Remember "The Beverly Hillbillies"? How about "The Brady Bunch", or "Green Acres", for that matter? They are all TV shows that started out with a theme song that told their stories. For me, it could have been "There once was a woman who homeschooled, With her ten kids, she moved out to the country and found she needed to keep her sanity. She wanted something creative. Something that could … [Read more...] about Big Things I’m Doing Differently in 2018
my garden
I knew I should have taken pictures
This spring was unusually cool and full of rain. The result was a long period of spring bloom that seemed to stay fresh and picture perfect for a protracted period. I knew I should grab a camera or at least my iPhone and take some photos. But I have this contrary quirk of wanting to bask in the moment, simply experiencing the beauty and fragrance, or the curious activity of birds, bees, … [Read more...] about I knew I should have taken pictures
Daylilies Grow On You
I just wrote a page about Daylilies, and then saw Kathy Purdy's post on Facebook with a delightful portrait of a variety called "Going Bananas". It got me thinking about what colors of Hemerocallis I like best. Time For Daylilies, on Ilona's Garden From earliest memory when visiting old fashioned gardens that often had a circle of daylilies somewhere in the yard, it was the "Lemon lily" … [Read more...] about Daylilies Grow On You
My Rural Life
My husband and I bought and started homesteading this place in the mid 1980's. I had no skills, and plenty of dreams. I never managed to have that flock of sheep I envisioned, but instead raised a flock of children. That became my main crop. We all worked hard. I sure wish we had used more mechanized equipment. I truly know what the old saying means, " a hard row to hoe..." Chickens It was … [Read more...] about My Rural Life
2014 Garden Retrospective
American Meadows had sent me some seeds. They bloomed well, but I didn't get many pictures of them. I was neglectful of the garden, while visiting family for almost 2 months. In many ways, the garden season of 2014 was challenging. The losses were probably the result of cumulative stresses, but I am sure that the very hard winter contributed to the vulnerability and subsequent losses. I … [Read more...] about 2014 Garden Retrospective
My Garden Roots
Way back, ...oh, in 2005... I came across a meme that I had fun doing called the "Where I'm From" poem. It seems to have started with Fragments from Floyd, although I first ran across it @ Pratie's Place. They were all based on an original poem. Since doing the Garden Mission Statement and seeing the many inspiring ones @ Gardening With Confidence, I wondered if it would work to combine them into … [Read more...] about My Garden Roots