try again?

It has become painfully obvious that, even though i have a lot to say, i am horrible at keeping up a blog. I thought, like many projects, if i "just do it!" i will continue to do it. but alas, i am reminded once again that this is just not my form of expression.

lots of parsley!

 So, i think what i will try now, because i do like to learn and share, is do what is within my form of expression. i love to take pictures, i love to share gardening & sustainability tips, i love seeing what others are doing in these areas. i have also just upgraded to a smartphone (i know! not very sustainable of me). if i could just snap away and post pics of my "to do's" and "done's" and post a quick bit about them here and there, i just might be able to keep that up on a semi-regular basis.

small spinach harvest

so i guess my next to do is to figure out how to do that. :) i have thought tumblr might be the better place for that, but i am willing to try to stick this out.

in the mean time, i have a small start in the garden, harvesting already lots of parsley, a few radishes, and a small handful of spinach. turned over an area for tomatoes and beans and picked tons of beautiful flowers.

Here's to a wonderful summer!

50+ yr old rose bush

i am still kickin'

i knew keeping up with a blog would be challenging for me, but whew! i guess my summer was just a little too distracting. i thought about blogging often, but had a hard time sitting down long enough to dedicate some serious time to it.

i only got 2 squash, but they are huge!

so, i am back and hopefully will be able to keep up on a semi-regular basis. i may not be able to put all my thoughts and ideas into well crafted prose, but i will try to post a picture here and there about my valiant effort into more real food, less consumerism, & inching my way towards self-sustainability.

my number one "to do" right now is getting rid of the mice that have decided that my vegetable garden makes a great home. two down, who knows how many to go. any suggestions?

happy herbs! basil, thyme, parsley, tarragon, & oregano.

i did make my own laundry soap this summer, which has worked out pretty good so far. (commenting about it on a recently discovered blog was kind of the kick-in-the-pants to get me going again, so thanks jesse at bizz & boo boo!)
from my post on jesse's blog (plus extra notes):

"when i was ready to make my own laundry soap, i researched all the options out there including soap nuts and the recipe you posted. since i didn’t want to spend the time with all the boiling and i don’t mind powder detergent i went with this dry version:

1 bar of shaved bar soap (Ivory, ZOTE, Fels-Naptha — note: these all contain animal tallow, if that is an issue for you)
1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing soda
mix thoroughly
use 1 Tbsp per average size load
literally took me less than 10 minutes!

i used fels naptha (but next time will use dr bronner’s or something else with no animal fat) and grated it with a cheese grater. i bought all the ingredients at kroger and none were in plastic packaging!
my clothes seem as clean as when i was using any other brand of store bought powder detergent.

next: how i spent my summer

too much to do list

when i started this blog my intention was a place to keep track of my "can't wait to do" & "look what i did" lists not necessarily my "have to do" & "glad that's over" lists. but currently my calendar is over flowing with deadlines & scheduled must do's. while i dream about my future garden, i hurry up and make preparations for easter dinner guests &  work events. but i have been able to squeeze in a little fun here and there.

i went to couple of estate sales last weekend and found some nice no-plastic kitchen items i had been wanting to replace from some time.

one of the best places to find non-plastic substitutes for everyday item is "grandma's" kitchen.

although the ice cube trays seem to be missing a part and don't work right.

in other news, there are radish sprouts! and ONE pea sprout! hurray for one, booooo for the other 2 dozen. what is up?! inside i do have a few bell peppers, dill, carrots, coriander, and a couple of flowers spouting.

ok, back to housework...

even more stuff done

awesome thrift store find

the weather was amazing today, which allowed me to get a bunch of stuff done in the yard today. but first, there was the trip out to Fred's Unique Furniture. all i can say is wow. the place was giant & packed!  although i didn't find the 60's style console stereo with turntable i was hoping to, i did not come home empty handed.



back at home i put up my hanging baskets/window box thingys that i bought off of craig's list back in november. and finally planted my hawthorn tree (free from craigslist or freecycle, can't remember since it's been about 3 years, poor tree!!)

craig's list find

cleaned the winter clutter off of the breezeway sorting out the plastic containers to give away or recycle, as i try to reduce as much plastic as possible.

freecycle find

still to do:

• get rabbit poop. i found where the wild rabbits are pooping and plan to harvest it up for some free fertilizer. a small payback for all the damage they've done.
• fix rain barrel/get new rain barrels. i was super bummed to to find that my rain barrel has a giant crack in the bottom because, like a dummy, i left it out over winter to get frozen. hoping i can patch it up with some epoxy. i will also be on the look out for more in the mean time.
• fix porch steps. this very harsh winter we had, with lots of freezing and salting, has left our steps with their own pot-holes. cement patch? will need to do some investigating...

getting stuff done

done: i mixed 1 part vermiculite, 1 part worm compost, & 1 part fresh compost from under the arbor vitae (see last post) to form a seed starting mix. on sunday i planted a small variety of veggies & flowers. by this morning (6 days later) already germinating were dill, carrot, sunflowers and forget-me-nots. (sorry about the sad pic)





done: cleared some of the gobs of leaves away from the front flower bed to discover more plants coming up including lily of the valley, hosta, & allium.

done: trying to repel the rabbits from all these newly uncovered greens by spreading around some hot chili peppers that didn't get picked last year. we'll see. i have pretty tenacious rabbits.


done: cancelled cable. after much discussion we area actually very excited about not having the distraction on cable TV. we will still be able to get our video entertainment from streaming internet, dvd's, etc.
going shopping tomorrow to find a stereo to fill the empty wall where we will remove the big hunk of plastic we used to be chained to. the goal is to renovated the living room before easter when family comes over. next up: eco-friendly paint samples.

a little cooking then out in the yard

done:
after months of trial and error this is the best basic recipe for chewy granola bars i found. my recipe mods are:  1/3 c sugar, 1/4 c honey, 1/4 c peanut butter, no salt, 2 T butter + 2 T mashed banana, various combinations of fruit and nuts. this weeks combo: pistachio cranberry granola bars, with soy nuts.

done:
 bought some vermiculite and today will start my indoor seeds. i will use some worm compost as well as some naturally made compost courtesy of a 50 year old arbor vitae.

despite this unseasonably cold spring, there are signs of life in the yard.

 tulips soon!

forsythia soon!

daffodils soon!

future azaleas

future pain in the ass.

today's list:

• charge camera battery
• invest in some new rabbit repellent
• clear leaves out of front flower bed
• paint living room wall (before easter)
• cancel cable (monday)
• not get sick

ready? go!

i have been thinking about starting a blog lately, after discovering some that i really enjoy.
i have been thinking about all the things i want to do right now and wanted to make a list to keep me on track.
so i figured, why not do both?

today's list: (not necessarily stuff i need to do today, just things i thought about today)
- find a mid century modern stereo console cabinet with turntable (preferable under $150 and before easter)
- invite family over for easter
- gather up seed starter materials (going to try to make my own soil with compost and vermiculite)
- make granola bars
- build a cold frame (before seedlings are ready to go outside) (shooting for may 15)

ready? go!