Le Jardin

This is the first year my husband and I have attempted a garden. It will not be the last, but the "attempt" turned out to be "hard work." Tilling the land, mixing the soil, fertilizing, sprinkling the lime, planting the seeds, planting the plants, pulling the weeds, watering the plants, and building a fence to keep the animals from eating our produce. Only for a success rate of about fifty percent. Half of what we have sewn has not survived due to the Carolina clay soil, the stubborn seeds absolutely refuse to germinate, or because some mystery animal has taken to munching on our veggies while we sleep. We looked for tracks, feces, holes that had been dug under our fence; but NOTHING! So my husband walked around the garden, through the sky-high jungle of weeds, and found several deer beds! However, the fifty percent of produce that has survived (and probably tastes like tears, sweat, and blood) has been well worth the work, and I have some new ideas for next year's garden!

Beefsteak and cherry tomatoes

My excitement over this one squash is quite ridiculous, I'm sure!



Cucumber plant



Carrot tops



Banana pepper plant



Mint and Lemon Balm

Avian Rescue

One Saturday morning, my sister happened to be outside and heard a faint cheep. She looked around and saw a baby bird who fell out of its nest! It was a gray and brown songbird, and was crying endlessly while laying helpless in the morning sun. My sister scooped it up, put it into a box lined with towels, and went to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. There, a nice woman informed her that the bird is probably a grackle, not even a fledging yet. The baby bird will go to a wildlife rehab, be fed and taken care of until it is a fledgling and can learn to fly. Then, it will be released back into the wild. Three cheers for happy endings!

Ecofont

Always in favor of anything green, I just downloaded this eco-friendly font. This font reduces ink consumption by ommitting parts of the letters, resulting in a unique look that uses up to 20 percent less ink! Tiny circles decorate each letter, yet readability is still maintained. Free to download, free to use. Better for your wallet, better for the planet.

Made with Love

My latest project involved making Valentine's cards for Zoey's class. I needed to bring thirty-six valentines for the other kids! Wanting something unique, I decided to make these sweet little tokens of love instead of buying tacky cards with some celebrity's face plastered all over them.

The valentines took time (I admit it would be much quicker to just buy them pre-made and scribble a name on the back), but they are personal and one of a kind. Not to mention cost effective; the supplies cost approximately the same, if not less, than what would have been paid for store bought valentines.

So if you have the time and the determination, make your own Valentine's! If not for the lucky receiver, for your own pleasure!

Flora

The life of an amaryllis.
From bud to blossom.

Painted horses

As we strolled through the fairgrounds this past autumn, these words from a favorite lullaby kept streaming through my mind. The song is by the extremely talented Tanya Goodman.

The sooner you’ll sleep
The sooner you’ll wake
The night will go fast as quick as a wink
The morning will break
Soon we will be there
Tomorrow we’ll go to the fair

We will ride painted houses with wind in our hair
We will always remember the laughter we share
The sooner you’ll sleep
The sooner you’ll wake
Tomorrow we will go to the fair

The merry go round
We’ll go up and down
We’ll raise our voices and sing merrily
We’ll laugh at the clowns who don’t have a care
Tomorrow we’ll go to the fair