"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

I love driving the back roads while heading to some destination

I am always looking..............for old abandoned houses............
wild critters that look back at me in as much amazement.........
and

for wildflowers............or fields of sunflowers. The photo does not show just how beautiful this scene really was. When first driving up..........all one can see is a sea of bright, vibrant, yellow.
(click on photo for a better view)

I walked out into the field to take a few photos and had to smile as I looked down to see other footprints in the sand, from those before me who were also inspired.

All I kept thinking as I looked upon these acres of yellow heads turning up to the sun, was that I should be using my acreage in the same way.
I would have the happiest bunch of wild birds come harvest time if I did.

Instead, I grow on a smaller scale, allowing the wild prairie sunflower to choose it's growing space......

enjoying the wild creatures that come to visit the garden because of them.

 I planted a fall harvest mix this year as well........
their vibrant colors inspiring me to get creative with my embroidery and to look forward to fall time.
How about you?
What are the fields around you growing and showing?
I would love to hear!


Monday, July 16, 2012

Front porches...........it seems everyone loves a front porch........

don't you agree?

The very first image I saw (and will always lovingly remember) when we were looking at buying our home in the country..........
was this............
a picture on the Internet, showing only the old front door and the large porch entry........
with the most wonderful definition of "country living" to steal my heart away.
The porch still has the original light fixtures, which I love.


Our home is now a little over 100 years old. The bricks on the porch are from an old ice house that was in a neighboring town and that had been demolished decades ago.

An old church pew that we purchased from a flea market sits at the very end of the porch, while a rocking chair and porch swing  are on the inside wall. The old ladder back chair by the front door once belonged to my grandparents.


I would love to add cushions and pillows to the furniture.........
I spend a good part of my stitching day, out on the front porch. The lighting is great to stitch in and the quietness and the view are both inspiring...........................
however, spiders, centipedes, and the other scary creatures I have shown you in recent posts seem to make their home in cushions and fabric.
 So, dear readers..........those of you who have beautiful porch furniture...............
how do you keep such creatures out of your porch decor?
I would love to have any helpful hints.

I do use mothballs, such as in this old RC cola case. I love old coke cases and although I do have a few popular "Coke" cases, I chose the RC case for the front porch, because it is different and because in the very middle.........

is an old RC bottle that I found in the field next to our property. I think it is from back in the 40's and now it has a perfect home.............here in the case on the front porch.

Thanks to my busy chickens, I have a lot of fresh eggs and now..........a lot of customers who find their way to my home to purchase them. Because I live so far out..........it is sometimes easy to get lost...........but they know they have found the right place when the see the "eggs" sign on the front porch.

Yes, here is Sophie...........wanting me to hurry up so that we can go on a long walk. Look at that face..........
I love old water kettles and milk containers and I love placing them on the front porch steps.

When decorating a porch................one must always have a kitty cat or two.........
this is Salem's and the other farm cats favorite place to be on a hot afternoon.

This is the view as I step out of the house to begin my day..................
what an inspirational way to start the day..........don't you think?
Now I know that there are a lot of porch lovers out there..............
so tell me..........
how do you decorate your porch?
what is your favorite view?
and what is your favorite thing to do on the front porch?.......or the back porch?
I would love to hear!
****On another note****

When the weather once again turns hot and dry, I would like to try to make Cherry Divinity........have any of you made this wonderful candy before?
If you wold like the recipe, visit my cooking blog..........


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

When weeding and tending to the flowers........

I always wear gloves............and keep my eyes open..............

because just when I stick my hands into the flowers.............

I wind up surprising some creature...............
or maybe...........they surprise me......

I look up to see that I am being watched...............

I step aside to see that I have almost smashed something..........
It keeps me awake and alert.

Even when Sophie and I are walking..........we have to always be careful.......
even around Sophie's dog house...............

a visitor has decided to move in. Don't worry, Sophie spends her days and nights, by my side, in the house...........the reason this critter thought that this would be a great new home.
( I have a trap set)

Even out of the sky........things happen to fall........
These two had their nest torn apart from a storm that came to us the other day.

I have become their mother............for a while.
I have decided to name them
Twitter and Tweet!
How about you?
Any unwelcome or welcome guest at your garden gate??
I would love to hear!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

How hot and dry is it here in Texas??

It's so hot and dry.............

that the insects are learning how to turn on the water hydrants!

How hot and dry is it in your area?
Hope you are finding a way to stay cool!


Thursday, July 5, 2012

It seems I am not the only one who loves baby pumpkins and young squash out in the garden..........

I surprised this young critter on my morning walk out in the garden.
Much too late, to my dismay, for it had munched quite a bit of the vines.
I set out a trap, hoping to be able to catch this hungry pest and to relocate it.........but I should have known.................it was way too smart for that............

So I thought about Gertrude........whom I had written about in my last post............
what would she have done............??
I now introduce you to
Gertrude..........the garden guard!!
Isn't she lovely??

I raised some large gourds a couple years back that I am creating different things with................
they are great for a scarecrow's head!
don't you think?
I dressed her in my old garden work clothes, placed a decorative flower on her..........
and now she's ready to help me ..........
by guarding my garden and scaring off any munching creature that happens to enter.

So far she has done a great job..........
young zucchini are growing well...........

and cantaloupe are swelling in the shade of the large leaf vines...........
as well as my pumpkins.

I just love garden blooms........this is perfect to capture in embroidery...........
don't you think??

Usually by now, I have quite a few zinnia blooms to show you,

however, I decided to plant late this year. The harsh Texas weather and climate are challenging during planting season.............it seems that when I hold off and plant a little later, flowers sprout better and hold their blooms better. This is beginning of the zinnia gardens in the photo above. So far, it looks like they will do well this year.

Now I'm off to work some stitches..........leaving Gertrude keeping watch over the grounds.
(yes, that is Sophie, lying on the ground, waiting for me..........she thought Gertrude was real and it took her a few days to quit barking at her)
How about you?
Do you have problems with garden critters?
Rabbits, insects, or birds perhaps?
What methods do you take in controlling these pests?
Do you make a scarecrow each year??
I would love to hear!