Don’t Buy Cheap Crap….

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Deborah

Nothing is more frustrating than buying something, getting it home and within one day, it is in pieces. Not only are you pissed at yourself for buying the cheap item, but you are also pissed at the cheap manufacturer of said product.

That was me last week. I bought these Bypass Pruners for gardening, you know, when you need to trim your tomato plants, harvest your peppers or prune your wayward nasturtiums.

Within one hour of using these things…S-N-A-P goes one of the handles. Broke clean off….. Cheap piece of $#*%&!!!! I’ll give you one guess as to where they … Read more...

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies….

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Deborah

Is there anything more annoying than a cloud of fruit flies swarming your kitchen? Unless you consider your husband and his buddies swarming your kitchen searching for Super Bowl noshes just as annoying, but I can’t help you there.

I hate Fruit Flies. Yes, they have a purpose in this world and that is to feed upon rotting fruit and be Mother Nature’s garbage disposal (along with ants…but that’s another column for later).

So how do you get rid of these teeny, fast-flying, prolific little buggers?

2 ingredients and a shot glass is all you need. HA! I am sure … Read more...

The Farmer in the…… Market

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Deborah

Nope, the Farmer isn’t in the Dell…he/she/they are at my local Farmer’s Market. I just love going to the market. Nothing screams summer like a Farmer’s Market chock full of fresh produce with Vendor’s hawking everything from cut flowers to ice cream… yes… ice cream and if it wasn’t for it being 8:10 in the morning when I arrived, I would have had an ice cream cone.

But I already had breakfast and was busy scarfing down some very yummy free samples of Smoked Salmon Paté on crackers. SO DEE-LISH…. and of course, I had to buy a small tub … Read more...

How to care for your Trees…

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Deborah

I bet you are wondering what the heck is she doing now? She does so much on so many different things, she can’t possibly be into the tree business too!

Relax. I am not ‘into’ the tree business other than to keep my own trees barely pruned and alive. But sometimes I get myself into a situation where I need professional help (yeah, you can stop laughing now) with large, overgrown trees and/or limbs hanging precariously over a house, car, swimming pool or heaven forbid the beach cabana manned my Manuel the bartender.

If this happens, I call Andy. I … Read more...

Abra Cadabra-Presto its Pesto!

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Deborah

If you are like me, you are probably wishing you could wiggle your nose like Samantha Stevens and turn your seemingly endless supply of Basil leaves into cute, little bottled jars of pesto in an instant. Complete with bows on the lids and fancy labels. But the reality is, you are not a witch like Samantha Stevens, apparently they only exist in tv land. Therefore you must roll up your sleeves and deal with the Basil acreage on your own. Dammit…why is tv make-believe only?

I have 2 Basil plants at the Homestead and one in my garden in the … Read more...

A Chipmunk’s Legacy…

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Deborah

Chipmunks are cute.

Chipmunks are also hoarders.

They seriously could compete with that new American T.V. show.
They need an intervention.

We have a bird feeder at the homestead…for the BIRDS….but the Chipmunks in the area insist it is there for them too. The scamper up the tree, leap onto the feeder and then proceed to stuff their cheeks full.

Most of the bird seed is millet, cracked corn, red and white milo seeds, striped or black-oil sunflower seeds. Chipmunk’s love ALL of them, but especially the sunflower seeds.

They scamper back and forth to their underground storage silos a … Read more...

I Can, You Can, Everyone is Doing the Can Can….

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Deborah

No, not the dance. But something equally as exciting and so much more self-satisfying. Unless you’re a gentleman watching some lovely French Ladies perform the time-honoured dance of the same name. But we won’t go there….

I am talking about Canning. Canning is preserving home-grown foods for consumption during the long, drawn-out, cold, miserable, kill your spouse for being cooped up with you for far too long Canadian winters.

Kinda makes you appreciate all the efforts you expended tending to that garden in the nine-million degree heat all summer long. Dealing with the cabbage worms that were eating your lettuce, … Read more...

How to make your own Pizza Dough…and Make it Healthier too.

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Deborah

HA! No way…she’s crazy you say. But it’s true. It is much easier than you think to make your own pizza dough. Especially when I have taken all the guesswork, time trials, marginal successes and some downright failures in perfecting this Pizza Dough recipe for you. I had gradiose ideas of wanting to use just whole wheat flour, but it ended up being just like making 100% whole wheat bread. It turned out heavy, chewy, no flavour and was almost suitable for boat anchor material (*almost* – it wouldn’t be because the fish will have eaten it once you threw … Read more...

I went on Vacation! A Technology Vacation!

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Deborah

I hate technology. Yes, a lot of good things have come from the technological era that has blossomed the past 20+ years. But with that technology comes unexpected, without warning ISSUES that are of course, a major PITA that you have ZERO control over. And for a control freak, that is NOT good news.

Last Friday, I was minding my own business, creating a new blog post and my son (who is my web master) was busy creating and building an email interface for the site when all of sudden….poof….we were no longer able to access the site (on his … Read more...