What happened to Spring?

Luckily I took this photo a couple days ago. We had a light freeze last night. ugg. Well, it looked like most of my plants made it.

A fellow bloggers friend lost his home to a rather hateful fire. If anyone is able to help him replace any of the simple necessities of life please let Rosie know.

Thoughful Thursday

Another week seems to be flying by and have to ask myself just what have I done with my time? Well, besides work, play in the garden, and visit friends, I have thought a lot about Earth day. What does earth day mean? The answer for me is, a day to remember our earth, the one who supports, nourishes and enchants us.

If you have not had a chance to read Why Bother? by MICHAEL POLLAN in last Saturdays “Green Issue” of the Washington Post you should. It is a long article but worth the read.

There are several things that he says that I know I will quote one being– “

The Big Problem is nothing more or less than the sum total of countless little
everyday choices, most of them made by us (consumer spending represents 70
percent of our economy), and most of the rest of them made in the name of our
needs and desires and preferences. For us to wait for legislation or technology
to solve the problem of how we’re living our lives suggests we’re not really
serious about changing — something our politicians cannot fail to notice. They
will not move until we do.”

Another is

-"If enough other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain
reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products and
alternative technologies will prosper and expand. (Just look at the market for
hybrid cars.) "

Yes, we can vote with our money, if we do it as a nation.

He also talks about the “energy crisis” of the 70’s. Ok, so I might not remember the cost of food or waiting in line to buy gas, I do remember my folks going “back to the land”. Yep, we did have chickens, 2 large gardens, a compost pile and not so many clothes or toys (Hey, even then college professors did not rake in the big bucks). Moms baked bread, Dad cut wood and we kids seemed to do a lot of weeding in the summer. My folks were not the only ones doing this, it was big then. Of course after a couple of years a lot of the couples/ families decided that it was just too much and moved back to the cities. Just think were we would be today if everyone had just kept going “back to the land”, even if it was just a small spot in the yard.

I am going to try to celebrate earth day every day. If I try to conscientiously change one thing I do each day, even if it a small thing like take my own reusable bags to the grocery, then in my own little world I will have made a difference.

How long did it last

Well, the manicure only lasted until saturday. It was looking rough and just had to go. Guess I am just not a girl to keep her nails painted. Besides I did start wondering just how "green" the polish was.

What you can get for free on ladies day

While many women may be used to getting a periodic manicure I am not one of them. In fact I have only had 3 in my lifetime. Yesterday I had my most recent and the best part of it was it was free. Yes free, not as in paid for by some one else but as in gratis- no charge.

The Toyota dealership in Hickory has this great marketing item. Ladies day on Wednesdays. All ladies that bring their car in for any kind of maintenance can have a free manicure. Need an oil change, have a manicure. I went with Moms in her prius and we both had manicures. The young lady doing the manicures was great and fast. She was also very busy. I have not seen that many women getting their cars worked on in one place in a long time, maybe ever. I think I will have to suggest this to my Honda dealership.

Now the hard part for me; keeping my nails looking good for over 2 days. As long as I don’t work in the yard, wash the dog or look at them too much they may last.

Outdoor eating best in the spring

There is something to be said about Spring Fever. After a long winter the first few warm days of spring are absolutely the best! Flowers begin blooming, trees start to bud, animals begin building homes for their coming young and it is finally warm enough to grill out*. Yes, break out the grill, get the charcoal, brings the burgers, it has begun!

I am lucky enough to have some friends that have the perfect grilling spot. Right beside their pond. I took my three pooches and let them romp with their 3 while we enjoyed some organic local beef burgers. Lordy did they taste good!

After we grilled we took the dogs on a walk up the creek above the lake. I would have loved to get a picture of Smokey but…he was not going to hold still long enough. He went up the hills, he went down, he went through the creek, he even managed to figure out how to splash Fergus! He was soaked.
All the running and playing the dogs did worn them out. They slept the whole way home.

*I feel that I need to differentiate between grilling and BBQ. We take these things seriously here. Grilling – cooking food outside on a grille. BBQ- generally pig, slow cooked for hours with a sauce. Here in NC you find vinegar sauce used primarily in the piedmont and eastern part of the state, in the western part we use a tomato based.

Daffies, Daffies Everywhere!

Finally we have Daffodils! Well, at least some of mine are blooming. The tulips are taking their sweet time about it and the forsythia (in my yard) is just starting to bud out.

Here is a photo I took trying to be all arstsy →
I have a couple of others but they are a bit blury - the wind was of course not helping me. I took these the other day when I actually managed to get home before dark. That was only because I was going to a bee keepers club meeting.

Speaking of Bees. I would love to keep a hive or two but they do actually take a bit of work and dedication. I am hoping to work with a friend and his bees some this summer to see if I am actually up for this.