It's Official

So, it's official. I'm old. Or maybe not, maybe I'm just conservative. It sounds better like that anyway. I'm sitting at my computer this morning, and Jack growls from his post on the back of the sofa. I noticed there was a van in our neighborhood, parked in the street in a random spot, the back cargo doors thrown open, and I saw a guy walking from my neighbor's house. Weird. A little unnerving. A few seconds later I hear a large PLOP on my front porch. Oh no, not again!

I raced to the front door, retrieved the bag containing a very large book, and tore down the driveway, 'Hello! Good Morning, Sir!! PLEASE don't leave me another one! We have at least twenty of these books already, but Thank You!

My conservative self begins this little train of thought as to just how many trees (I know, I know!) were destroyed to make the paper, how much time and energy was used to print this publication, and just how many people NEVER. even. open. the. bag. but rather just deposit it into the first available trash bin, to create even more garbage. I know I always have.

Do people even USE this anymore? I know I google everything! I'm paying for internet service anyway, no trees are involved, it's faster than looking it up in some book, and probably more current. Am I the only person that feels this way?

It's not like I'm an advocate for doing away with all of the THOUSANDS jobs that it takes to pull off a publication like this. Being unemployed myself right now, I'm VERY sensitive to that issue. Rather, I'm suggesting that our time and resources could be put to a much more valuable use, don't you think?

So, I guess I'm feeling a little old in some ways with this whole thing. Like the little old lady who screams at people to "stay out of her yard", "what are you doing out of school, anyway," and "where are your parents," but seriously folks, we all live here on the same planet, the only home we have, so just what is up with all of this WASTE!

End of rant. Have a nice day.

Every day above dirt is a good day! :)

Air Conditioning

So, today I finally gave in and turned on the air conditioning for the first time this year. UGH! I prefer fresh air, and no sooner were the windows closed and the a/c turned on, than I felt claustrophobic, trapped inside this house until the cooler breezes return. I'm really wishing for a whole house fan and open windows with fresh, breathable air, soft breezes blowing across the sheets at night, the tinkling of windchimes, the sounds of chirping birds in the early morning. I miss the fresh air already!

Tweaking

So, hopefully the blog has been whipped into current reality, broken links fixed or deleted, pages updated, apologies made, etc.

The past year has been such a whirlwind, new beginnings, rocky middles, sad endings, promises made, and broken, new courtships, engagements, marriages, honeymoons, health issues, emergency rooms, procedures, healthy starts, births, birthdays, holidays, family, anniversaries, hopeful beginnings, incredibly stressful middles, disappointing endings, a historic Presidential election, the Great Recession, new friends, new jobs, great grades (yeah!) computer crashes and new purchases, cell phone deaths and new purchases, loss of loved ones, loss of friends, the coming together and the severing apart, a return to an authentic self, and the hopes of new and brighter things to come.

This is the part where you pick yourself up, dust yourself off properly, and go right back out there. Let's move forward, shall we?

Tap, Tap, Tap......Is This Thing On?

So.....exactly one year later.....is this thing on? Dusting off the surface.... is anyone out there, still??? I've been missin' you guys, and missin' this blog, and missin' it all.....more than you know....more than you can imagine......I'll share more as I can, but, just know, from the bottom of my heart, I've been missing you!

Babies In My Garden June 7, 2008

So, Summer Gardening is in full swing! And I, for one, am lovin' it!!! Just look at all my babies!!!

I'm *SO* excited! I'm like a kid at Christmas! Every day I'm scoping out the beds to see what's new, counting the plantings that have come up, or managed to survive the ever persistent and ruthless Texas winds of late. Just a couple more days and I'll be having Squash Casserole for dinner!! YUM!!!

So, how is everyone's garden doing? Show us your babies!!! I can't wait to see how they're all doing!!!

Happy Green Thumb Sunday! And Happy Gardening!!! :)

It's Coming

It's Coming, originally uploaded by jonsgirl630.

So, the rainstorm we had here in North Texas on Tuesday came at a really good time! My gardens needed the rain, and they’re rejoicing right now for the large drink of fresh water! Click the link below for a progressive view of the storm followed by the Happy Gardens!!

Home Grown Strawberry Shortcake

Home Grown Strawberry Shortcake, originally uploaded by jonsgirl630.

So, Happy Memorial Day! It seemed appropriate for a holiday weekend, so I made us a scrumptious Strawberry Shortcake for lunch today. I told Jon when I made this, I was wishing I had a few blueberries to sprinkle on top, then it would have been Red, White & Blue! Oh well, things happen.

People use many different things for the 'cake' portion of Strawberry Shortcake. Today, I used a Pillsbury Pie Crust cooked flat on a cookie sheet. Then I broke it up into bowl-size pieces and divided into the bottoms of two bowls.

Wash, clean and hull strawberries, place in a separate bowl, give them a quick generous amount of fresh lemon juice and add 1/2 cup sugar. Stir gently to incorporate and set aside for at least 5 minutes to make a little syrup and for the sugar to dissolve.

After sugar is completely dissolved, stir gently once again and spoon over the broken pie crust.

Today, I topped ours with Vanilla Cool Whip. :)