mdr* wednesday

that's it. i have decided that every single day when i wake up and it's grey and rainy, i'm going to buy something pretty. seriously. i am.

today i thought about nate duval. he's an incredibly talented guy i saw on etsy. and yeah, i bought something pretty from him. he's the one i bought the peacock poster from awhile back. it really is lovely. silkscreened loveliness.






how's that for a rain day ruiner? ha. i bought "bird bus" (on top) this morning, and i can hardly wait til it rains again tomorrow.










* more dang rain.

itching to stitch

i have had a bug for quite sometime now, and it seems to be getting worse! yes, that's right. a sewing bug! you may remember last summer, when i made a quilt in a day and a half, and it unleashed the sewing monster in me.

months and months and months of time at the computer tamed it that time, but i feel it coming back. this time around, i'm getting the urge to try some clothing. not sure about that, but heck, i need to wear clothes and i am SO OVER the mall. after a certain age, you should not be allowed to even GO to a mall. i swear.



anyway, here's what i did. i ordered this book called "the alabama stitch book." ya'll KNOW how much i love alabama. i am a southern girl at heart, for sure, except for location. and the reviews i have read on LOTS of blogs about this book are all crazy good. supposedly it combines "sustainability" and craft by reusing old stuff to make something new.



by next week at this time, i should be almost almost ALMOST caught up enough in life to try and sew something.

salad days

the lettuce is flowing big-time around here now. karen, you must plant some! i actually ate this WHOLE BOWL full for lunch, with a crazy mixture of vinegar, sugar, and half & half just like gramma used to make. next time, i'll probably stick with kraft something or other. still. yummy.


look at what is ripening up! my strawberry barrel was dismal this spring, only a few plants remained alive, these guys were in the ground SURROUNDING the stupid barrel. i couldn't bear to part with them, but had no other location. so they are currently growing in a 4" pot with almost no dirt. hmmmmphh. so much for my efforts.


oh yeah. and i finally busted out the legs this weekend. it was a difficult decision, given the 45+ years of cellulite, and the streaky self-tanner look over white white skin. but what the hey, nobody sees me but the cat. wouldn't you know, it's chilly out today, i guess maybe God is trying to tell me it might be best to keep my long pants on :)

tales from across the alley pt. 2

it's been building rather steadily since they moved in. first, the barking dogs. then, the crappy yard with a crescendo of not one, not two, but THREE crappy campers at one point placed directly across from me. then, there's the yelling. not a little, but a lot. last but not least, the harleys. harleys at 7 am, and harleys at 1 am. too damn many harleys, and too damn many other things that drive me crazy.

if you haven't guessed it yet, i've been well on my way to not liking my new neighbors. sure, the guy always says hi when he sees me, but then continues yelling, and his wife continues sitting on the front porch chain smoking.

yesterday, i was about ready to blow from the general unpleasantness of them being around. but it was a nice day, and i was sitting on my front step decoupaging my suitcase. the neighbors were also out in yard, putzing around by the camper(s), and just hanging out. i was listening to some music coming from somewhere, and enjoying it.

until it dawned on me that the music was coming from THEM. not just any music, but God music. loud God music from the christian radio station i always listen to. confused and dazed about that, i said to phillip, "did you hear what they are listening to?" and he said, "yeah, did you see the guys' vest that just drove up on his harley?" and sure enough, it said "SET FREE MINISTRIES."

double hmmmm. before the afternoon was complete, i had FOUR (yes, i said four) little kids sitting with me decoupaging, drinking my "juice" and playing dora concentration cards for HOURS. two of the children belong to THEM...and i have a feeling i will be seeing more of them this summer.

God is funny that way. in His not-too-subtle way, i think He's telling me not to count the neighbors out just yet :)



oh ps. the suitcase, which is only HALF finished because i had FOUR kids helping me (you do the math) is looking pretty sweet.

after the flood

why is it that everything is brighter and more saturated with light on a morning after a hard rain? i looked that up in the bible this morning, and found a passage of David talking about what happens when someone lives in righteousness. i think i want to be like this morning is, don't you?

he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings the grass from the earth.
2 Samuel 23:4

oh happy day!

shhhh. don't tell anybody, but i hired an ELECTRICIAN to do the wiring in my bathroom. He's in there now working, and i am so psyched! after 2 months, i gave phillip his walking papers on that job. plus, i'd rather he be alive than electrocuted, if possible.


woo hoo! i'll be able to blow dry my hair in the bathroom by the end of the day! i won't be able to go outside, because there is a monsoon out there today, but at least the hair will look good while i'm here at home :)

rain (play) day

odds of getting any work done when you are sitting in the dark and rain just started "plopping" in on you from somewhere up above: 0%



odds of getting any work done when your fiance got off early because of the storm and is now playing this game with full sound effects on in the the living room 6 ft. away: 0%

odds of getting any work done when it's already 2:30, and you haven't done any work so far this crazy day: 0%

!

rainy day rummage

score! found a couple goodies this morning at a quickie rummage sale:

one birdcage already nice and rusty and ready for outdoor decoration. $1.00

one PERFECT neon orange travel suitcase, ready for crafting (decoupage on the front/back panels) and then into use as an office "folder." $2.00

fun.



oh. ps. this is a sample of the kind of thing i want to do to the suitcase!! sweet, huh?

w is for

woe is me. really. i'm woe. look up woe in the dictionary, and there i am.

dang, that is alot of rain.

ps: that is a 290% chance of rain, if anybody is interested :)) why oh WHY have i not ordered myself that rain barrell yet?!!!

after the rain

i awoke last night to the thundering, pelting, crashing sound of rain. a hard rain. when i got up at 4:30am with insomnia, it was peaceful, and the sun came creeping out this morning to bright green and quiet.

a walk around the yard quickly revealed the evidence of the night before...

...from just gently tipping over...

...to the result of unfortunate placement
underneath the gutter...

...to discovery of the harsh reality of the land,
after being born in a greenhouse...

...to almost, but not quite, falling completely over...

...to transformation from photoworthy yesterday,
to downtrodden today...

man, it's kind of tough, this being a farmer. i try to think of the highs, the beauty of the rain, the freshness of the air, the warm sun, the stuff that all these little ones need to make it in this world. but i can never quite get used to what WAS, not being anymore. most of these guys will stand back up, perhaps always a bit crooked but still standing, and continue to grow. some of them will not. as for me, i'll just walk around and gently prop up, and pull back and reach out for, and mourn for a little too. 'cause i guess that's what being a farmer is all about.

one month progress

so, here's the garden on may 2nd (1st) and june 2nd (2nd and 3rd pics).

wow. not perfect, but definitely a work in progress!

and no, i'm not doing much anything of value today :)

seeing purple

wow. seems like i may have a predilection toward a certain color of perennial :)

aforementioned false indigo

perennial geranium #1

perennial geranium #2

dames rocket
(purchased from lutheran garage sale just a few weeks ago)

perennial catmint
except my cat doesn't like it as much as i do

george, was that you?!

this is what's left of the spot where my cherry tree used to be after saturday night. unlike george washington however, the %^&* person who did it just yanked it out by the roots instead of chopping it down. i doubt that george cut HIS tree down to be spiteful, although i guess you never know. people suck sometimes.



never fear though. stores sell cherry trees, and i got a new one. will plant it tonite, and stand 24 hour watch at the window...!




on a completely unrelated note, this pic is for kirsten!! aaaaaaaaaaagggghhhh! the false indigo is so insanely cool, i cannot stand it!!!!!

:) happy monday y'all.

the cheese stands alone

talk about a study in contrasts. on one hand, i am trying to be a real, true-to-life farmer girl. i like fresh foods, and watching them grow and have dreams of someday again being physically fit and eating well. notice i say "dreams" because i have been a little slow on the action in that area. well, i'm growing stuff, and that's a start.

on the other hand, my significant other works in a packing plant all day. more than that, he LOVES processed food (which is probably a good thing since he works in a packing plant). he likes to grow food too (handy dandy commonality we share), he just would rather pet a plant than eat it.

so, last night when i picked him up from work, and he had a giant grocery bag full of bacon, ham, corned beef, spare ribs, pepperoni, and a giant, humongous, heavy hunk of processed cheese, i was not overly surprised.

in an effort to save money on our grocery budget (we usually share costs, because we usually eat dinner together), he is going to start shopping at the John Morrell store at the plant.

oh goodie. so it appears that this summer i will be going out to the back forty, nurturing and cultivating lettuce and fresh veggies galore, and coming in the house to pair them with salt packed, calorie packed, fat packed processed gunk.

i gotta admit though, that cheese is pretty tasty :))


ps. the photo is blurry because i had a hard time getting him to stand still while posing with the cheese "so i can blog about it."

next time, maybe i'll have something like THIS to post that he has made!

double sigh

woke up to the pitter pitter PATTER of rain drops this morning. didn't want to get out of bed. if it doesn't quit soon, i'm gonna buy something.






maybe one of these by artist charlie harper.

i mean it.

farmer bob gets happy

what a difference a day makes. after the nearly unbearable cold yesterday, today is seeming milder. no gargantuan winds, and although still no sun, the garden seems happier. or maybe it's just me.



i was able to go out and snap some "before" pics of the garden. so that i can do a comparative analysis and pat myself on the back in august :)



noticed a few new arrivals, like this mandarin lights azalea. i don't have great luck with azaleas in my yard - i think perhaps it needs a warmer spot to grow well. but they do LIVE through the winter, and try to produce flowers every spring. that's really good enough for me!



the potted plants are forgetting they are actually NOT in the tropics...!




and it looks like there is some evidence of new neighbors moving in as well! oh. ps. i have planted a hill of "birdhouse gourds" this year, with hopes of making/carving my own birdhouses this winter!! praying that this works, and that the plants don't eat my house. i hear they get pretty ginormous.

happy day all!

rhubarb jones

since the day is grey and horrible, and since the temps are supposed to drop down to nearly unbelievable lows tonite, and since i don't want to be crabby since i just posted two days ago about gratefulness,

i am going to talk about rhubarb.

i don't know why i have never planted my own rhubarb, but every spring i start "jonesing" for it pretty bad. gotta have a rhubarb something, even if it's only once a year. usually it's not a prob because i get some from somebody somewhere. like my mom. unfortunately this year, she was stingey and didn't offer any up. my aunt in brookings did give me a little bit of hers a couple of weeks ago. and just this morning my friend lynda emailed me with an offer of more. just to be safe, however, i bought a $2 sprig on clearance, and plopped it in the ground. it'll take a few years, but then i will be sure of rhubarb in hard times. gotta think about the future :)

anyway, i made some muffins over the weekend. really, they are exactly like my grandma's "cake" recipe from way back when, only divided into muffin tins. plus, it sounds better to eat a muffin (or two) than a cake. so here you go. if someone offers you rhubarb, say "why yes, thanks."

Rhubarb Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped rhubarb

Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.

In another bowl, beat the egg, stir in butter, buttermilk and vanilla.

Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the egg mixture all at once. Stir until just blended and stir in the rhubarb.

Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin tins.

Topping:
Combine sugar, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle a spoonful of topping over each muffin.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

3 days, 3 ways

well, the holiday weekend turned out to hold something for everybody.

saturday was wet and rainy and a great day to do laundry :)

sunday was nearly 80 degrees and perfect to do ALL of the rest of the garden before it's too late,

and today was a good day to lounge around except for a trip to the zoo. just us and 2,000 others. it was fun, and only a couple of the caged animals looked really sad. most were in good moods!



the bears were playing and showing off.



the flamingos were happy and showing off.



the tortoise was hungry.



this little "housecat" was trying to get me to take him home :)




and the humans looked goofy trying to get a pic of the giraffe and themselves together. it was not real successful.



not that he needed us in the pic, anyway.

schwew. relaxing is a good thing.