Friday, March 26, 2010

Angels come with red hair~


I hope I don't bore you too much...

but...

We just spent a wonderful week in Oregon
with our Son, DIL and grandbaby,
and I just have to put a few pics of Sophia up.

I don't think I have a single photo without her in it! (:

Sophie turns 2 years old on April 1,
but we celebrated early
since baby brother will be born near that date.

Here she is in her new dress


She is now calling me Mee-Mee...
I have no clue why,
but I'll take it!

Playing with Popi

Every child, grandchild, and now great-grandchild
is introduced to Papa's (my dad) pride and joy,
the John Deere


Momma removes a sliver

and saves her from the scary Daddy monster (o;


~Have a great weekend~

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Endless To Do List items were the order of the day

I'm heading off to spend a couple days with my sweet Sophia!

She's a girl after her Nami's own heart (that's me)
See the rake in her hands?
She and her daddy started a garden this week
I'm sure she'll tell me all about it...
the trick will be understanding Sophia language! (:

She loves flowers

She'll be 2 on April 1,
but we're celebrating early
because baby brother is due to arrive
about the same time as her birthday.

I spent today getting last minute things done
and packing to go

The baby chicks are turning into teenagers...
all raggedy and gangily...

Putt-Putt shows off her height and new feathers!

They talk to eachother constantly...

"Something moved...
we're sure its a yummy bug!"

"Hey! That was my bug!"

They're a real pair!


The Cecil Brunner rose is starting to bloom

I can't wait for it to be a froth of pink over the garden gate
The blossoms are intoxicating

The greenhouse is busy these days too
The tomatoes are putting out flowers in good numbers
We should have tomatoes by the end of May

Fusia and Geraniums in hanging baskets

In the outside garden area,
DH has made me these rather unsightly,
but very effective garden bed covers.

They serve to keep bugs off,
and the heat in during the early spring days.

My favorite buddy, and trusty work horse

Earth is here so kind,
that just tickle her with a hoe
and she laughs with a harvest.

by Douglas William Jerrold,
about Australia, A Land of Plenty



Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Happy St Patrick's Day

In honor of the few Irish genes I inherited from my mother's side,
I'm seeing green collections around my house

Beads

A vintage green photo album

Green colored books

A collection of green vintage kitchen implements

Green vintage bottles

Kitty on the green rug?
Ok, maybe that's a stretch...
but couldn't resist our cute kitty
all snuggled up on the floor!


~And an Old Irish Blessing for you~

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!


Don't forget to wear Green,
and avoid a pinch

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Monday, March 15, 2010


The ancient Greeks wore wreaths of these little jewels,
and the Romans made them into wine.


According to Greek mythology,
the violet was created from the tears of a nymph
who was loved by Zeus.
In order to hide her from his wife,
Zeus turned her into a white heifer.
She was forced to eat grass.
It was so bitter that she cried.
Her tears were turned into violets by Zeus
to provide delicate fodder.

This time of year my viola odorata is in full bloom
I can't walk by the patch without stopping short
and taking taking a deep breath
... and another..
...and another...

It started with two small plants,
and now have a 20ft long patch of violets along my garden fence.
They love rich loamy soil
and a little protection from hot afternoon sun


Viola Odorata is a perennial plant with soft
heart-shaped leaves and intoxicatingly
heavily scented flower.

Probably the most common know use is
crystallised for use on cakes or in desserts,
but did you know that a decoction can be made
to use as a remedy for chest colds?

... and a syrup of violets serves effectively
for bronchitis, coughs and chesty colds.


~Violet Syrup~
Put 3 large handfuls of flowers into a bowl
and add 1/2 cup of boiling water.
Cover and let sit for a whole day.
Strain through a piece of cheesecloth or muslin
and be sure to squeeze all the water out of the flowers.
In an enamel pan, add 4 Tbls. of honey with the Violet water
Heat slowly to dissolve honey and bring to a boil.
Immediately remove from heat, and cool.
Put the violet syrup into a screw top jar and store in a cool place
for the next time you have a cold.


~Violet Ointment~
Violet ointment is made with fresh violet leaves
and can be used to soothe and reduce swelling,
or to soften dry lips,
or for soothing haemorrhids.
Melt 2 heaping Tbls. of pure lard or
vegetable shortening in an enamel pan
and add a handful of chopped leaves.
Cover and cook on very low heat for 30 minutes.
Strain immediately through a piece of muslin or cheesecloth
Pour into small pots
Cover when cool
and store in a cool place.


~Aromatic Bath~
After a tiring day, draw a nice warm bath
to which is added a strong infusion of violet water
Pour 2 cupfuls of boiling water
over 3 handfuls of violet flowers.
Leave to infuse for 10-15 mintues
then add to your bath water.
Climb in and relax!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I want to thank all of you for leaving kind words yesterday
It was a tough day
It amazes me that I have been so fortunate to have found all of you
and I count you as friends
Thank you for your words of encouragement.
I'm probably a bit silly about my animals,
but I get so attached to them.
When something bad happens to any of my pets,
I almost can't bear it
They are dependent on me,
and I take that seriously -
and love them.

My favorite little Tweetie Pie didn't survive
the dog attack on Sunday.
She was the most loving of the 7 chicks,
and liked to sit on my foot,
even when I walked around.

But since losing their sisters,
these two little ones and I
have become very attached to eachother.

They hate being left alone in their box,
so in order to be able to move around,
I put them in the big floppy pockets of my garden dress
and there they sleep while I work

This is Put-Put
(Funny name, I know... but its hubby's choice!)
She's very active and bold...
always first to chase a bug or find a tasty morsel

and this is Hanna
(no reason for the name. It just seems to fit her)
Hanna is very quiet and gentle
and loves to cuddle

Hubby is working feverishly
to get a strong coop made for the girls.
We've been planning to take a trip to Oregon
to see our Sophia (grand-daughter) next week
I'm nervous about leaving the chicks...
We'll see how they like their new coop


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Happy Spring to you~


Sunday, March 14, 2010

Heartbreak

The woes of raising animals
is that you can fall in love with them
but lose them.

This morning the neighbor's dog got into my greenhouse
where I have been keeping my baby chicks during the day
until hubby got the coop built...

I thought it was totally secure,
but obviously not.

All but 2 of my baby chicks were killed.

I'm just sick
and sad...

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Peek-a-Boo












I'm still feeding my birds
I'll taper off soon since food is more plentiful for them now,
but for now I'm still enjoying their company.

Many of them are very trusting of me
Some don't even move from the bench as I put food down,
but this little guy wasn't so sure of me.

I think I know what he's thinking...

"What's that!? ...something's moving...
I'm not sure if I want to be here..."

"I think I'll just move over here... just in case I have to get outta here!"

"OK... I'm outta here!"

I know alot of bird watchers really dislike these little guys,
but who can resist a picture of those yellow eyes,
silky smooth feathers and deep metallic blues?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found this perfect air-tight gallon sized jar at Cost Plus World Market
Its perfect for storing my sundry ribbons n' lace!



With everyone tightening their belts due to the tough economy,
DH has built me a clothesline

I just love it!
He surprised me with a fancy little twist on the ends (:

I had forgotten how good line dried sheets smell!
After drying my first load of sheets in years,
it brought back memories of my childhood...
as we climbed into bed and breathed deeply the wonderful fresh scent
and drifted off to sleep

I got the best night's sleep~