garden wishes

we are literally (spoken in a british accent.. lit-tra-lee) only weeks from our garden being put to rest for the season and already i am dreaming next year.  for goodness sake we haven't even made it past christmas!  but not soon after the first of the year i will begin a garden plan for the new year that will include new seed orders (me.. quietly clapping).  i want natural bug repellent outside every door and pretty yellow bobs to dry and porch pots with chenille hot dogs hanging down!  I truly plan to stop at the garden up the street for the orange zinnia seeds and hope the gentleman is there.  otherwise i might be forced to steal... no, no, no.. let us say "help myself" to some of his orange zinnia seeds that were grown deliciously close to the road.  i can be cat-like quick and no one will be the wiser but me.  i've been known to help myself... see here.

i feel, since we were blessed with very little blood sucking, flying creatures called mosquitoes this summer, we will not be as fortunate next year.  apparently i have very sweet blood as i have sensed the beasts have flown for miles to attack me once hearing of my free blood buffet.  the kids at the day care fall serious victim also.  there will be a plant on my front steps at home, the porch at the day care and also one outside the shop so i can entertain our chicken, cotton bottom, and not get caught being an unwilling donor.  i will be rubbing this plant on all areas of exposed skin.

the chenille plant has always been a gaudy favorite although i have never owned one.  not only do i want one... i want two.  it appears they can only be purchased as a starter plant.  ok by me.  i feel they will lavish and love the comfort of my semi-shaded porch complete with proper waterings of course.

the saucy and small yellow buttons of the craspedia will be a new and most welcome addition to my floral concoctions both alive and dead.  rather not dead but in their dried state as i read they dry well and maintain their color.  i will certainly enjoy their billy ball shape in vases and elsewhere through the winter months.  they are the most precious!  if you don't believe me just look at this board!

ahhh my beloved pink cabbage rose.  tis but a dream.  if only i had an area or fence that wasn't properly doused with liquid poison by my husband several times annually... you would be mine.  perhaps when the greenhouse goes up i could have a section of split rail fence erected that would be deemed poison proof and safe for you to grow.  yet another dream to bring to fruition.

any plans for you and your 2015 garden just yet?  well get dreaming!  it will be here soon enough.

lovely rose water

It doesn't seem right to me to grow something that you don't or can't use.  Aside from the enjoyment of the sight aspects of summer flowers and plants, I feel God has given everything a purpose and a use in some way and I like to have and grow things that I can use.  A couple of years ago I bought a very small book about uses of roses that was originally printed in 1938.  While it is very interesting and almost amusing to read the way words were spelled at the time, some of the recipes are more difficult and hard to follow.  So, when I wanted to make rose water in a much more simple and non-time consuming way I turned to the internet for help.  Turns out you can make rose water very easily out of rose petals and distilled water.

Rose water is well known for it's anti-inflammatory, anti-septic and anti-bacterial purposes. It is also excellent for cleansing, hydrating, purifying, softening and toning the skin.  Some roses are naturally more fragrant than others.  The rose water that I made from my own rose bush that is normally pretty fragrant outside was not so much when I made the rose water, which is ok by me.  I am now anxious for my Julia Child yellow rose bush to bloom again to have rose water in a variety of color and smell.  If only I could have known how easy this was when the wild roses were in bloom.  Maybe next year.

BTW you might want to let the water cool down a bit before squeezing the petals.

I used mine in my relaxing and detoxifying bath Sunday night.  Here is the recipe I made for my bath.  You might also want to include low lighting, a few white candles and maybe some soft music playing or a nice book if you can keep it dry.

**** UPDATE 8/27/14**** My rose water seems to have grown mold... booo... it may be better to store it in the refrigerator and probably not over a week.  I will be looking into longer term storage and what to add to the rose water to keep it fresh longer.

Truck Yeah

Some say when life gives you lemons... make lemonade.

 

I say... "when life gives you a slight buzz on a Monday night and water in the pond... go through it in the Blazer!"

 

And he said... "OK... let's do it"

 

I have wanted to cut doughnuts in the pond that refuses to hold water behind the day care ever since he dug it.  Tonight... there was water in it from the rains over the weekend.  We were just hanging out, having a cold one on a June evening watching the sun go down listening to a good mixed CD when I got the idea and we headed down the driveway.

 

I made a right by his dump truck and eased my truck towards the shallow mud hole.  When I got to the edge I gouged on it as Shaun would say and made it across, made a quick right loop avoiding the DC garden and went back through.  When I got to the other side I was giggling so hard I had to stop for a second before putting it in reverse and backing up to do it again!  This time I went on through and headed out and towards the woods through Gary's farm.  Dang... sometimes Monday nights are fun.  Shaun's encouraging words to me were... " I'm proud of you Honey... you didn't even get stuck." Awe :)

 

She's Smiling!

My view from the DC which will make me grin all day.

 

P.S. Might I say that I always have nature in mind.  I know there is nothing but insects in this water and the occasional turtle when there is more water than this.  The frogs hang at the other pond.  Therefore, I thought it just fine to tear it up.  When the water goes down a bit more I will be cutting doughnuts in the mud... just watch me!  Nothin like four wheeling a lil to make me laugh!

 



Black Rose

Ooh Black Rose.. bam a lam.  Oh Black Rose.. bam a lam.  Black Rose is the name of my four wheel drive.  She is a 1989 Cheverolet K5 Blazer... flat black and I adore every inch of her.  Ever since we bought her on February 6th, 2011, I have adored her.  She got her name from this Waylon Jennings song, which I also adore... really loud.  You can listen to it while you read this if you want to. 

 

OR  you can listen to this while I talk about her recent transformation from factory Black Rose to

Black Rose..... All Jacked Up!

 

 

Before

 

This is right when I got her and Shaun was doing a "goin over."

 

This is when we took her camping.  She sleeps good!

 

And this is where the transformation begins.

 

Don't worry folks... he's done this before.

 

I swear... I have the biggest S*%t eatin grin on while I'm typing this post.

Lift kit installed!

 

Oh yeah... from 31's to 35's!

 

Ooooooooooo.  Yes... this is This Girl's truck.

 

Tell me 'bout it... stud.

 

We took the top off this past summer.  This is by far my most favorite vehicle I've ever owned.  Santa brought me the 4 inch lift kit for Christmas and we bought the 35 inch tires yesterday on 15 inch rims which took her up a grand total of around 8 inches higher.  It really feels different driving her higher up.  And it sure does look cool!  Dang!

 

                          Before                                                                       After