What(who) makes you smile...Sisters' Garden...

Yeah, we all hate to have our pictures taken,
cause when yer in the work mode,
you know what you look like...
naaaaa, we don't care 'bout no stinkin' pictures...!
BRING IT ON!!!
My bestest buds Barb, owner of Sisters'
and Barb Conner, owner of Cross Creek,
doin' what they love...playin' in junk!
These two are masters of their craft...
and you should see what Barb did with all these
goodies...and what was buried underneath it all...
SIGH!!!

Even Barb's wonderful husband Brent gets into the action...
now this is a man who knows how to please...ha
and I always catch him at his finest...heehee...
Barb and Brent are the work horses behind Sisters',
they're the ones that drag all those ginormous pieces
into the shop after hours and keep things running
smooth(mostly)...

Brent had just dragged this harvest table in from his truck...
sweet huh...

Not to mention this beautiful grey beauty...it's huge!!!

Another grey beauty inside Bloom, need big tables...
we got 'um at Sisters'...

And funky lampshades made out of burlap...
OK, I had a few minutes to play, cute huh!!!

Pink industrial metal storage...how fun is that...!

Industrial, industrial, industrial...who knew...

All at Sister's Garden and Bloom...
SWEET!!!

It's all about the sunrise...

It's what I live for, how 'bout you...
But today I found the most wonderful blog that
says it all, 'My 5 Acre Dream'....
Leigh tells why we do it, why we homestead,
why we struggle with the weather,
the rising food and feed costs...
she get's it!
I had to chuckle to myself yesterday when I told
my daughter my cukes were 3 inches long,
I'm going to make relish and dills this year...her reply:
well, I can buy a jar of relish that will last me all year...
nuff said...!

There are more than beautifully cultivated flower species,
there is an overlooked beauty that now resides in my
micro-homestead...the milkweed!
Walk ever so closely with nostrils flared
and you'll have your reward, a strong, sweet scent will
pull a smile out of your pocket...
daring you to enjoy the day!

Mmmmm...lunch...salads awaiting a grazer...

A bit-o-the sunshine in a first blossom...

Sunshine on pea pods, more snow peas to be harvested!

...and chicken poop on the front porch...
my flock loves grubbing around in the shade gardens
and I love the occasional crow to announce their arrival.
Isn't this what I'm talking about,
'a gone by the way side' way of living
that most only dream of!
I am lucky to have my lil' 6 acre piece of paradise,
my tumble down ol' farmhouse 2 miles from the city,
my heathen terrier Scratchy, my flock
and my will to make it all happen...
hey, it's summer...gotta go,
gotta make 24 batches of soap for a client,
put up them peas, go sniff the milkweed
and kick the poop into the hostas...
ahhhh, life is good on the homestead!

Stalking in the wild...

Stalking the wild asparagus was a favorite book of mine
back in the 60's, I literally scoured the ditches for
asparagus, elderberries, blackberries and even tried
the unusual like milkweed flowers and lambsquarter.
Much good food is to be found out there and has
been eaten for years by early inhabitants.
BTW, the lambsquarter omelet was delish last
night for dinner, long side the salad with purslane
and plantain leaves, once called the soldiers salad,
guess because it supplemented their diet in the field.

Lots of munchies out there if you don't go ewwwwww...
my flower gardens are just beginning to go awwwww...
I love vines on a house, as my Kentucky creeper
frosts my cake, it'll be bright red this fall.

Another couple of days and some sun and this side of
the house will be bursting with color!

Can't believe how huge the rhubarb got this year,
I'll be freezing more today for winter pies...yummm!

My sad lil' bunny ravaged bean patch...
not to worry, I finally found more seed, everyone
in town was out, but I found some at the Amish
co-op, so 3 more rows have been planted, but the
pole beans have emerged from the seed
from last year, so the straw mulch should help
keep the roots cool, if we ever get the summer
heat we desperately need.

Bush zucchini, a new one for me...I love
the fact that it won't be taking over my yard with
vines and HUGE zukes hidden under the leaves,
though the spaghetti squash will do a fine job of that!

What's this speck of orange in the tomato patch...
ahhhh, sweet summer fruits...!

Shadow Shot Sunday...Random...

Whilst scoping out a spot for this new piece
I just brought into my studio and admiring the
beauty of the piece, I noticed this random
shadow, it's actually the arm of a chair that got
caught in the afternoon sun...

Another wonderful piece gathered/salvaged
from The Salvation Army store...SWEET!!!

This is the finished table that I showed you
the other day, it's now at Sisters' Garden.

The most beautiful of sea green soaps in the
new scent African Amber...

Fun stuff in my room at Sisters'...

What is it with me and old 'potty' chairs...
I think it's just the patina with this one...

In an old one bathroom farm house,
you can never have enough potty chairs...right...LOL...

A drive to Sister's Garden and Bloom is always
a treat, as the fertile farmland is transformed from
winter's barren plain to fruitful bounties
of corn and lush landscapes...

Scratchy thinks so too, as she sips from her travel cup
and we take photos for our weekly trip
and our shadow shooting tour down under...HERE...

I heart salvage...

Went to the local Salvation Army yesterday on
my way to the store, it's in the same mall complex...
how convenient!!!
Bought this great table at a great deal,
and the new paint color will be white
and the perfect place for it is Sisters' Garden.
This is what I love about the biz...the recycling.
Taking unwanted furniture and re-purposing
into fashion-ready styles and we all know
how popular farm tables are these days!
Better go check the weather channel to see if
it's safe to paint...you'll get an update
when it's finished...I heart my job!!!

For you Mom...busy, busy, busy...

Projects in the making in my new workspace,
slash studio slash garage...
a potting table still waits for it's new coats of paint
and the sun...

Free range chickens...as Brandon, Louis
and Goth prowl the yard, never wandering
far from the coop...

Can you have too much fun watching your flock???

Did some fine tuning in the coop,
added a few roosts, in a 4x4, there's not much room to
play with, but with only 6 birds, you make do...
only problem with this is the flying poop
on the window...GEESH...!

Then to save space, I attached a board in between
the 2x4's to hold feed, they're not tripping over the
feeder now or pooping in it...
did I say GEESH...

I attached the whimsical wooden rooster to the
fence post for charm...er er er er oooooo...
that's rooster talk!

Another project awaiting the sun and fine tuning...

Flowers blooming...FINALLY!!!

Grass mowing...

and a view into my world on the farm...
See Mommy, I been good playing with my toys!

Also found a great new site...
zero waste lifestyle
we should all be visiting there...right!

This'll ruin your day...

These are Americans listening to Fox News...
and believing every word of it!!!

These are Americans today donning the couture
of choice...coming to a city near you!!!

June 6th, 2011
Nuclear power plant meltdown in Nebraska, my neighbor,
is said to be inundated with flood water from the Missouri R.

The plant is reportedly at a stage 4 level of emergency,
though the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD),
which owns and operates the plant, denies this.
With elections coming up, how much will we
actually be told, one thing for sure,
we won't hear the truth!
How do you like your SAFE nuclear power now!!!

Google it yourself...

Oi............................

Play time again at the pink shack...
well you know my love of strange
and, well, creepy baby dolls...

I just had to incorporate one into my garden
as a scare-crow...right...!

Just add a couple of sticks up the backside,
a dowel for height, wire the arms to the cross piece and
VIOLE'...
a creepy scare-crow...and
it's more to the height of the pesky wabbits!

I love Jude Law in the movie Repo Man,
he is always saying 'Oi' in a Cockney sorta accent
when he's trying to get someones attention,
so I imagined my lil' creep yelling
Oi...if he could yell anyway...
do you think it's strange
or do you envy...heehee!!!