Monthly Archives: April 2011

Barefoot'n

“My life is like a stroll on the beach… as near to the edge as I can go.”
~ Thoreau

What’s better than sinking your toes into warm sand, soft as velvet or the feeling of cool grass underfoot as you walk around your backyard or local park? When’s the last time you dangled your feet off the edge of a dock into fresh cool water? All together now! Ahhh… It’s time to kick off your shoes and do a little barefoot’n with the beach farmgirl and family!

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Bad Coffee

“Life is too short for bad coffee.”

My coffee maker “bit the dust.” It served me well for many years, but now it’s gone. And I’m on a quest for a coffee maker that makes a perfect cup of coffee every single time. Help!

So here are some Java, Joe, Mud, Café questions for you.

You like coffee? Or maybe love it? What kind of coffee maker do you have? What’s your secret for making the perfect pot of coffee?

I love coffee, good coffee, that is. My first cup of coffee is part of my morning ritual, and it comes sometime after 5 a.m.

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The Princess and the Tea

I was little when Diana Spencer married Prince Charles, live on television. It was a record-breaking event, watched worldwide. Now Prince William is getting married, and there’s another beautiful princess-to-be walking down the aisle. Will it enlist the same magic in 2011, and why would a suburban American mom get so excited over a royal wedding a world away?

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Your Patch of Earth

Earth Day is this month. It is April 22nd, which is also Good Friday. So today, let’s talk some earth talk. Let’s talk about the small patch of the earth we are each personally taking care of. And for you apartment or high rise dwellers, let’s talk about your outdoor space. Your deck or patio or rooftop or fire-escape.
So tell us about your patch of earth. Is it big or small? What do you grow? Do you have a lawn? Woods? Any water? Do you keep a vegetable garden? Herbs? Any fruit trees? Hey, how about critters? What kind of wildlife do you invite into your yard? And how? What kind of critters do you “keep”?
My yard? Well, mine has such….such….such….potential.

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Garden Dreams, Garden Resolutions, and a Sink Garden

“Life isn’t long enough to do all you could accomplish. And what a privilege even to be alive. In spite of all the pollutions and horrors, how beautiful this world is. Supposing you only saw the stars once every year. Think what you would think. The wonder of it!”

~ Tasha Tudor

I’m not sure if this farmgirl is daydreaming or just plain tuckered out. Look at the poor girl with her tattered dress and long face. I’ll admit, I’m feeling a little sorry for her. That’s no way to go into a new season of Gardening now is it? I know it’s a stretch, but for the sake of this post let’s imagine she’s thinking about a tall glass of sweet iced tea dr’d up with fresh lemon and mint while she takes a short break. I mean, no great thing happens suddenly right? Especially, in the garden… I think a little daydreaming is in order!

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The Repurposed Garden

Recently, I sat down with my box of seeds, and started dreamin’. It’s still chilly, but with seed packets poppin’ up in stores and catalogs brightening my mailbox, the promise of warmer weather beckons the gardener in me. More “suburbanites” are putting in backyard gardens.  Perhaps it’s the economy, or perhaps folks want to slow down, take a break from technology, and grab the joy digging in the earth brings.  Putting in a garden can get costly, but mine was done on a shoestring budget! I call it my “Repurposed Garden”.

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First Signs

Here in the north, we eagerly anticipate the first signs of spring. For those of us that live on the northern plains of Wyoming, the signs follow each other closely and then one day … it is finally Spring. What are the first signs of spring where you live??
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Pieces of the Past and a Painted Lady

I have loved antiques, old houses, and places since I was a young girl. I must have gotten the gene that makes you like the smell of must, dust and old things in general. Perhaps that’s why I am attracted to antiques and vintage furniture as my canvas. An elaborately turned leg, a curved drawer or the entire form of a piece will strike me and I will have to bring it home! I guess my need to rescue these “pieces of the past” and give them a new life in these modern times is a way of preserving the past in some small way.
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