Sunday, February 28, 2010

Lyrics

I've been loving some Cat Stevens all morning:

The Very Best of Cat Stevens










Where Do the Children Play?
 
Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Yes, get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything.

I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass.
For your lorry loads pumping petrol gas.
And you make them long, and you make them tough.
But they just go on and on, and it seems that you can't get off.

Oh, I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you've cracked the sky, scrapers fill the air.
But will you keep on building higher
'til there's no more room up there?
Will you make us laugh, will you make us cry?
Will you tell us when to live, will you tell us when to die?

I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Saturday, February 27, 2010

I love Saturdays!

Happy Saturday!!!

In my opinion, Saturdays are much better than Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays. I do like Friday evenings also. But Saturdays are so nice- a whole day to do what I want to do!

So thanks for celebrating this Saturday with me :) Here's the Homesteading things I've achieved so far today:
  • Master Gardener class in Monroe on House Pests. The Monroe County office was just great.. Jenny who is the Extension Agent there was so full of information and willing to share it- I love that!
  • Went out to lunch w/ Jen and Jess in downtown A2
  • Picked up a roaster chicken, 2 dozen eggs, and a smoked turkey breast from Karl Baer, my meat guy (doesn't sound too good..). I will be referencing Di's (from Life in the Prairie Box) wonderful tips on whole-chicken roasting, since I am inexperienced at this kind of thing. Thanks Di! :)
  • Stopped at Downtown Home and Garden in A2- look at the spoils of my trip! :

Got a thermometer for outside, since I don't have one. Thought it would come in handy. Also got some Burpee Sunflower seeds. Sunflowers are my favorite flower of all time. Even though they can get pretty huge and tall, it seems terrible to think about not having some in my yard. I'm thinking maybe they can kind of be a back border to the section of my garden that will have my raised-beds?

My last exciting buy was The Backyard Homestead! I usually don't buy books- I borrow a lot from the library, etc., but I've seen it's bright, warm, inviting cover for nearly a year, and I've lusted after it! I even picked it up in the bookstore, but didn't have money for it at the time. So today I did, and it came home with me! I've read the first chapter so far, and I really enjoy it. It seems like a nice overview for those looking to pursue Urban Homesteading, whether that might be just having 2 chickens in your backyard, growing some tomatoes and canning your own tomato sauce, or trying to achieve some kind of self-sufficiency!

Here's what it looks like if you're interested:













Now I am off to read, reflect, eat some dinner, and maybe to roast a chicken! Ahh!!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

A word on the Store --------->

As you might have noticed, my 8 followers, and un-counted lurkers (I appreciate you too, even if you won't "out" yourself haha) I have added a little Amazon store thing to my blog profile. I just wanted to explain what is was, and put it out there in the open, because I don't want to you feel pressured to to buy things from it (unless you'd like to!).

My store is a list of products that I own, have used, or come highly recommended.
What might you find in my store?
  • Gardening books
  • Cookbooks
  • Urban Homesteading books
  • Food System/Agriculture books
  • Canning supplies
  • Food DVDs
  • Other books that are un-related to gardening that I just like
*Disclaimer- I will not list anything in my store that I have not personally come in contact with, in one way or another.* I am going to add reviews to the products as well, so you can have my 2 cents on them. The way this whole thing works is that you are able to buy stuff from my store, just like you normally might on Amazon, except I get a bit of the profit. The bottom line is, if you are interested in buying any of the products I list on my store, and you were going to buy them from Amazon any way, they are the same price but some money is going to me (4%). Woo hoo!

I also thought it would be a nice way to track down some of the resources that I mention in blog. As I mention books or movies or tools that I have read/seen/used and found helpful, if they are available for purchase on Amazon, I will include a link like so in my post:
















If you are not interested in buying from my store, no problem. I created it just as a little sidebar on my blog so you can essentially ignore it if you'd like.

Thanks for reading! I value the thoughts, feedback and comments you have given me, and I want you to feel comfortable and un-solicited here :)

--------Weather Update- It is still Winter. :(

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Upcoming events!

This week I have TWO Master Gardener classes instead of one- gardening overload! Thursday I have Indoor Plants, same time same place, and on Saturday I am shlepping down to the Monroe County Ex. Office to make-up the House Pests class I missed a few weeks ago. Should be a fun week, and I think those two classes will be pretty complimentary!

I'm thinking about stopping by the 6th Annual Seed Swap at Toledo Botanical Gardens while I'm down in that area- has anyone ever been to the Seed Swap before? I really don't need any specific seeds, per say, but we all know that doesn't mean I won't return with any! I will certainly take pictures, if nothing else.

I've only been to the Toledo Botanical Gardens once or twice, but it seemed to be a really nice place. I think I went in fall, so not everything was in full bloom. Now I will be going in winter, another in-opportune time to see the best of TBG, but oh well- I'll just have to come back another day as well! Here's the info on the Seed Swap if you're thinking about swinging by! (They also have some awesome-sounding workshops scheduled!)


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6th Annual Seed Swap
(Please note, the Seed Swap will be held at the Ward Pavillion, Wildwood Metropark and the workshops will be held at Toledo Botanical Garden)
Seed Swap
Saturday, February 27, 2010
12:00 - 3:00 PM

Wildwood Metropark
Ward Pavilion
5100 W. Central Ave.
Toledo, OH 43615

Free and open to the public!

Diversify your garden by exchanging seeds and learning new skills! No matter your gardening ability, you’ll enjoy the chance to interact with other gardeners, while swapping favorite seeds.

Live entertainment by the Root Cellar String Band and activities for kids!
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Workshops
Saturday, February 27, 2010
at Toledo Botanical Garden

10:00 - 11:30AM From Plant to Plate: Easy, Tasty Vegetables to Grow (TBG Conference Center)
10:00 - 11:30AM All About Gourds (Children’s Ed Building)
10:00 - 11:30AM Bugs & Birds in the Garden (TBG Conference Center)
1:30 - 3:00PM A Creative Approach to Herbal Gardening (Children’s Ed Building)
1:30 - 3:00PM Troubleshooting Your Vegetable Garden (TBG Conference Center)
1:30 - 3:00PM Container Gardening (TBG Conference Center)
3:30 - 5:00PM Preserving the Harvest (Children’s Ed Building)
3:30 - 5:00PM Gourmet Vegetables for Fun & Profit (TBG Conference Center)
3:30 - 5:00PM Raising Chickens (TBG Conference Center)

 Other interesting classes coming up:

Matthaei Botanical Gardens- Ann Arbor, MI

  • Chicken Coops
    Shelter from the elements, nesting spots, and safety all need to be considered when building a coop for your home flock. Learn about chicken-coop construction with yard-hen expert Bob Dluzen. Fee: MBGNA members and U-M students $10; nonmembers $12. #10-AE-07
    Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens
    Category: Adult Education
    Date: 3/6/2010
    Time: 10 am to 12 pm
    More info: click here

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  • Ann Arbor Bonsai Society
    Beginner and Intermediate Classes, Part II with Cyril Grum
    Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens
    Category: Adult Education
    Date: 3/6/2010
    Date Details: Greenhouse 5
    Time: 9 am to 12 pm
    More info: click here

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  • Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers 
  • Second Tuesday of each month, with tonight’s presentation to be determined. This monthly meeting is designed for anyone interested in learning about the life of honeybees, their survivability, their habitat, how they fit into the community, and how to keep them. Please contact Richard on his cell 734- 660-8621, or email him at brescue@att.net; or Marin (mperusek@ymail.com) if you have any questions. Free; drop-in.                                                                                                                 Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens                                                                                                 Category: Meetings                                                                                                                        Date: 3/9/2010                                                                                                                              Date Details: room 125                                                                                                                       Time: 7 pm to 9 pm
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