tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20836879097737109242024-02-20T03:02:18.761-08:00Cecile's Country Garden and More...<a href="http://pinterest.com/dreamyorange/"><img src="http://passets-ec.pinterest.com/images/about/buttons/follow-me-on-pinterest-button.png" width="169" height="28" alt="Follow Me on Pinterest"></a>Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-85545136226821003542013-10-02T13:15:00.000-07:002013-10-02T13:23:50.910-07:00A Much Needed Break...Well it's been months since my last post. I wasn't sure weather I should keep this blog up, but I could not imagine myself letting go of it either. I have been out of touch, there's so much that had to be done around the house...lots has changed too, I lost some furry companions. Sad times took the best of me and my motivation was lost. The best part of all this was family visiting me Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-22698086758259620292013-02-14T07:50:00.001-08:002013-02-14T07:50:23.390-08:00Starter TraysHere is my new Mini-Greenhouse! an unexpected expense but sure worth it! How nice to start my seeds in their proper place instead of having all my trays covering the coutertops in the house.
This will be a successful summer growing season I just know it. :) The soil looks beautiful since I tilled the compost in. I've never seen such beautiful black soil in my garden. Now theCecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-69126177375706599772013-01-24T13:01:00.001-08:002013-01-24T13:01:23.434-08:00New year UpdateWell Happy New Year to all!,
It's been 2 months since I last posted. I suppose you can call it a break. The holidays were not busy but I spent lots of time in the kitchen doing what I love to do best :)
Things are slow this new year, the garden is dormant and bare. The cold weeks past have left me unmotivated;feels like hibernation. The hens seem quieter too.
In my Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-76180383206803312972012-11-02T09:23:00.001-07:002012-11-02T09:34:47.784-07:00Tough Decision for Tough TimesI have been thinking alot lately, about my hens. They are wonderful pets. I've enjoyed them since day one. They've provided me with eggs and fun entertainment~but they haven't laid any eggs in months and I know their productive years are gone.
I love to cook and many eggs are needed for recipes,especially with the upcoming holidays. Why am I still buying eggs? It Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-52337077801227907932012-11-02T08:59:00.004-07:002012-11-02T08:59:40.120-07:00Finally some Growing VegetablesIt's been a while since my last post, let's see..... after getting discouraged about the birds and hens destroying my crops several times I took a break from it and started over...
This is my favorite time of year, I'm sure I've mentionned this plenty of times. This is where the fun starts. Being outside is much more comfortable. Now is when I sit back and watch my garden grow. The Thai Pepper Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-36012255587396711112012-09-17T10:12:00.000-07:002012-11-02T09:01:56.876-07:00Weather Relief at LastFinally some much needed cooler temps have arrived! Last week was the grand finale of the Monsoon Rains. We got hit hard by a micro-burst; Soaked the yard and trees pretty well, from that moment on the weather dropped so fast :) What a treat to shut off the Air conditioning and feel the evening breeze come through the open windows.
The weekend was very busy. I decided on growing my potatoes inCecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-84489398821473994282012-08-29T13:28:00.001-07:002012-08-29T13:28:11.377-07:00New Vegetables in MindNow that I've cleaned up the garden beds and took out the bamboo shading I'm ready to pick my seeds. Let's see.... I have some that I want to try for the first time.
In my wooden box I have accumulated many different seeds in the last year. I have so many I had to pick which ones would fit in my beds. Once they grow, some of them take up so much space so I need to plan accordingly.
I Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-9517196949542893652012-08-14T08:33:00.003-07:002012-08-14T08:33:59.514-07:00Mid-August BluesAugust has been the highest temps on record. It's brutal. Time to tear out what's left in the garden and get it all ready for next month's seedlings. We barely got any rain this summer :(
I nearly lost another hen over the weekend. Thankfully I caught it in time.I brought her inside so her body temps could slowly came back to normal. I've been consistent in keeping the pen cool Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-75671395834572319372012-07-13T12:53:00.000-07:002012-07-13T12:53:38.666-07:00Well look at this...sigh. It's been two months since I last posted. I am bummed that my camera isn't working as well as it used to. Plus I also lost a cord for it. So, haven't taken any pictures, which in turn didn't get any motivation to write about anything either.
We are now mid-July, the intense heat has arrived, and sadly, I lost a hen to it. This time I decided to get a misting fan. This Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-83074780829114633042012-05-29T15:18:00.001-07:002012-05-29T15:18:38.719-07:00Well, here we are at the end of May, again, like April~I didn't see it go by. I feel like I went through every type of emotion possible. Seemed like forever at times. I'm glad to see June come around. May was a tough one.
I am very pleased to see the garden doing well :) My Zucchini is beautiful, and was very tasty on the grill last night! The Neem oil that I sprayed on the plants Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-7573946038636312702012-04-23T13:55:00.000-07:002012-04-23T13:55:04.492-07:00April is Gone...Where did it go? I feel like I missed it. Time sure is flying by. The weather is becoming extreme. I thought I was going to lose my roses, but I placed some shading this weekend and it helped them bounce back.
Now is the waiting part. Not much else to do in the garden other than make sure everything stays pest-free and gets plenty of moisture.
But this is a good time to do some indoor springCecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-76303887903133570902012-04-05T13:26:00.000-07:002012-04-05T13:26:20.199-07:00Well Here comes the Spring....Finally most of my baby veggies have been transplanted into the garden. I am attempting Peanuts this time, so far so good. I haven't been successful with Peppers, Tomatoes or Corn but I am determined to keep at it. The weather has been getting much warmer, time to think about placing my bamboo shading above my fragile plants. So far I haven't seen any birds trying to dig in the soil. Cross my Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-87195393273706674952012-03-30T10:24:00.000-07:002012-03-30T10:24:04.850-07:00Crazy Busy....Haven't had much sit-down time lately, lots of gardening prep work to do, expanding the patio, transplanting and new chickens in the coop.....will update as soon as I get a minute....sigh.Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-87712437567458547832012-03-19T09:14:00.000-07:002012-03-19T09:14:15.976-07:00What a surprise to see hail come down over the weekend. Some much needed moisture but could have been damaging if I had transplanted all of my young vegetables. I'm glad I waited.
This must be the last sign of winter. The potato plants did quite well. I am looking forward to my summer garden, this year I will get grapes for the first time!
PotatoesThe peach and orange trees are blooming, Spring Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-16962795028578448882012-03-05T09:02:00.000-08:002012-03-05T09:02:46.064-08:00Spring FeverIt has been a long winter. The last month has been really busy with the extension of the backyard patio and setting up the water fountain. What a difference it already makes. I want it filled with flowers, chimes and hanging solar lanterns. This will be a sanctuary for bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. I also want to install a trellis with jasmine. :)
I decided to Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-47149817177110404282012-01-31T12:54:00.000-08:002012-01-31T12:55:17.387-08:00Winter's EndI've been looking forward to this time, when the frost is gone and the days are longer. There was no damage to my crops this winter, and I barely covered my plants from the frost. From what I harvested in the beets, turnips and carrots, it just wasn't enough to do the canning I wanted to do; so I made more root vegetable casseroles instead :)
My Cauliflower and Broccoli are Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-65462124992620042842012-01-11T13:32:00.000-08:002012-01-11T13:32:07.072-08:00Garden Almost Done!My garden is nearing the end of its winter life.
Broccoli and Cauliflower have emerged, Lettuce and Herbs are slowly dissapearing into my kitchen, Tomatoes are starting to turn pink and the Beets will soon be pickled in my canner :)
Not harvesting as much as I had wanted, but this just makes for better planning for this spring.
It looks like Celery is trying to stick around so i will Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-29656767826725863112012-01-03T11:52:00.000-08:002012-01-03T12:03:19.509-08:00Finally Used the DehydratorI've been putting it off for some time, and finally I took out the dehydrator and see what it was capable of :) Along with the Vaccum Sealer I just couldn't go wrong!
I dehydrated carrots, peppers, papaya and made Jerky too.
Last night I made a root vegetable bake (picked from the garden) and also, made a big salad from my freshly picked Lettuce. it was delicious! I love the way my Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-91263950637566603502012-01-03T08:10:00.000-08:002012-01-03T08:10:19.788-08:00Out with the Old, In with the NewHAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Wow, what year it was...
Life is beginning to look shorter now,
Time goes by so fast.
I made a promise to not wait to make things happen for myself.
Why wait? You put something off for a little while and suddenly the year is gone :(
I want to get things done, learn something new, be passionate about being creative and take the time to really find myself.
Here's Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-26126401083832025162011-12-21T13:10:00.000-08:002011-12-21T13:10:06.633-08:00Winter SolsticeMore daylight hours will soon be noticeable. Yayy! I'm really looking forward to this.
I uncover my garden beds in the morning when it's dark, come back home from work and cover them again, in the dark. I'm living in darkness how depressing...
I've hardly seen my chickens too. By the time I get home they have already gone in the coop. I only spend time with them on weekends, Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-72639026026078675132011-12-13T07:23:00.000-08:002011-12-13T07:23:33.627-08:00Winter Garden
This is really my Fall garden, but since we are in the winter months, I call it my winter garden. The Lettuce is ready :) My Luffa is also looking good but they should have been planted a month earlier, since much of the stems have froze and they will no longer grow. Luffa looks like some cucumber,and it's really neat to make Luffa Bath Sponges with these. I will have to peel them and let them Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-67192229599038158752011-12-10T06:42:00.000-08:002011-12-10T06:42:20.150-08:00My Creative ItchI've been feeling very creative lately. I decided to go get some essential tools to start painting again. My first attempt didn't quite work out as planned years ago. Now I am ready to start again, with endless ideas of what I want to creat on canvas. I am using Acrylics, which is pretty easy to work with. So far I have practiced blending methods for making skyscapes and clouds. I have been Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-82204826852263865272011-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:002011-11-22T15:00:19.485-08:00Beans!I harvested my beans :) odd sizes and wierd shapes. That's what I love about gardening. Nothing is perfect :)
Cecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-5323710016802699422011-11-18T07:42:00.000-08:002011-11-18T07:42:18.969-08:00Weekend EscapeWell, not the whole weekend, but I will be heading up north to visit a good friend, time to get away for a day and enjoy the Autumn landscapes of Northern Arizona. I will purposely take the long route there, take a stroll in the mountains and stop to enjoy the scenery of the canyons. And certainly take tons of pictures. I am hoping to take a walk in the small surrounding townsCecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2083687909773710924.post-61655963794929879062011-11-16T14:08:00.000-08:002011-11-16T14:09:05.079-08:00Food Prices on the RiseWith the rising cost of food and the holidays around the corner, what a good time it is to stock up on necessities and canned goods. I heard this would be the most expensive Thanksgiving Dinner everyone will know. So taking advantage by cutting coupons and seeking deals is the way to go. There's never enough in the pantry. Food preservation is becoming more and more important in my life.
MyCecile's Country Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243219656336798039noreply@blogger.com0