Sunday, August 12, 2012

Sunday Photo - Zinnias


My garden bouquet of Zinnias!


Imagine one of Cicely Mary Barker's fairies living among the Zinnias.



THE SONG OF
THE ZINNIA FAIRY

Z for Zinnias, pink or red;
See them in the flower-bed,
Copper, orange, all aglow;
Making such a stately show.

I, their fairy, say Good-bye,
For the last of all am I.
Now the Alphabet is said
All the way from A to Z. 


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Apron

This has been a productive Summer for me; gardening, painting, drawing, illustrating, sewing, reading, and planning the new curriculum.

The latest project was this apron!  I spent yesterday afternoon on it.  Pretty good for a novice I think.

I've had scraps of this fabric for ages, never knowing what I'd do with it.  So when the sewing bug bit, I realized it's destiny!

It's not finished yet, because I want to sew in two rings for an adjustable strap.

On second thought, I've rarely ever had good reason to wear my costume jewelry!

Yeah!
Good idea!
(Sometimes I really surprise myself!)


Linking up with White Wolf Summit Farmgirl whose sending out a call to Grab Your Aprons!

and

Linking with the wonderful and lovely Deborah Jean at the Dandelion House for her 69th Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop!


Sunday, August 5, 2012

A Photo for Sunday

Onions Aglow


Linking up with Murrieta 365: Straight Out of the Camera Sunday
and

I recommend a trip over to each one!  They both have excellent photos to share!  Very inspiring.  And thought provoking!


Saturday, August 4, 2012

Through the Garden Gate

I've been thinking how interesting it would be to keep a running log of the seasons through photos.  Then I noticed Murrieta 365 doing a First of the Month link up.  Just the excuse I needed!

So here it is, my first entry out of 12.  A view of the garden through the garden gate 'window.'


And since it's still the growing season, it's worth going in to take a tour...



Why do tomatoes take forever to ripen?  That red one is my first!  It's an Early Girl.  The plant on the right is a volunteer and something like a 'Beef Steak.'

Basil in the foreground, Pineapple Sage on the right, heirloom squash in the middle (with more Basil), two New England Sugar Pie pumpkins (far left), and Black Eye Peas.

I have two non-hybrid squash plants called Patisson Golden Marbre Scallop which are heavy producers.

One heirloom variety of a round zucchini called Ronde de Nice (quite prolific too).
 
The New England Sugar Pie.
 We've counted about 20 pumpkins between the two plants!
Wow.
And, these are also non-hybrids.


Black Eye Peas.
Very easy to grow, just plant, water, and harvest, harvest, and harvest some more.
Highly nutritious, no extra feeding necessary, and known to be a staple during the Depression Era.
It's worth looking into what the Native Americans grew in your area because those are likely to get you through.
That's why squash, beans, and corn (if I had more room) do so well in my garden.  Those were the crops of choice here.

I grew three times more onions than last year.
I can't live without garlic and onions!

And speaking of garlic, I planted cabbage between the rows (can you see the little cabbage plants?).  Once the garlic was harvested, the cabbage had room to expand...

I had about eight cabbages.  Any left over cabbage gets chopped up and turned back into the soil.  That way, the next garlic crop has a nice soil to grow in which has been almost 'disinfected' by the cabbage.  That's what I read on an authority's garlic website.  We'll see how it works out come June!  Can't wait!

I've harvested beets and potatoes too!
 This batch went to my neighbor.


My favorite kind of Hummer!...Not an over priced vehicle, but the kind that visits my garden!
They are very territorial and they fight over whose garden it is!
They even come up to the windows because they see their reflection in it, thinking there's another hummer in their garden!

Lots of ladybugs to play with.

The tadpoles seem to be happy.  I'll throw in a grasshopper from time to time.

Even though I'm 3 days late posting the first of the month photo, I'm seeing changes in the garden.  It's starting to look overgrown and a little more brown than usual.
That means Autumn is almost here!

My thanks goes out to Jan of the blog Murrieta 365 for hosting this linky party!  Thanks for the inspiration!

And,

Linking up with White Wolf Summit Farmgirl,who is hosting The Country Garden Showcase!
Lots of inspiration here too, check it out!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

I'm No Seamstress

Nope, I'm not.  My favorite tools include staples, glue, and tape!  But those are better suited to paper.  I found, via my sister's Pintrest, a very interesting item.  Un-paper towels!  This lady is a very talented seamstress indeed!  Every once in a while, something spurs me to sew.  I couldn't afford such a great product, so... I decided to try making my own as a Summer project!

Well for reasons such as stitch selection limitations (I only have a choice between a straight stitch and zig-zag stitches on my machine) and my limited skills, I decided to stitch them 'wrong' side together.

I snipped off the corners to reduce bulky corners.

Then, I turned them 'right' side out, ironed them flat taking care to make the opening flush with the stitched seam.  Once that was done, I zigzag stitched down the length of both sides, closing off the opening where I turned them inside out.  These two sides are the sides without the snap fasteners.

So, what do you think?!  A little machine quilting in order here?
Yeah, I think that's a good idea...

That's better!

Next came the fasteners.

I gave up buying paper towels years ago.  Too expensive and so wasteful.  I've been using washcloths instead.  After being inspired to add a touch of whimsy to the utility of cloths in the kitchen, I am delighted to have these now!

Throw them in the washing machine, snap back together, and use again!  YES!

If you don't have the time or inclination to make these yourself, I recommend checking out this lady's Etsy store.  She's got more than just these towels!  And she's good at what she does!  Go ahead, go be inspired!

Linking to White Wolf Summit Farmgirl's The Country Homemaker Blog Hop