Everbearing Strawberries & fences

 We ordered Ozark Everbearing Strawberries and planted them in the yard on the west side of the house. We don't have a tiller, so we used an edger to outline the space and then lifted the sod out. We knocked the loose, dark soil from the roots of the grass and then added a bag of organic soil. We mixed in organic plant food. We topped off the area with wood chips to help retain moisture and reduce the amount of straw needed. 

I would like to eliminate the need for straw since it blows around the yard and I spend so much time gathering it back up and placing it around the plants. The fence will also make a nice frame to hang netting to keep the birds away from the berries. 

 We hope the fence keeps the bunnies out, but also our puppies. They like to lay on the other strawberry patches to nap! It got worse when we placed a floating row cover over the strawberries. The dogs thought we made them a bed and laid on the plants more than before the row covers were placed on top of the berry plants. In the above photo, our dog, Padawan, is getting comfortable on the dirt, sticks, and rocks. That was before we incorporated the extra soil, the wood chips, and planted the strawberries. 

Here is our second harvest of the June bearing strawberries growing on the east side of the house. The first harvest was half this amount. We won't mind getting more and more over the next few weeks. 

My first strawberry harvest!

I'm so excited! My plant killing spree may be over. This year, I got some free strawberry plants (and raspberry plants) from a very nice man in the neighborhood. The strawberries are ripening and this is my first harvest. I have more berries on the plants, but need to wait for them to ripen. 

Gardening 2015

 I'm going to try to grow some more plants again this year. Sadly, I've been killing my plants for longer than I want to admit, but I have hope again this year.  

 Last year, I tried to grow a catnip plant. It died. However, on the other side of the steps, over five feet away, a batch of catnip sprang to life. It is coming back again this year as the photo above shows. I'm also trying to grow some seedlings in one of those Jiffy Greenhouses with peat pellets. I want to plant them interspersed with my other plants. Companion planting guides recommend catnip to ward off Japanese beetles and other harmful insects while attracting butterflies and other pollinators.

 Here is the work of the friendly neighborhood squirrel. I'm sure we have more than one, but since I never see the culprit in action, I'll just claim it is one. I have pots set up on the steps ready to start seedlings. The squirrel must have been curious to see what was in the bottom of the pot. 

Nature controls my yard

 
 I'm not a very good identifier of birds, but I think this is a Goldfinch. It is eating sunflower seeds that are growing under our bird feeder. 

 I decided to allow the sunflowers to grow under the bird feeders because I have a lot of trouble keeping plants alive, lately. You can see where the Goldfinches have picked the seeds from the sunflowers. 

 The most interesting thing about this patch of sunflowers is that there is a small bunny living within. We see the little one bolt as we go into the house. The steps to the front door are in the left side of the photo. The most stressful part for us is that the dogs chase the bunny. We honestly hope they never catch it and we are not sure why bunnies keep coming to live in our yard. 

 Here is a mound of dirt. We think we have a mole in our yard. I'm torn. I want the mole to eat the grubs of Japanese Beetles and other bugs that will eat my fruit plants, but it can cause damage around the roots of the fruit plants. I'm researching to find eco-friendly ways to discourage the critter. 

Iosol Iodine, gelatin, and random hints

I'm not pushing any cures onto anyone. I wanted to share what has helped me. 

I have an underactive thyroid, hypothyroidism. I also have diabetes, Type II.  Iosol Iodine is supposed to help both conditions. I researched various sites and various brands. (I'm not pushing any specific brand.) 

I usually have a few drops in my tea, coffee, or other beverages. The last few days, I forgot to have my Iosol Iodine. My fasting blood glucose was 202. I ate and my blood glucose registered at 208. Then I remembered that I hadn't taken my Iosol Iodine. An hour later, my blood sugar dropped to 166, 42 points lower. So I will make sure to take my Iosol Iodine!

I take 5 plus drops a day in my beverages. I'm not a doctor and I don't know your condition. So if you think of adding this supplement to your diet, check with your physician. 

I read on a blog that gelatin helped people lose weight. That caught my attention. On the net, I read that gelatin is supposed to help skin, hair, and nails. I have eczema and psoriasis. I decided to try it for my skin and hopefully reduce the itching.

I didn't notice anything different with my skin, hair, nails, or weight. However, my arthritis didn't bother me as much. My left ankle swells from the inflammation to almost the size of a grapefruit. The swelling reduced greatly, almost disappearing.  

I take an envelop a day in my beverages. I do not endorse any specific gelatin product. I do use Knox because it is unflavored and unsweetened so I can add it to tea or juices and not really notice a change in flavor. 

My crock pot used to have a nifty rubbery strap that held the lid on. I can't find it. So I used cotton clothesline cord because I had it on hand. 

The cotton cord is looped through the handles of the crock and through the handle of the lid. It worked as a last minute replacement for the missing rubbery thing. I'll have to find a replacement or MacGyver something up. 

I sew key rings onto the inside of my purses to hook my keys and other things to. You can buy various size metal clasps or carabiners to clip to the rings. My keys and other small items are easily found in my purse.  

I sew more than one ring onto each purse. I assign certain keys to specific areas of my purse so I always know where the car keys or house keys are supposed to be located. This is particularly helpful when it is dark. 

I try to utilize as much vertical space in my purse as I can. Gravity hides so much on the bottom of my bags. This last one that you see, will hold chapstick, lotion, or anything else that I can fit into a small pouch that will clip to the hook. 

These are my hints. Hope you find some helpful. 

Gardening

This is an update on my gardening efforts. I find gardening fun and even more so when I am not killing my plants. 

This is my garlic experiment. I planted them about a week ago and they are growing well. I bought them from the grocery store, 50 cents for three pounds. They are regular grocery store garlic! I will harvest them this fall and then buy special garlic to grow.

Please ignore the plants growing along the fence. I battle them, but I am losing the war. I'll keep trying, though.  

Here is a close up picture of the garlic. Yesterday, the one of the left wasn't there. The one in the center just started having the second leaf show through. (Not sure it is technically called a leaf.) Now, the two leaves have separated. 

Notice the poor condition of the raised bed. It has been three or four years since I built it. I drew up plans and then hammered away. My husband helped me hold the parts that were heavy or too awkward to maneuver by myself. 

I didn't treat or paint it because I didn't know what would be safe to use. For a large garden project, I don't want to have to replace the wood every three or four years on the raised beds, so we will use cinder blocks.

Here is a blackberry bush. We have three of them right now. According to the information, they were not supposed to bloom for two or three years. Two of the bushes bloomed this year. We got them in April. 

I didn't pinch off the flowers because I don't remember reading that part in the instructions. I'm not saying it wasn't in there. I'm saying that I don't remember it being in there. So I left the blooms and we might have a handful of blackberries this year. 

Here is a close up of some of the berries. Funny how the bush is still blossoming, but some berries are starting to develop.  

We did not use any insecticide on the plants because we didn't want to kill the bees or other pollinators. If I see any harmful insects, I'll use Dawn soap mixed with water to drown them. Next year, we may order some organic pesticide, but if we do, I want to make sure it won't harm the beneficial insects or poison the fruits. 

This is one of our dogs, Jedi. He and his brother, Padawan (can you tell that my husband is a Star Wars fan?) are half Maltese (father) and half Toy Fox Terrier-wire haired (mother). Jedi gets his curls from his mother. 

Their father, the Maltese, was eight pounds. Their mother, the Toy Fox Terrier-wire haired, was ten pounds. Jedi is twenty-six pounds and Padawan is twenty-five pounds. They are huge compared to their parents!

They are often in my photos because they like to get in front of the camera. I included this photo because of the dead path of grass along the inside of the fence. I sprayed with vinegar to kill the vegetation and it worked. 

The dogs use the dead areas as walkways now. It is funny to watch. I'm not sure if they like the feel of the dead plants or if it is instinct to walk along a worn down path. 

I'm going to add salt to my vinegar to help kill the stubborn vegetation along the fence line (where I do not plan to plant anything for a few years) and outside the fence on the sidewalk and driveway. I will only use straight vinegar on the inside of the fence where I want to increase my gardening efforts. 

I mentioned using organic pesticides in the future. I will research and call the manufacturer to ensure that I am not harming any beneficial insects. Otherwise, I can use the Dawn dish soap with water to kill aphids and drown harmful bugs. 

This week, I bought some organic plant food and fertilizers. I bought one bag for the blueberries and one for the other plants. They include beneficial bacterial that grow in the ground making it easier for the plants to get the nutrients that they need. I liked that idea. So here is hoping the garden continues to grow.

Vinegar for weeds

Notice the dead patch of grass by the fence? I sprayed straight vinegar on it two days ago. There are some tough plants still growing, but I'll add more vinegar to kill them. 

It cost under $4 for 2 gallons of vinegar. Round-up cost a little under $15 for 96 ounces. Also, I don't have to worry about the vinegar poisoning animals or people. 

Another batch of baby robbins

There are three baby robins by the back door of the garage. The nest is right on top of the light. 

I think it is great that robins (and other wildlife) find our yard enjoyable to live in, I still think they can find a better place to nest. This nest is low enough that I can almost look into it. 

Both photos were taken with a zoom lens, so don't think that I stressed the babies out too much by being right beside them. The parents didn't like me there, so I quickly left so the family could relax again. 

Blueberries & blackberries

Chandler Blueberry Bush

We planted the blueberry bushes yesterday. We ordered three and they are now in front of our house. We used blueberry food and mixed it in the soil as directed. We also covered the area with pine mulch to aid in the acidity. 

Arapaho Blackberry Bush

We planted three blackberry bushes that we had ordered as well. They are on the side of the house. We covered these in cedar chips and are waiting for the blackberry food to arrive. 

We planted some sweet red onions. It has gotten cold, but the onions haven't died. So I am hoping they grow to maturity this summer. 

Our Fruit Trees

Started our gardening efforts. We planted two apple trees and two pear trees. Hopefully, we will have fruit in 3 to 5 years.

Starting at the box on the right (and go clockwise.) a pear tree that will have fruit available in late August. Then on the bottom is an apple tree that will be ready for harvest in early September. On the left is an apple tree that will be ready for harvest in mid September. Then on the top of the photo is an Asian pear that will be ready to harvest in mid to late October. 

I saw a video on Youtube.com that explained how to prune full size fruit trees to make them small and manageable in the backyard so a person could have several different smaller trees instead of one big fruit tree. So I hope this works well and that I don't end up killing them. 

Recycling idea: Use a non-dairy creamer lid on regular mouth canning jar.

Here is what I discovered by accident in our kitchen. 

A non-dairy creamer lid will fit onto a regular mouth canning jar. 

Brave birds

The baby robins are brave. They watched me walk around the yard for a long time. Then I went in to grab my camera to take a photo of one of the plants and decided to snap them instead. 

I used a zoom and they didn't mind at all. They are huge compared to what they were. Their mom and dad are making sure the duo are well fed. 

After I got inside, I realized that I forgot to take a photo of the plant. Oh, well, baby robins doing great!

***

Well, a little over three hours after posting their nest photo, the dogs wanted outside. I opened the door to let them out and the baby birds took flight. 

Wonderful, but not really because one flew into traffic. The other baby robin landed near a hedge so I was sure it would be fine, but I had to stop traffic and try to scoot his brother off the street! 

The dogs were following the hopping bird and trying to sniff it. They had no intentions of hurting it, but they were curious.

I finally gave up on the idea of scooting the bird as it sat in the middle of traffic and didn't move. Maybe they do that to hide from danger. It wasn't working on the pavement of the street, though. 

I picked it up and carried it to the fence to place it on the top bar so it could go where ever it wanted. It hopped off my hand and took flight again going toward the traffic behind me. 

So I went back after it and people were nice and slowed down in their cars. It finally hopped under a car. I wanted to wait to make sure it was okay, but the parents were going crazy, which I can understand. 

To calm them down, I decided to come back in. The other baby robin by the hedge thought it was hiding which is fine. I left it alone as it sat still. 

I looked out the window a minute ago and I didn't see the baby robin under the car from my angle. I also didn't see any signs it was injured on the road, so hopefully the parents got it to safety.

I was so afraid it was going to get run over or I never would have touched it. I really hope that my scent doesn't scare the parents away. 

Baby Robbin Update

Today, I was concerned because I had not heard the baby robins chirping or making noise for food. So I  stood on a step stool and put the camera up there (because I am too short to see). This is what I saw.

There are only two birds. The third egg doesn't look like it hatched. One of the babies is bigger than the other. I guess he grabs more food. 

Baby Robbins

Some time last year, a bird tried to nest above our front door light. Then the poor thing discovered that we lived inside that big door right beside where it was putting the nest. The bird left. We thought it best to leave the remains of the nest as a deterrent to other birds. 

Well, it didn't work. Robins built a nest over the other one and there are eggs. We never noticed the new nest because we were used to the old nest being there. The only reason that I noticed the nest, and it took a while, was that I kept getting chirped at by the robins whenever I went outside.

I finally saw one of the robins flying to the nest after being outside for a while checking my peppermint plant. (It does look like it is going to live. I was worried.) So I had my husband hold up my camera and he got this photo on May 23. 

Today, I got a message saying that the eggs probably hatched by now. I had no clue so I looked. Here are two babies. They look so helpless.

Here is a shot that shows the third egg. So it has not hatched. I know nothing of birds, so I don't know if it means that it will hatch later or if it won't hatch at all. 

Organization idea: Recycling cardboard boxes

We live in a small two-bedroom home. Storage space tends to be lacking. I always am looking for ways to organize or store so that I can fit more in. I consider that efficiency of space. I also include recycling in my attempts so I don’t have to spend a lot of money buying storage solutions.
Yesterday, I spent some time organizing my dresser drawers. I used empty shoe boxes, cut open heavy cereal boxes from the bulk store, and interesting cardboard boxes that contained gifts.

It is easier to find what I need. In addition, if the cardboard boxes wear out, I can just drop them in the recycling and I never spent anything on them really. Some of these, I used Duck Tape. Others, I wrap in brown paper.

I add cedar balls, scent packets, and even dryer sheets to the drawers. Bugs don't like them and so far, we haven't had trouble with bugs that our friends have had. I know some people who have sensitivities to the ingredients in scented items cannot use this idea, but for those who can, it is nice getting clothes out that smell fresh rather than the alternative. They do need to be replaced after a while, but your nose will tell you when.

I finally decided to start a blog. I hope to include fun things that happen in my life, including my hobbies.

I have health problems so I cannot always do what I wish that I could. I had a spinal cord injury (sci) in 2003. I am technically a paraplegic, but my spinal cord was not severed and I have regained usage of about 50% of the muscles below my waist. So some days are better than others.

My hobbies include sewing, cooking, and photography. I tend to sew more crafts than clothes. I have, in the past, made plenty of crafts for others, but I hope to make more for me in the upcoming days. I would appreciate the items and I think our house could do with some heartcrafted creations.

I don't cook as much as I would like. I used to bake and make candies before my SCI. Now, it is harder to stand at the counter and stove. My body doesn't always want to cooperate.

I love taking photos of my family (including 5 furbabies), friends, nature, and interesting scenes. I find some architecture to be very eye catching. I consider myself a beginner in all my hobbies, especially photography. I sometimes get a great image, but I need to focus more on the technical aspect to help get the artistic side to reveal the image better.

(just a pretty sunset)

I mentioned that we have five furbabies. We have three cats and two dogs.

Vex & Lathandar, our oldest, 10 y.o. this last April. The eye shine makes them look evil. Yikes!

Padawan & Jedi are 5 y.o. earlier this month. I find this photo funny because Jedi is trying to push his brother out of the photo, a lot like human kids.

Here is Mystique, 4 y.o. a month ago, on the counter, where she is not supposed to be, sitting on  a plate and knocking things over. She had the nerve to give a startled meow and act like she hadn't done anything wrong.

They are all spoiled, but that is okay. They often "help" me with my hobbies. When I sew, the cats tend to want to "test" the comfort of my material by cuddling on it as I try to sew. The dogs "test" the durability of the material by playing tug with anything that falls over the edge of the desk.

Scrappy quilt for charity.

Making a quilt is quite an endeaver as I have to move each cat to a comfortable spot for them that allows me to move the quilt section better into the sewing machine as I tug the corner of the quilt back from the dogs. It's okay. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Of course, the pets have to help me in the kitchen as they beg for a taste of whatever I am making. They act as if we never feed them, but you can tell they eat well.

The puppies asking for a taste.

I wish they would cooperate better when I have my camera out. It is difficult for me to get their photos taken. I keep trying and they keep making it difficult. They must think it is some type of game.

Mystique is hiding her eyes because she didn't like the flash. *sigh*

This will be the end for now as my arms find it difficult to type as the youngest, Mystique, lays across my arms. It is her way of "helping" me on the computer. Hope I didn't make too many errors.