I hope you have daffodils in your garden.  They are so "springy."  And ours are starting to emerge.  I know it is only January, but they are coming up.  I even saw some of my neighbor's daffodils sporting flower buds !!!  

 

Ours are just coming up with leaves, but it always makes me happy, because I know that spring is just around the corner.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!! 

 

 

 

OK, the picture isn't all that pretty, but the subject is very interesting to gardeners.  This is mushroom compost.  It is aged, composted horse poop, mixed with some straw.  Commercially, some companies add soil to the mix, but we have good soil, so we don't need to pay extra for that.  We just get a cubic yard for $60, and spread it onto the hills in the garden.  

 

It adds excellent organic material into our soil, and gives us a fun project on a warmish winter day.  We get out there and dump bucketfuls onto the hills, and then work it into the soil.  Then when spring comes, and it's time to plant, all is ready for planting.  

 

Now you know our secret for a successful garden.  Well, one of the secrets.  The biggest secret is HARD WORK.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We used to laugh when folks posted pictures of food on Social Media.  But, hey, this is photo-worthy.  And January is a tough time to be talking about gardening in the mountains.  

 

So I'm going to tell you about this fabulous pizza we made.  The red onions, eggplant, and arugula came out of our garden last year.  We also put our rosemary in the crust.  

 

Jon's pizza dough is in the recipe section under bread, just add your own toppings.

 

 

HAPPY JANUARY!!!

 

 

 

Here is my beautiful Rosemary.  She is about 2 feet tall and just as wide.  I am sharing this now because it's winter, and she is a bit tempermental.  Over the years, we have planted three or maybe four Rosemaries in this same spot.  The ground is good, the sun exposure is perfect, and each one has thrived here.  Until...the temperature drops below 10 degrees.  That's when we lose them.  Well, that's when we lost them in the past. 

 

We are trying to be proactive, and protect this one from the cold.  The first year (for this one) Jon turned the wheelbarrow upside down to cover her.  That was pretty, NOT, but it worked:  she survived the cold.  Well, the wheelbarrow isn't big enough to cover this bush now, so we have to come up with another way to protect her from the cold.  

 

We still have time though;  the temps next week are cold, but only going into the 20s.  We can work with that, but I need to figure out a good cover for my girl.  She's so pretty.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were out for a walk on Monday, and saw Tom and Sky out on their golf cart.  Jon noticed how gray her muzzle is getting and Tom told us that she will soon be ready for "senior food."  Wow, where did the time go?

 

I just looked it up in the archives, and I introduced y'all to Sky back in April, 2019.  She was just a puppy then.  Here is her picture to refresh your memory.  Or you can go back and read the entry for April 24, 2019.

 

 

It is so fun seeing the kids grow up.  

 

HAPPY 2026!!!

 

Here is my Golden Pathos.  I got this plant when we moved here in 2004.  It lives on top of a music speaker that is 24 inches high.  At one point the vines crept along the floor, up the step, and continued up the wall toward the loft.  That was really beautiful.  And we left it to grow that way for a few years.  

 

Then the lower leaves turned yellow and fell off, leaving the top leaves up high with only vines clinging to the wall.  That was really ugly.  It needed to go away.  When I tried to detach the vines from the wall, the roots took the top layer of drywall with it.  Yack!!!  We had to repair the wall, then repaint that whole section going up the stairs to the loft.  

 

We are very careful now to monitor the vines and make sure they don't attach themselves to ANYTHING.  

 

Some things we just have to learn the hard way.  I am telling you this story so you can learn the easy way.  ;)

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Here is my Spider plant living upstairs.  I was a little concerned about the brown tips (you know how they get.) 

 

Well, I read lately that most house plants are dormant this time of year, so it's best to go light on the water.  Too much water can cause them to suffer.  I usually only water my indoor plants every ten days.  And so far they are doing ok.  But I will check  before I water to make sure the soil is dry.  

 

I thought you'd like to know.  

 

HAPPY WINTER, 2026!!!

 

A couple days ago we stuffed mushrooms with a lovely quinoa mixture, and had a bunch leftover.  So last night I cooked one of our very own butternut squashes, and stuffed it with the quinoa mix.  Wow, was it good.  

 

If you want the recipe, here it is:  cut a butternut in half and scoop out the seeds and discard, or save them to plant in the spring.  Cook the squash cut side down for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Then turn them right side up and stuff with your favorite savory mixture of rice, quinoa, or whatever grain you like, and cook another 10 minutes.  We grated a little Parmesan cheese on top.  Hey, curry something would be a really good stuffing too;  maybe next time.

 

 

HAPPY COOKING!!!

 

HAPPY 2026!!!  

 

Yikes!!!  It was cold yesterday.  Look at that wind chill:  8 degrees.  But also look at the future forecast:  snow!!!

 

It probably won't snow, but it's fun to think about.  I mean, if it's going to be cold, we could at least get snow.  I am not trying to tell Mother Nature how to do her job;  I'm just asking for a bit of the fun stuff.  

 

Anyway, it's supposed to be warmer today.  We will take it.  ;)

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!