Are you harvesting yet?

I've got rhubarb for some delicious rhubarb pie! Don't tell anyone I ate half o.k.?
There is great satisfaction in picking something from the garden and using it!

Have you harvested anything yet? Want to share some pie?

Home Maintenance

One should really not let the exterior of a building get this bad. But as it is with working on a home that is almost 100 years old- this was a two fold problem. This house did not have any gutters. And while that would not seem to be a be problem, it is. For instance on the deck directly under the eve of the house, the deck board was constantly rotting. Just one board, directly under the gutter. On the side entrance ice was constantly forming on the stoop making entry a hazard in the winter. And on the side of the garage, water splashed down onto the concrete and back onto the garage. That is what you see here. Well, last summer the gutter went in and the rain barrel was installed. Now it is time to paint. This is my process:
1) Wash the surface. I use a nozel sprayer. This knocks of dirt and some loose paint.
2) Scrape. My least favorite part but you need to get off the loose paint chips. If you have an old house be sure not to let it lie on the ground. It could have lead in it.
3) Prime all exposed wood. After some research I have decided to use an oil based primer. This will in essence soak into the wood and seal it. Water base tends to sit on the surface.
4) Paint. I used a latex outdoor paint. Be sure you finish the entire side. If you do not, you will have to come back and do the whole thing again because the paint will fade and your job will look less than professional.
5) If the task seems too daunting offer up some beer or food. I call this "Barn Raising" style. We don't help each other enough. I'd be willing to bet that if you offered some labor in exchange your friends will take you up on it!

Dandelions

Due to the delight of my daughter, I have a new found appreciation for these little yellow gems. O.k. so maybe its not an appreciation but watching her run around and pick handfuls of them brings me great pleasure. We make a game of it. She runs to show me where they are so that I can dig them! I have a buffalo grass lawn that cannot be sprayed for weeds so I resort to this method. I have heard about some new products out that can be used but I have not per sued this option yet. I try my best to be chemical free around here until something gets the best of me. Come to think of it, I didn't have this problem until the neighbor across the street let it become his SERIOUS problem. sigh. I'll bet you didn't know that dandelions are edible. They are actually high in potassium and one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables you can eat. They have quite a following in other countries. I haven't thrown them in a salad yet but we often feed them to our tortoise. Maybe I need to reconsider them as a food source since there are so many. I'm game to try something new.

Waiting for Summer

I cannot believe it is still rainy and cool here! It is Memorial weekend you know. It should be sunny and warm. I planned to spend this weekend painting the garage and getting the rest of the garden in. The weather has been less than supportive. At least the iris are blooming. That will have to keep a smile on my face for now!

I hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day. Many Thanks to those who have served our country and lost their lives so that we can spend this day doing just about anything we desire.

Do You.....

LINE DRY?

I really want a clothes line. I tried to per sue several on craigs list but have not gotten lucky yet. Then I realized probably all I really needed was a rope and some pins. Viola! Clothes line! I love line dried clothes. Not only do they smell awesome but you don't have to pay for energy to get your clothes dry. I really don't feel like hanging them takes that much more time besides...its a good excuse to be outside! If you feel like you need something more than a rope you can check this source for just about every style imaginable! Remember, your dryer is the second or third highest energy consumer in your household!
It wouldn't hurt to at least hang the sheets out.

Bandanna Skirt

I am very lucky to have a very cool MIL. For example, on her last visit she showed up with a couple of bandannas and said hey I want to make these for A.
How delightful is it that your MIL would want to sew with you? Let's just say some creative fun ensued. Be sure to check out Vanessa at V and Co. She has some other great tutorials as well!

Growing Growing...

There seems to be a lot of growing up going on around here. The least of which includes those baby chicks! This one is headed out to the chicken coop! In the past I have had trouble integrating new chicks into established coops. The older chickens do not seem too willing to include new chicks and will beat them up. This time I made sure the number of baby chicks(6) out numbered the old hens(2). Things went considerably smoother. I have since sold several of the chicks and everyone seems to be getting along fine!