Grubs!

(Cathy) Grubs. With the ban on pesticides, (with which I have no issues with) Hubby and I have noticed that most lawns this past summer took a beating. The lawns were eaten up and patchy with shallow roots. The lawn was very easy to pick up in pieces. Grubs! The grub population has soared with the ban on pesticides. As with any time there is a change to the ecosystem, good or bad, there is a consequence. As the saying goes, "time heals". If we just left well enough alone the ecosystem would balance itself out. Of course there are good years and bad, especially with the changing weather patterns. So, back to the grubs, what to do?
Nematodes:

Web definitions:

(nematode) unsegmented worms with elongated rounded body pointed at both ends; mostly free-living but some are parasitic. wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

 In very plain speak, the nematodes attack the grubs, feed on them and use them thereby reducing their numbers. The idea is to spread them on your lawn in cool weather, so in the early spring or fall. They need to be kept well watered and with luck there should be a reduction in your grub population.

Off to the garden centre Hubby went and spent about thirty dollars for a pack of "live" nematodes. The package comes with a wet sponge that has been infused with one million nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic. The directions call for us to soak the sponge in a bucket of water to release the nematodes. That very "clear" water is then applied with a pump sprayer onto the lawn. I tried using a magnifying glass to see if any nematodes (according to package directions) were left behind in the sponge. I couldn't see a thing! 
Hubby and I were laughing that this entire affair was like the emperor's new clothes!

Hubby applied the nematodes to our lawn a few weeks ago and he says he has already noticed a decline in the number of grubs per square foot of lawn. Let's hope the lawn does better next year.

Now, what do we do with an infestation of nematodes?

Fall Harvest of Garden Herbs using a Microwave Oven

(Cathy) I love to cook. As a result I have amassed a large collection of spices and herbs. Many of the fresh herbs that I use come straight from my garden. Nothing beats their flavour in cooking! The main issue for me at the end of the growing season is what to do with all of the fresh herbs still thriving. Over the years my mom and I have tried both drying and freezing our bounty of herbs. We have not liked the result. The frozen herbs do retain their colour and flavour somewhat but they are soggy and are only good for soups or stews. As for drying we have tried both hanging the herbs in bunches and placing them in a single layer on old window screens. The window screen method did work out the best for us but takes up a lot of space and time.

In my garden I grow: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme; (anyone singing yet?), added to that is dill, mint, chives, cilantro and tarragon, oregano, bay laurel, basil and lemon thyme. Most of them are grown direct in the garden. The bay laurel, some basil and some rosemary are grown in pots which I can bring indoors for the winter. Over the years I have read many books and articles on the subject of drying and preserving herbs and one method has always piqued my interest: the use of the microwave oven for drying herbs. This year I turned to the trusty Internet to see what methods people prefer. There was an abundance of enthusiasm for the use of the microwave oven! I found one blog post that I really liked: http://simpledailyrecipes.com/5921/how-to-dry-fresh-herbs-in-a-microwave/

In her blog, Simple Daily Recipes, by Jill McKeever, she outlines step by step with photos the entire process start to finish. So, after reading Jill's post I went outside and started with my chives. Great success! I moved on to sage and I was off on a roll! The entire process takes little time and the result is so bright and fresh! 

I am so pleased with the result and look forward to enjoying my herb bounty all year long!

Cathy

I am SO in Love

Remember New Love, the anticipation of being together, the constant wonder of discovering something new each time you are together. The first thought when you wake up and the last as you fall asleep. Well that me and it is amazing, its all I can talk about, I go through my daily chores so looking forward to be together, it's like a drug and I am an addict. My family is making fun of me but I don't care they are just jealous. Because I am so happy i spend my time convincing others about how wonderful my new love is.

Who or what is this magical thing that has captured my heart you ask? Only because my new love will get better the more I share, I am will to let you in on my happiness.

Are you sitting down?

Ready?

My new love is Pinterest. http://http://pinterest.com/

Every time I go to the site there is something new, it is amazing. I am not an overly crafty person but this site makes me want to run to Michaels http://www.michaels.com/ and go crazy. String Easter eggs, melted crayon canvas, paper flower wreathes. I tell you it is simply amazing. Don't even get me going on the all the recipes. Peanut butter everything!!!, Then there is fashion , gardening, home design and decorating, and on and on and on. I am totally addicted and in love.

The teenager has been making fun of me as I am constantly calling her to come see this and look at that and wow this is so cool. She laughs at me and says I am OLD. "Mom it's like you just discovered the Internet"

Carolin

It's November First

Is it spring???

or is it fall???

My garden cannot decide!

Pictures of Spring in my Garden. Enjoy!

Summer Garden Update

There are a few things I love about the month of August. First of all, I am usually on vacation! The weather in August is pretty typical: hot, hazy and humid. The humidity breaks with violent thunder storms which blow in and out just as fast. It's during the month of August that the garden is at it's fullest. The annuals in pots or in the garden have filled out with loads of colour. The vegetable garden is providing a fresh summer feast and the perennials have grown again. Summer garden chores consist of weeding and pruning and especially deadheading to prolong bloom. There is always something to do and gardening helps to keep you in shape with all of the bending and reaching, (another great side benefit!). Here are a few photos of my garden this summer. Enjoy!

Take it Off, Baby!

I wrote this blog a good while ago. But thought I would repost it as my stripping days are now officially over!

Origianlly posted June 11/09

Well I can’t find a job and I am looking for something to keep myself busy. So after some thought I have decided to start stripping. I have done it before but it was a few years ago. The problem I had before was the area I had to work in was small and it was hard to get your groove on and move around. I thought this time I would try it out in the bedroom. I first gave it a practice try to see how easy it was to get the layers off. I scanned the bedroom looking for right spot to start. I turned on the alarm clock-radio to something smooth and jazzy. I wanted something that would loosen me up and make the stripping seem like fun and not just another job. I wasn't sure how it all would come off. I started in a corner where nobody would see me. Just as I started to take the first layer off my husband came in the bedroom and asked me what I was doing? I told him "I decided to do some stripping". He looked around then said, “ah, see ya, I'm going golfing should be back by dinner", and walked down the stairs and out the door. I had hoped we could strip together, kind of thought it might be fun and heaven knows after 24 years of marriage the bedroom could use some livening up.

After about 20 minutes, I think I was getting good at taking it off, at least the outer layer. I was having a harder time with next layer, it was like it was glued on. I thought maybe some lubrication could help. So I got a bucket of water, I tried not to just pour it over myself, but by the time I got the final layer off I was soaked and cold (if you know what I mean). Just as I was about to give up on this stripping thing and put some warm clothes on ‘the teenager’ walked in.

She first asked what’s with the 'pole dancing' music and then turned to find me in the corner soaking wet. A look of horror on her face, her eyes bugging out she started to back out of the room. She sorta gagged out a, “Mother, what are you doing?” By this time I was past my embarrassment and started to get angry that she was so horrified to see me. I growled out something like, “what does it look like I am doing, I'm stripping?” She then said, "Mother, let me show you how it is done", and promptly went to the other side of the room and got down on her hands and knees. She slowly stood up while never losing time to the music and was able to get all of her layers off in one clean move. She then turned to me and said, “Mom, that’s how it's done” and proceeded to sashay out the room.

The women in me was quite impressed, how she could move like that and get it all off so easily? But then just as quick the mom in me thought, I am not so sure this is what her father and I had hoped for her when she finished high school. But, on the other hand she is obviously good at it and we did raise her to appreciate her talents and to do something she love, so who am I to judge.

After what seemed like forever I was exhausted and needed a break. I went in the bathroom to have a shower. I don’t know about you but after hours of stripping I felt sticky and dirty all over. After my nice hot shower and some clean clothes on I went back into the bedroom to have a look around. What a mess, the bucket of water was now cold, the announcer on the radio was reading the latest weather report and in the middle of the bedroom was this pile of a days worth of stripping. My question to all of you is what colour should I paint my new wallpaperless walls?

I now live in a house with NO wallpaper. This past Saturday I finally got around to the guest room and stripped all the walls for the last time. :))

Gardening chores

Here is a quick reminder that there is a lot to do now to get ready for gardening this coming spring. You need to decide what you are going to plant. If you are planting seeds it's necessary to make sure your seed starting equipment is ready to go. This entails cleaning, especially if you put it off last fall! Wash all your seed starter trays, tools, pots, etc., in natural soap and water. Rinse well in water cut with bleach (4 parts water to 1 part bleach). Cleanliness cannot be stressed enough if you want to avoid disease problems.

Next is soil. Use a soilless mix. Seeds in pots do not need dirt to germinate. Just a sterile mix which is mixed specifically for that purpose. As for the seeds, read the package to determine the best time to plant. Try not to start your seeds too early or they might get too leggy. Also, some seeds need special treatment prior to planting. Again, check the package for directions. If unsure, there are plenty of resources available from books to the Internet to make sure.

Some seeds need light to germinate and some dark. All will need a good light source once sprouted. I use a fluorescent 2 bulb light fixture hanging on an adjustable chain. Keep the light on a timer for about 12 hours a day. Adjust the lights so they are about 6 inches above the top leaves of the plants.

Remember to label all seed trays!!

I like to water from the bottom of the seed flats using a capillary mat. They can be purchased from garden stores likehttp://www.leevalley.com/( I love Lee Valley Tools, I shop there a lot so by now they must love me, too!). Make sure the seed starter mix does not dry out. You can also water gently from above with a water mist. Once the true leaves have sprouted the plants can use a gentle fertilizer, (again, follow package directions).

When the plants are looking like themselves it's time to transplant to larger containers. You can avoid this step by planting in peat pots or make pots from old newspapers. This allows you to plant directly in the garden after they have been hardened off. Hardening off is allowing the seedlings to become acclimatized to the outdoors slowly over approximately a two week period.

This can be an exciting time of year. One small package of seeds can yield so much! Take this time to plan out your garden, your garden containers and garden beds. See what you can start with seeds. There are so many choices from both flowers to vegetables which can help save money this garden season.

Happy seed starting!

Happy New Year

What a whirl win of a year its been. For me and my family (sisters and dad and close friends) it has been a very trying decade. It really hit me when everyone was saying how they hoped that the next year would be better then this year and my sister chimed in and said that she was so happy that this decade was over because it has been a really crappy decade. So much has happened (too much to even get into) and unfortunately a lot of it has been as bad as things can be. It is hard to even think about all of it because when I do it really makes me feel a little bit dizzy and I immediately start to feel my heart racing. So for me I try very hard to keep those thoughts at bay as much as possible or at least I try not to try and deal with them all in the same time frame. I do find that emotions sneak up on me at times and I just try to ride that wave when it happens.

I am thankful that New Years Eve was spent with family and my closest friends. Everyone at my home that evening holds a very special place in my heart. I love to see everyone and it is a gift to bring in the new year with such love. I hope that our lives will continue to be intertwined and that we can help each other through the tough times and be there to share in the happy moments.

Happy New Year to all of our readers from our home to yours.

How to remove underarm stains and odour

I have a question. What is the best way to remove underarm stains and odour? I have begun to notice yellow stains and odour which will not wash out. I only wear the shirts once before placing in the laundry. I try to do the laundry every week, however that could stretch to a week and a half before the piles get big enough for a load. I have tried, 'spray and wash, and the 'pc' brand stain remover. I have also tried all of the various oxy-cleans. I have soaked for the 10 minutes and even longer for the oxy-clean and still the yellowing and odour persist. I have used Tide, Sunlight, PC brand and am now using ECOS, which is a green product.

I have been advised by some people to change my deodorant as the aluminum content is causing the yellowing. What do you suggest? I would like my clothes to look and smell clean after I wash them. Is is the deodorant or my diet or age (Carolin, I'm not harping on my age, I'm just wondering if this is a natural occurrence, chronologically speaking).

Please, any and all advice is gratefully accepted.

Thanks

Putting the Garden to Bed

Well, I guess I have to start facing up to the fact that summer never happened and will not happen for this year. I guess I will have to start putting my garden to bed for winter. Everyone has their own philosophy regarding this topic and all ideas have their merit. Make your choice based on the time you have. A few simple basics will have your garden set and almost ready to go for the next spring.


-Containers:

Depending on what the containers are made of is how I determine what I will do with them. If they are a heavy plastic, I will remove the by now frostbitten annuals and add them to the compost heap. I will leave the soil in the container and group them together in an out of the way sheltered part of the yard.

If the containers are clay, I will remove all plants and soil and keep in the garden shed. Clay containers left outside with soil can expand and contract with moisture during the winter which could cause them to crack.


-perennial garden beds:

I tend to just leave the perennials alone. I like to leave the seed heads for the birds. I also find that the stems give the garden some structure and interest over the winter. I will remove any stems or leaves with disease or fungus or mildew. Don't put those in the compost heap and remember to clean your pruners, afterword.


-vegetable garden beds:

I do tidy my vegetable garden. I remove the tomato plants and will add some sand and compost. I will trim the herbs and bring the cuttings in to dry for the winter. I will place any leftover plants in the compost heap. You can leave your carrots and other root vegetables as you may be able to dig up during the warmer parts of winter. I still continue to snip my thyme during the winter. I leave my parsley to seed itself for next spring, ( if I'm lucky).


-lawn/aerate and add concrete sand:

With the lawn, I aerate, add sand and if I have any I will add lawn seed and some organic fertilizer. I will rake it into the lawn, (actually, I get one of the boys to look after the lawn) and the lawn is done.


-taking cuttings of annuals and herbs:

I have a potting room in my basement with lights and watering trays. I try to take in cuttings of my ivy geraniums and any other annual that did really well. I will root them and then plant them in pots as they grow. I will continue to take cuttings of the cuttings and hopefully by the next spring I will have enough again to fill some containers! I will also pot up some herbs to bring inside for winter, too. The herbs I will leave by a sunny window in the kitchen.

I will also collect seeds from the petunias and marigolds, nigella (love-in-a-mist), and balsam. I will make sure that the seed is completely dry before placing in a sealed paper labeled envelope. Come next March, I will have seed to plant. One plant produces quite a bit of seed. Pick the plant you liked the best and allow the seed head to fully mature. It will be brown and dried. Please take note that with all the hybridizing that not all seed will produce the same colour plant. In that case, take cuttings.


-cleaning tools: bleach and a container with sand and oil:

CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! I cannot stress the importance of cleaning your tools. They will last longer and not transfer disease from plant to plant. To disinfect, add one part bleach to 10 parts water and spritz on the tools. Find an old wide mouth container. Add in a bag of concrete sand, (yes, I like concrete sand) and then pour in some used motor oil. At any time when you need to clean your shovels, spades, pruners or whatever tool, simply dip the tool into the bucket and the sand will clean and lubricate as will as keep the edges sharp! Rub any wood handles with oil to keep from drying out and cracking.


-garden decorations:

One of the last things I do is to walk around the yard and gather up any garden decorations which cannot take the winter. Clean the dirt off and place in one container in the shed. This way they are all together for next spring.

I always find it a little sad putting the garden to bed. However, one of the best things about gardening in the winter is the seed catalogues which come out late winter. It's also a good time to look at the pictures taken over the past season and plan for the next!

Gardening is a continual work of art, enjoy it in all it's seasons!

THE SKUNK HAS FINALLY BEEN TAKEN CARE OF AND I CAN SAVE YOU A LOT OF MONEY. YOU CAN DEFINITELLY DO THIS JOB YOURSELF!!!!!

This is what my front porch has looked like for quite some time now. There is skunk living under the porch. Even though we clean the area up and replace the bricks on the walkway, we constantly wake up to this mess.

Mr. Sunshine has managed to keep the skunk out of its favourite neighbourhood den by blocking the entrance with very large pieces of stone. There are also shirts drenched with ammonia under there and a lot of golf balls and gravel to fill the empty area. It doesn't really matter what we do. Only the boulders have denied him access so far. He still tries to get in.

Well as everyone knows we have been battling a skunk problem for a few years now. He was living under my front porch and destroying the front walkway.

Mr Sunshine finally stopped him from getting back in with large chunks of brick but that looked horrible so we needed to have the problem fixed. Well, to fix the problem costs about $500.

First, they will install a two way door at the start of the tunnel that has been dug and leave it there for about 10 days. Apparently, the skunk living under the porch has got to get hungry and leave the den within the 10 days. He will leave and not be able to gain access back into the den. This two way door costs anywhere from $250-$350.

Once the skunk is gone then they will dig and install wire to your front porch and guarantee that the skunk or any other animal will not get back in. That costs anywhere from $22-$30 dollars a linear foot depending on the company.

Well, the skunk was gone thanks to Mr. Sunshine and it could not get back in. I told Mr Sunshine that I was going to call and get the screen installed so that the problem is solved because even though the skunk could not get back in we had to restore some sort of order once again. We had to remove the large boulders, screen the porch and put the brick walkway back together. Once we did all that, the skunk would hopefully get board and leave us for good. Well, several phone calls later and I finally found a company who would come out and fix the problem for $250 dollars for approximately 6 linear feet. All of the other 17 companies were not interested because they said that they make their money on the door and its not worth their while just to install the screening. They all told me to call a contractor but if the skunk were to get back in and I was interested in a two way door then call them back.

I know that $250 is a lot of money but it was worth not having Mr Sunshine and myself frustrated any longer not to mention to safety issue with the walkway being constantly ripped up. So after a few days of thinking about it I called the company and they came the next morning.

First they dig a trench about 12" straight down and out.

Remember that you have to make sure that your skunk is gone before doing this. You don't want to close him in there for several reasons.

Then they add a heavy duty wire mesh to the area (I think that he said that it was 16 or 17 or 19 gage. I don't really remember).

Then they screw the wire mesh into the concrete with large ugly bolts. At this time I was doing a lot of questioning as to how this was going to look once it was done. The installer assured me that it would be barely noticeable.

Well, then they put it all somewhat back together which apparently is really not part of their job but he didn't want to leave it the way that it was and risk the kids getting hurt. That was very nice of him.

I don't know what you think but it is pretty noticeable and really ugly looking to me.

Now I have to find a solution for the eye sore that is screwed into my porch. Any suggestions anyone?

In the end after witnessing myself what they actually do, myself or Mr Sunshine could have done the same thing for a lot less money. They installed the same mesh to the front and side of the porch. It has been about a month now and things are good. We saw some signs of skunk digging on the weekend but it was only on the side in the soil. He must have gotten bored just like they said he would and left. The digging was very minimal and easily fixed with a shovel.

Good luck if this happens to you. I am very confident that you could do the job yourself if you choose to, after all it can't look any worse then this does and it really does do the job. If you choose to have it taken care of by a professional then do some research because the prices differ from company to company.

The peach tree has no peaches

We have a peach tree in our back yard. This is our third summer with the tree. Last year we got a pretty good crop of peaches and I remember calling Carolin for some dessert recipes that I could make with peaches. I made peach crumble, peach pie and a peach cake. My favourite was the cake.

This year the tree has grown so much but after the fruit started to appear, many of the leaves were diseases. We sprayed the tree and I also took off all of the diseased branches. (We forgot to spary it at the start of the year before the flowers appeared). There were so many little baby peaches on the tree that I felt that it was OK to discard the diseases branches even though they had baby peaches on them. I was still left with a good crop of peaches which I was sure would grow even better now that the tree could concentrate on providing food for fewer peaches.

Well part way during the summer my youngest asked when the peaches would be ready. We went to check the tree and we could not find any fruit on it. What happened? Did they all fall and got eaten by squirrels? A few days later we found one very large lonely but very good looking peach. We kept watching that peach every day. One day we went outside and the tree had grown so big that we could not find the lonely peach any longer. we figured that it too had dropped and was eaten by the squirrels.

Well last week I went out onto my deck and I have one wicker chair with a cushion on it. Sitting on my chair was my one lonely beautiful peach half chewed from some squirrel I'm sure. I could not figure out why the squirrel left it on the chair. We laughed as we thought of the little squirrel who was surely just trying to mock us. The squirrel must have had a good chuckle at our expense. My little one was so anticipating the fresh peaches that she asked if we should cut up the good part that was left from the eaten peach and share it as a family.

We never did do that but I left the rest of the peach in a flower pot and the next day, the other half was gone too.

Better luck next year.

Off the Grid!

I'm back!

We had no phone or Internet service for 3 days.

Last Thursday I had some calls to make. It was some time in the afternoon when I realized we had a problem. Each number I called rang busy, like calling overseas, a fast busy signal. When I tried to call our home number with our cell phone all I heard was constant ringing, no answering machine. I used my cell to contact our phone provider and they could not detect a problem from their end, however, they would send a technician out in the morning to check.


The next morning as I was walking the dog, I happened upon the technician at the junction box. I inquired if he was their on our behalf. He thought it was funny that I found him. I knew there would be a technician there, there always is! He assured us the problem was not originating from our home. It seems some water infiltrated a trunk line a few streets away and had caused our line to cross. They had to change our phone number to a new trunk line. I was advised that this would take a few hours.


All day Friday, whenever we picked up one of our phones, we heard silence, not even a dial tone.

Finally, Friday evening I once again used my cell phone to contact the phone providers customer service department. They advised me that the issue had been resolved and it was up to us to reset the phones. Reset the phones? What is that all about? How are we supposed to know this? All we have is dead air! She advised it is up to us to disconnect all phones and Internet and then we are to go around with one phone and plug it into each line, one at a time and then we should have dial tone! I thought she was nuts, however, we disconnected all our phones and Internet and reconnected.... to silence once again!


Now, I am starting to get angry. I once again called customer service and they said they would send out a technician the next day, Saturday (today). The time frame they gave me was anywhere from 8am until 5pm! I told them that that was highly unacceptable and they should have someone to our home by 8am, sharp!


I woke up at 8am to a beautiful Saturday morning and promptly contacted customer service, (on my cell which is now down to a few minutes). The gentleman I spoke with, (here in Canada), gave me the direct number to the repair office here in our city. The gentleman I reached checked and confirmed that the problem was their's. He said someone had already been out to the junction box that morning and found our line physically disconnected. They reconnected and closed the job ticket without confirming that we had service! Well, we didn't! The gentleman advised he would send someone out immediately to check and fix. He also confirmed that said technician would speak with us directly to make sure all was ok.


Thirty minutes later the technician was at our home telling us he had fixed the problem. We had dial tone and he was able to call our home. The Internet was also now working, (the kids are very happy). He also told us that there was no need to 'reset' the phones. He confirmed what I had thought, when the line was fixed we would have dial tone. As I am writing this I just received an automated phone call from the service provider advising us the problem was with them and has now been fixed.


It feels great to be back, although, my husband and I did admit that the silence was very relaxing. It was almost similar to the big power outage of a few years back. As we had no phone or Internet, we filled our time with other pursuits!

My Mutant Garden

Now that we have entered September and my flower gardens have passed there prime. I have concentrated my efforts more on the vegetable garden. I go out each day and have a look for brussel sprouts. I think I see teeny tiny brussels sprouting. The peas are just about spent for the year. I have pulled a few carrots and though the tops are starting to turn yellow the carrots themselves are only a couple of inches long. I guess I will leave them in the ground for now. We have eaten our fill of swiss chard and there is still more growing. The tomatoes are all turning red. Each day I go out a pick a big bowlful. I did give a Ziploc bag of tomatoes to Cathy and Sunshine yesterday. Still planning on going away just might be in November now and I want Sunshine to take my kids. Actually she can have one of them!

Anyway back to my garden. Yesterday I was telling the Cathy and Sunshine about my sunflower. And Cathy's son said it sounded like maybe there had been some crazy science experiments done in our yard in times past. Because as you might remember I have Iris that change colours depending on what mood they are in, and even more Iris that just grow in the most random spots. And now I have over productive Sunflowers. The first one I am showing you was planted at the same time as all the other from the same seed packet. But a bird or squirrel or something chopped of the one bud.

A few weeks later I notice that the same stalk is now covered in buds. This one plant will give us about 15 flowers! I then went to another sunflower and purposely cut of the one bud to see if it happens again. But so far nothing has happened.

I was looking at the tallest sunflowers trying to decided which one is the tallest to enter in to the Fall Fair when I noticed this sunflower. At this point it looks like a Sunflower is growing in the centre of another Sunflower. I wonder if the Fall Fair has a category for mutant flowers?

I am assuming we will have another three weeks of nice weather so the vegetable garden can finish all it growing and ripening. I have learned a lot from our first vegetable garden in over 10 years and though it was pretty successful I am already planning what we will plant next year. I also would love if the husband would increase the size of the vegetable garden, but somehow I don't think I will be able to convince him of that as the garden will then encroach on the badminton playing part of the lawn.

Needing Incentive

For some reason, right now, I am extremely tired. I could close my eyes and sleep! But, alas no, it's time to make dinner. Tonights dinner is easy. Pasta with a seafood alfredo sauce, mmmm. ( Sunshine would say yuck to the seafood! ), and salad. I am toying with the idea of garlic bread, however, too many carbs.

I think this week of running around has caught up with me. Also, it's day one.... if you get my drift and there is no chocolate to be found anywhere!!!!!

I know I will feel so much better if I could just get off the couch and go into the kitchen and put the pot on the stove and start...............maybe just five more minutes.....

Oh, oh, Hubby just walked in the door....time to get off my butt!

THE FASCINATING CICADAS

We were recently in Pennsylvania for a few days on a family road trip. While driving towards our hotel I can remember hearing a strange sound coming from outside. I opened my car window and the sound was loud and like no other that I had ever heard before. It seemed to be coming from the trees. We were in a subdivision that had really large houses and very large properties and the trees were massive. I don't even really know how to describe the sound. It was kind of like a buzzing with a pause in between but not really. My husband thought that it might be coming from the massive electrical wires. We kept driving and I was fascinated and I needed to know what it was. No one walking around seemed to bother much with the strange sound. We got to our hotel and I inquired about it and you could still hear the sound from inside the lobby of the hotel every time the front sliding door would open. One of the front desk clerks looked at us as though we were a little strange saying that she had not been outside and did not know what sound we were talking about. The older lady immediately said that it must be the cicadas. She said that they appear every 17 years or so. Well I am not a bug lover but this one has definitely caught my attention. We just don't seem to get these kinds of bugs in southern Ontario. Here is what I have learned about this fascinating bug.

THE AMAZING CICADAS

The cicadas have large eyes wide apart on the head and have transparent, well veined wings.
There are about 2500 species of cicadas around the world.
They live in temperated or tropical climates.
They are one of the most recognizable bugs because of their large size and acoustic talents.
Their name is directly derives from the Latin cicada, meaning buzzer.
Also known as dry flies because of the dry shell that they leave behind.
Many people all around the world eat cicadas and the female is prized as it is meatier.
They do not bite or sting but can cause damage to cultivated crops and trees and shrubs.

THE CICADAS LIFESTYLE

There are different life cycles depending on their location some are every 2 to 5 years and another species is every 13 years but the ones that we have had the pleasure to listen to emerge every 17 years.
They live underground as nymphs (babies ) for most of their lives. When they are born they fall from the trees and use their strong front legs to burrow under ground. They will be from 1 to 81/2 feed below the ground. They feed on root juice. They construct an exit tunnel and emerge from the ground 17 years later. Millions of them emerge at virtually the same time. They climb up the trees that they have been feeding on. There can be several million on just one acre of land. We don't really know how this happens and it is believed that they have developed a response to predators who cannot possible eat all of them. Their sole purpose now is to find a mate and breed. The Cicadas first discard their outer shells and are now full grown adults for about the next 2 days. The dry outer shell is left stuck to the tree bark or on the floor. The males now start to make a very distinct buzzing sound to attract he females. They do most of their singing during the hottest hours of the day. The females make a clicking sound back to attract the males. They mate and the female will then lay the eggs. The female cuts slits into the bark of the trees and lays several hundred eggs and deposits them into the slits. When the eggs hatch the new born nymphs drop to the ground where they burrow for the next 17 years.

I know, I know a bit gross but fascinating at the same time. I must say that I feel privileged to have been able to hear the cicadas song.

click below if you would like to see a short clip on the cicadas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjLiWy2nT7U&feature=fvst

Tips on Being Cheap (part one)

Today while at the farmers market I ran into Cathy and her husband. We chatted about what was new with respect to the school cafeteria business. Then she mentioned again I should really blog about saving money, using coupons, getting loyalty points etc. In other words she wants me to tell you all just how cheap and frugal I can be! Now that I have admitted to the blog world that I am cheap, where should I start teaching you how to be cheap as well?

1) Want to save approximately $100.00 a month. First of all cut the cable/satellite from your TV. You can get a antenna (looks like a mushroom) and have hubby install it on the roof. With your antenna you will get about 10 Canadian channels and if you have the new HD box you should pick up another 5 American channels. Before you cut the cable first log what channels your family watches on a regular basis. Also look at the shows you and yours enjoy watching then chart it and see if these channel are ones you would normally get free anyway. Also with the shows, are they on channels you would normally get free anyway. Here in southern Ontario Rodgers basic cable is close to $40.00 month and you get a few more channels than what you would normally get with out Rogers. Spend a month or two being honest with yourself and tracking your TV habits. We have not had cable TV for 13 years now and every once in a while I think maybe we should get it. But then I look into the prices and think No Way! Also with the Internet and the library you can watch what ever you want if you are willing to be patient.

2) Use your library! In our city you can borrow movies for a week and complete TV show seasons for two weeks FREE. Yes, you may have to wait your turn depending on when you have placed the hold, but if it is not important to you to be the first one to see a movie or show then this is a great way to save money. Also,use your library for the traditional book borrowing. I am a regular at Chapters, but I very rarely purchase a book from them. What I do is take a pen and paper and write down the title of books that interest me and then in the comfort of my home I request these books on line from my local library. When my turn comes I then have three weeks to read the book FREE! I also will borrow magazines from the library all for FREE. Another place for books is garage sales, but I don't ever pay more then a $1.00 for a hardcover!

3) Get yourself another email address. Most Internet providers give you numerous email addresses with your package. Create an email address and use this one to give to companies when they ask for your email address. Just recently Old Navy (Canada) asked for my email address and in return they sent me a $10.00 off coupon. By having the second email address you avoid the junk mail clogging up your personal stuff. I haven't done this yet but will be doing it soon, so family and friends look out for an email address change from us soon. Also sign up to different companies (if they are brands you use) web sites. Use your new email address and most of these companies will send you coupons for products you use and they are normally pretty good coupons.

4) Most stores have loyalty programs and if you are regular shopper at the store then it is worth signing up for the program. Now some stores make you pay for the loyalty program, with those ones be very careful and make sure you will get your money's worth. I am hesitant to pay for the loality program cards as I find I never seem to get my moneys worth. The free programs, I say join, join, join! I am a big fan of the Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum rewards program. I have received thousands of dollars in free products since the program started. Firstly, I go into the store and buy a gift certificate for the store, as you get points for the GC purchase. Then I do my shopping I try to only buy what is on sale and what I have coupons for, also I do my SDM shopping only when they have 20 x the points events. Now that a lot of the SDMs also sell food like milk (one of the cheapest places to buy milk), butter (when on sale they even have unsalted for the sale price) you can do a bit of grocery shopping as well. And also SDM is one of the cheapest places for eggs. Once you have saved 75000 points (really is not hard) you can cash them in for $150.00 worth of SDM products. There are some restriction but very few and I have never had a problem. What I do is save my points all year long and then before Christmas, I watch the flyers for the Saturday they have their points upgrade day. At this time you can cash in 75000 points and get $200.00 worth of products. I then will do all my Christmas stocking stuffers, and any other gifts I need. It is not unusual for my husband and myself to spend two hours at SDM and we will come out with $600.00 worth of stuff and only have had to pay the taxes! What is nice, especially at Christmas, is the stores have a lot of neat and different gift ideas and you can get products that you might not normally buy because of the cost. It's a time to splurge, we have bought ours and the teenagers camera's at SDM and it didn't cost us anything. We are saving our points this year and hoping to get a Wii for the family Christmas gift.

I also have a Master Card that lets me collect points on every purchase and then when I want I can cash them in for free groceries. This is another point system I save for the Christmas season and then I can buy the nice fancy cheese's, chocolates, and some grocerystores carry more than just food. All this is free for me. And as a added bonus I even earn points on my free purchases. Keep an eye on your monthly statements as sometimes they will have bonus points coupons you can use.

It seems now of days companies are desperate for our business and there are all kinds of loyality programs. My advice is to look for the ones at the stores you regularly shop at and join them. Be careful with the ones you pay for. Also when it comes to credit card loyality programs (like air miles) only get a card that you don't have to pay a yearly charge for. I know the CIBC Visa has a air miles card but it will cost you $100.00 dollars a year for the card. And with air miles you need so many points for even the smallest thing, it might not be worth it. I do have an air miles card and collect points when I can but I don't normally go out of my way to get the points. The corner grocery store near me has a air miles program so it does come in handy. Last year when we went to Disneyworld we were able to cash in the air miles for one child and one adult 5 day disney pass. And of course that was free but it had taken me over 5 years to save for those points!

My advice to all of you cheapskates like me is you must be organized and patient. Stay tuned to part two when I share some of my grocery shopping tips.

THE SKUNK IS BACK!!!!!!

OH THAT DESTRUCTIVE SKUNK!!!!!

I have been talking about the skunk living under my porch for a while now. Well he was gone and is now back again and he is once again being very persistent. As you can see the skunk has dug up some of the path way and a lot of the soil and is digging a trench to try and get back into its favourite home in the neighbourhood. It has dug deep enough to expose electrical material and every morning when we wake up we are not sure what we will find.

Gardens Gone Wild

I haven't blogged about my garden lately, and I know you are all waiting with baited breath for new pictures and my prose on gardening, so here it goes.




The vegetable garden is pretty well out of control. Everything is growing like crazy and I cant seem to keep up with it. I was out there having a look today after the wicked thunderstorm we had last night and 4 of the tomatoes plants, cages and all are laying sideways. I can't find the swiss chard cause the tomatoes plants are so big. The brussel sprouts are huge but I don't see a brussel anywhere.









My first question for all you experts is, do I have to do anything with the brussel sprouts, someone one mentioned that I need to cover them at night to keep the humidity in? When do brussel sprouts start to brussel?





My tomato plants are massive but I did notice that some of the leaves are yellow with black spots on them. I was going to cut off all the yellow leaves but the ground is to messy right now.








I did take off the bottom half of the Sunflower plants leaves hoping to get more sunlight on the plants growing below them. Everyday I can go out and pick a handful of peas but they too have grown close to 6 feet high and are now flopping over each other.

I haven't been able to work on another flower bed like I had hoped before I left for camp. Remember I was going to dig it up and replant and move some stuff around. Just give it a good cleaning up. But since I hurt my ankle (still swollen three weeks later) I don't have the strength in that foot for heavy digging, even standing on it for any length of time hurts.

Good news I just asked the teenager and she has agreed to help me tomorrow morning at 9:00 am to dig up one of the gardens. I better set my alarm clock!




My Lupin is looking pretty sad right now. It looked great in May when it was in full bloom but now the leaves are black and yellow and not so good. I cut off some of the worst ones and can't honestly remember if the lupin did this last year or not. Have a look at the picture and tell me should I be concerned?





As I look out the window at the back garden there seems to be so much to do, and the storm we had last night hasn't helped matters as the badminton net has been blown down and we now have a patio umbrella in the back garden under the spruce trees that must of flown over a fence or maybe Mary Poppins has come to stay with us (yippee!). The radio announcers says we are expecting another storm soon. I can tell a storm is coming because of the thick humidity. Yesterday when I opened the front door to let a friend in the big mirror we have between the storm doors and front doors all steamed up like a bathroom mirror after a shower. Right now the sun is shinning (calm before the storm) but you can't breath outside it is so thick with humidity. This morning while doing some errands the little one complained she was having a hard time breathing (she has asthma) and like the good mom I am of course I didn't bring the meds with us. Good thing Mary Poppins is around somewhere to help fix our family. I wonder does she garden too?