~Where There Is a Will ,There Is a Way~

Written by Sue, Wednesday June 3, 2020   sunny, hot, humid, 90's

So they say... and I proved it true....

Like most folks, coffee is the first thing I look for in the morning, it was beginning to look a little bleak this past week, as my percolator just plain killed over, I tried everything to bring it back, but to no avail. So I put my noodle together, and here is what I came up with! Hmmm works pretty well, not as good but it will have to do until I get my new one.

We have been on semi lockdown, dh and I have only made necessary trips, and now after looters, and rioters completely destroyed a Wal-Mart and other stores at the Mall, and everything closed down, I will be continuing making coffee this way. I like my coffee Hot! so I heat my creamer too!😱

Ahh! Black Gold!

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So how is your week going? As usual I am busy canning, food, and busy in the garden. Here are potatoes that were planted March 15, ready for harvesting! When the plants begin to turn yellow and die, the potatoes are ready, we dug them, and I canned them Saturday and finished yesterday.

This is what the bed looked liked when we had finished digging the taters, messy huh! but not for long.

This is what the bed looked like 45 mins. later, see the plants in the walkway, I had plans for them.

These are zinnias, I transplanted  from the walkway, they had volunteered from last seasons, pretty cheap planting  I would say.This is what it looked like, 2 hrs. later, better, right? Tomorrow I will plant more flowers, probably marigolds, I am going to plant flowers to cut.

Here is some more  results of this weeks work. I had 28 quarts, with a few left over to eat fresh! I have now checked potatoes off my list.

I find time in the garden is well spent, I get sunshine, exercise, fresh air, quiet time to talk to my heavenly Father, He always has a listening Ear!, And He cares about what I care about. We are experiencing troublesome times, here is one thing for sure, our heavenly Father knows what is happening, he never sleeps.

 

Isaiah26:3~ You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon You, because he trust in You.

Love,

Sue

~How Are You Staying Busy these days?~

We are very busy, doing a lot of planting.
I enjoy making my own hanging baskets/planting flowers in  flower pots. Here s a project we worked on last week.

Fern Hanging Baskets:
The fern baskets at the flower shops are so pretty this time of year so lush and full, but as summer comes on they become overgrown and root bound., Also a bit pricy.
Here is our solution, :
We buy the sun ferns in gal. pots, along with potting mix,

As you can see I am doing my social distancing, and I am also wearing a mask! I almost took the raccoon figurine home with me. Isn't he a darling~wink~

Using hanging baskets we bought several yrs. ago which still look great, we got started.

The pots were rinsed,(they were washed and disinfected in fall) addd a little potting mix 1/4 full,

Carefully removed the plant out of container, loosened the roots, a very important step,those roots need to breathe.

 Placed on top of soil, finished filling the basket with soil,  making sure it was packed around the plant  so there were no  air pockets, inserted wire hangers around the holes on the rim of the pots. Don't mind the soil on the table I use it in the next pot. ~smile~

Watered well the ferns, let them drain for a while.

Voila'! We hung the potted ferns on porch, using 18 inch chains making it easier to care for.

In a few weeks they will of doubled in size, lasting through the fall without becoming root bound, that is, if I water and fertilize regular,  remember plants in pots dry out fairly quickly. Next week plans are to begin to fill the porch with more plants.

Dear Friends,
 I think of you all so often, and pray for all , as each of us is dealing with this crisis in our own way.

 Keeping busy here at the farm is one way we do, actually we have no choice, animals have to be attended to, crops have to be planted, and of course, Sue loves her flowers and plants!

We listen to our favorite music, which is a great variety, as we have lived through many moons. ~grin~ Which reminds me, did you see the beautiful Pink Moon,  I made several trips outside during the night to gaze heavenward!. We cling to our Faith, knowing that God is our source of strength, comfort, and assurance, You see I have read the last chapter in "His Love letter to us!" "WE WIN!"

As Christians we will be celebrating "RESURRECTION SUNDAY" this weekend,what a  glorious celebration with promise.


John 11:25~ Jesus said to her, (Martha)"I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
John 11:26~ "And whoever lives and believes in Me, shall never die, Do you believe this?
John 11:27~ She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.

I,  Sue,  like Martha, believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God!!!!!

I also remember, and am so thankful that a great price was paid for a sinner like me, who was so unworthy, but now have been made whole.  "Thank You Jesus"!

"Happy Resurrection Sunday"

Dear Ones,

Love,

 Sue

~Things that I am smiling about today~

Written by Sue, Monday, August 26, 2019  finally a break, beautiful day, sunny, 70's

Cut flowers from the garden, these are the last of the zinnias for this year, while I was gathering them they whispered a secret, they promised to be back next year, zinnias always keep their promises.😘,

 Gathering herbs, (sage), bell peppers, cayenne peppers, all gathered this morning, the green peppers are in the freezer,

 Cayenne pepper and sage  in the dehydrator, to be used for soups, turkey dressing,sauces etc.

Ask any southerner what they think about what is in this jar and what it is used for and they will tell you right away,...This is cayenne peppers in vinegar, and are a staple in all southern homes, (well most homes anyhow) ~wink~We  eat them with collard greens,turnips, all kinds of greens!  Don't forget the cornbread ! yummy! I also froze okra and canned more pickled okra today!

  My fall candle, (Leaves) on the counter top, causing the house to smell like fall, Mr P. says so.

 Ahh! fresh laundered towels and wash cloths, do you sniff your linens, I do as I am putting them away.~grin~

 No cleaning, decorating today, the weather was so nice, I just had to get outside, work  in the garden, gather the last of summer's bounty and prepare for winter. We also prepared the soil for planting some fall crops., garlic, beets,carrots, lettuce, spinach.

 I hope you are having a great start to your week.

To all who stop by and say "hi",

 thank you from the bottom of my heart

Blessings,

Sue

~Counting my blessings~

                                                     ~My thankful list~
Written by Sue, Thursday, August 15, 2019    Hot, humid, maybe showers, heat index 103

I have so much to be thankful for, especially this week, for some reason my primary Dr. wanted me to have a sonogram on my carotid arteries. I opted not to have it at a regular imaging office in our city, (another story for another day.) so off we went to my husband's vascular surgeon associated with Rex hospital in our Capital City.

After the testing the Dr came in, his first words were, " If all my patients had this kind of report, I would be out of business, see you in 50 yrs." I almost jumped off the table!! After having the TIA a few years back I didn't know what to expect, we had a lot prayers going up for good news, and received it with a thankful heart.

I am thankful we got some much needed rain last night, it has been extremely hot, humid and drought ridden  in our area this summer. One of the hottest and longest summers we have had in a while.  Mr P. has been busy keeping the irrigation running, My flower gardens are full of butterflies.

I am thankful that Best Buy replaced my Fitbit watch at no charge, I went in to replace the band, thinking I would have to pay, but because of an extended warranty, they gave me a new one. The fitbit versa is a great motivator to keep me moving, I need all the help I can get. ~wink~

I am so thankful that after 4 trips, the technician finally repaired the refrigerator, no charge and we didn't even have a consultation about it. I was ready to dig my heels in.😇

I am thankful That I finally got the patriotic decorations taken down, packed and put away today!.Woo Hoo! fall here I come!🍂🍂 No worry, it will take me a little while to get everything together. Have I mentioned that fall is my favorite season? Our leaves 🍂🍂are beginning to change their colors.Found this cute candle at Marshals, smells so fallish,

I am so thankful that the police officers in Pa. are safe with no loss! Praying for all of the men and women (our first responders) who protect us, and for our military men and women. 

Thanks for stopping by to say "hi", your friendship means so much to me.

Blessings,

Sue

So, how's your day?

Written by Sue, Saturday, June 8, 2019    showers, showers showers, Yay, temps. 80's
Happy Saturday to all, A gift to me by my sweet birdie friends, because I feed them they rewarded me by dropping a seed! I am so thankful for the rain showers we are getting.

 This has certainly been a busy week here at the farm, here is an example of one of my days...

Yesterday's schedule went something like this,
Morning coffee, devotion on porch, dressed.
picked more squash for mother, I canned 21qts. this week
weeded the garden, an almost daily chore, weeds will grow under any circumstances.

The garlic, was ready to harvest, we gathered it

then placed it on a wire rack to dry,in a cool place, it will be checked in a few days  to see how it is drying, shake more soil off,  in a few weeks we will cut the heads off wipe clean with a cloth, all the soil will be off,  then we store. Given to family and friends.

Do you use garlic,it is so healthy for you and delicious too! garlic is so easy to grow, even if you don't have a vegetable garden it can be planted among the flower beds. It has a lovely flower head the bees love it.

We then picked blackberries,strawberries, and blueberries, aren't they luscious looking, the berries seem to be so much sweeter this year. I am also making my triple berry jam, which happens to be a favorite of my family. These berries make great tasting jams just by themselves, but can you imagine how delicious they are combined together,

I froze some using my food saver, frozen berries can be used in many dishes, muffins, pancakes, cakes, fruit smoothies,or just plain snacking.

We showered, dressed for shopping,
went to grocery store,
dinner at our favorite restaurant,
prepared berries for my triple berry jam.

























I am recuperating today!😉
Enjoy your weekend.
Love ,
Sue

~Summer is here.... ahead of schedule~

Written by Sue, Monday, June 3, 2019     sunny, warm, 80's
Summer weather(hot, humid) has certainly come to Pear Tree Lane, our weekend was spent keeping our gardens and flowers watered. The garlic is ready and will be gathered this week and hung to dry.

When it is hot, with no rain, plants need lots of watering. As does our farm animals and keeping them with fresh water keeps us busy too! They drink twice as much in this type of weather, I do too! ~wink~
 Last Friday we picked our first squash,

and canned them in mason jars, these certainly come in handy during winter. I make squash casseroles, saute them with onions, and make squash pies!

Today, was a little cooler with less humidity, so I took advantage of this, by weeding the garden and flower beds. With no rain the sprinklers were turned on. If I could I would stay outside all day, but hot/humid weather says otherwise.

We picked a half bushel of yellow squash this morning, called mother to see if she wanted them, she did. She also canned hers. She is not only my mother, but my friend, confident, teacher of all things that matter in life.

 this left me with more time to work in my garden. I will can more later this week.

I am making another attempt at growing lavender, it is one of my favorite plants,

 I snipped a few stems, they are drying in a closet.

Finally, this is what you do when you are hot, tired and just needing a break.🌞 This is our son and dil while visiting few weeks ago, and working on the farm,.... in my defense,... They volunteered,(pinky promise)!😉

Tomorrow both Mr P and I have Dr.'s appt. for lab work, as usual this takes time we will run errands when finished.So what is on your to-do list for this week.

💖 from to you,

Sue

Farmhouse news

Written by Sue, Wednesday, July 25, 2018,  thunderstorms, temps. 80's somewhat humid.


My! how summer is passing, I have finished most of my canning, just a few Lima beans and I will be done until fall when the grapes and apples are ready. 

This gives me a break to finish some projects and much needed gardening, which I truly enjoy!My roses have done so well this year. This is one of them, isn't it pretty, I wish I knew the name. 

Dh and I decided we would take a wee break this week, and do what ever we wanted, which we have been doing each day, sleeping a little later, lingering over devotions on the porch, and over breakfast. We have also been doing a little shopping  at two of our favorite stores, Lowe's where we found this great deal,(half price) on double knockout roses, there are 6 more in the car.

and Tractor Supply where I found these lovely planters, also half price.

We have also been shopping for a new refrigerator, I thought I had found one until I got home and realized it was not going to work, so much for relying on my judgement of measurements, so back to Lowe's with the right measurements. I'm sure none of you have ever done this before. ~Wink~

We are also getting some much needed rain today with cooler temps., still humid though.


I took these photos at about 5 p.m. today, the soil will be perfect for planting  the rose bushes tomorrow.

Result after 2 1/2 inches of rain., maybe the roses will get planted.

I am so happy to be back blogging, I have missed it and y'all so much. I also do instagram, sporadically, but blogging is my favorite way to stay in touch, I find it so much more personal. Why? I slowed down I have no idea, I took lots of photos and would have all these posts in my head but when evening came around I simply was to tired, told myself I would post tomorrow, and when tomorrow came it was old news, I guess it must be old age catching up with me. LOL

Enjoy your evening,
Hugs,

Sue

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