Quick Garden Update

My poor, neglected garden continues to do well.  I have been watering it as our temps are hovering around 100 degrees with a heat index of 106-110 degrees.

The eggplants are starting to bloom.  They were added in at the last minute, but I hope to harvest a few before the season is over.

My tiny orange tree has a few blooms.  I am not sure if it will actually hold any oranges though.

The discounted Gerbera daisy is growing well and has its first bloom.

I had almost given up on the Armenian cucumbers producing this year.  They were loaded with blooms and visited by bees but did not seem to be putting on any cucumbers.  I guess they were just off to a later start as I saw a small cucumber this week.

 

My little potted herb area is working out very well.  In the front right you can see two of W's avocado plants.  In the front left is one that was repeatedly dug up by the squirrels, but it has sprouted back out.

Weekly Savings

The internet was down last weekend and part of last week so I am combining two weeks of savings in this post.

W's parents came over several days to help us put up dry wall in the new house.  I planned easy meals to feel everyone on those days.  We had chicken salad with homemade bread and turkey sandwiches using a turkey breast I baked.  I also served ham steaks (bought cheap on sale with coupons), homemade macaroni & cheese, and green beans and potatoes from the garden.

Every so often a crew comes through to trim trees off the power lines.  They also have an industrial chipper and give away the wood chips.  We were able to get two loads for free.  I plan to put this between the raised beds to help control weeds.

I harvested tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and herbs from the garden.

I pre-planned dinners for our errand days so we would not be tempted to purchase take out.

We bought culled watermelons from a local farm for $1 each.  They were still perfectly delicious but not nice enough to be sold at market.

We continued to work on the new house ourselves.  It means progress is much slower than if we hired everything out.  Not having a house payment at the end will be completely worth it.

I divided up a container of grape juice and froze it in two cup portions.  I like to add juice to my homemade herbal iced tea.  I usually use pomegranate, but it has not been on sale recently.  The grape juice was in the pantry and made a good substitute.

I opted to save my time by turning down a teaching job several towns over.  The pay would not have been enough to make up for the driving and class prep time with everything else I have going on right now.

Weekend Book Reviews

Maggie Dove by Susan Breen is the first book in a new cozy mystery series.  The lead character, Maggie Dove, is a Sunday School teacher living in a small town.  Maggie has isolated herself a bit following the deaths of her husband and daughter.  I found her to be a charming character.  Maggie's most difficult student (now all grown up) is accused of murder, and she steps in to prove him innocent.  While not an overly exciting book, it was interesting and a relaxing read.  I look forward to reading more from this author!

Laura Levine's latest book, Murder Has Nine Lives, finds Jaine Austen counting the days until a Hawaiian vacation.  Her luck seems to be all good when her cat Prozac lands a spot in a cat food commercial.  Things go from bad to worse when Prozac blows the commercial and the creator of Skinny Kitty cat food winds up dead.  I loved Prozac's background thoughts as well as the emails from Jaine's parents.  This was a fun and entertaining cozy mystery.

disclosure:  I received these e-books from NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Cracked to Death by Cheryl Hollon is book three in the Webb's Glass Shop Mystery series.  Having read the first book, I jumped at the chance to read another in the series.  I was not disappointed.  The latest book finds Savannah helping her friend Amanda not only to teach her first workshop but also to beat a murder charge.  Add in a mysterious treasure and the same cast of characters from the previous books and Ms. Hollon has another winner!

A bit further out of my usual reading list is Colony of the Lost by Derik Cavignano.  Colony of the Lost falls best under the horror category.  While I am a big fan of horror movies, I rarely read horror books.  I did enjoy Colony of the Lost and found it to be a solid horror story.  The story was different but not in a bad way.  It stayed just this side of being too graphic.  It kept me interested until the end.  Colony of the Lost is a great book to read if you are a fan of the horror genre.

Marriage, Monsters-in-Law, and Murder by Sara Rosett is book nine in the Ellie Avery mystery series.  I was easily able to slip into the world of Ellie and her family in spite of the fact this is the first book of the series I read.  That is always an important thing for me.  Ellie and her family head to the Georgia coast for her sister-in-law's wedding which seems to be cursed.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more by Sara Rosett.  My only negative was the wedding tips throughout the book.  While I see how they could fit into the theme of the book, I was not interested in planning a wedding.  I skipped over them.  They did not add to the story or merits of the book.


High Strung by Janice Peacock is the first book in the Glass Bead Mystery Series.  It took me a bit of time to get into the book as it started off slow.  Once I got through the character introductions and the scene was set, it was an interesting book.  The main character, Jax, moved to Seattle from Miami as a requirement of inheriting her aunt's home.  She is quickly welcomed into the artistic world of glass bead crafting. One murder and an attempted murder need solving before Jax or her friend Tessa end up in jail.  I believe the series has real potential and look forward to reading more.


disclosure:  I received these e-books from NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Review: Strange History

Do not let the author, Bathroom Readers' Institute, turn you off from reading Strange History.  The book covers a little of everything of the strangest moments in history.  I learned about the best finds on Antiques Roadshow, odd inventions, and even the history of onions.  Each section is compact which makes the book easy to pick up and read in short bursts.

This is a fun book for anyone who has an interest in the history not always covered in school books.  It was especially interesting to read how Hollywood and politicians have their own interpretation of history.

disclosure:  I received this e-book from NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Feathered Friday

This mama hen has 13 babies.  She hatched out all but one of the eggs she was sitting on.  Fortunately it was easy to round her and her babies up and move them into a brooder so they would be safe.

As soon as I opened the door she started herding everyone away from me and to the back toward her.

Even though she is very protective, it is not safe for her to have so many tiny babies out in the yard.

Quick Garden Update

I have been working in my garden when I can find some spare time.  I have not been able to put as much into this year as I had hoped, but I am happy with the progress.

I have added more flowers to the garden this year.  The bees and butterflies love them.

The lavender has recovered from being repeatedly dug up by the chickens.

The marshmallow and blue hyssop have hit a growth spurt over the last few weeks.

My lemons are growing well.  It will be several months before they are ready to be harvested.

The fig tree is loaded this year.  I see fig jam in my future.

I have started harvesting a few cherry tomatoes.

Finally the cucamelon vines are growing like crazy.  I am happy that I decided to push the containers up against the fence this year.