Tag: Garden

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 

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.

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. 

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!

Here’s looking at you, kid

We had a visitor in the perennial garden this afternoon…

The praying mantis is the only insect that can swivel its head 180 degrees.
If you come across one, you might notice it turns it head to look directly at you.

 Did you know that the female praying mantis sometimes rips her mates head off during or right
after mating?  Apparently the males are full of protein and it’s a good way to
get a jump start on nutrition needed to lay all those eggs.
I’m thinking prenatal vitamins would be easier… 
 who’s gonna help pay all those child rearing bills??

My husband, by the way… has been telling me for many years that
I look like a praying mantis.  I kid you not.
Perhaps thou shalt not close both eyes in thy sleep
should my mantis self decide to behave like one too….

Just sayin.

You say TomAto, I say TomOto…

 
   First, I have to say this… Did any of you watch the Yankees Red Sox game last night?  My husband is a true blue Yankees fan, and while neither of us is a big A-Rod supporter, what the Sox did to him last night was nothing short of disgraceful. That kind of play should not be in baseball, and I believe the Yanks answer to that atrocity was perfect. And before we all crucify A-rod for the “Roid” debate.. there are just as many Sox over the years who could join that list, and they have.  That ump oughta retire, too. His judgement is clearly impaired,  or colored- RED.  

  In between trips to the cottage at the cove, we’ve been picking tomatoes.  Holy cow, have we been picking tomatoes.   There are three basic kinds of tomatoes…sauce tomatoes, slicing tomatoes and cherry.   Mike planted all three this year and they have produced!

These need a little window time to ripen to perfection.
Ugly does not mean they aren’t delicious. 

The San Marzano is, in our opinion, the best sauce making tomato…
Next time you make sauce, be sure to use San Marzanos, you can buy them 
canned in the grocery store if you don’t have them fresh. 
This is a “heart” tomato… it has a pinkish hue that my iphone did not capture. 
An Heirloom variety, seeds straight from Italy…
..and my Italian Ice cherries.. the only cherry tomato we planted this year.
They are easy to grow, sweet to the taste and prolific. 
With all these awesome tomatoes on the kitchen counter,
Mike was inspired to make some sauce….
or gravy, as I’ve been told any real Italian calls it.
I don’t know.. I’m Italian.  To me sauce is sauce….
gravy is that brown stuff you put on a roast.
My dear Aunt Virginia, the most awesome Italian Cook I have ever been lucky enough to love,
 might just be rolling in her grave.

The garden that feeds

The garden is in full swing, and it’s a weird garden year,
let me tell ya. 
Tomatoes are still mostly green,
just a few wimpy reds so far,
and my new italian ice cherries. 
Cucumbers are ridiculously proliferous..
Green squash awesome, yellow squash iffy.
Plenty of beans, we’ve enjoyed those immensely.
yesterdays harvest
In an effort to eat healthier, the husband insisted I stop
displaying CRAP on the kitchen island.  Usually there is a pastry stand
with oreos or donuts or cupcakes or whatever…and a nut dish full of pistachios
or sometimes  *ahem*  M&M’s or candy corn.. or something.

My island now looks like this…
(chai tea yogurt raisins in the jar)
Just so I’m keeping it real here… I haven’t totally given up my wild ways…
Blue frosted chocolate cupcakes reside beside the veggies as we speak. 
It is what it is. 

The flowers in the vase are picked out in my hay field..
can you identify the species? There are three…
This is what REAL tomatoes look like…
it’s worth the effort to grow them, and all you really need is a pot on a patio. 
Last night’s dinner..
apple chicken sausage (YUM!)
yellow squash casserole (double yum!!)
and a slab of tomato doused in olive oil, red wine vinegar, S & P, oregano. 
It’s a beautiful thing.
Two nights ago we had this zucchini recipe below.. it is awesomeness!
I used gluten free baking mix instead of the bisquick in the recipe. 
Zucchini Pie Recipe

3 cups zucchini, diced
1 onion, chopped
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup Bisquick
3-4 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F. Oil the Small Covered Baker. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add all ingredients and mix well. Turn into prepared Baker. Bake (uncovered) 35-40 minutes until golden brown.


Enjoy! 

Of Ice and Men

I tried a new variety of tomato in the garden this year…
found in the Burpee catalog..
Italian Ice cherry tomatoes…
They’re not red.. they mature to a white/yellow 
and oooh boy are they good. Sweet! 
Where do the men come in?
My guys are making a little shed for my chicken coop supplies,
currently housed in a big rubbermaid tub, and that just ain’t cuttin it. 
I love them dearly, I do.
I want to thank you for all the words of encouragement and support in
my foray into painting again… you guys are the best cheerleading section a gal
could ever have.  Seriously. 
Off  to a four day  horseshow with the girlchild  and Max… 
 It’s the start of a new  weekend, all –
make it a good one! 

Just call me Rambling Rose

  When I started this little ole blog, it was all about the rebuilding of this farm and house we live in now.  Then some a$$ started behaving like a psycho with very rude comments and I deleted the whole thing, including the raising up of This Old House once again.   I’m still heartbroken over the loss of the blog at that stage, I deleted too hastily and regretted it immediately. I was not able to retrieve it, no matter what I attempted.

 Anyhow, years and almost 1,000 blog posts later, (I kid you not!) I still love this space for sharing of stories, funnies, good times and bad, garden tips, recipes,  pet and livestock issues, your stories, our collective opinions on current events, new friend making, the list goes on and on.

  Now and then I hesitate to post what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling about a certain thing that might be controversial.  At first I didn’t want to offend anyone if my view came from a different angle.  I didn’t want to share negatives because jeez, we see enough of that all the time, don’t we?  But, blowing sunshine and light out into this space all the time just didn’t feel real, wasn’t really all of me, and so I’ve ventured into the controversial now and then and you’ve waded in with me, respectfully.  I love that about this space. And you are all part of the reason it’s such a joy for me to contribute to it.  Because you contribute too.

  Maggy had this to say in an e-mail to me this morning…

” Thanks for the thought-provoking posts and keeping your blog ‘real’ .. it’s what brings me back, time after time.”

Maggy, If I manage to make just a handful of the people who stop by here to read my drivel feel the same way?  Well, I’m the happiest girl in town.
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  I want to share a portion of an opinion I read on friend Mandy’s FB wall regarding the Zimmerm*n Mart*n  case.


  “It’s disgusting how everyone is trying to turn the Ge*rge Zimmerm*n thing into a race or gun issue.  Neither one of these people is a hero, and we shouldn’t think to have them be the focal point of any firearms or race discussion.  Don’t let the actions of two people of questionable morals you don’t even know turn you against one another. ”   


  Tragedy, it was, indeed.  Neither the young man or the overzealous neighborhood watch guy deserve what they have now… death, and a life altered horribly by poor judgement forever.  But what she said above?  I couldn’t agree with her more.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rolling Stone Magazine just lost another reader.  I am horrified by their choice of cover, as are many many others.  Walgreens and CVS have vowed not to sell the current issues on their stands, BRAVO. Boston Mayor Menino sent this response to Rolling Stone…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  So, what have we learned this year in the garden?   Apparently, Tomatoes, cucumbers and Squash absolutely LOVE the tropical heat,  humidity and rain fall we’ve had in the month of July.  Holy cow, the plants and vegetables are HUGE.

Frasier is not a small dog.  These are HUGE yellow squash plants. 
Here ya go… Karen at 7:30 am, no makeup, no shower yet,
still covered in sawdust from mucking stalls and coop chores,
No air brushed wrinkles or freckles, 
no dark circle removal. 
How’s that for keeping it real 🙂
Notice those tomato plants are as high as my shoulder!
It’s a jungle, I’m telling ya. 
One more thing to share this morning…
I’m pimping my garden shed just a little.
I found this old metal rack at an antique junk shop
and glass bottles in other antique junk shops. 
I bought that old stool for the potting shed for $20… I think I shoulda haggled more..
and can I brag for a minute about these Lady Elsie May roses?
My iphone does not do the color justice.. they are a beautiful peachy magenta rose
that requires no attention what so ever. 
Connie of Hartwood Roses let me know that roses are not as fussy as we think they are..
and she was so right.
 Well that’s all the rambling I’ll subject you to today.
It’s going to reach 100 and the humidity is swimmable, 
I wish I were kidding. 
Stay cool, folks, and thanks for stopping by. 

The Cucumber dilemna and a request for your participation.

It’s hotter than hades in Southern New England..
all farm chores like mucking of stalls and raking out of henhouse
and tending the garden are done very early in the day. 
I’ve got a fan blowing in the horses stalls
and a small one at the hen house.
I also brought some watermelon to the girls just a few minutes ago.
Very important to consider your animals,
house pets included, when the heat rises.
As the garden is a-growing,
we’ve got a proliferation of cucumbers.
So many, I don’t know what the heck we’re gonna do with them.
Family and friends will get some, ofcourse,
and if we ever decide to put Buck the Wagon back in business
out front, they’ll have a place to go.
But for now…
out the ears, I’m telling ya.
I don’t mind spending some time in the kitchen on hot days like this,
thank you the- powers- that- be for the  invention of air conditioning.
I googled “simple easy quick pickles”… I kid you not..
and a recipe by Rachael Ray popped up. 
Just made ’em… and they are really easy, and really good.
No canning experience necessary…took about 15 minutes.
Just slice them, put together brine ingredients and cook in a pot,
pour hot brine  over the cucumber slices, let cool and then chill.
Recipe HERE.
Another great recipe I tried and loved has been going around on Facebook.
It’s a Cucumber Salsa, and oh, man is it refreshing and delicious.
(I left out the cilantro – bleh.)
I recommend eating it with tortilla chips or topping off a great burger.
YUM!
Recipe HERE.
Both recipes are great foods for a hot summer day.
Now I’m making a request. 
 Send me a link to one of your favorite summer recipes.
It can be a link to one of your own blog posts of a recipe.
Or a link like the ones I attached above, most can be found online…
Or, you can type out the recipe and send it that way.  
Let’s see what kind of summer recipe blog post we can put together.
If you have a photo to include… that’s even better.  
Send your entry to
karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com
You don’t have to have a blog to participate, just an e-mail address   🙂