When To Put Up Your Christmas Tree

          This is an age old question that has caused problems in families for years.  My husband’s father wouldn’t put up the Christmas tree until Christmas Eve.  The family would decorate it and they would keep it up well until January.  After he died his Mother kept it up until Easter, maybe she was rebelling.  He was a wonderful husband and father, he just had the tradition of putting up the tree on Christmas Eve. 

My family would get the tree sometime after Thanksgiving and keep it in the house until the New Year. 

            It has long been a tradition in my home to put the tree up after Thanksgiving for many people as that signifies the beginning of the Christmas Holiday.

            I put my Christmas tree up in October and have for the past few years.  You say that is too early?  Of course I don’t put up a live tree until closer to the Holidays but I get out my old “fake” tree as some call them and put it up early.  My Grand kids and I then decorate it slowly until the Thanksgiving Holiday.  We take our time and enjoy each ornament as we put it on the tree.  It takes us a while but we are not in any hurry.  I am a firm believer that Christmas is not just gifts, although that is a nice bonus; Christmas to me is the Holiday season with the family and what we do together.

  The reason I started putting my tree up so early is I am busy with work and don't get it up at all during the Holiday season. I would wait until after Thanksgiving to put it up because that is the thing you are supposed to do.  I would feel bad throughout the Holidays because I wanted a tree but didn’t have time to put it up.  The last year I put my tree up late my daughter and I were decorating it on Christmas Eve.  We were so tired by that time that we put very few decorations on the tree.  At that point we didn’t really care if we had one, we were almost throwing on the decorations.   That is when I decided to put it up early and enjoy it throughout the Holidays rather than have it a chore. 

If I have time closer to Christmas I decorate a live tree as there is nothing like the smell of a real Christmas tree to bring the Holidays to life.  I have plenty of decorations so there is always enough for all the trees and to spare.  I always take my tree down before the New Year.  I like to start the New Year fresh and new.

Do you think that all the homes in those magazines start after Thanksgiving?  No, many start in July or August to decorate the home for the Holidays and have a good time during the Holidays.

I was shopping after Christmas and was talking to a woman who was buying an artificial Christmas tree on sale for the following year.  She told me she liked to put her Christmas tree up and decorate early but her husband didn’t like it.  I told her I started in October and why.  She then told me she was going to tell her husband she was going to start earlier next year and not worry about what people think.  I’m not trying to make family problems, just want you to know that if you think you decorate early, I probably have you beat.

Put your Old Reel Movie Pictures onto DVD and Share with your Family

 

            Hopefully you come from a family that loves taking pictures of you and the rest of the family.  You may have thought it is an unpleasant thing to be posing when you are younger but you will be grateful when you get older that someone cared enough to make a record of your life.

If you are older this was not as prevalent as it is now, the movie picture machines when they first came out for the public were very expensive while now they can be bought at a very reasonable price and are a thousand times better.  I just happen to come from a family where my father got on the bandwagon and bought a movie camera and took pictures of us.  It wasn’t that we had a lot of money but to him it became a hobby, he even had a dark room in the house to develop some of the pictures.  I have the machine we used to watch them on.  You could only run it for so long because the light bulb inside would get too hot.  I got  out the old projector other day to check on some of the motion pictures he had taken and even remembered how to thread it even though it’s been who knows how many years since he taught me.

            Since it has been some time since the movies were taken and they do deteriorate with time I took them to Costco to have them put on DVD so everyone in the family who wants one can enjoy them also.  It took a couple of weeks to have them converted to DVD but it was worth the wait.  After I got them back I got an e-mail from yes video.   I went on line and sent e-mails to my family inviting them to view the videos and if they wanted to purchase a DVD they can buy them direct from yes video since I gave them permission on the share folder in my yes video.  Some of the movie pictures have cousins and grandparents in them so I am sending invitations to not only my immediate family but to cousins as well. 

            It will bring your family closer even though you haven’t kept in touch through the years.  I think it is the duty of whoever has the pictures to share them with everyone, they don’t belong to just one person; they are meant to be enjoyed by all. 



 



When Is the Best Time To Buy Christmas Presents

 

 

            Let’s say it is getting close to Christmas and you are in a frenzy trying to think what to get for Uncle John or your cousin Sue.  (Does this sound familiar?) You have one week left and you are in a panic, you have already overspent and this is not fun anymore.  To be perfectly honest, is this how you want to spend your Holidays?

            I knew a woman once who had all of her Christmas bought by August.  When the Holidays came she would wrap her presents, decorate her house and enjoy the season. 

            No, I don’t have my presents bought yet, but starting this next week I am going to put on my list start my Christmas shopping.  I have to have a list for groceries or other items needed when I go shopping or else I forget what I need and its not like I can just run to the store, the stores I shop at are about two hours away from where I live. 

 I have a few plastic totes at my home and as I buy the presents I put them in the tote.  The first year I did buy early I forgot where the presents were when the Holidays came or who I had bought for.  That is when I came up with the totes and it has made it much easier to keep track of what I have.  You may also make list of what you bought and who it is for quick scanning. 

            By doing it this way you buy a little at a time, you can get better buys and you get something that someone really wants rather than just a token to say I got you something and made myself feel better.  (I hate that)   By shopping this way I have given things to my family that have meant something to them that they can use. 

            Enjoy your Holidays.

What are you going to do when you aren't as mobile?

 

            We all know that teenagers think they are immortal.  How do you feel about you?  I think we are immortal but we have to pass this life to the next to become that way, which means we need to get through this life first.

Let’s say you are getting older and are starting to notice you don’t have the energy and your body isn’t as resilient as it used to be.  I will be working until I am physically unable to, but you have that wonderful retirement saved up and you are ready to hit the links or whatever it is you have visions of doing when you no longer have to get up and go to work or whatever it is you have to go to now.

What are you going to do when you are say in a walker and unable to go to the golf course because of energy or physical restraints?

That is what I want to talk about, starting now to get other interests that are rewarding.  Each of us has talents even though we are not all sure what they are.  Some women and men make beautiful quilts; some carve amazing things while others paint.  Have you ever watched someone spin yarn or weave?  Some people volunteer, others help with making things like blankets and hygiene kits for emergency distribution.  Whatever it is you like or would like to do, I call it "I’m going to do some day", now is the time to start so that when you are to a point in life that you are not as mobile, you have something more to look forward to than just sitting around, eating and watching television.

I think if you start thinking now about how you want to enjoy your life as you get older you will be more satisfied.  Think about it, take a few minutes a week and start something that you are going to do someday. 

Now is someday.  Let me know how it is going.       

Caramel Sauce

 

I like caramel sauce on my ice cream or other fun things like caramel apples.  If you buy it in the store it is very expensive so this is a recipe I found that is a good caramel sauce.

Recipe yields 1 1/2 cups (although I usually double it but it’s just
as easy to only make a half batch)

1 cup packed brown sugar (I use light brown or golden)
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
Pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in pot, mix in brown sugar, cream and salt.
Cook over medium-low heat and whisk gently
for about 7 minutes or longer if you doubled.
I remove the pot from the heat; add vanilla and return to
cook for another minute or so to thicken a bit more.
Take it off the stove and pour into a jar then pop it into the
fridge!



Writing Your Own History

 

 

        As your getting older you think back on your life.  I have always been told to keep a journal, sometimes I do really well and then there is now where I haven’t written anything for months.  Let’s face it; my memory isn’t all it used to be.

           When you look at the above picture you see an old building and truck with a mud puddle out front.  What I see in my story is my parent’s first hardware store in the early 50’s.  The old truck we called Dinky Poo, I would love to ride in it with Dad, and I spent a great deal of time in that old truck, it was like family.  The door to the shop had a hole cut in the bottom of it later on for our dog Junior to go in and out, Dad had to enlarge it once because Junior got fat and was stuck in the door.  Once Dad gave him away and he walked around 80 miles in the dead of winter and came home, it took him close to three weeks, Dad never gave him away again.  The pipe sticking out of the old building was to an old pot belly stove that kept the shop warm in the cold winters.  I could go on and on.

            After my Grandmother died I went looking for her history.  She wrote her Dad and Mothers history but I only found a paragraph of one she had written on herself.  As far as I know she never wrote her own history.

            I have always thought to myself who would want to know about me?  Then I remind myself that I want to know about my ancestors, I would love to read about them, about their thoughts and feelings as they went through their journey in life.

            Over the years I have read various books on writing your personal history, even bought a few of the fill in the blank books, but the one suggestion for you is this one.

            Get a three ring binder, it doesn’t have to be fancy, even one you would take to school with lined paper in it.  You then go and start writing titles on each page, for example “First Day of School” on one page “Play in Grade School” on another page “First Garden” on another page, “The Drive In Theater” on another.  You get the picture, write things you want to write about and put the pages back in your folder.  As you think of a title start a new page. 

            The next step is to pull out a page and write a story about your memory then put it back in your binder.  When I started doing this I didn’t have many things I could think of, but the more I did this the more I thought of things to write about. 

            I don’t know about you, but to read I was born on this day and grew up and got married and had kids then grew old doesn’t sound very interesting to me.  If anyone ever wants to know about me, I would rather they really know about me in my stories.  You aren’t writing your history, you are writing your story.

            If you write your story this way you will find you won’t feel the pressure of having to do it, but will enjoy each memory and truly put yourself into it.

            Try it; let me know how it goes.



Cookie Cutter Shelves

     I found this cupboard at an old store, it is from the 1800's.  Sure I should have left it the way it was but I didn't like the primitive finish and if I had to look at it every day I wanted something I liked.  I use to it to display my cookie cutters and other fun things.

     I like using old candy jars for my cookie and pie cutters. If you don't have old jars just go buy an new one and they work just as well.   Candy jars look nice and keep the cookie cutters clean and easy to see. 

     The two mixers at the top, one from my Grandmother and another a find at an antique store.  I have used Grandmas before I got my kitchen aid the old ones are not quite as good.

      I have wrote about this before with the same pictures but it is my favorite and I felt it was worth repeating. 

     Many years ago I heard that if you have a memory of something and don't have that particular object, you can always get something that looks like it and even though it isn't the original it will bring back the same joyful memories.

The "Proper" Way to Hang Out Clothes

 

Not too long ago I was at a DUP (Daughters of the Utah Pioneer Meeting) and during the lesson they were talking about hanging out clothes.  I commented I always hung out my clothes even though I had a dryer because I liked the way the clothes smelled and looked plus it saved money.  One of the ladies at the meeting talked about how her mother would insist they hang out their clothes a certain way.  I thought to myself that was really weird, I hang out my clothes and put the longer ones in the back away from the sun and the shorter ones in the front so as the sun will dry them evenly and the heavier ones I put toward the ends so they don’t stretch out my line but as far as color coordinating that was way too much work for me.

            I was talking to someone in the small town I now live when I mentioned my blog and the article I wrote on teaching your children to hang out clothes.  The woman I was talking to started talking about how they used to hang out the clothes around here.  The women she was talking about are mostly no longer alive; this was back before everyone had a dryer.  When a woman would hang out her clothes they had to be just right.   They all had to be hung with the clothes at even lengths together, the colors needed to be hung together, I mean the blues with the blues and the blacks with the black, the colors evenly matched, the levis together and the whites together.  She said you didn’t leave your clothes hung out overnight because the moon would bleach then too much (I always thought the sun would bleach them out and the woman I was talking too agreed with me.)  Maybe they had another reason they didn't want to leave them overnight.  If I hang out my clothes later and they aren’t dry I will leave them on the line overnight and they smell wonderful in the morning.

When I hang out my clothes I want them to look good but that is just for me as I don’t have any neighbors and no one sees it but me and the grandkids unless the skunks come around.  I hang my socks together.

 

             Then she said something that made me realize why they did it a certain way.  She said, “When they got done hanging out there clothes they would look around at all the other women in the neighborhoods clothesline to see if their clothesline looked as good or heaven forbid better than what they had just hung out.”

I also wondered about other communities, they probably weren’t so different.  When I hang out my clothes I want them to look good but that is just for me as I don't have any neighbors and no one sees it but me and the grandkids.  I hang my socks together.

What us women don’t do to impress someone!

 

 



4th of July Hometown Parade led by the Dog

 

            All across our wonderful nation on the 4^th of July people come together to celebrate.  What makes this day different than other Holidays throughout the year?  Why do so many people donate their time and talent to something that not many see?

 If you are in a large city there is money for a large celebration with fireworks, a parade and carnival.  These small towns have to raise the money themselves for their celebrations; the local church usually has people bring food for the dinners.

I think what makes this country so special are the people that love the United States of America.  They bring their families to either watch or participate in the parade, then go to the park for lunch, games or just to visit.  They don’t need to spend a lot of money or have a lot of fancy floats, but they have pride in their community and want to celebrate with their friends and neighbors.

Don’t get me wrong, I have been at many large parades and enjoyed them a great deal.  They are also put together by people who love this country.

What sets us apart from many other nations is we have the freedom to gather, the freedom to speak as we wish as long as we don't infringe on others, the freedom to go out and start a business and work as hard as we want and hopefully be successful, and if we fail - we can pick our self up and try again.

I love the United States of America – God Bless America and the wonderful people in it.

 

Grandma's Flour Sifter

 

            When I was a young girl I would go to Grandma’s house and she would be making something and get her old flour sifter out of the kitchen cupboard.  The one thing that I thought of when I would saw it was it had flour on it.  I of course wondered why Grandma didn’t wash it as she was so clean throughout the house.

          When I asked her about it she told me you don’t wash your flour sifter that often because it clogs up and doesn't sift as well. 

          Since then I have accumulated a flour sifter of hers and then have gone about collecting ones I like.  My favorites are the sifters that have three sifters in one.  I have one cup ones and of course your old traditional sifter.  You may find them all over in different sizes.  Now using the old fashioned flour sifter has gone by the way side, all the cooking TV shows have the big strainers they sift with. 

          For me there is just something about using an old fashioned sifter that makes me feel like you are baking, it brings back those good old memories. 

Zion National Park

Zion National Park in Southern Utah

Since our national holiday the 4^th of July is almost here I thought I would talk about my favorite destination -  Zion National Park.  This beautiful park is located in southern Utah not far from the Arizona border.  It is such a unique park that you are able to drive through this pretty park.  If you want to see more you can hike to many the many other beautiful areas in and near Zion’s Park.

            It even has a 1.1 mile tunnel that connects the east and west of the park.  My husband’s father and grandfather worked on the tunnel, it took about a year to make.  They got paid three wages, one for his father, one for his grandfather and one for their wagon and team of horses.  They blasted out windows throughout the tunnel for light and also to throw the rocks out.  It used to be you could stop in the tunnel at some of the windows and have a picnic, now you just drive through.

            The Union Pacific railroad improved on the road through Zion’s and later the government took it back.

            One beautiful area is the Zion narrows.  You have to hike through but need to be in good shape to do it.  Some people camp overnight and make it a two day hike.  You will need to get a permit to hike through it and be sure and do it ahead as they only issue a few a day.  If the weather has a possibility of rain you need to stay out of the slot canyons (that is what they call the canyons that have two sides and go up and many times no way to get out if there is a flood.

This is one of the beautiful areas in Zion's you can hike into.

Many people go to Zion's then up to Bryce Canyon and over to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  They call this area "canyon lands"

 

P.S.  I live only 20 minutes from Zions' and get to go through it weekly to go shopping on the other side! 

            Below is an article I got from the Zion Park web page, it is specific on the history.

For thousands of years Zion National Park has been carved by water and wind. Rivers and flooding rains have etched nearly 5,000 feet into the plateaus that still remain part of the upper reaches of the park. Early Native Americans were wary of Zion National Park and even afraid to remain in the canyon after dark. They believed that Gods inhabited the canyon and that it was a sacred place. In the mid 1800's a few Mormon explorers and settlers became aware of the remarkable canyons but it wasn't until 1908 that the federal government completed a survey of Zion National Park. The findings were brought to the attention of President William Howard Taft and he was so impressed that in July 1909, he declared 15,000+ acres of the main canyon a National Monument. The monument was called Mukuntuweap which is a Native American word that is said to mean "Straight Canyon". Under-developed roads and the distance from a railway station were the major contributing factors to the fact that fewer than 1,000 people were able to make the journey to Mukuntuweap National Monument. However, the observations of early visitors along with various reports commissioned by the federal government advanced the awareness of protecting what is now Zion National Park. The monument soon grew in size to more 76,000 acres and in 1918 the name was changed to Zion National Monument, and then in November of 1919 the federal government upgraded the monument to National Park status. Stephen Mather, the director of the National Parks Service became quite enamored with Zion National Park and he made at least one trip to the park, each year from 1919 to 1929. In 1921 Mather brought along a writer from the Saturday Evening Post and a famous naturalist. As they traveled, the three associates began formulating a plan for a tourist circle between the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Zion National Park. A road was eventually paved to the park and Mather contracted with a local photographer, to shoot and colorize photographs of Zion National Park for use in advertising. Mather was also instrumental in instigating the construction of a 5,613 foot tunnel built through the sandstone cliffs of Zion Canyon. The tunnel and resulting highway created a viable access through to the east side of Zion National Park. The Union Pacific Railroad soon created a subsidiary business to make transportation improvements in the area and to take advantage of the tourist opportunity. Some of these enhancements included laying railroad track to Cedar City, Utah and the construction of a railway station. Union Pacific then embarked on an extensive advertising campaign in popular magazines. They also created a bus-touring service which transported park visitors from Cedar City to Zion National Park and other stops along the Grand Circle tour. Now Zion National Park is visited by more than 2.5 million visitors each year. Visitors either drive their own vehicles from their homes or they fly into gateway cities such as Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco where they rent transportation to drive to Zion National Park.

ANT KILLER

 

            I am sick of ants, catnip is a good way to discourage ants but for some reason this year the ants are on a war path to my house.

          They are in my kitchen although I work on keeping the counters clean, everywhere I look the ants are there foraging, even the dog dish isn't safe.  Ants are all over the house this year, maybe because it is so dry?  I don’t know why but there was even a herd, (if you want to call them a herd) of ants marching up my dirt road to the house.  My husband said he had never seen anything like it before. 

          I love my Clorox clean- up cleaner with bleach; I buy it at Costco and get the small bottle with a gallon backup.  I use it all the time and find it works quite well with the ant problem.  When I see ants on the counter I spray it on the ants wipe it up and spray a little and leave it, it seems to keep them at bay. 

          If you know where they are coming in 20 MULE TEAM BORAX works well.  I saw a line of tiny ants coming in my kitchen window and put some on the window seal and it stopped the problem but they found another way in so I use the Clorox spray when I don’t know where they are coming from.
      Mix two tablespoons of borax with jam, jelly, honey or syrup until there is a paste. Smear some on some paper or a plate and put it where the ants are at. They should flock to it and eat it and take it back to the nest and it will act as a natural ant killer.


Sugar Bait

2 TBS Boric Acid (Borax)
2 TBS  Black Strap Molasses or Honey
1 TBS Yeast
1 TBS Sugar

Mix and place mounds on lids or bottle caps.

Black Pepper

Sprinkle black pepper where you see ants. The ants will immediately scatter. Pay attention to where they run; chances are they will be exiting your house and you’ll be able to treat the entry area with pepper too.

Mint destroys the smelling capabilities of ants and prevents them from entering your home. There are several ways to use mint to prevent ant infestations. First, plant mint around your home, especially near doors and close to areas where you have seen anthills. Second, place mint leaves in and around windows. If ants are entering your pantry, place some mint leaves on the shelves and in the corners.  mix mint oil and water in a spray bottle and spray where Ants are to deter and repel them  

mix this with cinnamon and they will not come in

this also repel Roaches and Ticks and Fleas too

 

Corn Starch Honey 

 Mix 2 tsp Cornstarch and  1 tsp honey together   to make a thick paste and put it   where the ants visit  on a jar lid or bottle cap   put it near nests  or where they visit and you see them

the ants will be drawn to it by the honey  but unable to digest the cornstarch but they will not know that until they take it back to the colony and  it infects the whole colony 

 Just be careful you don’t use it on something that can be hurt by the Clorox cleaner.

 

 

Teaching Kids to Hang Clothes on the Clothesline

 

She is finally tall enough to hang out the clothes and is getting pretty good at it.  She can't reach the ends but does good toward the middle.

            Years ago I had my grandson over for a visit and asked him to come out with me to hang out the clothes.  As we were at the clothesline I asked him to hand me the clothes which he replied “Grandma they are wet!”  My son had been taught to hang out clothes but since he was married his wife nor him apparently ever hung out clothes so the poor grandson had no clue. 

            My other grandchildren are close by so they have been seeing me hang out clothes for years.  Their idea of helping thus far has been to play around while I hang out the clothes.  Now that they are getting taller they are able to start hanging out some clothes.  The younger boys don’t really understand the whole procedure, the one putting as many clothes pins on one piece as possible and the shortest one just attaching them to any part of the clothing and he is helping.

            I had a young gal who was visiting me watch me hang out the clothes and I asked her if she hung out clothes.  She told me she didn’t need to hang out clothes because she had a washer and dryer.  She had never been taught so she didn’t realize what she was missing. 

            When I go out to hang out the clothes whatever time of the year it is I have to stop whatever I think is so important inside and enjoy the weather hot, cold or just right.  I see my plants, flowers and weeds, the birds and whatever else is sharing the beautiful spot on this earth I live in.  You could say it is a kind of meditation with the benefit of clothes that smell wonderful and whites that surpass any that you could get with bleach or out of the dryer.

            I feel it is so important we pass on to our children and grandchildren the art of hanging out clothes, if a dryer ever breaks they need to know there is another way to dry clothes than a Laundromat, or if they just want to save money on the electric bill and have clean smelling sheets.

            If they drop something on the ground just tell them we’ll wash it off, hang it out - no problem.

 

You can never have enough clothes pins (left) and pin the clothespins on your brother (right).

 

 

 



Homemade Lemonade

 

 

Summer is here and with it the hot weather.  There isn’t anything better than lemonade to quench your thirst.  I live in the mountains so I don’t have a lemon tree in my back yard nor do I have a store that close with fresh lemons. and when they do have them they are overpriced.  Even so, the lemons not in season can be pricy.  The last time I bought lemonade it wasn't as good.  I think they have tried to save money in the ingredients, its not as good as it used to be.

What I do now is make my own homemade lemonade.  I take about 8 cups of water and boil about a cup.  I put the cup of boiling water in a glass bowl or measuring cup and pour over my sugar or agave.  It depends on what you like, you may use both.   The recipe I saw called for 1 1/2 cups sugar and that is too much for me.  I put in about ¾ cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of agave, you can mix them up or use only one. 

 I then pour in 1 to 1 ½ cups of lemon juice from the bottle.  I use the bottled real lemon juice as the cheap ones (western family for example) are terrible.  If you have fresh lemons all the better.  I buy my lemon juice at Costco and get a two pack for a good price.  Add some fresh mint from your garden when serving for a pretty garnish.

You can experiment with your own personal taste and add more or less of each ingredient.  I add ice and it waters it down.  I have a nice lemon juice drink that also hydrates me in hot weather.   Keep in mind that lemon juice is a diuretic. 



Stuff, How Much is too much Stuff?

            I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of stuff.  I have my everyday thing like clothes, hair supplies, kitchen items which include dishes, silver wear, glasses, pots and pans.  I have of course my computer and office supplies.  What I am talking about is Stuff. 

            You are out shopping and see that cute thing that would look perfect on a table or wall.  Then the next time you are out and about you find a canister set or a craft that you have visions of making to be oh so creative.  The list goes on, then multiply this by how many years you have been on the search for stuff and it can become overwhelming.

            Now down to the point, how much is too much stuff?  I had a friend who once a year would go through his closet.  He would get rid or anything he had not worn for a year.  A very good idea if you stick to it.

            What about the stuff around your house?  If you haven’t used it in a year should you get rid of it?  I suppose it all depends on what kind of personality you are.  There is a theory about people who acquire things, or stuff as I would say.  First you have to look at yourself.  People who were raised by someone who lived during the depression or had very little growing up were more likely to acquire things than those who were raised by someone who had plenty.

            My suggestion is you carefully look at each item and decide if you really want to keep it, and if you do, find a good place for it. We only have so many places in our house so think about it carefully.  If you really don’t think it is necessary to keep, give it to someone you think will be appreciative of the item, it may help with your loss.

            Last of course the next time you are out and about and see something that you think is so important to have, remind yourself that you already have a lot of Stuff.



Planting Squash - Radishes are their friends

 

I have planted my squash and have visions of zucchini bread, squash soups, squash pies (not just pumpkin) and squash fried with tomatoes and onions.  I am ready but my squash isn’t.

          The first year I planted squash on the ranch we hadn’t even moved here yet so we planted our seeds and came back and watered them.  They grew into these beautiful squash plants, I was so excited.  The next time I came to tend to them they were all eaten down by the rabbits or whoever happened to be there at the time.  I declared war on the thieves and brought some dried blood (yes I said dried blood) you may buy it at a nursery, it comes in bags.  I sprinkled the dried blood around my squash plants and after that no one bothered them, I had some really nice squash.  The dried blood was probably good fertilizer.

          If you plant two to three radishes in each hill they will help prevent insects on squash and cucumbers.  Let the radishes grow and go to seed.  Nasturtiums and cigarette butts will repel squash bugs; if you don’t smoke I suppose you may get it from someone who does.

          Early in the day before the sun is hot the squash stinkbugs are sluggish and can be picked off. 

          Good luck and enjoy your zucchini bread!

 

 

Heirloom Iris (My Heirloom)

 

 

I don’t know if there is a more elegant flower than the peony.  It has so many petals and can become quite large but still seems to be delicate.

            While I was at Grandmas I remember she always had peonies and they were covered with ants.  I never could figure out why they had ants on them until when I grew up I found out it was because of the sweetness that attracted them.

            You may wait all year for this beautiful flower to bloom and if it rains on it when it is blooming they will stop.  Be sure and water from the bottom when you see them begin to bloom, what a shame to wait all this time and then for it to be over before you can see them in their glory.

            Peonies like a sunny location and well drained soil.  If production goes down it may be from overcrowding.  They like soil rich in organic matter.  You may have to support them if they grow too tall; the flowers become heavy when blooming.

Peonies from Grandma

 

 

I don’t know if there is a more elegant flower than the peony.  It has so many petals and can become quite large but still seems to be delicate.

            While I was at Grandmas I remember she always had peonies and they were covered with ants.  I never could figure out why they had ants on them until when I grew up I found out it was because of the sweetness that attracted them.

            You may wait all year for this beautiful flower to bloom and if it rains on it when it is blooming they will stop.  Be sure and water from the bottom when you see them begin to bloom, what a shame to wait all this time and then for it to be over before you can see them in their glory.

            Peonies like a sunny location and well drained soil.  If production goes down it may be from overcrowding.  They like soil rich in organic matter.  You may have to support them if they grow too tall; the flowers become heavy when blooming.

 

Picking Tomatoes

You are you closely watching to see if they are the ruby red ripe color you are waiting for.  What isn’t better than vine ripened tomatoes? is wh  So you wait, and wait, and wait and they just don’t seem to be turning fast enough.

            What I do…….  I love red tomatoes to eat them all the summer - and I like LOTS of them.  My growing season is short as I am in the mountains and who know when they may freeze.  I had a freeze on July 4^th; it was terrible I wasn’t expecting that cold of weather that late in the season and wiped out my tomatoes.

So when I see a tomato start to turn pink I watch it closely and as soon as I see that pink coming through I pick it.  I bring it inside and put it in the window or a basket until it gets red or whatever color it wants to be fairly quickly.  Then I make myself a tomato sandwich on my homemade bread.  (The recipe will come at a later time.)

If you look at the above picture you will see my tomatoes in different stages of turning ripe.  In the fall I even pick them green, they will store for quite a while and turn ripe unless they are real small and haven’t developed enough.

If you pick your tomatoes as they start to ripen rather than fully ripe you will get a larger harvest and a quicker harvest.  You will also lose less to animals and birds if that is one of the problems you have.  I have deer, rabbits and who knows who else eat my grape vines other vegetables.  I don’t mind sharing some but they eat enough of my alfalfa so I do have my limit of sharing.

Enjoy your tomatoes this year, just don’t think they don’t taste any better ripened in the house than vine ripened.  I can’t tell any difference other than I have a whole lot more.