FLOWER GARDENING AND ALL SORTS OF WINGED CREATURES

A few posts ago I showed you my little handful of green beans which I grew in a container.  Well, when life gives you green beans, make stew!  This would be so perfect for fall but I am so not ready for that.  The stores are already stocking for Halloween.  I think they do that because they just have nothing else to put on those empty shelves.  I'm not falling for it.  My feet are firmly planted in summer and will stay that way until I see frost on the pumpkin.  Anyway, the stew is a simple base of sauteed onion and pieces of chicken thighs (very juicy), some white wine, flour and chicken broth.  I then added the green beans, Great Northern beans and all sorts of spices.  It was so good and since it was a little chilly that day, it was perfect.

We came to the lake last Saturday (and we are still here).  Our friends, Craig and Snow and their darling little girl, Ella, had been here the whole week as a little get away.  Ella is infatuated with Layla, and Layla, of course, loves nothing more than to be held and adored.   

Craig and Snow love to cook and actually get along while preparing meals together, unlike myself and someone else you know.  They had a cheese and fruit tray ready, along with shrimp cocktail and in the picture above you can see the spread we had for dinner.  Craig grilled hamburgers and barbecue chicken as well as fresh zucchini courtesy of my neighbor, Susie.  And Snow made roasted potatoes and a tossed salad.  It's always a big spread that leaves you moaning.

Sunday night we headed out to a new restaurant on Fish Lake.  It was excellent.  It's not always easy to find a good steak or tasty pasta in the wide open country so I think we'll be back to this place.  We arrived back at the ranch, made a fire in the chimnea and sat back to listen to the bull frogs and look at the stars.  And then Ella peeked out the patio door and said, "Aunt Jane, there's a bird in the house."  I thought, okay, that's happened.  I told her I would be in in a second to take care of it.  And then it occurred to me..what sort of bird do you have flying around at night?  "Oh, Ella...what does the bird looks like?"  She replied, "It's big and black."  Okay, Red Alert.  The Husband ran for the fishing net and we cautiously came in.  Snow and Ella were cowering on the settee while the menacing flying rodent swooped here and there.   The dogs were barking at the sight of The Husband frantically running like a mad man with the fishing net, and of course the bat was swooping high and low and whizzing past our covered heads. Thankfully, after about ten minutes, The Husband was able to snag it.  I wish I could say all was well, but I knew, deep in my heart of hearts, that the creepy little monster had not just swooped in through an open door.  He (and his many friends and relatives, I'm sure) have a way in and a way out.  Probably in the stone wall around the fireplace or perhaps in a crevice near the attic.  Our house has settled and shifted so much on this marshy ground, anything is possible.  Since that night we haven't been terrorized by any more, but I have to get an exterminator out.  We've had them in the attic before and they just smoke them out...very humane.  

As if we didn't have enough excitement that night, I awoke about 5:00 a.m. to get a glass of water.  I was sort of puzzled that Layla didn't follow me to the kitchen.  When I got back into bed, I felt around for her under the blankets.  No sign of her.  I tried to quietly call for her without waking up the house...but no Layla.  I actually peeked in The Miller's room thinking maybe Ella had coaxed her in, but again, no Layla.  I did get to see Craig in his boxers and I'm trying to get that image out of my mind.  Finally I went outside.  The doors were unlocked...typical men.  They had come to bed hours after we girls.  All I could think was somehow Layla had gotten out.  I walked around the yard and stood in the driveway calling her name.  Michiana Trash & Recycling drove by and waved.  Yes, there I was in my ragged pink jammies and hair sticking up all over.  I went back inside with my heart in my throat and into the bedroom to get dressed.  Obviously I'd have to search, whether along the lake or down the road.  North and south and east and west.  By then The Husband was up and wandering around outside calling her as well.  And then I heard something like a whimper...it was hard to tell since I can't hear that well, I looked towards our bed and I saw the blankets moving.  I pulled the quilt off the bed and saw a lump down near the floor at the end of the bed.  I pulled back the top sheet and there she was like a ladybug on it's back trying to turn over, caught between the half pulled out top sheet, a hammock of sorts. And stuck swaddled on her back!  She must have just rolled off the bottom of the bed and the tucked in sheet caught her!  I nearly cried in relief!

So that was my wonderful Monday morning.  It then proceeded to rain 2 straight days.  Comcast came out and you'll never guess why I haven't had Internet since May.  I got a new laptop and apparently you are supposed to change your network and password.  Oh joy.  So I'm back in the game.  Well except for at home...that's a whole different issue, but I'll try to keep my problems in check by locale if anything. 

 

On Tuesday The Husband told me had been at Lowe's and had found a really pretty tree, a small one like I had been wanting for the front yard.  I was surprised because he was against my idea.  After hearing all about said tree, I said, "Go for it."  And then he said come on along, we'll get plants for your little garden expansion.  Whoa!  Knock me over with a feather!  I think you all know I've wanted to add on to some of my little flower beds in what I hope to be a gorgeous English garden someday.  I was just waiting for Home Depot or our little nursery here in town to come down in price...like $1.99 for a 12 inch pot.  Ha!  Well, The Husband came through like a hero.  He patiently waited while I tried to configure height, width, color, bloom time and hardiness.  Only I can turn something fun and carefree into a science.

This is a terrible picture that I took of a picture I Pinned right off my computer.  But this is one of the types of flower beds I'm trying to create.

You know, they actually make a spray paint that you can use to make an outline of your border with.  I used plain old boat rope which we have in abundance. 

It wasn't this easy.  We dug and dug and dug that sod out and then rototilled.  And digging holes for 34 plants (which I checked and double checked were in the right spot and spaced correctly) was a horrific job because of all the rocks we have.  Tons.  We filled two buckets with them.  Sometimes we dropped the shovels and just used trowels to dig the stones out.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to give you the blow by blow.  I'd love to just show you an after picture, or maybe a picture in 3~4 years when everything is all filled out, with a simple, "Oh yes, a little project we had fun with in '14."

These are some of the flowers.  Yellow coneflowers.

Asters

Balloon flowers.

And I brought my little copper birdfeeder up!  I have it hanging in a dwarf willow and I actually saw a cardinal in the tree...not at the feeder but close enough for me!!  And this is right smack in the middle of the English garden so I hope all these pretty flowers attract the birds.  While were planting we saw 3 different types of butterflies hovering around.  

After a long, strenuous and tiring day, we had a simple dinner which included tomatoes freshly picked from neighbor, Susie's garden  Just some salt and mixed pepper.  Oh my!

I can barely hold my eyes open but I haven't posted for over a week.  We are going home tomorrow and then we're off to Madison, Wi., bright and early Saturday morning.  Then it's back to reality and trying to figure out where to put three rooms of furniture while we  have the carpet put in.  Maybe I should just stay here a bit longer...bats and all. ;-)

XO,

Jane

THE CALL OF THE WILD

It's the perfect day to write a post.  63 degrees and gloomy.  Nature's way of making us lazy.  I did a quick stroll through the backyard just as a few raindrops started to come down and got a picture of my new rose bush and this gorgeous bloom.  I thought this was a New Dawn but I found the stick and it's a Tiffany Tea Rose.  Very pretty.

The big hydrangea bush is going strong and the once greenish blooms have now billowed out into white clouds.  

My little herb patch is looking lush.  I made pasta last night with fresh basil and oregano.  I did poke some thyme and tarragon in there a few weeks ago, but it's very small right now.  

Off to the lake on Friday night.  I fell into bed exhausted at 10.  Fridays are busy for me...I usually have laundry that I've postponed until the last minute, packing up and  a run to the grocery (I don't like our store in town, very expensive, no bakery and terrible meat).  I had to drop something off at Emily's house and of course that means a little visit with Papa next door.  He has a woman that is there every day that helps out with the cooking, cleaning and laundry.  He drives but during the day they go places together and pretty much hang out.  And she is a riot.  I think she's about my age.  She can talk your ear off and she and Papa are so funny together.  

So here's Layla hanging out on the swing.  It's a shame that I have to keep her on a line.  She has access to the garden where she likes to sleep in the sun or eat bugs, and then she can move on to the patio in the shade and even jump up on a chair if she wants.  She's like my baby, I know when to move her back into the house for a little nap on the couch (her not me!), and sometimes I put her in the screened Summerhouse and she feels like she's sort of part of the action.

The Husband was up at at 'em Saturday morning cleaning up his work bench in the garage (I took this picture through the screen, I wanted it to be candid!).  He finally bought a nice toolbox from Sears and updated some of his stuff so this turned into a weekend long project for him.  He really loves to fiddle around in the garage very much like my dad did.  I guess it's sort of his Man Cave. 

It was a quiet weekend on our part of the lake, none of our neighbors were up, hence, no other dogs.  Milo actually stayed on our property and followed me around out of boredom I think.   I spent the morning cleaning up.  The last time we were there we had my DIL's family up, a very full house.  There were folded blankets and pillows everywhere.  Sheets and towels to wash and I could feel the gritty sand under my bare feet everywhere.  So I did that for a long time, watered my new landscaping in the front (everything is doing so well!), and then spent the later part of the afternoon and evening chilling.

The Husband broke up his work in the garage for a few catnaps here and there.  

The man can pretty much get a few winks in anywhere.  Note the beer bottle.  For him, one can do it.  Love his spot under the palm...must think he's in Miami.

I did indeed make ribs and flip through the lake newspapers as I alluded to in my last post.  And I did indeed make them last week here at home for the first time on the grill.  It was just The Husband and I and they came out great.  Actually, they are sort of no fuss because they just cook slow for about two hours.  I simply cut the slab into three sections so they are  easier to turn over.  I brush them with olive oil and then season them with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.   Wrap them in foil and on the grill they go at about 200-300 degrees.  I turn the packets over about every 20 minutes.  During the last 15 minutes I open the packets, meat side up and baste them with barbecue sauce...we like Stubbs.  Two or three moppings and they are ready.  :)

My decorating at the lake tends to lean toward all things natural.  It's just fitting with the huge windows looking out at woods and water.  I happened to be flipping through a Wisteria catalog a few weeks ago and saw these little stone ducks.  They are actually bigger than they look here, the baby one fits in the palm of my hand.  Aren't they darling?

Not sure what the little beaks are made of...maybe The Husband, my Toolman, can identify this.  

And while we are on the subject of birds, I have so had it with these sparrows here at home.  I filled the birdfeeder the other day, which is no small feat as I have to climb on a chair and try to grab it as it swings back and forth.  So I filled it and later that afternoon it was almost empty and most of the seed was on the ground.  I had what looked like hundreds of sparrows on and around the patio.  So, as it happens, there was an article about "House Sparrows" in one of those lake newspapers  pictured above.  They can be quite a nuisance and aggressive toward other birds.  I was lamenting about this to my next door neighbor, Susie, she is very knowledgeable on the subject of birds.  She feeds them as well as hummingbirds and know a great deal about our feathered friends.  I asked her if it would be a detriment to feed the birds at the lake knowing that it won't last into the winter.  She doesn't think so...I just don't want any starving birds once we start to come up less.  So I am going to pack up my feeder and seed and bring it all north!!  I may even get one or two more at Home Depot this week as I'll only be there to feed them on weekends.  I'm wondering if this will make enough food to go around or if it will just attract more birds.  And just so I don't neglect those feisty little sparrows, I'll keep some seed here to toss out to them in the morning.  

I have a bad habit of buying books on my Nook and having them in my "library" and then forgetting about them.  Actually you can reserve books on your wish list and I should do that.  Anyway, I was visiting Vicki at Life In My Empty Nest last week and she was talking about this book.  Vicki is a voracious reader much like myself.  The cover rang a bell and sure enough, it was in my "library".  This is a memoir about a young woman who suffers several huge blows in her life and feeling there is nothing left to lose, decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to upper Washington state, alone.  With no experience she sets out to try to piece her life back together.  Over 1,100 miles on foot, alone.  This book has really been taking off and the author was recently interviewed by Oprah on her OWN channel.  I was able to download it and I am just in awe of this writer and her story, her courage and her incredible writing.  I'm halfway through and as always, I never want a good book to end.

I know a lot of us look back on our lives, maybe sometimes marveling at the things we did in our twenties or thirties; trips we took alone, places we dared to go, just solitary adventures and experiences for which we didn't need or want a partner, whether it be a best friend or husband.  In the past few years I've watched my children begin to flap their wings and fly off making nests of their own, having wonderful new experiences. In a very real way, I feel my wings have been clipped, and surely by my own doing.  I was/am so far removed from my past and the things I did without thinking twice.  I don't take a lot of chances anymore, I don't seek out many new adventures alone.  I've been surrounded by this fantastic, close knit, loving family of my own here for so long that it hasn't occurred to me that I might have  lost touch with "going it alone".  And I know now I am thinking good and hard about it, because in time, we might not have a choice but to go it alone.

I was up at the lake a few weeks ago.  The Husband had gone to bed.  I was sitting in my rocker in the Great Room reading and at about 10:00 p.m. I decided a glass of wine would be good.  I poured a glass of Pinot and looked in the freezer and there was no ice.  Oh, I have to have ice!  I looked out at the dark patio.  We have another fridge out there and the freezer always has ice in it.  But you know what?  I was scared!  Yes, I've seen raccoons out there.  I've found coyote dung.  I've been swarmed by bats.  And there will always be the LaMunion Brothers from town (another story).  I kept telling myself I was crazy, just flick the lights on and run out.  I felt paralyzed and angry at myself for fearing something I knew was much bigger than an animal... and that it was going to seriously challenge, if not change the independence I  now need and seek in my life.  So I sucked it up, walked down the steps outside with Milo (and that was taking a chance, too, as he could have taken off after an animal and then I would be running through the woods alone!).  I got my ice and forced myself to walk down to the dock.  I stood there for awhile soaking in the moon and stars.  I sat down on the end and let my feet dangle in the warm water.  Milo laid next to me.   I drank my glass of wine.

It was a small step.  I asked myself recently, when was the last time I went to the lake alone?  It would have to be about ten years ago,  Milo was a puppy and I brought him to the vet there in town to be neutered, it was cheaper than the city.  I don't know what has happened to me since.  I told Emily, I want to drive up to the lakehouse during the week when nothing is going on, when nobody needs me.  I'll have the dogs, a bag of groceries and a good book.  I'll take the kayak out on the bay and wear a big straw hat.  I'll eat what I want  for dinner and then make an outdoor fire at night and sit with a blanket on my shoulders until I've had my fill of the moon and stars.  I have to be the captain of my ship.  

A snippet of a review of Wild

"Strayed's journey was at least transcendent as it was turbulent.  She faced down hunger, thirst, injury, fatigue, boredom, loss, bad weather and wild animals.  Yet she also reached new levels of joy, accomplishment, courage and peace..."

Well, I'll leave it at that.

  

And since coming back from the wilds of Michigan (Ha!), I have tackled the cleaning out of the office for the carpet that will be coming soon.  I have finished half of it and that's most of it in these big bags.  There are more bulkier items lined up in the hallway.  I have a stack of baskets as tall as me. When Emily and The Husband turned this small room into an office 10 years ago, Emily's philosophy was, "A basket for everything,"  I am beginning to think this was a cute idea way back then and was certainly bolstered by all the cute blogger's craft rooms (and don't forget laundry rooms).  My conclusion after yesterday is that baskets are simply  bottomless containers for disguising junk that you can't seem to find the correct place for or should throw out.  These are going out with the trash.  And since the room will be empty, I'm going to paint it, which is a big deal for me.  I have never seen such an ugly shade of green.  I know if I go down to the basement and search through the half empty paint cans, I will find one called "Canned Peas".

Leaving for the lake again Friday, this time for a whole week.  Yahoo!  Our friends, Craig and Snow are there now for a little vacay and so we will all spend the weekend together before they leave.  I'm so looking forward to some "girl time" with Snow.  I have a tech from Comcast coming Monday so I hope to have the Internet up and running and I will get back in touch! :)

XO,

Jane 

A TABLESCAPE & THE LATEST

It has been a little slow in Blondieville lately.  I like that in small doses, I guess. The dreaded computer problems continue...I keep losing my connection.  A new modem.  Two visits from Comcast.  Finally being told we need a wire extender that starts in our crawlspace.  Wait.  WHAT???  Remember the pretty little rose bush I recently scored for ten bucks?  Although The Husband had told me not to plant anything in front of the opening to the crawlspace, I thought, "Ha!  When will we ever need to get in there!"  Oh, Lord.  I need to think this through.

We never made our little weekend trip to the lake.  The Husband had a big trial coming up this week and thought he would do some of his work there.  Alas, Internet problems there, too, (hence no blogging from there lately).  So we were stuck at home.  In order not to rip my hair out, I made him take me to dinner Saturday night.  We went to a place I had never been to before called Mart Anthony.  A cool, casual place in an up and coming area in the South Loop.  Great Italian food.  I loved it and we had a really good time.

It was sort of funny...we chose a table in a dark corner, so dark we couldn't read the menu.  I tried using the flashlight on my phone until the owner brought over a candle.  He muttered something about needing a light put in over this particular table.  After a wonderful dinner we went up to the bar for a drink.  We noticed new patrons at the table we had had, holding the menu up to the candle and straining to read it.  I mentioned to the bartender that we had a problem seeing things in that corner as well.  He agreed, they needed a light.  The Husband asked, "Oh, yeah.  The owner said that.  How long have you been waiting for one?"  And the guy replied, "Oh, a few years."  We nearly fell off our bar stools.  I guess if you really love a place you can put up with something like this.  I'll definitely go back!

So that was my big weekend.  I did get to dogsit Tulo.  This is a picture of him exactly 2 months ago lying in Milo's dog bed.

And this was Saturday.  He's like an elephant in a china shop here.  And the vet told my son that he may peak at over 100 pounds.  He's much larger than Milo now and still wants to play like a baby.  He's so clumsy, he bats at Milo with his big paws and then falls over!  Layla is terrified of him and stays up on the couch or my bed, yipping and growling if he comes near.  She has definitely set the rules!  And Jeff has his own great rules.  Tulo is not allowed on furniture and he knows this.  My spoiled dogs are allowed, in fact, Milo sort of has his own chair that I have a quilt on.  When Tulo sees Milo in his chair, he whines and barks.  If Milo gets down, Tulo jumps up and settles in.  Ha!  I know I'm going to be one of those grandmother's who sneaks my kiddies candy and cookies to no end.

I made chili and garlic toast the other night and Abby and Tom stayed.  I didn't want to set a fancy table but since we never have company I decided to take it up a notch.  These are paper placemats that I found in Asheville.  They come in a tablet of fifty.  Just rip them right off.  So this was pretty simple.

Tom had gone somewhere that day to have his fingerprints taken for a teaching certificate.  I was teasing him that we were going to find out his true identity finally, whether it be a spy or Superman.  When I decided on these chalkboard napkin rings, I knew I had to keep the joke going.  And yes, these are the same napkins for the third time since Easter.  A dirty little secret...the cabinet I keep all the linens and runners and place mats in is stuffed to the max.  I have to unload half of it to dig partway down and then I pull out the wrong things.  So, that's on a huge list of boring, mundane things to do.  

We have been talking about getting new carpet in our family room and office for what seems like years.  It's the only part of our house that doesn't have hardwood floors, that being because directly beneath it is the crawlspace (yes, the dreaded crawlspace I mentioned above...it's truly haunting me).  The Husband believes the carpet and padding keeps the room warmer and I have to agree.  Finally I found a woman that Emily knows on a Facebook page for area mothers that does the whole carpet deal for you..  So I made an appointment and she was just the nicest lady.  We know some of the same people and love the same area restaurants...I felt like we were good friends.  So anyway, I picked out a very neutral, pretty sort of flat carpet, but very soft.  The price came in and it was sensational.  The Husband had gone to Home Depot and got prices to compare and we are getting such a great deal.  

Well, now is the fun part.  Everything has to be moved out.  They can work around my humongous sofa, loveseat and chair.  The office however...it gives me chills to even think about.  Emily has stuff in there from when she went to school.  I have craft things in there from 10 years ago.  Books are stacked up on the floor and bins are filled with every conceivable thing but what they were intended for.  This is a room that has become what it is because each of us have been afraid to throw out something that is important to someone else.  I am SO not looking forward to this.  And I also have to have our blinds installed.  I picked them up from Home Depot well over 6 weeks ago.  It's free installation.  I don't know about you but I really dislike having someone fixing or installing or doing something in my home.  I have to put the dogs in the basement and then I feel like I'm at odds with what I can do while they are there.  It's irritating.  And for the love of God!  I have 16 windows!  They are going to be here til Thanksgiving!

 

I do have something to be really happy about.  We have finalized our plans to meet up with my favorite blogger Cindy from Applestone Cottage.  Many of you know that Cindy and her husband Dan have become our good friends since our first meetup in Galena, Illinois.  We absolutely clicked and this will be our 6th year getting together.  We chose Madison, Wisconsin this year.  We live bout 5 hours apart (Cindy and Dan in western Wisconsin) so this year we are closer to their neck of the woods.  One year they drove 7 hours to stay with us at the lakehouse!

We chose a B&B out in the country but just a short drive from Madison, The Speckled Hen Inn.  It's on 5 rolling acres with horses and lambs and goats and llamas and chickens!  There's a pond and a gazebo and big veggie garden to explore.  Doesn't it look like fun?  We will be there the weekend of August 23.  I bet this would be a beautiful place to stay in the fall.  This particular weekend is Cindy's birthday.  We are going to have her dancing on the tables!

So, that's it for today.  I am making ribs on the grill tonight, well actually soon because I think they have to cook slow.  This is my first time doing them on the grill.  I thought about inviting some of the kids (one couple, that is), but I'm worried that they won't turn out.  Isn't that silly?  Actually, it's more about my state of mind.  If it's just The Husband and I, at the lake for instance, I'd just throw those babies on, maybe remember to look at my watch, sit back with a glass of wine and read the lake newspaper while they smoked away.  But with company...my expectations and worries go up.  We'll see.  I still have 45 minutes until I have to get them going!  Ha!

Have a great rest of the week! :)

XO,

Jane 

GARDEN & GRILLING TIPS FROM A TOTAL BLONDE

Well, here I am again!  I think I posted just a few days ago and I'm really thrilled that not only did I manage my time well to fit this in, I actually have some things to write about.  It really felt like a rather slow week and I suppose it was, especially to those of you that work outside of the home.  I consider it a "productive week" if I've kept busy, kept moving.  If I sat at my computer blogging or surfing, or sat on my butt and read half of a book, that's not good.  I feel good about myself when I MOVE!  Then again, I've never hid it from you that I can be quite a sloth, so you can see how I get and strive toward my definition of productive. :)

I love to putter around my garden.  This is "putter" season.  I pull some weeds, I water the pots with my little old watering can, I add some organic food to the lawn and most of all, I sit in the early evening (okay...this is the 'slothiness" part, (I made up that word.), and just watch as the sprinkler moves back and forth, catching beads of sun, and hearing the faint splatter as it showers my plants.  Mesmerizing!  It's a shame we can't hear what falling snow sounds like when it hits the ground in the winter.  What do you imagine it to be like?  Maybe that's the beauty of it...that it's a silent wonder,  For someone like me who only has about 20% hearing left, that's a relief!  I don't want to miss anything else in this life of mine!

Oh, by the way.  This is Tickseed, the feathery kind that gets lots of tiny flowers.  I had some extra from the lakehouse and I planted it here in the city.  Isn't it pretty?

My hydrangea hasn't really turned any color yet and the blossoms look a little conical.  I bought this as a four year old plant at the farmer's market at the end of last summer.  Sort of curious about what's going on.  Any ideas?

In my area, pansies (not above) do well in the spring and fall. They are not great hot summer players.  I pull them out of their pots once they say "goodbye", and fill the pots with something different.  It's such a great excuse to go to the nursery!  Hee!  But I actually got a little wiser this year.  Instead of falling for those half priced leftover annuals, I found these perennials that fit perfectly in these pots.  Thus, I can plant them in one of my garden beds later and they will come up every year!  They are called Lantana.  I think I'm on to something here!  Finally. :)

    I saw these coming up and wondered what the heck they were.  I've been known to pull up what I think are weeds only to find they are flowers.  Gulp.  I looked at my graph which has a bird's eye sketch of my yard and all of the things I've planted since 200 B.C. and I didn't see anything in that spot.  Then it bloomed and I declared, "Phlox!"  But nothing on my diagram.  The other day I found a big envelope in my shed in which I keep all the 'sticks" that come with my plants...you know, the ones with the name and info, etc.  And I found one for Phlox.  It never made the diagram.  I'm slacking off, but what a nice surprise.  I thought maybe it was a present from the birds!  I get a lot of those.

As I wrote in my last post wherein I discussed entertaining, I'm not one to give tips because Lord knows...it's always trial and error for me.  And I'm not going to give gardening advice,  I'm no expert.  I've been an avid gardener for 25 years and I have a library of related books that's quite extensive.  I just want to tell you, as I did with my party giving exploits, some of the things that work for me may work for you... just some friendly words.   I thought about sharing this last evening as I was in the process of taking care of my plants... we were leaving again for the lake today and staying three days (plans fell through, going tomorrow morning...hence this timely post).

I love me sprinkler!!  But I only use it on my lawn.  I use it about 2-3 times a week if there is no rain and I let it soak the grass down about an inch and 1/2, or as far as half my index finger can do down and feel moisture.  Again, I'm not an expert, but this works for me.  When we have had a good bit of rain, I am much more stingy with watering.  And I read some advice by the late great Thalassa Cruso, if you plan to be away, like on a vacation and don't have a way to have your lawn watered, wean it off slowly in the weeks before.  Grass can get spoiled! Oh, how I loved this woman...truly the Julia Child of gardening.  Look up her books, I discovered them over 25 years ago.  They are a pretty penny now...collectors items.  She wrote essay style.  A woman after my own heart.

And the last thing...as you can see from my picture above, I like to soak my plants,  with just a regular  hose at a medium type of flow.  This is just for my flower beds.  Leaves don't need or want water and the roots need it.  Why waste water?  Of course it takes time to move that hose around.  I have it going while I'm working in the yard and move it periodically.  Try to position the hose so the water puddles around the plant and ideally flows down to another plant.  Double the money.  I really love when I'm sitting out in the evening, the dogs languishing in the cool grass, getting up to move the hose around a bit, knowing it's making those tender roots plump up and say, "ahhhh!"  As you can see, I love my mulch.  It's work to buy, haul in and spread, but it's totally worth it and  not expensive.  I use shredded bark and put it down every spring.  I love that it smothers a lot of weeds, keeps the plants cool and holds that moisture in.  It looks good, too.  I have some beds that are free flowing and natural...and I have some that are very neat and tidy.  The mulch enhances all of them.  Try the soaking method.  You can almost hear that "slurp!" :)

 Enough on plants and please forgive me if I am trying to come off like an expert.  No!!  Just passing along what works for me and may work for you.  Ask those pro's at your nursery, Google your questions, read books!

I am switching to my never ending quest to learn how to grill food!  I won't bore you as I think probably 9 out of 10 of you know tons more than me.  But I am a creative cook so this is more of me passing along a few things I tried that worked on the grill.  Pictured above is a salmon filet that serves four.  I just cooked it skin side down with a little blend of olive oil, apricot preserves, green onions and some garlic salt.  Delish.  Close the cover and let it smoke just a short while...fish dries out fast.

Something that takes longer and I put it on ahead of everything else, are sliced potatoes.  I cut one potato per person in 1/2 inch rounds, just nice and thick so they don't fall apart.  In a bowl I toss the slices with some veggie oil (it just does better at high heat and browns everything better, but by all means, use the oil you prefer), some S & P, garlic and onion powder and maybe some dried herbs that you like.  Grill about 7-10 minutes per side and stick a sharp knife in the middle to test for doneness.  Oh heaven!  A little sour cream or a few drips of melted butter makes this out of sight when you serve.  As for the rest of my grilling experimentation, slow going.  I only test things on The Husband and he has a penchant for liking most everything.  Ha!

  

These are how the potatoes look right before I pop them on the grill.  See how those trays come in handy (as I wrote about in my last post)?

Last but not least, I gave our main bath a face lift.  I was at Home Depot trying to find a solution for my grub problem (involving the lawn, should you be wondering).  Do you love the smell of Home Depot like I do?  It smells like fresh cut lumber.  This one is hiring.  I could work there just to have that wonderful smell around me all day!   Anyway, I needed a few groceries and  Target is right there.  Even though I was saying to myself, "No, no, no...don't go there", I did.  And I looked in the bath aisle.  Seriously, I'm not a spendthrift nor frivoulous, I put away more each month than I spend (that saving for a rainy day is something that was instilled in me long ago by The Husband).  I just love to change out the bathroom once in awhile.  I have about five shower curtains and I switch them out about every three months when the plastic liner starts to get a little 'not so pleasant'.  I saw this and thought what a departure it would be for me.  I'm loving blue and patterns, especially patterns that don't involve flowers.  Very different for me and I'm loving this sort of metamorphosis!  Just the rug and curtain...didn't set me back much but I'll be darned, no one noticed it!!  And I take the rug up every night because it's white and I don't want anyone's dirty feet on it in the morning when they shower.  Oh, I'm so Type A! 

Lastly...Chicago  is hosting the Lollapalooza Festival for the ninth year in a row.  3 days long in Grant Park, it's a fantastic time and draws huge crowds.  Lots of great live music acts and fantastic food.   I haven't been but would love to go one year, I know many who have gone and just loved it!  I'm bringing it up because you may have heard of it.  And we have just been down for the count as a city if you follow the news.  I want to give a shout out for some of the things we are good at, proud of.  Say a prayer that the gun violence, here and everywhere will end...it's very close to home.  I put my faith in our mayor and police department.  I'm not going political on anyone.  Just please say a prayer for all of the innocent people in our city who are facing this violence and the aftermath in these past few month.  Chicago Pride!

Thanks.

Jane

Joining in at Thoughts From Alice for Sundays At Home

And

Cindy from Dwellings Of The Heart for Amaze Me Monday

50 WAYS NOT TO HAVE A PARTY

Hello!  I hope everyone is off to a good start for the week.  We are enjoying great temps here in my neck of the woods in the high 60's~low 70's.  Most of all I'm enjoying a little break in the humidity.  And it's sunny after many cloudy but rainless days.  Finally.

You might remember that we were going to have a BBQ on Saturday and yes, we did.  It was a lot of fun but I am sorry to say I only have a handful of pictures.  I was going to try to get pics when everything was set up but we were actually doing that even as the first couple of people came.  If I learned anything from this particular party, if someone offers to help, don't try to act like you're Mr. Nice Guy and get all "Aw, shucks" over it.  Be firm.  Say exactly when and how you want that help.  I was offered a tent, tables and chairs as well as some setting up help.  I was also offered some help in the kitchen.  Most of it happened but I think it turned into more of a disaster in the making and no one was very happy.  I'm all for delegating, but not if it involves more than making a simple dessert to bring or loaning some extra folding chairs.  

Jeff has really gotten his "grill on"!  His new home has a fabulous sort of built in grill on the covered patio (as well as a restaurant quality stove in the kitchen), so he has really been whipping up some great stuff and enjoying it.  He likes to buy his meat fresh and has a fantastic butcher, so he offered to bring hamburgers (made fresh that day), hotdogs and chicken.  He had the grill smokin' hot and we were really impressed.  I made potato salad and pasta salad and there were appetizers brought by a few family members that were great.  The Husband happened upon a recipe for Jalapeno Poppers recently and since he doesn't  even know his way around our kitchen, we call it his signature (and only) dish.  Considering the seeding and cleaning of the Jalapeno's pretty much forces everyone to leave the room due to the fumes, he's on his own with this one but they are SO good.  I will give you the recipe one of these days.  Or email me if you are anxious! ;-)

Here's Abigail and Papa.  I don't know why Papa is making that face...it looks like someone just told him a naughty joke.  

I thought I had planned ahead...we do this sort of stuff at the lake all the time so as I try to think back on what went awry that day, it's mind boggling. 

Maybe I didn't prepare for the unexpected.  I woke up at 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning having asthma issues.  I reached for my inhaler and it was empty.  It became worse and worse until The Husband could get to the pharmacy at 9:00 a.m.  I was finally getting my breath by noon but many hours wasted.

We thought we could squeeze in other obligations.  We had two graduation parties that day that we (The Husband and I) thought we could manage by each of us going to one for about an hour.  I raced out the door an hour before my own party to go to another party up the street where I barely knew any of the 60 or so guests.  I stood like a wallflower with my teensy plastic cup of wine and looked at my watch every other minute.  

I could have done without the tent, I worried too much about rain.  I should have done more ahead of time, I got a little too confident that time was on my side.  And I must never run out of my meds!

 

After all of this has been said, you probably expect me to be the last one to give out party tips!  Well, these aren't so much tips as they are things that I found that make life easier when you're hosting a few or a lot.  I found these baskets in the dollar bins at Target.  A lot of the tweens and teens don't like salads or the side dishes we do.  Rather than setting out big bows of chips, buy the individual bags and toss them in a basket.  You can even fill one with individual packaged cookies and sweets to put on the dessert table.  

We stopped buying canned drinks years ago when we found so many half empty when we cleaned up.  Buying liter bottles didn't change things much, then we had bottles and plastic cups.  Thank goodness for these little bottles and cans...perfect for kids and even on the bar when adults make their own mixed cocktails.  

I don't know how I could function without trays in my life.  I must have 15 in all sizes and shapes at the lake.  We live outdoors mostly so I am always corralling food and drinks and snacks and utensils on them to bring outside and then you can easily do your clean up with them.  Same at this house now that we are using the grill more.  These are from my grocery store.  Check the seasonal aisles at CVS and Walgreens.  All this stuff goes on sale about now.

I love melamine.  Oh, how I do!  I get really grossed out by how plastic containers can get greasy and never seem to come clean.  And these are so solid.  And colorful!  People are so surprised to see that I actually do love color, as long as it's outside! Ha!  I believe these were about $8.00 at Target.  One of these bowls held 2 pounds of pasta salad so they are big.

I know you've seen these little caddies with compartments.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  I have one at the lake, too and we use it to carry out ketchup, mustard, etc. For this party I had utensils, straws. napkins and small paper plates in it.  I think I got the woven caddy from Pier 1 at the beginning of summer.

These are bamboo forks and knives that I stock up on from a website called Smarty Had A Party.  I love this place.  They have everything disposable to take your party up a notch but make the clean up easy.  Most of the stuff is sold in bulk so one or two bags of utensils or napkins (in every color of the rainbow) can last me all summer long.  I keep some of the disposable forks in a Mason jar on the kitchen counter to grab for a snack or take out food.  

Yesterday was my "I'm not doing anything" day.  I really need time to slow down, stop and smell the roses.  I ate leftovers all day and dug deep into a mystery novel I'm reading.  I wouldn't even go outside with the dogs...I have had enough of the Great Outdoors.  Then today I woke up to sunny skies and just when I thought I was losing that summer enthusiasm, you know, when you can't stand the sight of another weed and keeping your yard neat comes second to cleaning the bathroom, I felt renewed.  I got showered and dressed and decided to pick up where The Husband left off outside yesterday cleaning up.  I picked up branches from the wind we've had the last few days, I watered my plants and swept and filled the bird feeder.  It is glorious out there!!  Do you see the striped outdoor rug there?  I had been really stubborn about not getting one even though our patio is really, really cracked and split.  That happens when you've been outside in the wind, rain, sun and cold for over 80 years!  What I thought was just a little old time charm started to get ugly so I broke down and got this from Home Decorators (on sale) and I think it looks good with my replacement umbrella.  

Did you notice the green beans?  My first harvest!  And my only harvest...I planted the beans in a container and well, you just don't get as many as you do when you have a few rows in your garden patch.  I am getting some decent container lettuce and the tomatoes are getting big, just not red.  :(

My first bloom on this rosebush.  It's so pretty.  When I was picking out the plants for my little landscaping job at the lakehouse, they had these New Dawn rosebushes on sale for $10.00 each so I grabbed one.  I've been wanting roses that I can cut and bring indoors so I hope this one does what it promises.

Other than an eye doctor appointment tomorrow and maybe a trip for a few groceries, I am free as a bird this week.  There is no company in sight coming up to the lake and The Husband surprised me, he has taken a week off the second week in August for us to go up there and just do nothing.  But of course we will.  I'm still working on the never~ending job of expanding my English Garden but we also plan on scouting out some new towns, flea markets and restaurants.  Can anyone tell me the name of a good beach read?!! :)

XO,

Jane

Joining Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday