Digging Raccoons

It took only a brief second or two, in fact, I wondered what the commotion was all about. I was right there, in fact, I had just walked across the porch, down the steps and over to the hose bib that is in the corner of the planter bed. Giant lizards scurried about, sometimes startling you. Really, you would think they were mice by the sound of them.

When I reached down to turn on the water, I heard the noise. "What's that?" I wondered, "It sounds like metal hitting the porch." I shook my head and carried on. We have a few stray cats, they must have been chasing each other . . . but in this heat?

Well, I went about my business. I watered the hosta and coleus bed next to the porch and then onto the potted plants: tomatoes, peppers, herbs. Hey wait! Why is a pepper plant uprooted and laying across the planter? Hmmmm. No matter, it wasn't doing very well anyway.

The bushes were next and a few young zinnias that were beginning to bloom in the retaining wall bed. Oh oh- weeds, the vining variety- I need to get in there as soon as this sprained foot will allow it! (and the wasps, don't forget about them too- hiding out under all my bedding plants).

I made my way around the court yard until I came back to the porch. Time to fill up the cat water dish and hit the porch plants with a little water. It's so hot that even they, under the shade of a 9 ft deep porch with ceiling fans on, droop every day.

"What the heck!" I said aloud. "What happened here?" I know what the metal sound was, this is all starting to make sense. Those raccoons got my coleus on the porch! They don't want the plant but apparently whatever they believe is beneath the leaves way down in the dirt. I had a metal dragonfly stake, a very pretty little garden decoration, in the middle of the pot with all the pretty leaves surrounding it. Guess where it is now? Yep, on the deck. On the deck amid half a pot of dirt and various coleus plants, some painfully damaged. I guess they got my pepper too. And of course they had a dance party in the cornstalks growing in the big garden.

I scooped everything back into the pot and over watered, hoping for the best. Since I caught it so soon I believe most of the plants will be OK, but one was still touching the ground awhile later.

With this heat, lack of rain, the horn worms, grasshoppers and raccoons the garden has suffered greatly. The cucumbers and zucchini are about done, although we had a great harvest. Beans and tomatoes are still growing, along with the pumpkins; however, the peppers have done nothing.

Our tomatoes are ripening but slowly, many staying green. This is some type of problem that Missouri is having. We planted heirloom varieties so it may not be affecting us as much as the hybrids out there, but they are definitely slow this year. I'm glad to have all those green tomato recipes I've seen on the blogs lately.

Back to the raccons digging in my plants. What are they looking for?

Stocking Up: Thread and Material for a Rainy Day

One of our preparedness challenges is to stock up on the basic necessities of life. We are learning where our food comes from, how to process it ourselves, saving seeds, growing gardens, canning and dehydrating. We've installed an actual wood burning insert in the fireplace which provided the majority of our heat all winter long aided by our efficient geothermal system. Our home is designed for complete cross ventilation with screen doors and a whole house fan that pulls down air like a wind tunnel from our upstairs rooms. Our attic is real and stores anything that won't be damaged by heat. That covers our food and shelter but let's not forget the clothing.

When I make my shopping trips I try to pick up an extra spool or two of thread- I can't make this on my own without spinning cotton or flax, which I am not in a position to grow. It won't do me much good to understand quilting or how to sew my granddaughter's dresses unless I have thread.

I have cut up our old 100% cotton clothes (not being donated) into large pieces trimming off the seams and collars but saving buttons and zippers for future use. You never know when these will become a pair of kiddie shorts, knee patches or a little throw.

I save my coupons and reward dollars off cards, waiting for a sale on fabrics or patterns. I scout out the last day of church rummage sales for pretty patterns left over from fundraisers past, ribbon and grab bags of fabric that are typically priced at $1 for as much as you can put into a bag.

I pack it all away in my grandmother's old cabinet with fat quarters and threads up top, bigger pieces and notions in the drawers. For yardage I have a rolly cart with three baskets that slides into the closets.

All just preparing for the day prices become much too dear.

Stitch'n While Mend'n

As I recover from my recent sprain, unable to maneuver the rocky garden for a bit, I picked up another Aunt Martha's embroidery iron on transfer that I had stashed upstairs. Sure, I might have cleaned the kitchen or something even more horrific such as ironing; however, I chose to play around with a needle and thread.

I ordered this book that demonstrates stitches for needlepoint and embroidery, about 200 in amazing detail. I have used a few basics but can't wait to try some of the filling stitches that are a little more complex. I may try those on some counted cross stitch fabric first.

I also picked up this little case to store my thread which I wound around the small cardboard pieces that fit each cubby. It's come in pretty handy since I can file them by color.

I'll finish the chimney- had to get some darker red more suitable for brick- and then make some coffee, for the fabric, not me. That should take the bright edge off of it so I can either frame it with fabric or a distressed wooden frame. I haven't decided just yet.

Billy Goat Chips - A Tasty Alternative

These locally made chips (south St Louis) made their debut during a free taste test in our work cafeteria a few months ago. I'm glad they did because I thought they would be just another trendy chip. They are a little pricier than your traditional store bought chips, but they are fantastic! No preservatives, sold in a paper bag, and according to their website, "More flavor with less sodium than traditional potato chips. Made with pure canola oil. No preservatives, No trans fats, No msg, & Gluten Free."

They have that nice homemade flavor without being so oily/greasy. I am starting to see them in our local specialty shops and even the main groceries in St Louis. If you decide you would like to try them there is ordering information at their website.


Billy Goat Chip Company Link

One Wrong Step - Booted

It's booted for a month-one wrong step. You see, the raccoons had a party in the garden, right in the middle of the corn, sooooo, out came the corn stalks. My husband handed them to me and I tossed them into the woods. Might as well let the little fellas have at it in the woods, not the garden. Well, there was this rock, or should I say part of a rock, that was sticking out of the ground but well hidden by some taller grass. Guess who stumbled over it?

Yep, I caught myself; however, the left half of my foot was pushed up while the right half stayed put. Diagnosis: Severe sprain with advanced arthritis. Sentence: Booted for a month.

I have an orthotic shoe, and a sleeping shoe, but not a walking boot. I have a call into the doctor to see if I should get one or if the shoe will do. Thankfully it's my left foot and I can still drive.

Drats- booted during the summer.

Can you Identify this Plant?

This plant has two types of leaves, oakish leaves as well as teardrop or heart shaped leaves. It is growing wild between my bushes and porch railing. I'm not sure it's a vine, since it is so young, but it has branches that get pretty long considering its height. I am going to remove it; however, would like to know if it is something that irritates the skin.

Any ideas?

A Good Conversation with the EPA - Food Waste

I just returned from an Unsaleables Conference where I had the opportunity to have a private breakfast with Jean Schwab, program manager and senior analyst in the Municipal & Industrial Solid Waste Division at EPA Headquarters. Always leery of government agencies, I found our breakfast conversation quite pleasant, finding we have many ideas in common.

Unsaleables: these are product returns of any nature usually from the retailer to manufacturer. It could be expired or damaged product, discontinued merchandise or a general recall. If the product cannot be refurbished and resold it is generally donated or destroyed with the destroyed product ending up in landfills. The company I work for is not involved in food but just think about all the food products lining your grocery shelves, all with expiration dates.

Now expiration dates are mostly suggestions. The general public doesn't realize that these products are good beyond the expiration date on the can. The dates are "best by" or "sell by" which will allow an adequate pantry life on top of the shelf life offered to the grocery. I am careful with milk or eggs; however, if canned food is not damaged or looks "bad" when opened, it is most often just fine, even a couple years after expiration.

I brought up the subject of homeowner associations setting stringent guidelines that are in direct opposition to our green and sustainability efforts, for example, clothes lines or front yard gardens. She completely agrees with me and said the EPA is, in fact, trying to meet with the main society of homeowner associations to try and ease some of the regulations. As she mentioned, they don't want their suburban neighbors to look like hillbillies; so they have become super restrictive.

She recommends at least allowing removable clothes lines, the umbrella type or ones where the line can be retracted after use. The strips of grass between driveways could become a little herb garden perhaps scattered with peppers, pretty flowers and other non vining vegetables. She has terraced part of her front yard planting pretty yews on top and cascading down with a variety of vegetables and flowers for the exact same reason.

We spoke about the composting and the benefits it provides even if your composting consists of burying your vegetable peels under a plant one day at a time. Horse manure is a wonderful compost, mixing it with vegetation, straw and fall leaves. Over time it creates a great soil, in fact we added about 6-8 inches of soil to our rocky ground over the course of a year. The resulting soil was beautiful and the garden thrives.

Another opportunity is to plant an extra row of produce for donation to the local food bank that offers free or reduced produce to families that have been victims of our current economic conditions.

Some other suggestions from Greenscapes site:

Reuse it

Take apart nonreturnable wood pallets to reuse the wood (e.g., edging around plant beds) or chip it for use on site for mulch.

Chip woody waste and tree clippings into mulch for use on-site.

Donate healthy plants to local nonprofit organizations when reconfiguring or removing trees and shrubs from your landscape.

Reuse or increase the use and efficiency of existing sites before cutting into new sites.

Reuse soils within the work site; create mounds or berms to serve as wind breaks or to add visual interest.

In direct opposition to our county laws, the EPA recommends- "Use gray water, reclaimed water, or collected rainwater for irrigation and equipment wash downs." I understand the phosphates can cause problems when empties into our septic and out to the leach field. Jean does not have authority in this area but I mentioned the problem to her. How much water is wasted every day.

I also had the opportunity to speak with the representative of Parallel Products a leader in renewable energy creating fuel and industrial grade ethanol created without using corn. "Our unique application of fermentation and distillation technologies creates a complete resource recovery and recycling opportunity for our customers. Each year, via fermentation, of sugar laden liquids and distillation of alcohol from beverage and industrial waste streams, Parallel Products produces over five (5) million gallons of waste-derived ethanol" link

All in all major corporations are recognizing the problems associated with returned products. They are stressing collaboration between the retailer and manufacturer to identify opportunities that will reduce the need for costly returns and reducing landfill wastes.


Jean Schwab, Greenscapes link

Red Rock Canyon- Nevada

For one reason or another this computer won't let me access Blogger very well so I hope this works. I am traveling and in Las Vegas for a conference and customer meetings. We had a few spare hours today so my co-worker and I drover over to Red Rock Canyon and drove the 13 mile loop and is part of the Mojave Desert. Although we did not see any, it is home to wild burros and mountain lions. We did see a little chipmonk and a family of what I think might be roadrunners??? Very pretty, worth the drive and small admission fee.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Rock_Canyon_National_Conservation_Area

The Transformation

It's a frog! I walked by just at the right minute, just when this little guy made it out of the courtyard fountain. See, he still has his tail. And, he's going to be a frog, green and all!

Click to enlarge.

Breaking Pattern: The Inspiration Quilt

My inspiration for Taylor's quilt was twofold: this colorful fabric that reminds me of either Aztecs or a Caribbean theme with it's brilliant hues and golden threads, plus a little mixer upper in the design. Just when you begin to think there is a pattern to things . . . huh, what's this?

Anyone who knows me well understands that I am very attracted to darker colors and quite the sticker for schedules. Even if my quilts are colorful it will be hunter greens, brick reds. Primitives describe it best. My decorating theme of choice would be Victorian English Country Manor-the man's library with all the dark woods and leathers (I wish). Clothing follows right along. My boss asked if I might consider purchasing a pair of "light grey" slacks for my upcoming trip, just to brighten up my wardrobe! (LOL).

What I did here was to go off course. My granddaughter might enjoy something other than forest green and raw umber. The 12 inch squares are laying across my spare bed (notice the colors in the spare room) just to get a feel of how big it is now. I haven't worked on layout, just size. It is not a bedspread, just a throw. There will be sashing between each 12 inch square. I have my eye on a batik that is a variegated blue/light purple (lavander?) that the quilt shop design specialist thought would work well. It will.

Each of the 12 inch squares has a piece of the inspiration fabric- where it doesn't belong. It may be a mix of several different fabrics or start with a pattern and then divert, just a little, or my pattern will be spot on and then the odd piece out appears. You can see that the green and orange square should be switched, but they aren't. The stripes I considered a solid, as well the red with the tiny black swirls. I believe each row will have a piece of the inspiration fabric in a whole 12 inch square. If I have enough left over I will make her a pillow case.

Well, the washing machine buzzer just went off so that means it's time to hang laundry on the line. Oh, the load is all blacks- or perhaps a dark blue? Comfort colors!