Hurricane Katrina 3 yrs Ago Today

yabettasupadont.etsy.com

Last radar pic before it went out as Katrina plowed over New Orleans.

AtelierBagatelle.etsy.com

We will always remember the failure, loss, and suffering.

MD Sate Fair

So fun! A great exhausting day for kids and parents!

Fischer Price Pics

She takes awesome pics with her toy camera.

Produce Shot

Rainbow Swiss Chard, it really is this electric pink color!

Super easy to grow, too;)

New Fabrics for the Fall season!

New line of earrings.

All handmade buttons, using vintage kimono silks.

More Adventures in Canning

The garden keeps producing rainbows. Each night I look at my dinner plate and I am amazed at what I see. 90% of what is on the table is self grown. A new experience for me. I love it!

This weekend we canned more of our garden bounty. Now I have 7 Quarts of tomatoes for the cool season. AND we ventured into new territory and tried some pickles. Brett's white cucumber plants have proved to be great producers. We have an unending fresh supply soaking in a pickle solution in the fridge, but we thought we should try the old fashioned way. So, we'll see how they are when we are brave enough to open the jars...

Before and After

One of the many projects I have been working on this week. It's always great to give a dingy vintage piece a facelift. Yes, the teal vinyl was cool, but the sage and brown chenille animal print looks like it belongs in Domino Magazine. This one can be found for sale at Shine.

Summertime Beauty

The first butterfly she ever caught with her bare hands! What a surprise;)

And a tropical gem. Both this past weekend at Valley View Farms.

Adventures in Canning

From this (well, more than this):

To these 3 quarts: Yes, folks, I can say that I have canned tomatoes for the first time in my life. I have proudly done it, my grandmothers have done it, my great grandmothers have done it, and I am sure that lineage keeps going on and on.

We grew them from seed early last spring. More are ripe than we can handle at the moment, so, I thought I would try my hand at preserving in this way. Summer's fresh tomato/basil flavor is captured in these jars for us to enjoy later this winter! Am I too excited about this? Probably.

I have always loved getting homemade canned goods from relatives and generous neighboors. Now I know first hand the blood, sweat, and tears that actually goes into this dying culinary tradition. A lot of work, but I am proud to have it in my pantry;)

Frog Finds!

Waxy Monkey Frog
Phyllomedusa sauvagii
Just plain weird!


This African Bullfrog is HUGE! Check this movie out!
(*you may be grossed out, beware)


Tomato Frog
Dyscophus antongilli
These frogs are native to northwest Madagascar where they are endangered due to habitat destruction. It would be so horrible to lose these in the wild, they are SO CUTE!


Poison Dart Frogs
We all know them and love them, even though they will kill you;) The skin secretions of dart frogs are being studied by scientists for potential medical use, possibly a substitute for morphine which is non-addictive and 100 times more potent.


Visited the National Aquarium yesterday. I really love the frog display they have currently. I may enjoy the exhibit more than my 3 yr old!. LOL.



Some heartbreaking things I learned there:

• In lab tests, frog eggs that were exposed to UV light all produced abnormal specimen. We're talking things akin to 6 legged freak frogs! Yikes!
• Over the past 50 years, scientists have recorded major declines in frog populations around the world. A few species have vanished completely.
• When pollution or other environmental changes affect a habitat, frogs are often the first casualties. These delicate creatures provide an early warning for endangered ecosystems.
  
  
  
  

I love rubber!

Made these today from reclaimed bicycle innter tubes. Had a great wholesale order come through from this awesome bike place in Oakland, CA.

This little pouch is made from left over butyl pond liner. I have a ton of scraps and have been meaning to make these pouches again. I guess I am on a rubber kick.

Lots more on the way!

Veggies of the Week

From a quick trip to our city garden plots today. More than ever imagined!

Zucchini, eggplant, white cucumbers, beets, and more tomatoes than we know what to do with -heirloom and other varieties. Mmmmmm.....

Caught Red-Handed

Picked a tomato the other day because it had a hole in it. I thought it would be better than letting it rot on the vine in the sun. Maybe we could still eat it, right? But while it was hanging around in the box of produce we brought home from the garden, this little guy poked his head out of the hole.

Not sure if it is an immature tomato hornworm or just some other caterpillar. I think he might be our new pet, though.

A Rare Sighting, The Pickle Fickle

SO excited to see my daughter drawing away on her chalkboard the other day. First she made a drawing of a random person. Round shape with legs and an face -naturally I was thrilled! Moving along nicely in her early drawing development, I thought.


But then, to my surprise my daughter's imaginary friend, the illusive Pickle Fickle, made a surprise appearance on her chalkboard. Pickle Fickle quickly dazzled a hairdo on the other drawing. But as fast as the drawing was created, it was erased. I was delighted to get a glimpse while I could... 3 yrs. is really a magical age.