In the Garden...Update!

These Wild Babes are called "Picasso!"
The ChokeCherry Bush is ready to burst!
Our newest garden path...made from Tree Cookies from OSU!
Front Yard scene. We just regraveled the pathways and seating area!

Eh...Not So Much...

We look so young! This photo was taken by my 5 year-old daughter, back when "Now-Hubby" and I were just dating! We were on his drift boat, fishing the day away!

I forgot how quickly I've aged! That's it...I'm changing my habits! No more ice cream! 30-minutes of walking each day! No more drinking beers with friends! Better hair color!

Eh....

Do It Yourself Graduation Announcements!

Approximately $150 if ordered through the school.

Less than $30 done myself.

She leaves for Europe on July 6 and returns July 31.

Then, she leaves for Colorado College August 20.

Gonna Build that Chicken Tractor! Vote for One!

Against my husband's wishes, I've decided to build my dream home...a portable chicken tractor! (It's basically a coop that moves!) I'm stuck on the design I like most, so I've chose 4 pics of coops that caught my eye and need input.

Each pic has a number below it. Choose the one you like and give me a statement as to "why." I'll let you know what I decide, based on your input! Those who choose the tractor I select will win a prize from me, via e-mail! Tractor 1

Tractor 2
Tractor 3
Tractor 4

Choices, Choices...Sunny Days in Oregon

Because I work full-time as a teacher, mother, and wife, our house tends to become a series of piles on flat surfaces. We live out of the piles throughout the work-week, then spend Sat. and Sun. reorganizing the piles by putting things where they're supposed to go (clothes go into bedrooms, not closets/drawers, for example...close to the drawers and closets works for us).

However, when the sun comes out, our routine becomes very skewed.

Sun is something to be absorbed, not viewed.

So, rather than clearing up the interior of the house, I spent 11 hours OUTSIDE working in the gardens yesterday. I cleaned out the carport, built a new garden path, potted and planted new purchases, including a dwarf lilac and deep-hued hebe I bought from Morning Wood Nursery at our farmer's market, washed windows, emptied and cleaned my garden pond (which holds 200 gallons of agua...and I found 2 HUGE goldfish hiding in the muck! They'd made it through their 2nd winter!), refilled the pond (replaced the newly cleaned plants and fixed the fountain!), washed the car, hauled 7 wheelbarrow loads of mulch, weeded, on and on and on.

Which is where the choices part comes in.

I chose to work outside, rather than inside. The sun was irresistible! Because of my choice, the piles in the house will now remain as-is, meaning that it'll be a week of double-messy-house!

I need a housekeeper.

Mean Old Mama on a DVD Quest...

Watching the Corvallis JV LaCrosse game tonight.

I was standing on the sidelines, watching the action close-up.

This old woman with a digital camera steps over to me and says,"I'm making a video."

That's nice...

I said, "Do you have a son on the team?" (She looked old enough to be a grandmother, but I was trying to be polite.)

"No...I'm just making a video for the boys to watch."

"Oh, that's nice," I said. I turned back to watching the game.

She stepped closer, which was kinda weird, since we were done talking.

She said, "Don't say any bad things."

"Huh?" I replied.

"Well, your voice will be the dominant sound on my video, so I don't want you to say anything mean."

"I won't...I don't...my son is on the team. I'm cheering for him and his friends," I said, really feeling incomfortable.

She said, "Yeah, but you are cheering for the team and your voice will be on my video."

So...I politely stepped away, walking a good 20 feet down the sideline to get away from her.

She followed me!

She said, "If you cheer during the game, see, it will be on the DVD."

"I HEARD YOU,"I said. "You've made it clear."

She actually stuck her tongue out at me! She did! She stuck her tongue out! I then chose to walk to the other side of the field to watch the remainder of the game...and cheer for my son and his friends.

Dogs at the Farmer's Market...a Corvallis Conversation...

I own 3 HUGE dogs! Each weigh over 100 pounds and they are goofy, loving, slobbery boys. I don't take them downtown in order to entertain myself. Yep, they pretty much stick to our property, the field beside our house, and adventures out to Peavy Arboretum, where they run, swim, and act like....dogs!
I am a victim of a vicious dog bite. In 1994, a Great Dane lunged for my throat as I walked on a sidewalk near CHS in Corvallis. I threw my arm up just in time for the dog to chomp down on my humerus. The dog's canines ripped through my skin, leaving 2 5-inch gashes. that are beautiful scars today. The dog's smaller incisors pinched and tore the skin just above the inside of my elbow. The force of the dog's bite almost broke my arm, leaving me with a tremendous black bruise that lasted more than 8 weeks. My arm swelled and I was unable to wear anything with sleeves for more than a month! The dog was destroyed by the Corvallis Police Department, due to the fact that it had a record of previous bites which would have required the owner carry a $150,000 insurance policy, which he couldn't afford, so death was the only option. It's shots hadn't been updated in years, which meant I had to go through a routine of antibiotics, for prevention. It was tragic to see the dog die. However, I really don't give a shit. My daughter was only 4 at that time and it would have been her face he bit off, had she been his victim.

I love dogs...but I hate when people put me in a position of fear or irritation when they inflict their dogs upon me in public places. I feel funny saying that I am sometimes now afraid when unfamiliar big dogs approach me. I have that "moment" of hesitation that drives me insane!

I am on the side of those folks who feel that our Farmer's Market on Saturdays really isn't a place for dogs. Dogs do not shop for organic, fresh produce. Dogs sniff crotches, poop, and snarl at other dogs. For those who state, "By taking my dog to the Farmer's Market, I'm giving him a chance to socialize."Bah, hum bug. You've got a fricken dog. Take it running in a field. Invite people over to your house to teach your dog to say, "Hello." Don't bring him downtown to walk on the sidewalk and get the attention you must crave, hoping someone says, "Oh, look at that ugly dog. Isn't he funny?" I want to buy my veggies without a cold nose next to my butt...

Sunday in the Garden!

The great wall of champagne bottles!
One ticked-off Scrub Jay! I was near the nest!
Witch Hazel starting to bloom!
Tulips that are so sunny!
My "fault line" replica!
Cardoon is already on its way to taking over this herb bed!
Leather-Leaf Hydrangea! Oooo...pretty buds!
The 3 huge crabapple trees along the northern side of our property are full of European Honey Bees, which makes me happy!

No..Comment...Necessary...

Hush Puppies!

This recipe came from my Grandmother Dorothy Pearl Gilmore, who is still living in Shawnee, Oklahoma! She just celebrater her 87th birthday and is still going strong! This is in her honor...
HUSH PUPPIES
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
2 T. baking powder
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 egg
finely grated onion
just enough milk to make a soft dough.

Gently mix all ingredients together. Scoop a portion of dough into your hand, about the size of a silver dollar. Roll it into a link-sausage shape (like a weiner dog!) and drop into hot fat. Fry until golden brown.

While they're sizzlin' in the fat, don't forget to tell them to hush, puppies!
Eat 'em while they're hot

Olympic Trials Have Ended...and They're Back!

They're back! I picked up my daughter and her running coach, Meghan, this evening at PDX! They'd just returned from a whirlwind trek to Boston! Meghan was one of the 3 Corvallis Women who qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials for the marathon! She, along with Penny and Johanna, were heroes! My daughter's motivation to continue working toward being a world-class runner, herself, has blossomed, as she spent the last week rubbing elbows, running, and visiting with the best runners America has!

Corvallis residents Johanna Olson, Penny McDermott and Meghan Aborgast competed in the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston on Sunday!

This photo was "borrowed" from our local paper.

Not only did Beautiful Daughter witness the trials, she also watched the Boston Marathon! She SAW Lance Armstrong running! She, once again, was surrounded with an uplifting, motivated, positively-driven group of folks! Very, very good therapy...

Trader Joe's...

Carnivorous Hippy and I went to TJ's today. We have to drive about an hour to get there. One is in Eugene and one is in Tigard/Tualatin. We went to Eugene.

It's sort of dumb, if you really think about it, to drive that far to buy $78 worth of food. However, there are things in that store that cannot be duplicated in any of our local food facilities.

I sent an e-mail to Trader Joe's, via their website, awhile back, asking for them to PLEASE build a store in our area...a college town with many health-conscious folks! Their reply...well, they don't want there to be a reduction in business to their other stores "in the area." I replied that they aren't really in the area and that they were popular enough that they could sustain with those folks who live in those areas. We, in little Corvallis, along with the small surrounding communities (Philomath, Lebanon, Albany, Blodgett, etc) could keep a store afloat in Corvallis!

Well, they disagree, so we drive 2 hours to get our favorite curry sauces, European cheeses, and 3-buck-Chuck wines. You know, though, the drive is fun when you're with a good friend and you get to chat the entire time, uninterrupted! Thanks, CH!

Those "GONS" are at it again!

I'll admit that I stole this.

Go ahead...bring on the handcuffs.

This is worth it! :)

Carrot-Diggin' Basset Hound!

This is where there USED to be carrots! This is the proof that I planted carrots!
This is the boy who dug and ate the carrots!

Theo, you ol' hound dog! I've been wondering what's been happening to all of the carrots I planted last Fall! I stepped out into the garden last week and picked some real beauties! The dogs were all with me...and Theo was watching! Err...at least he's getting a balanced diet...cat food, candy wrappers, empty cans in the recycling bin, and carrots! Oh, yeah, and some Lamb and Rice Chow...

April in the Garden

Wow! In Oregon we go from 29 degrees to 82 degrees in just a few hours! I was almost TOO hot today! I hate when sweat drips into my eyes! However, the sweaty job is worth the outcome! See for yourself! My camillia reminds me of Mary Engelbreit!
Pasque Flower. I planted this 5 years ago and it's truly at its peak this year!
Violets and Grape Hyacinth can easily take over my garden beds, so I regularly cull both out. However, these look beautiful at the base of one of our arbors.
Grr...one of 'em got me today while I was moving a garden bench!
Hubby and I built this new path yesterday! I removed all of the old stepping stones, leveled the ground, spread out weed-block fabric, and we spread the new gravel. It compacted easily and I'm so relieved that I'll no longer have to crawl on my hands and knees, pulling out weeds and plant growth from the old path! It's almost 90 feet long, so it used to take days each month to keep organized!
Little yellow violets!
Apricot Quince. Very pretty and very fragrant.
Traditional quince...right on the corner of our property. We cut it back hard last Fall and it's got a lot more architecture now!

Blue-ballin' it near the front door.
Pretty, funky tulips in a giant tea cup!
My new little toadstools in freshly laid mulch.
Tulips in the sun.