SOCIAL MEDIA


Katharine Hepburn - An American Icon

Monday, April 30, 2012




I think that how Katharine Hepburn lived her life is phenomenal. She was a rebel, and she got away with it...during a time when women usually had to conform to "societies rules". She embraced herself as she aged, something not seen very much today. 


I have not been posting often lately. This is due to an unusually high number of hits (views) coming from the former USSR nations. I have read that some people's blogs have been successfully attacked and destroyed from Russia. Be warned, I changed my password to a very complex one to assist in safeguarding my blog.

African Daisy - A Deer Resistant Flower

Friday, April 27, 2012

I highly recommend African Daisy for a beautiful flower that deer do not eat. I have lived with ravenous deer for 14 summers...and have found that they will eat almost anything except herbs. I tried these on my patio...that is frequented by hungry deer, and I found that they might eat a small bite, and find the taste terrible...and leave them alone. I purchased some smallish plants yesterday, and will be growing them once again. They grow well into 12" plants, and will soon fill a container. There are many colors of flowers available.


I plant them into containers on the patio. I feed Miracle-Grow to keep them growing well with many, many, blooms. It is important to keep the flowers deadheaded. I understand that they will reseed in the SW...maybe become a problem for some growers. They are too tender to make it through an Oregon winter.

Let Yesterday Go...

Thursday, April 26, 2012
I have started a new online class from Brave Girls Club. This week the main lesson is to create our own unique mission statement. I found that putting so many ideas into words is a difficult task. This quote works for me, it speaks of   the way I want to be.


I also found a free photo editing website, www.picmonkey.com. I have been playing around with it...and put this quote on a photo that I liked. I admire collages that others do with their photos...I will try one soon.

A Day in the Vegetable Garden

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

This photo is from June 2011. Lovely Snow Peas! I put in a lot of hard work every year to have the wonderful food that I grow. Today was such a day...the weather was mild (not hot). I moved about 10 wheelbarrow load of compost into a new raised planting bed. All together, I think that makes about 50 large wheelbarrow loads of compost for this planting season. I have used nearly all my compost pile. Phew...that is hard work, but I just do 5 to 10 loads at a time.


I am trying a new way to grow Snow Peas. I normally plant the seeds directly, and wait. Sometimes the seeds just don't germinate well. Last year I had to plant them two times directly into the soil. This year I put the seeds onto wet paper towels, covered them to germinate. It took a week. I was surprised to find that the "old seed" I used from 2009...had about a 97% germination rate.
I put them into the soil 1" deep as the packet recommended, 4 days ago. The weather turned hot, and the seed took off. The plants are just beginning to come to the soil surface. I put floating row cover over them for protection from insects and birds. I am hoping that all will grow well, and I will have a nice crop in about 6-8 weeks.

Adventure Day

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Yesterday we did make our own adventure. We loaded up the truck with drinks, lunch, water, Radar (dog), and birdhouse cleaning materials/tools. You see, we have a bird box trail at a wildlife refuge almost 3 hour drive from here (read, the middle of nowhere). We have been waiting for the weather to improve. Well..it finally has...we have had 4 nice days in a row. Temperatures going from 50 degrees to 90 degrees. It is a shock to us humans, acclimatizing in that heat.


More about the adventure...Hubby woke me up long before I usually do. On the road before 7am. A three hour drive east into ranching country in SE Oregon, Summer Lake. A very pretty day and nice quiet drive on a Monday morning. We cleaned out the bird boxes pretty quickly, someone had already cleaned the ones close to the roads. There were only about 20 that were off road, that we cleaned. We ate our picnic lunch in the shade. (The cafe there is terrible, so we bring our own food.) We headed home by about 2 pm. The thunderstorms were on the horizon, along the Cascade Mountains. We made a side trip to our favorite campground, it was open and they were taking fees of ten dollars a night. There were 4 campsites occupied.


Onward toward home, the storm looked terrible...and it was as we drove over Willamette Pass. We barely made it home as it hit us. The sky turned very dark, and it rained hard for about 1/2 hour. The rain gauge had 0.6" of water ...wow...we just do not have a downpour like that very often. Lightening coming down...thankfully none near us. We have had lightening hit right beside our home, and had some appliances killed from the current (now I have surge protectors on the electronics).

Country Living - Pasta for Pennies

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The May 2012 issue of Country Living Magazine has an article in it named Pasta for Pennies.  I decided to make Rigatoni with Sausage, Peas, and Mushrooms tonight. The recipe is pretty easy and really good...Hubby loved it. It says 6 servings, but I think that 4 adult servings is a better description. This recipe is very different from our normal fare, because Hubby has been on the Atkins Diet for nearly 4 months. That means we have been eating meat and salad endlessly. BTW, he has lost 30 lbs. Therefore, he is no longer pre-diabetic...and healthier. This recipe has pasta, but he can pick it out...or limit the amount that he has. Go to this link for the recipe Country Living

Two Chicks From The Sticks

Saturday, April 21, 2012


Have any of you tried this cookbook? I haven't purchased it, myself.  I think that I will try this recipe. It looks so good! I am sorry that it isn't clear, it is the best I could do.   Here is a link to a better page Aunt Mary's Chocolate Mint Bars


Do you get the free magazine Living The Country Life? I have been getting it for a year or two now. Their review of this cookbook says that "there's nothing complicated or stuffy about the 81 recipes and 42 tips and tricks in the book".
This magazine has a website were you can sign up for their magazine, www.livingthecountrylife.com  I recommend that you look at their information, because they do publish a great little magazine.

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff...

Friday, April 20, 2012


I got a used copy of this book, to help with with my life path, and personal growth. Some things to consider and take new inspirations from the ideas...for a new online class I just started this week.


Number 8.  Do Something Nice for Someone Else  - and Don't Tell Anyone About It.


"While all acts of kindness are inherently wonderful, there is something even more magical about doing something thoughtful but mentioning it to no one, ever." Richard Carlson


This quote speaks to me, I have done this. I think that I am going to do an art journal page around this. I see an incredible beauty with this act.

Dexter Calf and Daisy May - 2012

Thursday, April 19, 2012
The new calf was born yesterday morning, about 7 am.  Hubby put Daisy in the stall about 14 hours earlier...just in time for a nice, warm, birth inside the stall. The calf is a very nice, large, bull boy. Healthy... and everyone is doing fine. They will stay inside for several days, due to the crummy weather.

The longest....wettest.... winter....2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

I found this photo on pinterest. I wish that it were mine. So....Beautiful! 


We are actually waiting for one of our Dexter Cattle, Daisy May, to have her calf. She is bagged up, and when that happens the birth is imminent. She will probably have it in the middle of the night, in a heavy, cold rain. She is an experienced mother (this is her 8th calf), however the little newborn will go into a dry stall with her for 4-8 days depending on the weather. We are extra careful.

Territorial Seed Company

Sunday, April 15, 2012


It has not snowed in one week...dare I think about my garden? Yes, there are some plants that need to be planted pretty soon. Territorial Seed Company is located in Cottage Grove, Oregon. The trial gardens are located about 40 miles from here, and are a similar growing environment to my home garden. The seeds and plants that they sell do very well for the west side of the Cascade Mtns. I recommend their products, the seeds, plants, and growing tips that are right in the seed catalog. Territorial Seed

There has been a tiny break in the weather. I planted 2 Artichoke plants, 18 Broccoli plants, and 20 Strawberry plants. I am starting Snow Pea Seeds indoors and hope to plant them in a few days. I worked on the raised planting bed for the peas...it is now ready.

Homestead Community Post

Thursday, April 12, 2012

I just found this emagazine, free to download. Nicely done!
To see it go to Homestead Store. Those of you with a Kindle or Ipad might know how to download it to their device. I am pretty impressed that they have done this.

Free Pretty Things!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

I  am looking for free images to use for artwork, journaling, and blogging. I found a website that I really like Free Pretty Things For You
I will print this out on card stock paper, and use it for cards or artwork...maybe stamp on it. I have several ideas, and I wanted to share the website with all of you.

Brave Girls Club, Soul Restoration II

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Brave Girls Club is starting another online course on April 17th. I think that I will register for Soul Restoration II, a six class course. There are many weeks to complete it, and if I desire...I can take the course again.


BTW, my left eye is twitching like crazy today.....I wonder what is going on?


Check out their website, Brave Girls Club

Happy Easter Weekend!

Friday, April 6, 2012




There are so many pretty Easter postcards, I can't pick just one...so, here are 4 to enjoy. I wish everyone a great weekend!

Update on Mountain Lion

Thursday, April 5, 2012
Our neighbor who had the cow killed by the Mountain Lion stopped by this morning.  Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife came right out to the location with a tracker who had dogs.  Within two hours, the dogs tracked that lion and it was killed. The Mountain Lion was a very large male, 177 lbs. They determined by it's size, teeth, and ripped up ears (from many fights) and it was a fully adult animal. It was thought that this animal was the one that killed a large Mule (16 hands) about 3 years ago, at the same location.


My personal view on our local problem is two fold: 1. The proximity of large numbers of Elk (250+) as a main food source, that live right here. 2. The large number of Mountain Lions are pushing into areas previously avoided, such as heavy human activity. Mountain Lions are primarily a nocturnal hunter and avoid being seen most of the time (not that they do not hunt during daylight). They are very stealthy and hide very well, they can climb a tree quickly and quietly.   


There are many Mountain Lions in this state because of laws enacted about 20 years ago, restricting hunting. This is not a rare occurrence here. I just read last week that a suburban area had 6 removed.


The Mountain Lions that come into human areas are truly a danger, to us, especially children, pets, and our livestock.

Mountain Lions in my Area III

Wednesday, April 4, 2012
A neighbor stopped by with news. He had a Mountain Lion kill one of his adult purebred registered Red Angus cows yesterday, a significant monetary loss. I have been concerned about our Dexter Cattle, because we knew that a lion was in the vicinity. One lion was shot..and not killed, last summer, after it killed a families goat. Well, for now our Dexter's are safe in their paddocks beside the barn. That area of our farm is away from the timber and brush, where a lion will be. It just makes me leery when I go near the those areas.

Courage to live your own truth.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012





Be courageous enough to boldly live you own truth..when you do...you light up from inside and illuminate everything in your path. And...you will be happy. It is so beautiful!! You are so beautiful!

This is from the daily message from the Brave Girls Club. This short excerpt struck me today...I am working to live this. I am going to do a page in my art journal around this quote.

Art Journal by Karenika

Monday, April 2, 2012

I have been looking for art journal inspiration. A wonderful woman, Karen made these. They are beautiful, and creative. Her blog is Karenika.com. These are done on canvas. I have used heavy paper, like Strathmore Watercolor Paper. I can use watercolors, pens, colored pencils, pretty papers, and add fabric, ribbons and old bits of jewelry.