April is "A" Month

"A"sparagus . . .

and "A"rtichokes . . .

nom nom nom nom! So good! Love Spring!

If you're thinking about perennials in your garden, these might be worth your time. Artichokes are the big producers here, but results may vary in your zone.

Homemade Ant Repellant

Where do they come from? What do they want from us? Is it water? Sugar? Most of the time it's as if they're wandering around looking but not finding - and they don't stop!

My daughter-in-law has an ant problem in her home. When she moved in, they were firmly ensconced in the kitchen and the upstairs bath. She's used Terro (which is an awesome product by the way - ants eat it, take it back to the nest and within several days, just seem to disappear. BUT it does take several days . . .) but there were SO MANY ants, that it barely made a dent. She put all her groceries but her canned goods in the refrigerator. Even her sugar is in tupperware in the fridge. Even now, if one of the babies drops a Cheerio, the ants are right on it. THEY KNOW . . .

We had a similar problem in our home. When #2 Son was 15, he accidentally spilled a soda in his electric alarm clock and quietly cleaned up the mess. Thank goodness he wasn't electrocuted! We didn't know about it until the ants moved in to the clock - and by that time, they'd nested in the adjacent electrical outlet. We ended up having to tear out that wall to roust them out.

Because of that and many other incidents, we became fanatics about foodstuffs in the kitchen - AND ONLY IN THE KITCHEN! And the ants still regularly made inroads. A friend gave us an ant-repelling  recipe for mopping with and we came up with a recipe for a spray-bottle deterrent.

Mop Bucket Ant Repellant

1 gallon water
1/4 cup dish soap
1/4 cup lime juice

Spray Bottle Ant Deterrent

2 cups water
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp dish soap

We ended up LOVING these recipes because:

1. They are made up of ingredients normally found in the kitchen
2. They aren't toxic to children or pets
3. They actually CLEAN as well as repelling ants
4. They work!

When ants appear, we spray their whole track and the threshold or windowsill where they're coming in with the Spray Bottle Ant Deterrent. We leave that for a while, then wipe it down or, if it's on the kitchen linoleum, mop with the ant repellant recipe. That sends 'em packing!

I'm not saying we never have ants in the house anymore. They still want to check us out a couple times a year, but they don't seem to want to move in after the initial scouting foray and subsequent cleanup with the homemade repellant. I wish you luck with your ant adventures. Hope this helps!

How to Peel, Seed, Chop an Avocado Without the Mess

Is there anything better than fresh, ripe avocado? Other than fresh guacamole? We had tacos and guacamole with chips last night for dinner and it got me thinking about my avocado eating journey.

Believe it or not, I went at it totally backwards in my early avocado-eating days. I cut and picked all the tough skin off my avocados, then cut the meat off the seed. Talk about green cuticles! But backwards and messy was how I started out in the kitchen. I (slowly!) learned some tips and tricks as I went. Here's a tip about the non-messy way to get at the meat of an avocado:

1. Cut the avocado right through the skin down to the seed from the belly button all the way around and back to the belly button again.

2. Twist the two halves away from each other (one half away from you, the other half toward you).

3. With your knife, flick out the seed and the woody belly button. Sister chops into the seed with her knife and lifts it out, but I found its easier for me to flick it out if the avocado is nice and ripe.

4. Slice or chop the avocado while keeping the skin intact. (Look at that - I STILL managed to get some avocado on my thumbnail!)

5. Place the top of a spoon between the skin and meat of the avocado and gently scoop the meat out of its shell.

6. Enjoy!

Here's the recipe for last nights' guacamole. It's big because I was feeding a crowd. You can pare it down as you like.

Guacamole for a Crowd

5 ripe avocados, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced small
1/2 red onion, minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 serrano chilis, minced
1/2 lime, squeezed (haha)

Mix well and scoop up with your favorite tortilla chips.

Planting by the Signs

Gardening by moon signs has always intrigued me. It's something that's always made sense to me because the pull of the moon moves water. And water - and how water is stored in veggies - controls everything from how quickly and vigorously a seedling comes up to how long a winter squash will last in storage.

But, making sense of the intricacies of the lunar calendar is quite another thing. Here's what I understand:

The moon takes 29.6 days to go around the earth. It goes through the 12 phases of the zodiac in that time. The zodiac is divided into the four elements. Water - Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio; Earth - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn; Fire - Leo, Aries, Sagittarius; Air - Gemini, Aquarius, Libra. Basically, water and earth are fertile signs, generally good for planting and pruning for growth, and fire and air are barren signs, good for weeding, tilling, harvesting, and pruning for control of growth.

Somebody way back in the antiquities of time figured out a way to tell which moon phase they were in. They assigned parts of the human body to each sign. I've heard, "The moon is in the feet," and "Don't cut back the brush now, the moon is in the loins!".  Do I understand how to tell which of the 12 phases we're in? Nope.

Several years ago I bought a lunar calendar with zodiac and gardening hints printed on it. Since the moon is in each phase of the zodiac for only 2-3 days, it was hard to keep track of the things to do (today plant above-ground plants with seeds on the outside) and schedule them in my relatively short growing season AND have a life. I gave it a try, though. My idea was that I would plant a crop (say, bush beans) whenever it was convenient and plant bush beans again during the correct moon phase - carefully recording the results of each in a garden diary. Well, 2011 was a very cold, wet spring and I ended up having to replant beans twice after the seed rotted in the ground. Plus, I found that I didn't have enough garden space for that many plantings of each crop. In my frustration, I quickly lost interest in the moon, the zodiac, and the diary.

These days, I loosely follow the Synodic schedule. When the moon is waxing (or getting bigger) I plant above-ground crops, transplant, and prune for growth. When the moon is waning (or getting smaller) I plant below-ground crops, weed, prune to limit growth, till or cultivate, and harvest. The reason for this is that I can simply look outside and see where I am on the schedule. Are there days on the moon wane that I transplant? Or when the moon is waxing that I weed? Sure. If I have a half hour that I can weed, I use it no matter what the moon says! Can't hurt, right?

One day I might go back to the control-group/moon-phase-group/diary thing, but not this year!

A site that may help if you're considering gardening by the signs is the Facebook page "Planting by the Signs". It has day-by-day gardening and zodiac posts.

Good luck!

(Edited later in the day) Oops! I forgot the most important part! The way you can tell if the moon is waxing or waning is this:  If the moon is waxing or getting bigger, the right side of the moon is lit. Its right side is round and smooth like a D. If the moon is waning, the left side of the moon is lit - the left side is round and smooth like a C.

DIY Tile Shower/Tub Surround

Something I'm pretty proud of is our bathroom redo. I'm a long-soak-in-the-tub kinda gal, so the tub/shower - actually, the whole bathroom - is pretty important to me. We have an electric tile saw, so when we were planning the bathroom I decided to give tile a try.

We have a friend who has lays tile for a business. He had a bunch of left over or mis-ordered/rejected/whatever tiles he let us look over and for $180.00, we got enough of a neutral tan-on-cream tile that we ended up doing the tub surround plus our little bit of kitchen counter space and sold the rest on Craigslist.

We got a nice, deep, cast-iron, 5 and 1/2 foot long soaking tub from our plumber friend for $200.00, plus the shower/bath hardware for another $140.00. Then, we picked up enough hardibacker board for the job both from our plumber friend and on Craigslist.

For another $100.00, we got a jar of tile spacers, water seal, tape for hardibacker, thinset mortar, two tub corner shelves, and grout.

We started by placing the tub.

Hubby leveled it, put insulation around it and in the walls, covered the walls with plywood and I painted the plywood with a good water-proof sealer. Hubby then screwed hardibacker all around the tub surround, leaving 1/4 inch seams. I taped up the seams with fiberglass tape and in a blink was ready to tile.

All the on-line stuff I read said to lay out the tiles as I would want them on the finished surround, measuring carefully and adding spacers to be as accurate as possible. Welllllll . . . I'm not much for measuring. I decided to lay the 13-inch tiles in a subway pattern - staggered - so any misplacement would be less noticeable and then I just went for it.

This is probably the messiest job you'll ever do. It's worth it to stop and wipe up blobs and spills as you go and try to keep the area as clean as possible. Otherwise, you may end up having to scrape off dried mortar and could scratch your tub.

It's hard to cut round with a straight saw! I had to make a bunch of little cuts, about 1/4 inch apart (like a comb) and carefully cut each little comb-tooth off to go around the on/off handle

I love these little corner shelves!

After carefully taping each tile to the next to keep them in place at the beginning of the project, I found that the later rows didn't need it. They rested on rows that had already dried and since there was no movement, I quit taping.

All grouted and cleaned up - just need to lay a bead of caulk!

With the hardware and shower curtain in place.

I decided not to tile the side (face?) of the tub because the tile and the flooring were complementary in color, but not a match. So, I bought a couple of tongue-and-groove cedar boards and varathaned them and Hubby and I put them in. The cedar on the tub matches the cedar ceiling. I think it all looks pretty good. For a little over $620.00 (maybe $650.00) we got a very comfortable soaking tub and shower with tile surround that would probably have cost $1500 to $2000 to have professionally done. 

We did it in a little over a week. It was February and I was cutting all this tile in the rain on the porch with my glasses steaming up every time I went in and out - no fun! But, while the week was hell, it was so worth it! I can handle just about anything for a week!

Emergency Car Kit

We were finally able to get in to the mountain property yesterday. We tried at the end of March and there was still too much snow to make it.Yesterday - no snow. The road's in pretty good shape for the amount of runoff it takes each spring and it looked like there had been a grader in there recently. When you're 7 1/2 miles off the highway, up a dirt road, at 4000 feet, and partly responsible for the upkeep of that road, you notice some things.

We ran into a gyppo logger about halfway in who said he'd been up last week, but it was snowing and the wind was blowing so hard, they only got about 2 hours of work in before they had to pack up and get out. I'm glad we stopped to talk to him because his story explained the four trees downed across the road further in.

So, yesterday we cut up the downed trees and left them on the side of the road because they're not ours. If the landowner doesn't pick them up by next fall, we will. Each would make decent firewood. Ouch! It hurts to leave good wood by the road!

After looking around the place to see what'd happened over the winter, we burned. We have some humongous slash piles from cutting firewood and clearing defensive space around our camping area. The only times it's really safe to burn is in early spring (as early as we can physically get there) and late fall. In those two seasons there's enough moisture to discourage wildfires. Even then we have to be hyper-vigilant! Of course, we burn 4 foot piles and make sure they're out-out by noon as the permit requires. After the piles were out, we did some repairs and loaded some firewood.

We probably have about 20 or so more piles worth. It's not gonna be a one-season thing.

This fire's out!

Several more burn days worth

What should've taken us half a day turned into a full - and exhausting! - day.

So, all of this brings me to what I REALLY wanted to talk about. The car kit. People carry all different types of emergency kits in their cars, preppers carry bug-out bags, soccer moms carry granola bars and juice packs, dog people carry leashes and dog treats and that towel to get the mud off Spot's feet. I got to thinking about all the things we routinely carry when we go up to the Spread.

Chainsaws (2),  chainsaw gas and oil
shovel
snow chains
tow chains
come-alongs
tie down straps
bungie cords
rope
assorted tools (screw drivers, wrenches, etc)
flashlights
binoculars
granola bars
water
dog treats
Chukit! and ball for the dog
the normal emergency kit (flares, first aid stuff)
two flat sheets (less bulky than blankets)

Everything from flashlights on down pretty much stays in the truck all the time. The stuff above flashlights we add when we go to the mountains. It's saved our behinds more than once! Do you carry a kit in your car? What would you call it? Emergency? Bug-out? __________?

A Hatch

I'm thinking there was some sort of insect hatch near the Sacramento River on Interstate 5.

We went through at dusk and at first it sounded like we were driving through a soft rain. Then a heavier rain. Then a hailstorm. For about 10 miles. As my grandson would say, "Eeeeeeewwwww". I didn't take a picture of the grill, it was just too gross. I'm so glad I don't live anywhere near that area! We have enough bugs where we are - sometimes too many - but that was almost biblical!

Happy California Cows?

Ummm. They don't look very happy to me.

While driving north on the Interstate 5 corridor, we passed a couple of areas that looked (and smelled) like feedlots. Excuse the 70 MPH photography!

Not a single blade of grass for these grazers. I don't know if they spend their lives here, birth to slaughter, or if they come here to fatten just before they mosey on over to the freezer. On the edges of the acres and acres of cows, there were what appeared to be sludge ponds, or maybe water reservoirs. They could have even been recently seeded rice paddies.

Then, after those, were verdant rice fields - all around the barren feedlots. The cows can probably see and smell them.

We've lived near dairies, have kept chickens, rabbits, goats for meat, and an uncle worked a dairy for years. I know what a barnyard smells like and don't find it offensive at all - but the air for miles around these lots smelled absolutely contaminated and corrupt. Polluted. Not even like feces, but like ammonia. We rolled up the cracked windows and recirculated the vent in the truck, but we'd already been hit by the smell and I don't think our efforts helped much.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my french dip sandwiches and rib eye steaks just as much as the next person. I understand it takes a certain amount of animals to supply the demands of this meat-eating populace. But if given a choice between the above-pictured cows and this one:

(Can you see him?) I'd much rather eat the one grazing as he was meant to. Which is why, when it's time to fill our little freezer, we buy a quarter grass-fed beef from a local farmer. Good stuff. Thank you Peter @ River Bar Farm!

If you're travelling Interstate 5 and catch a hint of ammonia in the air, QUICK! roll up your windows and recirculate the air in your car! The smell lingers for a ways.

Ticky Tacky

Something I noticed while visiting in southern California . . .

Their houses are all the same. Or long rows and patterns of just the same, only to change to some different style of just the same.

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

This song applies only to the houses though. The people are diverse, the houses . . . not so much.

Trippin'

Long dry spell . . . but I have a good excuse! Hubby and I've been on a spur-of-the-moment trip to see our sons and grandbabies with a couple of daughters-in-law mixed in. And it's been wonderful.

We first stopped and stayed with #1 Son. He just got a new pool table and we had a great time getting royally spanked in every game. That boy's a good shot! Need to challenge him to a crochet-a-thon soon. Had a super visit with him, and while we were there Hair That Flows and Niece Of The East stopped by, so we got a two-fer (you know how I love those).

After a few days, we moved on to Southern California to see #3 Son and his wife and our two grandboys.  

(Just a little side-note here: Southern California should be its own state.  As beautiful as it is I could never live here! For one thing, I can't drive in a world where 2 1/2 feet of defensive space is acceptable at 80 MPH. And, if that's not bad enough, it's also acceptable for folks to jam themselves into that space if they feel the need to do a quick lane-change. Next time I start thinking about coming down here, remind me to stop and get a prescription for Xanax to deal with traffic. And that's not to drive - it's just to be a passenger in a vehicle with a perfectly competent driver!)

We've left the base each day to take little two-hour trips around Oceanside. We've gone shopping, to the beach, out to fun meals, and today we went to the Thursday Farmer's Market. Their market is lovely. It goes on forever! I feel lucky to have a really good market in Humboldt, but there is an unreal selection of fresh local fruits and veggies (and fish!) here for so early in the season.

Organic strawberries - soooo good

Spring greens.

Fresh local fish

Sweet Greek guy who let me snap him and his wares. "I'm so ockley, but shoor, shoor, you take picture." Yummy olives and olive oils & pickled stuff.

FRESH citrus. It's everywhere. (There was a LOADED lemon tree in the parking lot at Joann Fabrics.)

They give fair warning of their policies. Unattended children get an espresso and a kitten. Good to know!

It's gonna be super hard to say goodbye to our two little grandboys tomorrow. I'll have to get more than my fair share of drooly kisses and sticky hugs to sustain me on the long drive to see #2 son and more grandbabies. Bittersweet. But really, does life get any better than that?

(If you're the praying kind and think about it tomorrow, please send up a prayer for our safe return to Northern California and mostly sane drivers. If you're not the praying kind, a little good juju would be welcomed!)

Darned Socks and Mended Jeans

I once asked my nephew why fishing with live bait was outlawed around here. He said, "Because it works".

The worst part of getting old is that you find something that works for you, is of good quality, the price is fair, etc., and just when your "thing" needs replacing, it is out of stock or discontinued. It's happened to me several times in the past few years, and lemme tell you, nothing is more frustrating! OK, well, maybe those automatic butt-sensing, auto-flushing toilets that don't flush are more frustrating. Or that leak in the roof that you can't tell where it's coming from. Or trying to get a real person at the Customer Service number at AT&T.

One of my two *things*, my special *things* that are no longer available are my black Wilson ankle socks. I've decided black socks and flesh-colored underwear are the way to go. It's just easier. TMI, sorry. The Wilson socks are great. They're thick, they're tight enough that they don't disappear down into my shoe, but not so tight they're uncomfortable, they're made of cotton, they last for years. The only down side is that the bend from heel to ankle on the side of the sock seems to separate after a couple of years.

I'd considered darning, but my only darning experience is hearing Hubby's stories of his Nana mending his socks. From the tone of the stories, I don't think it went great. He says he appreciates the love and time that went into them, but wouldn't voluntarily wear the socks after Nana went back home.

I looked up "darning socks" on Pinterest and came up with a tutorial by Brenna at Sock Dreams. Love it! So easy to follow and so easy to do. Not the big ordeal I had imagined. I got an old hard baseball (don't have a darning egg) and my black cotton sockish-weight yarn and big-eyed needle and commenced weaving over the holes in my socks. It's been four months now and they're still wearing strong. Thanks, Brenna!

The other *thing* is my jeans. I have a hard time finding jeans that fit well and feel right. I found a brand that I loved and ordered four pair several years ago. Now that my jeans have some issues, I can't find that brand anywhere! I have some "jiggly bits" and, let's just say, some of my bits jiggle more than they should. So, the thighs of my jeans get more mileage than the rest of the garment. It's been my habit to wear my jeans until the thighs are threadbare (or holey!) and then go out and get some more. Well, now I can't. I thought about patching, but I've tried it before and didn't like the rough spots it created - especially when they rubbed on my tender inner thigh! I remembered my darned sock success and Pinterested "mending jeans". Waddya know, but Suzannah at adventuresindressmaking.com has a great tutorial using nothing more than iron-on interfacing and back-and-forthing with her sewing machine.

The ironed-on interfacing inside of the jeans

After machine sewing back & forth to the tune of half a spool of thread

I'm now the owner of five perfectly serviceable pair of jeans! Yesssss! What would I do without my little MacBook Pro and Pinterest and Brenna and Suzannah with their amazingly simple, down-to-earth tutorials? I'd probably be, "Naked and bleeding in Kathmandu!", right, Eddie Murphy? Or, just afraid to leave the house because I have nothing to wear. Thanks, ladies!