Feathered Friends Aren't Always Kind

Yellow Crock Neck Squash

I have one of the most beautiful gardens I believe I have ever harvested.  I remember the compost, tacked the weeds, controlled the insects and kept the dogs out.  All of that effort and I still had one more nuisance that baffled me.  My plants are growing healthy enough but don't seem to be producing as well as they should considering the growing number of blossoms appearing every day.

Tips to Becoming a Good Cook

Ever wondered why some people just seem to have a niche for creating meals that get raves every time?  You probably think they must have some magical trick or secret talent.  It doesn't take extraordinary power, or fancy ingredients to be a good cook.  What it does take you've probably already got or you wouldn't be here reading this.  After all, you can't really burn water. Come on it's water!

That's a Lot of Love

Lupita

• This sweet girl passed away this week. Her name was Lupe and the man who gave her to us knew she had parvo and lied when he said she was okay. Rest in Peace baby girl.

  
  
   I want to start this with a direct quote from my daughters Facebook page above.  Somewhere along the years we unwittingly became animal rescuers.  I don't remember quite where it began all I know is it continued to build to something stronger than we could have imagined.  I start with Lupe because she happens to be the closest in mind at the moment. She came to us at seven weeks old.  We have a wide reputation for taking in unwanted animals so it was no surprise when a friend of my husbands "dropped" her off in the back of my his truck at work one day.  While we were waiting to receive her vaccination records from the previous owner she passed of Parvo a few weeks later.  We cried as we always do. There were so many who came before her in order of appearance.
  

  

  Blondie

  
  

How To Survive Without a Stove

The house my husband and I purchased came with a Smooth Surface Stove Top.  If you've seen these they are fashionable and useful.  They are also very touchy.  The surface can be difficult to clean although I used a light brushing of baking soda to remove the blemishes.  The elements in the unit are typically Halogen lamps.  When they go the unit is no longer usable and they may be costly to replace. That is precisely what happened.  While we are deciding weather it is worth the cost to repair or replace the unit we have had to find alternatives to preparing meals.  It has turned out to be an economical advantage.

A True Story

Water bugs are just uninvited guests 

It seems all of the wet weather in my region has manifested the insects as well as the weeds. I don't know what you call these things but I call them cock roaches on steroids.  They are large and hide out anywhere they won't be found.  These intruders can range up to 4" long.

American, or Oriental Cock Roaches, are also referred to as "water bugs". They acquired the nick name because of they tend to invade themselves into your surrounding through drains and small openings in dark cracks.  Like all roaches they multiply quickly and pop out whenever you don't expect them.  Having small animals indoors I wanted to find a resolution that was suitable to my environment.  One that didn't require the use of harmful chemicals and would be economically reasonable.

Feeding Your Garden

Tomatoes

By know I hope you are seeing some benefits of your spring garden.  If not, don't fret. Not ever garden will mature at the same rate.   Even though I have crops producing that won't be the case in all regions.  You may just begin to see tiny blossoms sprouting up, or you might be picking plenty of  produce already.  So how can you boost up your gardens production?