Snow Day!!!

Even a retired teacher can enjoy a good snow day!!

You might wonder how we survived four days of sleet and snow with two energetic, five month old, forty pound puppies in the house.......

That's how!!!!!!!

Love ya'll,

Shelli

Making Room

 

 

 

Remember these?

 

 

Well that's what getting ready for chickens has been like here at Turkey Creek Garden. One project precludes another, and it seems like we'll never be ready.

 

First the corner of the garden had to be cleaned out. 

 

 

 

Then the fence to this area had to be taken down and the sitting area had to be moved. 

 

Thank goodness for family!! We got together for Mama's birthday on Valentine's weekend and instead of a "barn raising", we had a "patio laying".

 

 

 

Now we'll have a spot to sit and watch chickens.  Everything I've read about chickens says the chicks quickly become family pets with their own personalities providing hours of their funny antics.  I am looking forward to spending time on the new patio just watching the chickens peck all the insects off  my vegetables.

 

Of course we still need a coop, but that's in the works!!!

 

Love ya'll,

 Shelli

 

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.

 ~Joyce Brothers

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.

 Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

 ~Jane Howard

Lift Off !!

Back in January, I wrote a post about getting ready for spring time in the garden.  In that post I told you about using spinach containers as mini greenhouses. We started seeds with the gardening students at Ruston Junior High using these containers as well as aluminum cake pans with lids and egg cartons.  Our goal is to help the kids realize that gardening doesn't have to be expensive and that gardening is a fundamental part of the Recycle/Reuse frame of mind.

Later, I started my own seeds and those mini greenhouses worked like a charm!!  I have them set up on the island in the kitchen.  Seeds need a temperature range between 65-75 degrees to germinate, and even though I have a greenhouse, it doesn't have a heater.  So being in the house is best for the seeds at this point.  Also, the seeds need to be kept moist, so being in the kitchen makes it easier for me to remember to mist them on a regular basis. (Misting should be done with distilled water.)

The LSU AgCenter says that "the medium used for starting seeds should be sterile, easily drained. and finely textured."  I bought a commercially prepared mix at our local garden center.  I put about three inches of the medium in each container and then soaked it. (Remember that holes must be put in the bottom of each container! The medium should be very damp, not soaking. )  Then I carefully spread the seeds on top of the medium.  The salvia seeds need light to germinate so they were left uncovered.  The zinnia, marigold, cosmos, and arugula seeds needed to be lightly covered. (Usually the seed packet will tell you how to cover your seeds, but if not, you can look it up on the Internet.)

 I wanted to use vermiculite to cover the seeds, but couldn't find any in all of Ruston, so I asked Donna, our MG seed guru, if I could use perlite.  She said yes, but the only kind I could find was perlite with fertilizer.  I wasn't sure if you could use fertilizer this early in the germination process and spent a couple of anxious days over this question, but all of the seeds have germinated so I guess the answer is "Yes".

After the seeds germinate, they need light!  But tomorrow is the beginning of an ice storm here in North Louisiana, so the seedlings will have to stay a while longer in the kitchen.  I have three pendant lights over the island but decided to raise the seeds closer to the light.

Seedlings are not transplanted until they have their first "true" leaves.  The first leaf like structures are called cotyledons and are not true leaves.  The second pair of green leafy structures are the true leaves.  Then each seedling needs to be carefully "scooped" up and transplanted into individual containers filled with the same medium until it is warm enough to plant them in the garden. At this point light is very important, as is fertilizer.  The AgCenter recommends a 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer mixed half strength once a week.

Many gardeners have left over containers they have accumulated through the years, but if you don't, individual containers can be made out of toilet paper and paper towel rolls.  Here is a picture from Pinterest:

My seeds have germinated, but I have yet to transplant them and grow them into beautiful little plants ready for the garden in about five weeks.  I have a long way to go before I can claim complete success, but for now, "Houston, we have lift off!"

Love ya'll,

 Shelli (The Seed Novice)

Aunt Chick

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, my sister and niece taught us how to make royal icing cookies this fall.  It's a skill I have admired for a long time and was so excited to learn.  I am such a beginner and have years of practice ahead of me, but since practice makes perfect I just decided to dive right in.  My first attempts were given to people who would forgive my feeble first efforts.

I made Christmas cookies for my neighbors.....

wedding cookies for Katherine....

and a batch for my Sunday school class.

Then I decided to try some for the Master Gardener's seminar.  The only flower shaped cookie cutters I could find were very simple, like flower shapes from a preschool coloring book.  The Master Gardeners are serious about their flowers, so I really wanted cookie cutters that produced a more realistic shape.  After a little searching on the Internet, I came across Aunt Chick.  Her cutters were so realistic there was no problem identifying them as morning glories, daisies, crocus, and more. But the real fun of discovering Aunt Chick was her amazing life story!!

www.toriavery.com

Aunt Chick was really Nettie Williams McBirney.  She graduated in 1913 from Stout Institute in Wisconsin with a degree in home economics.  She lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband, a banker.  At the end of the Great Depression, the Tulsa World newspaper asked her to write a column about cooking.  They said they would pay her $15 a month.  She agreed, but didn't tell her husband.  When he saw her first article in the paper, he worried that it would start a run on the bank if the town thought the banker's wife had to take a job!!!

Nettie wrote cook books, designed cooking gadgets, and taught cooking lessons. Her cookie cutters were first produced in 1948 and made her really famous.  A  member of Great Britain's royal family even bought a set!

There's so much more to tell about her extraordinary life!!!  Here is a site with the whole story:

http://www.grammascutters.com/index.php/aunt-chicks-story 

 

It is well worth your time!!

Anyway, I bought a set of her flower cookie cutters on EBay.  The details were amazing and, thanks to Aunt Chick, the seminar cookies were worthy of the Master Gardeners!!

                                                             Love ya'll,
                                                                       Shelli

Eagle

Time for a school story!!  Although I am posting this story in the OBC series, these events took place during my first year teaching, long before I was an OBC member.  I should probably be embarrassed to tell this, but it is what it is and it's a funny memory for me. 

 The recent cold weather brought this story to mind as I stay home by the fireplace on these cold mornings instead of standing outside doing morning duty on a frigid day with the wind making my nose run and eyes water.....

It is easy to spot new teachers just by their wardrobes.  First year teachers are still wearing the clothes they bought in college and wore to sorority functions and on dates.  Their shoes are high heeled and their outfits have matching jewelry.   They come to work with styled hair and complete makeup jobs. I was one of them once.  My parents had given me and my sisters fur (fake) jackets for Christmas. Mine was jet black and I thought it was so good looking!!!! 

The winter of my first teaching year, I woke up for early morning duty and proudly donned that stylish jacket, slipped on some high heels, and took off for the school house.  As I sashayed down the halls, I smiled kindly at the older teachers getting ready for duty with me; bless their hearts, wearing flat orthopedic shoes and putting on plain, ugly coats. I was never going to let myself go like that; I was a new breed of teacher, stylish and "with it".

As I stood outside on the playground that morning, several of the girls I taught hung around me talking about one thing and another.  One student was admiring my jacket.

"Ooooo, Mrs. Quayhagen, can I touch your coat?" she asked.

"Sure", I answered.

Soon each girl was rubbing the sleeves and talking about how soft it was and how shiny. 

"I wish I had a coat like that!", said one student.  "What is it, leopard?"

"No", answered another, "It's eagle!"

http://commons.wikimedia.org

Oh my gosh, I thought that was so funny!  Eagle!!!  

 But as the year wore on I became self-conscientious of my eagle jacket because I started noticing things.  Many of the little girls that loved my eagle jacket wore threadbare sweaters on those freezing cold mornings.  And the "ugly coat teachers" had classes that were much better behaved than mine.  My students loved my coat, but the older teachers' students loved them.  And that was only a few observations that made me realize that I didn't want to be a new breed of teacher, I wanted to be one of the old guard. 

I don't remember when I retired The Eagle and bought my red duty jacket, I just know that the new one was very plain -  ugly in fact.  It hung on a hook in the closet of my classrooms for many years, twenty-five at least.  I never took it home to wash it - it stayed at school all summer waiting for me and the students to come back in the fall. It never had lip gloss or perfume in the pockets like the eagle had, but you could always find an old cough drop or a warm pair of gloves when you needed them. 

But the most amazing thing about my red duty coat was that it was always a perfect match to each year's new pair of orthopedic shoes!! 

As for me, I became a proud member of the old guard.

                                                                                                     Love ya'll,
                                                                                                            Shelli

The Egg and I

I'm starting a new series today and I am naming it after one of my favorite books, The Egg and I by

Betty McDonald.  Betty married a man that ran a chicken farm in Washington state.  Published in 1945, this book is about her life on that farm and it is hilarious!! 

 

 

 It was later made into a movie.

 

 

When we moved from Lafayette to Ruston, I had two gardening goals - to grow grapes and to raise chickens.

This spring we start or own version of The Egg and I.

 

This week we had the back corner of the garden cleaned out to make room for the coop.

 

 

 

This weekend my dad is coming up to draw up the plans for the coop. I can't tell you what it will mean to build this with him!!! I have been gathering materials.  I bought a door and trim from Architectural Salvage in Jackson, MS.  The weather vane was removed from our house this fall to be replaced be the turkey weather vane Katherine and Collin gave us for Christmas.

 

 

 

My main goal is a coop that is easy to clean.  I've been watching lots of YouTube videos gathering tips to that end, and searching for design ideas on Pinterest. I can't wait to get started and am looking forward to sharing the project with you.

 

                                                                                                Love ya'll,

                                                                                                        Shelli

 

The greatest gift I ever had
Came from God; I call him Dad!
~Author Unknown

The Battle Rages On!! or I Am The Alpha Dog!!

 

 

The Garden Friendly Dogs had a surprise waiting for me when I returned from town recently......

 

Yep, a sidewalk covered with dirt;

dirt that came from big holes they were digging under the azaleas between the garage and the house.  Huh......

 

Well, I am the Alpha Dog and determined to win this battle of wills!!! 

So I gathered my weapons....

 

and went to work filling holes and covering all the area under bushes with chicken wire to deter their digging habit.

 

 

Next, I covered the chicken wire with pine straw and we are back to normal.

 

That was two weeks ago, and although they have been scratching around in the pine straw, no digging has occurred.

 

I don't know what it is about azaleas and the Garden Friendly Dogs.  They played with this bush so much that I had to take it into protective custody.

 

 

 So take that, Fred and Ethel!!

The Alpha Dog is still in control!!

 

 

                                                                                                                         Love ya'll,
                                                                                                                                  A.D.

Love

 

 Valentine's Day!! 

 

Let's pay homage to some of the greatest love stories of all time:

 

* Heathcliffe and Cathy in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

 

* William Shakespeare's  Romeo and Juliet.

 

* Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

 

* Tristan and Isolde of King Arthur lore.

 

* Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Rochester.

 

* Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph de Bricassart in The Thorn Birds by Collen McCullough.

 

* Linda and  Thomas in Anita Shreve's The Last Time They Met.

 

*James and Shelli in A Turkey Creek Love Story.

(I hit the love story jackpot

 when I married James;

 he's great and I'm lucky!)

 

                                                                                               Happy Valentine's Day,

                                                                                                                             Shelli

 

For you see, each day I love you more
Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.
~Rosemonde Gerard
 

My heart to you is given:
Oh, do give yours to me;
We'll lock them up together,
And throw away the key.
~Frederick Saunders

 

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.

 ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.

~Robert Browning

 

We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness — and call it love — true love.

 ~Robert Fulghum, True Love

 

 

 

2015 Master Gardener Seminar

The North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners held their annual garden seminar last Saturday, February 7th at Lomax Hall on the Louisiana Tech campus.  The seminar is held in conjunction with the Louisiana Tech Department of Agriculture Sciences.

 

The theme of the seminar was "Wise Gardening Practices: Principles for Easier Gardening".

 

Greg Grant, a seventh-generation Texas horticulturist, conservationist, and garden-writer, was the first speaker at the seminar.  With southern charm and humor, Greg warned against being a "plant hoarder" rather than using the correct plant in the correct spot to design a cohesive garden landscape.

  I really needed to hear that presentation as I am drawn to nurseries like a drunk to a bar! Once there, I can't stop myself from buying one of everything. One of the principles Greg discussed was  repetition in the garden.  He explained that repeating the same color, shape, or materials will give your landscape a cohesive atmosphere.

  My mom has practiced that principle of garden design all her life, restricting herself to a few carefully chosen plants that work together to create a soothing, meaningful landscape. Her yard is always thoughtfully beautiful.

My MG friends rave about Greg's book he wrote with William Welch entitled Heirloom Gardening in the South: Yesterday's Plants for Today.  I can't wait to get a copy.

After Greg's presentation, there was an intermission.  Guests were treated to a beautiful table of muffins, cookies, coffee, and tea. Master Gardener Sylvia Williams Baker is coordinator of the refreshments committee and I was lucky to be assigned to work with her and Patsy Bourgeouis. Sylvia provided a gracious table with the help of the culinary talents of our Master Gardeners.

 

After intermission, the second speaker was Frances Davidson, the horticulturist at the Biedenharn Museum.  She spoke on the effective use of color in the landscape.  My favorite piece of information from Frances was how to plant an pot for you porch.  She recommends using "one thriller, three fillers, and three spillers". Here are some pictures I found on Pinterest to show you.

 

 

The final speaker of the day was Dan Gill.  He is an associate professor of consumer horticulture with the LSU AgCenter, garden columnist for the Times-Picayune, and author of many books about gardening.  He was a wonderful speaker and gave an informative and humorous presentation about low maintenance gardening.  I rely on one of his books, Gardening In Louisiana : Month-By-Month, What To Do Each Month To Have a Beautiful Garden All Year.  I keep it on my bedside table so that I can hear it whisper to me, "Get up woman, and get with it! Your garden is calling!!!"

 

 

When the seminar was over, guests could shop on their way out.  Aaron Jennings was there with his raw honey.

 

 

Bluebird houses were for sale.

 

 

Salsa and jellies from the OWL Center were available also.

 

It was a great seminar thanks to the hard work of each committee from decorations, door prizes, speakers, tickets, advertising, and more.  Now the Master Gardeners begin preparations for their spring plant sale.......

 

                                                          Love ya'll,

                                                                   Shelli