Tag Archives: gardening

Cat Redwork Block & Special Gifts

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1-23-2014rwHere’s my Redwork block made from a coloring picture that I made of a Siamese-mix cat my Bff had once upon a time. He was a beauty named Simon and had a sweet personality.
I’m posting this block to remind everyone to take extra precautions with the pets during these freezing cold temperatures. Try to give them a warm place to sleep and plenty of food to eat.

IMG_7549We got a light dusting of snow the other day. The temperatures are in the low teens again. It’s so cold the sun doesn’t even want to come for but a few scant moments at a time. I miss the sunshine and warm weather. Oh well, eventually, Spring will peek it’s green little self out from the ground and then we’ll have a ‘last frost’ and then it’ll be full blown gardening season again.

Last year we decided that we wasn’t going to have a garden this year except for a couple herbs and tomatoes plants in my porch garden. However, since my husband has healed so wonderfully from his heart surgery and is feeling ever so much better, we’re now talking about having a garden again this year. Not a huge one, but we are going to try to have a small one.
IMG_7554I was so happy about our planning for a garden that I told my Brother. He was happy to hear it because he’s been worried about my husband (and me too.) He ordered me a recipe book and a gardening book and some seeds to help get our garden planning off to a good start. It’s so sweet of him to give me such a special and a most appreciated gift.
There’s some really delicious recipes in the book that I’m looking forward to trying. And I’m anxious to try some of the advice in the other book to grow the tomato seeds my brother gave me.  I can hardly wait to kick off another gardening season.

I can’t seem to get myself organized this week. I’m going to try to get caught up with my blogging, visiting and commenting today. Try being the key word here. 😉

Wishing you all terrific Thursday.
Bundle up and keep warm!
t09017
spcr1

We grew a luffa sponge

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This past gardening season my Brother sent me some luffa seeds. I started a few seedlings in trays and I think 3 or 4 survived after planting. The vines grew super long so we had to keep them trimmed back and wound around a fence trellis. They grew and bloomed beautifully, but only one luffa grew throughout the summer until late in the season then there was several growing on the vines.

After the first hard frost the vine died quickly. We harvested a dozen luffa, but 11 of them rotted after a week or so. The very first one that grew throughout the Summer was the only one that matured.

I peeled the dry skin off and got a nice looking luffa sponge and a bunch of seeds.
We’re not going to use it as a sponge though. It’s going to be a conversation piece, just to show folks that you can grow sponges in the garden. 😉

It was a fun novelty vegetable to grow, but we’re not planning on plant any luffas next year. The main reason is wasps, yellow-jackets and bees of all sorts were so thick in the vines, by the end of the season, that it really wasn’t safe to be close to it for more than a few seconds. Also, to grow the luffa right we think that the vines need to be able to run free and not be cut back or wound up like we had them.

On the weekends, I’m going to try to post about things other than Redwork. That way, I’ll have time to embroider new blocks to post about during the week. And perhaps, folks won’t get too bored too quickly with my blog.

I reckon this is all for me at the moment.
Thanks for visiting!
Wishing you all a wonderful & safe weekend!
🙂
spcr1