Sometimes, I Feel Like This

I am back home from Conroe. We had a blast. I will post more about the trip in the next few days.

Yesterday I received a few phone calls from Manly Man and the Sisters. First Baby Sister became engaged Saturday morning. Her man purposed on a hike outside of Albuquerque. Her ring is gorgeous and he is the nicest guy. It is a long story, but he managed to get a ring that was first seen in Canton, Texas but was actually for sale in Longview, Texas. He managed to buy it and have it mailed to him in Albuquerque NM. I must explain that he never actually saw the ring before he purchased it. He picked out the ring she wanted from a couple of bad cell phone pictures. He kept this a secret from our busy body family for six weeks and was able to surprise Baby Sister on a mountain. Good job West Man, GOOD JOB.

Later in the day, Manly Man called. First was the news that gasoline is being stolen from our vehicles. Someone siphoned gas from my truck while he was asleep. To top that off MY RABBIT WAS PREGNANT. As you may know, Lucy is now Mario, and Starr is still Starr. Well yesterday, Starr started pulling out her belly hair. Today I came home to three surviving baby bunnies. She is a first time mom, so we will have to wait and see how this turns out. Mario has been banished to the dog kennel for really bad behaviour and hiding his true gender for nearly a year. BAD BUNNY, VERY VERY BAD.

Bye Bye Bye

I've escaped. Pray for Manly Man he is alone with the monkeys. Be back Sunday unless I decide to run for it.

Debbi

Tomato Volunteer

Every summer, like most vegetable gardeners, I end up with tomatoes that are damaged in some way that makes them inedible. Usually a bird has pecked them or it they did not get the right amount of water and have blossom end rot. I usually just pick those tomatoes and drop them on the ground under the tomato plant. By doing this, the following spring I have tomato volunteers. I found my first one this afternoon. From where it is located, I can hope that it is a Green Zebra. However, there is no telling, it could be anything. The main purpose of these little volunteers is that when they come up and are about six inches tall, I know it is probably the right time to plant my other seedlings. I know other gardeners plant either on April Fools Day (to early for me) or Mother's Day (to late to suit me).

When I get back in town Sunday, I will plant my tomato plants that are about six inches tall. Many of my seedlings are still tiny and not ready to be planted in the garden. The Cherokee Purple and Early Girl are ready. I have been worrying over these tiny little tomato plants. They just don't seem to be growing fast enough. Last week I added compost, blood meal, and bone meal to each of the pots. Two days ago, I made a solution of fish emulsion and Super Thrive and watered them with it. Today they looked a lot better. I think they are on their way.

I will be away for the next four days. I will be traveling with four of my friends to the Texas State Master Gardener convention in Conroe. I was just informed by email that I am a delegate. That means I have to vote on an agenda and a budget. We will take six classes and go on at least one garden tour. I should come home with all kinds of great new ideas and information plus a few stories about who snored the loudest. I am not going to do the wild flower post this week unless something inspires me between now and sunset. To make it up to you, I will find some cool wild flower or wild flower field between here and Houston and post about it when I get home.

In Honor of Earth Day I Stole Meme's Garbage

Today I took care of my two grand nephews. I watched them at Meme's house. Meme is their grandmother. The boys ate apples and I drank coffee. I grabbed a plastic grocery sack ( Yes, she still has plastic grocery sacks), and put the apple core, apple peels, coffee grounds and coffee filters into it. I then put the sack on the kitchen counter so I would not forget to take it home for the compost pile and worm bin.

A few hours later, Meme comes back and wants to know what's in the sack. I said, "Stuff for my compost pile." She got the you've got to be kidding me?? how did I pick you as a best friend???? look on her face and handed me the bag with two fingers barely touching it.

A few years ago she was surprised that my compost pile did not "smell." She actually asked, "Why doesn't it smell?" I told her that compost should not smell.

I am going to try to convince her to put compostable stuff in her freezer and save it for my worms. My worms really need more food now that there are bazillions of them.

Come on family and friends celebrate Earth Day and help me feed the poor hungry worms in small town Texas.

I am going back to watch the boys again tomorrow and I am going to steal her garbage again.

Get ready everyone, there will be snarky comments.

Oil of Oregano

I finally feel better and I had the answer in my cabinet all along. Oil of oregano. I used to work at an organic nursery and one of my coworkers was/is an herbalist. She turned me on to oil of oregano, wild oregano to be exact. This took care of my recurrent upper respiratory symptoms. The stuff works for me and it works fast. I just put a drop of it under my tongue and then drink a cup of very warm water. Things generally open up right away and I get better within a day or so. So why, oh why did I subject myself to a weeks worth antibiotics, steroids, and a sedative cough medicine when I had the cure right at my finger tips. I forgot. I completely forgot about this wonderful herb. All the "medicine" did for me was upset my stomach and make me sleepy. The oregano let me breathe immediately and the cough is almost gone. I spent over $100 when a $1 dose of oregano oil made me actually feel better. I could have saved mysef the side effects. I should have at least tried the oregano before going to the M.D. The only drawback, oil of oregano tastes worse than fennel tea.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

Baby Monkey is nine years old today. Hard to believe. The time goes by so fast.

Mac&Cheese with a Twist

As some of y'all may know, I am under the weather. Well, really under the bus. I have bronchitis exacerbating my asthma. My breathing sounds a little like my Daddy Jake's old tractor all rattling and back firing. When I answer the phone the person on the other end automatically says "your sound terrible." Thanks y'all. I am so obviously sick that I am being tag team checked on by several of the sisters, Meme, and Mamala.

To help me out, or maybe because the just wanted to, Manly Man and Middle Monkey took over dinner last night. Manly Man commandeered the grill and made blackened chicken. Middle Monkey made mac & cheese and corn. He was the cutest thing ever standing on a step stool belly up to the stove. My contribution was wandering out into the garden and picking a bowl of mescalin mix lettuce.

There is nothing much nicer that having my man cook for me. There is absolutely nothing sweeter than watching him teach his ten-year-old son how to cook. I tried to help, but was banished from the kitchen. Apparently, they did not want me to contaminate the area.

The food was good. Middle Monkey put butter in the mac & cheese and corn. He has already figured out that butter is the way to a southerner's heart. My man's blackened chicken is absolutely the best. It was the very first thing he cooked for me when we were dating. This pretty much sealed the deal for me. One winter evening, he tried making it on the stove top in the house. Very, very bad idea. The smoke detector went off and we had to open the doors and windows in thirty degree weather to air out the place. Dixie and Allie, our cats at that time, were miffed for days.

Early this morning, I woke up from my codeine cough syrup induced sleep very hungry. Blackened chicken makes a wonderful sandwich with mayo and garden fresh lettuce. I added a little basil to the mac and cheese and reheated it - heaven in a bowl.

I hope nobody else wanted left overs. I think this is a sign of recovery and the reason I will never be skinny.