Paradise Found

We discovered an oasis this morning… a beautiful garden center like no other we’ve seen before, just over the river and through the woods in East Haddam. 

“Ballek’s is a family business with old-fashioned values of quality and
service.  Our garden center is located in the center of the farm that
has been in the family since the 1660’s. Our stewardship of this land
underlies our commitment to preserving and enhancing the beauty of
nature through gardening. “

How often do you come across a working farm that has been kept by the same family for over 350 years? 

We were in awe…

 As you approach the farm, there are contented beef cattle on the left and a beautiful old barn and silos on the right. Behind the barn is a parking lot, and not until you go inside are you fully aware of the splendor of this place…  

 

This plant had me returning again and again to look at it..
It did not have an identifying tag on it, but I fell in love right on the spot…
 
Look at the beautiful purple hues in these bell shaped flower clusters…
I should have asked it’s name….
So very many species of plants and flowers, cactus, citrus, annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, statues, terrariums, pots, wind chimes, water features, stone benches, pots, baskets, I could go on and on….

The greenhouse room shown below I call the Citrus room… there are large lemon and orange trees in the corners, and the sweet, delicious scent of orange blossom is intoxicating.

Nancy Ballek Mackinnon arranging a floral bouquet… The family works side by side to keep this beautiful place running, and what an incredible job they do.   I can only  imagine the care it takes to maintain all those beautiful plants…

 
Fairy Garden supplies abundant! 
  Need pots?  Hundreds to choose from…
You know I’m always a fan when I see that animals are loved…
and here at Balleks, this is clear. 
The Ballek family is also devoted to setting an example of  “green” living and
sustainable use of resources.  In keeping with their vision they  have
recently undertaken a major investment in solar energy. Currently they produce all of their  electricity with photovoltaic panels and put the surplus back into the grid.  They meet  hot water needs with
solar thermal units. 
We plan to  return again and again, and today we did make a major purchase.  It’s located in one of the above photos, but I’ll share it with you when we’ve got it properly -in place- .  Dare to guess?  
 If you’re local or travel to the area, a trip to Balleks won’t disappoint.  Balleks Garden Center is located at 90 Maple Avenue in East Haddam, CT     www.balleksgardencenter.com 

Red Dog Project – Take two

 The first group of dogs in the Red Dog Project have been adopted – the program is a success and benefits so many… for more info or to inquire about adoption, visit  www.reddogproject.org  or e-mail  info@reddogproject.org 

  Today we received, off a transport from the South, the second group of Red Dog pups.   All of these pups were pulled from a kill shelter by a fellow dog rescue person to be transported to CT after having been innoculated and neutered and examined by a vet here in CT. this morning. 

THESE dogs are saved and as of this evening are in the capable and loving hands of the officers and inmates of the York Correctional Institute in Niantic. If interested in donating  to the program or adopting, see contact info above.

Make it a habit….

   In your daily life, no matter how hectic – because there is always an available excuse- stop and look around you, there’s always something to marvel at. I’ve been making an effort to turn my thoughts toward the positives, to live as fully in appreciation and gratitude as I can.  I know it’s easier for some than others, and it’s true the amount of things to be grateful for is not evenly distributed among us, let alone properly appreciated by those who have in abundance.  But regardless of life circumstances, we always have the ability to find and embrace the good.  In doing so, I believe we  nourish our soul, a vital ingredient for a content life.  And oh, if only everyone could feel content.

What do I feel gratitude for today?

This dog, discarded by someone else, who is my loyal companion. We understand each other with barely
a word spoken.  Unconditional love, nothing like it.   

 Gardening… nourishing to body and soul.  The seeds are planted!  Now, to watch them grow.

A woods walk in early Spring..

 
exploring the stream beds, clear cool water running through….

That Waterlogue App!!… I’m addicted!

 

Driving home from dinner the other night, I made the Mr. stop so we could admire how very still the water was along the shore.  The sun was setting and everything was sooo.. .quiet.  It’s not often that the water appears so serene, no wind coming in off the water, no chop.

  We can choose –  focus on all the negative crap constantly on the radar around us,  or look for the good.  Both views are always right there in some form or another.  Which one do you usually hone in on?  And which view will you choose to embrace? ….

Make it a habit.. look for the good.  Your entire being will thank you.

The Easter Egg tree to beat….

WOW.. just absolutely beautiful.   “Volker Kraft hung 10,000 colored eggs in his apple tree this week in Saalfeld, Germany.”

His story….

SAALFELD, Germany — You thought Easter eggs don’t grow on trees?
Check out Volker Kraft’s garden in eastern Germany, and think again.

Kraft’s apple sapling sported just 18 eggs when he first decorated it
for Easter in 1965. The number increased year by year; and by last
year, the sturdy tree was festooned with 9,800 eggs, artfully decorated
with everything from sequins to sea shells.

This time, Kraft has reached 10,000 – and he says he’s stopping there.

“There will be no increase because I do not have storage capacity
anymore,” the 76-year-old retiree says. “I would have to sleep with the
eggs otherwise.”

Kraft’s tree in the town of Saalfeld has become a tourist attraction,
drawing thousands of people every year. Decorating trees with colored
eggs at Easter is a tradition in Germany – though usually on a smaller
scale.

Kraft started with plastic eggs decades ago, but later switched to
real eggs and enlisted his family’s help in blowing out the insides of
the eggs and painting them.

“You can now see here what develops after 47 years, when the tree
grows, the wife blows the eggs and the children start painting,” he
says.

Is it… could it be?….

Yesterday was so darn Spring-like, I took advantage of the semi-warm weather and went out to our little greenhouse to plant zinnia seeds.  Wonder of wonders, I was able to do it in a T-shirt without benefit of a jacket.   After this years winter, it’s as if we’re emerging slowly from an Alaskan wilderness dream slow to end, eyes blinking, face up to the sun,  not accustomed to the light and warmth. 

Amazing that these dried out, flat little seeds will produce beautiful
flowering plants in the months to come. 

 
Gardening, even on a very small scale, is so rewarding an experience.
If you haven’t ever given it a try, I recommend you do so in whatever manner
works for your lifestyle.  Even a city rooftop or a suburban deck can
be the host to a little container garden and the supplies don’t have to cost very much at all.  

 It felt so good poking around in the dirt I decided to start my little fairy garden beneath the big sugar maple tree  in the backyard.

  It’s too early to plant anything here just yet…

 Then I took Ben for a walk down the road, and oh did it feel good/bad/jeez.am.I.out.of.shape.  We’ll be doing a lot more of that.   Got a dog that pulls on you and makes walking an unpleasant experience?  Get yourself an Easywalk harness.  Totally humane, does the job.  At 190 lbs, even a mild tug from Ben is a BIG one. This harness has made our walking experience easy as a breeze and causes no pain to the dog.

I swear I heard a chorus sing when I looked down on my little “seaside real estate”
perennial garden and saw a crocus poking it’s head through the soil.
It’s a beautiful thing. 

So excited was I  by the prospect of warm weather, I tried on a bathing suit I bought on sale at Nautica for the coming summer.  Oh, it fit just fine.  But what I looked like in it was a whole ‘nother story.  No, you won’t get a picture of that.   You’re welcome.

So… More walking , a yoga kick start and some light weight training are in store. 

 A health tip I have been given before but didn’t heed until now… real simple.  Warm Lemon water every morning.   It benefits so many things, from digestion to inflammation and weight loss.   Excellent  not.too.long article  HERE  about that very thing.   Amazing, the benefits for your body of just that simple health regimen. 

It’s a new day, all –  Make it  a good one. 

Flight 370 and the Circus we know as CNN

 It’s a horrible thing… the idea of loved ones most likely deceased in a plane that has vanished, apparently, without a trace, despite the medias best efforts to create a circus out of the tragedy and put it in our face nonstop 24-7.  I hope the families can find some peace of mind, but they won’t get it from the news coverage or the failed search efforts so far. Hard to fathom in this day and age that weeks later this plane can’t be found, with all the technology out there. I  could go on, but I won’t… instead, giving you one of my favorite bloggers words on the issue  because he hit the nail on the head perfectly, as he so often does.

Ok, so I popped in to see what CNN was talking about today, and yes, you guessed it, Flight 370.




I know I know, I said I wouldn’t watch anymore, but I couldn’t help myself. 




I don’t mean to make light of the tragedy that took place and the 370
lives that are presumed lost. I can’t imagine how the family’s of those
doomed souls feel, considering everyones apparent ineptness  at finding a
plane that somehow just disappeared out of the sky.







What I am making light of is this “Saturday Night live Skit” CNN calls it’s coverage of this disaster.




I mean, seriously, can you be anymore over the top with your coverage?







Their never ending banner that runs 24/7 across the bottom of the screen which yells,




“BREAKING NEWS!! FLIGHT 370………”




Hey CNN. It’s not BREAKING news anymore.







They now have a counter going, telling us the ESTIMATED BLACK BOX LIFE.




Last I checked it was 6 DAYS      2 HOURS.




Really??




It’s like the Times Square countdown to the new year. The only thing missing on the CNN set are the party favors.







Just when I thought I’d seen everything that would make Walter Cronkite
puke, their coverage switched from the studio to a guy standing in a
little boat 10 miles at sea from Perth.




Was he in the search area, is that why he was in a little boat? Hell no. He was hundreds of miles from the search area.




So…..did they put him in a boat no where near the search area so as he
was talking about the authorities searching the ocean for clues, we
could get an idea of what the ocean looks like?







As they were wrapping up the segment, Wolf Blitzer ( I always think of
Dash Riprock of Beverly hillbilly fame when I hear his name ) asked the
reporter standing in the little boat hundreds of miles from the search
zone, if he see’s any junk in the water where he is at. I could tell the
reporter just wanted to yell at Dash, I mean Wolf, “hell no I don’t see
anything in the water, I’M HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM THE SEARCH ZONE !







I’m giving up CNN for lent. I swear.

You can visit Marks blog HERE. I highly recommend it.   And.. blogger will not let me correct the annoying placement of sentences or spaces between sentences this morning.. I apologize for the odd format.   *sigh*  

Got Spring?

It appears that perhaps… we do.  Dare I say it?   The temps have risen some and the air has that wet earthy smell. The chickens are roaming, the horses winter blankets have been washed and hung up for the season, shedding season has begun for the minis and WE HAVE SEEDS!

The seed pots are dirt filled, ready to be seeded. 

We’ve got work to do out in the gardens and we’re ready! … the question is
whetherSpring is going to be fickle.  What a long cold winter it has been.

 Last fall the Mr. shrunk the big vegetable garden by half…
the size was just too overwhelming and the weeds got the better of us. 

 
He also took down the rotting raised beds in the backyard and replaced them
with new ones, a little higher and easier for picking and tending. 

This section of fence line below.. to the right in the picture.. needs something. You can see the mulch line.   We’re not happy with so much exposed fenceline.. that’s the dog yard behind it.  There are perennials planted there and they look ok, but they haven’t filled out the way we want them to and tend to look scraggly towards mid to late summer.  In winter it just looks bare.  Any suggestions?   I’m thinking greenery of some sort.. maybe boxwood? 

 I’ve also got another little project I want to do this Spring… a small fairy garden at the base of this tree….

Can you see a little fairy door nestled at the base?.. and a little gravel path (aquarium gravel).
perhaps some garden furniture and some wee garden plants and birdhouse. 
I just placed a wee order on Amazon for just those very things… stay tuned!
 
 
More fairy gardens…

What a terrific project to work on with a child or grandchild. ….

Consider a fairy garden of your own this spring… it can be as simple or
as elaborate as you wish to create…
And if you do so, come back and share it with me and I’ll post your progress!
If you’ve already done a fairy garden and have pictures you are willing to share,
send them to me at karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com
and I’ll post them fo others to see.

It’s a SPRING DAY, people…
go out and ENJOY!  Even if you have to dance in the rain!

waterlogued

 Modern technology astounds me, seriously.  Who woulda thought just ten years ago that most of us would be walking around with a square device about the size of a pocket calculator that  serves as a phone, a camera, a navigator, a calculator, a date book and appointment reminder, an alarm clock, a flashlight, and it keeps going… and going… and going….. 

 Thanks to Diane, I learned of an app yesterday that turns your photos into watercolors… just amazing.  The app is $2.99, and if you’re a shutterbug like me, it’s awesomeness.  I downloaded it yesterday and have been doing a happy dance ever since.

Waterlogue app
Wow.  Just that.

The Dog Whisperer

“Spiritual fulfillment doesn’t have to mean belief in a religion or
disbelief in science… Whether one believes in an unseen, all-knowing
force, or the wonder of science and the
universe, or simply the beauty of the human spirit, nearly every one of
us feels an inner longing to feel part of something bigger than
ourselves.” 

– Cesar Millan 


I love this guy… not just because I’m a dog lover.  Do you know his -story- ?  He came to America to better his life. He began his journey here as a very young homeless man living under a highway overpass.  He immediately started a job search, no easy feat under the circumstances.  His first job was at a dog grooming facility , existing on those lovely convenience store hot dogs and water. As it became clear he had a natural way with dogs…he was eventually able to create the Pacific Point Canine Academy.  Jada Pinkett Smith became one of Millan’s first clients and supporters, (he was at that time also a limousine driver) – and she  provided him with an English tutor for a year. Then, Cesar  created the Dog Psychology Center, a 2-acre facility in South Los Angeles —specializing in working with large breed dogs.  Nat Geo took notice and we all know him now as the Dog Whisperer.  He has also been open about his struggle with depression, hoping to help others who might be suffering as well. 

Cesar, you will never read this, I’m sure.. but I’m putting it out into the Universe anyway.. you’re a class act all the way.  The world is a better place because you are in it.

 

*sigh* ready for another controversial conversation?

The New York Jets have signed with Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback widely known for his participation in dog fighting and countless acts of cruelty by his own hands to his dogs.  Here’s a pic… and I didn’t warn in my post header of the graphic nature of this post because we have to stop looking away from uncomfortable things.  

 

This was posted on a friends FB page this morning…

Question…. First off, I’m not a Jets fan
and I am a huge animal lover. My question is this…hasn’t Michael
Vick paid for his crime and made amends or has he not? I don’t really
follow the story. I know how horrific it was fighting dogs, but I
wonder what all the hating is going to serve. Can anyone forgive?
Sorry if I upset anyone, just wondering and thinking that he is human
and has a mother, etc… Any thoughts? Perhaps he’s not sorry, like
I said, I don’t follow him, so I’m curious. I’d hate to hear Vick
bashing and Jets bashing all season. I hope this doesn’t start a big
nasty debate.

My Response on her post…  I
can’t forgive a man who shoved dogs in a bathtub and electrocuted them
for fun. My opinion is that someone who could do that is made up of
stuff that I can never understand or forgive. This isn’t about a bad
mistake made.. this was a choice made over and over again to be horribly
inhumane, and this was after he was already making millions, was an adult and should have known better. Why
should we glorify him and make him a multi millionaire? What does that
say about our society as a whole? Nothing good, I think that’s safe to
say. He only stopped doing it because he was caught and shamed and will
be watched closely to be sure he doesn’t participate again. Here’s my
question… do you really feel he deserves forgiveness? Some people
are not worthy when the crime is that cruel.

What would your response have been?  As Diana had stated, I hope it doesn’t start a nasty debate, but ignoring these issues because they are unpleasant does not solve any problems, right any wrongs, bring us any closer to our supposed humanity.  We owe it to each other to discuss and take action and to eradicate hate, cruelty and abuse on any level.  

And I feel I have to say this because I am what I am…. When religious beliefs dictate that all should find forgiveness, I can’t abide with certain instances. There are some crimes too heinous and there are those who are unworthy.  Who am I to judge who is worthy and who is not?.. you might say.   I say anyone who can take another beings life and torture it, abuse, maim and kill.. all for the sport of it, for the fun of it…again and again and again….  IS NOT WORTHY.