Friday, September 28, 2018

Garden Harvest

Regretfully, I don't have much to show.

Here are my squash:


I grew them in big pots this year and sorry to say, as usual even when in the ground, they are still puny. Actually I think they are a little bigger than when I have grown them directly in the ground, but not by much.


Not even sure if it's big enough to eat.

Carrots are OK:


The biggest pot has the biggest carrots.

As much as I like growing food, it never seems to be worth all the expense and work.

Monday, September 17, 2018

Pack Ratting Addiction

Last weekend I encountered some awesome garage sales. What was really outstanding is they were fragrance-free...no smelly laundry detergent on fabrics, no air fresheners...scent free. The first one was the estate sale of a collector and dabbler in creative pursuits. She had a whole box of paper making supplies. I was tempted.

She also had a whole collection of handmade books that were gorgeous, but I couldn't justify the purchase since I had no idea what I'd do with them. Every room was filled with wicker and although I'm not fond of wicker or baskets, she had a great set of furniture I would have loved. I resisted.



And a whole garage of crafts project supplies of every kind, but no painting or art supplies. I passed on a lot of great items and kind of regret it now, but I tried to be practical...I bought:





three colorful beach towels 

two full bottles of ammonia 

a bottle of vinegar 

a half bottle of Elmer's glue 

two tiny picture frames

a container of organic slug bait 

a hose sprayer 

a small cooler 

All very practical items, well, except the beach towels. For someone who hardly goes to the beach, I sure like joyfully colored beach towels!

Then I got impractical and bought a bracelet, but failed to check to see if it worked.


It doesn't clasp. It's broken. So either I'll fix it or the beads can be reused for something. Still a good buy. It was only a $1.

The second estate sale had a ratty old sign so I hesitated then figured I had nothing to lose (but money). These people said they just wanted everything gone so nothing was priced over a dollar:

a beautiful white bedspread (.50 cents!) This will go with the beautiful white blanket I bought at the last sale! The woman said she had just washed it. I panicked, but there was no smell! Hooray!

a gorgeous cotton terry bathrobe My bathrobe is so old it is unimaginable it's still usable, but it's lightweight flannel, has dangerously long sleeves that can catch fire on burners and a long length for tripping. I've wanted something much warmer for a long time. This one is heavy-weight terry cloth with pockets, shorter sleeves and slightly shorter in length. Really good quality and it makes me want to snuggle. Love it! (.25 cents!)


three sets of flannel sheets, light blue, green, and red (.75 cents each)

two rugs (.50 cents each)

painters overalls !!!!!! (.25 cents)


You can't imagine how long I've been looking for some painter's overalls for painting, construction or gardening. The ones I find are for large men which would not be comfortable to wear since they are so big and heavy they would impede movement like my coveralls do.These were for the woman who owned them and they fit me perfectly!

two blue-glass pie dishes (.50 cents) I can use the glass for the mosaic class I hope to take soon. The bracelet was photographed on top of a pie dish.

a picture frame (.10 cents)

a hose attachment (.25 cents)

two lawn chairs (.50 cents each) The lawn chairs were in the back of the garage, covered in dust and dirt, but in very good working order. I got them home, scrubbed them down and they are beautiful. I've always wanted a recliner lawn chair for vitamin D therapy.


and a box of socks (1.00). There were about 15 pairs of white cotton socks in the box. I'm not one for buying used socks but I checked them and they seemed very clean. I figured for a dollar I could bleach them and use them for rags. (I sterilize everything once it's home.)  I got them home, inspected them, and found they are practically new! I'm set for life for socks!

I love the towels match the lawn chair in brightness and cheerfulness!


And I love the garden implements even match the lawn chair! LOL!


Both houses were amazingly fragrance-free.

If that wasn't enough the local junk store that is going out of business put out on the sidewalk for free three school cafeteria-style tables!! Whoa!! Art tables!



What an outstanding day!!! Nothing I love more than buying used junk at awesome prices and practical FREEBIES!


Sunday, September 9, 2018

Wildlife Friends

I love wildlife. Well, as long as they aren't living in or under my house. Or using my garage roof as a toilet. I enjoy watching them wander through my gardens because I know they appreciate all the work I've done to make it welcoming and beautiful. Actually, I'm sure they don't care if it's beautiful just edible.

I am reading a book on how to make your property wildlife friendly. Most of it has to do with habitat conservation of acreage, but there is a little section on residential backyards. For the most part, this has been my goal all along. I've grown hummingbird and bee-attracting plants, fruit trees and berries, birdhouses, and a little ground-level bird bath. What I didn't realize is more varieties of birds will use a ground-level bird bath than a pedestal-style bird bath. I had a pedestal bath once and the animals would climb on it, knock it over, and break it. I always thought ground-level baths would be more dangerous for them. Placing it near a bush or under the tree makes it safer. Mine is under the cherry tree.



My fruit trees are dripping with fruit. Literally. I've been selling bags of the Italian prunes to prune-tree-less customers, but once everyone had a bag I can't even give them away now. This week I plan to pick the whole tree and take it to the food bank. The apples are just now starting to ripen.

Every morning I go out and pick up at least twenty windfalls of apples and as many Italian prunes. By afternoon there is another load. It's a lot of work. If I don't do this and let them rot on the ground not only does the fruit mold and create fungus damaging the trees, but the rats come over for a snack. If they visit too often they start feeling at home. In years past I have thrown the apples over the fence so the deer can eat them, but if they don't eat them, it gets messy and attracts wasps not to mention rats. This year I've put the fruit in fruit baskets so it's contained but available for the deer or other animals.


By the end of the day the baskets are full and by morning half empty. Today while I was picking up apples and putting them in the basket my neighbor drove up along side and said,

"I don't know if it's your intention to have the deer eat out of the baskets?"

For a moment I felt defensive, ready for a fight, but I smiled and replied, "Yep, that's the plan."

He continued, "Well, last night there were three magnificent buck eating. It was quite the sight." He left before I had the opportunity to tell him if they eat their fill out of the basket, maybe they'll leave his garden alone!

Hooray!  I knew the deer were eating because they are messy eaters, leave large footprints plowing up the dirt, and crap all over. More importantly, I was glad the neighbor seemed happy about it. People in this neighborhood love to thoughtlessly own barking, biting obnoxious dogs, but they usually don't hesitate to kill a wild animal. Most of them hunt the deer. I really don't like most of my neighbors.

I tend to have incredibly sensitive hearing, bionic hearing, due to chemical sensitivity, and I sleep with the windows open. Most nights as I lay in bed and can hear animals lapping the water in the bird bath. I love getting out of bed and watching them. Usually raccoons. I think they are just noisier than other animals, but on occasion I spy a opossum. The raccoons are noisier, also, because they take a whole bath while drinking. Multitasking. I always know when a raccoon has visited - the bird bath is almost empty and what is left is mud.


Last night there was a fat raccoon who must have drank water for fifteen minutes. It's not a very big bird bath and I was compelled to run out there and re-fill it, but I know it would have frightened him away. He circled the tree then came back and drank some more. So I've added a raccoon pond! The only containers I have that would be suitable are two ten-gallon aquariums. I placed large bricks along side for sitting platforms.


Well, see if it works. I placed it in the backyard which is more private, but I won't be able to watch. I'll know if they use them - the water will be dirty.

I'm thinking maybe I should build another pond, but the last one was a hassle to maintain. Hmmm...

UPDATE: OH! This morning I awoke to some clatter. I thought maybe the deer were wrestling with the baskets of apples and prunes. I took my flashlight and shined it around and saw some dark lumps up in the prune tree. I ran downstairs and opened the front door. One mama raccoon with four fat babies all up in the prune tree trying to find something to eat. I think opening the door and shining a light on them made mama nervous. She started growling lowly at them and they all hustled down the tree and in single file gingerly exited toward the backyard. So cute. I don't think they are using the raccoon pond. It is looking a little dirty.




Friday, September 7, 2018

Essential Oil Toxicity


I approached one of the members of my art group. His essential oil stink polluted the outside air at least 10 feet in circumference. I quickly adjusted my position in the group, up wind and away. He's the one who professes because essential oils are "organic" they are healthy. He refuses to listen to anything I have to say and he's the quintessential mansplainer constantly taking the position that he knows more than me simply because of his gender. What an ignoramus!
Alison Johnson recently included an essential oil study results on her website:
Essential oils, widely used in society, emit numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some of these VOCs are considered potentially hazardous under federal regulations. However, essential oils are exempt from disclosure of their ingredients on their label. Thus, the public may lack information on emissions and potential hazards from essential oils. This study examined VOCs emitted from a range of commercial essential oils, including tea tree oils, lavender oils, eucalyptus oils, and other individual oils and mixtures of oils. Using headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), the study analyzed 24 commercial essential oils, including 12 with claims of being "natural" or related terms, such as organic, 100% pure, or plant-based. Results identified 595 VOCs emitted from the 24 essential oils, representing 188 different VOCs. The most common VOCs emitted were alpha-pinene, limonene, acetone, linalool, alpha-phellandrene, betamyrcene, and camphene. Among the 589 VOCs identified, 124 VOCs, representing 33 different VOCs, are classified as potentially hazardous. All natural and regular essential oils emitted one or more potentially hazardous VOCs, such as acetaldhyde, acetone, and ethanol. Toluene was also found in 50% of essential oils. Moreover, for the prevalent VOCs classified as potentially hazardous, no significant difference was found between regular and natural essential oils. This study provides insights and information about emissions of commercial essential oils that can be useful for public awareness and risk reduction.
AH HA!!!! All those "ene" toxins are cancer-causing as well as just being poisonous. Didn't I ponder in another post I bet they add toulene to essential oils to maintain viscocity??? And there it is! Toulene is in every perfume and is a known cause of cancer!!! Sounds exactly like the perfume industry with their "trade secret" clause defying transparency. I'll make another prediction: I bet anything the essential oils industry is controlled by the perfume and chemical companies, much like some organic seed companies are owned by Monsanto. 
Vindicated once again.
To all you addicted naysayers out there, research is finally confirming the toxcity of essential oils. Take it seriously. Stop poisoning the rest of us and stop pushing your poisons on those who are not interested! Those of us who are "canaries" aren't crazy. We know when your stink is toxic!
If you want to read Alison Johnson's article click HERE

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Shade Garden

I'm loving my shade garden. It has all kinds of native plants: yew tree, maple tree, cherry tree, cyclamen, sword ferns, and lady ferns, with trillium tucked in the back. Every spring and fall when I'm cleaning the gardens, I take all these "weed" types that spring up all over [like weeds!] and put them here.



I love it when the cyclamen blooms appear with the first fall rain signifying summer is over. Well, it's a bit surprising because I always think, SUMMER IS OVER? ALREADY? But they are so pretty interspersed among the dark ferns.


What is special about this shade garden is it took me years to get it to look decent. I must have spent hundreds of dollars on seeds hoping to get shade plants to grow under these trees and nothing would. Finally I thought, Why fight it? Use the native plants! It's finally starting to look nice and filled.

The tiny round cyclamen leaves are just now starting to appear.


They are such pretty leaves. Once they are full grown they are a beautiful heart shape that is so lovely. This is a winter plant which I always find unusual since so much of the garden is dependent on spring-summer weather. The ferns will die back in the winter so my shade garden evolves with the seasons.

Hooray for native plants and not fighting nature!!

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Italian Prunes

My Italian Prune tree is LOADED this year. Thousands of prunes. Last year I think it only produced a small bowl full. This year I've already given away five bags and have barely made a dent in the supply! Aren't prunes good for your colon? Added bonus!




HOORAY!!