tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51161731711330238792024-02-18T19:34:54.486-06:00OrganicTasteWelcome to my Organic WorldAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-73034626910110646902012-11-04T15:59:00.002-06:002012-11-04T15:59:42.049-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been gardening this way for years. I call it lazy gardening. The more I leave the soil alone the more I notice my plants grow...some of them anyways. Right now in Nov I have tomatoes growing in my garden. One year I had to harvest my November tomatoes right before the freeze and so they were still green but they were huge. I can't get tomatoes to grow here in the summer or Spring. It's way too hot and is too much work.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-g0m0GAQWsg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-19751566863821584452012-08-27T13:01:00.001-05:002012-08-27T13:01:18.375-05:00What You Can Get Done in 30 Minutes Without Your Kids vs. With Your Kids | More LOLs & Funny Stuff for Moms | NickMom<a href="http://www.nickmom.com/more-lols/what-you-can-get-done-in-30-minutes-with-without-your-kids/?xrs=share_blogger">What You Can Get Done in 30 Minutes Without Your Kids vs. With Your Kids | More LOLs & Funny Stuff for Moms | NickMom</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'century gothic', monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">I saw this and I immediately started laughing. Very true. With that agreement, I still miss my kids. The one still too young for school...I'm glad he still has two years to. I'm glad about this on most days. Not the days I can't find his shoes or the days he isn't happy with anything or the days he through those face to the ground tantrums... Being a mom - its a mixed blessing.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-62991201408215732342012-08-15T23:10:00.002-05:002012-08-15T23:10:25.307-05:00Exactly 1 Year AgoExactly 1 year ago I made my last post here. I almost gave up on this blog for many reasons: I stopped gardening, I canceled my CSA memberships and I stopped living as green as I use to because other things took priority over my life, dealing with a divorce, work, sad but strong kids, a financial crisis... the list goes on. You want to know the irony of it all?<br />
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It rained a lot this summer (compared to last year), though still a very hot dry august and my garden gave fruit to many things including: cantaloupe from the compost bin (its a huge plant too) and butter nut squash from last year seeds that harvested and grew themselves. The mint took over half of the garden in the backyard and the rosemary in my front yard grew so wild I had to trim it at least once a month and give some away. Last month I found myself clipping a lot of my oregano, my rosemary and my mint and placing it in small plastic container I recycled as small vases and then giving them to friends and family who shared with me in other ways. I still have so much of this stuff to give too.<br />
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All this is growing amongst either dry soil or weeds and tall grass. If it wasn't for my neighbor mowing my lawn...the HOA would be after me now. However, the birds and the butterflies love these weeds and tall grass so I keep it long in the back yard longer.<br />
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I'm enjoying cooking again too. I cook so much with the rosemary and oregano I have to look up new recipes to experiment with the flavors. I make wonderful tea with the mint.<br />
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A very good friend of mine, I made over this very difficult year, also introduced me to a new type of basil and I love it. She gave me several clippings from her over grown garden and I have experimented with a number of new recipes using it. In addition she gave me seeds of it to grow some of my own.<br />
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On a sad note last years drought or the one before that (can't recall) killed 3 of my pine trees in the back yard and two of my bushes. This year they became so dangerous to leave standing, especially in Junes crazy rains, that I had to get them cut down. It cost me a fortune to have them cut down, but at least my kids and I are now safe in out home. However, my lime tree has exploded with leaves and has grown very tall. I think by this year or next year it will bare limes. My other plants: roses, bulbs, cannas, lilies etc., are doing well too.<br />
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When it is in the budget I plan to plant more fruit trees in the back. I could grow them from seed as I did my lime tree, but it would take years before I saw any fruit. When the weather cools a bit more and the mosquitos are not on rampage I may venture out again and see what I can give back to my garden.<br />
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I hope this time I can give some of my time to something that has given to me so much during such a hard time.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-12077735088025400822011-08-15T14:26:00.001-05:002011-08-15T14:26:16.929-05:00In the middle of AugustI'm afraid I've given up. If my garden has anything living in it it isn't because of me. We're on a voluntary water conservation too. There are signs for it all over the neighborhood. There are signs like this all over the city.<br />
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I stopped watering a couple of months ago, before the signs, when I realized I couldn't keep up with the heat without having to pay a high water bill. I couldn't afford to keep my garden alive. If and when it rains here, it is once or twice every few weeks. Not enough to fill rain barrels enough to water on a constant basis. Successful gardeners in my area must be constantly fighting the heat and finding ways to help their plants conserve water.<br />
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It's so hot and dreadful I can barely keep my kids hydrated. Most of the summer break my kids have watched tv and read their books, because it's too hot to do anything in the house (AC doesn't work well) and way too hot to play outside unless it is done very early in the morning or late in the evening. <br />
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We took a stroll around the botanical gardens the other day at about 10 am and all 3 of my children and myself were drenched in sweat. We weren't running... we were just walking. Despite the heat, it was nice taking in the fresh air.<br />
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From the house, to the vehicle, to work, to the vehicle and then back home, to vehicle to someone else's house (family) or building (library) back to the vehicle and so on. Our moments outside are brief and still we sweat. The heat is oppressing. It has imprisoned us. Sure, yesterday's rain helped bring down the heat some, but today it is back to "normal". <br />
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The heat has lasted for months and as I watched my garden die my inspiration to keep this blog alive dwindled. Why? Because every time I come home or step out the front door I see my yard, the dead grass, the dead plants and the rock hard soil. Then I look around and see, my very green rosemary bushes, my twisting jasmine, my rose bushes (one with a blooming red rose) healthy looking flowering bushes, green bulb leaves and a few other green plants. I am amazed at what has survived.<br />
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In the fall I plan to put a fig in the ground in front of my front window. Figs provide a lot of wide shade and though they don't get very tall, they can. ear. I'm told fig trees are messy, but my mom has a fig tree and there has never been a mess around it that I've seen. Then again between all of us and the birds the figs don't have a chance to hit the ground.<br />
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I can't wait until fall.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-69465573044196332262011-04-03T12:19:00.000-05:002011-04-03T12:19:54.102-05:00Wait until use see the lettuce!My garden looks amazing. There is so much green and so much color. Wait until I post the pictures...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-6748792504504404082011-03-22T13:54:00.003-05:002011-03-22T14:07:09.640-05:00I love the Spring Time<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=organictaste-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000DZH3XO&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Looking out my windows and I smile because my garden looks wonderful! I have green plants I thought had died growing, plants that never seem to die flourishing and plants I grew from seed fattening. My rose bushes are filled with red new leaves. My tall flowering bushes in my back yards are often visited by yellow and black colored butterflies. There are vegetables (lettuce, beets, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli) and herbs (cilantro, rosemary, oregano) growing in my yard. On my birthday as my parents were leaving my home I handed them some cilantro, rosemary and oregano. My father was so delighted. He knows and I know and so many other people know how expensive these herbs can be in the grocery store. I grow them at home with ease.<br />
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I spent the afternoon and evening of the 18th weeding my front garden. It was relaxing, until my back begged me to stop. Is there a way to garden without my back suffering for it? I meant to take pictures as soon as I was done weeding, but then it was dinner time and after that too dark. The next day was my birthday and I forgot. Yesterday, my head hurt so bad I wanted to cry. Since my birthday on the 19th my son and I have come down with some sort of bug. The little guy was worse off than I was, but he is sleeping and recovering now. I am feel much better now.<br />
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The day outside is beautiful. While he sleeps I could take some pictures...<br />
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Oh! I almost forgot to mention. For my birthday gift my kids made me gifts our of recycled material and they bought me beautiful flowering plants for my birthday. My husband bought me a tomato bush and made all the food (a variety of salads) for the picnic. I am loved.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-48629744278583595752011-03-03T19:02:00.000-06:002011-03-03T19:02:56.847-06:00Another Reason to Eat Organic, Local and Raw:High LDLI received my test results in the mail today. It turns out I have a slightly elevated cholesterol. The irony, at my age I'm one of the few I know who eats fairly healthy and exercises daily. I know a lot has to do with genetics, but the doc still wants me to go on a diet.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-27988447747366066062011-02-19T21:59:00.001-06:002011-02-19T22:02:01.135-06:00I have a carrot!After the crazy weather, two sets of frosts separated by warm weather rain and humidity, I (without hope) went into my garden in the backyard and noticed that I still have lettuce in my garden...alive! I have beets growing too. Oh! and what surprised me the most was the growing carrot. The carrot survived both frost and all the cold weather. Not only that when I walked over to look at it the carrot it was so large it was cracking through the dirt. Is it time to harvest?????????<br />
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I think I'll gamble and pick it tomorrow. I need to before on of my neighbor's dogs digs it up. I haven't told you the story about the dog yet have I? My neighbor told me the other day that our backyard neighbor has a dog that was able to jump over the fence into my neighbors yard. My neighbor saw this dog in his yard and when he tried to get him the dog jumped over the tall fence into my yard and straight into my garden. He tried jumping back into his own yard from my yard but fell and then jumped over the short wire fence around my garden and then played with my dog. My dogs not much of a guard dog is he?<br />
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I never saw any of this but I did see the loose board on the ground in my garden that my neighbor said the dog tried to climb before he fell with it to the ground. Id wondered why the fence board had fallen. If the dog did jump into my yard he must have eventually jumped back to his. I didn't think dogs could jump that high. Will he jump back? Should get my carrot before he does? As if the weather and soil aren't enough to worry about, now I have to worry about an amazingly high jumping dog. Is the dog part cat or squirrel?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-84669200768689594532011-02-07T07:00:00.001-06:002011-02-07T07:00:26.680-06:00Food Frozen In Time: Strawberries<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/strawberry_postcards-239267904809527656?rf=238877388898448999"><img alt="Strawberry Postcards postcard" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/strawberry_postcards-p2392679048095276567onr_500.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
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I hate the cold and it isn't even cold here compared to other places. My kids had to stay home from school and I usually don't work on Fridays so... it worked out. Except everything is dark and gloomy... I feel gloomy and grumpy and bitchy. Where is Spring?<br />
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The kids did a few chores and now they're watching TV. I'll let them do this all day. They don't get to during the school week.<br />
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This morning I looked out the window, after a million phone calls wouldn't let my husband and I sleep in and I noticed my red rose bush was falling over. I guess I should have covered my rose bushes this time. They're sturdy but not that sturdy.<br />
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On Wednesday we had a pipe burst and our garage was filling with water. That was a cold night. My husband was at work, but luckily my neighbor, my grumpy and old but very helpful and always to the rescue neighbor, endured the cold with me and fixed it. The pipe broke on the outside not inside the wall. If I were a religious person I would have been kissing the sky. Instead I just wanted to hug my neighbor. I offered him dinner instead, but his girlfriend was over at his house waiting for him.<br />
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I owe my neighbor a lot of dinners for the help he's given us. This past year though we've been struggling just to feed the kids. We aren't starving or anything, but we've had to ration. Have I mentioned yet, that I had to lie to my husband. I told him I canceled the meat CSA when really I just postponed deliveries for a few months in hopes that in a few months we'd see a few extra hundred dollars a month in our bank accounts.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, my husband loved the CSA meat. He was the first to notice the leanness of the meat and the clearness of the animal fat if there was any fat. He really liked that. In the end though it just came down to the fact that we couldn't cut any more here or there to afford it. Our food rationing isn't anything new. I've always been a frugal person. Rationing should be done by everyone, I think. However now it's not about saving money it's about not having enough money and so we have no choice, but to ration to keep our heads above water. I hate that. I hate not having a choice. It doesn't help that my husbands student loans are dragging us down.<br />
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I've tried to use these hard financial time to try to convert myself into a vegetarian. I feel guilty eating meat. Yes, yes roll your eyes, but it's true. It's how I feel. Besides cutting meat out of our diet would save us money and is suppose to be eco-friendly. I'd love some simple vegetarian dishes to make and eat everyday, but my addiction for meat is hard to break and there is no way in the world I could pull my husband away from meat. He'd be willing to maybe be a flexitarian or reduce the amount of meat per meal (which we have done in recent years), but not go meatless. Something is better than nothing I guess.<br />
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Anyways, since our rationing became a matter of "no choice" we haven't invited our neighbor over for dinner as much. Like I mentioned he's a grumpy old man and sometimes he says things that well.... a grumpy old man would say, but overall he means well and he's always willing to help for a meal. I know he's noticed that we haven't invited him over as much, but I don't know if he thinks we don't want him over or if he understands our financial situation. Maybe I'm wrong and he hasn't even noticed, He has been distracted on several home improvement projects and his girlfriend. In fact he just came back from a home improvement project he left for a month ago.<br />
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Ahhhhh! It's cold in here... My hands are freezing. I'm going to have to put on another sweater and yell (I've already asked them to twice so now I think I'll yell :) )at my kids to put on more clothes. Can't they feel the cold or am I just a wimp?<br />
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Cold Cold Go AWAY!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-4159369765372687152011-01-31T07:00:00.000-06:002011-01-31T07:00:08.531-06:00A Little Organic Flavor<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/organic_its_a_way_of_life_organic_lovers_gifts_bag-149831067271365145?rf=238877388898448999"><img a="" alt="ORGANIC " bag"="" gifts="" it's="" life"--organic="" lovers="" of="" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/organic_its_a_way_of_life_organic_lovers_gifts_bag-p1498310672713651452w90n_500.jpg" style="border: 0;" way="" /></a><br />
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A few days later she called again. She's been calling a lot lately. She barely called as a teenager. I enjoy the phone calls. She talks a lot sure, but I like that. Okay, sometimes having screaming kids in the background can make it difficult to have a long conversations with her, but when the kids are calm a phone conversation with her is quite enjoyable. Beside right now, certain things that she says... remind me of myself at that age. Not that I'm a hundred years older than her or anything, but there is an 8 year gap and in 8 years a lot can change.<br />
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I remember that. Right about the same age I began to call my older sisters a lot too. I just wanted intelligent people to talk to, people I loved and trusted that were willing to hear me out (vent) even if they didn't agree with what I said. As I grew older I realized friendships don't last forever , but sisterships do. So, I turned to my sisters for friendship. <br />
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Yesterday, my little sis called me again. This time the kids were calm. I was able to listen to her without my blood pressure going up because the kids couldn't keep quite or stop fighting or asking me questions or making a mess or jumping on furniture or.... I really don't have high blood pressure, but it feels like I do when the kids are crazy.<br />
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We spoke about a lot of things, including eating organic foods. We both have come to the same conclusion that organic milk has made our menstrual cycle much lighter and less painful. We are no scientist, but we both felt the difference when we began drinking it. Other than my husband, I had never told anyone before because I thought they would think I was full of hippie treehugging crap. He sort of did too. But then when I discovered my sister felt the same way I thought.... there has to be something to this theory. She was happy to know I felt the same.<br />
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What if organic milk does lighten our flow and reduce our pain? Does that mean that all those years I suffered a great deal of pain (dizziness, vomiting, bed ridden cramping) thanks to my menstrual cycle, could have been prevented. It's hard to really know. Like I said, I'm no scientist and I haven't found any studies on this, but it does make me wonder what else could the hormones and other chemicals in non-organic milk be doing to our bodies.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-13965813171322400702011-01-17T07:00:00.002-06:002011-01-17T07:00:09.280-06:00Garden Inspirations: Herb Garden<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/herb_garden_card-137335923536057825?rf=238877388898448999"><img alt="Herb Garden card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/herb_garden_card-p1373359235360578257gq6_500.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
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Browse other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/rosemary+cards">Rosemary Cards</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-46662015665550546412011-01-17T00:02:00.000-06:002011-01-17T00:02:14.723-06:00Roses Are Amazing<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=organictaste-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0882667386&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>It's been raining all day. Earlier this morning, on my way out to put the trash in the large trash can and the recyclables into the recycle bin I noticed the blankets were weighing down my plants. They were soaking wet and I had to pull them off the plants right away before my rose bushes lost branches or were uprooted. And as I pull off the plants expecting the leaves to be yellow I see a bush full of pink rose in full bloom. I then proceed to pull of the blankets off the other roses and other plants. There too I see amazing things. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Valentine-Amore-Romantic-Gift-Set/dp/B0012GVQIG?ie=UTF8&tag=organictaste-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Red roses</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=organictaste-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0012GVQIG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, orange roses, green leaves.... <div><br />
</div><div>Why can't growing vegetables be as easy as growing roses. I don't have to touch my roses and there they are coloring my world. Just another few weeks and I'll try all over again. This year I have to get it right. I just have to organize myself that's all. Maybe I should get up earlier in the day. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'll get it. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-78760979218637058172011-01-13T15:30:00.000-06:002011-01-13T15:30:08.148-06:00Just When The Roses Where Kissing the WinterIt bites back. The temperature drops and it's going to last this way for several hours, days. My mother calls, tells me to tell my husband to cover the pipes, the plants, bring in the dog and make sure the kids and us are covered from head to toe. So... we do.<br />
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I'm tired of the cold. My hands and feet ache. My old house and old ac unit can't keep up. It stays cold downstairs as if the heater were never on and so we put on sweaters and socks, lie on the sofa covered in blankets watching TV or reading. Then when we go upstairs to bed and it's so hot we take everything off until the heater decides it wants to quit and we freeze at night. My heart goes out to those who must live in colder climates for longer periods of times. They must think we're wimps.<br />
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Right now my beautiful roses bushes, my little magnolia tree and a few other plants are covered in blankets. I didn't protect much this year. I'm concentrating on just keeping the kids and I warm. Besides, I know what will grow back. I didn't have much to cover either.<br />
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The squash? Oh yeah! That died around the beginning of December. With little to do in the garden (not that I would go outside right now) and no CSA during this season there I'm going to have to come up with something to share here. I scarily come around as it is...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-17789533888364428402011-01-10T07:00:00.000-06:002011-01-13T15:45:24.844-06:00A Little Organic Flavor<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/grow_organic_food_poster-228242106406563495?print_width=15&print_height=15&rf=238877388898448999"><img alt="Grow Organic Food Poster print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/grow_organic_food_poster-p228242106406563495vsu7_500.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/grow_organic_food_poster-228242106406563495?print_width=15&print_height=15&rf=238877388898448999">Grow Organic Food Poster</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/embracetheearth?rf=238877388898448999">embracetheearth</a><br />
See more <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/embracetheearth+posters">Embracetheearth Posters</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-59937711444397674972011-01-01T13:17:00.000-06:002011-01-01T13:17:29.045-06:00Happy New Year!I'm going to try again. I had to not very successful years of gardening. Maybe in 2011 I will have a break through. Maybe I will find a way to organize my life so that I have more time to garden. Maybe I'll set aside a few dollars a month to hire a professional gardner twice a year to help me along the year. In the mean time take a look at the rose that bloomed in my garden late December 2010 without me doing a thing.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8y9L7rakYny4EaWjUrPh3ilsAZzCcnMYAj3W5q2zGT_wzGWyEIFQioba-5fDQM_P2ZvznIkGT2IjnICfacxinDpAPOlN_eafFo2yGC45mpJ8w6e2Gclb0jGqH2LBh3yamX0s2rqR6xo/s1600/IMG_0113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8y9L7rakYny4EaWjUrPh3ilsAZzCcnMYAj3W5q2zGT_wzGWyEIFQioba-5fDQM_P2ZvznIkGT2IjnICfacxinDpAPOlN_eafFo2yGC45mpJ8w6e2Gclb0jGqH2LBh3yamX0s2rqR6xo/s400/IMG_0113.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">The Rose Bush My Sister Gave Me</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Isn't it amazing that something so beautiful can grow during the winter season? Sure my winter's down here in the south are no at all as cold as the ones in other parts of the world. I look forward to more garden delights like this. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-43939938912645983052010-12-15T17:12:00.000-06:002010-12-15T17:12:31.793-06:00Food Frozen in Time: Tasty Salad<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/tasty_salad_bag-149687152307124369?rf=238877388898448999"><img alt="Tasty Salad bag" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/tasty_salad_bag-p149687152307124369vpoy_500.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/tasty_salad_bag-149687152307124369?rf=238877388898448999">Tasty Salad</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/ecolicious*">Ecolicious</a><br />
Create a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/bags?rf=238877388898448999">bag</a> at zazzle.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-46410225443281748272010-11-24T08:00:00.000-06:002010-11-26T20:15:02.913-06:00The Cucumber/Cantalope<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKIEvnR5JcHky0WbdRB2lfFB4vSdri7ySJv16RSpqcGVqJMkCgRSUQhD9pE-B7bzvXYAugSbHAwzTESaK1YCvLCh211B_CbpiOdT8TzK_Q32ghJkA5qv8kZr-PBMr4DEWy2ksGFo58nY/s1600/DSC08670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKIEvnR5JcHky0WbdRB2lfFB4vSdri7ySJv16RSpqcGVqJMkCgRSUQhD9pE-B7bzvXYAugSbHAwzTESaK1YCvLCh211B_CbpiOdT8TzK_Q32ghJkA5qv8kZr-PBMr4DEWy2ksGFo58nY/s200/DSC08670.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Week Before Picking</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyjJIbFbdeRjb69lP7it6U55kJ4w39ggW8ktZbP7-c4ZFofvJ0UMOrC9YPf7DFjQkO9FflUXgmJ9WxyB2wqYM057SOPLwLyScwaahpnrHtij8uJoK_GPpKehTEpRb-A83Bf2ktBN0gLE/s1600/DSC07719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyjJIbFbdeRjb69lP7it6U55kJ4w39ggW8ktZbP7-c4ZFofvJ0UMOrC9YPf7DFjQkO9FflUXgmJ9WxyB2wqYM057SOPLwLyScwaahpnrHtij8uJoK_GPpKehTEpRb-A83Bf2ktBN0gLE/s200/DSC07719.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a cucumber</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Remember back in October when I mentioned that my cucumber was not a cucumber at all? I felt like a moron, but I was delighted when I began to see it grow into a cucumber. I waited and waited for it to grow larger or riper, but when I began to see the stem die off I knew it was time to pick. There I was delighted to finally have something to share with my neighbor. Then I turned it around to look at it and noticed a large crack through the skin. No!!!!!! Was it rotten?<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=organictaste-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1579652131&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;">&nbsp;</iframe><br />
I ran inside cut off the skin and discovered inside an unripe but already rotting cantaloupe. :( Why? Not sure. No bug was attacking it. Darn if I let it go to waist though. I cut out the seeds, saved them to use again and then I cut out the little ripeness there was to the cantaloupe. I wish I would have take pictures. I shared a taste with each kid and... it wasn't bad. It wasn't sweet, but it was edible. It was like a mix between a cucumber and a cantaloupe.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-10222936900030416942010-11-22T07:00:00.000-06:002010-11-26T19:58:57.314-06:00Food Frozen In Time: The Harvest<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/the_harvest_bag-149839516546363088?rf=238877388898448999"><img alt="The Harvest bag" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/the_harvest_bag-p149839516546363088vpoy_500.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/the_harvest_bag-149839516546363088?rf=238877388898448999">The Harvest</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/ecolicious*">Ecolicious</a><br />
Make a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/bags?rf=238877388898448999">photo bag</a> on Zazzle</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-58213627868141701732010-11-10T12:00:00.004-06:002010-11-11T15:06:09.714-06:00Green Books Campaign: Fix It Make It Grow It Bake It<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbKVt9cP9KLOp0Ia8NDlpGBcHgeVv137j2mLlsG8AYqxt94EmKXGKRinM7-cRiuEqLS1UbdhD5yOq5cpG3QqTBdIl_eb7P243OPRtvh_lSX6ZVam9b5bjnA9ufRpnCfkdwxS0J2j0MvU/s1600/93.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbKVt9cP9KLOp0Ia8NDlpGBcHgeVv137j2mLlsG8AYqxt94EmKXGKRinM7-cRiuEqLS1UbdhD5yOq5cpG3QqTBdIl_eb7P243OPRtvh_lSX6ZVam9b5bjnA9ufRpnCfkdwxS0J2j0MvU/s200/93.gif" width="198" /></a><i>This review is part of the </i><a href="http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp"><i>Green Books campaign</i></a><i>. Today 200 bloggers take a stand to support books printed in an eco-friendly manner by simultaneously publishing reviews of 200 books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using eco- friendly paper, we hope to raise the awareness of book buyers and encourage everyone</i><i> to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>The campaign is organized for the second time by Eco-Libris, a green company working to make reading more sustainable. We invite you to join the discussion on "green" books and support books printed in an eco-friendly manner! A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on </i><a href="http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp"><i>Eco-Libris website</i></a><i>. </i><br />
<br />
<b><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=organictaste-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1573443654&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>The Review:</b> Fix It Make It Grow It Bake It, by Billee Sharp, is an exceptionally instructive book to read. It is one of those books you have to attach post-it tabs to as you read in order to go back later and quickly find something you read before that was useful. Why? Because the entire book is filled with advice, recipes, money saving tips, green living tips, fun things to do with the kids and even helpful gardening tips. <br />
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I learned so much from the book I couldn’t remember everything I learned from the book when I finished reading it. For example, on page 193 I have a post-it tab for a tasty and interesting pesto recipe. I have a lot of basil and so this will be a very useful page. I also have a post-it tab on page 179 for beets. Just the other day I was trying to find a recipe for beets that will convince my husband beets aren’t gross. Unfortunately for him, he grew up only knowing one way to eat beets, out of a can and then soaked in vinegar. No wonder he hates them.<br />
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The tab list goes on: the sourdough starter recipe (a lot of waiting but doable), sprouting instructions (my goal is to do this soon), the wonderful how to make paint tips, the simple how-to kill slug recipe, the warming aloe Vera to soothe muscles tip, how to harvest potatoes (after they flower) and dry them (for 3 days) and so on.<br />
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It’s easy to read and appreciate, Fix It Make It Grow It Bake It. The tone is natural and welcoming, always guiding to true happiness and away from materialism. Billie doesn’t preach green living to her audience. She invites us to do so and she does it organically. <br />
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My one nick pick is the lack of pictures to accompany the how-to explanation, like in home improvement books. For examples, the how to on fixing things in the bathroom would have been much easier to understand had I had pictures of the objects described on the page beside it page 106<br />
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Overall, I found this book a joy to read. I couldn’t wait to try out some of the tips, recipes and advice. In fact, I didn’t wait. I followed the baking soda recipe for a headache on page 36 the day I read about it. What an interesting sensation! Did my mild headache go away? After burping a few times I completely forgot all about it. Was it wishful thinking? Maybe, but it was gone. I’ve also always been interested in essential oils too. After listening to two of my kids cough again last night, I found myself today in front of a health food store I’ve visited before, but never purchased from until today. There it was. Organic Eucalyptus Oil… on sale! Will it work? It wont hurt to try it. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;">Fix It Make It Grow It Bake It is printed on FSC-certified paper. </span></span> <script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript">
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" data-via="ecogal" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-33573867369976366492010-11-06T15:05:00.000-05:002010-11-06T15:05:19.488-05:00Girly Girl Giveaways: Ecoware Forks Review and GiveawayEat some of that organic food with some eco-friendly utensils.<br /><br /><a href="http://girlygirlgiveaways.blogspot.com/2010/11/ecoware-forks-review-and-giveaway.html">Girly Girl Giveaways: Ecoware Forks Review and Giveaway</a>: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-6739380948001815402010-11-04T20:12:00.000-05:002010-11-04T20:12:38.851-05:00I Love My CSA | Food Lovers WebsiteThis is an article I wrote for Food Lovers Website about my CSA membership and why I think it is so important to be a member. <a href="http://foodloverswebsite.com/articles/i-love-my-csa/">I Love My CSA | Food Lovers Website</a>: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5116173171133023879.post-13810617064481486822010-11-02T21:53:00.000-05:002010-11-02T21:53:35.735-05:00Tuesday Lens Favorite: The Now Make It Healthy Lens Winners!!! | Gloria's PlaceRead about the winners for my healthy food challenge...<br /><br /><a href="http://canelaajena.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/tuesday-lens-favorite-the-now-make-it-healthy-lens-winners/">Tuesday Lens Favorite: The Now Make It Healthy Lens Winners!!! | Gloria's Place</a>: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10685890728255136915noreply@blogger.com0