Category: Nature

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An Organic Lawn Care Service

As the years go by, I can’t count the amount of money I’ve put in to my gardens and lawn. I’m having problems with the back yard and the grass that is growing back there. A friend of mine told me about TruNatural Organic Lawn Care Service that she had used and I wanted to get the info about it. While checking out the site, I must admit that I was and still am totally impressed!

I was worried if I hired a lawn care service that there would be chemicals and treatments that could harm the family and our pets, but with an organic lawn care service, this particular one anyway, the products are certified by the EPA, which gives me the peace of mind I need. Various lawns need different kinds of care and TruNatural offers it all!

Professionals actually are doctors for your lawn and unlike doctors today, these professionals make house calls! I think that statement kind of says it all, considering I know my lawn isn’t up to par and needs help. It just doesn’t look as green and lush and it’s supposed to be. There are literal plans that meet my lawns certain needs and since I don’t know what exactly it needs, I’ve decided it’s well worth the time asking lots of questions and also worth the money that I’ll actually be saving with an honest service instead of one that just does the minimum for my lawn but charges a fortune. It indeed is worth checking this service out!

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Earth day clean up

Today my grand daughter’s girl scout group and the parents and grand parents were invited to help clean up a short road near the school.  There were other groups from the school who also were assigned roads to clean up…at least the debris on the sides of the road.

I couldn’t make it, as I have just gotten out of the hospital and am not supposed to do much of anything for the next week. Since I had thought I could go along, I had packed snacks in little recyclable bags to give the girls and my daughter picked them up to take along. They all looked so cute and ready to do their part to keep the earth clean.  I’m so proud my grand daughter is involved in caring groups like this.

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Spouts in two days

For the heck of it, I wanted to plant some seeds in some old peat clumps that I had laying around in the garden shed. I put the peat clump in little clay pots after soaking the peat for a few minutes in water. What I think the peat clumps came from was one of those Chia Pet type planters, the never worked for me.

After I put three seeds in each pot…on top the peat, only pressing the seeds in slightly, I covered them with some clear plastic to get that green house effect. I then put the little pots on top of the refrigerator because it’s warm up there and the morning sun shines on it somewhat.

I marked the date on the calendar which was the 4th, that I had planted the seeds. The seeds sprouted in two days. I personally thought it was remarkably fast. I took the plastic off because in only two days the were growing so fast that the plastic was bending the stems. Now, after four days the stems are about two and a half inches tall. I might just start all my seeds like this!

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Spring thoughts

While letting the dogs out this morning, I walked into the back yard and despite the snow and ice we had this past week,  there were dandelions growing next to my old well. There they were…four perfect small yellow flowers poking out through the snow. That is what I call either determination or real hardy plants!

I happen to love dandelions. While the kids were growing up, we called them dandy flowers and to be honest, I still do. They are great for a lot of things and make tasty spirits if made and fermented properly. There is a convent of nuns or used to be, in Ohio that made the best dandy flower wine and used to sell it to help with the convents upkeep. I was too young to try it at the time, but I hear that it had an exceptional bouquet. (pun intended).

The dandelion greens are quite tasty also, if cooked the right way. I’ve never tried this with the family, but I like them. To me, dandelions are not a weed. I know people who battle dandelions every year trying to have a lawn that is dandelion free. The roots, which are good for you also, grow very deep and they are indeed hard to kill. Myself, I figure why try and kill them off. I like how they make the acreage in my back yard look. To me, they are a sure sign of spring.
 

 

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Winter storms and power outages

With the winds blowing fiercely and ice, snow and rain that continued to become layered in a very dangerous way for travelers. With temperatures in freezing mode, it seemed like a ghost town in the small village as blizzard conditions and treacherous ice took away any forms of communication and transportation.

Inside the small house, a fire in the hearth burned making a soothing crackling sound while keeping the lower rooms warm with also the help of the wood burning stove. The lighting of oil lamps and candles, produced a serene, cozy glow that looked enchanting, making one want to bask in it for the night…

NOT!!!!! Okay truth be known, after the power went out and I saw and heard branches breaking and power lines going down, I did light the fires and also the oil lamps and then placed candles in where I knew they’d put out the best light yet be safe from tipping. It actually did look nice and rosy in the house. But I was also in near panic mode since my sons were in town practicing music for their show and we live off of a very dangerous road in the conditions as we had last night and today, so last night I was fretting too much to give it more than a few minutes of liking said warmth and rosy glow. I can’t wait until summer and we don’t have to go though this stuff again for a time.

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Sunny skies but looks are deceiving

The sun is finally shining and all the snow and ice has melted, but it indeed is chilly outside. Much more cold than it actually looks, but one can dream that flip flop weather will soon be here. (Phil didn’t see his shadow, right?)

With the high winds we’ve had over the last few weeks, there is going to be a lot of clean up in the yards to do. My neighbor’s tree is nearly dead and the branches keep falling and then are literally blown into my side gardens. The neighbor just moved in last fall, and I rarely see her, but she should learn neighborly consideration. Of course she is indeed young, but that doesn’t mean she can’t pick up a few branches.

My yards are going to need the usual clean up, but with new gardens that will be dug and put in, I’m sure I’m going to be busy playing more in the dirt and  have the guys here do the clean up work for me. They’ll earn money doing it, and every year they do a really great job, so that is covered. Just seeing this sun shine makes me antsy to get out and plant things, but in the mean time I’ll stick to starting my seeds

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A Chance of Snow Tonight

Its been cold for a couple of weeks but we have not had snow yet. But I just heard the dreaded four letter word on tonight’s news – there is a chance of snow tonight. I don’t mind the cold weather, but I really do not like the sleet and snow that comes this time of year. I try to avoid driving in the bad weather and just stay home if there is any way to arrange things to allow that.

Last year we only had snow on the ground for a few weeks. It never caused any big problems for my house and my neighborhood, thank goodness. Sometimes we have bad snow storms that leave people stranded in their homes for several days, as shoveling heavy fresh snow is very tiring and not always productive when you spend hours out in the cold clearing your car and then a snow plow comes along and shoves a wall of snow back into your driveway or around your car. That always makes me very angry, and yet I know the snow plows need to keep the streets clear. I just wish they would remove or melt the snow instead of just shoving it over and packing it around the cars parked on the street.

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Gathering seeds and doing household repair

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been gathering seeds from what I call, my “blown out herbs and flowers” so I can put them in packages, mark them and then plant again next year. I love having herbs, flowers and other plants that I have grown and then gathered the seeds, and planted again the next spring. Generations of plants, so to speak.

I’m also getting the house ready for the winter. There are some repairs needed to be done on the outside of the house, due to the drought and yet also the terrible storms that passed through when we did get rain.

All of these things I love to do but need help with, and I have to admit that my kids have been wonderful about helping me with the a lot of the things that need to be done. This gives me peace of mind and also knowing that I am going to be prepared (sort of) for the winter and also have the spring seeds to plant, will save money and help me to keep from a great deal of worry.

 

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Garden planning for next year

This years gardens and lawns did not do well at all. It’s sad because I had seeded, planted and even reseeded in hopes that my plants and flowers could or might do well despite of lack of rain. I was wrong. Even watering from the hose didn’t help.

I’ve been looking at various seeds and plants that might do well despite the lack of rain, in case next summer is anything like this summer has been. In our growing area, it’s pretty sparse pickings. No pun intended.

In the mean time, I’m trying to get the remodeling of my bathroom finished, so at least I’ll have the extra money to plant new flowers, plants and veggies next spring. Hopefully, that will be finished toward the middle of next month if all goes well with the plumbing. As far as my gardens go…I’m still trying to water, but it’s a loosing battle.

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Healthy Ducks for Sale

After me voicing that I wanted a pond in the back yard, my husband jokingly said to find some Ducks for sale while I was at it. I don’t think that is a bad idea at all. If all goes well with building the pond that I would like to have at the edge of the back yard, they would be an ideal addition to it. Plus, not many people I know like duck eggs, but I do! They have a nice rich flavor and are great for omelets, in my opinion.

If I can Buy Ducks along with the chickens, I’d be on way to becoming a back yard farmer of sorts. Plus I think these animals are so darn cute to watch. They would be a most welcome addition to my back yard. They might even turn out to be nice pets also!

I thought it would be so nice to find some nice laying  Chickens for Sale. I would love to go out to their coop and fetch my own eggs that came from my own chickens, and ducks without having to buy them in the store at a really high prices for brown chicken eggs. My whole family love fresh eggs, and brown ones are the best. I think they have a much better flavor when they are fresh and brown.