Adopting a Soldier

Adopting a Soldier

No matter what your political views are on the current war, our men and women are risking their lives and living in not-so-comfy conditions (to say the least), so our world might gain a little peace. A lot of these soldiers have nobody 'back home' to write to them and let them know our hearts and our prayers are with them, or that 'somebody back home' might actually care if they die. It can be very lonely for them. Imagine yourself being in a dangerous, unfamiliar place and not having contact (or very little contact) with anyone from home.....knowing you could die there, never making it back home to experience the beauty and safety or the warm, cozy bed you once knew. It's hard to imagine being in their situation!

That's why I'm a member of Adopt a US Soldier. All I have to do is write a letter to my soldier once a week. If he or she is able, they'll email me or write me back. I send them pictures sometimes (but you don't have to!), and sometimes (if they can) they'll send pictures to me, too! If I can afford it, I'm allowed to send them a care package of some kind. Sometimes all they need are a couple magazines, maybe some Ritz crackers, simple things like that can make them feel special! It's free to sign up and get your own soldier. All it costs you is one stamp a week and the price of your paper & envelope!

Why not check out their website for yourself and give this some serious thought?! There is a long L-O-N-G list of soldiers who signed up for this who still need someone to write to them!

I help care for some challenged folks, and as a way of helping them show some support to our troops, I signed up for a soldier for each of them. They can't write on their own, so my co-workers and I hold their hands and help them write the letters. It gives a great satisfaction when you can help somebody do something good for someone else! So if you know someone who's not able to write, maybe you could offer to do the same thing for them? Think about it!!

Here's a picture of a friend of mine helping one of our friends write a letter to the soldier he adopted:

Please go check out their website at: http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/

You'll be glad you did! (and so will they!)

~AuntyB~

Diabetes Sucks!...and other happy thoughts...

Wow! I can't beleive it's been so long since I wrote anything here! I'm really going to have to get better at keeping up with things!
Let me try to catch you up:

I've been battling a few health problems over the last several months...
I started having 'spells' from low blood-sugars. At one point, I was having low blood sugar AND low blood pressure PLUS kidney stones (for the 2nd time within a year!)....all at the same time! *lol* (yeah, I can laugh NOW...but I sure wasn't laughing during the culvusions!) Turns out my kidney stones were caused my eating too much dark green, leafy vegetables. Go figure! *lol*

For those of you who don't know, I'm a diabetic. My blood sugars are either too high or too low...I just can't win! And if I get sick with ANYTHING else, it effects my blood sugars and makes me seriously ill.

Blood-sugar meter on left, Pump on right.

They started me on an insulin pump that I have to wear 24/7 and only take off for showers. A tube from the pump connects to me and pumps the insulin I need into my body. I have to change the tubing and re-fill my pump every 3 days. In this picture, the blood glucose monitor is on the left & the pump's on the right. When I test my blood with the monitor, it sends the results to the pump, and the pump does the math and gives me the insulin it thinks I need.
It's not as bad as I thought it would be, and when used correctly (as in, remembering the pump is smarter than I am and letting it do what IT wants to do! Ü), it really does wonders for keeping my blood sugars under control. I still have a hard time when I catch another bug, tho. Over the winter I've gained some weight, (which is a side effect to using insulin), so at this point they're starting me on Symlin, which is suppose to control the hunger effects I get from the insulin. Like everything else in life, it goes in circles. (The circle of life, of course!) I take insulin when I eat to control my blood sugars, which in turn makes me hungry so I'll eat something and take more insulin to cover that....which again makes me hungry....and so on and so on. The Symlin is suppose to cut out the hunger part. I'm just on a low dose right now. They're gradually working me up to where I should be. To adjust the Symlin, we have to adjust the amount of insulin I'm getting at the same time, so it takes a little while to get it all mastered. (One thing effects the other, ya know!) Then when I get sick, (even just a touch of something from all the cooties I pick up during the winter...and I've picked 'em up several times this past winter!), that screws up my blood sugars and won't let my insulin work the way it needs to, so I've also been fighting that battle. Sheesh. Good thing I've got excellent doctors now!!

When I'm not battling my health demons or at work, I've been trying to get things done inside the home. I'm a bit of an organizing nut and I like everything in its place and properly labeled so it's easy to find if it's put away somewhere, so I wanted to try to get everything inside the home just the way I want it during the winter months, so when spring gets here I can spend most of my free time outside in the gardens. And you know how I love to garden!! Ü

Here's what the insides of my kitchen cabinets look like, some minus a few supplies:

This one's a lot emptier than usual:

It took me most of this winter to get everything done, and besides washing windows...I think I may be finished! I still have my craft room in the basement to clean out, but I'll need a dumpster for that!...so that project HAS to wait til it's warmer outside. I plan to get rid of most of my crafting stuff, and just keep the things I'll need to use when I re-decorate a room or furniture or make something useful for the home. I'm not going to do regular crafts anymore, so I won't be needing that kind of stuff. And don't worry, what can be donated or recycled WILL BE. Ü

I re-stocked my basement pantry, re-organized all my kitchen cupboards, sorted thru & organized closets (need to do my bedroom closet again, tho!), painted my kitchen, livingroom, dining room furniture, re-decorated a couple walls, you name it! I'm not real happy with the way the color turned out in my kitchen, but I only did two walls in that color, so I'm going to live with it for awhile until I get another urge to re-do that.

My little Kitchen Hutch re-painted:

Living Room I painted, then hand-painted saying on it & added photos:

Bedroom walls didn't get re-painted, I just hand-painted this saying above bed:

My hubby is putting up cedar on the walls of my fitness room in the basement right now, and it's looking beautiful so far! I'll post a pic of it when he's finished.
As far as my job goes, I'm still working at the group home and loving it! It's a challenge sometimes, but it's a very satisfying job.
Money is a little tighter than I'd like, (as it is for everyone right now), but we're hanging in there! I've been working hard on controlling my spending, and for the most part I'm doing pretty good. We both still have our jobs, so we're thankful for that!
All in all, life is pretty good in my neck of the woods. I really can't complain about anything and I have a lot to be thankful for.
Now to start planning those gardens!!!.....

The Price You Pay for Cheap Meat

I just saw this video today and wanted to share it with you. It's not for the squeemish, tho. And keep in mind that although this particular video is talking about KFC, it can also be said about other large slaughterhouses and stores/restraunts who buy from them. Ick. Makes me sick to my stomach....and glad that I'm now raising my own or buying locally!

AuntyB

Video of baby chick hatching in incubator...

Jenkins Community Garden

Jenkins has a community garden! I just 'happened' upon it one day awhile back and I was so impressed! I was even more impressed the other morning when I stopped by to check out its progress!
It's located on Pine Tree Street if you'd like to go check it out. Looks like it's really getting neighbors together in this little community. I wish Pequot Lakes would do a community garden! Maybe next year they will, once they see what a success the Jenkins garden is. Ü
The Woodland Bank in Jenkins came up with the idea and they're providing the land, the cost and labor to keep the garden tilled, and the water to keep it growing. They stake out different plots in the garden, and all folks have to do is request a plot for themselves, and then it's up to them to keep their own plot weeded. Sounds like even the seeds are being donated for this project!
They also have a section that's going to be donated to the local food shelf. What a neat idea!! Folks who sign up for their own plot in the garden also have to share in the responsibilities of taking care of the food shelf plot. I'd say that's a pretty fair trade! It's bringing neighbors closer together and helping them be a little more self-sufficient, and they're also giving back to the community by helping the local food shelf. That's a win-win, if you ask me!!
So far it sounds like over a dozen people have gotten involved this year, and they plan to expand on it quite a bit next year with two full acres of land. (this year it's only about 3/4 of an acre, if that)
If you're interested in participating in it or just want more information on it you can call Larry Hendershott at Woodland Bank at 568-5700 or email him at larryh@woodlandbank.com .
Here's a couple pictures I took of it when I stopped by to check it out again:

Until Next time!

~AuntyB~

My Happy Place.....

A friend of mine has never understood why I 'bother' taking a day or two off work to get caught up at home, or why I choose to spend my regular days off at home doing something rather than going anywhere else. I'm a homebody and I like it. I always have. Probably always will. She couldn't see the point in that.
We chat almost every day, and I'm always talking about something I need to get done at home like it's really important to me that I do it (and it is!) and she always had the opinion that I was just wasting my time, and what I planned to do was just 'frivolous'. Like, why bother?

Until the other evening....
She came over to visit so she could check out my gardens and see for herself what I've been up to at home. We enjoyed a cup of coffee together while we leisurely strolled all around the yard and through my different gardens, looking at the seating areas I have set up in different spots, the pond and its plants, floating ducks, a goose and other critters around it, the waterfall and fountain (that makes a sound you can't help but relax around!), the plants and the different 'cutesies' I have displayed here and there for decoration. As she looked around with eyes wide-open, she was amazed. While we kept walking and looking, she just kept screaming in excitement, "It's beatiful! It's beautiful!" "I had no idea this would be so nice!" Then she said "No wonder you'd rather stay home than go somewhere else! I would too if I had THIS to come home to!" I smiled while a feeling of relief came over me. My best friend finally understood. I felt vindicated.

You don't have to leave home to enjoy yourself or have a good time. Just surround yourself with the things you love! That's what I do! It can be something really simple, or something really big. Whatever it is you love. Ü Sometimes 'life' can get us down, wear us out, and make us feel like there's no light at the end of the tunnel. We deal with negative things, sometimes negative people, and lots of other stresses in our day-to-day lives and it's easy to feel depressed or wonder just what the point is. We need a retreat. A place where we can re-focus on the things that are important to us, a place we can replenish our spirits and either find or create that light ourselves. My retreat is my home. My yard. My jeep. And sometimes even my job. Ü

Happiness doesn't always just come to us. Sometimes we have to create it ourselves. No matter where I am, I try to surround myself with the things that bring some form of happiness to me. I avoid negative people. I just won't deal with them. Don't have the time or energy to waste on them. Some people seem to 'enjoy' being negative about things. Those people have a very tiny space in my life, if at all. I walk away from as much negativity as I can. IF I can. I still have different stresses in my life, and life isn't all peaches and cream for me, either. Through the years I've had a million reasons to get depressed. And sometimes I do get depressed, but it doesn't last long. I won't let it. I know I can retreat to my happy place. I just choose not to let those negative things in life control me or get me down....for long. Ü So I create my own happiness.

I really love chickens, so in my jeep I have a ceramic bobble-head chicken that sits on top of the backseat. I found her at a garage sale somewhere. I can see her in my rear-view mirror. She brings me happy thoughts. I don't know why. It's probably crazy, but that's okay. If it's crazy it's a happy crazy! Ü Everyone I know just shakes their head and says that chicken is the dumbest thing they ever saw...but I happen to enjoy having her 'ride' along with me, so there she sits. Velcroed to my back seat justa bob-bob-bobbin' along. *lol* I keep CD's of my favorite music to listen to in my jeep. When I go somewhere I listen to whatever I'm in the mood for at the time. Usually something soothing and relaxing, or at least easy-listening. My favorite scent is French Vanilla AND it relaxes me....so of course my jeep is scented with it! I try to keep my jeep clean (as much as possible!) on the inside and out, since that also gives me a good feeling. When I let my back-seats get filled with 'stuff' (usually stuff from garage sales or stuff I'm taking to donate or recycle), it bogs me down. So I clean it out.

It took me a few years to finally rid myself of the clutter I had built up in the house. I hated to get rid of anything. Once I started decluttering tho, I was addicted! You wouldn't believe how much clutter around the house can pull you down. Same with a messy house. It's easy to get depressed if things aren't where they should be, or if you have too much 'stuff' sitting around collecting dust, or if you have to step over something to avoid tripping on it. It's hard to sit and relax in a room you look around in and can't help but feel like you should be up and cleaning it or doing something to it. It's frustrating!! Once I finished getting rid of the things that weren't really that important to me, I only kept (and added a few!) things I enjoy. Things that give me a happy or content feeling. If I don't enjoy it or it doesn't bring me some form of happiness by looking at it or using it, it's GONE! And the more open your space is, the more content you'll be with it. And the more you de-clutter, the better you'll feel and the more you'll want to declutter again!

I started out one room at a time, taking absolutely everything out of that room, including what was on the walls. Then I started putting things back in the room, beginning with the things that HAD to be in there. After that, I started adding things back in one at a time, and after adding each item I stepped back and took a good look in the room to see if it 'felt' right. If it didn't give me a good feeling, I took it back out and went to the next item and did it all over again. Each time I decided something wasn't going to go back into the room, I put it in a bag to donate somewhere and never looked in the bag again. I didn't bother with a garage sale because I didn't want to be tempted to keep anything. Trust me, it works! Ü And to this day, I haven't missed any of it! If you can look into the room with the feeling you'd like to stay in it for awhile to enjoy it, that's when you'll know you did it right. Quit there. Ü I donated (and continue to donate) a lot of stuff to the local second-hand shops or freecycle or family and friends just to rid myself of the things I don't enjoy anymore, or things I haven't used in over a year. It's also a great feeling to give something to someone you know is going to enjoy it! Some things I'll store in the basement, but if I haven't dug it out to use it in a year, I get rid of it when I clean the basement the next year. (unless it's those holiday things that you only use once a year).

Since the smell of french vanilla relaxes me, I have several candles and oils of the same scent in each room of the house. When you walk in my front door, you can't help but smell french vanilla. I don't care if you enjoy that scent. I do. And it's MY retreat, remember? *lol* With the house (mostly) in order and things where you want them, it's easier to feel like 'up-grading' the room every once in awhile. Especially in the wintertime when I can't get out in the gardens, I find myself asking 'what can I do to improve this room?' Or, 'Is there anything in this room that doesn't make me happy anymore?' Just little touches here and there. Anything to make the room more inviting and relaxing. Maybe a different color on the walls. Maybe a picture. Maybe take something out of the room and replace it with something different. Or don't replace it at all! Maybe just move the furniture. And you don't have to buy new things. I like to visit the second-hand stores and garage sales. The really cheap stores! Ü (Not those antique places that charge a fortune!) Or buy something when it's on sale real cheap. If it's something I really really love and feel like I can't live without, I'll pay more for it. Sometimes too much! Ü I can't claim to always be frugal, altho I do try and I AM getting better at it! Ü

My love for chickens shows in my kitchen. I have chickens and chicken related things above my cupboards and here and there in the kitchen. I also love wild birds, birdhouses, and nature-related things, so my living room is decorated with those. The bathroom is decorated garden-style, where I hand-painted murals of birdhouses, picket fences, a tree, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, etc on the walls. It's light sagey-green, which is a relaxing color for me. I like to create my own special home spa by lighting my candles, putting in a relaxing CD, shutting off the lights, and soaking in a hot bath to relax. Then I sit around the house in my jammies, whether it's daytime or night. Ahhhhh.....

My bedroom is a place to totally relax. I have an old watering can and an old ceramic vase full of lavender on each side of the bed, french vanilla candles, lacey curtains, a patch-work quilt with different light colors of whites, blues, purples, tiny flowers, etc, and the walls are sky-blue. The only things in the bedroom are our bed, dresser, and our two night-stands. No t.v. in there. Just peace and quiet. I don't even bring a book in there. I don't want to 'think' in there. I want to relax. I love taking naps. It's another way I 'get away'.

I also enjoy feeding the birds, so I have bird-feeders right outside some of my windows to get a close-up view. Last nite I was actually feeding a few coon in one of them, too! *lol* I love the sound of water from my aquarium and watching the fish swimming around is relaxing! The aquarium sits in my kitchen, where I spend a lot of my time. I also feed the deer outside my office window. About a week ago a bear invited himself there, too.

In the wintertime when I don't want to be outside as much (I prefer hybernating to going out in the snow and cold), I mostly enjoy baking, cooking, re-organizing my pantry, misc. cleaning projects, and doing little crafty projects at home. Something to decorate the house or garden or improve it in some way. Those are the things I enjoy doing. (If you'd be happier outside sledding down your hill, then that's what you should do when you can). Ü

In the evenings (when I can!) I like to be snuggled up in a throw my daughter made for me in the recliner or on the couch while catching up on reading my magazines or books, or watching something good on t.v. while eating a bowl of popcorn or ice cream. YUM.

I know there are some people who'd rather spend their time out and about. I'm just giving you some ideas to make it more appealing to be at home, if that's what you'd like to try. You never know...You just might like it, too!

Until next time!
AuntyB

Chicken Saddles & My New Barn...

Like I said in an earlier post.....Things have been pretty busy here at AuntyB's Place this summer. So many projects I wanted to get done, and so little time to do them in!

Since I'm caught up on my herb garden now and it's a little too wet outside this morning to weed-whack around my fruit trees, I thought I'd share the pictures I took of my new chicken barn and the saddles my mom made for my poor little hens.
The chickens are only a year old, and during the winter I noticed that the roosters were tearing up the backs of my hens and making them bald. A couple hens actually died before I noticed how bad it was. We butchered the meanest rooster, which I thought would solve the problem, but it didn't. And with one rooster to four hens now, the problem continues. I checked his spurs, and they're small so that can't be the problem. Seems like he's constantly breeding them, tho. I guess he's just too heavy for them or something. So....my mom made some chicken saddles! Don't laugh, now....they actually work!! *lol*

Here's a couple pictures of my hens wearing their new saddles....

They're made of heavy denim material and double-layered, with elastic that goes around their wings to hold them into place. They're so cute!!! Ü They've had them on a couple weeks now, and I've noticed that the pattern needs a little adjusting because they're just a tad too big for them, but as long as they're still working and I don't have the time to do new ones just yet, we'll keep these until we can get some new ones made. (or should I say, until MOM can get some new ones made!) hehehe (I'm not much for sewing...just by hand is all I can manage). Hopefully the problem with their sore backs is solved now. Ü

My barn was in horrible shape. It's actually more of a big shed than a barn, but I use it for raising animals, so I call it my barn. I don't remember how old that barn was, but it was falling apart in places and it wasn't sealed as tight for small breezes because it had also shifted or something. The frame was still in great shape...hubby made that all out of oak, so it'll probably last forever. Just the walls were bad. Anyhoo....hubby put up new walls and made a chicken run for me! When he was done, my mom and I painted it and decorated it a little. It's not completely finished yet.....The gate we're using is an old gate we had, and when hubby gets time he'll be making a new one that fits better. Then we discovered that a three-foot high fence wasn't going to keep the chickens in their run, so we're going to add another three feet of chicken wire above the one that's there so they can't get out. Here's a picture for you.....

Isn't it CUTE??!! Ü

It's such a great feeling to get some of these projects done around here. I'm trying to talk hubby into re-doing his garage, too....but he's not real enthusiastic about that idea....YET. hehehe

Until next time!

AuntyB

Look! No More Weeds!!!

My Herb Garden is FINISHED!! Can you believe it?! ALL those icky, tall weeds are finally gone! And good riddance, I say! *lol* Thanks to my mom and hubby, the garden was completely finished by 5:00 p.m. Sunday evening. WOO-HOO!! Thanks, guys! Ü To reward ourselves, we went to Famous Dave's restraunt in Baxter and really pigged out on some great BBQ. (AFTER we all showered, of course!) hehehe

I went out this morning and took a bunch of pictures to share with you. Got lots of different angles cuz I was SOOO proud of what we accomplished! Now I feel sooooo relieved. I can relax a bit now before the garden club comes to tour it on the 29th. Whew!

Enjoy the pics!

Until next time,

AuntyB

First a couple views of my garden shed.....

For some reason, the bats in the bathouse (above the door) were squeeling like crazy Sunday!)

A couple views of my pond.....

Here's part of the garden.....

Another view.....

These kids sit under a crabapple tree in the garden.....


View of the garden from my living room deck.....

View from the backside.....

Another backside view.....

View from the back corner.....

Much more peaceful without all those weeds in the way.....

Fisherboy sits in a Butterfly bath.....

I made this garden globe out of a bowling ball and put frogs all over it.....

Another full view.....

This little girl sits in front of my French Tarragon.....

Feeding Wild Birds...

Have you noticed the price of Black Oil Sunflower seeds? I can't believe how much they've gone up over the past couple of years!! This summer alone the price has gone up at least 3-4 times...so far! Sheesh! And in most stores all you get is a small bag!
After buying feed for my chickens, dogs, cats, wild deer (and an occasional bear, I've recently noticed!), and wild birds the other day, I thought I'd share with you how I save a little money with feed so I can continue this 'hobby'.

Here's what I do:
The cheapest I've found Black Oil Sunflower seeds in my area is at Bjerga Feed Store, in Pine River on Co Rd 1 SW, about 1/4 mile across the highway from Jerry's Super Valu. More than likely the price at other farm-feed stores is about the same, but Bjerga happens to be the one closest to where I live. It's almost 20 bucks for a 50 pound bag there, which in my opinion is still too much, but at least it's cheaper than buying those smaller bags in the stores. If you know of a cheaper place in the Pequot/Pine River/Brainerd area, let me know! But this is the best place I've found so far.

Don't waste it if you don't have to!
I don't waste my money on thistle seed or the mixed seed anymore. ALL the seed-loving birds love the black oil sunflower seeds, and most of them will throw out the other misc. fillers you get in those mixed bags. I use to buy the thistle seed for the finches until they kept leaving a big pile of them on the ground below the feeder and I noticed they were also pigging out on the sunflower seeds. So...it's just sunflower seeds for them now, and I have a ton of them still coming to my feeders!

Storing the Seed:
I store all my seed in metal garbage cans to keep them dry and safe from other critters. I've learned from experience not to use those plastic garbage cans....little critters can easily chew right through those! The metal cans seem to last indefinatly, too....I've had mine for more years than I can remember!

How about planting some feed?
Birds prefer natural food they find around your yard, so what about buying some plants for them to eat from? I have different berry bushes and vines, and fruit and nut trees for them to eat from, plus lots of trees surrounding my home for them to nest in. One side of my house is planted with Rosa Rugosa rose bushes. They get huge hips on them that I like to use myself, and there's always plenty left in those shrubs for the birds to eat. I bought them in bulk thru one of those cheap mail-order places and got plain, brown, bare-root, dead-looking twigs....but boy did they ever take off! They grew into huge shrubs in no time! I think I got about 50 of them for less than 20 bucks at the time. Plants with seeds, berries, nuts, nectar, sap, etc. will help supplement the food you buy for them PLUS give them a place to nest. Get plants that are native to your area, which will also encourage more native bugs for your mama birds to feed their babies. It might be a little costly at first buying the plants, but at least it should be a one-time expense. One thing I also like to do is plant a bunch of the sunflower seeds I buy for feed. I noticed they grow really easily and they don't seem to get as tall as regular sunflowers, so they're ready for the birds to eat sooner. Just leave the plants thru the winter...the birds will find them! It's cheaper than buying those little packets of sunflower seeds to plant, too. Ü

Make sure you have water available for your birds!
I have a small pond in my garden, plus I have several small birdbaths here and there. I like to buy those big plastic flower-pot bases and fill them up with water. It's cheaper than buying an actual bird bath, plus you can sit it anywhere! I also found a good buy on a used heated bird bath (at a garage sale somewhere) that I'll use this winter. I haven't used it yet, so not sure how well those work. Make sure you replace the water every few days to cut down on those mosquitos!

Don't forget the Orioles and Hummingbirds!
I use to have a separate waterer for the orioles and hummingbirds until I noticed that the hummingbirds were also drinking out of the oriole feeders. Now I only have oriole feeders hanging outside....that way both birds can drink from the same one if they happen to be in the area. Once you invest in an oriole waterer, don't waste your money on those packets of drink mix for them. It's so much easier (and cheaper!) just to make your own. They both like to drink the same thing, so you don't need separate drinks for them, either.

Here's the recipe I use:
1 part regular white sugar to 4 parts water.
(Example: 1 cup sugar, 4 cups water)
1. Boil the water.
2. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. Let cool.
4. Refrigerate in a designated hummingbird feeder pitcher.

Using a microwave works too. Put the water in a microwave safe container and bring to boiling. Remove container and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. I fill my clean feeders and set them aside to cool and let the rest cool a bit before storing in the fridge.Don't add anything extra to the mixture like food coloring, honey, etc. It’s not necessary and it could be harmful to the birds. Honey will quickly ferment and become poisonous to the birds.

Storing the Nectar:
You can store this nectar up to two weeks in the fridge, if you don't use it before then. If the juice in the feeder becomes cloudy or mucky, dump it out and clean and refill with fresh nectar.

Cleaning your feeder:
You'll need to keep those feeders clean to prevent any ickies. When you need to add fresh nectar (every few days), just dump a little vinegar and hot water in the feeder and swish around. Rinse it well and add the new nectar.

Orioles LOVE fruit!
Just sit a small bowl of grape jelly (buy the cheapest brand, bigger jar) outside and watch the orioles go crazy over it! You can also lay some grapes out there when they're getting a little too old for YOU to eat, or take an orange and cut it in half.

Make your own suet:
In the past when I use to fry more things with grease, I'd put the leftover grease in a ziploc baggie with some sunflower seeds and freeze it, (or in a used, aluminum pie pan), then in the winter time just set it out for the birds. Sometimes I just put out the plain ole frozen grease, tho. They love it! I don't use much grease at all anymore, so I probably won't be using this idea in the future.

Okay...I know they're not a BIRD....but Butterflies need Nectar, too!

Here's a recipe to feed the butterflies. It's a little icky, but they'll love you for it! Ü

Butterfly Nectar

Over-ripe fruit of some kind
1/2 to 1 cup of Molasses
1 can of beer
1/2 cup of fruit juice (any kind)
Brightly colored cloths

Mix all ingredients together until it's gooey and liquified. (use your food processor if you want). Then dip the bright colored cloths into the mixture and let it soak for a few minutes til the cloth is good and soaked all the way through. Hang the cloths onto tree branches to attract the butterflies. That's it!

Well....this is about the extent of my knowledge on this subject. If you try these recipes or ideas, let me know how it turns out for you!
AuntyB

Weeds! Weeds! And MORE Weeds!!

HELP!!! I'm drowning in weeds and can't find my way out!

(and here's some pictures to prove it!)

Things have been sooo hectic here at AuntyB's Place since spring first began. Too many projects and just not enough time! Does anyone else have that problem?

Spring started out fairly relaxing and enjoyable....just a little clean-up here and there in the gardens at home and at work.....I really thought I had it all under control! Bought some flowers and other plants, making the gardens all nice and pretty and weed-free. New mulch where it was needed, new birdhouses and other cutsie decorations to put out....you get the idea. Everything got done and looking so nice and pretty. Everything except my herb garden, that is.

Now it's July already, and the garden club is coming on the 29th to tour my gardens. Only problem is, I haven't even TOUCHED my herb garden yet!!! EEeeek!!! You wouldn't believe how tall the weeds are in there! It's actually like SOD in some places! Will I ever get it done in time? Your guess is as good as mine! *lol* I'd like to have a weed-pulling party, but I don't think anyone would come! hehehe

Mom came over for awhile this morning to help me with it. Thanks, Mom!! I took these 'Before' pictures to show you just what kinda mess I'm in right now. As soon as I'm done with the clean-up I'll take some 'After' pics to show you. Since this coming weekend is my last two days off in a row before the garden club comes, the herb garden just HAS to get done before the weekend's over. If it doesn't, it never will.

The plan is to weed the whole thing and then put landscape fabric down thru the walkways, with sawdust on top of that. Believe it or not, just about all these weeds are in the walkways thru my herb garden, they're not in with the plantings. I have rocks around the herb plants.
Can you tell I have a pond in the middle of that mess??? I know it's there, but I can barely see it myself! *lol* Hopefully next year, with the fabric and sawdust down, I won't have this problem. (knock on wood!)

I've had other projects going on at the same time, and I'll post about those later. Barn needed new walls, new paint job, new chicken run needed, rooster was making my hens bald, but hopefully that problem's taken care of now (I'll post some pics of my solution when I post about that), garden shed was a HUGE mess, but that's re-organized just the way I like it now.

How do things pile up so much at once???!!

Anyhoo....that's why I haven't posted here in awhile. I've had so much to catch up on and so many projects that I'd really like to get done that I just can't find the time to do it all! I guess it's because there's just too many things I enjoy doing so I just HAVE to try to fit them all in somehow. I mean, how can you cut back on the things you enjoy? How do you decide where to cut corners? Or what to give up on? That's what I liked about being a stay at home mom. I was always able to keep things just the way I wanted them in the gardens and successfully complete any project my little ole heart desired. Plus I had an even larger veggie garden and I canned all my produce from it. Well, that ain't happenin' anymore! *lol* I REALLY enjoy my job too, so there's no way I'm giving that up, either. Ü

SO WHAT'S A GARDEN GAL TO DO???!!

Until I figure that out, I guess I better just get back out there and pull a few more weeds!

Until next time....

AuntyB