Sunday, August 25, 2013

It has been raining for several days now...actually ever since we had a stretch of dry weather and I took the "henhouse" apart so that I could start building the proper one...

Today we have flash flood warnings in Yavapai County...all pretty normal this time of year.  So, poor Lucy and Edwina, the hens, are feeling sort of homeless...but they still have their roosts in a dry, tarped area, but since there's no way I'm plugging in power tools outdoors today, they're going to have to wait on getting their nest boxes back.

Might as well switch gears and stick in some plants I just acquired.  One that I'm pretty excited about is Heatwave Hyssop " an agastache hybrid.  I' ve trying to keep the upper garden near the split rail fence totally native plants, so not sure if I should plant a few up there, but probably will.  Really nice for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies and I guess you could say these variety is "half-native." :)

Great Information on Heatwave Hyssop from Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens: Healthy Gardens, Healthy Planet.


The plants I'm about to stick in the ground were grown by Monrovia.

Well, time to "get my Oregon on..." and my boots, and head out into the rain.





Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Volunteer Hollyhock Held Hostage


It's an unusual day with monsoon rains in the MORNING.  We usually get the rain in the afternoon or sometimes at night...but, of course, here in the highlands of Arizona we'll take rain whenever we can get it!

It does throw my schedule off...I usually work outside until it gets too hot at about 10:00 a.m.  Was all set to keep going on completing the hen house, but thunder and rain brought me inside.

Took this picture a couple of days ago.  My mother-in-law, Shirley, gave us the rusty cowboy metal sculpture in Oregon. We brought him with us when we moved back home.  I just saw him featured in a garden in Phoenix Home & Garden.  The house was slightly larger.

I'm not sure where this pink hollyhock came from...I also have volunteer white hollyhocks on the hill by the studio.




Monday, August 19, 2013

Crash Hot Potatoes



This is another great vegetable recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cooks:  Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond.  She gives credit to Australia for the origins.

12 whole new red potatoes (or other small round)
Salt to taste
3 T. olive oil
Black pepper to taste
Minced rosemary (or other herb of choice) to taste

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until fork-tender.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place potatoes on baking sheet.  Use a potato masher, gently press down to mash each one.  Turn masher 180 degrees, then mash again.

Drizzle tops of potatoes with olive oil

Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and rosemary.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

These are wonderful.  Very easy.  And relatively healthy.  Hubby approves them and my Irish side has never met a potato that I didn't like.

Also gluten-free.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

New Infusion of Red Wigglers to the Compost Pile

Finally made it to the Prescott Farmer's Market this summer thanks to friend Pattie calling and saying she'd stop by to pick us up.  She went for tamales, Hubby and I went for worms.  Well, I did.  I lost the last bucket that I'd bought and added to the compost.  I was up in Alaska for three months and the dry Arizona winter made the little guys seek happier moist homes. 

Now the compost pile is nice and cooking, getting air from being turned and moisture added daily.  Bought another bucket of worms.  Hopefully will be able to winter them over.

I name them all "Bob" for some reason. 

I stuck in a two foot long perforated stake that was meant to get water down to the roots of a shrub.  I save the sink water (while I'm waiting for the water to get hot) and dump it down the pipe to get moisture into the middle of the compost.  Chicken wire is to keep the...chickens...out.


Thursday, August 15, 2013

Split Pea Soup

This recipe came from the Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic Cookbook for slow cookers. I served it at Christmas in Prescott when our son and daughter came with their families.

Makes 6 servings (4 quart slow cooker)

2 cups dried split peas
4 cups water
1 rib celery, chopped
1 cup chopped potatoes
1 large carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, or marjoram
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove. minced
1/2 tsp. dried basil

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. 2. Cover. Cook on Low 8 - 12 hours or on High 6 hours, until peas are tender.
You can use chicken broth instead of water. I usually mash some of the veggies to make the soup a little thicker.
 Don't forget to take out the bay leaf.
It's a nice gluten-free option...

Hubby Becomes Dumpster Diver

Steve told me he found this old student school desk by the dumpster. He loaded it into the Ford Ranger and brought it home to me. How thoughtful! I love it -- the perfect size for a little house/studio sewing table. Plus it's always fun to have metal things you can stick magnets on.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Quilt Scrap Jack Enjoys Oregon Garden

Grand-daughter's bunny hides in the garden.

One of the first Quilt Scrap Jacks that came from the Ash Creek Nativities studio.  I still like this cheery gal...I was up visiting grandbabies and had fun doing yardwork.  A helper and I covered the side yard with lot's of river gravel...trying to cover up the bark dust that the pug, Bella, is so allergic to...

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Whoa! Sunflowers!

I came back from a two week visit to Oregon and the monsoon rains had super-charged the volunteer sunflowers.  I find that I'm even too lazy to put black oil sunflower seeds into a bird feeder these days...so just let these guys go to seed and watch the birds enjoy them while I do dishes at the kitchen sink.  I didn't realize it, but the little yellow finches even enjoy eating the leaves...


 
Some of these guys are 10 feet tall...I'm going to have to whack back a bit and add to the compost pile if I want to be able to hang out my laundry.