Lonelygirlarts

I can't believe it is September already! I consider this gardening year a success. The harvest was turned into several pans of Eggplant Parmigiana. Three different types of pesto is packed into the freezer, a tangy lemon that is great on fish and in tartar sauce, a sun-dried tomato-basil is tasty on pizza and toast! And a good old genovese pesto. Will be using pesto for a very long time, a taste of summer in the middle of winter. Pickles, the lemon cucumbers choked out allot of my pickling cukes. Lesson learned. But lots of lemon cucumber bread and butter pickles with banana peppers. Refrigerator pickles, cucumber and zucchini dill slices. And lots of sandwiches with salt and lite mayo. The Zucchini had allot of blossom rot, but I still got allot because I was greedy and planted way too much. Fried Zucchini, pickled zucchini, breads with chocolate, pineapple, orange and walnuts, loaves of labeled bread in freezer along with muffins ...

The summer has been a geat one so far. Everything is growing beautifully. A few mistakes, but that is bound to happen. So, what is growing now is the 2010 garden. Worked in the garden book this week-end, now it is time to repeat myself on the machine. So, here is Tamara Jo's list of what all is in "Paradise". Daylily and Sunflower Garden Down the length of the shed a lush row of daylilies that are about to bloom in a mysterious color. And in front of those I just seeded with a Wildflower Shade mix. And I have no idea what everything is just yet, but alot of flowers will be showing up this week. The mix included: Bachelor Buttons, Chinese For-Get-Me Nots, Baby Blue-Eyes, Sweet Rocket, Tick-Seed, Sweet William, Rocket Larkspur, Daisy Chrysanthemum, Godetia, Sweet Alyssum, Spured Snapdragon. Shirley Poppy, Common Foxglove, Garden Columbine. Now to let it all bloom! The corner is my favorite, that has Yellow Iris's, Yellow Evening Primrose, Nasturtiums, Orange and Red Cos...

This little corner is my favorite spot this year, so far. The Iris's never bloomed, only one. But that was because I moved them. And the rest is just a dumping ground for the seedlings I thin out from other places. I just like the messy look. I am so happy with how the gardens are doing this year. The weather has been fantastic. Hot days, we could use more rain, but every few days something falls from the sky,. And I always have the hose. I did a bit of re-arranging yesterday. I planted my three mints in the same containers as last year - was not supposed to! They where already root bound, so I yanked them out and put them in new homes. A friend  ? found ? two nice size plastic urns. I painted them a beige for now. Peppermint went in one, Apple in the other. My big orange pot had to many flowers in it, nothing was doing good. I ripped that apart and put my orange mint in it, the rest of the flowers went in the mint pots, and the gardens. I made allot of mistakes this yea...

Another day.... Feeling a bit blah today, worse than usual. No sun to force me to be a human. A bit of self -pity. I don't do that often. At Meg's grad party , everyone is asking how am I doing? Everything is a lie. Just not going to go over it all again. I feel like shit every minute of the day. That is how I am really doing. The strokes are starting to leave a bit of nerve damage. And with everything else pain is a bitch. But life goes on.... Been thinking about a community garden again, got all my drafts out, think I will re-do it for shits and giggles. The thing is , this idea always gets my attention when I am feeling a bit blah. But the more research I do, the grander my idea gets, and now my head is filled with a vision that is attainable. If I could do this, it might give Cloquet a big kick into the future.  I see at least 40 garden plots in that space, beautiful flowers separating the space from Veterans Park. What a better place to have a Victory Gar...

There Home is SPARKLING CLEAN. Filthy little things. I got a Zebra Snail the other day, I think it is dead. Those things happen allot. I've had these four fish for two years, already had to get rid of the fifth to a friend because they just got too big, and the tank was not keeping up with the waste.I'm already thinking that I should get rid of one more, the tank is needing cleaning more often. I can't keep snails or algae eating critters...They all Die. Gilda,Eddie, Bill, and Bob are still alive after two years. If the snail doesn't move by tonight... Another one bites the dust! The rain is coming down. A nice Sunday to stay in and putz at nothing. I am going to download my new CD. WARREN  ZEVON, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology). Then figure out how to delete songs from my I pod and put these songs in. I feel a head-ache coming on. 

Now, it all comes to good weather, picking the right weeds, and alot of praying! Almost complete. I have a list that will get knocked off on Thursday when I go with friends to Garden Meadows, it is just before Hinckley. I bought the cages their last year, I hope they have them again, and a red one. I watered good this morning, and maybe this evening again, depends on the temp. Things are popping up, and so are the weeds. I plan to go out later and do a bit between rows, and what I know for sure is a weed!. The beets need to be thinned out and so do the beans and peas. But no sweet peas yet, and they should be up!. They did this last year, and I only got a few.Now is the time of PATIENCE. Here is the almost final list of what is in the backyard right now.... Roma Tomatoes, Cayenne Long Slim Peppers,Serrano Peppers, Sweet Banana Peppers, Big Jim Peppers, Bush Bean-Soleil, Bush Bean-Slenderette, Maestro Peas, Dwarf White Sugar Peas,Chicago Beets, Kaleidoscope Carrot Mix, White Lisbon Bunc...

More Free Etsy Banners {now over } I am just doing experiments with stuff I know nothing about. I know this computer can do a lot more than I let it. I just don't know how to figure things out on designing my own page. Think I might go to a site and get help. Get a paid subscription for a year on a blog service. I have checked out a few sites. I just want to make sure I know somewhat of what I am doing. So far I am not impressed with myself!!! I know how to put the banner in my photo program and do stuff like that, I just need practice. I guess it is time to start crying for a rain day. Then I can work on this machine. But the sun is out, and I am chomping on the bit to go back outside, But , have to wait awhile, spending all day outside is not really a healthy idea. Drains me to the bone, and I am starting to get worn out really fast.

| It is going to be a good day to get things done today. The humidity has gone, the sun is shining, no excuses today. I am going to fix up all my containers, move stuff and mow the lawn. And a little weeding! The wall is still needing attention, get to that today. Going to use the grill tonight for Kabobs, I'll par boil baby reds, peppers, mushrooms, vadalia onions, zucchini. and pineapple. The scallops and shrimp will have pineapple, peppers, and lemon wedged. Teriyaki pork and a garlic herb marinated steak will go with the rest of the veggies. Do a few skewers with just potatoes and then desert ones with pineapple and I will make a glaze to bump up the flavor a bit. So my day is planned. Got a shout out to a friend for lunch and flower shopping too!!!! It is 6:30 a.m. so I better get going. I washed my bib-over-all shorts, camera is charging and so are both of my music players. Ready....Set....Go...!!!!!

I know exactly how he feels!!! Just came in from planting a few more things. The cypress vine went in, but I put it in a stupid place... the gourd wall is pretty much going to cover it up, unless I can twine it thru the gourd wall too. I planted lots, so time will tell. Spaghetti Squash, and a few Big Max Pumpkins, the rest of the Teddy Bear Sunflowers. I have two empty hills, I'll be going Greenhouse shopping this week. Need annuals for containers, the blueberry plants, the strawberry set-up. A few more herbs, tomato plants. That is it. A friend of the family is bringing me a stack of cut square posts for the retaining wall tomorrow morning. Fix the end up and plant some ground cover for now, something that will creep over the side. The thing is, this end of the garden is built up by ripped up grass from making it larger. I would like to plastic it over for next fall, but that will look so ugly! Think of something, I could make a wall of cosmos g...

Everything is going beautifully in the backyard. The weather has been fantastic. So here it goes, I started planting on Tuesday and I am still not done and it is now Thursday. But I am doing good!!! In the picture I had a wall of Cosmo's, this year the wall is reds, oranges, and yellows. A Bright Light Mix, Double Orange, Polidor's , and I did do a small section of a mix of pinks, whites and purples. I have three tomato cages with Amish Paste, I use them for a little sauce, mostly sun dried. Lots of Basil between the cages, Purple Ruffle, Sweet Genovese , Mrs. Burns Lemon, Red Rubin. I love my Pesto!!!! I will just list the rest.... Bunching Onions, Detroit Beets, Maestro Peas, Dwarf White Sugar Peas,Fern leaf Dill, Slenderette Bush Beans, Soleil Bush Beans, Kaleidoscope organic carrots, Four hills of Zucchini, Two Hills of Lemon Cucumbers, Two hills of Tendergreen cucumbers, Sweet peas, Old Fashioned Fragrant s,Sage, Thyme, Eight Black Beauty Eggpl...

Spent the entire day outside yesterday. But... I did the easy work, today ... I have a problem to solve, sloping garden, water run-off. I'll figure it out. That is in the new part of the garden, so I will figure it out, I usually do. My gourd wall didn't fit, because of the compost that was brought in. I fixed that! Needed to be dug in, now it is stable. A few more rows to figure out, and the seeds go in today! Next week plants will go in, I might put my eggplants and peppers, the ones I started in the house, they look a bit raggy after being out yesterday. That flippin green house had about 100 seedlings at one time, if the last flat survives, I will be damn lucky! Can't grow anything inside, plants die, even the ones that people tell me will survive anything!!!! But outside, everything comes up great!!!! I need to live in a warmer gardening climate. I don't know what I do wrong!

Today is a perfect day to try something new. So I am going to work on a project that can be entered in the Garden Glam Contest. Pull everything together, and see what will happen.It is so nice to have the supplies on hand now to start what ever I want to. Gardening is on hold till Saturday. And even if it gets nice on Friday, still wet, and I can't do any structure work till the shit comes and then till again, and then it is full speed ahead. Seeds in first, then later in the month the plants will go out. But that is not today's subject... Something Glam for the garden, we prefer the word FUNKY! So off to the shed and get a few clay pots, then to the dreaded shelves where all the unorganized crap is organized, sort of. I put things away, then I forget where I put them, or, I gave it away, and now I need it. That is how the world works in my home. Time to shine!!!!

The year is on it's way!!! A bit of a cold snap right now, but this to shall pass.  The beds have been made bigger, one good deep tilling so far. I was supposed to get compost yesterday, but due to weather conditions that will be delivered later this week. Hopefully the weather will cooperate! And then till again, put up all the poles and decor in it's place, and wait!  As far as what is getting planted, even though the gardens have gotten bigger, I am still going to plant pretty close together, it worked good last year, the only big mess - Tomatoes, those will be cared for better! Now that I know what to do! So the plans are forming... As far as height in the garden, each corner of the garden will be anchored with a tall sunflower. The center will have a tower of moon flowers, and a cypress vine with small red flowers. The Gourd wall will be the attention getter, growing on that with the ornamental gourds will be a black-eye Susan vine. And the center of that side garden wi...

  I am still knitting and crocheting pillow squares. The count is high , way over 200 squares. And every time I go to put some together I find another yarn , or a pattern that I need to try first, been doing that for a month!. Keep getting side tracked by other things. I have the sewing machine, so I really only need thread, because I have a box of material I can use for backing and casing. I have a few pillow forms and stuffing. Oh! yea!!! My cousin gave me some great tie-dye cotton, that is being used for Aprons. And I found a great web site Spice Berry Cottage on ETSY . Beautiful cotton material, the most whimsical designs, now I need to find some funky male orientated material. This is why I can't get one thing done!!!! I keep adding to the list. And now I have all these idea's for embellishments. I bought 100 Flowers to Knit & Crotchet by Lesley Stanfield. The embellishments in this book are beautiful. I can't wait to loose my...

The morning looked promising, now clouds are gathering, rain is needed so I won't complain. Just don't have a project planned for today. Yesterday I spent most of the day making donuts, cake and raised. Everything turned out fine, I would of decorated them, but they can be frozen, taken out and warmed up, then you can dip them in sugar or what ever. Exchanging donuts for fish... Come on, who got the better deal? Me of course!!!! I love fish, but hate buying it, yuck!!!! So if I don't have a stock from lake winnie or rainy, I am stuck eating catfish, that I will buy, but it is tenders, cut up and breaded. Not really what I consider a great substitute, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I had a hunk of Alaskan halibut, the best! One nite we had halibut, walleye, trout and salmon, all fixed in different ways. We planked the salmon, which turned out really great, I like my salmon over powered by other flavors, the rest just a splash of fresh lemon, but salmon, I like it well s...

Thoughts are forming for this years garden. I have the layout done. The main garden will have the wall of Cosmos. The top will have the big marigolds, doing white this year. Then the Roma Tomatoes and Basil, next row will be a Variety of peppers, then eggplants. We now hit the center of the garden, A tall TP with a vine flower running up, just haven't decided on the color, orange or purple, I am into white this year!, each side will be green and yellow bush beans, then the pea sticks with a couple types of snow peas, and sweet peas. The next is sectioned out to four spots, chives, onions, carrots and dill. Last row will be two types of cukes and zucchini. Then the two barrels and in between those will be the Shepard's hook with two hanging strawberry's. One barrel herbs, the other blueberries. And I have threee long containers with curly, and flat leaf parsley, nasturtium's ring those, and lettuce will be started in the third. Pots will be filled with annuals and herbs...

Life is always waiting for me every morning! Mud season, with no mud... We need rain so bad!!!!  Yesterday the Gourd wall got put up, ,my upstairs neighbor . Brian drilled it up good!!! It looks really nice, that will be the centerpiece of the garden. It sits on an angle, and will be really easy to get the look I want. Finally got the fan on he seedlings, all my cosmos seedlings bit the dust, a few will survive, but they look like shit. Everything else did really good. I have four big pumpkin plants growing on the kitchen island! Soon they will be taking off over the side, by the time I get them outside, they will be covering my kitchen! Planted two long narrow planters with curly and Italian parsley, and I put a ring of nasturtiums around the outer rim.Since we are supposed to get rain within the next fer days I am going to get all my containers out and let the rain start to clean them up. Next week compost comes, hopefully the next few days the tiller will get...

I have been taxing my brain to follow directions for new knit blocks.  Took several rip outs but I did manage to finally get the Five Rib Braid to work out, so following cable instructions ...no problem ,as long as the rows are repeated with an easy way to remember where I am(Brain is not working right at all). So that that pattern turnedout really nice . I am having a problem with textured stitches, I think I knit to tight , so when the pattern calls for a MS,p3tog,  I have a hell of a time, and just don't want to fight with a whole block to do a Bramble Stitch. I will continue to try, maybe with practice I will get better at it. The Gansey Patterns where a breeze, Humber Star turned out really nice, Full Diamonds worked out nice. I really have to watch colors , some patterns look better in certain shades and textures. Mastered all the Moss Stitch patterns,Chevron,Mock Cable, and the pattern that is the easiest,yet screws me up in the middle of the block- Basketweave. It is l...

Another beautiful day today. The sun was out full force all day. Moved the old chairs and table into the garden. After yesterday not much to do,. Tomorow, the gourd wall will get built. I am still wishing for rain, it is dry, especially with the wind.And I have to do something with the flower bed under the window. I think I will re-rock most of it, throw in viola's(some are coming up now).And in the back I will do the cosmp's and coneflowers again. Just leave it a little wild looking. I am going to mix rows and squares in the garden. And a wall of Cosmo's. Anchor the garden with tall sunflowers. And in the center divide the garden with totems of zucchini. That will give the main garden it's structure. And the gourd wall will give it to the end of the garden, the other side has a wall of sunflowers against the shed. Almost a feeling of enclosure, and the lily garden is getting bigger, so that will narrow the path into the back yard. I can't believe how well this gar...

The magic shovel was hard at work today! One less thing to worry about in the gardens, they are all cleaned up. Get the till in here next week, then the beginning of May the compost will be delivered. The seedlings sre growing like crazy, every day I have to higher the lights. By next week I should be able to start feeding them a light fertilizer. So far things are going well. I might get out the saw tomorow, and build the gourd ladder. I think I have enough wood, I just have to get some nails. Get those at the store tomorow, it is also grocery day for the week.Yuck!!! But it has to get done. This is the last month of the personal chef gig. I don't cook alot come summer, and it is not getting me to eat any better, just get sick more from trying what I make. And when you have to cook every nite, it starts to get a bit boring, especially when you are limited to someone else's taste. But it has been fun. I would not mind it if it rained tomorow! Just got the BBC series the Youn...

I think I have finally gotten everything cleaned up now. This page was looking pretty UGLY. I have been working happily this morning, ever since 7 a.m. things have gotten crossed off the daily list. I should go outside for awhile, but it is cold. My hands are frozen in the house. All the seedlings have sprouted in the greenhouse. And they are looking healthy, which makes me very happy. Putting the extra effort in hanging the lites has helped a great deal. And I have the fertilizer sitting on the floor, just waiting for the true set of leaves to appear. Do it right this year, and I have the fan ready to start circulating air. I think the garden will be jam packed and beautiful this year. I am going to splurge on a patio set, just a small cafe table with a couple of chairs.And some lighting would be nice. I need to find an area for the hanging strawberries and blueberry barrel. I just need to get back there now and partition everything off. I have everything ready to go back and do it, ...

I have messed up my poor blog! Working on a overhaul this afternoon!!!!!

The greenhouse is full of seedlings. The first step has been accomplished succesfully. Now keep them healthy and alive. See if I can remember what I planted without looking at the list.... Cayenne peppers, Banana , and Big red peppers. Lots of Basil, and I mean alot of basil. Cosmo's, marigolds, pumpkins, solar babies, several herbs, eggplants, two types. I can't remember what else is growing, Four shelves loaded with cells of plants.... Makes me happy! Chilly outside this morning. Longing for a long warm summer, with very little wind. Dreaming..... Time to get things going for the day, phone calls, no appointments today, well I have one, but it is getting cancelled, don't feel like deeling with every problem today. Get things ready for when the back pay check arrives. ALL my bills will be paid, a nice garden fund, and life will start calming down and flowing the way it should, the way I want it too. My needs will be taken care of, and a bit of spare change to throw aroun...

Another BEAUTIFUL day outside! I know we need rain really bad, but this spring has been incredible so far. It makes you really want to get that garden going, but I know a cold snap is still out their somewhere. It would be unbelievable to have the garden in and growing by the middle of May! But I do not have that much trust in Mother Nature , she could decide to play a number of dirty tricks as soon as I put plants and seeds in the ground. I have so many plants in containers, having to haul everything in at night is just stupid. So, it is now the waiting game. The compost will be deliveredthe second week of May. 7 yards will refill all the beds and barrels, enough for the containers. I am still in a quandry over how to plant that big urn. I found a yellow color scheme that was really fluid. But it was all yellow, now I am thinking, blueberries. I can fit two plants in it. No, it is made for flowers, I will get a barrel for the blueberries. Those will be with the hanging strawberries. ...

I have already lost one post today, try for number two. Went shopping with Mom today, bad move on my part, the stores where crowded. More people than I want to see in one place. And I really didn't need much, and what I did need I forgot to get, and instead of getting the metal rings in the stationary department, I wandered through groceries, and ended up staring at fresh pumpernickle hoagie rolls, so it is Ruebens for dinner tonight. I love them, and they hate me, but such is life, I will suffer the consequences. Anyway... I needed the rings for the neastest orginazation tip for garden stuff. I like to save all my plant info's. You punch a hole in the plastic stick, make sure you don't hit any pertinent info, and you just hang them from the ring all together. I have a set of rings for each garden, and I need more rings to put in the garden Journals, I have the coolest book markers for them, Macrame' little hangers, I used to make them for key chains, you can always fi...

I never seem to have the energy on the days I really need it! Procrastination is the major problem... the short version. ... Today I just feel lazy! But I did find my spare rib recipe, and everything is ready for dinner, saucy spare ribs, baked potatoe, asparagus with lemon, and popovers. That is my project for the day!!! It's a dogs life today. Just gonna go with the flow. Feel like an old cliche!!! And this head-ache doesn't help. The sun has also vanished. I am just full of excuses. I will be having a busy day tomorowo if I don't do any outside work today. So be it! I know it will not take us long to clean up and rip up more garden. It looks so small right now when I go back there, but in photo's it looks so much bigger!!! I checked on all my dried flowers I did last fall, really nice. I need to make more paper and use some of what I have in the paper. I think I will waite to do that outside, last time I made paper in the kitchen , I had a major mess. Had to roll my...

Going from one project to another. Slowly things are coming together in the right order. The garden has been designed, plant list made, Gareden Journal is in full swing! I just need to get some more sticks and a few good size branches. I grab the hatchett at Brian's tomorow afternoon. I hope it doesn't rain! And if it does it warms up a bit. As of today I am in the hands of weather... I can't do any staking until the ground gets a bit more unfrozen. I have time , the compost will be here in May. Enough time to prep everything. I hope it is the start of a warmer summer than last year. The Fall saved me last year. Made a few squares, I am knitting a few for the variety, but I do it so slow, I am faster crotcheting. But I really like the look , and some yarns cannot be crotched with, I can't see the stiches, so I need to knit the squares. I have the time, as long as I can get a few done a day, I'll have enough by the end of may to start putting a good variety together...

Learned a lesson today, even though it has been warm out, the sun has been shining, the ground still is frozen!!! Jumping the gun a bit!!! The Iris's are starting to come out, the poppies are greening, in the window garden viola's are showing up. Allot of rock picking has to be done, but that is my fault. I dumped all my pots and the container dirt in the garden, all of them had rocks for drainage, for some reason I never got to that last fall. For now just getting tha raking done around is enough. I am getting 7 yards of compost, allot of shoveling is coming my way! The main vegtable garden is getting a few feet wider and longer, the sunflower bed is getting wider, lily bed wider. And the Great Pumkin Patch is getting much bigger with a gourd wall, going into a partial shade to full shade garden about four feet deep. On the side of the apartment is a rhubarb patch I cleaned out yesterday, green sprouts there also. It belongs to the house next door, but no one has ever done an...

Changed the blog. This will be my Etsy page name, so just makes sense to co the same with the blog. Maybe now I can organize things a bit better. All the prep work is coming along just fine. If I was a happy chick...I would be very pleased with myself!!!! The projects I am working on now are coming along, a few just need the finishing touches, and the rest, well I need a few more supplies, so we are saving up for the things that are needed. I will get going by mid-summer, with putting up the site, and have stock to back it up. At least I have chosen items I am comftorble working on, and enjoy. I know I have a few harder projects I keep putting off because it is just easier to work on the easy one, and that would be all the knitting and crotcheting. Spending too much of my time on those projects. The Gardening season is soon here! I have my greenhouse going in the hallway. So the games begin!!!! The gardens will be each getting a few feet bigger, and a few new ones will be starte...

PersonalityStyle.com - Tamara Jo Rankila

I have decided I must put myself on a work schedule in order to get my business off the ground before I drop dead. I am up early, so by 8:00 a.m. I am always ready for the day. Things are piling up, I make my list longer, frustration sets in,and nothing gets done. So... This week-end I will set- up a work schedule around my Doc appointments, and stick to it. This week-end the Gardening projects will be finished, all set up to start seeds. So the week will be clear to start a fresh approach to getting things done. I have been feeling so worthless not working, but I need to get that out of my head, I can get a business going, I have done it before, I can do it again!!! Energy... I know I have a few winners... The magnets are beautiful, and the pillows will be so funky, an InteriorDesigners Dream!!! The Agate Wine Corks, and my line of note cards and journals. Out of the clothing gig, but in the back of my mind are Aprons, I love them! And so easy to make. This is my problem, too many ide...