summer morning ramble

The weather has been warm enough the past few nights to allow leaving the bedroom window open. To wake in the morning to the songbird’s trill and smell the scent of summer in the air, to feel the gentle breeze waft leisurely across the body…these moments are just some of the reasons I look forward to and love summer so dearly.

We have been delighted to notice a rose breasted grosbeak residing high in a tree just behind the house near the creek. Neither Coop nor I had ever seen one before. The flash of his red breast is unmistakable, but it was his song that alerted us to his presence. Quite lovely, unique and intense as it rises above that of the other songbirds. I can hear him singing as I type. To see a very good picture and listen to the song of the rose breasted grosbeak, go to http://www.birding.com/topbirds/9519rbg.asp

Today promises to be another warm one. The mosquitoes have become thick already, one of the less enchanting things about the season to be sure. While planting last night I became their feast, coming in with numerous bites. Tonight I will not be in the garden in shorts and a tank top to be sure! Time to get out the essential oils and mix up a new batch of natural repellant!

I’m hoping to get the tomato and pepper plants in the ground this evening. Everything we’ve planted so far has been certified organic, as are the tomato and pepper plants we’ve grown. If all does well I will likely be setting up a road side stand later in the summer as I’ll have excess produce. I have family and friends that are depending on me rather than the supermarket to provide them with home grown fresh veggies this summer. I’ve never raised a garden that didn’t allow an abundance to share, eat and preserve. I will most definitely be busy come late summer making relishes, salsas, sauces and the like, canning green beans, tomatoes, etc. (Thank goodness I have lots of canning jars!) This is another one of my favorite parts of summer; being able to gather and eat fresh veggies from the garden. We eat less meat in the summer, often making complete meals from the garden. I love it! Like the sign in my kitchen reads, “It’s All Good!”

homemade croutons for pennies

We were able to get part of the seed planted in our garden this evening after the weather cooled. The green beans, beets, eggplant and some straw flowers got planted! Tomorrow we'll get the plants out and hopefully the squash and cucumber seeds planted. The spinach, chard, romaine and radishes are coming up nicely. Again we are planting under a waxing moon for increased abundance.

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Everytime we have salad I wish I had croûtons, but I refuse to buy them. The frugality in me, for one reason, ya know? The cost is high plus most, if not all (aside from maybe organic croûtons), have either high fructose corn syrup and/or MSG, both bad. Same story with bread crumbs. So, since I always make my own bread crumbs, I decided to try my hand at making my own croûtons this morning since I'd purchased some day old French bread for pennies the other day. I checked online to find a recipe that would give me the correct baking temperature. However, I found the suggested temps ranging from 225 to 425. So, I ended up through trial using a medium heat of 350. All I did was....

Drizzle olive oil over slices of bread then season with onion salt and oregano. (You can use your own choice of herbs of course) After cubing the bread I placed the pieces single layer on pizza stones to bake about 15-20 minutes at 350 F.
Here is the result.

Note, you'll want to check on these to make sure they don't become overly brown, but you'll want to make sure they are really dry so they will keep well.

Aren't I the lucky one?

The other day my nephew showed up at my house bearing gifts! What a surprise to receive all these flowers! Two hanging planters like the one pictured (that frame the front porch entrance quite perfectly), plus the mega planter and two hibiscus shown on the bistro set on the front porch.



Rich is a professional horticulturist and works as a main grower for a nursery. He knows I love pinks and purples, so he certainly kept that in mind when choosing flowers for me. :) I have to say I was totally in awe and appreciation to be the recipient of so many flowers. I've never received so many flowers in my life and especially from someone other than my husband, lol! They sure will dress up the front porch and patio! I am most certainly feeling blessed by this! Thanks Rich and more hugs...aren't I the lucky one?

peacocks & herbs (repost with photos)

This past weekend Kingwood Center held their spring herb sale, so Coop, my niece Jenni, (who lives nearby and is like a daughter to me) and I took a trip over this morning. If you live in Ohio in proximity to Richland County, Kingwood is a place you’ll want to visit often. It’s a gorgeous 47 acre former estate garden brimming with flora and fauna amidst the bustle of Mansfield, Ohio. It’s free and open to the public year round. I have been there many times and will return many more. In fact, June is a highlight for me when the myriad of roses come into bloom. There are about 500 roses in bloom between June and September that result in thousands of blooms in every imaginable color and scent.

I was smart enough to take my camera along this morning and capture a few photos of Mr. India Blue Peacock. Along with photos (which should be showing up here but seem not to be) I came home from the sale with a few herbs; lemon verbena, woodruff, chocolate mint, hot and spicy oregano and bronze fennel. I thought the hot and spicy oregano would be a nice addition to some of my sauces and salsas this year! Can’t wait! I use a lot of oregano in my cooking anyhow, so this will be fun to try. The bronze fennel I was thrilled to find. I do like fennel seeds, especially mixed into sausages and spaghetti sauce, but the beauty of bronze fennel is exquisite. At least I think so, with its feathery fronds of bronze. I would plant it whether it was culinary or not, due to its eye appeal. The chocolate mint is deliciously chocolate and minty, of course! I have grown it before and it is a deep green mint that is very eye appealing, too. The lemon verbena…mmmmm, the scent alone is worth its presence in the garden. I like to add it to my herb tea blends, hot or cold. And the sweet woodruff will be a nice addition as a garnish or to add to teas, also. All in all, a nice little start to my herbal garden.

Towards the end of the month Jenni and I will be going to Quail Crest Farm in nearby Wayne County, Ohio to browse more herbs. I am really looking forward to that and spending the day with her.

Hooked on Shawls

This is a republished version (with photos!) of a recent post...

I’m so pleased with some of the nice comments I have received from some of my blog viewers. Thanks so much for the thumbs up!

As mentioned in an earlier blog, I was crafting something green. I’m pleased to say that I finished it the other day. Also is a photo of another shawl I made prior as a gift for someone special. (If I don’t say who, she won’t know) It’s very southwest in color I think. I have been on a shawl making kick for some months now and have given them to friends and family members here and there ever since. Both shawls were bargains to make because the sage green yarn came from a bag full found at yard sale and the light green was free via freecycle! The southwest shawl was made from freecycle yarn and some leftover black I had on hand. Neither shawl cost more than $4 to make. Now that is a bargain!

Shawls are such a wonderful and practical thing not to mention trendy. Nothing better to wrap yourself in on a cool evening or when you feel a chill. I use mine in the mornings quite often rather than throwing on a robe. Plus, they are a great item to take along in the car just in case the day or evening turns cool.

My mother instilled a love of hand made things in me, despite the fact she was not the one to teach me the art of crochet. She was an avid crocheter, but I taught myself after she passed away. So now, when I crochet, I often find myself reminiscing about her and her handiwork and the many things she hand made for me as a teenager. That was back in the seventies when crocheted items became very trendy…from shawls to fringed vests to floppy hippie hats, I had them all. And most of her work was of her own design. Like her I am often one for improvising and creating as I go rather than following a written pattern. I always was a rebel!

Creating a Wildlife Habitat

Coop and I were thrilled to see a Red Breasted Grosbeak the other day high up in a tree at the back of the property. He caught our eyes all right with his blazing red breast. We'd never seen one before. Once you've heard their call it's quite unmistakable, also. It's tone reaches far above the sound of the other birds nearby and is quite lovely.

In regard to that, just thought I would share an article from Mother Earth News that might be of interest for those wanting to attract wildlife into their environment.

Typical Third Thursday

It has gone from 90◦ just two days ago to a high of 50 as I write. We’ve decided to postpone planting the rest of our garden until Memorial Day weekend. My parents swore by this in our part of Ohio and it’s a good rule of thumb to follow. Plus, the new moon arrives on the 16^th and waxes until the full moon on the 31^st, making that period a perfect time for planting.

Our hummingbirds returned on Tuesday, zipping between the shrubs and trees to the porch and back, looking for their feeder. I didn’t hesitate in filling the new one we purchased on sale at the end of last summer. The previous one we used was beginning to leak and had no perches. The new one is much sturdier, made of glass and has four perches for them to sit on. They have been hitting it repeatedly. Once they become accustomed to being in our presence again, I feel sure they will be perching more rather than just flitting in and out. Years ago when we lived here in the 80’s, I had several feeders up and most generally had between twenty five and thirty hummers. I could stand out front with a feeder in my hand and they fed from it as I held it. When I would attempt to take their feeder down for a refill, I would be met with quite aggressive behavior, though! The hummers would be dive bombing my head, trying to keep me away from their food source. They are quite fascinating little creatures and provide us with such entertainment.

Today was our monthly trip to town after “payday”, our typical third Thursday of the month. By payday, I refer to Coop’s monthly retirement check’s arrival. So, we headed to town for our day out which entailed doing the necessary errands and making the necessary purchases, then topping it of with our once a month treat of dining out. This is the one extravagance (albeit still with frugality in mind), that we allow ourselves each month, along with a stop at the local thrift store. There I came home with three pair of jeans which I was in dire need of, one summer blouse and a pair of good leather sandals. Not bad for the $16 spent! Recycling at its finest! The last time I bought anything new was when I had a ten dollar coupon for Fashion Bug which allowed me to purchase new underwear! And even then I waited until they had a buy one get one free sale!

On the way home we stopped at the neighbors who were holding their yard sale despite the rain and cold. I found a couple of worthy books while there and fell in love with a set of canisters. But, common sense told me I didn’t need them and the price was too steep for my budget anyhow. The air outside is damp and chill, not at all pleasant …unless you are a duck. :) It was good to come home and settle back in to the warmth and comfort of our old house.

And speaking of ducks...
We now have over twenty eggs and realize that both Thelma and Louise are laying. Thelma has been laying but we noticed just today that Louise is, also. Now we don’t know whose eggs are whose, since it appears they are nesting together! We were hoping to gather a few of the freshest eggs for baking and eating when Louise began laying. Ah well, nature will take her course. Suffice it to say, when the opportunity to get our Muscovies arrived, we knew little about raising ducks and had no first hand experience. But as with anything, experience is always the best teacher so I’ve no doubt we’ll learn a lot over the course of a season.