My lonely sweet meat

 

This is my lonely Sweet Meat Pumpkin.

 



 

Why is he lonely?  Well, out of the six seeds I planted, three came up, and then all three died.

 

So, I planted another set of six, and once again three came up.  I transplanted all three in a separate hill a piece, up by the hugel in lovely rich compost.

 

Two of the plants died.

 

The last plant has grown and flowered unbelievably.  There have been TONS of blossoms.  All but two of them were males.  I almost missed this one, it was near the end of the vine.  And, there was another one, even further along the vine, but a few days later I went back to look and that one was gone.  Or so I thought.  Upon closer inspection, it was a black ball about the size of a tennis ball.

I have never grown these before.  The reason I wanted to was because I heard they store well and taste good.

Here's to hoping.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on this one.

We've moved the butterfly bushes

 

Well, it had to be done.

 

We moved the remaining three butterfly bushes.

 

I had heard that they could be invasive.  Wasn't exactly sure HOW invasive.

 

They are SEED invasive!

 

We have removed hundreds of small plants.  Many of them had grown very well where they fell and I know that I will now have seven years of pulling them out from where they fell last fall.  I can not let them to continue to grow where I had planted them as they were not in the appropriate place for being a seed invasive plant.

 

So, they were drastically cut back, dug up and replanted to the side yard and now it doesn't really matter how many seeds fall.  I just hope they will grow as well where we have planted them as the seeds grew where we didn't want them.

 

Another lesson learned.

Before, During and After

 
I should have thought ahead a bit.  But since I am only just trying to do more photography and better photography, you will have to excuse me.  I did try.

 

Before

 

The above picture was taken at night, before there was really any snow on the ground, just to give you an idea of the lattice fence I have around my garden and how it looks from our deck.  The lattice pieces are 24 inches.

 



 

 

February 12, 2014

 

The above picture was taken the day before the storm, just to show you how much we had at that time.  There had already been two days of snow the week before, and so this was melted down some, but you get the idea.

 

 

 

 

February 15, 2014

And this last picture, above, is after the storm.  I would say that we got about 18 inches on the 14th, on top of the 5 inches that were still there from the week before. THEN, we got another 5 inches on the 15th that are not shown here in this picture, after I had taken it.

I was fortunate that Dear Darlings work told them on the 12th that they would not be open on the 13th, so he came home that evening after working late that night.  He was supposed to be off today as well, but he asked the boss if he could have off Friday instead and he would come in today, the holiday, so that he wouldn't have to travel back and have another long day, just to come home again that night.  They agreed.

I am so lucky and fortunate to have a Dear Darling such as he, that works so hard to provide for us and then comes home and because of snow gets no real rest for the weekend.  We shoveled, snow blowed and had the plow on the quad on Thursday and spent over 4 hours together clearing the snow from our driveway and the lip of the street near it, plus our neighbors driveway across the street, and we helped out our neighbor next door, as we knew his snow blower blew up the storm before and he had not gotten a new one yet.

Then, we did it all over again on Friday evening, as well as help our Darling Boy out over at his house.  He was working 24 hour shifts to help cover for people who couldn't get to work.

Saturday came and we did some more!

I was spoiled having him home for an extended visit.

Being prepared Part 2

This is another short note about being prepared, all the time, not just in winter.

In recent years it seems as if there have been more storms to make the news.  I don't know if you've lived through any of them, but here at our house, we've had a few.

Now there are tons of sites on the internet and lots of books to be borrowed from the library on preparing for any disaster you can think of.  I encourage you to look at some and to think over what you feel is the right level of preparedness for you.

Here are some of the things we do in our house.

We have several rechargeable flashlights.  They are always in the charging dock and fully charged.  Yes, this uses a small amount of power, but when your lights go out in the black of night can you find your flash light?  I know where each one is and I feel so much better knowing it has a full charge.  We also keep several battery operated flashlights available as well as a stock of batteries at the ready.  To light up a whole room and to not have to hold your flashlight while doing it, get a sturdy, tall drinking glass and up end the flashlight into it so that it shines towards the ceiling.  It's as good as having an overhead light on.

Candles and matches.  During Hurricane Sandy you could not find ANY matches on the shelves in stores.  We keep several boxes of stick matches handy for just this reason.  If you can't light your candle, they are no good to you.  Plus, you may need matches to light a fire in your wood burner, or two light your gas stove.  I am of the age where gas stoves did not have the electronic ignition, you used a match to light them.  A lot of younger people don't know that you can still use your gas stove during a power outage, that they can light it themselves, but you need matches to be able to do it.

A princess phone.  What?  Yes, I said a princess phone.  When the power goes out in your home, so does the ability to use your cordless phones.  Ask me how I know?  We always keep an old princess phone underneath our phone table for just this case.  It comes in handy.  Now that everyone carries a cell phone, you may think that you don't need one, but suppose the cell towers are out as well?  At least you have another option.

Another thing I do is to keep a copy of my power bill near the phone.  When the power goes out, there's no fumbling looking for the previous months bill or the phone book to call and report an outage, it's right there.

The last thing I'll share with you is this and I know this may sound silly, but I fill the bath tub with water.  Why?  So that there is water to flush the toilet.  And to wash up if I want to.

Being prepared

This is just a short note about being prepared.  We all hear about it, but how many actually DO it.

Every winter we get together two winter car kits.  They are basically just smaller Rubbermaid tubs and inside them we put a few tea light candles, some matches in a plastic bag or metal tin, a pair of gloves or mittens, a hat, some hard candies, a large black or dark green garbage bag or two, and a granola bar.  For me, I also put some car "knitting" and a book.

Also in the car goes a wool blanket, a small snow shovel and some sand or sand and salt mix.  You could use kitty litter if you have that handy instead. You could also put a bottle of water or two in there, but remember, it is winter and it will probably freeze.  If you hope to heat it up, you will need a little tin cup or a pot and some way to get it out of the bottle if it's a plastic container. Place any other items that you feel you will need in there as well.  Some people put a sterno can or two, some will put those little hand warmer packs that once you open the package they heat up.  Think about what you feel you would need to keep you happy, sane, and patient. Please also keep in mind that you will need to have a window cracked while using a sterno can in the car.

Just these few items placed in the trunk or back seat of your car can save you a lot of aggravation and worry if you should be on a road trip and your car breaks down, you run out of gas or the weather prevents you from going any further.

A few years ago there was a very bad snow storm that came through that had a few hours of sleet on top of the ice and one of the major highways closed down with hundreds of cars and trucks stuck on the highway as they couldn't get up the mountain.  Some of those people were on the road, in their car for a day or two.  I am sure none of them expected that to happen, but it did.  I also expect many of them had no safety or comfort items with them.  Yes, the National Guard had been called in and brought items to all these people stranded in their cars, but I am sure that the waiting must have been agony for the occupants.

I hope todays post will help you think about what you will put into your winter car kit and make one up for each car in your home.

Go ahead, ask me.

I dare you.

Go head, ask me.

I double, dog dare you!

Ask me how many pots of water do you need to run through your coffee machine, not pot, to get butter residue out of the machine?



Yes, you heard me right.

I put a stick of butter on top of my coffee machine, while it was brewing, while I was busy, in the kitchen, hoping to defrost it quickly for a recipe.  All of a sudden I hear the coffee maker making this strange sound.  I look up, and sure enough, part of the stick of butter has already melted and I can see it dripping down the lid, underneath into the part where the coffee filter is.

Sigh..... my life on a Friday.

I ran a pot of water through it.  I ran a pot of water with vinegar through it.  I washed out the pot and the basket.  I ran more water through it.  And more water through it.  Then, I even washed out the coffee machine with a soapy rag, while hanging it over the edge of the sink and then used the sprayer hose to spray HOT tap water through it.

Then, I ran more water through it, washed the pot again and the basket. I ran more water through it, this time with a filter in the basket and finally, the water came out clear and with no BUTTER reside floating on the top!!!

This post is just to show, you learn something new every day, and today, I learned more than one! 

Don't put butter on top of the coffee maker while making coffee to defrost.

AND, yes, you can clean out a coffee maker from fatty, buttery residue if you are persistent!

Have a good weekend!

Are you prepared?

There have been a few natural disasters in the past few years that makes one wonder, Am I prepared?

The first year, it was a flood.  Thank goodness, we live in and on a mountain, and the water didn't come near us, but within 2 miles the river rose.  It rose to a height higher than the government had ever recorded.  The bench mark was always "Agnes".  Agnes happened in 1973 and was the flood to end all floods.

Hhhhhmmmmm.

Then we had September 2011 happen, and the flooding was worse.  The rain was bad, and people were evacuated.  People weren't prepared to be without.

How can you be hearing about a storm for days and not have water, extra batteries and some canned goods in the house?  How can people expect someone else to care for them when a natural disaster, with warning, happens?

Every person, I don't care where you live, or what your means are, should have SOME ability to have the bare necessities available.  You can have some candles, whether it's just for an emergency or for everyday.  You can keep some matches handy and dry.  If you can, purchase a decent flashlight and an extra pack or two of batteries to keep on hand.  Make sure you have any medications that you need.  Keep them in a water tight container that is handy to get at.  If you should need to leave, you are prepared to grab it and go. 

On your next grocery trip, you don't need to spend a fortune, but you can buy a jar of peanut butter, a couple can's of tuna and a box of crackers to keep on hand should you need them.  OH, and a can opener, or be sure that the tuna has a pop top.

Some people will go to the extreme and be prepared in many ways.  Or at the other end of the spectrum, you have those who think, "oh, it will never happen."  Then, they can't understand how it happened to them!

Now, I'm not saying don't use extreme caution.  If they are telling you to evacuate, EVACUATE!  You are not only putting yourself in harms way, but the people who will have to rescue you when you finally decide to CALL FOR HELP.

But, when you evacuate, you need a plan?  Are you prepared for that?

There are many places to look on line for how to prepare for an emergency.  Take the time to look at some and decide what is appropriate for you and your family.  Also, don't forget your animals.  They can't fend for themselves at home.  They may not be admitted into the shelter closest to you.  Perhaps there is someone you could stay with in a safe place, or perhaps you need to leave yourself some extra time to get farther away.  Don't wait until the last minute.

Everything you have is replaceable except your family, that includes your animals.  Be prepared to take care of them and yourself.

Some things we always have on hand and have made preparations for an emergency.

When we know we may be losing power, I fill the tub with water for flushing the toilets.  I also purchase a case of bottled water, or I put water bottles that I've filled from the tap into the refrigerator.  Plus, I keep some empty milk jugs handy and fill most of the way with water and put them into the freezer so they can freeze before the power goes out.  It does help.
Batteries in all sizes that are used in our flashlights and radios.
Stick matches - during hurricane Sandy you couldn't FIND ANY for weeks!! We have since gifted boxes of stick matches to friends who were without power for nearly 10 days.  They LOVE them!
Canned goods and a can opener - most canned goods you can eat cold, they may not be pleasant, but when you are hungry, they are better than nothing!
Extra blankets - They could be old, they could be wool, they could just be extra material
An alternate heat source - if you are staying in your home.  We heat our home with wood so we could also cook on this stove if need be.  If you have a gas stove in your kitchen, NEVER run it without cooking, it can be dangerous.  If you need to use it to heat, cook something, bake something, boil water, then turn it off.  You don't need the fumes to kill you should the flame go out unnoticed.
Cell phones may not work.  OR the battery in them could go dead.  ALWAYS have an old fashioned, non cordless phone to plug in.  You remember, the kind that you grew up with, and if you are too young, the kind at your grandparents house....  A cordless phone will not work without power.
For cooking, you could use a camp stove or your grill OUTSIDE!  DO NOT use it in the house or the garage as it is EXTREMELY dangerous.

Edited:  Something I forgot to mention was MONEY.  Make sure you have cash, perhaps enough for a week.  If there is no electricity, you can't go to the ATM, you can't use your check card or your credit card, and depending on your bank and their emergency set up, you may not even be able to go to the bank for money.

Do some research of your own to see what kinds of things you feel would make you most comfortable in a disaster situation.  Then take the time to prepare.

Perhaps, for you, it means having candles, lots of candles handy so that you aren't in the dark.

Or, maybe it means having a few good books handy, or to have your Kindle or Nook fully charged so that you could read something you have on there.

Maybe it means making your favorite hot beverage and putting it into a thermos so that it is hot or warm in the middle of the night.


I'd like to hear your ideas on what being prepared means to you.