Meandering through the garden, thinking about the summer so far.

10 year old's pool garden. The Lemon Cucumber has taken over!!

Hello!! I've been struggling to blog often, with all that I have been doing this month. We were planning to study all summer long, but in reality, we've only hit the books once in the last 2 months. You know what? It feels good!! 

It's not that we haven't been busy. We've been busy almost any day we haven't been sick. We had a creeping flu bug come to visit, and the bugger stayed around for almost 2 whole months, hitting some people 2 and 3 times. We've continued attending classes for Taekwondo over the summer, and the children are about to have another belt test later this week. We also have summer session of Homeschool Co-Op going on. The kids have been working on their swimming skills, and last weekend the Music Theory classes started up as well. The kids are so happy with our Friday schedule.

You can see tomatoes growing, the carrots are still struggling, and the cherry tomato plant has gone crazy. I need to find a way to cage it after the fact.

I have been busy with the house, too. We have all been busy deep cleaning, pulling out the fridge and getting under and behind it, lifting the top of the stove, and mucking that out, and steaming carpets. I've gotten a lot of clutter busted, and I've had a lot of clutter resurface, it's a constant battle. When things happen (like a down pillow exploding in the drier), we have been using the opportunity to do maintenance tasks that had been neglected in the past (like moving the drier and cleaning out the air path). 

6 year old's pond form garden. The strawberries are thriving and the vine-type volunteer is suspected to be Cucumber.

In order to help with the housework, I created an alter ego on FB. As that ID, I post challenges, motivations, and reminders. I also created kid challenges, to help kids learn to work on their responsibilities a little bit every day (instead of leaving it to the last minute). You can find River Heartsong on FB and send her a friend's request, just send a message, telling that you are from the blog, needing inspiration and help. :)

This tomato plant has 100's of baby tomatoes, and very small leaves.

I also realized over the last few weeks, that people come to my blog from EB related sites. I didn't think anything much of it at first... Until I realized that perhaps some of those people would rather hear about the one thing I barely write about, our EB. I'll work on that. Right now, there isn't MUCH to report about, because we stay inside most of the time. The big girls are getting strong enough in their TKD, that they are starting to damage their knuckles and tops of the feet during drills. The funny thing is, they have me slap on a border, and dash back out on the floor. They care more about the class than they do their injuries!! <3 after="" and="" bathe.="" fix="" get="" home="" p="" properly="" them="" up="" we="">

Garlic Chives in between the tomato plants.

I ended up finally deciding to make a page on FB for "Me and My Butterfly 3". It was a hard decision, mostly because we are not as severe as other patients. Then one day, I realized that EB has many forms, and each form has a range of severity. That alone is a GREAT reason for my girls to have a page too, because we are raising EB awareness. I intend to use the page for EB Awareness, posting updates and prayer requests for my children, and other butterfly children, and occasionally, I will use it to fund raise. Right now, I have joined in the efforts to sell raffle tickets for a chance to win 6 tickets (all expenses paid) to AUSTRALIA!!! Tickets are only $20. All proceeds go to Butterflies and Bandages to help EB families and help fund research for a cure.

This tomato plant is the twin to the one in the Topsy Turvey, a control, so to speak.

The kittens have gotten big! They are now scampering and climbing all over the house, and even the scared one is coming out more, and purring over getting petted. We meant to find them all homes, but the kids got so attached, we ended up giving them all names. Now to figure out how to get them all fixed, as we don't want another kitten problem in a few months.

14 year old's "3 sisters" garden. Corn, Squash (pumpkin), and Beans. 

Honestly, there is not much else to update on. I have been quite busy between all of that and babysitting the extra toddler over the summer. She has gained 5 pounds, 5 inches, and 50 words in her time with us. She has learned so much, like sharing, caring, and communication. I am so proud of her young momma, and hope that she stays in touch after they move to the other side of the country. <3 p="">

Oops. Well, the white corn is tall. Turn your head. Sorry.

Well, Enjoy your wanderings through my garden. Feel free to send River Heart song a friend add, and go like "Me and My Butterfly 3" of FB. God Bless you, and have a great day!! <3 p="">

Garlic, chives, and last Cauliflower plant.  

Oops. Well, this is the Tomato Tree. That red one should be done tonight :D

Cucumber growing...

Watermelon growing...

Well, I had hoped that this was the cantaloupe, but it seems to be shaping into a mini pumpkin.

Red Bell Pepper plant, recovering again from zealous over-picking by an excited child.

Mr. 4 swears that this is his garden, because his carrots are in it. His carrots are doing GREAT! He also has some struggling bean plants and some rainbow carrot seedlings growing.

Mr. 4, helping in the garden.

Another crooked view of the Tomato Tree (Which will be re-potted into a big bucket soon).

Loaded with tomatoes, yet the leaves are very unhappy.

Lemon Cucumbers forming...

Cherry Tomato bush, sprawling.

10 year old's Tomato plant... Beautiful tomatoes growing, but the leaves are miserable.

Miss 2.5 came out after nap to see what was going on. Somehow, "Cheese" translated to "Rowr".

Meandering through the garden, and a sweet ending

My garden is coming along in leaps and bounds, but it is all a precarious balance. I have some plants that are always on the brink of dying off, and some that are under attack. I've got plants that need different types of fertilizers all in the same container, as well as plants that like less water in with deep water types. Needless to say, if this garden does well, I will consider this year a MAJOR learning success. As I type this up, I am waiting for yesterday's pictures of the garden to upload.

I mentioned that I have plants under attack. The invaders are so tiny and light green, that I can't see them unless I put on my glasses. I've taken to petting each leaf on each tomato plant to kill off any egg sacs and whatever invader hiding there. This is helping some, but I can't always get to it 3 times a day. I did some research online, and found a simple, homemade recipe that doesn't kill off beneficial bugs, just the ones attacking the tomato plants. Yesterday, I bit the bullet, and harvested a handful of leaves off of my poor plants. Now that I have more plants, this is a bit easier to do. I brought them in, chopped them up and then threw them in the blender with an equal amount of water. I then liquified them for a full minute, until they were pulverized. They've now sat for 24 hours, and are almost ready for stage 2: Straining. Once I get the fibers out, I will add another equal amount of water, and 1 drop of dish soap. Then I can pour it into the spray bottle, and start spraying down my plants. I am excited to see if this works.

DIY Insecticide for my tomato plants. (photo during 24 hour sitting stage)

This is an overall look at the garden. If you have been following my progress, you will notice some things are different.

I had been having problems with my red bell pepper plant. It was not getting enough fertilizer, and seemed to dislike full sun. I was able to shade it for a little while with my cabana, but the unusually crazy weather flipped the cabana and tore up the cover. I've given it more fertilizer, and then top dressed it with the compost to help protect the roots. I am seeing good results!!



The 10 year old's kiddie pool garden is starting to thrive. I suspect that the Lemon Cucumber would rather be in a different container all together, but I am hoping that it will green up and thrive. It's in flower already, so I am encouraged! (maybe it's supposed to be yellow?) Strawberries are getting ready to produce fruit again, the little hot pepper plants are finally starting to grow more leaves, and the carrots are much happier since I top dressed them with boosted soil and fertilizers. Her tomato plant is one of my sickly ones under attack. It has 1 giant tomato at the base, and then 2-3 starting up at the top! This is encouraging, as it means that changes I've made are helping!






The chives and the one lonely onion I have, I think they are straggly looking, but am hoping that they will keep going. The onion looks like something small has nibbled on it.



The black pond form I used for my 6 year old's plants is both good and bad. It gives me multiple layers of soil depth, but it might get too hot in the summer heat. I may have to rethink how I use this, or how I protect it fom the high temps and scorching sun. That said, her strawberries are also getting ready to fruit again (surprise me, I thought it was one and done!) and her volunteer is starting to perk up. I should be able to identify it here soon.


Her (second) tomato plant is doing AWESOME!! (can you hear me singing that??) She is blessed that she has no invaders, and has at LEAST 6 baby tomatoes starting to grow!!



The other side of her pond form is the potato bin. This is not looking as flourishing as other areas.



Of course, the one that I need to add more dirt to, is thriving like crazy! I will be trying to move this over to a rubber maid tub here soon, as I need to bury them for more potatoes. It might be too late though, as the plants are starting to flower.



This tomato plant is doing great, but I have already seen it invaded. Treatment will commence today! The 2 tomatoes are starting to color up, and more have started forming higher up.



My 14 year old's pool garden is perking up. For a while, the corn and the pumpkin plants were looking pale and less than lush. I did some research and discovered that it prefers a different fertilizer, and I had not boosted my hand mixed soils with those nutrients. I've started using a commercial fertilizer and it has recovered well. (I need more of that stuff!) Her strawberries are ready to go again also. We have one tiny volunteer in her garden too, I can't wait to figure out WHAT it is. *grin* She might be rather disenchanted with all of her late season harvest choices right now, but she is going to be THRILLED when the other gardens are done, and her's is just starting up.



The cauliflower is going well. The larger (twinned) plant is doing GREAT, and had a visible head growing now. The other 2 plants are more puny, but they are sharing their nutrients with the thriving Garlic and the smaller patch of chives.




My poor tomato plant. This one is very much under attack, and while the trunk is strong and thick, this poor plant has no leaves worth mentioning. I am very excited to see the baby tomatoes at the tip tops, and I hope I can make this poor plant happy.



The 4 self watering buckets, and their mixed up vine plants. At least now I can tell that they are 4 different types of plants. If I had more experience with them, I could figure them out, but I will resort to looking up the leaves of what I KNOW I planted, and then label the containers. While the buckets are self watering, the plants need me to top water daily.




I planted the Topsy Turvy Tomato plant. I am not sure if I am happy with this set up or not, as it has it's issues. I might have to set it up to slow drip water, as rapid watering is killing off the plant where it drips down it. Slight design flaw, that could have been easily remedied at manufacture.



I had a strawberry pot, that I planted Marigold as a potato in. I noticed last week that it was dying off, and figured that it was probably root bound. I broke part the pot, and pulled the Marigolds off and set them aside. I moved the lump of soil and placed it into my newly created crate planter, and started burying it. I found a fully grown potato in there!! I pulled the one out, but didn't look for more. Either it will start to thrive again, or perhaps the other potatoes can sprout and make more... I dunno, it may have been too late for that plant, but I had to try.



I put the Marigolds in with my 4 year old's carrots. I also set the last tomato plant in with them for now, so that I wasn't tripping over it in the tiny walking area in my micro garden.



So, there you go. My garden is growing and fighting for survival quite well. My side projects are coming along wonderfully, and I have already gotten to use the first batch of horse manure compost.

Ah, I forgot. Th e little sounds of thumping and crashing bodies, and the prickly sounds of tiny claws catching on the bed quilt reminds me. The 3 abandoned kittens have found their forever home. Their names are Spot (stripey one), Snow (black one, think NYC Snow), and Miss Cuddlebug Grey Grey. The children are very excited and happy.

Anyone with a caring heart towards animals is welcome to donate to fund for the vaccinations and "fixing" of these adorable fur babies. I hadn't put aside vet funds for baby kittens, as I had no intention of getting any for a pet. =) I believe we will be having Lemonade Stands and car washes this summer, to help cover the added expenses!

Thank you for visiting, have a Blessedly good day!

Thursday, May 23rd

The other day, I tried again to find that safe place I had stashed my seeds from a previous year. I poked around for about 3 minutes and had my hands on them! WOOHOO!! I am very excited. I still have 2 rainbow varieties on hand, and a ton of things I want to plant. Here is EVERYTHING I have for the garden on hand right now. Laid out like this, it looks like a TON. You can see now why I have been saying I need more dirt??

My need for more dirt has been heard. I just have to wait until about 4 pm. He found my Topsy Turvy thingy I bought for a dollar at a yard sale, and is very curious about if it works. Meanwhile, I am still keeping myself busy with fertilizers, plant care (did you know the strawberries want to be fed like the Tomatoes do?? and they need to be "mown"?),kitten wrangling, and child chasing. My days are very busy. Getting this much typed can take hours! *Grin*

Ok, so last night, while tending my plants, I realized that my 10yo's Tomato plant needed a root box. It needs deeper soil, and more room for it's roots. So I took a broken down drawer and put it to work. I stole dirt from the potato pond and then fertilized it. It needs more dirt, as do the potatoes. I notice that the other Tomato plant also needs help, the 5 gallon bucket is NOT going to be large enough for it's needs. I have bigger buckets, I just have to adapt them for easy automatic watering. These plants are thirsty, and the summer heat isn't even here yet.



The drawer was missing it's bottom, and doesn't go to any dresser I own. I think it arrived with the train table, but had no cubby to hold it. I trenched a line away from the carrot tops and settled the drawer gently into it. The plant is just barely small enough to still do this with out hurting the branches. I think I can put a strawberry plant or 2 in in the front of the box with the tomato, and re-purpose the strawberry spot for another seedling. I can only play musical plants in this set up a little bit longer, I don't like shocking them.

The composting is moving along. Last night I strained the Manure Tea, and bottled it. I only need about 1-2 ounces of the Manure Tea to make 1 liter of fertilizer. I can use it on about 1/2 of my crops. 1 liter slow drip feeds 1 tomato plant, or can be used to water all 12 for my strawberry plants. The left over material from the Tea was split between the 2 compost bins and mixed in well. That was a messy process, and of course I cleaned up everything and every where I worked. The rinse water from it all went to feed the Rose bushes in the back yard.

We have had some gusty winds, and the cabana got flipped. The sun damage from last summer and the pressures of meeting the swing set leaves us needing a new cover for it. It was already on the needs list, but I can see that I am either going to be crafting a solution soon, or breaking down and getting it anyways. We need that 10 feet of shade, the sun is strong already.

A few days ago, our rabbit got injured. When we took him to the vet, what was needed to save him was not affordable, so we had to put him down. The kids are grieving his death, each in their own ways. I've cleaned up and put away all of the rabbit supplies, and tucked the cage and hutch off to the side for now. They overheard Daddy mention a new bunny later, and they are content to think on that.

The kittens here helps cushion the emotional blow. I have let the kittens out for the day, and they are scampering around while the children aren't paying attention. They quietly slip off into hiding anytime a little one comes near, or if they see feet wandering around. Their personalities are emerging. The grey little girl is a cuddler. She loves to be snuggled and petted when she is drowsy. The little black one is the first one to accept some of the humans. I saw him just today sitting and saying Hi to my Ladybug today, and letting her pet him. He will wander and explore the house, and get rather brave around those big wolf creatures. Of course, if the dog moves, he is spooked and bouncing around. The striped one is a great hider. He has a LOT of patience, and will make a great hunter. He is insistent in his beginning cuddles, pushing his head into my neck. All 3 are so sweet and cute, I can understand why my children beg to keep all 3. They need homes soon, they are almost ready.

I need to go get my day moving. I have a lot of deep cleaning and organizing to do! I need to find something to keep me busy until I have more dirt to work with. *wink* Have a Great day!!

May Morning Musings

This morning has been quiet and fun. I woke up at 6 am to the 2 youngest crawling in bed with me, and took care of their morning requests, while they drifted back to sleep. Since my mind was already spinning with ideas and thoughts for the day, I went out and filled my coffee mug. I had thought ahead last night, and set it to turn on at 6:00 am, By the time I "found" it, it was warm and ready for me. I am always a little happier when I can bypass the microwave.

I poked my morning things, checked on my stats, and approved a comment. Ahh! I had no idea how much a kind comment on one of my posts can warm my heart! <3 I poked my morning games as I listened to the stirrings of the house. The dogs were patrolling the yard for invading birds and squirrels and coming in to report to the sleeping master. The bathroom was a cacophony of destruction from the playful antics of the 3 kittens. Giggles, mumbles and half-hearted cries of protest would escape the small slumbering forms around me. At 8 am, it was time to feed the kittens, and we had them fed in the kitchen before allowing them their play and roam time. Somehow, that turns into hiding kitten sleeping time, and none can be found for hours. Patience, focus, and remembering the rules is exceptionally hard when there is a fluffy kitten playing peek-a-boo when you are only 4 and 2. I had to coax the stripey one out, I am working on human desensitization with him, and I had to scoop and remove the other 2 kittens from stealing his food.... They were all surprised, him the most, because of once the big fast hands weren't after him. *grin* It's all about making friends.

After the house was up, and my hunny was off on his way to work, I put together the plan I had been working towards. I pulled out the bin of middle sized interlocking blocks for the kids to play with. I pulled out the specialty pieces and put together a few of the trees and things. By the time I had discovered all of the vehicle bottoms, I had 3 kids all around the table, building and exchanging parts and one wandering around with her favorite Puppy piece.

I went out and Ladybug came and inspected the garden with me. She exclaimed over the one cherry tomato turning yellow, and thought about what that might mean. We noted the differences in the leaves of the plants that we were having trouble with, how the old growth looked pale or crumpled, and how the new growth was dark green and healthy. We estimated how much good growth there was, and counted flowers on various plants. I added Epsom salt, coffee grounds and crushed egg shells to the soil (in addition to yesterday's crushed antacid tablets).

Now I have the hose watering the yard for me. Yup, I locked into the on position, and set it on a stand as an instant mister and yard watering devise. The leaky spots water other areas, and one is filling the paddling pool. By Wednesday, the ground should be perfect for setting up the campground. The kids are getting excited; they cannot focus on anything else because of it. That reminds me, I need to go turn off the water in the front yard. I am sure the baby tree and full front section is good and watered by now.

We have more projects to do, more plans to think up, more lists to write, and tasks to mark off. I expect that this week will be hard work, and yet worth every moment. I think the best part is that camping has no reception, so even if they did smuggle electronics, I have the WiFi password, and all the chargers. HEHEHEHEHE (Yea, I know it's in our backyard. We are going to have fun. Consider it a dry run for later.)

I need more dirt for my garden....

Lessons in Life, Learned through Kittens

You learn so many things when you are sharing your home with various pets, and so do the children. We have a very busy house here, between the children and the pets. Since we took in the 3 abandoned kittens, it has been even more so. The children think it's odd, but I make them tend to all of the regular pets' needs before they are even allowed to go peek in at the kittens. They have to understand that 3 mouths is more work... and they won't understand that by forgetting to care for their pets while there are babies in the house.

The whole crew is learning patience. During the day, the kittens are busy napping, recharging their little bodies from their explorations and romps with each other. It's taken until about 4:30 for the little furballs to start creeping out the door that I left cracked open about 2 hours before. My excited little ones could barely contain themselves for the first 20 minutes, because i made everyone sit in the living room, and wait for the kittens to come out. I explained why to the older kids earlier today, and I remind them when they do something that I had told them not to do.

Grey female, slept in the water dish.

You see, cats are very smart creatures. Even if these kittens had never seen a little box before, they KNOW deep down what it is for. Within 36 hours of being here, we are about 12 hours mess free. They know to keep where they sleep clean, and to bury their business. Now that I know they all prefer the sand, I can crack the bathroom door, and let them explore out from there. It's their safe place, and their potty place, so they will run there for all their needs. We closed off the bedrooms, since there are too many hiding places in there, and we don't want that yet. They have spent the last 2 days listening to the sounds of the house, they have been introduced to the dogs, and to all of the children. We know which children need 100% supervision, and which ones can be sure to calm little frayed nerves.

One of the rules I gave the kids was that the kittens were to explore their way out their selves. No picking them up and cuddling them somewhere else. No digging them out to see them. Stay calm, quiet and slow. These little creatures are still in fight or flight mode, especially while they are exploring new territory. They don't know where to hide, and if they can't feel safe, they will strike out with teeth and claw. The stripey one is the most easily spooked, while the grey and black ones are still hissing, but half heartedly. They love the cuddles and pets, and have already been heard starting their motor boxes (purring).

Some of the questions the kids have asked are easy to answer, like "What do they eat?" or "Why is it purring?". Other questions are much harder to answer, like "Why are the kittens scared of us? We saved them" and "What breed of cat are they?" or my favorite "How come all the babies are so very different? Did they have different daddies?" Oh boy!

Stripey male, getting some cuddle time.

For the scared question, I turned it around a few different ways. First I took a picture of a child or 2, from the view of the kittens, at the child's feet. At first, the child would laugh, surprised by the sight of their HUGE body. I explained that baby cats are very small, and very low to the ground. I explained that this is what they see when we come near, and the faster we move, the scarier it is. I asked how they would feel if a 50 foot giant was rushing across the room and reaching for them. One sweet child's eyes widened as she ducked at the idea. "Well, that's how those baby kittens feel! If you knew that you have sharp nails, and sharp teeth, what would you do to that giant hand scooping you up?" I asked. I could see understanding click, as she told me that she would bite and kick and scratch to get away.

Then I added another thought to the mix, "Now, these kittens are about a month old. They were born somewhere, where their mother nursed them, and where they were already exploring and knew every person and smell. They got caught, put in a box, and then left in the hot sun for an unknown amount of time. I am sure they thought it was forever. Then someone came, and lots of voices and smells and hands and NO MOM. They have food, and love, and shelter, but they don't know us." Little blue eyes looked up at me and said "We're Strangers!!!" Yes. Bingo. WE are the strangers.

So we talked about how those kittens felt, and how we needed to show them that we are good strangers. That we would get them used to all kinds of cool new things, and then, when the kittens are bigger, we will find their forever homes. This news, of course, leads to squeals of protest, and big alligator tears "Momma, not the ____ one!! It's my favorite and I love it!" I now know how my own mother felt at least 50 times in my 18+ years in her home. LOL How she feels even today, when she saw the post on FB. So far, I have stood very firm on not allowing them to name the tiny kittens. I know they have names all picked out, but that's not how we name them either. They cannot be named unless they are staying, and I cannot rationalize 3 cats in this house. They can have their first name given to them by their forever homes, so there is no confusion later when they end up with a different name.

Looking back over the years, I can remember so many cute, fluffy kittens, scared and looking for love. I would love them, cuddle them, feed them, play with them. That little ball of fluff would be my best and only friend, and we had grand adventures, long talks, wonderful naps in a warm patch of sunshine. I remember getting a free kitten from around the neighborhood when I was about 9 or 10. I knew I couldn't have a kitten, but I was SURE that THIS tiny kitten could be very quiet and hide well. I took it home and made it a home hidden in my cupboard. I was so crushed when my mom found it, and I had to give it back and was in trouble too.

In fact, I had a flashback to that memory, when we got home from the store with this box of half dead abandoned kittens. As we pulled up into the drive, my 10 year old daughter thought the best way to get the kittens past Daddy, was to hide them in their room. Perhaps this is some instinctive desire, going all the way back to the cave days, when some little child just HAD to save that poor saber tooth and hide it in her bed of animal skins. I don't know, but I told them that hiding the kittens would be a bad path to take. They quietly slipped the kittens into the house and got them water and food while I brought in the groceries and talked to the intimidating Daddy.

It wasn't any easier than when I would try to talk to my mom (on the inside), but I got through it. You see, there is a right way and a wrong way to handle situations. As a kid, it was easy enough to find the wrong way to do things, even with the right intentions. Even as an adult, finding the right way is hard. It is one of those things that I want my own kids to know, how to see the big picture, and how to navigate unknown waters. Hiding the kittens would have been the worst way possible, where open honesty and a plan goes a long way. Being the mommy goes a long way too. *Grin*

Black Male, discovering the rabbit during supervised "out" time.