Author: Timelesslady

Married with children and grandchildren. Reader, writer, painter - maybe a bit of an artist. Gardener... Led by the Spirit.

Quick Tip – Scaring Skeeters

On By TimelessladyIn Quick Tip4 Comments

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We recently went camping with the family in Belleplain State Forest. There are quite a few cedar swamps in the area, and we knew we needed to be prepared for an attack of mosquitoes. I read on the Pinterest site that Listerine, because of the eucalyptus and thymol it contains, is a terrific mosquito repellent. The directions were to spray on the ground around you and the mosquitoes would stay away. It worked! We didn’t have any problem at all with the mosquitoes. Now if only we could find something to keep the ticks away. Several of us came home with a passenger aboard our skin. Yuck!

For ease in application I placed the Listerine (I used a generic brand) in an empty window cleaner bottle. My mistake: my first mouthwash purchase was blue mint. It looked exactly the same as the window cleaner. The second time I bought mouthwash as an insect repellent I bought the amber colored Listerine. It definitely did not smell as good, but it worked just the same. Hmmm…maybe next time I will try the green mint flavor. Smile!

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Please take a look at the comment section of this post…there are many additional “natural” remedies included in one of the comments. Thanks James!”

Planting – Cactus

On By TimelessladyIn Planting4 Comments

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Two weeks ago the grandsons and I sowed a few cactus seeds in plastic blueberry packages. The square plastic container is aerated with holes, top and bottom. All we needed to do was add some cactus soil, water, and sprinkle the seeds on the top. The cactus sprouted within a week and just fourteen days later are doing very well.

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Prose, People & Place – The Dirty Life/Kristin Kimball Blog/Essex Farm

On By TimelessladyIn People, Place, Prose2 Comments

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Okay, I’ll admit it, I am only on page 51 of The Dirty Life. Why am I already raving about this book in a blog post? Well…because…oh the joy of it…I found a blog written by Kristin Kimball and I wanted to share it here: Kristin Kimball Blog

I am enjoying the book, much as a person who is hungry devours a perfect meal. The book is leaving me with an uplifted spirit after each reading. As I read through the first chapters, it was easy to imagine myself, along with Mark and Kristin, on a hunt for the perfect farm. In the next section, titled “Winter,” I will be reading about the planning stages of the farm.

When I searched Google Images for photographs of the farm, oh happy day, I found the blog. I can’t wait to explore some of the posts. Visit the Essex farm today, either through the book, or the blog, or both. You won’t be disappointed.
 

Painting – July Challenges

On By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

I’m posting three art challenges on my blog this month. Two are through WetCanvas, and one is through a site called Paint My Photo. To take part in the challenges you will need to sign up with the sites, but they are free, and it is very easy to begin and take part. Give them a try.

Watercolor Studio Challenge – Clematis

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Photo courtesy of WetCanvas/Yorky (Doug)

Here is what Yorky (Doug) says about the challenge for July 2014:

“I am posting a photograph of my Clematis for you to try. You can paint the whole thing or make it a macro where traditionally petals touch three sides of the painting.”

You can find more information on July’s Watercolor Challenge here: Watercolor Studio Challenge/Clematis

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Photo courtesy of WetCanvas/Karrie

The Plant Parade Challenge this month will be Iris. The photograph above is one of the reference photos provided. You can use a photograph from the challenge or an Iris photograph of your own.

Viven says: “The Topic for July is;

“The Iris”

The Iris – is only second to the Rose as the world’s most popular flower. Irises are a favourite subject for artists to paint, because of their stately form and beautiful, frilled petals.

There are a few rules……….

Crop, enlarge, distort, play, manipulate a reference in any way you wish. You can paint/draw in any size and any medium. “Reveal Day” is the 25thJuly,so please do not post your painting before that day. It is much more fun, and more interesting, if we all post more or less about the same time.”

The link for this challenge can be found here: July 2014 Plant Parade Challenge

I am including the “Paint My Photo monthly challenge. Take a look at this amazing artist resource and take the time to join in. You can find the information here: Paint My Photo July Challenge

Suzanne says of the challenge:

“This challenge is all about the creatures that live in the seas of the world…whether they are fish, sea-turtles, whales, seahorses, or coral …..anything that is supposed to live, swim, or exist in the watery world below the surface of the ocean.”

I’m not sure if I will be able to take part in all the challenges, but I am certainly going to try my best to do one and all!

Before I sign off here is a photo collage posted to WetCanvas of many of June 2014’s paintings of Peonies. Enjoy!

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Quote – Henry Nouwen

On By TimelessladyIn QuotesLeave a comment

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Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen, (1932 – 1996) was a Dutch-born Catholic priest, professor and writer. His interests were rooted primarily in psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and community.  Wikipedia

Phavorites and Products – Good Buys at the Dollar Store

On By TimelessladyIn QuirkinessLeave a comment

PicMonkey Collage Dollar Store save

Photo Collage Created with: Pic Monkey Photo Editor

Over the last few days I had a good time scouring my house for all the products I use from the local dollar store. How did we ever live without these fabulous centers of bargains galore? Oh sure, I know it is easy to go in for one thing and come out twenty dollars poorer, but there are also terrific buys and deals if you are careful to visit at least once a week and keep your eye open for name brand overstocks.

Here is my list of favorites, although I am sure I have forgotten to include a few.

1. Dental Pic Brushes – Small portable packs of ten. They have a nice case you can keep for other things.
2. Gift bags – Almost half price compared to other stores.
3. Stickers – Great assortments
4. Notebooks – Great varieties and half the price.
5. Hydrogen Peroxide – Super-sized bottle
6. Eyeglasses – Best deal in the stores
7. Scrubbing Buffs – They last forever
8. Digital Timer – My latest “amazing” find/works great/perfect to remind me the dryer is about to stop.
9. Microfiber cleaning cloths – Really pick up the dust. Pretty colors!
10. Toys, Toys, Toys – They aren’t well-made, but they are PERFECT for the back yard.
11. Coffee Filters
12. Foot Sponge – Another of my new favorites. A rough and tough HARD gritty sponge. I’ve never found anything that removes dirt and dead skin as well off of the back and bottom of my heels.
13. Toothbrushes
14. Notecards – Beautiful overstocks of gift shops
15. Boxed Matches – I like to keep a lot of these on hand.
16. Hand soap – Another item I like to keep stocked up.
17. Pens – Years ago I merchandised school supplies so I can recognize the better grade pens that are sent to dollar stores because of back-to-school specials and other sales. Take a close look…don’t get packs of ten, purchase the packs with one or two pens. These are great deals because they are smooth writers and will last fairly long.
18. Diaper bags – Another new find. 75 plastic bags, scented nicely ( I usually detest the smell of scented plastic, but this is rather nice) They are PERFECT to dispose diapers and other “untouchables.”
19. Laundry bags – Three in a package…Love, Love, Love these. They last a long time and really do protect delicate garments in the wash.
20. Game books – You can save two to three dollars each by buying these in the dollar store.
21. Foil sheets – Oh my! Can’t do without these. Love them.
22. Holiday baking – decorative containers and wrappings.
23. Gift wrapping accessories.

This list doesn’t even begin to touch all the seasonal buys you can find, the candy bargains, the storage containers, the kitchen gadgets, the terrific scissors I’ve found that actually cut fabric. I couldn’t believe it. I remember the day a pair of scissors that cut fabric were very expensive. If you are having a party you can stock up on party decorations and balloons.

A few things I avoid.
Bath items – Bad fragrances most of the time.
Paper plates & Napkins – Too flimsy and the smell of the dye can be overpowering, even headache producing.
Children’s dyed craft supplies such as foam sheets. The smell is oftentimes HORRIBLE and actually can smell poisonous. I’m careful about what I buy for children. Also dollar store Play-doh clay knock-offs are horrible, as are the paint sets and paints. Cheap crayons just plain don’t work as well.
Disposable Razors – OUCH Need I say more
Makeup, unless it is an overstock of a good name brand
I buy nothing for a baby or infant
Larger tapes such as strapping, duct, masking. It’s terrible quality and hard to get off the roll. Scotch tape is fine.

The photo collage picture at the top of this post was so much fun to create. I have just run across the site of “PicMonkey” and like a few of the other photo editing sites it has a lot of offer. The collage application is the best I’ve ever used. Super-easy to learn and use. I can’t wait to try it again. Thanks so much for stopping by…feel free to list a few of your favorite dollar store or discount store bargains.

Problem-Solving – Gone to Seed Part II

On By TimelessladyIn Problem-SolvingLeave a comment

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My Black-seeded Simpson recently went to seed due to the heat. Instead of pulling all of it out for the compost heap, I am leaving a few squares to grow on and form seeds. This will allow me to use the lettuce seeds they produce as microgreens and also give me plenty to sow in next year’s garden. A square of Cimmaron lettuce and some Arugula are now in the process of setting seed too.

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On my potting bench I have set up a seed farm to make the most of the last of my microgreen seeds.

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Most of these seeds are dated 2011, but still sprouted for me within a week. I am especially fond of the sprouting peas on top of my salads. I will let a few grow on and set some seed to harvest.

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If you’ve never heard of microgreens check out this post: Minding My P’s with Q – Microgreens

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Another good article on the nutritional aspects of microgreens can be found here: WEBMD report on Microgreens

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Problem-Solving – Gone to Seed Part One

On By TimelessladyIn Problem-Solving18 Comments

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Such a sweet and delicate pink flower…lovely to look at, but irritating if you are trying to grow a root crop from the plant. This blossom was not supposed to show up in my garden. It is atop a radish plant. Instead of a flower the stem was supposed to yield a large and juicy radish buried beneath the ground. This year, I only harvested a piddling few radishes and they were small, very small.

I don’t feel so bad, my neighbor, who I’ve mentioned before is a terrific gardener, told me he never harvests the large-sized radishes the grocer offers. Perhaps it was the cool Spring that jumped past warm into hot weather. Anyway, long story short, my radishes have gone to seed.

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Most gardeners would pull up the plants and resow another late summer crop. I will probably do that at some point, but until then I am nurturing the seedpods…why? Well that is tomorrow’s tale. Until then…

Pheathers – Catbird Antics

On By TimelessladyIn QuirkinessLeave a comment

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I’m partial to catbirds and mockingbirds. I love the way they can sing the song of many other birds. Mockingbirds tend to sit on the highest of trees in my neighborhood. From the top of their world they serenade me with amazing tunes. The catbird has quite a melodic voice too, but what I love best about a certain catbird who visits my yard is his/her ingenuity.

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My catbird has discovered the suet cage I have hanging on a shepherd’s hook in my herb garden. The suet feeder is made for smaller birds, or woodpecker/flicker types that can cling to the bottom and peck out suet from that vantage point. The cage will not allow larger birds or squirrels to get to the treat. The catbird is able to glean a few nibbles from what falls to the ground, but it does not satisfy him, instead it incites him to want, “more, More, MORE!”

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“What’s a catbird to do?” Why learn to hover like a hummingbird of course. This past week I stood at my back window and watched in amazement as this brilliant birdie beat his wings so fast he managed to hover beneath the feeder long enough to grab snippets of suet.

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I had to laugh when he peeked around the side and glared at me as if to say, “Humph, I guess I showed you.” I love my catbirds!

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The Catbird’s Song

Public Video Courtesy of: YouTube – Donna L. Watkins

Posies – Garden Bouquet

On By TimelessladyIn PosiesLeave a comment

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I’ve added a new widget to my blog sidebar – “Garden Bouquet.” I thought it would be fun to display an ever-changing bouquet of what is blooming at any given time. Right now, daisies are having their “hey-day” in my flower beds. This bouquet features Echinacea, a Gerbera, and a few Black-eyed Susans. I’ve also added a stem of Four O’Clock, Violet leaves, Vinca vines, and some sprigs of Lavender and Verbena bonariensis.

By the way, after I succumbed to the big writing “no-no” of using a cliche , I wondered where the phrase “hey-day” originated. According to English Language and Usage “hey-day” has its origins here:

Hey·day [hey-dey] noun
1. The stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime: the heyday of the vaudeville stars.
2. Archaic . high spirits.

Planting – Belling the Tomatoes

On By TimelessladyIn Planting11 Comments

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My tomatoes are beginning to set fruit and ripen. This is prime time for squirrels and other wildlife to begin taking a bite at random, ruining countless tomatoes over the course of the summer. My neighbor, a terrific gardener, told me the squirrels do this to quench their thirst when the weather becomes dry. I have a bird bath in the center of my Square Foot Gardens this year. Hopefully, the squirrels will use this rather than nibble at my beautiful tomatoes.

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In case this doesn’t satisfy them, I have “belled” the plants with large Christmas bells I set aside in December. I have red ones to mimic the red fruit, a few greens to resemble the unripe tomatoes. If biting into a hard piece of metal doesn’t deter the squirrels perhaps the “ting-a-ling-ling” will scare them away. Another solution I will try if all else fails will be a few pieces of fresh garlic pushed inside the bell.

I’ve tried this same idea with plain Christmas balls in the past and achieved a bit of success mixed with a portion of half-eaten casualties. I am hoping the addition of what I think might be a “scary” sound to a squirrel will work even better this year.

Quick Tip – Remove Tarnish From Silver

On By TimelessladyIn Quick TipLeave a comment

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The very tarnished pair of earrings in the picture above went from dingy and dark to sparkling and bright.

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It’s easy to remove the tarnish, all you need is aluminum foil, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of baking soda, boiling water and a glass bowl.

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Boil your water, gently crumple foil to fit bottom of bowl. Lay silver on top of foil. If there is more than one piece make sure the pieces touch. Pour boiling water into bowl to cover silver pieces. Add baking soda and salt all at once. It will bubble and steam, there might be a momentary strange odor. The tarnish will bubble off of the silver.

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My earrings were heavily tarnished so I repeated the process. I also buffed off a few leftover specks of tarnish with white toothpaste.

This is an environmentally safe way to clean tarnish from silver. It is also a fun experiment for children to watch.

Pheathers – The Flicker

On By TimelessladyIn Pheathers13 Comments

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Photo Courtesy of: Flickr Photos and Shared through Creative Commons by Kenneth Cole Schneider

A bird exactly like the one in the photograph above visited my yard in the past week or two. I was thrilled when I first spotted him, and became even more enthralled when he whimsically jumped aboard my old-fashioned swing. He hopped around the yard a few minutes and then took to wing.

I immediately went to the computer and typed all his characteristic markings into Google. Larger sized bird, purple/black crescent on chest, spots, and a red stripe on head. I searched through images that came up and soon identified my “pheathered” visitor as a Flicker.

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I have had a large variety of birds in my yard this year. I think it is due in part to this new/old suet feeder my father gave to me. It is protected from marauding squirrels by an outer cage, and seems to have drawn many more woodpeckers, flickers and other nuthatch type birds to the yard.

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I have two small bird baths, but this large-sized bath in the back garden is a popular place. I can look out all through the day and see birds drinking and bathing. I’m having a good time bird-watching this summer.

Here’s an addition to this post that I am re-printing here from the comment section. Thanks James!

IDEA:

“I took a plastic birdbath & drilled 2 small holes in it….1 in the base, & 1 in the dish.

I then took 2 couplers*(I think that’s what they are called) & inserted them in the holes(there are nuts & washers on both ends to tighten against the plastic).

I then used a small rubber type hose, to run from the base to the dish…secured each end of the hose with a adjustable hose clamp.

On the base, I added a converter so that I could hook up a garden hose to the bird bath.

On the piece that protrudes from the dish, I found(at a garden store) nozzle that clamps onto that piece….

now in the summer, when the birds need it most, they have a constant “shower” in which to bathe….and I get the honor of watching them as they do..

footnote:
where the couplers go through the plastic, I added a clear silicone sealant to keep out the weather & to keep in the gravel that I added to the base for ballast weight.
With this extra weight in the bottom, the bird bath is not so apt to get blown over during storms.
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This DIY project may seem complicated to some, but it really isn’t hard at all, and it doesn’t take a lot of time once you get everything you need. & it’s cheap too!
I had most of what I needed, so it didn’t cost much…I think I spent $4 or $5 on the whole thing…but like I said, I had most of what I needed already.

I’m thinking about $10 for everything but the bird bath….maybe less.

*the couplers I speak of are hollow threaded tubes with a washer & a nut on both ends. these are made of steel, brass, or stainless steel.

stainless steel…….most expensive type, but the best quality
steel………………….moderately priced but cheapest quality
brass…………………cheapest cost but 2nd best quality “

Problem-Solving – Waiting for Perfect Conditions

On By TimelessladyIn Problem-Solving2 Comments

“If you wait for perfect conditions,
you will never get anything done.”
Ecclesiastes 11:4

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I’ve read this verse in Ecclesiastes many times, but do I follow it’s perfect advice? Well, I’m sorry to say…not usually. And do I get anything done? Well yes, the things that matter, but do I reach for my dreams? Hmmm…sorry to say, sometimes yes, but more often than not I postpone them for fear conditions are just not right.

The cover of the scrapbook in the photo above was created by gluing squares of discarded watercolor paper to the front. Each piece is from a painting that I rejected after deciding it was just not good enough. I thought, and still think, that the effect of the squares is quite pretty. So pretty in fact that after years of having the book ready for scrapping bits and pieces of prose and art it still stands empty. I don’t want to risk messing it up.

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I did have one or two pages inside devoted to my art, but I deemed them unworthy and pulled them out. WHAT am I waiting for? I am determined to start gluing and drawing and writing inside the pages of this book…this week…perhaps today!

Phlowers – Garden Lilies

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers, Quirkiness4 Comments

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Lilies are blooming in the garden this week. I’m pleased with several of the new varieties I planted this year. I had quite a laugh over the lily in the photograph above. This flower grows near one of my bird baths. Within the petals I spotted a mulberry, left there by a resourceful bird as he bathed. I guess he was also a bit forgetful and flew away after his bath without the prize.

Here are a few of the garden lilies in bloom.

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