What is important to you?

My priorities are (in no order)
Home, Family, Testimony

I want to live my life with these values:

Simple
Green
Frugal
Natural
Healthy
Moral
Sustainable

I know I can't do this all in one day, so I want to change one little thing at a time.

How to get a FREE cedar fence

Apparently its not hard at all. All you have to do is remove some old leaning pine trees from the back corner of your property. Then pile up loads of dead branches, and dump all your compost right on the ground. Don't ever chop down the weeds either. Let them get as tall as you are and you are bound to get your free fence!

Ok honestly I do feel a little bad about letting the weeds go. They look atrocious and will spread like a nightmare. I have lots of excuses but they are admittedly pretty lame. I love the fence. :)

I do wonder about the timing.. This same neighbor walks the neighborhood everyday. My backyard has been the same for about a year. The privacy fence has only come up since the front yard garden was put in. I think he just hates ME more than my yard. He will leave the sidewalk and walk in the street to avoid me, and won't even say hi back when my 3yo waves and says hi.

Planting Party

Women from church came over for a gardening class so I had them out in the yard planting beans. They were so pretty.

The Banc

Restless thoughts today have yielded an idea.

I want to create a BANC.

Bucket of
All
Natural
Cleaners

How cute would that be.

I have a friend who cleans houses and she makes her own cleansers. Wouldn't it be great to make some buckets that contain ALL that you need to keep your home clean naturally, and cheaply.

They would make great gifts, wedding gifts, food storage items, etc. I will begin looking into this soon. Maybe we could do it as a group at my house. She could come over. The bucket would include all the scrubbies, spray bottles, etc, etc that you would need. Any ideas?

My first Salad

Ok it may be my first AND last because its hot here and I didn't get my lettuce started on time.

But it tasted wonderful. I even made a homemade italian salad dressing. So yummy.

There are Gentilina, chard, spinach, and a little bit of celery leaves.

Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and spices. Yum.

Clintonville Heros

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/21/lawngarden.ART_ART_06-21-09_B1_M1E8A8L.html

This is a link to an article in the Columbus Dispatch. It is about the two families in Columbus that have taken on the Lawn and won. They have their Food In Front too!

So cool.

Homestead Tour

I went with Simply Living to see this Homestead. They do all the things that I have always dreamt of doing. Of course seeing it in real life I realize its probably more work than I could handle. But it was a wonderful day, meeting like minded people, drinking raw milk (yum), and getting a wicked sunburn! So glad I went.

This is one of their two cute mini donkeys.

Followed by their giant hog.

They use this terrifying tower of doom to observe the wetlands they built on a part of their property.

These beauties are Dutch Belted Cows. A nearly extinct heirloom breed of cows. Good milkers and meat animals. Most heirloom breeds are hardy and dual purpose.

And this is a shot of their house. I LOVE the stairs.

Ran out of room for pics. Have to split this post up.

Groundcover

Most of my neighbors have been very nice about the whole thing. Its really not all the drama. We have a nice sidewalk that people walk their dogs on so I see quiet a few people when I'm out gardening. They ask questions, and wish me luck. I tell them to keep checking up and feel free to sample the veggies when they come in.

They do however seem perplexed and ask me what plant this is.
I admit it is pretty sad looking. lol. This is Lambsear. It is the softest plant you could ever feel. I transplanted it from a friends yard, it sat in the sun for a couple hours with no water so its kind of droopy. Understatement. I'm sure they are questioning my sanity at planting this pathetic thing anywhere yet alone right next to the sidewalk. My intentions are pure, I swear! Lambsear is almost a weed, and it will do a great job of keeping all the soil from falling onto the sidewalk. If it doesn't perk up in a couple weeks I will have to pull it and try something else. Like Oregano and thyme.

Here is my favorite little garden visitor. My daughter, 3yo wearing my gardening hat. Just had to throw that in.

Work in the Garden

This is my view sitting in the middle of the garden and looking around.

New Melon I'm trying.

This is the Dark Lolla Rosa lettuce. Very pretty.

Spinach

The backyard

For those who are wondering how "bad" the backyard is here are some pics of it.

My favorite place to sit and watch the kids play.

My keyhole garden. I made it a bit too big. I had to throw some flagstones in there so I can walk and reach everything. Raspberries and blackberries are along the fence, Apricot tree in the foreground, two pear trees in the background. Swing is shaded by a crabapple tree.

The asparagus bed, and the Aprium tree. Blueberries are behind the playhouse.

Can't wait till everything starts producing.

Food In Front

It all started out innocent enough. A simple gardening book from the library. Who knew it could ruin my reputation and send the neighbors into a tizzy. It began with Gaia's Garden, that led to Edible Estates, then Food not Lawns. By this time I was truly lost. No turning back, ruined and cast from normal society forever. I began making plans, they led to this.

Cardboard, bamboo stakes, pink string, flag stone, and piles of horse manure. Ahhh, good times.

This is how it looks right now. Its about half planted out.

A little path to encourage passersby to come in and take a stroll, into my evil garden TRAP!!!!

You may think that everyone is sooo excited to have this in their neighborhood. WRONG.

Inevitably someone is upset with me about my front yard Garden or yarden. I was out watering when she walked over. She lives two houses down from me, and was out mowing, weeding, and edging her lovely lawn. A little old lady that has never so much as said hi to me in the two and a half years we have been neighbors.

I can't remember the conversation exactly so I won't recreate it. These are some of the things she said to me.

Maybe you should move somewhere in the country where this wouldn't bother anybody.
What you did in the backyard was bad enough but in the front.
Why would you do this.
No one on this whole block will ever be able to sell their homes.
You have destroyed our property values.
I'm really really upset about this.
I've lived here for forty years and this is the worst thing I have EVER seen.


My response:

Ummmmmmmm
What???

I'm sorry you feel that way.
But if a house doesn't sell it won't be my fault.
Maybe I should live in the country but I don't. I live here.
I'm not going to undo this.
I want to have food for my family.
I can see your really upset about this but I don't think its as bad as you think it is.
I hope we can still be kind to each other as neighbors and decent people. (She walked away without a word after this)

My husband Nate and his friend Pete wanted to go beat her up. lol. Defend my gardening honor.

Pete was funny. He said, "Whats her problem, drug dealers don't garden, lazy jerks don't garden, criminals don't garden."

I'm remembering some things about our neighborhood. We have had seven break ins over the past little while, a woman got assaulted by somone on our street. Years ago the police had a shoot out, and swat teammed a house down the street that was dealing drugs. BUT my garden is the WORST THING she has EVER seen. I don't suppose she will want to sit down, get to know me, and learn why I'm doing this. lol

I feel sorry for her. Her worries are unfounded, and unrealistic, but they will cause her pain. I'm sorry about that. I wish I could ease her concerns.

That was my very first confrontation with someone and it was uncomfortable but I was pleased with how I held it together, remained calm, and stayed polite. I'm not looking forward to doing it again but I think I could if necessary.