Too Many Cats and Not Enough Forever Homes

If you can’t rescue a cat, please think about fostering.

From the time we moved here 29 years ago, this neighborhood has been a dumping ground for unwanted cats. It is just sad to see so many cats who must have had a home at one time and just get dumped. There are also the cats that get left behind. Two rental homes have had people move in and when they move out, they leave their cat or cats behind. One of these homes was finally bought a few years back and they have been some of the best neighbors.

We had a neighbor that helped feed them, but they moved away this summer. Our next door neighbors keep an eye on the cats, so they know which are strays and which belong to someone and just snuck out. She is allergic to cats so she can’t have one in the house. We have three places on our property that cats can use for shelter to get out of the rain or windy winter nights. The woman that runs the local Action for Animals lives a couple blocks 0r so away and has helped to get some of these unwanted cats spayed or neutered so we don’t end up overrun with kittens every spring. She also tries to find homes for many of them and finds foster homes for the kittens who need extra care who are often dumped before they are old enough to be weaned or the mom has been hit by a car. That is how we ended up with Hope. We now have three rescued cats, so we can’t take any more, but I still look for homes to help place these cats.

I have another friend that owns a pet sitting, and more business and she takes care of all kind of animals. She also fosters cats and kittens and tries to find homes or takes them to Pet Smart to help get them adopted. Our local animal shelter is so full that they are not taking anymore cats or kittens and all the people that foster are full. It really is an example why people should get their cats spayed or neutered. There are so many starving kittens and cats that freeze to death in the winter. It’s so unnecessary and no way to die alone and unloved. If you can’t rescue a cat, please think about fostering. I am sure there are opportunities for fostering in every community.

Gift That Blooms Every Year Miniature Rose

Since before my youngest son could talk, he has insisted on flowers for Mom every Mother’s Day. The first time he had gone to the grocery store with Dad and he saw all the flowers on display. I am not sure if he realized what they were for, but he kept pointing and insisting “for Mommy”. He picked a beautiful plant that had little purple flowers. When he was a little older, he picked a miniature rose. He had watched me take care of the different variety of roses that we had planted around the property. We planted the miniature rose beside the front door so we could see it every time we came in or out of the house.

Miniature rose on the left was early summer, on the right is today.

After that he would get me either cut roses or daisies most of the time. Once he got me bright yellow tulips. We tried planting them outside, but they never came up. One year we had a blizzard and ice storm kind of winter. My rose did not come back up that year. I was a little sad but didn’t say anything about it. Then came Mother’s Day and I had a new miniature rose. It blooms every summer, but this year it just bloomed a second time. It’s been such a gloomy year with the pandemic and everything that followed. I went out to do yard work with my husband getting things ready for winter and saw this bright red beauty soaking up the sun. Made my day a little more joyful.

More October Fun Memories

A new “Square Crow”

My youngest son was born a few days before Halloween. He loved costumes and we often bought him a costume that could double as pajamas in his youngest years. Knowing he would outgrow his costume we decided to let him get more use out of it and continue wearing it at bedtime until he outgrew it. If it was still wearable after that we added it to a tub of old costumes and decorations.

As he got older, he began creating his own costumes. We would go to rummage sales and thrift shops all summer long, picking up something her and another there. Usually by September we started putting things together. Sometimes a little paint, maybe some hot glue and a little sewing here and there. Eventually it turned into the costume he pictured in his head.

Then we would start on decorating the front of the house for Trick or Treaters. We did that the same way we did the costumes. Getting out the tub of last year’s things and combining our new rummage and thrift store finds we would start putting everything together. Something new and a little different each year.

Last year he turned 18 and he didn’t need any help with a costume. He pretty much had what he needed and did his own thing. I got out the old tub of stuff and a lot of things were not in good enough shape to use. So, I cleaned it out and was looking over what was left. My niece had posted a picture of her and her brother with that first “Square Crow” and I decided to make a new one.

We had several pair of outgrown jeans, that I was getting ready to donate, so I picked a pair I thought looked good for this project. I had a lot of plastic bags which I save and usually crochet into things like beach bags. I began stuffing the legs and then added a flannel shirt. Instead of a real pumpkin I had an artificial one. It had been getting shabby, so I had painted it the previous year. Added some gardeners gloves the same as the original. Then used an old pair of boots for the feet. I didn’t get a picture of the boots, but you get the general idea. By day it was just a friendly fall decoration, but at night it had a spooky twist.

Please feel free to add any of your favorite October fun memories in the comment section.

Christine

Frost Warning Calls For Our Final Harvest

We got a frost warning for tonight or tomorrow so today I went out and picked the last of the tomatoes and bell peppers. That is all we had left this this week. No sign of the pests we sprayed, so if it decides not to frost, we may get a few more. The red lettuce is almost gone to seed so hopefully a few more days and I will be able to collect the seeds for next year. After bringing everything in, it was time to start working on using more of our fresh veggies.

Cole slaw, sweet and sour style was as far as I got. If you ever need to chop cabbage for anything this handy little chopper is the best. I had never seen or used one until I met my mother-in-law. She made and canned or froze everything you can imagine. I don’t use her recipe because my family likes this one better, but her methods worked better than any I had tried. I learned a lot from her.

For sweet and sour Cole slaw I just use cabbage and carrots. Some people like to add other veggies like radishes, so if you like other veggies add them and shred everything. For a large bowl like this one cabbage and two large carrots. After shredding add 3/4 cup of sugar (I use organic) and one cup of white vinegar. Let it sit over night. For my dad this was it, the way he liked it. Most of the rest of my family add a couple large tablespoons of Miracle whip. As are almost all of my recipes, this is adaptable to your taste. Add more veggies or use red cabbage more or less sugar and the same with Miracle whip or Mayonnaise if you like that better. I am big on adjusting recipes to suit my family’s taste, so try different ways until you find your favorite combination.

October Memories Costumes “Square Crows” and More…

Saved by the Huntsman

October has been a special month since I can remember. My grandfather was born October first. My youngest sister the 2nd, My niece the 18th and my youngest son the 25th. Many other relatives and in-laws also share October birthdays. We have tried to do something special many of those years. This year we won’t be having many trick or treaters, because of the pandemic. Trunk or Treat spots are being set up in certain areas to make it easier for kids and their parents to follow guidelines, so I thought I would post some of my favorite memories and photos of October decorating and past costumes for Halloween.

The Square crow

Our first Square Crow

One of my first memories is not long after we moved to our home, my niece nephew from Ohio, would come visit and spend the night every so often. We did not have kids until several years later, so we really enjoyed the visits. On this particular visit it was October, so we decided to do some fun decorating with the kids outside on our front porch. We built a scare crow Starting with making a face on a pumpkin. Both were too young for carving a face, so we used permanent marker. We set that on the step and built the body around it. Some old jeans a flannel shirt, Gardner’s gloves and a hat all stuffed with straw. They loved it. My nephew was not talking much yet, but my niece called it her square crow. We got so tickled at her we have called them “Square crows” ever since.

Dress Warm play Clothes

Several years ago, my sister brought her grandson over for a visit. After a short time, he decided he would like to play outside. The air had cooled quite a bit by then and he was too chili but hadn’t brought a jacket or anything warmer. I was looking around to see if I still had anything from my boys when they were little. Finally, I found the plastic bin full of outgrown Halloween costumes. It was not yet time for Halloween decorating or costumes, but it was all I had.

I asked my sister and we asked my nephew, her grandson, and he got all excited. I got the tub out and let him go through all the old stuff. He found a top half of a costume that came down past his knees and a mask that covered his head and ears so he would be worm.  So, he got dressed warm enough and we went outside.  We both had fun with him chasing me around and making scary noises. We used to hang all the outgrown costumes along our fence as part of our decorations, but this was also a great way to use the old costumes.

I will be adding other October Memories throughout the month. Hope you enjoy them. You are welcome to tell us some of your favorite Octobers too. Just post in the comments.

Comfort Food For a Cool October

Comfort food an a cool October day

Cooler weather this week means it is time for some comfort food. Spread butter all over it and add some seasoning. Just sprinkle a little Pepper, Garlic and onion powder. Make a tent with the foil so it keeps the steam in but does not touch the chicken, so it leaves the butter and seasoning in place. Put it in the oven and slow roast at 250 for a couple hours, pull it out to baste every half hour. The pan in the back is for stuffing. Add a little of the liquid from the chicken to the pan, to flavor the dressing. After two hours Remove the tent and turn the oven up to 350 to brown the chicken for about 45 minutes to an hour..

We are having cornbread & herb stuffing with mushrooms, macaroni & cheese (for our son) and beans with onions along with this chicken. Yummy!

Raised Bed Gardens

Several years ago, we decided to start building raised beds for our gardens. We are both getting older and bending over to plant weed and take care of a garden was starting to get harder. I researched and learned one of the reasons people opt for a raised bed other than it’s more convenient as you get older, is that you can grow more in a smaller space. Also, you can decide how good the soil will be by what you use to fill them and by composting and adding it to the beds each year.

First, we needed to build them. As we are big on recycling and reusing as much as possible, we started checking around for used materials. We ended up using concrete blocks. I checked out Craigs list and the local buy sell rummage sights. We got most of them for free and the rest for half or less than the price of new. We also let friends and family know what we were doing. We ended up building three raised beds that first year one block high.

We already had a compost bin. It has hinged lids at the top to add compost items and a garage style door at the bottom each year we can lift the garage door and shovel out the oldest compost that is turned to very rich soil. We added that evenly between the three beds. We then started adding Organic compost, topsoil and cow manure to each bed, mixing as we went. We then planted our first try at growing in raised beds. I planted a little further apart than necessary the first year because I had a hard time believing how close it was recommended to plant.

We had a pretty successful year with what we planted and something I noticed was the flash floods that we sometimes get in the spring hurt some of our neighbor gardens and they had to replant part of their crops. Even though they had a bigger garden, we did not have to replant, and we had enough to share with them.

The next year we raised the gardens up another row. Our sons helped us with that as it was getting harder for me to lift the blocks. I have arthritis in my hands and tend to drop things a lot. The boys did not want to see me drop a concrete block on my foot, so they pitched in. We added compost both from our bin and a few bags from a local greenhouse. We did the same the following year and added a fourth bed behind the fenced in area.

Then came the year we had bad flooding all spring and half the summer. Farmers were having a hard time getting their crops out and several of my fellow gardeners had their gardens wiped out, replanted once and then gave up for the year. That is the year that people started asking about our gardens. We had a bumper crop, especially cucumbers. With our beds two high the plants were watered, but the excess drained out the bottom, so nothing got drowned out.

We shared a lot that year because no one else had cucumbers. Even the local fruit stand asked us about it. They had very few that survived and couldn’t find any one to buy them from. Charles took him a boxful the next day, but the rest we shared with the neighbors. We have three of us that garden and we all share what any extra with each other. Now there are four gardeners on our block. It’s nice having neighbors to share back and forth. We all end up with what we need.

Prayer Gardens

A place of peace

I discovered St. Mary’s the year my father died. The boys started school there only a few weeks before that day. The hospital is across the street from the St. Mary’s and my oldest son encouraged me to go from the hospital to the church with him and pray. He said it is the most peaceful place he has ever been, and you can’t walk in without feeling it. He was right. On the way back to the hospital I saw the prayer garden. I have always felt closest to God outside in nature, whether it be a garden, farm, woods, beach or mountains. I was fascinated with that garden. My son explained that it was a prayer garden.

 I spent many days in that prayer garden since then.  We had our pictures taken there the following spring on the day we were baptized. I often went early to pick the boys up from school, so I could spend a few moments there. School at St. Mary’s was only through middle school and then the boys were back in public school. I no longer had the daily opportunity to spend time in that garden, so I began to build my own.

It has had to change places over the years, due to changing the landscaping a bit and adding a dog that insisted on climbing my prayer tower daily. That tower is still there, and I am experimenting with different plants that will survive her daily climb. I have discovered a steppable plant that has survived this summer so hopefully it will spread thick enough to continue spreading. I have also had some Columbine from my neighbor across the street, I planted it last year and it spread throughout the front of the tower.

After we finished our front porch, I moved my prayer garden to the front porch. It makes the front entrance so much more welcoming. The glider my next-door neighbors donated, and the wicker chair my sister left me when she moved away, make it a most comfortable place to sit and relax for a while whether it be in the morning, afternoon or evening. Peaceful enough to let go of every thought and listen. Listen to the birds, crickets and other sounds of nature. I have had more answers come to me when I rest in those prayer gardens.

Last year when I went to visit my son for Mother’s Day, he took me someplace special. Knowing how much I love gardens, woods and water, he found a place that had all three. It was such a lovely day. We went to the Botanical Gardens in Virginia. It was absolutely beautiful. The flowers were such vivid colors that my photos don’t do them justice. There was a wooden walkway that led into the trees and a large area of water. We just stayed there for awhile and I did take several photos, so I am sharing the one that I like best.

Update on Bug Hunting, the Pest Variety

The weather was beautiful today and perfect for spending some time outside. I sprayed the tomato and pepper plants again, with the water and dish soap mix. Still some aphids but not near as many, so I will continue spraying them daily until the end of the growing season. We both spent some time cleaning up the yard a little and enjoying our dogs.

Chief enjoys watching us work

Still trimming out dying and damaged leaves each time I go outside. I think I will plan on have the soap spray ready soon after planting next year. Never had pests hit as early in the summer before, but the hottest weather that brings them out never hit this early since I can remember. I could be wrong, as I do not remember as well as I used to but at least not in recent years. I lost a lot of my greens because of that. Better to be prepared and not have a repeat, than to lose them again.

Man’s best friend helping Charles

Cai tried to help Charles away some of the branches that have grown up between our fence and the neighbors. She follows him everywhere trying to copy what ever he is doing. She was even sticking her nose into the fence area to show him where to work next. Silly thing loves to help us garden and do yard work as long as we do not use the mower or weed eater. If we start them up, she will attack the wheels on the mower and the base of the weed eater, so I leave that for a time when she is inside with Charles.

Bug Hunting of a Different Kind

Organic method of pest control for tomatoes

Charles checking for pests

We plant Tomatoes, among other things, in our raised beds every year. The weather varies from year to year, so we plant early crops and late crops a few weeks apart to be sure we get tomatoes all season long. The pests that hit us vary from year to year also somewhat dependent on the weather. Most years we get the hottest driest weather in early to mid-August. That is when we get a pest that hits our kale and greens the most. This year that came early so out greens got hit early. That was before I decided to start my blog, so I did not get pictures.

This week our tomato plants got hit with aphids. Most of our neighbors already harvested their tomatoes and are done for the season, but we still have quite a few left, so we are doing what we do to try and get rid of or at least control them until first frost. First let me show you what they look like and what they do to your plants. The following photos show first actual size plant that is infested. Then you will see the close-up photos to help you identify if you have the same pests.

We had a couple days of cool and rainy weather, so we were working on other things and did not spend as much time in the garden as usual. That is all the time it took for the aphids to show up. Our first clue was leaves turning brown as they might in hot dry weather, but our hot spell had ended at least for a week so that was not likely. That is when we inspected the plants more closely and found the aphids. Time to take action. As we have continued to grow organically so as not to harm helpful insects, birds, rabbits and any other wildlife, we have found safer methods to control pests.

We have a large sprayer that we are using it to spray them. So, I added about three tablespoons of dish soap that is safe to plants, to the full container of water. During the shadiest time of day yesterday I went out and sprayed all our plants, including the bell peppers. They were not hit by the aphids yet but are prone to be, so I do not want the aphids to just move from the tomatoes to the peppers. A couple hours later I went out and started removing a few of the dead leaves and stems. It was getting dark, so I did not get them all.

Today I went back out to check on the tomatoes. Still have aphids but not near as many as yesterday. I removed several more leaves and stems and sprayed again. It is cloudy today so I will do this several times throughout the day. So far, I have been out to spray three times to spray and continue to remove more of the damaged leaves. There are still several tomatoes and blooms, so it is worth the effort to save them. Each time I go out I see fewer aphids. The soap works differently than harsh chemicals that would kill on contact. As I understand it, they eat the soap and it dries them out. So, it takes a little longer, but it is safe on the plants and the fruit which will be ripening soon.

Last but not least, my handy little garden helper. Yes the blue bucket that I put weeds in to carry to the compost (not the dead and dying tomato leaves that would infest my compost) is a handy thing, but I am talking about the spider pest control helper. He lives in the back corner above our plants. I also have several Praying Mantis in this garden, but they would not come out for a picture today.