Too busy weeding to blog

just take a look around for yourselves... the weeds are trying to take over the yard. I spend so much time trying to stay ahead
of them, that I have no time to blog or to visit your blogs. This makes me sad.

Remember me telling you the pumpkin was taking over?

It has some competition from my favorite winter squash of all...

Butternut Squash!!

We are actually getting some tomatoes this year...although not as many as I would like. How are your gardens doing? Have you been canning? I have been canning green beans and

shredding squash and zucchini to fill the freezer for winter goodness.

Hopefully I will have enough tomatoes to can soon. The weeds are growing after the rain we have been getting, so off I go to pull them out by their little roots!

My apologies my friends...I will be by to visit with you all soon. I promise!

The pumpkin vine that took over

Did you ever think it would be nice to grow a little pumpkin for your kids?

One vine. Just one vine. How much room could it possibly take up in the family garden?

Farmer Dad and I argue over this each and every year as the seed catalogs start arriving.

Me, "Wouldn't it be nice to have an Autumn party here for all our friends with children and

let them pick their own pumpkins?" Him, "We don't have the room for that. Pumpkins take over the whole yard!!"

Me, "You're crazy! One little vine. How much room could it take?"

Well...this year I grew a pumpkin. Because I am the one who starts most of the seeds anyway.

It grew. I tried to figure out where to put it. (Farmer Dad usually gives them away when I grow them.)He told me this year I could plant it in the space between our yard and garden and our next door neighbor's yard and garden.

Can you see it? I thought...the ground hog might destroy it being outside the garden fence and all,but it grew survived the various animals (bunnies,ground hog,raccoons etc) and it grew.Sometimes I remembered to water it and it kept growing. Now, I had in my mind that this vine would crawl slowly along the side of the garden and gently turn into the side, depositing pumpkins onto the lawn (I am not a fan of the lawn anyway) and it did. It also grew back towards the lilac tree (and up it)In fact, up is where it wants to be.Up the garden fence, and up over my tomato plants.Can you see the "mass" of green that is the "one little pumpkin vine" I planted?Little adorable pumpkins started growing.

They are so cute!! Do you think I should admit to Farmer Dad that he was (gasp!) right about the pumpkin vine taking over??

Someone new moved in

We have a relatively small backyard in the suburbs, but we have always had a lot

of wild life we are happy to share our little corner of the Garden State with.

Last week there was a bear in our neighborhood. Yesterday we discovered someone

new moved into the cherry tree in our back yard.

Just when I thought I had outsmarted the bunnies and the chipmunks were my biggest problem this year. (the chipmunks are KILLING me right now!)

I guess we will get used to him just like we did the Opossum family,snakes,hawks,owls,woodpeckers,cardinals,doves,bugs,rabbits,bats,chipmunks,squirrels and occasional deer and wild turkey, and all the neighborhood children.

I love my wild life, but I am missing the neighbor's old cat,George who did a lovely job keeping the chipmunks under control until he passed away this spring. I guess we will get used to our little racoon as well. Do you consider such creatures pests or neighbors?

Peapod Delivers to the Beach

My good friends at Peapod Delivers are once again trying to do a little something
to aid local food banks. You know this is a subject near and dear to my heart.
Here is how you can help, go to Facebook and "like" them. For each new "like" they get from now until July 1st 2011 they will donate $1.00 to local food banks up to $5,000.00!!
If they hit 25,000 "likes" by July 1st they will donate an extra $5,000.00!!
Click on the link above or here to read the full rules and help Peapod Delivers help
our local food banks.
I know many of you are busy getting ready to head down the shore for the long holiday weekend, Peapod Delivers can help make the whole vacation season get easier.
Why waste precious time food shopping when you can have them deliver your groceries (as well as sunscreen and maybe a new magazine to read on the beach) right to your vacation house!
They deliver to the following beaches:
New Hampshire,Ma Shore (North and South),Cape Cod, Block Island,Fisher's Island,Shelter Island,Ct coast,RI coast,Hamptons to Montauk,Jersey Shore to Toms River,Fire Island to Sayville. Click here to find out if they deliver where you are or where you are going.
They will also be sending one of my lucky readers a $25.00 gift card, and all you have to do is "like" Peapod Delivers on Facebook and leave a comment here by 11:59 PM (est)June 30,2011.
I will have a drawing on July 1,2011 at 2pm to pick my winner.

Here is what we are growing

Raspberries ... Peas...onions..shallots..

hostas

Some tomatoes died...but we started more..

Princess picked out some flowers..

OK..We have a lot more growing on around here now, but I have been busy gardening

and there has been no blog time. I will try to get caught up soon.

My Birthday Weekend

I got a lot of work done in the garden this past week...radishes, scallions,swiss chard, and beets
all got planted.

There was time for a coffee outside while the kids played.

Reading by the fire..

We started tomatoes and green beans inside and I will have to get out and get pictures of

the asparagus, lettuce and peas all coming up nicely.What is coming up in your garden?

What do you have planned? New crops? Anything you decided not to grow this year?

Best birthday gift this year? Farmer Dad and the Princess captured the Ground Hog and

entered him in the "Ground Hog Protection Plan". I beg for him to set the trap every year,

and then feel terribly guilty when the little thing is caught and squeaking in the have a heart.

I am sorry I can not post a pic of the capture, the very nature of the relocation plan demands

the utmost privacy. ;-)

Planting onions in the Garden State

It was a lovely Spring day here in our little corner of the Garden State on Sunday.

My Princess and I planted the onions and shallots right in front of the peas.

I actually only did the first row, and then she took over. She measured and

planted them all.

Doesn't she look proud? If you could see my face, you would see I was even more proud of her.

"I'm really getting the gardening spirit!" she told me when she finished.

Then she helped Farmer Dad direct sow some lettuce. It was a good day!

I hope you enjoyed your Sunday wherever you are and whatever you did!

(HUGS)KateinNJ

Seeds for Change Sowing Millions Project

Seeds for Change is giving away 100 million packets of their own certified organic seeds

to inspire people and organizations just like you to do impactful things in their communities through organic gardening!! Simply follow this link and sign up to receive your free seeds

(there is shipping and handling) and for every packet ordered they will donate a packet

to the American Horticultural Society. I ordered mine, and I encourage you all to do the same.

The Sowing Millions Project gives us all yet another chance to "put our money where our mouth is".

;-) It is raining here in our corner of the Garden State today, the daffodils are up and the hyacinths

are too. I can't work outside, but I can start some seeds and dream about all the delicious and nutritious organic veg we will be eating in the summer. What are you doing today?

Spring

Does it feel like Spring to you? Here in our little corner of the Garden State you can feel it in the air.

The trees are budding up.

The bulbs are coming up all over the place.

The Ground Hog has made an appearance.

And yes...

we got a bit more snow....

It's ok, we brought a few branches inside after pruning the plum trees this past weekend

and so even with some snow on the ground...it's Spring here.

I hope you are feeling it too!

The Luck of the Irish

Spring is just around the corner... Farmer Dad was talking about taking out our cedar trees. I'm hoping he won't.

Princess loves picking out what kind of flowers to plant in her first pair

or rain boots. You can hardly see the frogs anymore. :-(

Farmer Dad moved my Grandfather's old water fountain where the

little cherry tree was (it did not make it through the winter).

We are planning on getting a solar pump for it.

We all spent the last two afternoons raking and weeding the yard.

Princess and I picked up some flowers and seed potatoes and asparagus

and peas. We also got a replacement cherry tree.

Normally I would have planted my peas today, but I didn't have any.

That is why we have Saturdays. ;-)

Happy Spring...Happy Planting!!

May the Luck of the Irish be with you all!!

Spring is just around the corner...

Milk Glass

If the Intervention producers show up at my door it will be because of my Milk Glass addiction I am sure. This is what I purchased at the Depression Glass Show and Sale last weekend.

Two of them. I know, I know. It is a bit much. But I will use them both.

And how about my lovely new (to me) sideboard? A lady was giving it away on Craig's List.I made this batch of Black and Whites for my girl friend's Birthday. There were a couple left over..let's enjoy them with a hot cup of coffee.

It's raining too hard to work in the garden anyway. ;-)

Garden State Depression Glass Club

The 30th Semi Annual show and sale of the Garden State Depression Glass Club
will be held this weekend.
Saturday, March 5th, 11am-5pm and Sunday, March 6th,
11am-4pm.
It will once again be held at the Lakeview School
10 Oak Dr, Edison,NJ
If it is your first year attending, the school is located behind the lake in Roosevelt Park.
(the park is located between Rt 1 and Rt 27 & borders Rt 1,Parsonage Rd & Grandview Ave W.)
Admission is $5.00 and there will be light refreshments available as well as $10.00 show bucks
certificate door prizes. The raffle prize will be a luncheon service for 4 of yellow "Princess"
made by the Hocking Co 1931-35.

The club display this year will feature Early American lamps.
The show and sale is held by the
Garden State Depression Glass Club
PO Box 344 Metuchen,NJ
thelegantable@verizon.net
609-240-3765

Please contact them for further information.
We will be there for sure...the displays are gorgeous and the vendors
are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.
If you are in the Garden State area and have a love of depression glass, vintage kitchen
goodness or like my little Princess, you have a love of porcelain kitties, be sure to check it out!