The Wishful Live Oak Gardener

The Good and Bad of Organizing your Kitchen

2010-11-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

You would think that there would be no bad in getting your Kitchen organized. HA HA not when I am doing the organizing. My idea of organizing is to throw everything out and buy new. Now in these economic times my hubby says BAD idea. So with that in mind I am going to try to actually learn how to do it.

I have been roaming the internet for ideas.

#1 THE SPICE CABINET. YES I have a whole cabinet , 3 shelves, all full of bottles and tins of spices. Guess what? I have only used most them once. You know you are all guilty of finding this totally awesome recipe and you can not wait to try it out on your unsuspecting friends or family. Go ahead admit it, don't be ashamed. We have at one time or another gone all Martha or Emeril on our family. We print out the recipe and off to the store we merrily go and buy ALL those spices to make this gastronomic offering and then spend hours preparing it. You get out the good dishes, maybe even light candles, the table is GORGIOUS. Now it is time to serve. Looks and smells delightful. Ok, dig in.... gag, WHERE can I spit this out? All in the course of 1 minute your meal turns aweful. Your hubby is trying to get you to stop crying while he is dialing the number for Pizza delivery which makes you cry all the harder. You swear you will never do this again UNTIL the next time. Now be honest there is ALWAYS a next time.

Out of the whole mess I use Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Seasoned Salt, Chili Powder, Paparika, Lemon Pepper, Everglades Seasoning. Occasionally I use parsley and chives. I think that covers it. So what I was thinking is clean it all out, and my idea (LIGHTBULB MOMENT) is magnetic tins with clear tops, screw the metal plate to the back wall of the cabinet, right under the first shelf (WooHoo I will be freeing up 2 shelves) stick the tins on it so I can actually see what is in them. Now if you have a spice that might be light sensitive they do make these tins with a solid top. I do like the idea of having a metal strip near the stove so I will buy a 2nd metal plate and I could put all the spices I am going to be using on it and off the counter. Easy Peasy.

#2 THE PANTRY ok I have a pantry (like a small walk in closet) but it seems to be the walk in catch all. Why in the heck is my hubbys tool box in the pantry? I don't know, but it annoys me but he was good enough to let me put the pantry in so should I make a stink about the toolbox? Me thinks NOT at least not right now. The stink will come when we build the garage with awesome storage just for his toolbox. Now when they put the pantry in all I got was 3 or 4 white wire shelves YUCK. Hate it HATE IT but I was happy to get the pantry. NOW it is time for me to figure out what I want to do with it. Wood Shelving units, wicker baskets, racks for those large platters you only use on holidays, Can Caddys. You name it I want . I am a soooooo Martha WANNABEE.

That unit is 3 seperate units and I only have room for 2, the corner and 1 straight but I am ok with that. You can leave the shelves like they are or you can stain or paint them. I am thinking of using a red or green furniture wax on them.

They have shelves that hold Wine bottles and a shelf that holds stemmed glasses under which is totally awesome. Add a divided Platter rack and decorated boxes for my Linens and I am good to go. Be honest you are sooo hating my inner Martha right now.

WAIT.... I forgot about FOOD STORAGE. You can not have this totally awesome Pantry and not have something in mind for Food Storage. More internet searching and WA LAAAAAA

These are OXO Food Storage Containers. the lid has a button on the top and when you push it down the containers are air tight. You can then stack them. The large containers will hold 5 lbs of flour or sugar.

When you press the button again it pops up and you can pull the lid off.

I like the clear containers so I can see what is in there without having to open them to find what you are looking for. If you need cooking directions for something inside then cut it off the package and slip it inside.

Here is another item I found that looks pretty interesting.Indispensable SmartSpace Triple Canister Dispenser by Zevro.

Well there you have the Spice Cabinet and the Pantry. Next up will be the tops cabinets and then the bottom. The bottom will be a bear because we actually did not pick out the cabinet and none (you hear me NONE) of them have a shelf. Just a big open space so everything just gets stacked with no rhyme or reason. Not very organized.

Stay tuned for Part 2 CABINETS.

I'm Gonna Get you Sucker!

2010-10-11T21:02:00.001-04:00

Weeds, Bugs and Moles are the bane of my existence.

WEEDS and I do not get along. I yank, whack and pull and as soon as my back is turned, they just laugh their butts off, pop right back up and I swear I hear them giggling during the night. I am one of THOSE people who will not use chemicals to kill anything. Although my hubby used TOTAL VEGETATION KILLER to try to kill the grass in our driveway . Hubby fought the grass and the grass won. Even with the Killer chemicals so now we mow the driveway. Eventually I want to have a stamped concrete driveway installed, THAT is not even on the most current list of stuff I want to have done.

BUGS, I think I got a handle on right now. I use a vinegar and borax combo killer mix for overall bug killer and I also use a Sugar and Borax ant killer. Both work pretty well.

MOLES will be the death of me, I am sure. They tunnel from the woods then all over my yard and exit out the other side of my yard. I have tried just about everything. Boiling water... I think they thought it was a hot shower just for them, like this is NOT a Holiday Inn Express. Castor Oil..... here again I think it was a total system cleanse for them and I do not even want to think about where they cleansed themselves at. Firecrackers.... YooooHoooooo Fourth of July didn't work either. Bubblegum..... Just what I need bubble blowing Moles. I even bought those sonic sound thingys that the fruit cake Jerry Baker said would work. Well I installed them and then when I went to mow, the grass covered them and I ran over one and it chewed up my mower blade and made my hubby mad because we had to take it to the shop to be repaired. Any way what does Jerry Baker know.... He is the one who said put stale beer out for the slugs and snails. I did that too and all I got was a bunch of drunk slimy slugs and snails. Now they show up expecting a all you can drink party. I think a trip to the Gun Range so I can practice and then I can sit on porch with a shotgun and blow those sadistic evil things out of my yard. Do they have a Mole shooting season? If so, what is the penalty for shooting those suckers out of season? I don't care... you see those piles in the picture? That is only 3 out of about 100 +. Everything I have read says moles are NOT harmful...... BULL HOCKEY they totally tear up your yard. Why can't they eat the drunk slugs and snails and die?

If anyone can throw natural tips they can throw my way for controling Weeds, Bugs and Moles and what the hell tips on Slugs and Snails would be greatly appreciated.

What the #$%!?

2010-10-08T22:38:00.000-04:00

What the ever loving #$%! is wrong with the local big box stores, like L...s or W.....t. You know those stores you just love to hate, you love to cuss them out though not to their face. The big thing that is wrong with them is their plants.

Hey you heard me. They not only sell crappy plants but they sell plants they KNOW will not survive in your local zone. Sure they give you a warranty. BIG DEAL. First off who is gonna dig up their dead plants and haul them all the way back to the store?  I was one of those idiots that bought the cutest plants. Bought a bunch of stuff to help those babies grow in my garden. Took it all home and set to work planting them.

I worked like a deranged gardener, digging, planting, watering and not 2 months later they were all DEAD.   What the #$%!? My neighbor owns a landscaping company so I bang on his door, grab him by the arm and drag him to my yard and point at my now dead plants. WHAT happened? He looks at me like I lost my ever loving mind. For one thing the man had been sleeping and was in his boxer shorts.... well too bad. What happened to my plants? He then tell me that those will not survive our heat. I try to tell him that I bought them at L...s and he is shaking his head and is looking for a way to escape. He then tells me that most of the big stores sell plants that will not survive in our South Florida Zone 10 which we call Zone HOTTER THAN HELL. My mind is screaming WHAT????? He then tells me they sell those plants knowing that they will not survive because of people like ME. They know that we will buy what is cute and pretty, then he says that sure they have that warranty, you can haul those dead bug infested plants back to the store and as my neighbor is trying to head back to his house, he turns and says"Don't forget to take your receipt". I have to take the receipt? Who keeps the receipt? NOT me that is for sure.

So I learned something new. Never ever buy plants at your local big box store BUT if you do make sure you put the receipt somewhere safe like the bank safety deposit box because sure as I am sitting typing this, those plants are gonna kick the bucket.

Though my story did not have a good outcome for those plants, the story has a totally awesome ending. My neighbor (Mr. sleepy boxer shorts guy)   delivered a big box of plants to my house and helped me plant them. What a nice guy. He also wanted to know when I was gonna break down and plant the vegetable garden in the back. Who knows I might give in on that one of these days. Mr. boxer shorts turns his whole entire back yard into a veggie garden every year and he is always delivering the fruits of his labor.

UPDATE Quilt Project

2010-10-03T15:11:00.003-04:00

The Quilt Project is progressing but slowly. This week was really busy but I am
working a bit on it.

This is the layout I think I will be using

So far I have 2 of the blocks hand pieced and will be
starting another one this week. In case you missed it
this is the block I have designed.

As per the layout I will be using the Blue fabric
where you see the dark brown and the gold where
the medium brown is with the Cream color where the
light tan is. I have not decided how wide I will do the
sashing (the strips of fabric between the blocks) I may
do them narrow so the gold fabric does not overpower
the blue. The Cornerstones (the little square boxes) will
match the sashing size.

I will keep you updated!

Proof is in the Pudding....

2010-10-02T11:36:00.002-04:00

Ok, so the Healthy eating is paying off.

Hubby had his 3 month follow up and the doctor is like WOW! I mean a BIG WOW! She (Yes, my hubbys doctor is a woman) is like not very many of my other veterans listen to what I tell them. Bells and Whistles and SIRINs are going off in my head because we personally know people just like that They are sick, they go to the doctor, the doctor tells them THIS is what you need to do, and do they listen? Hell NO. they just keep doing what ever they feel like and continue to be sick. Then they want to know WHY? I can tell them BECAUSE you are totally stupid.

When hubby went to the doctor 3 short months ago and the doctor called him when we were driving back home and the doctor says.... You have High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and High blood Sugar (border line diabetes). I say either you had it or you don't. I said you have it, deal with it or not. Choice is yours. I am not going to brow beat my hubby to do what he knows he has to do. A little history here... 1st his dad died at the age of 69 from complications of diabetes, 2nd his sister had a mini stroke as a result of diabetes, did she heed the warnings? BINGO you guessed it, NOPE, she is now on a transplant list because both kidneys are failing. WAIT not done yet... 3rd his youngest brother has also has SEVERAL mini strokes from diabetes and has he done what the doctor has told him.... again a BIG NO. What is wrong with this picture? Reminds me of that joke about the drowning man, who dies and gets to heaven and asks God why he didn't save him and God tells him he sent a raft, a boat and a helicopter but he didn't listen?
NO.

Well here is the doctors BIG WOW moment..... Hubby has lost 22 lbs. He went from a size 3X shirt to a X-LG. He went from a size 44 waist to a 38 and we have to shop again because he can fit into a 36. WOOHOOO he is looking all slim. His blood sugar is down to normal range and the blood pressure went from 180/90 to 130/62. I need to call and get his cholesterol level but doctor said she is more than sure it is also in the normal range. She wants to keep him on the medications for the next 4 months and then see where he is at. He only has 18 more lbs to lose. Then we will be in maintaining mode.

So you can see if you just listen to the doctors advice, like start eating healthier and stay away from Cokes, Candy and Desserts, less fried foods you would and could improve your health right away.

PS..... I ate the same things I was preparing for my hubby and I lost 25 lbs. TIP: Guess what I found that is soooo DELISH......... Skinny Cow ice cream cones and Jello Sugar free pudding. Neither taste like sugar free and are sooooooooo YUMMY

Tricia's Delicious Black Beans

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

¾ cups onion, chopped fine

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1 can (15 oz) BUSH'S BEST Black Beans, drain and reserve juices

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cups cooked rice

Lime wedge (optional)

In large skillet heat olive oil; cook onion until crisp tender add minced garlic and cook till tender; stir in tomatoes, and beans, cook 3 minutes; add reserved juices continue to cook 5 minutes. Serve over rice. Squeeze lime wedge over is optional. TIP if you want the beans without the rice... omit adding the juices from the beans. If you want more spicy add a few drops of hot sauce.

A Killer lives here! PLANTS need to beware!

2010-09-26T19:32:00.000-04:00

I am a Killer and a FAKE. Yes I know hard to believe, right? Who in their right mind, blogs about gardening that does not really garden? the answer is ME. Now don't get me all wrong, I have a few things planted in my yard, like Plumbago and Butterfly Bush, Fire Bush, Ruella, Porter Weed (this one I thought I killed a long time ago BUT I found some being sneeky and coming back to life after I totally neglected it, so I have another wack at killing it.) I try to explain this to any unsuspecting plants that I buy or I am given "Hey..... I will plant you in the ground....... water you at the time you are planted BUT after that YOU are soooooo on your own. Do they try to escape.... NO, they just look all happy to go home with someone not knowing what awaits them.

The plants I have planted have survived droughts, massive rains, hurricanes and ME, I guess I would recommend them for other people like me that want flowers but just have NO time or no steminia to be out in 100 + degrees to work in the flower beds.

PLANTS in my yard

FIREBUSH: Firebush is native to central and southern Florida. It does best in full sun but it also does well in partial shade, but it becomes leggy in shade. Firebush does not have a dormant period; it grows continuously, and also flowers almost continuously. In South Florida it is often planted in wildlife gardens with other native shrubs such as American beautyberry, coral bean and wild coffee. Firebush is salt tolerant and will grow in any kind of soil as long as it is well drained.

PLUMBADO: Plumbago is an evergreen shrub with whip-like semiwoody stems that form a loose, rounded mound 3-10 ft high with a similar spread. Plumbago can be pruned to grow like a vine and scramble over supports, or pruned into a more compact mounded shrub, or left to sprawl with its long, gracefully arching branches. The sky blue flowers are 1 in long tubes expanding into 5 petals spreading about 1 in across. The flowers are borne in rounded terminal clusters 6 in across and look quite a bit like phlox flowers. Plumbago blooms all year long except for the coldest winter months. A white flowered variety (P. auriculata var. alba) is available. The cultivar, 'Royal Cape' has intense cobalt blue flowers. Plumbago does best in light, sandy soils with good drainage.

BUDDLEIA: With a name like butterfly bush, you might expect a plant to be attractive to butterflies. In fact, it's more than attractive; it's a magnet for all the butterflies who pass through your garden seeking nectar. Many butterfly gardeners plan their garden around Buddleia (pronounced BUD-lee-ah), a genus that includes over 100 species and cultivars. Also called summer lilac, the medium- to large-sized shrubs can anchor a perennial bed or form a hedge.

You'll be happier with Buddleia if you accept its growth habit, which is not neat and tidy. Its narrow branches support lilac-like clusters of blossoms a foot or two in length, with side branches and blossoms. After a rainfall, the flower-laden branches of some species can droop all over your flower bed. You'll want to allow at least six feet between bushes to keep some semblance of neatness.

But wait till you see the bush covered with fritillaries and tortoiseshells! Even a large swallowtail can land on the cluster, to sip from the many individual blooms. Butterflies and bees will flock to the honey-scented blossoms, whose dilute nectar is sweetest in midday sun. Near a path or patio, the shrub provides delightful fragrance for you, too.

My all time favorite is Black Knight which is a dark purple and the lilac color one called Twilight. the White Profusion did very well but the blooms were not as big BUT the Yellow Sungold one just up and died before I could even get my neglect going. What is up with THAT. I should at least have time to try and kill it, don't ya think?

RUELLA: These are fast growing plants that bloom in a profusion of purple flowers when the weather starts to warm. Very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds! Plants reach 3’ high and 2’ wide. These are easily rooted from brown (woody) stem cuttings. Sun to part shade. The quantity of blossoms is related to the amount of light the plant receives. The more direct sunlight the more flowers with fewer flowers appearing
in overcast conditions or when grown in shadier conditions. Each flower only lasts one day, but there are always more waiting to open each morning.

New Quilt Project

2010-09-20T22:14:00.001-04:00

Ok Ok sooooooo disown me for being a really bad Aunt. I started a quilt for my niece oh I don't know 3 1/2 YEARS ago. Did I see you rolling your eyes? Don't make me get up to smack you. Things like life and accidents get in the way, OK? Well anyway. I started this really cute quilt and I got all the blocks hand pieced, got the top all put together, layered it then started the hand quilting. I am quilting like crazy when my HUBBY says, hey I think your aunt would really love that lap quilt, don't you? I am like, noooooo this is for Carol. He then told me he really really REALLY thought I should give it to my aunt and proceeded to tell me WHY. Let me stop right here and first tell you that I seldom actually listen to my hubby about my quilting or crafts and any wife out there knows why but I will tell you. Hubbys know NOTHING about quilting or crafts. HECK they totally refuse to read directions for anything. But I have to tell you, his reasoning was sound. You see my Aunt is 80 and she has cancer so I decided to finish the quilt for her. What happened next is totally bad for me. I slipped and fell at the grocery store. As a result of the fall I now have permanent nerve damage in my hand so hand quilting is soooo hard to do and crafts and my sculpting of miniature babies out of polymer clay is all but impossible. On top of that the lap quilt has to sit unfinished (only the binding and 5 rows of top quilting left) because... well just because. That is a story for another day.

WELL I have decided to make another quilt for my niece, who I love with my whole heart. I took samples and let her choose which she wants. Now I have started the blocks. Below is the first block.

So dear niece you can see I have started. I will keep you all posted as to my progress.

QUILT PROGRESS METER

The Reluctant Healthy Eating Cook

2010-09-11T12:58:00.008-04:00

Do you ever wonder WHY all that healthy cooking crap always and I do mean ALWAYS falls on the one person who does not want the job. I have been given the task of minding my hubby of 37 years healthy eating program because if we left it up to him, he would still be eating one humongus meal at 7pm instead of 3 meals and dinner no later than 6pm every day, he would still be drinking 6+ cokes a day, along with a bag of candy bars which is probably Snickers and eating some kind of cream fill dessert every single day.

The thing you have to understand is that while I do not drink cokes or eat candy and seldom have dessert, I am just as at fault with the state of our eating as he is........ well ok maybe not as responsible as he is because I am not sitting on him and forcing the food past his lips but we have to blame someone and I am that person. the other thing you have to understand is I am a child of the South. You got it... ring-a-ding....   I grew up on Biscuits and Gravy, Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, Southern green beans and oh my gawd summer squash (you know with the bacon grease), Ham and redeye gravy. WHAT?   All southern kids know what Redeye gravy is. I learned to cook, not from my mama who could not find her way to the kitchen with a seeing eye dog but from my sister Carolyn and my Grandpa who loved Cream Chipped Beef on toast ( none of that SOS comments, pleazzzzz) and pancakes. He also made a mean Southern beef Stew in a cast iron dutch over and CORNBREAD. He could also make a mess of collards to die for.

Well now you can see where this is going, YES I am somewhat to blame for less than healthy foods I have cooked for so many year but I totally refuse to take all the blame.... so THERE.

So what do you do when you have to alter the way you grew up eating? I will tell you.... you do it cold turkey. None of that cutting back in stages because we all know that does not work. the very day we got the news that not only does my hubby have High Blood Pressure but also High Cholesterol and wait.... A touch of Diabetes. Now I don't know about the rest of you non-medical people out there BUT   you either have it (maybe not as bad as others) or you Don't. Well I just say you GOT IT honey, Stop Whining and get on with your life, which is exactly what we did.

Internet here I come. I am armed with all that information (kind of overwelmed) and I get a notebook and I dear gawd I was actually reading food labels in the grocery store. What in the heck has happened to ME?
Am I on Candid Camera? Nope is it our life as we now know it. Well let me tell you, all the healthy eating and portion control WORKS.
This is how my hubby is doing....
Start Date: 7/1/2010               Current Date: 9/11/2010
Starting pant size: 44 waist
Current pant size: 38 waist (probably a 36 if I could get him to the MALL)

He is looking all thin and trim.

How am I doing? Pretty darn GOOD

UPDATE ON WEIGHT LOSS

The Epiphany of planning Retirement

2010-08-22T12:56:00.009-04:00

I had an epiphany of sorts, wondering what retirement would bring. The economy has hurt our efforts to retire early and to actually worry less but then a thought bubble appears over my head, a light bulb moment. Now you have to know, right now, that I am a planner before I ever do. I am a big list maker.

My light bulb moment tells me to start planning. While our 401K and Roth IRA’s have dwindled down to NOTHING, I know that those will be of no help financially when we do retire but I also know that if worse comes to worse we could actually survive on Social Security and a small union pension just fine.
THINGS I HAVE PLANNED

1)   VEGETABLE HOUSE AND RAISED BEDS:
I have already planned my vegetable gardens. While my hubby only likes a few vegetables, I will plant a few different veggies and maybe share with the few people living out our way. While I only have 2 neighbor women living close, I can not actually see their house from mine but I figure maybe they too would love some home grown organic vegetables. Now while I have never lived out in the country, it just seems neighborly, don’t you think? We will be retired and they are retired too so we can help each other.

Well back to the vegetable garden plans. I want to enclose my entire vegetable gardens in a “A” frame Vegetable House (kind of like a Victorian butterfly garden). This structure will be approx 28’ X 28’ wood frame with 9 raised beds being 4’ X 4’ each with 4’ brick paths. The entire structure will be covered with Vinyl coated poultry wire. This will keep animals and birds out but will allow beneficial insects to fly in. Then around the bottom of the Vegetable House I plan on installing either solid aluminum or a very fine mesh that will be dug down 8 inches then up the sides about one foot. This will keep the burrowing nasties out too. I will also attach the fine wire mesh on the bottom of my raised beds. I also have a greenhouse planned with attached potting shed to store my equipment. Now this is my grand plan and I want it NOW, thank you very much.

2)   CHICKENS
Now we don’t eat a lot of eggs but a few Hens to supply what we eat do and cook with will be just the thing. I can always give them to the neighbors. I plan to have a moveable chicken tractor and to let the GIRLZ work in the Vegetable House. They will also be a ready supply of chicken poo for the garden.

3)   CANNING
I would LOVE to learn to can what vegetables we do like. I have a new Rehab recipe for our good ole Southern style Green Beans. You know the kind your southern grandma made with fatback or bacon or ham hocks. Too much fat for today’s healthy living.

My question is ………… Can I make the beans and then can them? I like Southern style yellow squash (again with bacon) can I make it and then can it? OR do I just can the beans or squash or whatever and then have to prepare the recipes when we want them for dinner? Anyone Know? PLEASE SHARE your knowledge of canning.

I figure with Vegetable gardens and chickens and a few fruit trees then we can cut way down on the produce. We live in Florida where we can plant year round so this just seems like the right thing to do.

I also had a WOW moment when we were unable to run up to our retirement house every 2 weeks and went every couple of months, that if we did not keep our air conditioning running in a unoccupied house that our electric went from $250.00 a month to $38.00 in the hottest summer months. WOW. Now I can tell you that $9.00 of that bill is our security lights that the electric company installed and maintains for the monthly fee. The first time we turned off the a/c and were gone a few months, we were thinking oh gawd when we get there it is gonna be so HOT we will have to stay at a motel the first night. WRONG. Our house is so insulated, it so not so bad and we cranked the a/c up and within a few hours it was cooled down.
Now I can not wait for the cooler months to get here and have those windows cranked wide open. It is just totally AWESOME to save all that money.

What do you know about historical sayings or terms?

2010-08-01T13:10:00.046-04:00

Do you ever wonder certain sayings that have been around all your life, WHERE do they come from and is there in truth in them. Check it out below and get a comical eye opening education.....

Interesting History

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor"

But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot......they "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were considered the lowest of the low

The next time you are washing your hands and complaining because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty
good by June.. However, since they were starting to smell ..... Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The MAN of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof... Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would Sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a co uple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up, so the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive... So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus,someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth....Now, whoever said History was boring!!!

The Art of Garden Jewelry

2010-07-10T20:42:00.000-04:00

What Will Your Best Dressed Garden Be Wearing This Season?

What about some very nice Rain Chain? You may be asking what are rain chains, and I am here to tell you that no self respecting garden would be caught dead without them when company comes calling. Think Grandma without her pearls on or June Cleaver without her apron. You can attach them to the down spout opening in your gutters then hang them down to a rain barrel (I attach mine to the rain barrel so they do not swing and spin wildly in a hard rain) or you can hang them above a bird bath, birds love to sit on them with or with the rain.

What about some DoDo Bird garden spikes. The most hysterical birds in the garden and can be found at http://www.gardenfun.com/extinct-dodo-bird.html

How about a Hammock Chair to wile away the afternoon.
This one is in a paisley print and just looking all fresh and relaxing
and ready for someone to sit in it under the shade of a Live Oak
Tree.

So now you know what the best dressed gardens are wearing this season.

COMMUNITY GARDENS BECOME THE IN THING

2010-06-25T20:39:00.002-04:00

I remember my mama telling me about Community Vegetable Gardens during the depression. She says the government gave neighborhoods plots of land to plant vegetables on so people would at least have veggies and would not starve to death. She said all the families in the neighborhood tilled and plotted, planted and tended and then shared in the bounty. I think at the time it was needed but TODAY it is a IN thing in gardening.

BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union

More and more Community Gardens are popping up. In West Palm Beach, Florida the mayor has approved the use of vacant lots for those neighborhoods to plant on, if they want. A lot of them want to do it. Some do not want to plant vegetables but will plant flowers, which is still ok because they will be beautifying the area. My Niece is involved in a community garden too. The house where her grandma lived in like forever and all the other neighboring homes were bought up by a developer, all were torn down and then the economy went bad and the place was growing massive weeds, so the developer planted flowers on the property. My niece approached him about planting a Community Vegetable Garden and he jumped on it. What started with scattered seeds will feed those in need because they donate the food to a homeless shelter.

If anyone else has a community garden, I would love to hear your stories and inspiring ideas.

The Lazy Hazy Days of Summer in North Central Florida

2010-06-11T19:11:00.002-04:00

Kids now a days seem to be stuck. You are probably scratching your head trying to figure out how or why they are stuck. What I mean is that kids today do not really know how to amuse themselves without the help of television, dvd movies, or video games. They do not know the wonders of playing outdoors. What happened to hide and seek or red rover red rover or playing in the pond or creek? What happened to going to the beach?

What do we do about it? Let's all take a ride of the Lazy Ichetucknee River. You heard me, North Florida has a lazy meandering river which you can tube down. NO boats with motors, no polution. A gentle current is nudging you along, your legs and backside dipped in the crystal-clear, 72-degree river as sunlight filters through a canopy of oaks and pine trees and bakes the skin enough to make the chilly water seem heavenly. Not only is the Ichetucknee made for tubing it is a divers paradise.

Tubing has become an evolved attraction, with plenty of businesses renting brightly colored tubes, as well as canoes and kayaks. In the busy summer season, when the full 6-mile length of the river is open for tubing, weekend days can be crowded enough that access is closed for capacity. It's best to arrive early. Even so, an Ichetucknee excursion is a bargain for a $6 park admission and about as much for a tube.

Even on the busiest days, the unspoiled scenery on the river is like stepping into a time capsule to the earliest days of the area's settlement in the 17th century. About a mile downstream from the headspring of the river, you will find the Spanish mission site, San Martin de Timucua, which has been identified as one of the major interior missions that served the settlement of St. Augustine. Blissfully, most of the pleasures on the river aren't so academic. Look down through the mirror-like surface of the water and you can clearly see the soft-sand bottom (about a depth of 8-feet) or the gently swaying vegetation, as well as tiny (and not so tiny) fish darting below. Although it's possible to see white-tailed deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, wood ducks and great blue herons from the river, it's much more likely to encounter turtles sunning themselves quietly on one of the tree trunks extended over the water. On a recent visit, I stopped counting them when I reached two dozen.

Worried about gators? Don't be. The water is way too cold for them.

In the summer season, there are several tubing options: For the most time on the river, arrive early to embark on a 3-hour float from the park's north entrance. The arrival time is particularly important on weekends, because the park has a limit of 750 tubers per day to protect the ecology of the river.

Someone in your party will need to drop off the tubes and tubers at the north entrance and take your vehicle to the take-out point at the south parking lot, where a shuttle van will return the driver to the starting point. While waiting at the north end, there is swimming available at the head spring and nearby Blue Hole Spring, a favorite of scuba divers for its 32-foot underwater entrance to a series of caves that stretches 12 miles north to Lake City.

Tubers can float for two-and-a-half hours to Dampier's Landing or continue another 30 minutes to the final pick-up point. You also can start at the river's mid-way point for a 90-minute trip. There are no tube rentals in the park, but the rates are reasonable at the rental companies that dot the roads outside the park. A word of warning: Don't get the small one they are kid tubes.

So you can cool off in the hot heat while tubing down the lazy river or take a dive, the choice is yours to make. The kids as well as the adults will love it. Hope to see you there! Oh and just a reminder NO FOOD on the River PLEASE

My All Time Favorite Flowers for the Garden

2010-05-23T18:49:00.002-04:00

Are you the type of person who likes whimsical flowers about your garden? I guess you can say I am one of those people. I like a miss match, toss it all together and see what comes, none of that structured gardening design for me. I like Pinks, Purples and Yellows alot but am not so ridged that I can not throw in other colors too. I love the cottage garden style.

My all time favorite plants for the garden are:

Butterfly Bush Buddleia davidii

Description:

They are profuse bloomers with gray-green to dark green leaves and large, fragrant 6-8" long flower heads that are very attractive to butterflies. A must for your butterfly garden! Blooms July all the way to fall.

Common Name: Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac

Botanical Name: Buddleia davidii, Buddleia x weyeriana Buddleia davidii "Black Knight"

Type: Woody Perennial

Soil Preference: This plant tolerates some drought and wetness. Suitable soil is well-drained, loamy sandy or clay with a pH preference of acidic to alkaline.

Light Requirements: Full Sun

Attributes: Pest tolerant, good for naturalizing, attracts birds, hummingbirds & butterflies, suitable for cut flowers (will last for 5-6 days). Can be used as a border plant or in containers. Considered mostly allergy free. Deer resistant.

Another Favorite
Buddleia "White Profushion"

Pests: A caterpillar may eat foliage occasionally

Diseases: None serious

Care: For best flowering, cut back to entire bush in early spring to about 1/3 of its original height. Division is not recommended. You may want to pinch back new growth to generate more branching.

Garden Blues

2010-05-16T17:39:00.003-04:00

Blue in the garden just seems so cool and restful on a hot day in South Florida. I fell in love with Plumbago many years ago when I got a pot full as a gift. Not knowing if it would actually survive out in the sweltering heat, I went ahead and planted it. Other than digging the hole and putting the plant in it and watering it when I first planted it, it has not only survived but thrived with no help from me. I do not water it, or trim it and any of the things a good gardener does to help their plants live. I just figure that if it is gonna make it here in Florida, it needs to do it all by itself. Plumbago will do just that.

We now have a house to retire to (crossing fingers and toes) where I am again thinking of planting this awesome flower to see how it will do in Zone 8b.

Plumbago is an evergreen shrub with whip-like semi woody stems that form a loose, rounded mound 3-10 ft (0.9-3 m)high with a similar spread. Plumbago can be pruned to grow like a vine and scramble over supports, or pruned into a more compact mounded shrub, or left to sprawl with its long, gracefully arching branches. The 2 in (5 cm) oblong leaves are a fresh, light yellowish green color. The sky blue flowers are 1 in (2.5 cm) long tubes expanding into 5 petals spreading about 1 in across. The flowers are borne in rounded terminal clusters 6 in (15 cm) across and look quite a bit like phlox flowers. Plumbago blooms all year long except for the coldest winter months. A white flowered variety (P. auriculata var. alba) is available. The cultivar, 'Royal Cape' has intense cobalt blue flowers.

Plumbago does best in light, sandy soils with good drainage. Do not add lime to the soil; plumbago likes a slightly acidic pH. The foliage may turn yellow due to manganese deficiency, but applying manganese sulfate will cure that. Plumbago should be pruned heavily to keep it neat and within bounds and to make it bushy to maximize the number of flowers. It produces its flowers on the current season's growth, so you can prune plumbago in late winter and not worry about cutting off flower buds.

Features: Plumbago flowers bloom most of the spring, summer and fall in various shades of blue (buy
plants in bloom to get the shade that you want). A favorite of butterflies, plumbago also is one of the most
popular flowering shrubs in Central and South Florida gardens. It is very fast-growing, has few problems and is almost always smiling.
Light: Full sun. Flowering will be reduced in partial shade.
Moisture: Plumbago survives with little watering once established, and is considered moderately
drought tolerant.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 8B-11. Plumbago can withstand some frosts. Even if killed to the ground, it
usually recovers quickly.
Propagation: Propagate plumbago from semiripe tip cuttings in summer. It can also propagate from
seeds.

The romantic smell of blooming Wisteria

2010-01-11T20:03:00.003-05:00

I just found out the there is a American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens).
The traditional Chinese wisteria is too invasive and is generally no longer available for sale, this native American Wisteria is much better behaved and just as showy. It still needs a sturdy tall structure to climb on.

FLOWER: Pale lilac flowers with yellow blotches appear in dense clusters on six inch stems that hang from the vines in the Spring, after the leaves have begun sprouting. Blossoms are followed by three inch velvety seedpods.

PLANT: Twining vine with shiny leaves of many leaflets, can take over small trees if not pruned after flowering in the spring.

INTERESTING KINDS: Amethyst Falls has large fragrant pale lavender flower clusters that rival any other wisteria. Nivea blooms a little earlier with White flowers.