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Monday, August 3, 2015

Last Week's Accomplishments

Greetings to all this very warm and close to sticky morning. I don't know about you, but I'm close to ready to see fall begin.  The leaves here do not change color until later in the season, but cooler weather is a blessing after the heat (100s) and humidity melt everything in contact with it, including humans.  If there are any errand's to run, make sure they are completed before10 AM or after 6PM.

Despite the weather I did accomplish a bit this past week  besides the normal house work.

My daughter and I went to a garage sale early Saturday morning.  She picked up quite a few things for her new house and has begun to restore them to fit her needs.  Her home has a screened in back porch which will house a wicker couch and chair that she found on the side of the road and a cute wrought iron table she found at a garage sale for 10.00.  Painted white, they match perfectly.

I found a small Corning Ware bowl that fits my needs perfectly, a set of girly pillow cases, and a pair of 84", cream colored drapes from Pottery Barn with a price tag of 5.50 for all. 


This container holds  one cup which is perfect for my needs.

The blackberries have given me another quart bag with so many more to come.  The red ones look as if they are all the same shade so when they're ready, they will all come in at the same time. The green ones will take a couple weeks to ripen.

A friend gave me seeds for an heirloom melon plant that is said to go back as far as the sixteenth century.  The melons look something like a modern day watermelon on the out side, but the flesh is more like what we recognize as cantaloupe.  The plant is sprawling and has three tiny melons on it so far with multiple yellow flowers.  Hopefully I will get a few more melons that will grow to fruition for us to enjoy.  I weeded around it to give it all of the room it wants.

Can you see that little guy laying on the concrete block?
I'm hoping he grows up nicely so I can feast on him.
What a treat that would be.


One of the marigold plants was transplanted in the empty pot in the front that I pulled the sick tomato plant from.  So far it appears to like it's new home, but no flower heads have shown up yet.

After getting discouraged with the other tomato plant I figured trimming it couldn't hurt as it looks unhappy anyway.  All of the flowers died off except one that I saw was a small tomato.  I kept watering it and feeding it.  To my surprise I woke up on Thursday to an additional LARGE pink tomato that - somehow - I missed.  So -at this point - I have two tomatoes that I can hopefully enjoy.

More squash got dried.

Mushrooms followed in the dehydrator.  I will crushed the stems into powder and store the tops in a sealed canning jar.

Garlic was also dried and crushed into powder.

I made three jars of dill refrigerator pickles on Wednesday which will be ready on this Wednesday to eat.  When I ran to the grocery store to grab some dill last Wednesday I couldn't resist a bit of junk food.  Somehow a box of Hostess Snowballs ended up in my bag.  Sometimes a girl has to do what she has to do!

This recipe was a no hassle one.  Plop the ingredients in clean
jars and store in a dark place for seven days.  If they come out,
I'll leave the recipe in a post.


I found out because of an egg shortage my favorite custard stand will not be using eggs any more in their custard.  Sorry, but custard is custard because eggs are included in the recipe.  Eggs have protein so this was an acceptable food for me.  It no longer qualifies and I must admit I'm a tad bit sad over that treat being altered.  My relationship with it has just ended.

What did you accomplish this week?  I love hearing from my readers.  Speaking of readers the portion of the blog page that shows those who have liked this blog is gone.  I have no idea where it went.

Stay safe.


10 comments:

  1. Hello Angie from Australia. It's winter here but spring is in the air. I have planted masses of flowers and can't wait for spring to enjoy my flowers . I so enjoy your blog Angie.

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    1. WELCOME! Leisha. So nice to see my blog has reached Australia. Even nicer to hear that you enjoy the blog. I don't advertise the blog, thinking whoever needs it will find it. I follow Rhonda's blog so I've been reading about your winter, kind of wishing ours would come soon. It's been in the 100s here and my plants are not as happy as they have been in the past. Stay safe!

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  2. Your melon plants look healthy. You could now shorten the shoots, so the young fruits will get the full power.
    I also do my garden work and most errands in the early morning.Our local supermarket opens from 7 a.m. till 10 p.m.
    A shortage of eggs? I am astonished. We also like custard and I prepare it sometimes. I never use egg yolk for it, just
    milk, corn starch, sugar and vanilla. We call it Vanillesoße. Of course egg yolks can be added ( a luxury version maybe),but we prefere it without. (Less cholesterol)
    I wish your temperatures will not be so high in the next days.100 F seems cruel to me. And most plants are suffering too

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    Replies
    1. Could you explain what it means to shorten the shoots, please?

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  3. Well, I hope it is okay,that I took the liberty to send you a link about melons in the garden(Royal Horticultural Society).
    When a melon plant has 3 or 4 little fruits it is sufficent and one should remove the other flowers and leaves. This way
    the plant has full growth vigour for the fruits. They need quite a lot of time to ripe. I do not know enough about your climate.
    Here in Southern Germany there are good results with certain types WHEN it´s a nice warm summer. Otherwise only in
    greenhouses.

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  4. Angie I just saw your photo's on Rhonda's blog . Your living room looks lovely . It was a lovely surprise to see you there as I have been following your blog and Rhonda's for quite some time.

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    Replies
    1. I love Rhonda's blog. She is so helpful and has a gentle way about her. I discovered her through a friend a few months back. I'm so happy to see you visit me on a regular basis. Thanks for your comment.

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  5. Came this way via your living room on Rhonda's blog :)
    Yeah, the Avian Flu has caused the egg shortage. Damn shame really. Makes me want to buy my own chickens at some point. I am curious to find out what is in those canning jars!

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    Replies
    1. Welcome MissFiFi! The jars contain the few cucumbers my plant gave me this year. I found a recipe for refrigerator pickles that did not call for a boiling bath. If they come out, I'm planning on leaving the recipe on a post. The explanation is in the paragraph above the picture. It's difficult to believe, but we are allowed chickens and my family and I have been discussing raising them. It's not that far fetched anymore.

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  6. I wish we were allowed chicken here in my neighborhood in Houston, but our HOA would have a fit...same with bees. Good thing hubby's work lets him keep some hives there :) I have made some refrigerator pickles as well - looking forward to seeing your recipe!

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