A mother's adventures in fitness and food while living on a budget.
Whenever a fruit or vegetable is thrown into a garden, compost pile, etc., and its seeds start to sprout on their own, they are considered volunteers. Most of our garden’s squash, pumpkin, decorative gourds and watermelons are volunteers. We also have other volunteers — squirrels. Cucumber and squash plants sprouting from spots where squirrels hid … Continue reading Garden update: The volunteers
It has been raining for almost two weeks straight. I’m afraid it may be too much water and the plants’ roots will rot. Only time will tell I guess. We’re still dealing with powdery mildew. I also found what has been eating my cauliflower and broccoli — caterpillars. We have more flowers and even some … Continue reading Garden update
Today, I noticed some white powdery spots on my squash/pumpkin/gourd plants, while finding a bud on one of the plants. Not sure what they are since they sprouted after I threw the fall decorations in the garden to decompose. After sending a panicked message to my gardening Facebook group, I learned that the white stuff … Continue reading Garden update: Thinning the herd
On a recent evening, I washed dished and stared out the window. A cute grey squirrel climbed up a nearby tree limb, close enough that I could have touched it if not for the glass separating us. It sat on the branch and proceeded to eat something. As I looked at the green thing it … Continue reading Garden update, weeks 3-4
Note: As the stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic continues, I'm attempting to put my feelings down somewhere. This isn't usually what I would put in this blog, but it's important to chronicle how it changes my parenting and fitness journey. The last day of the academic year for my kids is supposed to … Continue reading Grieving: The real last day of school
The week after our first garden post, we had two storms with high-speed wind gusts and a frost warning. The plants survived everything. Some of our posts and sticks we set up for the pea shoots got knocked out of the ground or were slanted. But it’s all good. A few weeks ago, I transplanted … Continue reading Garden update — April 23, 2020
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.Author and explorer Ernest Hemingway “I feel like a fraud just waiting for someone to find me out.” “That explains a lot ... let’s go get some wine and shop local!” I open up my soul and am asked to buy alcohol at … Continue reading Breaking away from the lies
In March, about a month after his 16th birthday, Caesar died. As a dachshund -- our oldest of three dogs we have had for the past eight years -- he lived a full life. To celebrate his adventuring spirit, we took a trip somewhere new, Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. Caesar swam in the Tennessee River … Continue reading Adventure: Williamsburg, Virginia
We have been under a stay-at-home order for several weeks. School has been out for a month. We bought food when the stay-at-home order started. But sometime you look at the cabinet and think “What are we going to eat?” When we lived in West Virginia, snow was a common winter occurrance. One of the … Continue reading Recipe: Kitchen sink soup
The first time I worked on a garden, I helped my grandparents pick strawberries at a pick-your-own farm. Tons of delicious strawberries to eat raw, in my grandma’s jam and over ice cream and shortcake. I saw the end result, not all the work involved in getting those strawberries to grandma’s kitchen. Picking strawberries is … Continue reading Gardening: A newbie’s take
