Hand Made Gifts

Astrid made these two hangings for her two volleyball coaches.  She is very talented in sports but also a great artist.   Sorry I could not figure out how to turn them.

Graduating Boy

 Lane is not the only grandson who is graduating!  Clayton has passed kindergarten.

Birds Visiting And Other Things

 Larry made a new neat bird house, two in one so to speak.

 This is the tree we brought back from Georgia.  We sold Wayne Hawkins a Feist, met him in Tennessee, he brought us the Georgia Catalpa tree in a little gallon pot.  The first year I watered it and left in in the pot.  The second year I set it out in the yard.  I think it is about 5 years old now.

 Saw the birds watching from the shed.  Zoomed in and found birds of prey partnering to catch whatever they could!  

I wrote under each picture.  Fleta likes balance.  Larry and I are both going the way of Patsy.  Neither of us can see worth a hoot.  Larry asked me this week "is that a hawk or a buzzard on that fence post".  I searched for what he was talking about.  It was a blue bird house.  New glasses are in store for both of us.

Big Day

Eric's birthday!  We get to have great cake this evening.  I have no trouble remembering when he was born 1968, the year I graduated from high school.  I could not ask for a better son in law!

Brother Richard Would Be Proud

My little Cora is a coon dog!

Green Eggs and Ham

Clayton is only in kindergarten, but he reads really well.  Erin did something on this video she sent me because it is blurry, but what I enjoyed was Clayton's reading and Greta yelling, "my turn".

Field Hand Work!

 First, Larry cultivated his big corn patch.

 Then he cultivated my beans and corn!

Then after I hoed out some of my garden and replanted my okra where it can came up sporadically, the rain came down.  Our lucky day!

Big Sis Little Sis

Siggie is too little to go to the movies without an escort.  The other evening Astrid went and sat with her at the movies.  It was a cartoon movie, not one Astrid would pick.  Sisters!

My Turn

 Erin's bunch went to Carrollton to their acreage and Clayton was shooting.  Well, Greta had to have her turn!

Patsy's Onion Business

 Larry used the Farmall Cub and cultivated the garden.  I hoed out the Kentucky Wonder Pole beans, but still have to hoe the two rows of Improved pintos. In the top photo you can see the onions before I worked them out.

 I knew about pulling the dirt from onions before Patsy spoke of it, but I decided to work out the onions and pull dirt away.  I dug up a few in the process but will fix them in a salad.  Purple onions are expensive in the store and we like onion so I thought it was worth the effort to clean them.

 I used the first and last hoes and the rake to pull the dirt back.  Still my onions were surrounded by dirt.  So I used the little hoe below and sat on my bucket on the final round.  I wear gloves when I work in the garden as I hate the dirt that gets under my fingernails. 

 I got several buckets of grass out of the one row of green beans and I fed it to my hens.  Sort of like recycling!

Mother's Day Gift

Laura got me a set of Tupperware sandwich plates for mother's day.  They can go in the dishwasher.  I like them and they are nice when we just have a sandwich.  She knew what to get because I told her what I wanted.  No need to be shy.

Take Care of Your Garden

Sigrid's flowers this year.

Grandma's Hoping

Grandma is hoping for good things to come to Lane's life.  It took me a while to locate her so I circled!

Clayton's Crayon Coloring

Clayton colored the two deer with bullet holes in them.  He is my boy.

Pop and Sig's New House

 Sigrid and her Pop spent Sunday afternoon building her a new birdhouse.  

New Shoes

 Clayton and Greta got new tennis shoes.  They wore their last pairs almost until they were holey!  Greta loves hers and wore them to church with her red outfit.  I think she looks great.  Clayton is spiffy in his too.

Sad News

I thought there was a flock of turkeys in the field.  Zoomed in!  No it was buzzards. Gross.

All those tomatoes I set out are dead as are all the peppers.  There may be one or two that make it, but they may all die.  I guess it was hot then cold, dry then wet.  I am sick.

Visiting

After Dad died and I went to see Mom, I always tried to check on Aunt Thelma.  She was always thrilled to see me.  Her house was spotless. 

Helen's Poke Weed

Copied from Wikipedia

Phytolacca americana is used as a folk medicine and as food, although all parts of it must be considered toxic unless, as folk recipes claim, it is "properly prepared". The root is never eaten and cannot be made edible.

The seeds are supposed to be highly toxic, yet the berries are reportedly cooked into a jelly or pie, and seeds are strained out or pass through unless bitten. Cooking is believed to deactivate toxins in the berries by some; others attribute toxicity only to the seeds within the berries.

The leaves of young plants are sometimes collected as a spring green potherb and eaten after repeated blanchings. Shoots are also blanched with several changes of water and eaten as a substitute for asparagus. They become cathartic as they advance to maturity.
The poisonous principles are found in highest concentrations in the rootstock, less in the mature leaves and stems, and least in the fruits. Green fruits are supposedly slightly more toxic. Young leaves, if collected before acquiring a red color, are said by some to be edible if boiled for 5 minutes, rinsed, and reboiled. However, it may be difficult to identify exactly when leaves have no red color whatsoever; an incorrect picking may result in a poisoning. Berries are toxic when raw but cooked juice is reportedly potable, whereas the seeds are supposed to remain toxic after cooking. Pokeberry juice is added to other juices for jelly by those who believe it can relieve the pain of arthritis. In a traditional Cherokee recipe for fried poke stalks, young stalks are harvested while still tender, peeled to remove most of the toxin, washed, then cut into pieces and fried like okra with cornmeal.

Young pokeweed leaves boiled three times to reduce the toxin, discarding the water after each boiling, results in "poke salit" or "poke salad", or "poke sallet", and is occasionally available commercially. Many authorities advise against eating pokeweed even after thrice boiling, as traces of the toxin may still remain. All agree pokeweed should never be eaten uncooked. The cultural significance of poke salad is referenced in the 1969 hit song "Polk Salad Annie", written and performed by Tony Joe White, and famously covered by Elvis Presley, as well as other bands such as the El Orbits of Houston, Texas. Poke sallet festivals are held annually in Gainesboro, Tennessee, Blanchard, Louisiana, Harlan, Kentucky and Arab, Alabama.

Since pioneer times, pokeweed has been used as a folk remedy to treat many ailments. Dried berries were ingested whole as a treatment for boils, taken one berry per day for seven days. Grated pokeroot was used by Native Americans as a poultice to treat inflammations and rashes of the breast.  Independent researchers are investigating phytolacca's use in treating AIDS and cancer patients.
Ingestion of poisonous parts of the plant may cause severe stomach cramping, nausea with persistent diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes bloody, slow and difficult breathing, weakness, spasms, hypertension, severe convulsions, and death.

However, consuming fewer than 10 uncooked berries is generally harmless to adults. Several investigators have reported deaths in children following the ingestion of uncooked berries or pokeberry juice. Severe poisonings have been reported in adults who ingested mature pokeweed leaves and following the ingestion of tea brewed from one-half teaspoonful of powdered pokeroot.

Helen's Mullein

Helen's Mullein

Also called:  Aaron's Rod, Adam's Flannel, American Mullein, Beggar's Blanket, Blanket Herb, Blanket Leaf, Bouillon Blanc, Bouillon Jaune, Candleflower, Candlewick, Cierge Cotonneux, Cierge de Notre-Dame, Clot-Bur, Clown's Lungwort, Cuddy's Lungs, Duffle, European Mullein, Faux Bouillon-Blanc, Feltwort, Flannelflower, Fleur de Grand Chandelier, Fluffweed, Gidar Tamaku, Gordolobo, Hag's Taper, Hare's Beard, Hedge Taper, Herbe de Saint-Fiacre, Herbe Saint Fiacre, Higtaper, Jacob's Staff, Longwort, Molène, Molène à Grandes Fleurs, Molène Bouillon-Blanc, Molène Faux-Phlomis, Molène Thapsus, Orange Mullein, Oreille de Loup, Oreille de Saint Cloud, Our Lady's Flannel, Queue de Loup, Rag Paper, Shepherd's Club, Shepherd's Staff, Tabac du Diable, Torch Weed, Torches, Velvet Plant, Verbasci Flos, Wild Ice Leaf, Verbascum densiflorum, Verbascum phlomides, Verbascum thapsiforme, Verbascum thapsus, Woolen, Woolly Mullein.

Mullein is used for cough, whooping cough, tuberculosis, bronchitis, hoarseness, pneumonia, earaches, colds, chills, flu, swine flu, fever, allergies, tonsillitis, and sore throat. Other uses include asthma, diarrhea, colic, gastrointestinal bleeding, migraines, joint pain, and gout. It is also used as a sedative and as a diuretic to increase urine output.

Mullein is applied to the skin for wounds, burns, hemorrhoids, bruises, frostbite, and skin infections (cellulitis). The leaves are used topically to soften and protect the skin.  In manufacturing, mullein is used as a flavoring ingredient in alcoholic beverages.

Mullein has a myriad of uses. Every part of the plant is used at different times in it's life cycle. The thick, soft leaves, are used to treat respiratory illness. They have been shown to loosen congestion and help clear the lungs. The tiny hairs on the leaves can be irritating, and any teas should be filtered very carefully to avoid this problem. A tincture would alleviate this issue, although it is extremely bitter.

Mullein flowers also provide a soothing and cleansing effect to the skin. As a wash, they are an easy treatment for minor wounds and scrapes. These same flowers can be picked throughout the growing season, placed in olive oil and left to infuse. The resulting infusion is wonderful for earaches that do NOT involve a ruptured eardrum. Add beeswax to the infused oil, and you will have a balm that makes a great addition to any baby's changing table. The delicate skin of a baby's diaper area can benefit from a light layer of this mullein balm.

Mullein root is used in urinary tract issues. The plant has a long taproot, making it difficult to harvest, and nearly impossible to transplant. When harvesting, be sure to use a spade and dig when the soil contains some moisture.

Be Kind

Greta is wearing a be kind to others shirt and wearing her hair so her "ears" show.  Yesterday she hit her friend at school and when Erin asked why she said because she was bossing me.  I guess before she could not hear the bossy words!  Hearing loss has a few advantages!

King Snake

 I had a King snake by my chicken pen today.  I let it go.  A King snake will kill other snakes and I wonder if they don't eat mice too.  Well, hope they don't like eggs.

School Days Aged Three, Greta

 School photos of my little sweet girl, Greta.

Fergie Shines

Fergie overcame her fright and did all her tricks in her evening performance!

Dog Trickster

 Fergie got a little stage fright, but Sigrid stole the show!