"Virtual" Real Estate Shopping

Yep.  The blog's called Random Ramblings, so sometimes sh*t just comes outta left field.

Deal with it!

Here's a recent email:

More AZ Real Estate Adventures...

Okay, this one doesn't really rely on pictures so much.

Other than this one:

Which came with the email and, honestly, looks very appealing to me.

1 acre - horse property - $50K.  Not bad.

So I took the next logical step and pulled up the address on Google Maps and took a Virtual Drive of the neighborhood.  Plus this gives me the chance to check-out the mountain views - are they *really* that close, or did the realtor have a *really* good zoom on his camera, right?

So I checked out the 'hood.  Other than the redneck across the street who's storing his camper shell on the ground in the middle of his horse paddock, the neighborhood doesn't seem *too* bad.  I vaguely recall 'virtual-shopping' this property before, but anyway...

Then I do a Zillow search.  Odd.  It doesn't come up - even though the address pre-filled itself as I was typing (so yeah, I'd looked at this one before)...

Then I head to Trulia.  It shows that the property has been on the market for over 120 days - which seems odd because it *looks* like a nice piece of property, and $50K is a damn good deal for views like that!

Extremely strange that it hasn't been snatched up by now.  Hmmm.....

Then I scroll down and discover a feature that I didn't know Trulia had:

And now I've got "Bad Boys Bad Boys, What'cha Gun Do!" stuck in my head!

Damn!

Crafty Crap: Dollar Tree Mason-Jar Solar Lights (and Doggie-Rambling)

I can't imagine that this is a unique idea, but I figured I'd post it just the same!  Oh, and I'll probably start-out rambly - so consider yourself warned!!

See, we've got a "Special Needs Dog," Tazz-The-Spazz.  She has shattered all of my Old-Wiener-Dog Records by living well beyond the 14-1/2 year mark.  In fact, she is approaching 16 now!  She is our "Full-Throttle-Dog" who has always lived life to the fullest!  Our racing champ, and a veteran of multiple surgeries (including two neuro-surgeries for her back - which makes her OFFICIALLY more expensive than my Harley!).  

Tazz has definitely slowed WAY down in her Golden Years.  But, thus far, she still seems to be comfortable and happy - and I am committed to keeping her that way.  Her meals are all home-cooked (ground turkey and rice), she takes glucosamine daily, and when she feels creaky (i.e. rainy, cold days), we give her Rimadyl (basically doggie-aspirin).  If she ever reaches a point where we can't keep her comfortable...  Well, we'll make the appropriate "decision" for her.  But let's not go there, k?!

Seriously, she's still doing Pretty-Okay for an old girl.  She gives herself exercise by having "walkabouts" in the yard - usually 2-3 times per day - she walks the perimeter (and it's a mighty-long perimeter, especially considering that her legs are only about 3" long!).  

And she *still* gets excited when papa throws her tennis ball.  Seriously!  This dog is absolutely POSSESSED when papa throws the ball.  Now when mama throws it, "Meh!" She'll kinda half-heartedly galumph for a stride or two, then slow to a ramble.  But papa?!  Hell, she RUNS!  If she catches it on a bounce, she'll roll around on the grass in sheer delight!   She even still brings the ball back - on "good" days - but she's a far cry from the OCD Ball-Chasing Lunatic that she used to be (When it got so bad, we'd have to take her ball away.  She droves us absolutely CRAZY)

Yay!  Papa's throwing the ball!

We are making reasonable accommodations for her.  Her hearing isn't what it used to be, and her vision is definitely deteriorating.  We've had to keep the pool covered this summer (due to the drought - we want to minimize evaporation), and I am terrified of the dog falling in and slipping under the cover.  So we installed "landing lights" around the pool (solar rope lights).

Weenie-Dog Landing Lights
(view from the diving board end)

Cooler-lookin' view - including the TiKi BaR
We don't leave the pool-light on when it's covered

Just the rope lights around the perimeter

We also installed a Doggie-Door for Tazz, and she has the luxury of "freedom" to sleep wherever she chooses (the youngsters sleep in their crate).  Tazz sleeps, pretty-much, all of the time!  But she alternates between her two beds in the family room (one with a doggie-heating-pad and woobie, and a second unheated bed), and the doggie-bed/woobie combo in the kitchen.  

She seemed to be having some trouble locating the doggie-door at night, however, so I bought some cheap solar lights from the Dollar Tree (that kept falling over and rolling away!).

Okay, so THAT brings us to my Crafty Crap post! (Jeez!  FINALLY!)

Last week, this showed-up in my In-Box from Living Social:

Hey - Crappy cell-phone pic!

$14.99 for one solar mason jar light 

$39.99 for three.  Plus $3.99 shipping

Seemed like a cool idea.  But at almost $20 apiece I was *not* feelin' the love!  Hey - I've got all these tippy-over solar lights in the yard already, and Gawd-knows I've got a sh*t-ton of canning jars!  Maybe I can make some myself!  Here is what I did:

All the stuff you'll need:

(Minus the better-battery)

Start with a Dollar Tree Lamp like thus:

 It's actually a pretty cool-lookin' lamp

But unstable as hell!

Our Dollar Tree had a few of 'em left (end of summer).  They had black or white available, but I think they came in other colors as well - doesn't matter.  Also, you don't *have* to use this specific lamp - look for anything that has a top "puck" (circled below) that will fit inside the top ring of a mason  jar. 

The circled part is the only piece you'll need.

Next thing you're gonna do is take the lamp apart.  Remove the shade (which blows away when it tips over anyway!), then unscrew the top "puck" which contains the LED bulbs, a battery and the solar panel on top.  You may or may not want to use the bulb cover/diffuser (white cover directly under the "puck").

Cost, so far, $1.00

Now this next step was one I'd skipped, the first time around.  But it's a necessary step!  See, Dollar Tree lamps come with anemic AAA 100mAh Ni-Cd batteries that will not last through the night (they actually only stay lit for about an hour).  

Replace that bad-boy with something "juicier!"  I happened to have some 850mAh NiMHs laying around.  Google tells me that you can find even juicier rechargeable AAA's for appx $2.00 apiece.

This particular lamp has two teeny screws.  Unscrew 'em and open the puck to reveal the battery:

Anemic battery (yellow) - Dump it!
Better Battery on the right

Now I should note that the overall construction on my Dollar Tree lamp was...  Well, it's a Dollar-Tree Made-In-China piece of crap!  There are little clips at the top and bottom of the battery that wanted to pop-out while I was replacing the battery.  It required a little dexterity, but wasn't too difficult to complete the battery swap.  You do need the clips in place, and in contact with the battery terminals, otherwise it won't light up.  Put the thing back together and you're ALMOST done!

Cost so far:  Figure $3.00 (I'm still at $1.00 'cause I already had the batteries!)

Okay, next is fitting the "puck" into the mason jar ring.  Dollar Tree does carry mason jars, but I think the ring-opening on the top is a squee-bit bigger than the standard Ball/Kerr jar rings.  It really doesn't matter - as long as the puck is a fairly close fit.  You're gonna tweak-it larger by running electrical tape around the outside of the puck.  For mine, 4-5 layers of tape got me a good snug fit:

Dollar Tree sells electrical tape - Bada-Bing!

Next, you''re gonna want to snugly-fit the tape-wrapped puck into the top of your mason lid/ring and screw it onto the jar.  Now, depending upon whether you get rain in summer (not-so-much in parched California!), you might want to run another round of electrical tape at the point where the light-puck meets the jar-ring - to keep water from getting inside.  I don't think that water would hurt the light, but I would imagine it could get pretty "funky" in there if water got inside the jar.

Easy Peasy!

Cost so far: $4.00 (assuming you bought the jar at Dollar Tree - and I'm not counting the electrical tape in the cost)

So this is "okay" right now, but it's not gonna shine very brightly without something to help diffuse the light.  As I'd mentioned earlier, you could just use the lamp-cover/diffuser that came with the lamp.  I had originally considered buying a can of glass-frost spray at Home Depot, but my Dollar-Tree Compadre, P, came up with the brilliant idea of using glass pebbles in the jar (from Dollar Tree - Heyo!).

So, fill your jar almost-to-the-top with glass blobby-pebbles.  A pint-jar will use almost two full bags of pebbles.  And I would suggest using "mostly" clear pebbles, with maybe a few scattered colors.  You'll see, later, how the different color combos worked out, after dark.

Here is the first lamp, filled with mostly aqua-colored glass blobs:

Purdy!
(but not very bright, unfortunately)

Total Cost: About $6.00 apiece (Lamp $1 + Battery $2 + Jar $1 + Glass Blobs $2)  :-D

Okay, more pics...

Here are two jars - out in the sunshine.  The one on the left is the mostly-aqua blobs.  The one on the right is all-clear blobs in a blue jar.  The one on the right also has the "extra" electrical tape (for waterproofing), but I did a sloppy job with that (which is why I decided it wasn't necessary in parched-California!).

Even Purdier!

Oh, and they are definitely NOT 

gonna tip-over in the wind!

What was interesting:  I played around with the clear-blob lamps, after dark, and I really didn't notice a difference between clear-blobs in a blue jar vs. clear-blobs in a clear jar.  So if you want "pretty" in the daylight, and decent lighting after dark, use the blue jars with clear-blobs.  The colored-blobs really do cut-down on the amount of light, so I recommend sticking with clear-blobs, and maybe toss in a few random colored blobs for interest...

Okay, most of my "after-dark" pics were pretty crappy and, honestly, they aren't super accurate.  The camera compensated with a long-exposure so the pics appear brighter than they are in person.  Nevertheless, here are some pics:

Left: Aqua Blobs in Clear Jar

Right: Clear Blobs in Blue Jar

Left: Same as above

Right: Clear Blobs in Clear Jar

(not much difference)

Then, since I'd run out of glass blobs, I decided to make one more - using the plastic diffuser thingy from the original Dollar Tree Lamp.  Here are 3 together - next to the Doggie Door:

Left: Aqua Blobs in clear glass (least light)

Center: Clear in Clear

Right: Diffuser in Blue

So there you have it!  My (successful) attempt at making solar-powered mason-jar lamps for *well* under $20!  I like 'em and, while they aren't super-duper-bright, they do the job!  Tazz can find her way to the back door after dark!  Yayyy Me!

Stormageddon's Reduced-Sugar Plum Jelly (Rambly!)

Wow.  You *know* it's been a long time when your browser no longer auto-completes your web-address to sign-into your blog!

Yeah.  Sorry.  Been busy.  Yada-yada!

Oh.  And this might get a little rambly, so better go grab a cocktail (or move onto the next webpage, or whatever)!

Yeah.  So.  About that "being busy" stuff:  A few weeks back, my College Bud-D, the one who retired early and ex-patted to Messko, came by to visit for a few days.  Sort of an early start to GGW 2015.  Her arrival - fortunately or unfortunately- happened to coincide with some dates that hubs was scheduled for business travel.  End-result, we got LOTS of "Girl-Gab Time" and managed to get (most of) it out of our systems before hubs came home!

The thing about CB-D is, she used to be a total "Mover and Shaker" in the business world, and I was kind-of always in awe of her for that.  Now one thing she did for herself (back in her Mover/Shaker Days) was to buy herself her Dream Car - a red Porsche Turbo Carrera.  She bought it - sight-unseen - on eBay.  From out of state.  During her busiest work-season. So she had to call her hubbie to buy one-way airfare to go pick it up, and drive it home for her!

"So what the hell does this have to do with Plum Jelly?" you may well ask...

I'm getting to it, okay?!  (Jeesh! I told you this might get rambly!).

Well, I too have had a Car-of-My-Dreams (several, actually!).  I have *always* had a fixation with 2-seat convertible roadsters.  Since before I could drive.  MG Midgets, Triumph Spitfures, Fiat Spiders...  Mercedes 450 SL...  Miatas...  You get the idea.

I did have a Geo Metro convertible (my ONLY "New" car).  3-banger pumping-out 55 horses didn't quite cut-it, but I *loved* that car!

My most-recent Automotive-Love-Affair has been with the Saturn Sky. I have wanted that car since before they were in production.  I read every website that talked about it, and even went to the Auto Show to *see* the Concept Car.

That was back in 2005.

I was sad when Saturn and Pontiac got jettisoned. And that - pretty-much - ended my hope of one day owning a shiny new Saturn Sky...

Well, before CB-D's arrival, for reasons I cannot explain, I happened upon a used Saturn Sky for sale.  In METALLIC RED. (Did I mention that 2-seat convertibles are ONLY lust-worthy if they are red?  Yeah. They *have* to be Red - "QT's rule."  "QT's Mom Bonus" would be Metallic Red!).  I wiped the drool from my keyboard and realized that this was before Memorial Day Weekend - surely the car would sell.  And I've got a guest coming, and blah-blah-blah...  So I let it go.

Well, WHILE CB-D was here (now after Memorial Day), I happened to consult Google and - Lo and Behold - little METALLIC RED Saturn Sky is still sitting in the dealer's lot.  But I've got a guest here, and taking a drive up to Fairfield (2 hours away - one way) would severely cut into cocktail hour!

I showed the webpage for the Sexy Little Car to CB-D and she was all "Why don't we go and look at it?"

Long story short (and trust me - I could drag it out), it took awhile - about a month (long after CB-D left) - but now, that Sexy Little Ruby Red Saturn Sky Redline (Limited edition - only 500 made in this trim) now lives in my driveway!

Ain't she sexy???

Hubs, initially, wasn't too pleased about the idea (and - to be fair - I have *far* too many toys with engines), but we're adjusting.  Every morning, when hubs leaves for work, it's like Tetris or something with shuffling cars about.

During the day, she gets to be a Garage Queen:

Shamefully-dusty Heritage Softail in the foreground

(one of the aforementioned "too many toys")

I'm still very much in "pinch-myself-in-case-I'm-dreaming" mode.  She and I have "bonded" in the twisties of the Santa Cruz mountains, and she told me her name was Stormageddon.  I'm good with that!

So that covers the FIRST part of this post's title!

Okay, so Stormy's arrival *also* happened to coincide with the Great Plum Assault of 2015.

June 12:

It was looking a bit overwhelming...

(clickety-click to embiggen and experience the full impact)

June 13:

Is it just me, or does this look like a RIDICULOUS quantity of plums?

Not sure exactly when I found the first "optimally squishy" plum and ate it, but the real "harvesting" started on June 20:

Round I

(just shy of 10 lbs)

June 21:

Round II

(13.8 lbs - according to the bathroom scale)

June 23:

Round III

(I assure you, the basket may be the same - but the plums are all different!)

June 25:

Round IV

(Yes, that's an egg on top!)

June 27:

Round V

(O-Dear-Gawd-in-Heaven! The PEACHES are starting!!!)

June 28:

Round VI

(19.8 lbs!)

Are you sick of looking at plums yet?!  Imagine how *I* feel!!!  And this is just ONE tree (the Santa Rosa plum).  I also have a Satsuma Plum (blood-plum - red all-the-way-through - and sweet as can be!).  Satsuma is still pretty young, so not very productive yet.  

So WTF to do with all of these plums, right?!   Even worse - WTF am I gonna do when I end-up with TWO insanely-productive plum trees???

• I fed quite a few to the chickens 'til I damn-near killed Henny Kravitz.  She ended up getting a (thankfully mild) case of sour-crop! 
• I found a handful of TRUE Facebook Friends who willingly took some off my hands - so yay for that!  
• And the local food bank does accept backyard produce - and even gives you a receipt (double-yay!).  

But still, so far I've tallied up at least 72 lbs of fruit - from ONE tree.  I've managed to offload much of the fruit - but certainly not ALL.

Honestly, I'm sick of plum jam.  Too damned much work with blanching, peeling and pitting (Ugh!). The crock-pot plum butters, sauces, whatevers I attempted to make last year were "Meh" at best.

Prunes?  Hell no (Tried it.  Hated it.)

So this year's Great Plum Experiments included Plum Wine (20# makes 5 gallons!), which is gurgling and fermenting under my desk, even as I type (I may or may-not post about that - depends upon whether it ends up being drinkable!).

  

Annnnnnd...  Google told me that I *don't* have to pit-and-peel in order to make Plum Jelly!  So THAT'S how I spent my ENTIRE WEEKEND.  It was a boatload of work, but I gotta tellya - it's some DAMNED TASTY SH*T!

Annnnnnd...  Since I spent SO MUCH TIME staring at deep pinkish/plummy/garnet-like liquid, I came to the striking conclusion that Plum Jelly is damn-near the EXACT same shade as my brandy-new (used) car!

Hence the name: Stormageddon's Plum Jelly!

Soooooo....  I guess for my NEXT post, I oughtta maybe post the recipe, huh?

Yeah.  Maybe I'll do that!

TiKi TiMe! (and some Random Rambling)

Might as well copy/paste the opening lines from the past several posts!  "Wow, it's been awhile..." yada-yada-yada...

F*ck it!  

I'm no Cake Wrecks, or Pioneer Woman, or Bloggess - not even gonna try!  This is my tiny corner of the vast blogosphere, and I can visit it, or ignore it - however it suits me.  So there! Nyah-Nyah-Nyah!

So I had an update to the Crazy Chicken-Lady Saga that I wanted to post (and I will.) (Maybe!).  And I wanna yak a bit about my mostly-PHENOMENAL veggie-garden this year (and I will.) (Maybe!).  There's probably a bunch of other sh*t I want to blather about (and maybe I will) (Or not!).

Today, I just wanna soak up the last few moments of the afternoon's warmth whilst enjoying a frosty adult beverage (faux Limoncello-Lemonade - if you must know.  Made with vodka, sugar-free lemon syrup, a splash of Fresca, and club soda. Quite tasty!).

Yeah, so we've had a simply amazing summer, weather-wise.  Many would say it was too hot (HA!  Like that's even possible?!).  We did have about a week of triple-digits - but overall, one of the nicest summers *I* can remember!

And yes, it does seem to keep dragging on - but I really don't mind (says she - with the central A/C in the house and a portable A/C in her studio!) (Gawd I am sooo spoiled!).  I'm happy to see that my 'maters (haggard as they look) will likely stand a chance of ripening this year - so I won't feel like a cold-hearted MURDERER when I finally rip them out of their planters!

Yep.  Definitely wanna blather about the garden - but I'll need to assemble pictures and whatnot.

Today, I am merely living up to the blog's title and rambling randomly.

Good things are happening (and this is a focus I dearly want to keep!):  

The entire summer I have functioned like a NORMAL HUMAN BEING!  Yes folks, the psoriasis/eczema/leprosy/plague seems to have gone (mostly) into remission.  Oh, it still tried to flare up a couple of times, but I basically hit it with the pharmacological-equivalent of an atomic bomb, and it slowly slinks away.  So f*cking YAY for that, right?

I have to stop and reflect on that, from time-to-time.  It's like - whatever "challenges" or frustrations or out-and-out bullsh*t Life manages to throw my way..?  It ain't NUTHIN' compared to being a freaking quadriplegic!

How many of you wake up each morning and thank whatever Powers-That-Be for the ability to get out of bed and simply walk to the bathroom?!  

Okay, that's *almost* hyperbolic - but srsly, not too far from the truth for me!

So yeah, I am making a concerted effort to stay on the "Positive" end of the spectrum.  I'm no Pollyanna (HA!), but I figure if you try to approach life with a positive attitude (and an ability to roll with the occasional punches), you're far more likely to find more good coming your way.  Or, at the very least, you'll be able to recognize it when it happens, right?!

Jeez, now I'm getting all ooey-gooey.  Stop that!

Nevertheless, I'm trying to remain more positive.  

And - I'm finding that in order to feel more "balanced" (and therefore, "sane!") I have a weird compulsion to "create."  So I've been spending a lot more time in my TiKi sHacK o' PerPetual SummeR.  Been on a bit of a pottery bender, in fact!

Good-Friend P and I have gone to a few Ceramic Workshop thingies, and we're getting more into Garden Art.  In fact, Groupon had a deal for tickets to tour the Filoli Estate, up in Woodside - and they were running a gallery of garden art this summer (and some of the workshop instructors' works were on display).  Not gonna bother recounting the history of Filoli (I'm sure it's on the website), but it's the house that they used for the exterior shots for the old TV series "Dynasty."  The house is situated on 16 acres of absolutely unbelievable gardens!  And the Garden Art displays were just the icing on the cake!

Filoli Day is worthy of a post all by itself (but I don't know if that will ever happen!).  Anyway, there were many, many displays of ceramic garden totems, and garden orbs galore.  Very creative - and FUN!  So I've been making orbs a-plenty - without stopping to consider the size of the orbs vs. the capacity of my kiln - oops!  Yes, they fit in the kiln, but I can really only fire one at a time.

Anyway, I've been spending a lot more time in the shack, and that makes me feel good!  Need to keep it up :-)

And I think that's about enough random rambling for one day!

Ramblings - Plus Recipe: Cream of Broccoli Soup

First, a wee bit of rambling, k? (Gotta live-up to the blog's name, right?!)

For those of you who live in remote caves in the Himalayas, or East Bumf**k, or wherever...  While the rest of the country has been digging out from record snowfalls and shivering their way through Polar Vortexes and/or whatever-the-heck kinda Plagues and Pestilence wrought by the Apocalypse of 2014... California is having, like, one of the driest, mildest winters of all time.  It's been so dry and pleasant, in fact, that I not only opened the TiKi BaR in January, but I've spent SEVERAL pleasant afternoons (wearing shorts 'n tank top 'n flip-flops, thankyewverymuch), while savoring Frosty Adult Beverages and generally gloating on Facebook (haven't yet confirmed just how many East Coasters have un-friended me!)

Nevertheless, the lack of rain (and, more specifically, lack of snowfall in the Sierras) is more-than troubling.  I vaguely remember living through imposed water-restrictions (No washing of cars, no watering of lawns, "sharing" flushes, etc.) when I was a kid, and it wasn't fun.  And it really looks like we may be headed down that path, again.  This is particularly troubling with our rather-large (by urban-standards) 1/4 acre lot.  We've got the pool, and lawns, and landscaping and :::GASP::: my GARDEN to worry about.  And I have no idea what the penalties are - for exceeding your monthly water allotments (but I bet hubs'll let me know - QUITE clearly - whenever we exceed them!).

So I have decided to take at least one of my raised beds "out of rotation" for the upcoming summer growing season.  Last year's tomato-harvest was suck-tastic (to say the least), so it's probably just as well.  Indie-Farms (aka Finnyknits) sez I need a "Crop Rotation Plan" so I'll use that as further justification to leave at least one bed fallow, this year...

I'm going to dial-back my tomato plantings significantly this year - and I'll only grow 'maters in my Grow-Boxes *** (self-watering patio planters that I had surprisingly good success with, last year).  I'll probably plant squashes in my raised beds (I'm pretty sure those aren't the same "family" as tomatoes and peppers).  And my Grow-Box/Planters will get fresh soil and will house a few "select" varieties of tomatoes (you have NO idea how difficult it is for me to narrow-down my choices!  It's like a disease or somethin'!).

Anyway, I'll post more about that later...  I thought I might start my seedlings this weekend (WAY fewer than last year, k?!), but it didn't happen.  Stay tuned for updates!

*** Note: I've decided to "pimp myself" on Amazon, since I post so many links to them (because I buy so damned much from them!) (Srsly, there's no sense in sorting my VISA transactions alphabetically 'cause they're all "Amazon!").  Anyhooo, if you click on my Amazon Links, I may get a wee bit o' spliff (although, please bear with me while I work out the kinks!).  Certainly not enough to retire to my own Private Island in the Caribbean - but I'll gladly accept a teensy commission.  Please don't consider me a sell-out, k? (Hell, my traffic #'s are so low, it's almost laughable)  Honestly, I only post links for products that I use (and can vouch for) myself (and have probably purchased from Amazon already)!

Okay.......  Enough "Rambling" - let's get to today's RECIPE, shall we?!

Oh yeah!  The reason I started rambling about weather was because we are FINALLY getting a glimpse of winter - Yay! (I had to wash TWO cars and water my Patio Plants - twice, even - to make it happen!).  Yep.  We've had, like, THREE WHOLE DAYS OF RAIN and rainy, cloudy days call for Hot, Stick-To-Your-Ribs kinda meals. I've been making pot roasts and GALLONS of soups.  Which brings me to today's recipe - which was Ahhh-MAZINGLY delicious! (as evidenced by the fact that Hubs snarfed it ALL down before I could even *think* about freezing it!) (Frankly, I consider myself lucky to have gotten a couple of small bowls out of it!)

QT's Cream of Broccoli Soup (Hubs-Approved, even!)
Yield: I honestly don't remember, but it was WAY MORE than 2 ppl could eat in one sitting!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 6 green onions (reserve green tops for garnish)
• 1 medium shallot (optional)
• 3 stalks celery
• 32 oz carton of chicken (or veggie) stock
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used a "Mexican Blend" of jack+mild cheddar+queso+asadero)
• 1-2 T butter
• 1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 C Crema Casera (or Creme Fraiche)*
• Seasoning salt, to taste**

Instructions:

1. Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces (cooks faster that way).  You can also add some of the broccoli stalks, if you like - just make sure you chop 'em into very small chunks
2. Chop the white part of the onions and (optional) shallot into small chunks
3. Chop celery into small chunks
4. Start by melting butter w/olive oil in large soup pot (I used my 4.25 qt dutch oven)
5. Dump in onions, shallots and celery.  Saute til limp and translucent
6. Add broccoli and stir around in the oil for about a minute
7. Add Chicken Stock, bring to a boil - stirring constantly
8. Reduce heat and let it simmer for appx 30 mins
9. Hit it, lightly, with an immersion blender to break-up the bigger chunks.  You can puree it as much as you like.  I like it kinda lumpy!
10. Return to low heat and stir in shredded cheese and cream. 
11. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve immediately.  Deeeeee-lish!

*From what I can gather, Crema Casera and Creme Fraiche are almost the same thing.  I've never had the latter, so I can't confirm.  In any event, by using Crema Casera (which is pretty easy to find here in San Jose!), I didn't need any thickeners.  If you can't purchase Crema Casera or Creme Fraiche, you can substitute heavy cream + sour cream (I'm guesstimating 3/4 c cream to 1/4 c sour cream), or just use half-and-half.  You might need to add a thickening agent (roux of butter + flour, or water + corn starch, or potato starch)

**I used Goya Adobo with Pepper Seasoning.  I think this might be an East Coast thing because friend, Joysey K, sent me a jar after she raved about it (I concur - it's AWESOME!).  Luckily, Amazon's got it, too.  I suspect I'll be needing more, very soon!

Amazon Affiliate Link (Thanks for your support!)

Bienvenida a Estados Unidos! (GGW 13)

Whoops.  Had to take a little side-trip there!

Just got back from sunny (well, sunny with occasional thunder-showers) Mexico.  Girls Gone Wild - 2013 Edition!

This trip was, pretty-much, a carbon-copy of last year's trip (in terms of where we went, what we saw, and what we drank - err - ate!), so I'll just link to last year's slide show post (which I never did figure out how to embed!!!)

Random Mexico Photos

Okay now, requisite disclaimer:  This is post is gonna be mostly-rambly. Consider yourself warned!

This year's trip was quite a bit different, in that it was something of an Emergency-Emotional-Support trip.

See, ever since Hubs and I went to visit them, and we discovered that Hubs really doesn't like the Mexican Ex-Pat Zone (Lake Chapala and surrounds), we girls decided that GGW Weekend needs to be an Annual Thing.  No Men Allowed is what I'm sayin'!

So the original plan for GGW Weekend (Maiden Voyage - 2012), was for the girls to ditch their spouses and spend a 4-5 day weekend catching up, perusing Artsy Fartsy zones, and yakking endlessly in Girl-Speak (mind-numbingly dull for the spousal units!).  In fact, last year, D's husband had flown back to the states - just so we girls could have our "Hen-Fest."

So this year's trip has been "cooking" since March (when I purchased the airfare).  In the meantime, D lost her husband most unexpectedly.  That was a total shock and major blow to D:  I mean, he was many years her senior - and plagued with (hereditary) cardio-vascular issues - but he was also the poster-child for good, clean, healthy living.  Seriously, he was like Mr. Iron-Man Triathlete, right?!  So, on his last day on earth, he awoke to watch the Tour de France.  Did his usual 100 push-ups and 100 crunches and - no doubt - ate a light healthy breakfast of fruit and granola (or something), then went on a 2-1/2 hour bike ride (Basically - just another normal day for them, right?).  Well, when he got home, D greeted him as he was walking his bike back into the house.  Next thing she knew, he was slumped-over, lips turned blue and in an instant - he was gone.  He died right in her arms.

I mean, it was as beautiful as something-like-that can be - but HOW TRAUMATIC!

In the weeks following his demise, D had been very busy handling legal affairs, estate settlements, planning "Send-off Parties" ("Celebrations of Life" whatever you wanna call 'em), in multiple countries/states (They were quite the "Movers and Shakers" - back in their busy-career days).

Through it all, she had many friends, neighbors - Gringos and Mexican nationals alike - offering her food, support, rides to wherever (and more-than-a-few scumbags of-the-male persuasion who actually "hit on her" at her late-husband's celebration - Urgh!) (She is incredibly gorgeous and, at age 50, she is comparatively young amongst the Ex-Pat population - therefore, quite a "catch" in her own right!).

Annnnnywaaaayyy...  Tactless Scumbags aside, she really does have a good support network down there - is what I'm sayin'.  But in the weeks after her husband's passing, she relied most heavily on daily phone-calls with her mother - back here in the states.  Welllll...  Just a few short weeks after her husband's death, her mother's health took a turn for the worse.  Her mom passed just 6 weeks after her husband.

So the "tone" of my upcoming Mexican Fiesta had changed significantly.  First, I wanted to confirm that it was still okay for me to impose upon her hospitality during this difficult time - to which she replied "Are you KIDDING ME?!  You are my beacon of hope!" (or words to that effect!)

So long-story-short (Too late!!!), much of the weekend was spent reminiscing about all of the good (and bad) times...  Many tears were shed...  There may have been a Complete Nuclear Meltdown at one point...  Then, a little bit of gentle "Butt-kicking" was in order (since my friend had found herself on a bit of a self-destructive path - understandable, given the circumstances).  Toward the end, there was definitely more laughter than tears, and I'd like to think I played a small role in getting her pointed back in the right direction.

And I feel good - for having had the opportunity to help a very good friend through a very rough patch.

Secondary to all of that: I feel good because - prior to my trip - I had gotten a steroid injection.  That, unfortunately, seems to be the only thing that kicks my skin condition to the curb.  Not really a viable long-term solution, but I'll take it for stuff like international vacations - just to ensure that I am able to walk and function like a normal person.

I'm rather enjoying this whole "normal" thing - now that I'm home.  I've actually been able to do crazy stuff like: "I think I'll check out the Saturday Farmer's Market" and just put on a pair of shoes (Yes, SHOES!), grab my car keys and go.  Or "Gee, we're out of milk" and - again - slip on some shoes, hop in the car and go.  Or, crazier still:  "I think I'll go out and tidy up the garden" (Gawd, that sounds so refined, doesn't it?!).  So I ripped out the last of the tomato plants and assorted summer veggies (left the pepper plants - they've still got some fruit that's almost ripe).  Filled the green-bin, I did!  And that is pretty damned cool if you ask me!!!

(Srsly - this really is a "treat" for me right now - to be able to walk without pain!)

Oh how I wish we (the doctors and me) could find a REAL solution to this completely f**ked-up condition!!!

Anyhoooo...  Sorry for the rambling, but I really wanted to take a minute to kind-of "count my blessings" - as it were.  Normally I absolutely HATE this time of year.  Autumn with it's shortened days, and cooler nights *always* brings me down!  But we are having an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful Indian Summer, this October (Jeez!! October already?!!).  I am up and walking - and I intend to squeeze every last micron of Vitamin D out of whatever sunshine we have left, right?!

And with that, I will add one picture of a couple of Talavera Planters that I picked up in Tonala, this last trip!

Adios!  And I hope to get back to posting bona fide "content" someday soon...!

Recipe: Yogurt and QT's Ridiculously Easy Low-Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream

Yeah, so I'm at that awkward "I've been gone for so long... How do I start-up again?" stage...

I probably owe ya'all a Summer Garden Recap - but that was kind of anticlimactic (given the Spring-Seed-Starting Frenzy!).  But I'm not quite ready to post about that...

Ehh...  When all else fails, fall back on a cheesy recipe, right?!

So yeah, one of the things I started getting into, this past summer, was yogurt-making.  This was primarily because the dermatologist had put me on antibiotics, full-time.  Antibiotics, as I'm sure you're aware, kill all bacteria - even the "good bugs" in your stomach so, consequently, I've decided that it would be best to counteract that with probiotics  in the form of homemade yogurt.

Added bonus:  It gave me an opportunity to use-up some of the AMPLE low-sugar jams that I'd put-up last year!  Half cup of yogurt, couple of tablespoons of jam, and a teaspoon or two of sweetener (I've been using mainly Splenda) - makes for a tasty, (mostly) healthy treat...

So I bought a cheesy-cheap yogurt-maker from Groupon (no clue how long that link is good for, nor do I get any "kick-backs" if you happen to click on it).

The yogurt maker came with recipes.  Plus there's a ton of recipes on the 'net as well.  Basically all I've been doing is making plain yogurt from half-and-half + nonfat dry mik (for thickness), then flavoring with whatever SF Jams I excavate from the garage!

Plain Yogurt Recipe:
4 cups half-and-half
1/4-1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
Fresh yogurt culture*

*First Batch: 1/2 cup plain store-bought yogurt (with "live cultures" - check the label)
*Subsequent batches: Just use 1-2 TBS of plain yogurt from your last batch
*Optional: You can also add the contents of one tablet of Probiotic supplement

Mix the half-and-half + NF Dry milk with a whisk.  Heat the mixture to 185*F.  I've found it's easiest to nuke it in a glass pyrex measuring cup.  Appx 5 mins to start, then check the temp with a candy thermometer.  Keep nuking in 1 minute increments 'til the "milk" reaches 185*.  Then let it cool down til it's appx 110-120*F, then add the "starter culture." (store-bought - or use your last batch)

Pour the milk+yogurt mixture into your yogurt maker.  Plug it in and let it cook for appx 8-10 hours.  The longer you cook it, the "sourer" it gets - so it's a personal taste thing...

If it separates and gets liquidy on the top (even if it's a funky color), you can just stir it back in - after cooking time is complete.  Store, sealed, in the fridge.

Serve it by mixing your favorite fruit jam and adding sweetener, to taste...

Okay, so I made up a couple-three batches of yogurt.  It really is quite tasty - but was starting to get a little boring (I'm actually not a huge fan of yogurt - to be honest!).  So then I decided that, maybe, frozen yogurt might be a bit tastier.

I surfed online and found this on Amazon.  I actually do have an electric ice-cream maker in our storage shed, but it requires ice and salt and time and - besides - it's buried under camping equipment (and it makes much larger quantities than I need or want).  This li'l beasty - with it's 1.5 quart capacity - is perfect (since my yogurt-maker makes 1 quart at a time).  I also like that the "bowl" has freezer-gel inside of it.  Toss the bowl in the freezer and it's ready-to-roll whenever you wanna mix-up a batch of Fro-Yo or...  ICE CREAM!

Yep - You were wondering when I was gonna get to the Ice Cream part, huh?!

Alllllrighty then!  I am *almost* there!  My first couple of batches were actually peach Fro-Yo (Future Post:  2013 was "The Year of the Peaches" - to the point where I was actually having nightmares about harvesting peaches!).  I had some frozen "Peach-Spice Butter" out in the garage freezer.

I basically peeled/pitted a sh*tload of peaches and dumped 'em in the crock-pot with cinnamon, nutmeg and Splenda brown-sugar blend.  Cooked 'em down for several hours and pureed them using an immersion blender, then stuck the resulting gooze into plastic freezer containers.  So it ended up being 4 cups of yogurt + 1 cup of frozen peach-spice butter + a couple-three squirts of Toriani sugar-free peach syrup, all tossed into the ice-cream maker for 20-30 minutes.  Dee-lish!

And - well, I'm still experimenting with the whole Fro-Yo thing - so I'm not quite ready to start posting bona-fide recipes - yet.

But....  Since Beloved Hubs seems to suffer from Giaourtiophobia (Ooh!  New Scrabble Word!), and because I'd purchased a half-gallon of Manufacturer's Cream without checking the expiration date (it was expiring the next day - Oops!), I decided to whip-up a batch of low-sugar (but definitely NOT low-fat!) vanilla ice cream!

Cuisinart Ice-Cream/Fro-Yo Maker

(Yes, Crappy Droid Pic!)

Okay, so here is where I started:  Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

And this is where I ended up:

QT's Ridiculously Easy Low-Sugar (but not low-fat) Vanilla Ice Cream
Yield - appx 9 @ 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients:

• 2C Heavy Cream 
• 2C Half-N-Half
• 1T Vanilla
• 1/4C granulated sugar
• 1/4C granulated Splenda
• 1 small pkg (1oz) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding 

Instructions: 

1. Make sure the cream and half-n-half are well-chilled (stick the cartons in the back of your fridge).
2. Combine vanilla, sweeteners and pudding mix into the half-n-half.  Whisk until well-blended.  Then add cream and stir it in.
3. Pour the mix into a chilled ice-cream maker and let 'er rip for 20-30 mins (mine was done in appx 15, actually).

Super-Duper Creamy and delicious!  Recipe notes:  I was reading where folks were complaining that the recipe ended up being more like "butter" than ice-cream so that's why I am suggesting that the cream gets blended in LAST - and make sure it is super-chilled before doing so.  I didn't experience "butter" - but I figured I'd make mention of it...

I expect that I'll be doing a lot more experimentation with Fro-Yo - as well as Ice Cream.  And probably something incorporating protein shake mixes as well.  When I experience "successes" I will make an effort to post 'em here...

Cheers!

-QT

"I'm not dead!"

Warning:  No interesting "content" here - just a whole lot of rambling!  If you're looking for something useful, then "Move-along...  Nothing to see here!" Ahhh...  When all else fails, you can always fall-back on Monty Python - amiright?!
Jeez, look at this place!  A bit dusty, wouldn't you say?  I simply *must* talk to the housekeepers about that!

Yeah, sorry for the hiaitus.  It actually wasn't planned - Quite the contrary!  I was rather looking forward to having a simply STUPENDOUS summer or - at the very least - an insanely productive Garden Season.

Sadly, it just didn't work out that way.  I kind-of had a somewhat Crap-Tastic Summer.  And - like my mama always told me - "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."  I think I've mentioned this before (on the outside chance you are a regular-reader here!), I want this to be my Happy Place to yak about gardening, and cooking, and canning, and "Wild Hairs" and funky projects, and artsy-fartsy stuff, and basically anything that brings a little happiness into my world.

Sadly, Old Age - and all of it's annoying accoutrements - seems to be rearing it's ugly head (and I don't remember ANY OF THIS being mentioned in the handbook - dammit!).  Between my beloved hubs - who had knee-replacement surgery earlier this year (and is now facing complete tooth-extraction - "Hello, False-Teeth-in-a-glass on the night-stand!")...  And then me with all of this irritating (and indescribably Itchy and Painful) skin condition bullsh*t...  Well, let's just say that I might have set my expectations just a leeeetle bit too high when it came to Summer's Glory.

:::sigh:::

I don't want to whine tooooo much here, so I'll try to keep it brief (HA!).  To be honest, hubbies TKR procedure when extremely well, and he is well on his way to a full recovery.  But my skin condition (which is NOT psoriasis - and the doctors reached this conclusion because.... [drum-roll please!]...  It doesn't respond to ANY psoriasis-treatments - HAYYY!!!), well, let's just say that my skin condition continues to plague me and *still* seems to NOT respond to ANY treatments WHATSO-F**KING-EVER!

After two (count 'em: TWO!) overnight stays at two different hospitals (First was our local E/R.  The second was Stanford Medical Center - because my dermatologist didn't know what else to do with me!), well, I think we FINALLY got my doctor's attention, anyway...

I really-really-really don't want to rant about this, here (Ohhhh, it is sooooo tempting!  But what good would it do?!  Nada!).  Anyway, the bottom line is: I have been, pretty-much, a shut-in ALL SUMMER LONG.  And by shut-in, I mean - sometimes I am in such miserable shape (read: PAIN) that I haven't even been able to walk out to the patio to water my plants, let-alone make my way back to the garden.  Canning? Fugeddaboudit!

Thankfully, we have awesome neighbors and friends who were willing to pitch in, when things were at their bleakest.  So there's THAT (Bright Side!!!)

So that is my lame (but honest) excuse for disappearing (and Thank You - O' Long-Time-Blog-Follower - for "checking up" on me!  I never realized I even *had* followers!  I know I've got 'readers' - but I suspect they are mostly Hit-And-Runs looking for recipes (Ironically, my '# of visitors' reports are higher since I've stopped posting - go figure!).

Anyway, I shall make an honest effort to spend a little more time here.  I'll start posting recipes again, and maybe throw-together some kinda Summer Recap (such as is!). And, lastly:

No Whining!!

"Talk" soon!

-QT

March Madness! No, not B-Ball, but GARDENING!

Holy smokes!  It's been awhile, huh?!

Truth be told, I've been BUSY.  Sometimes in a good way.  Other times, not so good!  But let's focus on the GOOD, shall we?!

The greenhouse has been a very fun and productive place to hang out!  You may recall that last month, I started yammering about seed-starting in the greenhouse.

So how's that going?

Ohhhhhh....  Pretty well, I'd have to say!

Okay, this is a Burpee Super-Sauce 'Mater I started my "Old Way"
Jiffy Peat Pellets in the bathroom windowsill

Assorted Melons, Squashes, Cukes and Zucchs 

Already ready for potting-up (March 10)

Babies are growing like mad!
(March 12)

Friend P heard about my Seed-Starting Adventure and convinced me to share some shelf space!

P's babies started March 1.  This picture was taken on March 15.

My lonely Super-Sauce 'Mater (the bathroom seedling)

Doing surprisingly well (and way ahead of my other maters, actually).

Potted-up on March 16

Ordered 150 cheap blown-plastic pots off of eBay

Jeez, I hope that's enough!!!

We've been getting some halfway-decent weather so the first batch of potted-up babies got to spend the afternoon working on their tan!

All of the babies, tucked-in for the night!

Germination rate, overall, has been pretty good (except for the some of the older seeds).  And I figure I'll plan on taking inventory and potting-up, as needed, on a weekly basis.  

I wander out to the greenhouse, twice a day.  First to open it up in the morning (otherwise it gets too bloody hot in there!).  Then again in the afternoon to "bond" with 'em.  Watering, adjusting lights, and just checking on their general welfare before I "put 'em to bed" every evening.  So far, so good!

Today I tackled a few smallish garden chores: 

Broccoli and cauliflower have bolted.

"Buh-bye!"

Two raised beds are "mostly cleared" (I even weeded!)
Cabbage, garlic and artichoke get to stay!

Former-Finny-Farm gets to stay - for now.
This bed is "mostly shade" right now...

EasyBloom Plant Sensor

This is a Geeky Garden Gizmo that Hubs bought for me a few years ago.  It's used to track sunlight, air temperatures and soil moisture. Newer models also track soil fertility (but I don't think I would trust that).  You "supposedly" can download the readings to your computer by plugging it into a USB port.  Sadly, I cannot recommend this product because I can't seem to get it to work with ANY of my PC's (Yes, I've downloaded the latest software/drivers) (and my inquiry to Customer Support went unanswered).  "Oh, well!"

I did manage to get it to work ONCE - after I'd left the sensor in the Finny Farm Bed for a week.  It confirmed that the bed doesn't get enough sun for tomatoes.  But when I went to use it again in "Recommend Mode" (where it gathers data and offers recommendations for plants that *would* grow in your specific conditions), well...  It just keeps giving me wonky error messages (PC doesn't recognize the sensor when it's plugged into the USB).

So yeah, save your money!  

* * * * *

Random Observations on Seed-Starting:

1. It's a heckuva lot more time-consuming than I thought it would be! Not a complaint - just an observation!
2. It's only gonna get worse after everybody's potted up and has to come out/go back in the GH daily for "hardening off."
3. You need to do math!  I started with appx 33 Peat-Pots per flat.  Well, when the babies start to get their first "true leaves" you need to pot them up.  33 Peat Pots per flat vs 18 x 3" pots per flat means I need a lot more flats than I have (and - obv - I had to order a bunch of cheap pots, too! See above!)
4. Need LOTS of adjustable lights.  I have my 4' Hydrofarm Grow light hanging appx 3" above the plants.  On the upper shelf, I also have my old 2' Hydrofarm Grow light fixture resting on the upper shelf (so maybe 8" above the plants?), annnnnd I have an old Aero-Garden Hood also resting on the upper shelf.  This *just* covers 4 flats.  Gawd help me when potting-up is complete and I have to start using multiple shelf-levels! (I think I'll be purchasing another cheap 4' fluorescent light fixture from Home Depot and rigging it up with more grow-lights).
5. Peat-pots:  Jury's still out on those.  It just happened that I had ordered a bunch of 'em on eBay, so that's what I used (along with peat-based "seed-starting" medium).  I like that you can start the seeds and pot-them-up without disturbing the roots.  I do end-up tearing-off the top 1/3 of the peat-pot when I transplant into larger plastic pots - plus I try to plant them deeper (especially the 'maters).  I've found, in the past, that peat-pots CAN wick soil moisture *away* from the plant if any portion of the peat pot is left exposed above soil level (YMMV - but that's been *my* experience).
6. Interestingly enough, I'm finding that the babies I start in the bathroom windowsill DO seem to get a bit of a head-start over those that were started in the greenhouse.  I do have heat-mats under the flats in the greenhouse, but I think that - just because the temperature is ALWAYS warmer (and much more consistent) in the house, -the windowsill babies do better.  And once they're potted-up (and put on heat mats in the GH), they seem to do just fine...
7. Oscillating fan is an awesome addition to the seed-starting ritual.  The constant air movement is good for the babies.  It makes 'em stronger AND keeps the soil surface from getting all yukky (and buggy)! But you definitely have to keep on top of watering (Daily!).
8. Haven't had to utilize my "Old" Secret Weapon of spritzing the babies with chamomile tea (to prevent damping off).  Not sure why - but I'll take it! (And I still have my spritzy bottle of tea ready - just in case!)

Lastly...  In other (but still Garden-related) news:  Eggton (love her blog) posted an awesome-sounding recipe for white chili here.  Love-Love-Love this post because it hits on Weenie-Dog-Racing AND has a recipe for white chili! 

Well, immediately after reading that post, I ordered a BUNCH of white tomato seeds!

Mind you, I have NO idea where I'll find space for the actual PLANTS!

Some have been started in the bathroom window, and others have been started in the greenhouse.  The bathroom seedlings are kickin' @$$ and takin' names.  The greenhouse babies seem to be a bit slower with waking up...

* * * * *
Allllllllrighty then!  I think that makes up for 3 weeks of silence!  I'm freezing my butt off - out here at the Tiki Bar (no, it's not summer yet!), so I think I'll wrap this up and haul my carcass INSIDE where it's warm!

xoxo

-QT

So how are those seedlings coming along?

I'm so glad you asked!

Two trays full!

I'd say it's going pretty well!

So at this point, I have added a hanging adjustable fluorescent light fixture like this one:

Image Credit: Amazon
This is the 2-foot model.  I think I may need to upgrade to the 4'!

And I also bought an inexpensive oscillating fan like thus:

Again, image credit to Amazon

Annnnnd...  I've got both rigged-up to an Aquarium Timer:

Yep, Amazon again!

Hell, I oughtta figure out how to become an Amazon Affiliate - given how many links I post back to them!  But no, I get no spliff for sharing.  I just really-really like Amazon (And I love-love-love Amazon Prime.  Free FAST shipping! :-)

So anyway...  I've got the light fixture rigged up so it's hanging just a few inches above the seedlings.  And both the lights and the fan are set to run from 6:00am to 6:00pm.  The lights will help the seedlings grow strong and not have to "stretch" for light. Yes, they are in the greenhouse - but the greenhouse is covered with 60% shade-cloth.  It is fairly bright on it's own - just not bright enough - and if I removed the shade cloth, it would positively roast in there on sunny days.  

The fan is aimed mostly at the seedlings, but it does oscillate.  Finny told me that the fan will also help the babies grow stronger stems, plus the constant air-flow *should* help with deterring critters (white flies, aphids) and keep the soil surface from getting fuzzy/moldy.  The flip-side to that is, I *have* to go check the babies every day because they do tend to dry out a lot faster.

Okay...  Notes/Observations on germination:  I'm not experiencing 100% germination - but I have to admit that some of my seeds were pretty old.  So, it looks like (once again!), no Luffas or Birdhouse Gourds.  Most of the tomato seeds were pretty fresh, though - and I am surprised (and disappointed) to see that none of my Burpee "Super-Sauce" tomatoes have sprouted yet (that's one of the FEW seed varieties that actually I purchased this year).  Luckily, my friend DV says she ordered an extra Super-Sauce Tomato Plant from Burpee, so I suspect we'll be doing some trading in the weeks to come!

So yeah.  Babies are coming along - and I think (hope) it's not too late for more seeds to decide to come to life!

And in other gardening news:  Yep, I'm still harvesting cool-season stuff!

Yummmmmm!!!

Beds have been uncovered now (Yay!), but I still keep getting these @#$% "Extreme Cold Alert" emails from Weather Channel (which means I keep having to run out and re-cover the Plumerias!)

Annnnnd...  I've already started amending my beds with bagged steer manure and Bumper Crop soil amendments.

Wake-up! Wake-up! Wake-up!!!

Yep - definitely a hint of Spring in the air!!!

Finny-Farm Bed.  

At this time of year, it doesn't get full-sun (it's tucked between my studio and greenhouse).

My Brassicas are very happy!

Don't they look happy?!!

I haven't started my Test-And-Amend Ritual yet (Soon!  Very soon!), but I think we're on-track for an awesome Gardening Season!

Oh, and in other Gardening News: I have a Cordyline Addiction!

It started out with Cordyline fruticosa - which is a tropical variety (currently residing in my greenhouse)

"Wahhh!  I wanna live IN the house!"

This is what it's supposed to look like:

And it will - once I find a suitable location for it!

And here are my latest additions to my Cordyline Addiction:

Clockwise from rear:

Large bronze Cordyline australis

Small black Cordyline "Renegade"

Small Cordyline "Electric Pink"

These three plants ARE suitable for our climate (unlike C. fruticosa who is truly tropical).  So they'll live on the patio year-round...

I've already potted-up the large bronze one, into a large (tree-sized) pot.  I plan to pot-up the rest of them in smaller ceramic pots and finding a nice place to group them together on the patio...

I ALSO decided that the outer perimeter of our yard needs some sprucing up.  We've got huge Italian Cypresses running along the fence-line and, over the years, I've tried to add different ground-cover type plants.  My favorite, so far, are the African Daisies (Osteospermum something-or-other).  The foliage fills-in nicely, but the flowers only bloom in early spring (Which is fine.  Daisies aren't exactly Tropical!).  

Over time, I've tried adding more plants to the perimeter (with varying degrees of success).  Unfortunately, the perimeter is a *very* long run, and our drip-system is pretty-well maxed-out.  But I've stuck different types of palm trees out there (slow-growers like Pygmy Date Palms), and back along the far-far-back fence, I planted Agapanthus - hoping they would multiply and fill-in all the bare-dirt along the berm.  No such luck!

Sooooo...  While we were visiting some of Hubs' relatives, last year, in the Inland Empire (think super-hot and droughty So-Cal conditions), I noticed that they were using smallish ferns as ground-cover around their pool.  It looked positively awesome, so I asked about them (since I always considered ferns to be Shade-Lovers).  They told me that they were Sword Ferns and they seemed to do quite well with minimal water and full-sun.

I figure - in spite of the fact that I WANT to believe that Spring has Sprung - there's gonna be quite a bit more rain in the weeks/months to come, and THIS is when I should be planting stuff - if I want it to stand any chance of survival! I am NOT dragging a hose OVER the pool and ALL AROUND the perimeter of our yard (to be honest, I don't know if our hose is even long enough to make it to the far back fence!).

So I went online and researched "Sun and drought tolerant ferns."  Found this site - which was awesome!  Yup.  Seems like Sword Fern is the way to go!  I checked Home Depot (they had ONE in stock!), as well as our local nursery (which would have been grossly overpriced - if they had 'em!).  I ended up surfing online and discovered that I could either purchase 15 bare-root ferns for appx $90.00...  Or if I went to their "wholesale" site (same site!), I could buy 100 bare-root ferns for less than $80.00!

Yes, it IS madness, but I bought 100 ferns!  And honestly, I could probably put them all to use (our yard is that big!).  But I am really hoping that they are SMALL plants, so I only have to dig 100 SMALL holes, right?!

Besides, whatever I don't plant, I am SURE I can pawn-off on friends and neighbors!

Okay then...  I think that post was PLENTY Rambly!