More Exciting News on the Apple Sticks! (Trees)

      I was so amazed last week when I walked by one of the apple sticks and saw clusters of little apples! I kept on walking towards the other apple trees, and to my amazement, they all had apples! Hallelujah! I am in apple heaven! I'm praying they don't get bugs or some kind of disease. 

      I've been reading about how to improve my fruits and veggies through composting and using compost tea. As soon as I get that up and going, I'll start spraying the apple trees, as well as everything else we plan on consuming! I can also use it on non-edibles such as roses and flowers. Compost and the tea naturally gives plants, shrubs and trees, important minerals and nutrients. The tea sprayed on the leaves provides a natural deterrent to most pests. I can hardly wait to give it a try. Only problem: I don't have any compost! I actually had the composter advertised on Craigslist! It's not now! I cancelled that ad! Now I'm on a mission to make compost! It will still take several months even in the composter. So how am I going to spray everything with compost tea? I will order the ingredients to make it myself, of course. Here's the link: http://www.boogiebrew.net/brew-kit/ Watch some of the videos and you may be ordering it for your garden! There's so much about gardening and the soil, that I don't know about! You can watch this rather lengthy video that helps explain what's in the Boogie Brew. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTijkwQaPRI I really have benefitted from watching John Kohler. He is extemely enthusiastic about growing a garden! He has many videos but I've only watched a couple. I hope you take time and watch one yourself! I hope to be ordering some of this Boogie Brew soon. I would like to have the $99 package. But I'll have to convince Randy. I'll let ya'll know.

      I planted the potatoes in a potato tower. I hope they produce lots of potatoes! I learned this from watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhO1age_ykk Becky is awesome! I love watching her videos! I will also let you know how this goes. I hope the information I've shared with ya'll today will be of value to your gardening experience, as I hope it will be with mine.

      In other news, I haven't sold but one dozen eggs! No one on this road needs them. I guess they all have their own chickens. Neither have I sold any baked goods. I put up a sign like the Amish, stating what's for sale. Unfortunately, the wind keeps tearing it off and blowing it away. But, it has been up long enough that people passing could read it. I really didn't want to have to take my things somewhere to sell. Maybe I just won't bother with it for now. Sometimes I wished I lived in a bigger, more prosperous city. Then I might not have a problem selling. 

      There are so many beautiful irises and roses blooming now! If only we had smell-a-blog! You wouldn't believe how awesome some of the irises smell! It's amazing! Everything is so beautiful and green! Squash and bean plants are emerging, and the tomato plants seem to be doing good, in spite of the cooler temps and clouds. Today is warmer and sunny! I'm glad I got a post written since today is the last day of April! Thanks for reading! Blessings from Bama!

Yummy chocolate cake!

Showing off her choco lips!

I'm so thankful for a husband who can multi-task!

It seems I can never quite capture this bird! It's so beautiful!

My Amish sign, lol!

Smells like candy!

A pretty one.

The peonies have opened up since this photo. They're not as pretty since we've had so much rain.

The orange or salmon iris looks so much better than in this photo!

One of my favorites!

The photo doesn't do it justice! The smell is unbelievable!

I'm so happy to get the flowers I wanted for these pots! Geraniums and petunias.

The other side.

I wished you could see how this really looks!

More candy!

If you look closely, you will see blueberries!

A nice red rose.

Eighteen jars of strawberry jam!

Our September Camping Trip

      At Lake Guntersville State Park! We had an awesome time! It was just the two of us since Skylar doesn't like these 'boring' trips! We do ride the roads a lot, but there is such pretty scenery in all the places we travel! There was so much water everywhere we drove on this camping trip, and the foot hills in the backdrop were just gorgeous! The leaves haven't changed much. The dogwoods are beginning to turn, and a few maples, so it will be absolutely beautiful in a few weeks! We found a very nice place called Buck's Pocket State Park that we would love to go to when the leaves change! Hopefully the spots won't all be taken, as they are a first come campground. It's down in a valley, with a dry creek surrounding it. We had a lot of rain, and the creek was dry! We couldn't figure that out! The mountains around it are quite tall, so there were some beautiful look offs at the top. We'll probably go there instead of Ellijay GA apple festival. We've been to Ellijay quite a lot these past few years, and although it's a beautiful place, I want to go somewhere different. Guntersville was hit quite hard when the tornadoes came through in 2011. The campground where we stayed used to be so full of trees. We have been there before, that's how I know. But now, the place looks like a logging crew has been through and stripped out the trees! So sad! It's still pretty, and you can see the lake much better, but it was nicer before the tornadoes! One night this trip, we had very strong winds come through with hard rain and the camper was just rocking! Randy slept through it but I was ready to wake him if it got worse. Thank God it didn't! The downtown area was hit hard as there were a few trees down, and places without power. I can imagine what it much have been like in April 2011!

      We picked scuppernongs and got a basket of not ripe peaches while we were on our trip. I got the scuppernongs ready and extracted juice, which is now in in the refrigerator waiting for me to make jelly. I've also been peeling and cutting apples from our tree, YAY! I put them in bags and in the freezer for pies. I have a few left that I want to make cobblers with. The girls have been here since Thursday, so I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, but it was nice to spend time with them.

      I'm still working on a few crafts as I have the time and I can't believe how swiftly Fall is approaching! I won't be able to get everything done that I wanted before then! There is just never enough time in a day! Oh well, just do what you can do! Ya'll have a great weekend and thanks for reading! Blessings from Bama!

Some letters I began last year for Yasmine. Do you do that, start something and not finish it for a long time?

I used a wood burning tool to cut them out of the foam board. I took these with me on the camping trip since I knew I would have some free time. I am covering them with scrapbook paper and Mod Podge.

Winterlynn is telling me how much she loves me! She has on the little shirt I made.

Downtown Scottsboro where they have first Monday! They have been having this for a hundred years!

Some vendors set up at first Monday. Oh yea, my Bama Man!

More vendors.

Art in the park at Scottsboro.

It was nice and shady here!

A pier at a place called Goose Pond Colony. Like I said, there's lots of water all around where we went!

A finished letter!

The view of our campground from the lodge above it. Where there are no trees is where the tornado took them out.

Another view from the lodge.

A close-up of the campground.

Our camper is down there in the trees. I love how the foothills meet the water!

The lodge needs to remove the Crepe Myrtle trees so the front entrance is more visible.

The campground at Buck's Pocket is down in those trees.

We wear hats around here!

Yasmine pushing Winn.

Layla has on her hat too!

Yasmine's hat is cute!

  

Yasmine is trying to whistle.

The scuppernong juice being extracted.

Apples being processed.

A few left for cobbler.

Randy and the girls! He likes babies!

The smell of apples is in the air again!

      I have some cooking on the stove as I write, and it smells so good in here! I have the windows opened, so the breeze is carrying the smell throughout the house! I finished with the apples, and with the peels and cores, I made some vinegar. No waste here!

      The sun is shining and the temp is heating up for another eighty degree day! I painted the arbor over the sidewalk yesterday and got myself a suntan! I thought it would be a sunburn, since that's what it felt like at the time! The weather is supposed to get much cooler tomorrow and for the most part of next week. I'll probably freeze until I acclimate to it! I sure hope the hubs gets the lines run for the new unit he installed in our bedroom! That's the coldest room in the house! He is trying out some units that he's installed at other places that are supposed to be highly energy efficient! Each section of the house will have a unit with a thermostat that we can control. He decided to do this since he found mold in our previous unit and duct work. I could actually smell it when I stood over a vent or passing by the return! Our son has been under the house with his Dad to help remove the old stuff. Even though it's only been installed for about seven years! He's never like the old system anyway, so now I'm glad he has a good excuse to change it out. As with the rest of our house, it is a work in progress.

      I finally got the hubs to get my fall wreath down from the attic! He had to be up there anyway so he kindly brought it down. I didn't put up decorations like last year because I'm just not 'into' it! I've been so busy with things! In fact, I can't believe November is so close! That means Thanksgiving will be here soon! Oh well, we always have the same food and the only thing I prepare a day or two in advance is the dressing. Unless I make a marinated slaw or salad. I can't believe I'm thinking about that right now! Got to go stir my apples! Have a great weekend! Blessings from Bama!

It takes a little apple cider vinegar to make a little apple cider vinegar!

There was enough peels and cores to get two quarts of apple cider vinegar.

Can you smell this?

I'm still drinking my smoothies and green or black tea every day for lunch. It holds me over o.k. til dinner. Sometimes, I do have to have something crunchy and salty before dinner, though. I can tell a little difference in the way my pants are fitting. Slowly but surely, I'll get this weight off!

The new unit over our bed. See the unfinished ceiling above? The windows aren't finished either.

Happy Fall Ya'll! (The door needs a coat of paint!)

One of the pumpkins got eaten by large roaches! The pumpkin must be sweeter than the others! I didn't know they would do that!