Today is my 50th birthday. I was feeling a little down. Not because I'm 50 but because I had to work. I was sitting working and chatting about gardening with Angie when Tyler, Randy and Juliana walked in and said "Mom, we have another present for you." I turned around and there stood Jesse! He flew in from San Antonio for my birthday. I was so surprised. I haven't seen him since last October so this is the best birthday present ever!
Pic: Mom and her boys.
I am so enjoying my garden this year. We are eating out of it every night. I'm learning 101 ways to cook Yellow squash and Zucchini. Last night it was grilled Zucchini and onion, with a little olive oil, garlic and spices, over tomato basil fettuccine served with a cucumber and tomato salad and cheese garlic bread. Yum. Best yet, the whole meal only cost about $1.25 for 3 people!
Angie and I have been talking about planting a fall garden. Swiss Chard is something that is recommended in this area. I don't know much about it as I have never eaten it. I need to stop by the farmers market and pick some up.
I found this really good post that I am posting a link to for Angie. It certainly sounds delicious and easy to grow.
Garden at Oconaluftee visitor center.
I would put a ban on useless political coverage. Is anyone else as sick of the election as I am? Well, maybe not the election just the coverage of the election. While is is extremely important to know who has the best economic plan and what they plan to do about our education system, do we really need to know that pet owners prefer McCain to Obama?
Does it matter which potential First Lady has the best style, or should I say which has the best stylist picking out her clothes and trying to make us think they dressed themselves?
I am pretty sick of both the Democrats and Republicans right now. They are too busy fighting to get much of anything done. Can you imagine where we might be if they took all the time they spend skirmishing and put it into actually making a difference? I don't believe it will ever happen.
Maybe we should just open the backdoor and push them all out. Wouldn't that be nice!
We can replace them with people who know how to run things.
Meredith at Merchant Ships can be the Secretary of the Treasury. She will save us enough money to have the national debt payed off in 2 years flat. Hmmm...maybe The Office of Management and Budget would be better for her or better yet, a co- chair with Crystal at Money Saving Mom.
Patty at Morning Ramble can be the Secretary of Agriculture. She will make sure everyone is fed and we will see food production like never before in this country and it will all be organic!
My sweet hubby could be Secretary of Labor because I don't think there has ever been a harder working man alive.
Kim at Daisy Cottage could be Secretary of the Interior. She would have everything looking great!
My daughter Laura can be Secretary of State because she is a world traveler and after working in theater for so long knows how to deal with difficult people and get a diverse group to get it all together and put on a great show!
After what Angie has been through this past year she definitely should be Secretary of Health and Human Services. We would all have health care after she got through and only one page of info to fill out to get it!
Secretary of Education would be the people at Ambleside of course!
Secretary of Transportation would have to be my daughter, Juliana, because she is on the road with her friends constantly. Who better to know what our transportation system needs than someone who makes such good use of it?
I'd have to think about the rest for awhile. Who would be President? Oh I don't know...probably the guy would looks best in the blue suit.
I Meant To Do My Work Today
by Richard LeGallienne
I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand,
So what could I do but laugh and go?
My garden is small but everything is growing well and we are enjoying the squash and peppers. The tomatoes haven't ripened yet and I am really looking forward to the first ones. Since I added Epsom salt and wood ashes to the ground around them, my tallest plants are almost as tall as I am and are getting loaded with fruit.
The bottom picture is one of my volunteer plants that came up all around my squash. I'm pretty sure it is cantaloupe from seeds that were in the compost I buried in there. I also have 3 volunteer tomato plants.
There is a storm blowing up, I can hear the thunder. I am glad because we really need the rain.
If you like to read your blog standing on your head I've got a link for you.
spɹoʍ ɹnoʎ dılɟ oʇ ʞuıl ǝɥʇ sı ǝɹǝɥ This confirms the fact, once and for all, that I am
full of absolutely useless information. Have fun flipping.
I would love to have a greenhouse. My friend Angie and I were discussing how we could build one ourselves. It just so happens that Angie has the frame to a portable carport just sitting around, ( a very long story!) so these instructions will come in very handy for her. Here are instructions for the "Hoop" type of greenhouse , pictured above, that could be constructed over a planting area. There are pictures of a little girl assembling it so this one is probably just my speed. Here are the directions for one very similar but just a little more complicated.
I never realized that so many things can be constructed from PVC pipe. Can you believe this bed below is made from PVC?! Check out this page with pictures of items that people have designed and made from PVC. I am so impressed. I wish I had thought of the kids playhouse when my children were young. They would have loved it.
The pictures are from the website pvcplans.com
I found this article about Squash Vine Borers that might help us avoid them. This is what a plant with an infestation looks like...
I found this online math course, MEP, I thought I would share. There is an answer section for each text. The trick is figuring out what level to use with your child. 
The course is based out of the UK and their grade levels are a little different. This course seems to have materials available for all grade levels so can be used throughout homeschooling. Best of all it's free.
Check out Crystal's site for more Frugal Friday tips.
"What we see depends mainly on what we look for." Sir John Lubbock
The things we see, the events of our days, even the people we meet, may seem quite ordinary at first glance. Common, uninspired, and maybe a little uninteresting.
We move past them taking little time to notice the true beauty before us. We fail to see that each moment, each event and each person is unique. Each moment of our day is filled with the things that God wants for us to experience at that time. Each event shapes and molds us into the people he intended. Each person that crosses our path has some lesson or inspiration to share with us to help us move closer to where God wants us to be.
It is our job, our mission, our duty even, to find those things. We are meant to take time to look closely and to see
the beauty that is there. To experience the gifts that God has placed in our lives, and to experience, cultivate, and express gratitude.
Today I will look closer at those things around me and find each gift I am truly meant to see.
Gold Dust plant in my backyard.
Come back soon.
