healthy or as diet killing as we like. For the carnivore, a breakfast of corned beef hash, eggs over easy and sliced tomatoes is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee. If you like salt on those tomato slices, the healthiest part of the breakfast will be your napkin.

Look at some labels; you’ll find that most commercial tomato products contain things like tons of sodium and high fructose corn syrup. Speaking as one who eats tomatoes like apples (raw and in large quantities), there has to be a safer way to preserve that taste of summer succulence.

In ‘You Say Tomato’, author Joanne Weir offers this recipe for tomato juice: “Wash, core and quarter 5 pounds of ripe red tomatoes. Place in a large nonreactive pot over medium heat. Add 1 small red onion, halved, and 1 celery rib with leaves. Cover and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Cool. Discard onion and celery. Pass tomatoes through a food mill fitted with the fine sieve. Discard solids. Measure juice and return to cleaned pot. For each 4 cups of tomato juice, season with 1 tsp. sugar, up to 1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste. Stir to dissolve over medium heat. Cool, then chill. Taste for salt. Serve within three days.”

Let us not forget ketchup, the king of condiments Yes, you can make it at home. Here’s a recipe from Pick Your Own. You’ll need about twenty-five pounds of ripe tomatoes. Dunk them, a few at a time, in boiling water for forty-five seconds, then put them in ice water. This loosens the skins so that the tomatoes practically peel themselves.

Are your hands clean? Cut open the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and excess juice. Put the pieces into a large pot and start them simmering. Stir in a cup of chopped onion, a clove of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt (optional), 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and a cup of sugar.

While the tomatoes are cooking, put 3 cups of 5% apple cider vinegar into a saucepan. Using cheesecloth, make a “teabag” containing 3 tablespoons of celery seed. Let this “tea” simmer for 30 minutes.

Once the tomato mixture is mushy enough, run it through a food mill. Put the mixture back in the pot, add the vinegar “tea” and boil it down over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Cook it until your ketchup is the desired consistency, then pour it into sterilized jars and process them in a boiling water bath. Let ‘em cool and share them with your friends. Depending on your suppliers, you can have homemade ketchup, minus chemical enhancements, for about $0.65 per eight-ounce jar.

How about you? Are you a tomatophile? Is it to-may-to or to-mah-to?

Scrape and erase.

2011-03-22T23:17:00.003-05:00

No, it's not how I do the dishes. It's what I have to do to the fish tank. See, there's this green algae starting to grow on one wall of the tank.

In most cases, green is good. In this case, it's a living wallpaper that will take over if I let it get out of hand. A little scrubbing, a little water change, and everything will be fine.

Algae, a sort-of-but-not-really plant, is actually a necessary part of the world's oxygen supply that drives fish keepers crazy. It grows in fresh or salt water, thrives on light and fish waste, and comes in several festive colors.

If you find algae in your tank, you can be at least a little bit pleased. Algae consume what fish leave behind. Without algae, that stuff would create a toxic tank environment. At the same time, algae can go bonkers and take you with it.

To reduce the amount of algae in your tank, try some simple, natural techniques. First off, keep your tank out of direct sunlight. Light and fish poo equal algae, so cutting back to one out of two ain't bad.

Check the water conditions in your tank. Are the pH and other levels where they should be? Lopsided levels can lead to excessive algae.

If you do get a touch of the green (or red, or brown, or...), you can remove it with good ol' elbow grease and an algae scrubber. Skip the household cleansing pads, which are often loaded with harmful chemicals. Avoid cleaning more often than once a week. Too often will not only remove beneficial algae, it'll freak out your fish.

Once your tank is clean, you can admire your happy, thriving fish and curl up with a good book. How about Breakthrough by Stephen Tremp? It's his birthday, and buying a book is a the perfect present for an author.

Do you keep fish? What's your number one tank chore?

Free Range Friday: looking ahead.

2011-03-18T12:57:00.003-05:00

Hello, and welcome to Friday!

It's shaping up to be a good weekend here at Casa de Yard Bard. Coffee and cake with a fellow book lover this morning (sour cream cake with a filling of chocolate chips, cinnamon, and diced apricots, in case you were wondering), and experiments with bread baking this afternoon. Click here to read the article that prompted me to get out the loaf pans. Thanks, Dani!

Tomorrow, I head north to watch a performance of my sketch in a regional 4H forensics tournament. Then more coffee with another friend, and a interview for a potential job partnership.

Sunday is girlie time, hanging out with knitters and touring yarn shops. With any luck, the blankie for Project Linus will be done and ready to hand in by then.

By Sunday night, I'll be ready to recover from the weekend. I'll sit down with Junior and show him all of the pretty pictures in the seed catalogs. Maybe he'll help me decide what should go in the garden this year. Maybe you can help me decide. What is your garden "must have" when it comes to planting? What are you hoping to try this year? Who's your favorite seed supplier?

Have a great weekend!

Weird Wednesday: it's the law.

2011-03-16T14:54:00.002-05:00

Talk about making a good point! In Florida (according to numerous sources), it is illegal to engage in, er...

"relations"...

with porcupines.

I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

Weird Wednesday: an idea.

2011-03-09T13:45:00.002-06:00

I think it would be neat if somebody could develop a new strain of ground cover that changes color as it grows.

They could call it Mardi Grass.

Green Monday: alternative heat.

2011-03-07T20:18:00.003-06:00

Scrooge was a jerk, but he had a good idea. You're cold? Put on a sweater!

In our house, nobody has the nerve to say that they're cold. Let somebody even look like they're going to shiver, and I'll have 'em knitted into a cocoon in nothing flat. Wool socks? Yup. Fuzzy sweaters? Naturally. Somebody who shall remain nameless has a pair of crocheted boxer shorts that he claims are very nice, but are too embarrassing to wear.

Who's gonna know?

My latest ploy for keeping the gas bill down is quilting. Ages ago, I got a wild hair and cut up a few yards of fabric, then sewed the resulting ten million squares into a quilt top. It looked fabulous, and I knew it would make a spectacular quilt.

I promptly got cold feet and put it away for about five years. I knew nothing of the ways of quilters!

With a substantial amout of encouragement, I dragged out the quilt top and got it all put together. I'm at the "sew down the binding with five hundred billion tiny hand stitches until you go cross-eyed" stage, and I've made an important discovery.

Quilts keep you warm.

I mean, like, WARM. Even in the coldest room in the house, with a north wind howling at the walls, my knees were sweating under the rolled-up layers of fabric and batting. It gave me an idea. If I pry the baseboards away from the bathtub, I can cram a quilt or two in there and we'll never have frozen pipes again!

Maybe.

So between the knitted sweaters, crocheted afghans, and quilted... quilts... we shouldn't need a trip to the emergency room when we open our gas bill.

How are you keeping warm?

Free Range Friday: plastic fantastic!

2011-03-04T23:13:00.002-06:00

Hey, sorry I'm so late with this post. I'm in mourning. My beloved stand mixer died today after more than fifteen years of faithful service. It gave its life so that our neighbors might have Key Lime cheesecake.

Anyway, here I am with some neat ideas for things to do with all of those CostlyMart bags you've got stashed away in a kitchen drawer. Wanna put a "lid" on plastic waste? Try one of these sharp-looking chapeaus!

If you're just starting your recycle adventure, you can get your foot in the door with these crocheted sandals.

Of course, in keeping with the old joke about a city that tore down a parking lot in order to make room for a new parking lot, you can find scads of instructions for shopping bags made from shopping bags. Who knows, with a little creative research, you might come up with your own nifty idea.

What do you wanna make today?

Green Monday: paper or plastic?

2011-02-28T19:48:00.003-06:00

In our house, we try to use neither whenever possible. Since I'm usually hauling around the Bottomless Knitting Bag of Doom, most small purchases can be tucked away with the yarn. Grocery shopping is another matter.

I'm less than keen on crushing my cashmere with a gallon of milk.

When the bag boy, er, Comestible Conveyance Coordinator asks, "Paper or plastic?", I usually end up getting plastic bags. I know, they're made of petroleum products and are therefore evil, but I make sure to bring them back to the recycle center.

Hm? Oh, yeah. I've heard about those nifty reusable shopping bags. I've got half a dozen of them. They're right by the back door, were they'll be safe while I'm forgetting to take them along to the grocery store.

That's the trouble with reusables and recyclables. Neither one works if you don't remember to put 'em to use. Click here for one side of the plastic bag debate, and be sure to do some informed research of your own to make the best decision. Come back later this week, and I'll have some fun ideas on what to do with the plastic grocery bags that are sitting around in your "stuff" drawer.

What do you use? Paper, plastic, or cloth?

Blooms and Beasts: the crocus.

2011-02-22T12:08:00.003-06:00

Now that the snow has melted Mother Nature is looking pretty sharp. Green grass in February? Robins? I hope we’re not being set up for a nasty surprise.

I won’t get my hopes up until I see the first crocus. Don’t you love those? After the blah shades of winter, the bright colors of the crocus are a welcome sight. There are a whole bunch of colors available, but my favorite (for now) is the Crocus sieberi Tricolor. Bright blue, with a white band and yellow throat. What’s not to like?

The crocus isn’t just for looks, either. The stigmas of Crocus sativus produce the popular and pricey spice we call saffron. Not exactly a cost-effective crop, though. You need about 4,000 blooms to come up with one ounce of saffron. Hm, I think I’ll stick to garlic powder.

Instead of a bulb, the crocus grows from a corm, a similar plant structure with scaly, papery skin. Check out your neighborhood in the coming weeks. Look for low-growing, cup-shaped flowers with spiky leaves. You might find a clump or two, or see a whole chunk of lawn covered with them. If you like the look of crocus, you can plan for a fall planting. Just about all crocus are fall planted, spring blooming, except for the saffron crocus. It’s backwards.

Oh, wow. Big surprise. The crocus likes well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. Who doesn’t? Once you’ve chosen your preferred varieties, accounting for different maturation rates for extended blooming time, get the corms into the ground six to eight weeks before the first frost. Loosen and compost the soil to a depth of about twelve inches, and plant the corms four inches deep, pointy-end up. You can also plant them directly into the lawn. Remember to space them about three inches apart, and in groups of twelve for best effect. Water thoroughly after planting, and during dry spells. A layer of mulch is especially helpful in very cold areas.

What's your favorite harbinger of spring?

Weird Wednesday: bug love!

2011-02-16T18:51:00.003-06:00

According to the Science Channel, "Indian moon moths are able to smell the pheromones of a potential mate over 6 miles away".

Huh. Reminds me of some former co-workers.

"Hey, nice cologne. Did you have to marinate in it?"

Weird.

Green Monday: Feather roses?

2011-02-14T12:39:00.002-06:00

I had a real treat this weekend, watching a quartet of 4H kids perform a short play that I wrote for them. In spite of the fact that we'd had very little time to prepare, the group won the top purple ribbon and will be going on to the regional competition.

While this group was the youngest I've ever directed, they were also the most enthusiastic. They were unstinting in their appreciation of my help, too. How often do you get flowers and chocolates from nine- and twelve-year-olds? Even the two older teen girls were giggly.

I took a close look at the long-stemmed red rose wrapped in yellow paper. It was made of feathers! Talk about tickling my fancy.

(Click here for an image of a feather rose. Feel free to ignore the sales pitch.)

I love the idea of feather roses. They're beautiful, they last for ages, and they don't use any water. They also don't need to use up tons of money and fuel in shipping to and from international greenhouses. Heck, if you have your own poultry flock, you can cut out the manufacturing side altogether. It might take a while before your birds molt enough for a pillow, but roses take a lot fewer feathers.

The next time you have an occasion to give flowers (Hmm, there must be some reason), slip a feather rose into the middle of your bouquet. See how long it takes folks to notice. Not only will you have a little fun watching the double takes, your special someone will have a lasting memory long after the real blooms have faded.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Weird Wednesday!

2011-02-09T22:31:00.002-06:00

A crocodile can't stick out its tongue, but a gecko can lick its own eyeballs.

Weird.

Green Monday: batteries.

2011-02-07T13:44:00.002-06:00

We have a little boy, therefore we have ten billion battery-operated toys. With the toys comes the inevitable mountain of dead batteries, because even rechargeable batteries will fritz out eventually.

Since I'm not keen on dumping so much chemical crud into the local landfill, I've been looking for an alternative method of disposal. A little searching turned up Battery Solutions, a recycling center just for batteries.

I went through the FAQ list, and came away with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I think it's great that there's a business devoted to recycling an item that many people would toss out with nary a second thought. The battery recycling process reclaims plastic for making new battery cases, zinc for rebar, and quite a few other materials for industrial use. Re-using what we've already got is a major step in the direction of green living.

On the other hand, the little unemployed writer is hesitant to let go of large amounts of cash. While the company makes it easy on you (I can use one of the credit cards that I don't have), the cost of the recycle kit and shipping for several pounds of batteries might give the average consumer pause.

Like any aspect of green living, the decision to recycle batteries takes commitment and effort. Until my husband or I find a job, I think I'll be putting some effort into convincing our local recycling center that collecting batteries is a good idea.

What do you do with old batteries? How much would you be willing to pay to recycle them?

Free Range Friday: Let's get crafty!

2011-02-04T13:10:00.003-06:00

In the two years that Junior has been eating "non-Mama" food, we've gone through a lot of little glass jars. While the countless trips to the recycling center are good, the trip gets pretty dull.

What do you do with a sack full of little glass jars?

Well, if you're like me and know a few dozen teachers, you entertain kids with an easy craft project. Snow globes!

Gather up some baby food jars and scrub 'em good and clean. Soak the labels off, too. While they soak, gather up your craft supplies. You'll need a hot glue gun (to be used only with grownup supervision), some glitter, and some little plastic trinkets.

Dry the jars and lids carefully, then glue a plastic dohickey to the inside of the lid. A snowman charm, a critter figurine, a stack of alphabet beads that spell out your name... Pick something cool and glue it in place.

Now for the jar. Shake in a little glitter. Use a couple of colors for a neat swirly effect. CAREFULLY pour in some water, leaving some room at the top.

Okay, here's the only tricky part of the whole project: glue on the lid. Run a bead of hot glue all around the inside edge of the lid and quickly put the lid in place on your jar. Tighten it down before the glue cools. Let your jar sit quietly, lid up, for twenty minutes or so to let the glue cure.

It's done! Give yourself a pat on the back for your clever recycling idea and admire your handiwork.

What do you want to make today?

Green Monday: gardening with kids.

2011-01-31T13:06:00.003-06:00

According to the Big Weather Dartboard, the Midwest is about to get slammed by a big ol' snowstorm. Freezing rain and as much as two feet of snow are expected over the next two days. Hardly the time to be thinking about the garden.

Or is it?

A crummy winter afternoon is the perfect time to plan your garden, especially if the kids are home due to a snow day. Break out the seed catalogs, some graph paper, and a box of colored pencils. Whip up a batch of cocoa and get to work!

While gardening sounds like a very grownup activity (and it is), it's also an excellent hobby for the younger set. What better way to get kids interested in living the green lifestyle than by giving them a project that they can really sink their teeth into?

Talk over the merits of compost versus commercial fertilizer. Look up non-chemical ways to control pests. Share opinions on why heirloom vegetables matter.

Don't forget the fun part! Give your kids a patch of ground to call their own, and let them choose what plants they'd like to grow. Older kids might like the idea of strawberries, which can be made into freezer jam for year-long enjoyment. Little folks might prefer colorful flowers or fun plants like watermelon.

Once the garden is planned, you can come up with other ideas. Have a "control" plot that receives only minimum care to show the need for good farming practices. Plan a picnic that features the produce from your garden. Visit farmer's markets so your kids can talk to experienced gardeners.

Smashing cans for the recycling center is fun for a few minutes, but there's nothing like the taste of homemade jam on toast while you're watching the snow fall.

What are you planting this spring?

What's all the ruckus?

2011-01-25T10:45:00.002-06:00

There's some weirdo in a red suit on my porch. He's eating sunflower seeds and screaming death threats. He's even wearing a black mask!

Rats, he flew away.

It was a cardinal, and boy, was he beautiful. There's something especially cheering about a flash of red feathers when the world is covered in snow.

I always make sure to put sunflower seeds in our feeders. Minus the hulls, when possible, because they leak an icky enzyme that can damage ornamental plants. However they're served, the seeds don't last long when the cardinals come calling.

Probably the most easily recognized of backyard birds, Cardinalis cardinalis can be found throughout a large chunk of North America. From Mexico to Minnesota, these fabulously fledged little guys can be seen year-round in parks, yards, and wooded areas. When you see that flash of red, look closely at the shrubs nearby for a glimpse of olive brown. While Mrs. Cardinal's feathers aren't as bright as her husband's, she is a pretty lady all the same.

Like other male birds, the sweet call of the cardinal masks a more serious note. While we hear "Tra-la-la, oh what a beautiful morning!", the actual translation is quite different.

"Oh, yeah? Come over here and say that! I'm hottie! I'm a hottie! I'm a hottie! WHAT?! I'll rip your beak off, you jerk! Hey, baby! Check out my nest. Nest! Nest! Get away from that feeder, buddy! Those are MY seeds!"

And so on.

If you'd like to invite cardinals into your yard, you don't need to roll out a red carpet. Put up some feeders, add a water element, and plant a few shrubs for cover. If you're in their range, you may soon hear the self-congratulating cry of "Pur-dy, pur-dy, pur-dy!" right outside your window. While you're waiting, click here for a really neat story about How the Red Bird Got His Color.

Who's in your yard today?

Wish you were here: Anna Maria Island, FL

2011-01-20T12:32:00.003-06:00

I'm looking out of the window on yet another blanket of snow. It's not even the fun kind of snow, suited for snowball fights and top-hatted snowmen. No, this is more like six inches of fluffy sleet. It just sits there, cold and dry and boring.

Mostly cold.

With our temperature topping out at 26F today (not counting the wind chill or RealFeel or whatever you call it), I've got just the place in mind for a getaway.

Forty miles south of Tampa, Anna Maria Island was known only to the Timucan and Caloosan tribes until the arrival of explorers from Spain. There were no permanent residents until 1892,
and no way to get to or from the island save by boat until 1921.

Still fairly low-key in the grand scheme of tourism, Anna Maria Island has a special claim to fame as a stand-in for a certain exceptionally famous locale. What do Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, and Xavier Cugat have in common? They were brought to Anna Maria Island by MGM in 1948 to film "On An Island With You", a musical set in Hawaii.

According to the Weather Channel, AMI is enjoying temperatures of 68F under partly cloudy skies today. I think I'm gonna go put on another sweater.

Where are you going today?

Orange you glad?

2011-01-18T10:12:00.002-06:00

In the side yard, half-buried in snow, is an orange. It looks a little out of place in such a non-subtropical climate, but it has a reason for being there.

Since my husband and I are not afflicted with scurvy, we were hard-pressed to finish the crate of fruit that was sent to us for Christmas. The apples disappeared in record time, thanks to a new kuchen recipe and a crunch-happy toddler. The grapefruit was juiced, and most of the oranges were eaten.

As with many shipping stories, there were a few casualties. Some bruises. Rather than simply tossing flawed fruit, we donate it to the local wildlife. Hence the snow orange.

Easily confused with the bergamot, a lovely tree with the foulest fruit known to a California fifth-grader, the orange is a bit of a mystery. It might have originated in China, it possibly migrated to the Mediterranean with the help of Italian traders.

Oranges are unhappy with wet soil and freezing temperatures. Even a light frost can kill young orange trees, which had led growers to use smudge pots and temporary shelters to protect crops. Yes, Virginia, there is cold weather in Orange County.

Oranges can be kept for up to five months in cold storage, with dehydration being the prime enemy. Don't be dismayed if you have an orange with a thin, sad-looking peel. Pop that little dude open; you may be surprised. The white pulp between the fruit and the peel protects the orange from serious moisture loss for some time, and you will often find perfectly tasty fruit inside.

If you want a good, in-depth look at the history and cultivation of oranges, have a peek at this page. If you're looking for fun with citrus, you'll definitely want to visit the Mystery Lover's Kitchen for Cleo Coyle's fabulous Orange-Vanilla "Creamsicle" Cake.

Or you can come and hang out with our squirrels...

Green Monday: leftovers!

2011-01-17T12:17:00.002-06:00

To some poeple, the word "leftovers" conjures a whole different kind of green lifestyle. Fuzzy Alfredo, anyone?

In this bold new era of reduce, reuse, and recycle, the L-word can be the mark of a brilliant homemaker. I found a really neat article here that showcases some neat ideas for saving your cooking dollar AND using leftovers in some very creative ways.

In just a few minutes of surfing the 'net, I found lots of clever ideas for saving food and money. Here are just a few:

1. Don't pour out the last of the pancake or waffle batter. Go ahead and cook it up, then freeze them for breakfast on another day. (Patricia M. Hines)
2. Plan your meals, by the week or by the month. This will mean fewer trips to the store, less money wasted on random food purchases, and the chance to save by buying in bulk. (Lisa Martin)
3. Tortillas aren't just for your favorite Mexican foods anymore. Roll up some "reheats" for a quick meal-on-the-go. (planetgreen.com)

That's three money (and energy) saving ideas in three minutes. How do you like your leftovers?

Free Range Friday!

2011-01-14T12:29:00.003-06:00

It was a cold, blustery day in the Midwest. A blanket of snow... no, that's too cliche... The ground was covered in six inches of "partly cloudy". With Junior tucked in for a nap, I headed to the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

BANG! BANG, BANG!!

I danced and swore as silently as possible, now drenched in hot coffee after a sudden, oddly graceful, twitch of shock. The sound came again.

BANG!

My brain pointed out that gunfire was out of the question. The sound was too flat; there was no riccochet.

BANG, BANG!

Some jerk was whacking on the side of my house with a hammer! Probably those little hoodlums from the next neighborhood. I peeked out of the kitchen window and saw footprints leading to the house. A-hah! I ducked into the mudroom, intent on learning the identity of the jerk in question. A look out of the window showed... nobody.

BANG!

Okay, I don't care what the window shows, some incredibly rude vandal is beating on my siding. I pulled on my jacket and went outside for a confrontation.

BANG, BANG!!

The vandal darted to a nearby tree and stared at me in defiance. Face-to-face and now feeling rather foolish, I gave him a half-hearted scolding.

"Dude, could you keep it down? You're really loud."

The flicker scaled the tree and smirked at me from a high branch. I went back to my coffee.

Who did you meet this week?

Green Monday!

2011-01-10T12:18:00.002-06:00

Hi, folks! Welcome to Day 1 of the new schedule. On Green Mondays, we'll look for handy hints for recycling, eating organic, and reducing our environmental (and budgetary) impact.

Today's challenge: go cold!

There are a number of different opinions when it comes to washing your laundry in cold water. According to Dr. Laundry, hot water is vital for dissolving "body soil" on clothing. If you ask the folks at planetgreen.com, you'll hear a different story.

Planet Green and a number of other sources state that 90% of the energy put into washing a load of laundry is spent on heating the wash water. They offer the following challenge: wash 4 of your next 5 loads of laundry in cold water.

Sounds simple, eh? According to the website, by doing 80% of your laundry loads in cold water, you can save up to 72 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in one month. Do it for a year, and you can save as much as $100 on your energy bill.

Mind you, Dr. Laundry makes a good point. When it comes to oily stains, hot water is your best weapon. For loads that need a hot wash, counter with a cold rinse.

Can we save the planet with cold laundry? I don't know. Wanna help me find out?

Just like starting over.

2011-01-03T12:37:00.002-06:00

New year, new ideas!

Same old me, but hey. I like me.

Okay, so it's January and the landscape is about as interesting as a mud pie. Come to think of it, the landscape IS a mud pie. Under the crust of dead grass is a huge filling of potential, just waiting for the oven of time to bring it to the table.

Hokey, but true. And what do we do with this amazing wad of potential? We use it! For this, I'll need your help. My resolution is to give you a few minutes of interesting at least twice a week, so...

Whaddaya wanna read? Recipes and crafts? Environmental issues? Local gardening stories full of humor and deleted swears? How to grow those purty flowers Mrs. So-And-So has in HER yard?

You tell me what moves you, and I'll see about moving it into the schedule. In the meantime, Happy New Year!

Wow of the Week!

2010-12-15T12:57:00.004-06:00

These are some of the hairy dudes that paraded in front of our Blazer.

Now imagine 2,700 of them. It sounds impressive until you remember that around the year 1492, there were about 60,000,000 of them.

That 2,700 becomes a reason for celebration when you realize that by 1889, there were little more than 500 left.

Bison and dedicated conservation efforts. Wow, indeed.

Guest Star Day: Oklahoma!

2010-12-14T11:58:00.003-06:00

We decided to take a short road trip this past weekend. You know, before the weather gets too cold. It was a blistering twenty degrees when we set out, so our timing was perfect.

Which way to go? Blizzards in the north, freezing temps in the east, and we've been west on several occasions. Okay, south it is, by default. We tossed clothes, snacks, and blankets into the back of the Big Red Beast and headed for Oklahoma.

Typical mundane family travel conversation followed.

"Where's the map?"

"This looks like a nice town. Let's get out and walk around."

"Please more cranbaby bites, Mama!"

We saw Grand Lake, Lendonwood Gardens, and any number of interesting buildings. I snapped a picture of the sign outside of the Disney Assembly of God church. "M-I-C... See you in Sunday School!"

Okay, so that's not exactly what went through my mind, but this is a famiy show.

Darkness landed with an audible thump, so we rented a hotel room near Vinita and learned that a thirty-pound toddler is capable of taking up an entire king-sized bed. I'm not kidding; Junior sleeps like an eggbeater. We two grownups spent the night clinging to the edges and protecting our kidneys from flying feet.

The next morning, we stumbled out into the frosty breeze and headed for the highlight of our trip: the Oklahoma Tallgrass Prairie. Being volunteers at the Kansas counterpart, we wanted to check out our comrades in conservation.

Signs at the entrance to the 39,000-acre preserve give dire warnings about the hazards of open range territory. "It is illegal to drive off the county roads. Bison are dangerous. Do not approach. Loose bison!"

Okay, we figured. We'll keep our eyes peeled, and maybe we'll see one of these loose bison.

*snicker*

We drove along, admiring the scenery. Ooo, look at the view! Ahh, look at the trees! Wow, look at the HOLY HEART FAILURE, BATMAN!!

We sat openmouthed as about fifty huge, shaggy brown bison ambled across the road, directly in front of our vehicle. They had no reason to fear us. Bison can jump six feet, vertically or horizontally. They can run thirty-five miles per hour. They are very, very big.

Naturally, my husband wanted to hop out and take pictures.

"Are you nuts? Didn't you mom warn you about loose bison?"

We continued through the open range, stopping every mile or so to admire another family group of the preserve's 2,700 bison. We were greeted at the ranch house/gift shop with smiles and pamphlets, and we left with a stack of postcards and a promise to return. We got home just in time to miss the snow that smacked into Kansas City, and hustled into the house to sort laundry and souvenirs.

I have pictures. Would you like to see them?

Free Range Friday!

2010-12-10T13:16:00.002-06:00

We've got a couple of radio stations in our area that drag out the "holiday music" on the first of November. *shudder*

Mind you, I do like Christmas carols and various other non-secular-type December music. Hit me with Grandma getting run over by a reindeer on November first? I'll yank the radio out of the dash and hurl it into traffic.

Now that we're well and truly into December, I'm ready to embrace the festivities. Especially my Aunt Trudy's rum balls. Note to self: do NOT attempt to light a menorah whilst under the influence of rum balls.

Heck, I didn't need that eyebrow anyway...

Speaking of things that burn, here's a fun way to decorate your walkway this year. Get some tin cans, preferably the big ones. You know, like the family-sized green beans or something. Wash the cans and file down any sharp edges, then fill them with wet sand and stick 'em in the freezer.

That's not the fun part. Bear with me.

Once the sand is frozen, draw a simple design on the side of the can. Now comes the fun part. Using a hammer and a nail, pound little holes along the lines of your drawing. This is why we're using frozen sand, to keep the can in good shape. Clever, eh?

Dump out the sand, drop in a votive candle (soy, if you're being all environmental and stuff), and wow your neighbors. You probably don't want to use these indoors, being metal. And leaky. And on fire.

But they look nice lining your sidewalk!

Guest Star Day: Oswald B. Sinus!

2010-12-07T11:53:00.002-06:00

Today I'm going to introduce you to a close, personal friend of mine. They say that great minds think alike, and ol' Oswald has been inside my head for as long as I can remember.

Hello, Oswald, and welcome to the blog. Would you like to tell the folks out there a little bit about yourself?

Sure! I'm a Scorpio, and you and I were born in--

Never mind that. I'm sure our readers are more interested in your professional life.

What professional life? I'm a sinus cavity. You think I took a course or something?

Okay, then. Enlighten us. What does a sinus cavity do?

Well, my job is kind of like yours. Nobody's 100% positive what I do all day. Lemme tell you guys, if a person could get paid to swig coffee all day, she'd be a zillionaire! Why, there was this one time--

Get. On. With. It.

Okay, so there's a bunch of theories out there as to what my function is. For starters, I'm sort of like air conditioning. Cold air comes in through your face, I warm it up and send it on to your lungs. Whiny things, those lungs. Anyhow, I also lighten your cranial load. Do you know how much your skull would weigh without me to open things up? Yeah, well... neither do I, but I'm pretty sure it's a lot.

Another theory is that I'm the reason you sound like you. They don't refer to certain voices as "nasal" for nothing! Man, there was this one guy who sounded like a flock of geese whenever he--

Hey! Let's tell everybody what you're doing right now! You know, the redecorating project where everything is turning green?

Oh. Uh, I was kinda hoping you weren't going to bring that up. But since you did, and since it IS your fault...

MY fault? Why, you...

Hey, take it easy. You're the one who ran out of eucalyptus oil. AND stayed in the house for a whole week, I might add. You should feel sorry for me. See, folks, there I was, doing one of my other jobs. Catching germs and other stuff that floats around in the air, you know? Well, I caught a doozy of a cold. I told her she should get out more, but noooooooo. SHE wants to stay in the house and breathe recycled air forever!

Well, I got out yesterday, thank you very much. Look here.

You got the eucalyptus oil?! What are you waiting for? Pop the cap and let's toast!

While Oswald enjoys his eucalyptus and honey cocktail, I'm going to go dig out the Neti pot. A good flush with warm salt water ought to help him get his act together. See you tomorrow, folks. With any luck, I'll find a really neat picture to share.

Guest Star Day: retirement and fish.

2010-11-16T11:41:00.002-06:00

Hello, all. I took an unexpected break due to a week that was beyond crummy, but I'm ready to dig in again. The following was originally published in May of 2006, and was (if I remember correctly) the first time someone called ME to ask if I'd interview them. Good for the ego, that.

The front yard is a modest display of the tree-and-grass sort. A few steps along the side of the house lead to a breathtaking sight. The focal point is a multilevel pond, from there the eye travels to plantings of hosta, dianthus, columbine, and more.

When Charles and Sue Gillette had their home built in 1969, they started from scratch. “Our first project was moving dirt!” said Charles with a laugh. “We started while the house was still being built, sodding the front and planting the back.” The sod was eventually replaced by fescue. “Sue became the mowing expert. She even gave a speech on the subject during a class at Neosho County (a local community college).” Sue is also partial to her irises, having brought a number of them from the old house to the new yard. “We lost some to disease,” she recalls, “Probably because the new varieties aren’t as hardy.”

The largest project has been the pond, which has seen some changes over the years. It got started “quite by accident” says Charles. “Noting the irrigation system, our landscaper suggested a pond. We talked, and we lost. Or won, I’m not sure which!” Expansion came after an ice storm felled an enormous Bradford Pear. The tree crashed into the pond, damaging the liner, which had to be replaced. The current pond incarnation sports a bridge, designed and built by Charles, and gets an annual professional cleaning. Sue adds, “The pond gets changed with every cleaning. We’ve added a cave for the fish and shelves for the plants. The fish love the cave. When it’s cold, they’re all in there together.”

After the pond came the deck. Where once stood a simple patio and cover now stands what almost counts as a spare room. The roof provides shade and shelter, but there are no walls to obstruct the view. Goldfinches, purple martins, sapsuckers and bluebirds are just a few of the birds that literally flock to the feeders in this yard. There are birdhouses, wind chimes, perennials and annuals. “My favorite part is sitting out here,” says Sue, “watching the fish, the birds.” Charles agrees. “Even in the rain, it’s fun.”

Mr. and Mrs. Gillette have some advice for aspiring gardeners. From Sue: “You have to be willing to work at it. It can’t be something you just put out and ignore.” Charles expands on this. “Make a decision regarding what you want your yard to be before you start. There are lots of books available to give you advice.” He adds with a smile, “And put up martin houses! Feed your yard and feed your birds.”

Think It Over: lawns.

2010-11-04T10:49:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again. Homeowners are watching the forecasts and nodding sagely. "Yep. Looks like one more mow before we're done for the year."

Lawns are a big deal to a lot of people. The people in our City Hall are downright rabid about the subject. If your grass gets too far past the crewcut stage, you get a "fan" letter. If you ignore the fan letter, you get a fine.

I've never met anyone who ignored the fine.

I'm in favor of a tidy yard, but I rarely get excited over huge tracts of grass. I laughed at the lawn-care specialist who offered, for a hefty fee, to rid my yard of those "unsightly weeds". He seemd downright horrified when I announced that I make tea from those "weeds" in order to avoid all manner of annoying ailments.

Haven't seen the dude since...

There's a large empty lot next to our place, and it gets mowed on a regular basis. It's for sale, and in another life, I'd have plunked down the cash. In another life, I'd be wealthy and free from property tax, too.

Anyhow, the land. I have this vision in my head of what an empty lot should be, and an extended lawn is not it. In the middle of the lot, there would be a gazebo surrounded by roses. Flagstone paths would radiate out in several directions, enclosing raised beds. These beds would be loaned out to folks in the neighborhood for growing vegetables.

A community garden and gathering place. That's MY ideal lawn. What's yours? Think it over.

Market Madness: labels

2010-11-01T12:44:00.003-05:00

Okay, so when a bottle of water has a list of ingredients on the label, things have gone too far. Flour has been stripped down and "enriched" with the stuff they just took out, orange juice contains enhancements not found in nature, and half-and-half is more like who knows what.

The corn industry is pushing to change the name of High Fructose Corn Syrup to "Corn Sugar". Because we all know that the name makes all the difference. "Hey, it worked for rapeseed, why not an engineered sweetener?"

She said with an eye roll...

I read labels. I try to skip things with ingredients that sound like diseases or crayons. I wouldn't swim in a yellow lake, so I probably shouldn't eat it, either. I think the most bizarre thing I've discovered on a food label is Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin. This particular ingredient is touted as "naturally derived" and necessary for uniform flavor. Well, I've scooped stuff off my lawn that's naturally derived, but I have no intention of dropping it in my drink.

I'm a suspicious person. I want to know who's calling. Why does the boss look nervous? Why is this box ticking?

What's in our food?

Free Range Friday: what's in your oven?

2010-10-29T10:57:00.002-05:00

Good morning, good morning;
let's start our favorite way.
Good morning, good morning;
and how are you today?

I'm excited, actually. This is my birthday weekend, so there will be cake. Lots of cake. Seven kinds, to be exact, and quite a few of them will have cinnamon and vanilla in them. They're not strictly for me, you understand. They're for our friends and family that will come by throughout the day.

There's something really amazing about how a house with baking feels. It's partly the smell, partly the warmth... partly the feeling of gratitude that things like sugar and spice aren't rationed where I live.

Seven kinds of cake for one birthday? You bet. It's in my... nature. *snicker*

What's your favorite spice? Is there a particular scent that says "hearth and home" to you? Given the choice, would you grab salt or spice for your meal?

Guest Star Day: Interview, Part Two!

2010-10-26T13:31:00.002-05:00

And now, the thrilling conclusion...

3. Is this a first for you? Would you like to have them back?

This was the first time we actually could see an owl so close and the very first time we ever saw fledged owls! It was very interesting to see the dynamics between the fledglings and the parents. We would love to see them again. I really hope that they are a bird that comes back to nest in the area it has been the year before. We have not been able to spot where the nest is yet but we suspect that the tree in the corner of our yard that has been dead for a number of years is the spot. We will have to research to find out if we need to clean out the cavity and hope that this family comes back to the same spot. We will wait with anticipation next spring!

4. How did you determine what kind of owls were in your yard? Are there many others in your area?

The whistles and purring sounds did have us baffled until we saw the actual bird who was making them. As for the adults, they have a very distinctive call: ”Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you, all?” They are also known to only call out the “Y'all” going really low on the “all” note. This is why we nicknamed them the Cook family! In our area, we have also heard the great horned owl and the Eastern screech owl. Two winters ago we were visited by the Great Gray Owl population from up north as the food was scarce up there. So they migrated down as far as the Ottawa valley and stayed most of the winter. The interesting thing about those owls is that they are not used to human presence, therefore they were not afraid of cars slowing down or people coming close to have a better look. They would just sit there and stare. They are an incredible bird also and very, very big.

5. Any words of advice for would-be birders?

Our advice is to be attentive and patient. The best time to see daytime birds is at sunrise or at dusk. For nocturnal species, you can record owl calls of owls that are known to be in your area and play them on a CD player. They are quick to come and have a look at who moved into the neighbourhood. In your own backyard, provide trees as cover to protect birds from predators. If you are out in the country, be sure to leave some dead trees (provided they will not harm any buildings or people) as nesting sites. Also put up birdhouses making sure that the holes in the houses are compatible for the birds in your area. We have found that planting flowers that provide seeds and berries in the fall attracted species during their migration that returned to stay the next year. As they say, if you build it (the safe backyard), they will come.

Very, very cool. I'll trade my flock of mosquitoes for a family of owls any day. Who would you invite into your yard?

Free Range Friday: something to make you laugh.

2010-10-22T18:49:00.004-05:00

Something different from the world of nature today! This is my beloved Henley. He's ten years old and one of the family. He likes coffee, apples, wrangling yarn snippets, and music by The Eagles.

Who's roosting in your family tree?

Guest Star Day, Part One: owls!

2010-10-19T14:41:00.004-05:00

Originally published in October of 2009 as the first half of a two-part column. Look for Part Two next Tuesday!

Thanks to the Internet, a lot of us have friends whom we’ve never met. I’m lucky enough to have several of these long-distance friends, and I’m going to introduce you to one right now. Louise Leblanc-Mazur, the stage is yours.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where you live.

I am an elementary teacher who is a great fan of the outdoors. We live in the rural area of the Ottawa Valley in Ontario. We are completely off grid and rely on solar and wind energy to power our farm. We have two very happy pups and two very happy retired horses that spend their days lollygagging in the fields grazing in the company of cowbirds and a couple of confused wild turkeys. My husband is retired but has enough to keep him busy on the farm.

2. Who are the special guests you've been hosting this summer?

This summer we had the incredible experience of watching a pair of Barred Owls raise their young in our backyard. They have been on the farm we think for about 4 years but never this close to the house. We could often hear them at night all through the year. This spring, my husband was on a walk with the dogs and he spotted one of them near the house in a tree. It sat there as he circled the tree to have a better look at it. The owl twisted its head and stared at him also. Probably sizing him up as a prospective landlord!

In mid-July, we were outside at dusk and could hear a soft whistle and purr in the trees and we could not figure out what it was. A week later, there was something big on the rail fence behind the house and it was moving! We could hear the purring sound followed by chirps and in the distance, the call of the barred owl. “Who cooks for you?” We went out on the deck and pulled out the binoculars. It was dusk but we were able to see an owl with tuffs of fluff on its head. We were thrilled. We had a baby barred owl preening on our back rail fence not 50 feet from the house. He just looked up and stared at us for a while and continued grooming. Then, down comes another fledgling to sit beside its sibling. Unfortunately it was too dark to take any pictures. They stayed all evening and every evening after that for about 2 weeks. We could hear the adults call out to them and they would try to answer in their high pitch whistle.

As the weeks went by they would get better and better at the "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?" and we could hear the four of them calling to each other. When the adults came with food, the whistling quickly changed to a sharp bark and there would be total pandemonium on the fence as they shared their evening meal. We can still hear them this fall around the house at night. We were surprised at how comfortable they were with our presence and didn't even bother with the dogs. They are incredibly beautiful birds.

Will Louise have a close encounter with the owls? Will the owls decide to bother with the dogs? Who DOES cook for you? Tune in next Tuesday...

Oh, and before then, if you've a mind to!

Wow of the Week: a big ol' rock.

2010-10-13T13:58:00.003-05:00

Okay.

It's, um... a rock. Limestone, specifically. We call it "The Dinosaur Bone", thanks to its striking similarity to a giant vertebra.

It's about knee-high, which is not terribly impressive when you consider that we're talking MY knees, but hey. It's a cool rock, and when your husband is a dynamiter by trade, you landscape with the coolest rocks you can drag home.

What's in your yard? Are you a rockhound, or a brickbabe?

Think It Over: remedies.

2010-10-07T12:18:00.003-05:00

It's coming. I know it is. Every year at this time, pretty much without fail, I get a sinus infection.

I know exactly why, too. This is the time of year when we kick on the furnace. All of the crud that's been lurking in the ducts blows right into my sinus cavities and starts up a wild party. There must be some great music in there, because my whole head thumps along with the beat.

But I'm ready. I have eucalyptus oil.

On the rare (knock wood) occasions that I get a respiratory ailment, I run to the essential oils shelf in the pantry. CYA Announcement: The following is not intended as a prescription or any other form of medical whatevers. I am not a doctor, and I don't play one on TV. This is just me telling y'all what I do when I get sick. Announcement ends...

In my experience, eucalyptus oil can trounce just about any cold and flu complaint between your eyebrows and your belly button. There's the old "steaming pan of water and a towel" trick, or you can take it straight. One drop per ten pounds of body weight (and no, I won't tell you MY dosage), taken in honey or sugar with a water chaser.

Try not to belch for an hour or so afterward...

There's also the toddy variation: A cup of hot lemonade with a tablespoon or so of honey, plus your dose of eucalyptus oil. Drink frequently.

It's not just a lack of medical insurance that keeps me from running to the doctor if I get sick. There's my DIY attitude, plus a mistrust of the free-handed dispensing of chemical products for every little sniffle. Okay, and I'm cheapskate. If I can go into the backyard and pick a handful of free leaves that will boil up into a tea to knock out my cough (in half the time of an OTC), why waste the bucks?

Cold and 'flu season is coming. How do you help yourself?

Market Madness: literally!

2010-10-04T13:31:00.005-05:00

We're lucky enough to have a cider mill within reasonable driving distance, and that mill was celebrating Cider Fest this past weekend. It's a popular affair, with "stuff" vendors, live music, and the not-to-be-missed cider donuts. We loaded Junior and my mom-in-law into the Big Red Beast and headed down the road. About a mile or so out, we came to the conclusion that most of the state had planned a similar outing.

Traffic was backed up for a mile in both directions.

As we watched the parking lot attendants shrug helplessly at the cars and trucks seeking space, we made an abrupt change of plans.

"Hey, let's go visit the feline conservation park, conveniently located three miles away!"

I'll admit, we had a great time at the park. I now know the difference between Siberian and Bengal tigers, and I learned that coatis love marshmallows. They like 'em almost as much as I would have liked a cider donut...

Wow of the Week: everlasting.

2010-09-29T12:26:00.003-05:00

Hi, all! Please forgive my extended absence; my brain is on perma-cramp and I'm running on fumes. At least they're floral fumes:

I love these plants. They were given to us as cuttings when we moved into our own house, and were taken from the plants grown ages ago by my husband's grandmother. They have big clusters of flowers that bees and butterflies go crazy for, and large, succulent leaves that the, er, slugs seem to enjoy.

Especially that leaf over there...

Think It Over: organic versus "the usual".

2010-09-23T12:52:00.003-05:00

When Junior was born, most of our friends took great pains to tell us that our lives would never be the same. "Well, duh!" I thought, calculating the number of times that a person operating on two hours of sleep can hear "Pop Goes the Weasel" before going stark raving bonkers.

Forty-seven, by the way.

Anyhow, the sage advice of friends did very little to prepare me for the Mama-bear-isms that have taken over my personality. I don't put a life jacket on him while he's in the tub, but the instinct to protect is strong.

I had no idea that my protective instinct would extend to food.

Sure, most parents are sensible about how much soda in a given day, or whether French fries count as a vegetable serving, but how about the sneaky stuff? High Fructose Corn Syrup? Aspartame? Even sneakier, how about pesticides?

While I'd love to be able to serve organic foods to my family all the time, the simple fact is that I just can't afford it more than a few times a week. Like "no salt" and NSA foods, organic items almost always cost more at the grocery store. I can see their point: due to stringent regulations, farming practices, fees, and shipping issues, it can be a hassle to go organic.

I just figure that something that uses less stuff should cost less, but I'm weird that way.

There is an argument that states that organic food is cheaper in the long run, due to lessened health care costs and such. That's cool and groovy with me, but it's a pretty expensive drive for a low-cost destination. Guess I'll just have to take over the empty lot next door. All neighborhoods need their own wheat field/apple orchard...

What's your take? If it's available, do you opt for organic, or do you stick with what's most affordable? The floor is yours!

Market Madness: lavender.

2010-09-20T13:08:00.002-05:00

There's a reason that lavender used to be the scent of choice for sweet li'l ol' grandmas. It's good stuff.

Lavender oil treats bug bites, soothes jangled nerves, brings on sleep, and heals burns. I'm well-versed in that last use. If you were to look at my right forearm, you might see a faint stripe of shadow that started out as a 400-degree sheet metal burn.

Yeah. Ouch.

With my co-workers clucking and fussing around me, I stuck my burned arm in the sink under a steady flow of cold water and called my mom.

"I'm burned. Bring a kit."

Said kit consisted of sterile Telfa pads, a leaf of aloe and a bottle of lavender essential oil. Scoop out the leaf innards, stir in the lavender oil, and smear it (Augh!) on the burn. Tape the Telfa pad in place and there you go.

Thanks to a combination of fast action and the right ingredients, that burn never even blistered. It was on my mind this weekend, though, when we went to the Walnut Valley Festival. There are three barns crammed with craft vendors, and one of them was selling lavender products.

Woo-hoo!

I had a great time gabbing with the vendors about the merits of French versus English lavender, making a better bug spray, and the less-than-glamorous life of a farmer. I came away with a business card, two bars of soap, some shea butter hand cream, and a lavender lip balm. I also came away with a renewed sense of gratitude that we still have venues for smaller-scale farmers and gardeners to share their wares.

When's the last time you went to a festival? What did you find there? What would you like to see?

Market Madness: apple butter!

2010-09-13T14:01:00.004-05:00

Nature brings us an amazing and wonderful bounty in the form of fresh food. So many fabulous things that can be eaten right off the tree or out of the ground.

With a good scrub, of course.

Every once in a while, though, someone comes along and gives Mother Nature a gentle nudge. A helping hand. I found such a thing during the tractor show this past weekend. Among the booths and displays, I found an older gentleman selling local honey and preserves. I admired the shiny jars of blackberry and strawberry-rhubarb jams, cherry preserves, and grape jelly.

Each of these treats had a list of ingredients shorter than my attention span. "Fruit, sugar, water, Sure-Jell." The gentleman behind the table assured me that he kept his wares as natural as possible, and that all of his products had a good reputation. "Especially that one there!" I looked at that one there. I stared. I picked it up.

Caramel Pecan Apple Butter.

Yeah, every now and then, Mother Nature gets a helping hand. Now would somebody hand me a helping of apple butter? I've got some fresh bread right here...

Free Range Friday: severe weather.

2010-09-10T12:43:00.002-05:00

It's been brought home several times that living in the Plains states doesn't guarantee plain weather. Thanks to NEXRAD and NOAA, we can keep up on our local weather with a pretty darned high degree of accuracy.

Doesn't mean we always like what we hear, but hey.

I'd just finished a cup of coffee and some white chocolate cinnamon cake (Yeah, it was awesome in its cakely goodness) when my phone beeped. Hm. A weather update, one of the perks of storm spotter training. Looks like we're in for some potentially nasty stuff this afternoon. Hail, wind, rain; even an isolated tornado is possible.

Great.

Being without a cellar in Tornado Alley really lets you know what's most important in your life. When the sirens went off a few years ago, my husband grabbed his guitar while I bundled up the birdcage, and we headed to the town library (which has a huge basement). With the arrival of Junior, the list has been expanded to include "baby and his war bag" at the top, followed by birds, guitar, and I.D.'s.

What's your weather story?

Wow of the Week: scenery.

2010-09-08T12:36:00.004-05:00

When you tell people that you live "up near Kansas City", they often get a particular mental image. This is probably not it:

Lucky me, "near" is about sixty miles away. I can take a twenty-minute walk and find neighbors like this.

Heh heh. I said "neigh".

What's in your neck of the woods?

Moving on...

2010-09-06T23:40:00.002-05:00

The season of summer produce is nearly over. While I'll miss the fresh peaches and tomatoes, I'm looking forward to pumpkins and apples. Pie time!

As we move into fall harvest time, we'll be looking at some of those tasty treats that adorn Thanksgiving tables across America. With any luck, we'll also hear from those of you who live outside the U.S. about the fall foods you most enjoy.

Happy Labor Day!

Wow of the Week: success!

2010-09-01T12:21:00.003-05:00

I was going to take an artsy-fartsy shot of raindrops on the redbuds, but I got tired of the elms dumping water on me. Instead, I bring you a snap of what is probably my greatest gardening success:

This is a pot of impatiens that I grew from seeds. Nothing died, nothing got eaten by slugs, and nothing got carted off by squirrels. They're even starting to bloom!

Yeah, I was amazed, too.

What was YOUR success this week?

Free Range Friday: Gluten Tag!

2010-08-27T14:37:00.003-05:00

*snicker*

Okay, so it's a lousy pun, but we are going to discuss bread today. Specifically that yummy cakelike creation known as Amish Friendship Bread. Essentially a sourdough, it starts out as a bag of goop that sits on your counter and bubbles at you. You feed it at the designated times, then palm some of it off on your friends and bake a loaf of bread with the remainder.

Having killed my starter a long time ago due to lack of time (and lack of enough baking friends to keep it going), it was years before I could get my hands on a new starter. Thanks to a book called "The Amish Cook" by Elizabeth Coblentz, I can make some up if ever I need it again. Go check out the page; the recipe is there. I'll wait.

Neat, huh? There's a drawback, though. It doesn't take long before the bags of starter take on a zucchini-like aura. Your friends hide when they see you with Ziplocs in hand, and you're reduced to sneaking bags onto porches late at night.

No problem. Prepare to mega-bake! Instead of drawing off the three cups, just bag and save one. That'll be yours to keep for the next ten-day cycle. You'll have roughly three cups of starter in a (hopefully) large bowl. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, then grease four loaf pans (or two loaf and one Bundt pan) and sprinkle the insides with cinnamon sugar. Add the following ingredients to the starter in the bowl:

6 eggs
1 2/3 cups oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
2 large boxes instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon salt
Two or three "shakes" each of allspice, nutmeg, and ground cloves

Stir this mess together and pour it into your prepared pans. Bake for almost an hour. You can use the toothpick trick to test for doneness. If it's still got a ways to go, you can cover the cake tops with foil to prevent burning.

These loaves make great gifts. I'm not sure how well they keep, because they usually disappear once they come out of our oven.

Wow of the Week!

2010-08-25T13:24:00.003-05:00

This is our beloved (if slightly bedraggled) Angel wing begonia. It's in the process of reblooming, and I snapped this single specimen catching some rays.

We kept it in the house for the first year or two, just until we got an idea of the habits of the neighborhood critters. I loved the wisteria-like clusters of pale flowers. A weird thing happened when it got outside, though. The branches shot up two feet and the flowers turned shocking pink!

Sunshine makes you mighty.

Market Madness: eggs.

2010-08-23T13:20:00.003-05:00

Note to self: working night shift blows the blog schedule all to pieces. I get a couple of hours in the morning to play with Junior, then we both have a nap, then I have half an hour to shower, dress, and wolf down a snack before distributing kisses and hugs and heading to work.

Yet another reason to avoid eggs for a while.

Eh?

Well, aside from the salmonella recall, eggs contain large amounts of tryptophan, that sleepy-time amino acid responsible for post-Thanksgiving food comas across America. The last thing I need before a ten-hour night shift is a dose of Nature's Nytol.

I do love eggs, though. Let’s look at the three basic parts of your average egg. There are actually fifteen parts to a chicken egg, but I’ve got a time limit. We have the shell, with that membrane inside that makes peeling a hard-boiled egg such an exciting task. Next we have the albumen, or “white”, followed by the vitellus, or “yolk”. Each of these parts is edible, though not equally tasty.

Most eggs found in stores are white or brown, but chicken eggs can range in color from pale pink to a startling green. The color depends on what kind of pigmentation occurs while the egg is forming in the oviduct. Pink or green eggs may look weird, but no evidence has been found linking egg color with nutritional benefits. Eat and enjoy.

The albumen is the cytoplasm of the egg, and contains mostly proteins and water. The albumen acts as a suspension system, supporting the yolk and protecting it from impacts. It’s also a source of nutrition when the egg is fertilized and produces an embryo.

An egg yolk is said to be the largest single cell around. One of the few foods that naturally contains Vitamin D, egg yolk is also a great source of Vitamins A and E, protein, and choline. It also contains cholesterol and fat, making the egg a center of nutritional controversy for the past several decades.

While the brightest egg yolks are generally believed to come from healthy, well-fed hens, it turns out that some cheating is possible. A diet of little to no color will produce a nearly colorless yolk. Some not-exactly-ethical egg producers will introduce things like marigold petals into the diets of their hens, hoping to boost yolk color. This is a no-no in most areas.

Once fertilized, an egg can become a future chicken. For this reason, some folks avoid eating them. If you’re not one of them, take a few precautions with the eggs you eat. Keep them cold. Avoid using cracked eggs, as bacteria can enter the broken shell and make your life unpleasant. Skip raw or undercooked eggs for the same reason, unless you’d like to make the acquaintance of Sam and Ella.

If you’re not sure about the age of an egg, put it in a bowl of water. There’s an air sac at the end of each egg that expands with age. If the egg stands on end, it’s iffy. If it floats, pretend it’s a bomb and dispose of it carefully.

So now you know a little more about eggs. As to whether or not they came before chickens, well… I wasn’t there. All I know is that cakes and farmyards wouldn’t be the same without ‘em.

How do you like your eggs?

Wow of the Week: the zoo!

2010-08-18T12:47:00.003-05:00

I was hoping to have a picture of an honest-to-golly homegrown tomato for you, but a squirrel decided to stop by the buffet. Oh, well. That's what happens when you turn your yard into a critter sanctuary. They drop pecans at the door, so it's a fair trade.

This week's "wow" is brought to you by the letter "F". Flamingo! Also "C" for cell phone photography...

We took Junior to the zoo and were met by this long-legged fellow in the rainforest dome. Junior greeted him with enthusiasm.

"PAMINDO!"

"That's right, kiddo. A pink flamingo."

"Peenk pamindo."

I think the Arctic Fox was mildly insulted to be called a "puppy goggie", but the bald eagles were content to be referred to as "boodies".

What's YOUR wow?

Market Madness: watermelon.

2010-08-16T12:21:00.003-05:00

Junior calls it "yummo-memmon". Hey, he's two. He also asks for gweem beems and hot gogs with jeez.

Interpretations aside, I have to agree with his assessment. Watermelons are yummo, indeed. For some people, a summer is not a success without at least one evening spent with a big, juicy watermelon. And you can't really blame them.

There's the fruit itself, which tastes like nothing else. Red or yellow, depending on your aesthetic preferences. Then you have the fun of seed-spitting contests. You can also choose a seedless kind, if you're so inclined. It's more refined. And you can pickle the rind!

I'm losing my mind.

Raise your hand if you've ever looked over a display of watermelon and been stumped as to how to choose the best one. Yeah, me too. It's kind of like going to a used car lot and kicking the tires. Do you look for color? Thump the rind? Tie a ring on a string and swing it over the melon of your choice?

If you're choosing from the local market, what you see is what you get. Like a number of other fruits, watermelons don't continue to ripen after harvest. You have to rely on the Picker In Charge to select and sell the ripest fruits.

If you're going the GIY route, there are a few clues to help you pick the perfect melon. Check the color. The underside of the melon should be a nice straw color. That's yellow, not white with red stripes.

The thump test is a tried-and-true method for selecting a ripe melon. It takes a few tries, but experts swear by it. Ignore the stares of other shoppers and thump away at a big bin of watermelons. Listen for that nice, hollow "boom" that only a ripe melon can produce. Once you get the ear for it, you can count on picking a winner almost every time.

There's one more trick I plan to try the next time I'm in the market for a melon: the touch test. According to Roger Swain, former host of "The Victory Garden", all you have to do is feel your watermelon to know if it's ready to pick. An "underage" watermelon will have a very smooth skin, while a ripe one has little ridges on it.

Once you have your watermelon, you don't need any advice on what to do with it. Just slice it into wedges and dig in! Or are half-rounds better? What about cutting off the ends to make bowls and eating with a spoon? Chunks? Watermelon balls?

How do YOU eat a watermelon?

Free Range Friday: ground ivy.

2010-08-13T13:34:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from my column, originally published in 2009. The ground ivy is still in the yard.

“Okay, weeds. Your time has come. You knew when you started creeping over the rock borders that I’d catch you, and now I’m gonna yank you out by the roots. These are MY flowerbeds. I’m not looking for Yard of the Year; I just want my lawn back. I want the grass to grow, the trees to thrive, and the ornamentals to ornament.

“Don’t look at me like that. I have a little boy who thinks that cookies are a food group. That look doesn’t work on me. Prepare to be displaced.”

This was the pep talk I delivered at the beginning of what became the Great Garden Siege. I would boldly go where no weed killer had gone before. I would be ruthless. I would be tireless. I would prevail. As it turned out, I would also fail to convince the weeds.

I can handle a few dandelions. I’ve dealt with the four hundred billion saplings that arrive every spring, courtesy of the squirrels. I’ve even refrained from doing a “shriek and dance” number on the back porch when I stepped on a slug the size of a cucumber. Gross. The only thing it seems that I cannot do is keep from getting my rear kicked by the ground ivy.

English Ivy is as proper as its name. “Hello, I’m here to crack the foundation and strangle your trees.” Oh, thank you very much. I’ll be yanking you out of the ground now. See? All very civilized. Ground ivy is evil, plain and simple.

It’s probably in your yard right now. Go ahead and look; I’ll wait. See if you find round leaves with scalloped edges on long, jointed runners. They have little purple flowers in the spring. Find any?

If you did, prepare for a battle to the death. Short of torching your yard (which requires a permit and very cooperative neighbors and isn’t a good idea to begin with), there is no easy way to get rid of ground ivy. The secret is in those long runners. Pull up a handful and take a look. See how the stems are jointed? Everywhere those jointed sections touch the ground, roots sprout. This stuff is the Kansas version of kudzu. The Weed That Wouldn’t Die.

I donned gloves and a hat and stepped out onto the back porch. The sun smiled beatifically on my heroic (if ill-fated) venture. Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped. Probably a mockingbird.

I knelt on the sidewalk, accompanied by popping sounds familiar to cereal aficionados across the country. Reaching for the nearest patch of evil ivy, I got a good grip and pulled. Resetting my shoulder in its socket, I braced myself and pulled again. A leaf came loose and huddled in my gloved palm. Hmm. My, the rains have been good for the local plant life this year. Moving into a crouch, I grabbed a handful of ivy runners in both hands and gave a mighty yank.

As I lay on my back in the lavender, I could hear squirrels laughing. I got to my feet and brushed debris from my pants. And the rest of me. After a few dozen equally fruitless attempts to eradicate the ivy, I hobbled into the house.

“Larry? Call City Hall. I’m gonna go buy some matches.”

Market Madness: carrots.

2010-08-09T13:08:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid, our California back yard boasted a lot of neat stuff. There was the "playhouse", a hut that our mom wove out of sticks. It had a door, a window, and a loft area for storing toys. The thing was so well made, it took an axe to finally tear it down.

We had a chicken yard, too. A neighbor gave my sister and I two roosters, so we sectioned off a third of the yard for a chicken coop and scratching ground. We gradually amassed a whole flock of castoff hens with distinct personalities and some of the best eggs in Orange County.

Another well-remembered feature was the garden. Spinach, asparagus, sunflowers; there was a little bit of everything. I liked the green onions, but the carrots were my favorite. I probably killed quite a few in my impatience to "see if they were ready yet". Dig 'em up, sigh, put 'em back. As I got older, I learned to count off the days on the calendar before expecting a harvest.

I'm still impatient, but I keep more carrots alive.

Carrots are great. They come in cool colors, from white to orangey red to purple. They're loaded with nutrients, like the ever-popular Vitamin A. They're also a grat snack choice, and not just because of the flavor. Anybody can inhale a box of cookies with mindless ease. Chomping on a carrot takes work. When you eat a carrot, you know you've had a serious snack.

The only thing I've never really gotten into is cooked carrots. They strike me as mushy and bland. I'm told that cutting a carrot crossways slices through the cells of the carrot structure, allowing the "good stuff" to leak out into the cooking water. Maybe if I bake them whole or something...

How do you like your carrots? Have you ever grown them? What's your favorite kind?

Free Range Friday: out of the mouths of babes.

2010-08-06T12:13:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from my column, originally published in 2006. Proof positive that you're never too old (or too young) to learn.

It’s Wednesday as I write this, and I’ve just come from “school”. To be specific, the Community Arts Council Preschool-Aged Art Classes. It’s a fancy way of saying “Fun Stuff With Little Kids”. The classes are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays under the able direction of Miss Janie, Miss Abbi and Miss Jo, plus a host of “guest speakers”. I get to do the storytelling and craft part, which involves writing and acting out our own stories, plus a yarn project.

This week we did things a little differently. After practicing sound effects (They were really good at being tigers!), I decided to have the kids tell ME a story. A real, grown-up interview involving all things natural. I asked the questions and they provided the answers. It was a very educational experience, especially since my interviewees ranged in age from three to five!

Everyone agreed on the answer to the first question: Where does grass come from? The ground, of course. Brittny added that grass is green to help it grow. Speaking of growing, did you know that the tallest tree is five feet tall? That’s what Ainsley told me, anyway. It’s apparently a very rare specimen called the Purple Tree.

Brady and Quin gave me the lowdown on flowers. Water makes them grow, for one thing. And they have colors because they want to be pretty.

Wanna know how birds fly? Ask Baylee. She says that when birds turn eighteen, their arms get longer so they can fly. Jackson agreed, and mentioned that we have bugs so that there are other things that can fly around.

I thought I had asked Belle a hard question, but she was ready with an answer. Why is the sky blue? Because the wind blows the color up there. Probably from water.

Water was a big part of our interview today. Jay explained that rivers come from oceans, while Mark said that you can find seashells, fish or anything in those rivers.

Jack thought quite a while to get his answer just right. The question: Where does rain come from? After much deliberation the answer came: Rain clouds are full of rain, and they drop it because people need water in their pools.

Reese gave a very logical answer to the question, “Why does the sun come up?” Without a moment’s hesitation, he replied, “Because it’s awake!” Makes sense to me.

Cross was given a real puzzler, so the rest of the kids pitched in to find the answer. Why do people grow gardens? It took some time, but we figured it out. People grow gardens so they don’t have to go to the store, and so other people can see flowers.

As these kids get older, they’ll learn the “real” answers to the questions, but I hope they never learn how to turn off their imaginations! Use your imagination this weekend to stave off the icky weather. Get your kids and a handful of colored pencils and plan your garden for next spring. Make up stories about where snowflakes come from. Talk about the origin of chocolate over cups of hot cocoa. Most of all, enjoy time with your family, the best crop you’ll ever raise.

Think It Over: chemical dispersants.

2010-08-05T15:20:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid, my dad would occasionally grill hot dogs for dinner. He would present the finished product with a flourish and announce, "No meat, all chemicals!"

I am reminded of this every time I turn on the news and listen to the current stream of forced optimism coming from the Gulf. In this case, it's more like, "No water, all chemicals!"

There is a debate going on over the use of chemical dispersants in the Gulf oil spill. While some decry their use as more environmentally hazardous than the oil itself, others are announcing that dispersants such as Corexit (banned in the UK) are measurably less toxic than the actual spill.

I'm sure the fish and water birds are happy to hear it.

As a scenario in which nobody is winning, it's hard to decide where to point the finger of blame. Here are just a few of the arguments I've heard: If better safety measures had been in place, maybe the explosion that killed 11 and injured 17 wouldn't have happened. If we were less oil-dependent, maybe we wouldn't have been drilling in the first place. If BP had been quicker to respond, maybe the spill would have been less destructive. If better emergency plans had been in place, maybe chemical dipersants wouldn't be needed.

And on and on.

I'm not a toxicology expert. I'm not a C.E.O. facing international outcry. I'm not a government official looking for a way to please everyone and (at the end of it all) no one.

What I am is one voice among millions, asking if there's a better way.

What's your take?

Guest Star Day: Nature isn't just for big people!

2010-08-03T11:54:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from my column, originally published in 2008. A local nursery owner had taken us on a tour of the property to look for paw paws. Rather than writing a regular column, I decided to write the piece from the perspective of our little boy, then six months old, and put it under his own by-line and photo.

My name is Tommy, and I’m six months old. My mama and daddy are teaching me to apurse… appreek… They’re teaching me to like nature.

Nature is the things outside your house. Trees are nature, and so are flowers. Sidewalks are not nature, but you can go for walks on them. Mama likes walks because she says they help her lose “baby wait”. That’s good, because I don’t like to wait for anything.

A long time ago, it was last Saturday and we went for a walk with Mister Ken and Miss Anna. Missus Monica stayed at the plant place. Mama called it a nursery, but I didn’t see any other babies.

To go on our walk, we had to drive to a big field where there was a lot of mud and grass. I got my blankie and Mister Ken got his orange jacket and away we went. The first things we saw were deer footprints. Mister Ken is mad at the deer because they bite his trees and knock them down. There were turkey footprints in the mud, too. Mama says people eat turkeys for Thanksgiving. I hope they wash their feet first. Mud is yucky to eat. Daddy says so.

We walked for a long time until we got to a place called Sand Creak. Mama’s rocking chair makes a creak, but I think this was something different. There were lots of trees. One kind was called a sicky-more. A sicky-more has big leaves and white skin called bark, and they get really tall.

Mama looked at the ground while we walked, and she found something called a mush-room. It’s not the kind of room you sleep in. It looks like a little round table with no chairs, and you’re not supposed to eat it until you take a spore print. That’s like a footprint, and it tells you if the mush-room is safe to eat.

Mister Ken found the trees we were looking for. They’re called Paw Paws, but they don’t look like my daddy. They are little trees and they make fruit. Miss Anna likes the fruit, but she has to get to it before the raccoons do. I like bananas. Paw Paws are green and have big brown seeds. Mama says you can make pie and cake from the fruit, but Mister Ken says she doesn’t have to make any for him.

We saw more deer and turkey footprints on the way back to the car, and there were lots of Daddy footprints, too. There was a fuzzy brown thing up in one of the trees, and it threw something at us. Mama called it a squirrel, but why would the fuzzy thing throw a squirrel at us? That doesn’t seem like a nice thing to do.

Anyway, that’s some of the nature things around here. I like to look at fishies and birds, too. Sometimes it’s cold or raining, so we look out the window to see nature. Mama says nature teaches us a lot. Daddy says nature makes him mow the grass every time it rains.

Market Madness: cucumbers!

2010-08-02T11:04:00.002-05:00

I have been known to make an entire meal out of a favorite fruit or vegetable using the "slice and shovel" method. One of my favorite summertime choices for this is the cucumber. Ice cold, sliced into rounds, and piled on a plate. A little ranch dressing if I'm feeling adventurous.

You have to be careful with cukes. They can be grainy and tasteless, or squishy and sour if you don't choose wisely.

Most "store" cucumbers should be a nice deep green in color, with firm flesh. Size is not always an indicator of taste, so don't be afraid to choose smaller cukes over their dinosaur-sized counterparts. Dynamite comes in small packages, and better flavor often does, too.

If you're buying from a Farmer's Market, you have the luxury of being able to do a background check on your produce. What variety, when it was picked, and so forth. Most gardeners are (justifiably) proud of their knowledge, and are usually happy to answer questions.

Once you get your haul home, give the cukes a good scrub to remove dirt or shipping wax (applied to seal in moisture and prevent skin damage in transit), then decide how you want to serve them. Straight up? Salad? How about a cuke-kebab? If you're in the mood for something different, why not try some cucumber soup? The recipe uses chicken broth and sour cream, making it unsuitable for folks who prefer to avoid animal products, but I'm willing to bet that there are some clever substitutions available that could make it work for most any dietary needs.

How do you like your cukes?

Free Range Friday: married to a rockhound.

2010-07-30T14:58:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from my column, originally published in 2005 as a birthday tribute to my husband. I am still convinced that his Master Plan is to be able to mow the entire yard with one pass of the weedeater.

Our yard was a blank slate when we moved in. Scorning brick, Larry created a flowerbed out front using "imported" rocks from a construction site. That was the start of his obsession. Once every available wall was fronted by a rock bordered bed, it was time for something new. Ah, the broken slab at the curb!

Broken, tottering, and dangerous, the slab had to be replaced. Our heroic former hod-carrier came to the rescue, not with boring old concrete, but with fieldstone and mortar mix. After breaking the old slab into manageable pieces, Larry dug out a couple of inches of dirt, then placed the stone in a random mosaic. The small spaces between the rocks were filled with mortar, and viola! An attractive step to the street. The corners of the sidewalk intersection in front of the house were given the same treatment, as was the former section of brick walk leading to the garage.

The coolest project was the stone pillars out back. About three feet tall, they boast a birdbath and a sundial. Step one was to gather rocks in mass quantities. Step two, drive a four-by-four beam into the ground as a support structure.

The third step was the most involved. Breaking and stacking the rocks around the post, filling the gaps with stone chips. This was also the most entertaining step. The air was filled with the sound of, "Tink, tink, Curse! Tink, tink, Swear! Tink, tink, Expletive!" I stayed in the house and kept my giggles to myself. When all was said and done (pun intended), we wound up with a great-looking yard, and a list of rockscaping do's and dont's.

Do be creative. Don't build something because "everybody else has one".
Do be considerate in your rock gathering. Do ask permission from landowners.
Don't dismantle old walls or buildings.
Do wear gloves and other protective clothing.
Do beware of snakes and other critters. Don't remove a rock that is someone's home.
Do check with neighbors and city ordinances before attempting a large structure.
Do use mortar for anything that may be subjected to children.
Don't worry if it's not "perfect".
Do make rockscaping a fun project that your family will enjoy for years to come.

What's your preference: brick or stone?

Wow of the Week: a tomato!

2010-07-28T10:04:00.004-05:00

Well, the camera decided that leaves make a great focal point, so here they are. BUT! If you look closely, you can see my very first grown-by-me heirloom tomato hanging around in the background.

I told myself that I would have at least one homegrown tomato this year, and it looks like I was right. Next year, I'll ask for a million-dollar recording contract...

Guest Star Day: seeing Forrest about the trees.

2010-07-27T10:19:00.003-05:00

An excerpt from my column, originally published in 2005. When this was written, I was spitting nails about eminent domain. My friend and I discussed the need for trees during our weekly coffee, and this interview was the result. A few things have changed since then, but he's still my friend, and he still loves trees.

Walgreen's has forced its way in. A bill has been passed that allows businesses to take private lands. Like Dr. Seuss' Lorax, it's time for us to speak for the trees. To that effect, we have a special guest today. A big hand for Forrest Lowry, if you please!

Q. Would you tell us a little about yourself?

A. I've been practicing law since 1987. I have a wife and two daughters: Jeanette, a teacher, and Megan and Marissa, 17 and 11 respectively. I was the co-founder and manager of Village Development Group, LLC, which is now dissolving. This is the organization that bought and restored two Main Street buildings, the Miller Block and the former A.B. Mulligan's. I'm an amateur actor and an avid reader, and I consider my five years of home schooling the most important years of my education.

Q. With all of the new construction going on, the phrase "green space" is being bandied about more and more. What does green space mean to you?

A. Green space is parkland and greenbelts. Parks are extremly important as a source of both physical and spritual renewal. Unlike lawns and backyards, which are essentially private, parks are places for chance meetings, public gatherings, band concerts, festivals; they're places for children to run and play. They offer the kind of centrality of experience that cannot be found in suburbia. I visited London once in 1979, and was impressed with how many small parks, all beautifully kept, were scattered throughout the city. Green space was never more than a short walk away. Greenbelts were the result in Europe of walled cities. The area outside often became parkland when the walls finally came down. The famous Vienna Woods are a prime example. Victor Gruen, architect, planner, and father of the modern shopping center, grew up in Vienna. He describes the effect of green space on his life in his book, Heart Of Our Cities. He later disowned shopping centers as bleak, ugly, and "anti-city"

Q. How much influence does green space have on your life? Does it have an impact on choosing a home, your hobbies, and so on?

A. We moved to Ottawa because it is such a beautiful town. The beauty comes from its 19th century regard for the public benefits of beautiful architecture, and its parks. City Park is a fine example of the essentially urban nature of public green space. The older neighborhoods are lined with trees. They are pleasant to walk in; they have a sense of calm, dignity, and permanence.

Q. What sparked your interest in this subject?

A. I have always loved beautiful urban design. Green space is essential to any well-designed urban millieu, from the smallest town, to the largest city. Olmstead recognized this when he designed New York's Central Park. The best parks are always found in compact towns, where people walk. Parking lots, big-box discount stores, and suburbia in general are antithetical to green spaces, because such aspects of modern America keep people in their cars and off of their feet. Greenbelts slow or stop sprawl, one of the greatest forces for pure ugliness the world has ever seen.

Q. Why is it important to continue to include green spaces in the development of Ottawa, or any city?

A. Parks provide gathering places, they are sources of beauty, and they are a deciding factor for potential newcomers. Ottawa, thank God, was designed by town builders who shared older and better notions of urban design than we employ now. This is a town built to be enjoyed from the sidewalks, not the streets.

Q. How can we, as citizens, play a part?

A. We can make sure that we leave space in our outlying areas as natural prairie or parkland, so that the town is not consumed by sprawl. Sprawl will wreck the town AS a town, just as it has done everywhere. Maintain and use our parks. Forest Park became even more accessible when the old railroad bridge was converted to part of the rail trail. This was a piece of far-sightedness that speaks volumes about the value we place on the essentially urban nature of our little town, and I consider it an extremely wise decision.

Market Madness!

2010-07-26T10:09:00.003-05:00

A tomato is a tomato is a tomato, right?

WRONG.

Homegrown, storebought, heirloom, hybrid, cherry, grape, slicing, paste, red, yellow... There's a tomato for every taste, but how do you know which one to choose?

If you're planning on dressing up a salad, try some tiny grape or cherry tomatoes. They're small in size, but big on sweet tomato flavor. As a bonus, there's no messy prep ahead of time. Wash 'em up, toss 'em in. Orange, yellow or "black" tomatoes make a great visual impact, too.

If it's tomato sauce you're after, plum tomatoes are the perfect pick. Also known as Romas, these are meatier and less juicy than most other tomatoes, making them great for cooking down into zesty sauces and pastes. This "dry" trait also makes them a good choice for slicing into salads; less juice to water down your dressing.

When you want a thick slab of tomato on your hamburger, there's no beating a Beefsteak. This bad boy comes packed with juice and flavor, and is probably what pops into your head at the mention of "tomato".

Whatever kind you choose, look for brightly colored, firm-fleshed tomatoes without bruises. Skip the ones with deep cracks or black spots, which can be sign of rot. Don'tbe alarmed if you find scablike rings around the top of your tomato. It's not some weird disease; it just means that the tomato plant received uneven watering during its production stage. Some store tomatoes have been artificially ripened, leaving them close to tasteless. Look for the magic phrase, "vine ripened", or do your buying at a Farmer's Market.

Don't forget to rely on your nose! A tomato should smell like a tomato, so give it a good whiff. If the scent makes you want to bite into it right then and there, you've got a winner.

What's your take on tomatoes?

Free Range Friday!

2010-07-23T14:14:00.003-05:00

Ah, Friday. Even if you're just in a hurry to kick off your shoes and relax, Friday night can be the busiest night of the week. Bobby's going to hang out with friends, Susie has a date, and Mom and Dad plan to make popcorn and watch a movie. Nobody has the time (or desire) for a big formal dinner, but everybody needs to eat something.

What to serve?

If you're looking for a no-cook, easy to prepare meal, why not try a "fruit bar"? I'm not talking about frozen puree on a stick, I'm talking about the orchard equivalent of the buffet.

They say that many folks don't get their recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables, so a fruit bar is a fun way to up your intake.

On your next pilgrimage to the produce department, stock up on some of everything. A couple of peaches, some apples, a few plums; maybe grab one of those pineapples we discussed earlier this week. Swing by the bakery department for a loaf of French bread, and head over to Dairy for a chunk of cheese.

When you're ready to prepare dinner, all you have to do is cut and slice. Arrange bowls and plates of bread, fruit and cheese within easy reach, and don't spare the napkins! You can skip the forks if you wish, and use those neat little cocktail swords or good ol' toothpicks instead.

Neat, huh? Almost like dessert for dinner; every kid's dream. Don't forget the most important ingredient: stir up some conversation. All too soon, everybody will be rushing off to their respective activities. Dinnertime is also face time, so make both as enjoyable as possible.

What are you serving tonight?

Think It Over: exotic pets.

2010-07-22T14:31:00.003-05:00

I like to think that I'm pretty well acquainted with the rightful owner of vengeance. We talk on a regular basis, in fact. Being human, this does not prevent me from occasionally harboring hateful thoughts when I think someone's done something terrible.

Case in point, a local man who was delivering papers. On a rural route such as his, you have to be prepared to find just about anything in the road. The something he found a few days ago was enough to make him stop and turn around for a better look.

When the man approached, the creature in the road hissed menacingly. A call to animal control brought forth the news, "We don't deal with those; just let it go."

No way, said the paper carrier. Claiming concern for the safety of area residents, the man eventually beat the creature to death with a car jack and announced plans to display it as his "trophy".

This trohpy? A three-foot-long baby alligator.

A baby alligator who is currently being mourned by its owner, who was horrified to discover that his pet had escaped and been killed.

Had the story ended there, I would have planted my flag firmly behind the pet owner, aghast at such a display of animal cruelty. But wait, there's more! The owner of the baby alligator, who states that the creature was tame enough to carry around, is not distraught over the loss of a beloved pet.

He wants his money back.

Money that was "wasted" (his word) in caring for his alligator. An alligator that, once it reached full size, he planned to have stuffed and mounted on his wall.

To be honest, I'm disgusted with both of them, and I have to wonder about animal protection and exotic pet legislation that looks the other way when such things happen.

Exotic pets: where do you stand? Think it over.

Wow of the Week!

2010-07-21T10:41:00.002-05:00

I'd say that this post qualifies as a double "wow". Not only is our Rose of Sharon loaded with beautiful blooms like this one:

but this picture actually turned out the way I'd hoped! That's a straight-up shot, folks. I didn't have to adjust the brightness or anything.

Rose of Sharon is an easy-to-grow ornamental that's available in lots of colors. Do you have any in your neighborhood?

Guest Star Day: It's a zoo out there!

2010-07-20T13:48:00.005-05:00

An excerpt from my column, originally published in 2005. While my sister no longer works for the zoo, I still enjoy this look into the world of "extreme gardening".

As promised, we have a special guest today. My sister, who works for the Sedgewick County Zoo, has agreed to be interviewed. She has also stated that if I make her sound goofy, she'll put a snake in my bed. Without further ado, I'd like you to meet my sister, Karen Sillett!

Q. So, what exactly is your job title?

A. It's not very exciting. If you want to get fancy, I'm the Turf Manager. If the business cards I ordered ever show up, they'll say "Groundskeeper".

Q. And you've been doing this for how long?

A. Four years as of last April. I was taking a year off from doing insulation work, and filled out an Internet application for the zoo. Part of the reason I got the job was because of my heavy-equipment experience.

Q. Was it pretty much what you were expecting?

A. I didn't know what to expect. How close would I be to the animals, would I be working with the public; I couldn't say I had any expectations one way or another.

Q. On that note, what does your boss expect of you?

A. I take care of anything turf-related, which includes fertilizing, aerating, overseeding or reseeding, and mowing. I also look after the flowerbeds for the Education and Administration buildings, the parking lot, and the entryways. Thanks to the storms we get, I'm part of the tree pruning crew, too.

Q. What's your biggest project to date?

A. The job itself! We have 67 exhibits on about 120 acres, and we're open every day of the year, excluding the Zoobilee fundraiser. A lot of my old responsibilities have been parceled out to others, because I have so many new things to do. Our department, which we call the Horticulture Department, created the flamingo exhibit just inside the front gate, and we've added on to the gorilla exhibit. We also make corrections to contractor's work, such as replacing or relocating plants, trees, or shrubs.

Q. What are some of your most interesting experiences there?

A. Feeding tree-eaters like Steph and Cinda, the elephants, and the giraffes and rhinos. And how many people get chased by wolves when they mow grass? When I mow the wolf enclosure, Nancy Smith walks alongside to clear brush and other obstacles. Any sudden moves or strange noises on our part brings the mother wolf and her cubs over to inspect!

Q. Have you got a worst thing/best thing?

A. Worst thing has to be the fact that the only time I've ever gotten stitches in my life, it was while working at the zoo. Three times, actually. Never trust a chainsaw, even when it's not running! The best thing is the people. Not just in my department, but throughout the whole zoo.

Q. Can you describe a typical day?

A. There's no such thing here! Every day brings something new. Any job that lets you see lion cubs or alligators on your break is far from typical.

Far from typical, indeed. Is your workplace a zoo? To which exhibit would you liken your cubicle?

Market Madness: pineapples.

2010-07-19T12:48:00.004-05:00

I'm remembering a jingle from more than twenty years ago; a commercial about the joys of eating California-grown fruit. Your typical banal lyrics, but the last line has been rattling around in my head ever since.

"It wouldn't be summer without 'em."

That about sums it up for me. I can't swim (gasp!), my bicycle fell victim to a car, and I gave up volleyball when I accidentally knocked a team mate unconscious. It was a great game right up until that point...

Anyway, with various typical summer activities beyond my grasp, I can at least enjoy the food. Who doesn't love a bowl of ice-cold cherries on a hot day? How about a sun-warmed peach? Why not try that most impressive and intimidating of fruits, the fresh pineappple?

Let's face it, a pineapple can be scary. All those spiky bits, no "press on the dotted line to open" markings; it's too easy to make a bad ripeness call and waste your money. Fear not, future feaster! Enjoying fresh pineapple is easier than you think.

According to quite a few websites (including Dole and the New York Times), what you buy at the market is what you get. Like certain other fruits, pineapples do not ripen further after picking. Harvesters must compromise between "Wow, that's yummy" and "Sweeeeeeeeeet!", because a fully ripe pineapple is not a happy traveler. Since they want to keep their customers happy, they choose fruit that's as close to perfectly ripe as possible for shipping to stores.

Choose a pretty pineapple. Fresh leaves and a firm body are important, at least in this instance. Soft or discolored spots should be bypassed. While pineapples can be ripe even while still green, try to get one with a yellow tint, just to be on the safe side. As a further precaution, buy your pineapple the day you plan to serve it.

From this point, all you need is good cutting equipment and a towel. For a straightforward introduction to the cutting and serving of pineapple, try this website, complete with pictures.

What's your favorite way to serve pineapple?

Free Range Friday!

2010-07-16T11:39:00.005-05:00

SONG OF THE LOXOSCELES RECLUSA

I had a fine workout on Thursday last week,
but not of the sort you’d suppose.
My heart started racing and I gave a shriek;
I wasn’t alone in my clothes.

The tickly feeling of myriad feet
is a creepy sensation, indeed.
A scoop and a toss while my heart skipped a beat;
the outfit intruder was freed.

It made its escape ‘cross the carpeted room
and hastily crawled out the door.
I followed it, fully intending its doom,
then darn near passed out on the floor!

It seemed that a spider, while strolling the dark,
had chosen to hide in my shirt.
Brown and reclusive with violin mark,
intending to do me some hurt.

After a check for identification,
I tossed the dead beast in the trash.
It wasn’t a moment for much jubilation:
who knows where its family is stashed?

My co-workers gasped and my friends were all shocked.
“You’re lucky that thing didn’t bite!”
While wearing the clothes where a spider had walked,
I had to agree; they were right.

I thought long and hard on the “spider event”
and my narrow escape from its tooth.
I Googled “recluse” and some hours were spent
in sorting out fiction from truth.

It turns out recluses aren’t evil incarnate;
they don’t go out looking for fights.
But if you’re not careful around them, then darn it,
you’re going to suffer some bites.

They’re not big on webs but they do like to stalk;
instead of eight eyes they have six.
They’re also well known for their casual walk
on long skinny legs just like sticks.

Though they’re non-aggressive, please don’t tempt ill fortune!
Be careful for your safety’s sake.
Their venom’s more toxic, in size-wise proportion,
than diamondback rattle-type snakes.

Some bites pass unnoticed, with nary a twitch,
while some get progressively worse.
Redness and swelling and maddening itch
while you pray there’s no need for a hearse.

Where one has been found you will surely find more,
but even so, don’t be alarmed.
We’ve lived alongside them for years by the score,
and rarely is anyone harmed.

You don’t have to burn down your house and rebuild,
we don’t need to go to extremes.
It’s never been proven recluses have killed;
they’re not quite as bad as they seem.

If you have a problem with spiders galore,
don’t bother with chemical ick.
Just set out some glue boards, five, six, or more.
I promise that they’ll do the trick.

So fluff up your clothing and shake out your towels,
and don’t leave your stuff in a heap.
Beware when recluses are out on the prowl:
they’ll sneak up on you in your sleep!

Think It Over.

2010-07-15T13:17:00.003-05:00

For some time now, I've been following the day-to-day life of bald eagles. A post on a knitting forum mentioned a link to a live webcam that was placed near an eagle's nest. Like thousands of others from around the world, I avidly watched "Mom and Dad Hornby" as they shared parenting duties for little Phoenix. Everyone was looking forward to the day when Phoenix would take flight.

Last night, we learned that this momentous event would never take place. While his parents were away, Phoenix succumbed to a sudden unexplained ailment. Doug Carrick, who installed the webcam in 2004 with the permission of the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, announced this morning that a trained climber would retrieve the body for autopsy.

Thousands of people, myself included, have sent prayers, condolances and sympathy to Mr. Carrick and his wife, and to "Mom and Dad Hornby". Watching this family of eagles has been an incredibly unifying experience for everyone involved, and we are all hoping that the pair will return to raise a new clutch of eggs.

I must admit, I had a couple of concerns when I first visited the webcam site. Would the eagles be disturbed by the proximity of the camera? Would it prompt amateurs to try something similar? While I can't speak for the latter, I was promptly reassured on the former simply by watching. The well-disguised camera box was completely ignored by the eagles, who went about their daily business unaware of their worldwide audience. The audience, in turn, was treated to an up-close-and-personal look into the lives of some of nature's most impressive creatures.

The issue of wildlife observation, whether direct or via camera, is controversial. While many would agree that close study is vital to understanding, others may argue that cameras and such are disturbing to the animals and are nothing but scientific voyeurism.

Think it over. What's your take?

Wow of the Week.

2010-07-14T13:00:00.004-05:00

I stepped outside to take a picture for this week's Wow and regretted it almost immediately.

The lens fogged over. Heck, my face fogged over! I abandoned all plans to spend some time clicking and fussing over the tiger lilies and snapped this instead:

Granted, it's in the sun. But this was taken at nine-thirty in the morning! A heat indexometer. Bring on the lemonade, because wow, it's hot.

Where are you spending the day?

Guest Star Day: The perils of poison ivy.

2010-07-13T14:51:00.003-05:00

An excerpt from my column, originally published in 2005.

They say that no good deed goes unpunished, and my dad is living proof. All he wanted to do was clean up the yard. He ended up going mano a mano with Rhus radicans, better known as poison ivy.

When Captain John Smith first coined the term in 1609, he wasn't kidding. In spite of an immediate and thorough scrub, Dad was soon in serious trouble. Redness and itching quickly became a painful infection, for which over-the-counter remedies did nothing. A doctor was consulted, who gave an exclamation of horror and a prescription. Dad is now on the mend. He's also the sworn enemy of poison ivy.

I'll bet some of you are thinking, "Gee, I'm glad I'm immune!" Don't be too sure of that. An estimated ninety-plus percent of all people can develop an allergy to poison ivy, given time and exposure. The culprit is urushiol oil, the "poison" in poison ivy. This stuff is powerful. A mere billionth of a gram is enough to cause a rash. With just a quarter of an ounce, you could give that rash to every person on the planet. Even specimens hundreds of years old can affect sensitive people.

If you're doing yardwork, hunting, or hiking, wear protective clothing, and remember the old adage, "Leaflets three, let it be." Poison ivy is sneaky, and can disguise itself as a bush or a tree. If you do come in contact with some, you've got about fifteen minutes to wash. After that time, the urushiol oil has bonded with your skin protiens, and is preparing to make you miserable. Mild cases can be treated with tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, and/or goldenseal root powder. Contrary to popular belief, the rash is not contagious. Only contact with the oil itself produces the symptoms. Breaking any resulting blisters won't spread urushiol oil, but it may lead to infection and scarring. Like I said before, this stuff is powerful. Even dead plants can harbor active oil for an average of five years. Never EVER burn poison ivy. The oil will become airborne and get into your lungs. We don't want to think about that.

Something to think about: poison ivy isn't the only source of urushiol oil. There's poison oak and poison sumac, and several members of the Anacardiaceae family. You want a f'rinstance? Cashew, Mango, and Ginkgo biloba trees all produce urushiol oil. Spooky, huh? Good thing it's not in the parts we like to eat.

To close on this subject, I'll leave you with a few words fom my dad, Gary the Ivy Slayer. "Having JUST survived, I can give you two major hunks of advice. One, it is APTLY named. Two, do not, I repeat, do not belive that a moderate to severe attack by this terrible weed can possibly be cured by anything you can buy at Wal-Mart! Read the labels and watch the rash grow by leaps and bounds. By the time I finally quit reading, I had contracted a dose of skin infection that could only be cured by something from a REAL doctor. Blue Shield, Co-pay, Apply three times daily, 60 milligrams, Do not take with any of the other stuff for which you already gave a week's pay; this became my mantra. I still have a pretty sizeable rash, but I no longer fear my imminent arrival at the hospital. I say to you of the itchy rash, go to your doctor. Don't waste your time, money or physical wellbeing on a belief that you can cure it yourself."

Market Madness: nectarines.

2010-07-12T12:42:00.005-05:00

I freely admit it, I'm a lousy gardener. Actually, I'm more lazy than lousy, but you get the idea. Our yard has that well-mown yet trackless jungle motif going on because research is lots more fun than sweating your brains out in the Kansas summer yuck.

Lucky me, I have many friends who have no problem sharing the bountiful rewards of their labor. Case in point, the gift of a fresh nectarine from a thoughtful guest. Chin-dribbling bliss!

When you're picking your own fruit off the tree, it's usually easy to tell when something is ripe. "Hey, it fell off when I touched it!" is the number one indicator of ripeness. Unfortunately, we don't get to do this in the grocery store. Not to fear! With a little care, you can choose juicy, flavorful fruit instead of attractive yet tasteless baseballs.

When purchasing nectarines, put your eyes to work first. Avoid choosing fruit with shriveled skin or obvious bruising. Colorwise, a tinge of green is perfectly fine. An all-over emerald hue will mean wasted money, as nectarines aren't noted for their off-tree ripening qualities.

The sense of touch comes into play next. The nectarine should feel slightly firm, but yield to gentle pressure. Not too much pressure, though, or you'll bruise it. Bruises lead to rot, and rot leads to really nasty fruit salad. Easy does it.

As a final indicator, give it a sniff. A ripe nectarine smells like a ripe nectarine. There is no mistaking that "sunshine and songbirds" scent for anything other than an invitation to dine.

Speaking of dine, I think it's time for a snack break. What's in your fruit basket today?

Free-range Friday!

2010-07-09T11:10:00.003-05:00

Hi, all! I've been taking a blog-building class from the mind behind Blog Book Tours, and I'm picking up some really neat info. Aside from layout suggestions and blogrolls and such, one of the lessons covered the topic of themes.

This goes beynd the cool wheat field you see in the background. Teach suggests that a couple of "theme days" each week will help focus my writing, which will in turn bring you the most interesting posts.

That's the idea, anyway. SO!

Here are some ideas I had for instituting theme days. With the Mickey Mouse Club song playing in the background...

Monday: Market Madness! A look at what's in the grocery store, how to choose the best produce, why watermelons are outrageously expensive, and what you're doing for the community when you buy from a Farmer's Market. Just not all at once.

Tuesday: Guest Star day. Interviews with local gardeners, pet care providers, pest control specialists; all kinds of interesting folks.

Wednesday: Wow of the Week. An amazing rainbow, a fantastic flower, a monster grasshopper. Wednesday will bring you a piece of nature in photo form.

Thursday: Think It Over. On Thursday, we can have a debate. The merits of compost versus chemical. Organic or GMO? I'll present a topic and some background, and you weigh in with your opinions or questions.

Friday: Free Range. Prose and poetry, fun and games. Recycle projects, crafts, maybe a book review. We'll see what happens!

Mind you, these are just serving suggestions. It's up to you to tell me which themes you'd most enjoy. Want a recipe day? We can do that. Especially if you send me your recipes! Suggest and vote for your favorite ideas. The most popular themes will be instituted post haste, and my lazy self will learn to stick to a real schedule.

What are YOU looking for?

No argument here.

2010-07-07T23:35:00.003-05:00

Having a husband who works in construction means that in this house, we keep an eye on the weather. He is not allowed to play outside with the twenty-foot drill boom when there's lightning about.

With the current soggy situation, the eye cast upon the weather updates is a jaundiced one. Sour commentary issues from the disgruntled man on the couch.

"We could have worked today. It's not that bad."

I nod absently, engaged in arranging a spider plant that seems intent on enveloping the nearby appliances. There is a harrumph from the couch, followed by the rattle of newsprint.

"Look. It's barely sprinkling. I think we could have worked today."

I refrain from reminding my spouse that thirty miles, the distance from our house to the quarry, can make quite a difference in weather. He's not in the mood for rationalizations; he wants to grumble. I offer the suggestion that perhaps the quarry isn't paid up on its lightning insurance. This provokes much scoffing.

"There ain't any lightning out there! I could go out there right now and..."

KA-BOOM!!

As the windows resettle in their frames, we listen to the steady waterfall sound of a Kansas downpour. We peer out the back door at the swamp that was once our yard. Through the curtain of rain, we can just make out the rain gauge. The new total since yesterday now stands at four and a half inches. My husband clears his throat.

"I think I'll go take a nap."

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

2010-07-05T22:06:00.002-05:00

There is nothing worse than an attack of chiggers.

Okay, there's war and death and pestilence. Oil spills. Drug addiction. There's a lot of stuff worse than chiggers, actually. If you're talking short-term personal misery however, chiggers get my vote.

I made the mistake of taking a brief stroll across a lawn to talk to some friends. By the time I'd made the six-block walk home, I felt the overwhelming urge to claw my ankle. I'm like filet mignon to bloodsuckers. They love me; chiggers especially. I look like a Braille library from the neck down.

So how do they manage to make us miserable? Unlike ticks, chiggers don’t actually suck blood or burrow into your skin. After attaching themselves to a pore or hair follicle, these parasitic beasties inject you with a digestive enzyme that ruptures surrounding cells. They then feast on the fluids from said cells. Hm, yeah. That’s a LOT better than the whole tick thing. Ick.

Now then, from whence cometh the chigger? I have my private opinion, but I will say that they are the larvae of harvest (or scrub) mites, Trombicula alfreddugesi. At barely 1/50th of an inch in diameter, they’re pretty much impossible to see. You can, however, avoid the nasty little things. This is a prime picnic weather, so be prepared. If you’re not a big nature lover, you won’t have any problem avoiding grassy or overgrown places. If you’re like me, you’ll turn into a walking welt in no time.

So what makes for effective preventatives or remedies? Wear loose clothing. Chiggers love warm, confined areas. This includes waistbands, sock cuffs, and other, ah, constricted places. You might also try taking a shower as soon as possible after a trip through the Great Outdoors. This will help wash away any unattached chiggers. Those unattached chiggers should be hanging out at chigger singles bars, anyway. Hah.

My friend Mary Lou recommends B12 to those who would “B” chigger-free. She takes a daily dose and swears that it protects her from the evil that chiggers do. Another friend, Tammy, clued me in on a great bug spray. Fill a four-ounce spray bottle with water and add a quarter teaspoon of lemongrass essential oil and a few drops of tea tree oil. Shake and spray. It’s non-toxic, effective, and it makes you smell like Froot Loops.

If you are the victim of chigger bites, there’s not a whole lot to be done. Sorry. Some folks swear by painting over the bite with nail polish to suffocate the chigger. Other sources state that chiggers have dropped off and gone their merry way by the time itching begins, so painting won’t work. Use the itch-relieving remedy of your choice (Witch Hazel helps) and DON’T scratch. Excessive scratching can lead to infection, which leads to a very bad time, indeed. At least around here, we don’t have to worry about chigger-borne scrub typhus.

Now all I have to do is not think about scratching. Starting... now.

Noooooooooo!

2010-07-04T10:50:00.002-05:00

Note to self: the next time you try using one of those upside-down tomato hanging thingies, weld the hanger hook to an I-beam. Duct tape it to a pole. Something.

With gray skies on tap for today, I went around the house and opened the blinds to let in the little available light. Upon rolling up the picture window shade, I was greeted with... a clear view of the street?! Where's my tomatOH MY GOD!!

My tomato was lying in ruins on the porch. Limp and broken stems littered the railing, while the pot itself gazed up at me accusingly. What miserable barbarian would do this to an innocent plant? Who was the fiend responsible for this damage?

Isaac Newton, that's who. Stupid gravity.

It seems that the combined weight of plant, dirt and water was too much for the hook drilled into the porch roof. It pulled right out of its seat and tossed my poor little heirloom tomato to its doom. I surveyed the wreckage. The impatiens planted in the open top survived the ride. The three main tomato stems were still in okay shape, so I snipped off the splintered ends and planted them in a new, ground-based pot. With any luck, they might take off again. The original rootball still had a small stem with a few brave leaves attached, so I left it in the pot.

From my seat at the table, I can see the pot hanging from its new anchor: a six-inch eyebolt. We shall not overwater, but we shall overcome.

Neener, neener to you, Newton!

However you say it...

2010-07-02T11:11:00.002-05:00

...I love 'em. Tomatoes. Real tomatoes, that is. Not those cardboard-flavored things you find at the grocery store. I'm talking about sun-warm, blood-red globes that absolutely REEK of garden goodness. Juice dribbles down your chin with the very first bite, and your tastebuds collapse from overstimulation.

That kind of tomato.

I haven't had one of those in a long time. I got close last year, with a couple of Juliet grape tomatoes in pots on the back step. It was my first attempt at homegrown tomatoes, and it went fairly well. I could pretty much count on getting one or two per day once they started to ripen.

They probably tasted better to me than they really did, because I grew them myself and I was proud of them. Emboldened by my modest success, I decided to try something a little bigger this summer. Heirloom beefsteak tomatoes. Oooohhhh, yeah.

I like the idea of heirloom plants. For one thing, it's more like "Grandma used to make" than most stuff available today. For another, I'm more concerned with how my veggies taste than how well they can travel in a semi. Don't get me wrong, hybridizing has done its share of good deeds for the garden world.

I just get a little nervous at the thought that my salad might start walking and talking one of these days.

Anyway, I bought two plants. One is on the back porch in a nice, big pot. The other is on the front porch in one of those upside-down planter dealies. Kind of an experiment, if you will. The one out back is doing quite well. Several blooms, and I even spied a little green tomato the other day! I'm guessing this is due to the fact that this particular plant can leap out and accost me whenever it wants a drink.

Here she comes. Wait for it... aaaaand YEAGH!!!!

"AUGH! Stupid, lousy... What's that all about?!"

I'm thirsty. Gimme some water.

Yeah. The plant on the back porch is hale and hearty. The one out front... er... Sometimes I forget to water it. Then I'll see forlorn green leaves fluttering sadly in the picture window and feel a wave of horrible guilt and go rushing out with a pitcher of water.

Lucky me, plant number two is very forgiving. She might even favor me with a tomato one of these days.

Things to do with your dog.

2010-06-29T12:43:00.003-05:00

Dogs are Nature's way of ensuring that there's someone for everybody. No matter how much you mess up your "real" life, your canine friend will be there by your side.

Unless there's a rabbit in the yard; then you're on your own.

More often than not, pets become members of the family, rather than just another accessory. They are fiercely loved in life, and deeply mourned when gone. Is it any wonder that some folks will go to any extreme possible to keep Fido and Fluffy around forever?

Cloning is one method, and it's very controversial. On one hand, you have a carbon copy of your best friend, strong and healthy and ready to play. On the other hand, it's just that: a copy. An expensive one, at that. A less expensive (albeit less playful) option is knitting.

I'm serious!

Do you spend hours every week brushing your dog or cat? What do you do with all of that loose fur? There are plenty of fiber mills and small business owners who specialize in turning Rover into roving for handspun yarn. Longhair breeds or breeds with a soft undercoat work best for this sort of thing, but even shorthaired pets can contribute.

Rocket belongs to Bob and Teri, and Rocket has a gorgeous undercoat. I now have a whole bag of the stuff, so I carded it up with some alpaca fiber to create: Dogpaca yarn! It works just like the real thing, because, well... it is.

Neat, huh? Sorry the picture's so crummy, but trust me. It's a very cool bookmark, and a nice way to memorialize your furry friend.

There are plenty more furry friends waiting for adoption at your local shelter. Whether you're a spinner or not, drop in for a visit and consider making an addition to your family.

Pretty as a picture.

2010-06-25T14:01:00.003-05:00

We got some daylilies a couple of years ago from the nice lady up the road, and they've been going gangbusters this month. Here's just one example:

Nice, eh? We've got some beautiful dark reds as well, but it would have been personally painful to get a picture. Lean over and get jabbed in the ear with a post, crouch down and meet up with an unfortunately placed rock; you get the idea. For now, just enjoy the peaches-and-lemon effect.

I've gotta go do some deadheading...

Greetings!

2010-06-21T22:50:00.003-05:00

Well now, this looks like a nice place to start. Right at the beginning. Those of you who're familiar with my work will have a pretty good idea of what to expect. If you're a newbie, welcome aboard!

My topic is gardening, from little potted plants to the whole Great Outdoors. I'm no expert by any means, but I'm a firm believer in learning something new every day. Learn along with me as I post my observations here with pictures and other interesting stuff that catches my eye.

And off we go!