Excited for Spring and Summer

Can I just say that the weather changing, even if it has caused my allergies to go hay wire, has been awesome. I am loving the warmth of the sun and the blooms of the flowers.

I'm excited to do yard work, turn the earth and plant some herbs or veggies.

Also, I am back to red hair. I tried bleaching it, going blue and attempted purple, which just made it overall this cool gray/silver color with some leftover blue roots and some purple highlights. Interesting, but a bit off. Now that it's red again, I need a bit of a shorter style.

Classes are still going. Almost one with the current class, and I will have a week off before the next one starts. What is new is this summer I am taking 2 classes, with a month overlap, not my typical MO. I will be graduating in the spring of 2020 and I am definitely excited for that!

My kid is doing amazing. Mostly A's and B's, he's about to turn 18 and then graduate. I am so damn proud of him. He has a job lined up until he is processed with the Air Force (fingers crossed on that). He is just a good kid, and I am so happy he's made some good decisions and is thinking about his future, even if he is clueless on what that is as of yet. Who has a clue at 18?? Very very few and even then it can change pretty rapidly and easily. He's been lucky in some things, but I am just happy with how much he's matured in the last couple of years. It's so nice to see the person you love and have taught and guided and helped to develop into a person you are proud of and want in your life. That does not always happen.

In other news, I still have this amazing boyfriend that I absolutely am in love with and super happy to still be with. It's going on 6 years soon and that is pretty damn amazing :)

A multi-faceted update

So I was home sick yesterday. I had started feeling icky on Wednesday and since the Renaissance Fair is Saturday, I *really* don't want to be sick. I was hoping to somehow avoid getting a full on cold. My left ear was hurting, I had a lot of sinus pressure (mostly my left side), was getting chills, had a runny nose and slightly achy. Yep, those lovely first signs of an oncoming cold for me. So. I made home made chicken stock Wednesday night (which means Thursday morning is was ready - SCORE with the crock pot!). I got the stock into ice cube trays Thursday morning while the kid was getting ready for school, emailed my boss and said I would not be in, took a muscle relaxer and then tried something different. Instead of taking my normal over the counter cold meds, I took Apple Cider Vinegar and Oil of Oregano. First was The Oil of Oregano - that shit tastes nasty. However, my sinus pressure was gone within 20 minutes. My ear stopped hurting. Wow.  I mean, DAMN. I took 1 tbsp of the apple cider vinegar 3 times (am, pm and before bed) and basically did the same with the Oregano. 2-3 drops each time. By late last night, I did not feel sick. At all. Granted, I was still very tired and I am tired (as in feel run down) today and slightly woo woo in the head, but overall, I don't feel like I am getting sick or going to get a full cold. Still sticking with these new meds today at work, so here's hoping.

Now the reason for the chicken stock into ice cubes (I got some ones that are 1 oz each and also some 2 oz freezable baby food containers for this purpose) was so that I can make 1 bowl at a time and not feel like I am wasting anything. So, for 1 bowl (see below) it was 2 ice cubes and 1 baby food worth of chicken stock, a little bit of water, thinly sliced carrots and celery, then some salt, pepper, paprika and garlic (the 2nd time I made it I added in curry which was awesome!) and some egg noodles. The chicken was the left over I had put aside in the frig from making the chicken stock.

So - homemade chicken noodle soup (almost ALL organic to boot), apple juice, green tea and lots of rest.

This is my tomato plant that fell over and I have yet to figure out what to do...because it's damn heavy! But still growing tomatoes !!

My 1 lonely carrot - and tomatoes that I threw away.

I have 2 bell peppers growing, I need to pick this one in the pic (I read that green bell peppers are not mature but taste sweeter, so I need to pick this today! They keep changing color as they mature)

Here's that saying on my wall :)

It looks kinda small I know, but I love seeing that every time I leave my bedroom :)

Oh and this is one of my sunflowers peeking over my 6' backyard fence :) He's next to the really short one that is staring at the fence. I will take some pics of the ones on the side of my house, because they are bending all sorts of ways to get more sun !!

What do I do with this...tomato ??

Here is my tomato plant, that needs more support because it's so damn huge and heavy

Here is what I saw, a red ready to be picked tomato

This is what I got

Ummm, is it safe to eat this? Can I just cut off the top? I know the splits are from rapid growth spurts. It did not have bottom rot like the last tomato. But, ummm, yeah that.

Happy Garden

I've been helping my boyfriend out with his garden. He has done such an awesome job though! I basically walk it, water it and help pull some of the weeds.

This are carrots and spinach

  

 Some of the sunflowers we've planted. And 2 of his tomato plants (he has 3)

His serious mound of potatoes! I hope that when it's time to harvest these, it will be bountiful!

Squash (which we ate! There are more already growing though!!)

And another one bites the dust

Here is a lovely look at the this incredibly annoying oriental grass that is no longer in my back yard.

 

Where it used to be in my back yard - between the sunflower and this other flowering bush that I have no idea of what it is.

Gardening

Just an idea about things I seem to think of...a lot!

Also, I had already bought some Organic top soil and Organic Vegetable Soil at Lowe's last week. Ahem. I saw organic compost and I almost bought that, but had to stop myself. Next year...just so excited to see that available!!

I probably should have gotten my soil tested early on in the season. I plan on doing that ...just to see what it says. Especially since I want to turn half my back yard into a full vegetable garden.

In the meantime, I bought some stuff off of Amazon :) Shocking, I know!!




Amazon shows it as say "Sea-90 100% Organic Fertilizer -- Reconditions soil by replacing the essential minerals ; trace elements gardens, flowers, orchids, and citrus plants need. Water Soluble. Sea 90 is great for Hydroponics;  is the perfect container plant food. Money Back Guarantee. "

And:

 

---ODOR FREE---You can use SEA-90 indoors without any fear of awful and offensive smells that can be associated with other organic and chemically produced fertilizers. SEA-90 is completely odor free.

--WATER-SOLUBLE---SEA-90 is water soluble and works great in a sprayer or spray bottles, and is excellent in providing nutrients in hydroponic applications.

---MULTI PURPOSE---SEA-90 improves the health, growth, and fruit of any plants or trees. You do not have to buy multiple fertilizers and combinations to try and make it work. Sea-90 is a complete good-for-everything organic fertilizer.

---TRULY GREEN---Whether you are growing vegetables for your family, raising citrus trees or flower gardens, or even a farmer growing row crops, you need to know SEA-90. This 100% Organic Fertilizer is collected from the marine mineral solids found in the beautiful Sea of Cortez. This all-natural soil conditioner contains 85 essential elements and is collected and processed using only "green" methods in a pollution free environment. With each order, we will email you information on how to mix and apply Sea-90 to fit your needs. And if you have a question, ask us! We will be glad to assist you in your particular situation.

---ORGANIC---SEA-90 is certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI product number saa-0132 and saa-2951) with no restrictions as both a fertilizer and livestock feed additive. It is 100% All Natural and safe for you, your pets, and your family. So you don't have to worry about spray applications or have any special storing location. Let's face it. Whether you are an organic fanatic or just someone who would like to take better care of themselves and their families by growing organically, it is hard to argue that what you eat affects your health. So when you get a choice to use a 100% organic fertilizer like Sea-90 that produces strong, healthy, hearty vegetables and plants and benefits the ground you are growing in, it just makes sense to use it.

I am hoping that it will help out what few things I've got AND perhaps set up my soil for next years plantings :)

If you've looked at those pictures, you saw a lot of weeds...I already have a small bottle of organic weed killer, but I decided I really need to get this shit under control. So...

Avenger® Weed Killer - The First EPA Registered & Approved Herbicide for Organic Gardening.

It is non-toxic and can be used in areas near to people, pets and wildlife.

Works in cool & cloudy conditions (as low as 40º F), Does not stain brick, concrete or pavement.

Approved for Use in Organic Gardening by the U.S. Deptartment of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) Rule.

EPA registered & approved, Fast acting - visible results in less than 2 hours Made from oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits - pleasant citrus aroma.

This are some awesome little clips. I am using them with my sun flowers (and bamboo that are along my side fence. It seems that they probably don't get ENOUGH sun light. Because the sunflowers I planted in the back = much stronger stalks. So these poor guys are a tad bit weaker. Ever since I got the clips (instead of using the ties I had) they seem to be doing better :) I will definitely use them again and highly recommend them!!



Here's what the bamboo stakes look like: Mine are 4' I think. Some of the flowers are starting to really out grow that size :)

Back & Front Yards version 2.0

So, I was doing a lot of yard work today and decided to take a few pictures of what's going on in the front and back yards :)

This picture and the few that are following are of the front yard. As you can see, I've pulled out/dug up more of it.

There was a bush about 2.5 feet high, that the kid trimmed down the bark basically. I was planning on taking it out, but not right at that moment. Suffice it to say, I dug it out today.

Tip: Whack at the tree/bush hard a couple times and then step away. You will see a slew of bugs scatter when they realize their home is on the way out.

Oh and another thing I found, this WHOLE area, with the dirt?? Yeah, it's covering the old side walk. My living room and 2nd bathroom and laundry were an addition to the house. Awesome addition, but I guess the previous owners just decided to cover up the side walk (probably cheaper). So, I am uncovering it and will figure out something creative to do with the look :)

This whole area was plants and flowers and vines. And spiders.

The kid wanted to plant some new flowers (you know me, I keep ripping them out) so we've got these 2 so far!

 Updated picture of the sun flowers growing on the side of the house :)

These are the potatoes :)

You can see, I've been adding more and more dirt, therefore my back yard is losing more and more grass! LOL. It's a learning process, but fun :)

More sun flowers, in the back yard

This was the vegetable box that was moved over from the very back patio. Ahem. It is now full of grass/weeds. Yes, I know. It's on my list.

Some of the flowers blooming right now :)

I now have a lounge chair, which I need to clean and then use :) Also, there are some sun flowers starting to grow back in the far back patio. Oh and I moved the rosemary back there too, hoping it does better.

I've added a Bell Pepper plant and a Tomato plant :) Both are doing good :)

See the pepper??

I've got a few tomatoes already growing :)