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    Back at it…finally

    June 22, 2017 - By 

    It has been a while girls and boys. Every time I sat down to write a post, I just couldn’t. I was stuck…blocked by emotion. Not sure how to move on with my blog while still dealing with the grief of losing my mom. Somehow it felt wrong. I know that is crazy talk but it took a while to move beyond that thought. So here I am…back at it.

    I’ve been busy with a number of things…

    such as this wreath. It came together quite nicely from some clearance items. I’m thinking about hanging it under the eaves on our deck. I haven’t actually taken it out there to see if there is enough wall space but I think it would be a lovely addition to the space.

    I’ve experimented with some acrylic pours that I’ll share in another post.

    The sun is finally out today…we’ve had rain, rain, rain today. I found this cute little nest laying in the yard after a recent storm.

    Today was also the first CSA drop off date. They were supposed to start last week but there had been a terrible hail storm that had taken out a lot of the crops. I have to say that I am very pleasantly surprised at the high quality and quantity of produce I got today.

    Those carrots are so good!!!!! They taste just like I remember as a kid…only not so gritty. I used to pull them out of the ground, swish them in the rain barrel and eat them.

  • Around home - Blog - Outdoors

    T Tuesday: late June garden edition

    June 28, 2016 - By 

    Last week for T stands for Tuesday I promised an update on my garden this week.

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    It’s flourishing! Tons of blossoms. I think we are just at the cusp of production.

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    There are already jalapenos on the plant…

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    and roma tomatoes…. come on fresh salsa!

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    The deck box garden is doing really well too.

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    I ended up pulling up the horse radish that was growing in here since there is another plant in the big garden space and planted my Egyptian walking onions instead. I saved the bulbs from the top of the plants last year in a paper bag in the shed. They overwintered out there will seemingly no ill effects.

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    The planters along the railing are also looking great with the herbs and green onions. I’ve been thinning the green onions by using them…so nice to have those fresh green literally right outside my door. I couldn’t be happier.

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    It meets Marvin’s approval as well.

    Over the weekend I adding a little bit of ambiance to the deck with a string of lights.

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    We have yet to try them out at night but I think they will be a lot of fun.

    I also noticed some birds have been very busy….T Tuesday late June garden edition

    I do remember seeing a chickadee hanging around here quite often. I’d have to bet he is the guilty party.

    I’m also going to continue to share my CSA box each week as I really believe that its well worth the cost to bring fresh organic veggies to your table each week…provided you have enough people to eat all those veggies.

    CSA week 2

    Week 2: cilantro, basil plant, kale, green onions, garlic scapes, mixed spring greens, head of leaf lettuce, strawberries, carrots, kohlrabi, broccoli and white turnips that are eaten like radishes. Can’t wait to see what the next box brings.

    Today I’ll be finishing a commissioned seamstress project. I was asked to shorten some curtains and sew lining fabric behind the thin linen for some actual light blocking.

    What are you doing today?

  • Around home - Blog - Kitchen - Outdoors

    T Tuesday: CSA edition

    June 21, 2016 - By 

    Last week we received our first box of produce from our CSA. What a bounty!

    All of that came from the 3/4 bushel box on the table.

    Loon Organics CSA week 1

    Another really cool feature is a “swap box” at the pickup site. If you see something in the box you’d rather have, you can swap it out for something in your box. That’s how I ended up with 2 bunches of radishes. I swapped the second bunch for a bag of arugula.

    Carrots, beets, bok choy, garlic scapes, mixed spring greens, spinach and radishes all in week one! AND the basil plant in my deck box. I knew from seeing the boxes last year that we’d likely get one so I didn’t bother planting any…just left a spot for it instead.

    CSA basil plant

    Between the CSA, our home garden and the garden space at my in-laws, we should be eating super healthy this summer!

    I’ll update you on my gardens next week. They are growing like crazy. I’m so happy to walk out there every morning to see the growth. I don’t even mind having to pull a few weeds and use the watering can to hand water the spaces with our collected rain water.

    I hadn’t realized until just a few days ago how much my focus changes to the outdoors in the summer. Likely because our winters are so long and sometimes harsh that we tend to spend as much time as possible outdoors.

    Mini-me and I are off for a small adventure today since J is at work!! He got his first job and is at his second day of training today.

    What are you doing today?