One Woman's Garden

Freeze it in the Summer

2012-01-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

From the Birds and Bloom Magazine this little bit of wisdom is sure to please you.

Shelly Jeanne's arrangement

Birds and Blooms Gardening online edition

Frugal Backyard Tip

A Taste of Summer

In the summertime, I collect rainwater in containers, transfer the water into zipperlock freezer bags and store them in my extra freezer. In winter, when I need to water my houseplants, I set out a few bags to thaw and give my indoor plants a taste of summer in the winter. –Patti Cichy, Round Lake, Illinois

My Mom used to scoop snow and put it in her houseplants all during the winter and let it melt to water them. They loved it - even though it seemed they shouldn't like the chill of it.

Can't beat rain water for giving your plants a boost. Try it.

Some Pants Are Hazrdous To Pets and Children,Do You Know Which Ones?

2012-01-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

Just getting done with Christmas Holidays when Poinsetta plants (in more colors every year are making sure there is one to fit every decore) I'm reminded as are all pet owners they can be hazardous to our furry friends. But there are more plants that are dangerous to pets, children and even toxic to adults if ingested.

Some I was aware of others not - here is a short list from The DailyDirt Blog
1. Periwinkle

You may know it as myrtle or Vinca minor. It’s a popular groundcover in some parts of the country. It is pretty and requires little care--a perfect choice as long as your pets don't nibble on it.

2. Yew

Those pretty red berries (botanically referred to as arils) on English and Japanese yew shrubs are extremely poisonous to pets and people. Keep pets away from bark and leaves as well. Sounds like the whole plant should be banned (except they are great landscape plants).

The Flowering Quince is banned in some areas not because it's poisonous but because of its long, dangerous thorns. The hummingbirds love them, your neighbors won't if they have to mow near them. Trade offs I guess. I wanted a hedge of them to keep children and dogs out of my flower beds - but, they are considered hazardous vegetation, LOL.

3. Castor Bean

The seeds of castor bean plant are highly toxic. Just one or two seeds is close to a lethal dose for an adult. Wow, I've never tried to grow this one. I do have to wonder if its safe to work around or prune then?

4. Ivy

Another reason to rid our landscapes of this pesky invasive vine is that the leaves are considered moderately toxic causing gastrointestinal symptoms, difficulty breathing, and possibly inducing a coma if enough of them are ingested. This happens to be my sisters favorite plant in the whole world - so much so she even used her handle for the internet incorporating it...I'll have to send her this bit of toxicity information. I doubt she'll quite growing or decorating her living space with painted renditions though.

5. Sago Palm

All parts of the sago palm are poisonous, particularly the seeds. I have tried repeatedly to grow this one as a house plant, so far all my efforts have failed. Perhaps, because while I'm in my writing mode I pretty much ignore my plants and only the strong survive. {shame on me}

That is why I love plants that warn you they are thirsty - like the coleus - or the Swedish Ivy. Then I water everyone, whether they need it or not.

So be careful what you grow, or becareful how you handle what you grow. My kitten totally devoured my bamboo - no matter how I tried to protect it and how I reprimanded her...It must have been too delicious to reisit. Thank heavens she doesn't like the other plants that well.

Gardening Requirements

2011-12-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

"A garden requres patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambtions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive becase someone expended effort on them." Liberty Hyde Bailey said this and I couldn't agree more.

I notice also that the more time I have to look at my houseplants the more they flourish - I guess it's true that gardening, like most other things worth nurturing, take time. So, as you make your New Year's resolutioons be sure you slip in some time to be amazed, wonder, and nurture life around you.

Happy New Year may it be better than anything you ever experienced before--grow with it!

Gardeners Beware! You are warned!

2010-09-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading a compact book you should --no--you MUST run right out and get or go to your favorite online bookstore and grab a copy - see below for the details.

How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack
By Chuck Sambuchino
Ten Speed Press
ISBN 978-1-58008-463-5
Reviewed by Billie A Williams

“Keep reading if you want to live.” Talk about a hook. If that doesn’t get you, nothing will. Am I reading Tess Gerritsen or Stephen King? Neither. I’m reading How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack by Chuck Sambuchino.

I have three of these little Garden Gnome predators, but they decided not to come out this year to sit in the Keebler Elves type doorway created by a major branch breaking off our willow tree. When another one quarter of this willow tree toppled in a windstorm this summer, I realized how very clever devious and clever these little Garden Gnomes have become. Sambuchino verifies my observation.

A delightful tongue in cheek, but clever look at thwarting an eventual takeover by these increasingly prolific and clever Gnomes awaits the reader. Garden Gnomes do seem to multiply. They come in various sizes and colors to fit any landscape or indoor décor.

Tidbits of ‘Gnomenclature’ (coined by Chuck Sambuchino) impart knowledge and a question in the reader’s mind –truth or "Sambuchinoed"—you might ask. An interesting trip through some natural world wonders, complete with photographs, impart wisdom, exploration and do a great job of raising the curiosity level of the reader.

This book is a delightful treatise on our penchant for collecting. It’s an innocuous, harmless habit – or is it?

Would you worry about reaching into your mailbox if you knew that, perhaps, a gnome waited there to attack that hand? Would you opt for a Post Office Box even though it cost you time, travel and money to retrieve your mail every day? See page 45. It’s scary.

Do you know how to make quick sand? See page 36, it’s for your own defense.

You know about crop circles don’t you? Do you know how they are formed? See Page 22 for insider information.

On every page there is a footer. Each footer is marked, yes by yet another infiltration of the dreaded Gnome takeover--there is a -- a pointed, little red, gnome cap. There is no escape!

You’ might laugh. You might question the sanity of the message. You will look with new eyes on that garden gnome you thought was a mere, sweet little elfin garden ornament.

I found myself wondering as I finished this marvelous small book; when will How to survive a Pink Flamingo Attack, be released?

I highly recommend this book to gnome lovers/owners everywhere. Even if you are not a gnome owner, but a gardener or have a neighbor who gardens—you need to read this book for your own protection-- or-- for a laugh a minute if you prefer humor.
Billie A Williams
http://www.billiewilliams.com
http://writingwide.com
Money Isn't Everything, Best Seller
Mystery Suspense, Wings Press

Goldenrod - Friend or Foe?

2010-09-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

The Best of Organic Gardening: Over 50 Years of Organic Advice and Reader-Proven Techniques from America's Best-Loved Gardening Magazine

I had never thought of deliberately planting Goldenrod in or among my flower beds. When I see the beautiful bouquets Mother Nature makes on the road beds as we travel from town to town, I wonder at my wisdom. I equate Goldenrod with hayfever--sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyed culprit? Am I wrong?

I could be...could it be that it's the ragweed that blooms so near, that blooms so readily at the same time as the beautiful, butterfly attracting Goldenrod? The Goldenrod loves full sun, and nearly any soil--but a light soil works best, like the road banks along our country roads. Its tall, it blooms for a long time and at a time when our flower beds are looking tired and in need of a spark of sunlight. I'm rethinking my garden design. I don't need only Black Eyed Susan's and yellow mums, or coneflowers - why not Goldenrod? I'm sure I can find a spot that cries for color and longevity of bloom. Organic Gardening (2-year)

You can even find sources for seeds for a variety of Goldenrod types such as Forestfarm, in Williams, Oregon at www.forestfarm.com or how about Michigan Wildflower Farm, in Portland Michigan, www.michiganwildflowerfarm.com

I believe the lowly Goldenrod's time has come to be brought back out of hiding. The bees, the butterflies will thank you. It seems our bumblebees are disappearing, perhaps we can reintroduce a few native plants and invite them back.

Let me know if you agree or disagree. Will you try it next summer?
Billie A Williams
www.billiewilliams.com

What is That White Stuff?

2010-08-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when Powdery Mildew (Microsphaera penicilliata) is likely to raise its head in one woman's garden - mine or yours...it matters not. It mars the beauty of the end of season blooms. Usually affecting plants like roses, pumpkins, squash, lilacs, bee balm, phlox, that seem to be most susceptible.

Plants growing in shady areas or crowded together with poor air circulation along with overcast skies, higher than usual amounts of rain, and higher humidity levels (at the microclimate level as well) make powdery mildew a common problem and everyone knows, in our Northern Wisconsin summer, this year we have had plenty of both. It's sad and right away I want to know what to do?

Actually, it won't kill your plants in most cases. You can get rid of it with a solution of baking soda (gotta love that product - it has as many uses as duct tape or WD40)and water. Spray the affected plants and you should see it clear up. There are fungicides on the market that you can use as well. But, whenever possible I prefer organic. If you have excess milk, a more costly solution than baking soda, you can dilute that and spray it on affected plants as well. Roses: Placing Roses, Planting & Care, The Best Varieties

Now, when these leaves fall off, do not compost them but instead burn or otherwise dispose of them so as not to create a possible problem next season.

Happy gardening.

Billie

Fall - what of the trees in your garden

2010-08-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

I count trees as part of my garden because the shade bed includes a maple, a willow, a blue spruce and a smoke tree, there is another but for the life of me I can't find out what it is. The birds love it. Now there is another brand new maple on the far side of this bed. The hosta, lily of the valley, bleeding hearts(two varieties) klonchoes on the fringes, and impatiens all find this a good spot to be. Today a large branch of that willow came crashing down...soon the other trees will have to take over to cast the cooling shade that this one did. My husband says it needs to come down, carpenter ants have eaten a hole in the center of it and it's just a matter of time.

So while cleaning up the garden for fall is still a ways off, October is soon enough--I must ponder the loss of my favorite tree. This year I planted a Pear, a Mountain Ash and an Apricot, and the small red maple - but, none can replace my willow. I may have to borrow the one from my friends book, she painted it for the cover of all three of her books, Willow Walk is SK Hamilton's work to match what God created in the real world.

The Kahill's of Willow Walk will need to take my Willow's place.The Kahills of Willow Walk

Shrubs - Blue Berries as Shrubs

2010-08-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

As you are looking over your fall garden and trying to decide what you'll do next year, why not consider blueberries. They are edible, and beautiful all seasons. It is possible to grow them in pots, or to plant them direct into a planned flower bed.

The major consideration is the soil they prefer. Soil is the most critical component of growing success with blue berries. It needs to be very acidic. (pH 4.0 to 5.5). Another thing you should be aware of is that blue berries have a shallow root system.

A mulch of organic matter such as compost, peat moss, or composted leaves will do the job really well and they contain enough acidic mix to the delight of the blue berries. You could also use a couple inch think layer of pine needles. Or as one tree trimmer told us, the small willow tendrils (branches) of the willow tree run through a shredder and soaked in rain water makes an excellent drink/tea for all your trees and shrubs --I venture to say, especially blue berries.

Blue berries have very few problems with insects or diseases which is perfect for the organic gardener who dislikes having to use pesticides. While the birds may pose a problem if you plan to harvest your blueberries for yourself, you can stall them off by covering the berries with netting - or plant a few in a place away from your cultivated berries so they may eat to their delight on them.

Be sure to water your blueberries during dry spells, especially the high bush types, fertilize them lightly in the spring with an ammonium sulphate nitrogen fertilizer and test your soil to see if you need additional phosphorus or potassium.

Blue berries are beautiful, easy to grow, pest free (for the most part if you don't count the birds) and they are so good for your healthy self.

Clean Garden Healthy Plants

2010-08-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Clean Gardening Practices will keep your soil and your plants healthy. Now while you are harvesting the bountiful crops you have grown this summer, keep an eye out, and keep a wheel barrow handy. As you weed, and when you cut off the unusable tops of certain plants as you harvest them--take them to the compost pile. Do not leave them in your garden.
Clean the garden area of debris and weeds. They are breeding grounds for insects and can be a disease producing mess. It is better to buy a good mulch to put around your plants then hope that the weeding and thinning of plants will be a good mulch for the garden. They are not. Put them in your compost bin where the intense heat of the composting process with kill insects and disease.

We have had a crop of volunteer sunflowers in an area by our vegetable garden where I also have a bird feeder. We let them grow because we had room and the little Gold Finches love to eat them as they ripen. It was going great until I stopped feeding birds at the feeders because of an influx of brown squirrels. These little monster-pests are worse then red squirrels, and more destructive than chipmunks. They crawled up the sunflowers and decapitated the biggest ones. They had a mess all over our yard. Needless to say, there are no more sunflowers standing as tall as my hollyhocks. We pulled them, cut off the seed heads and hung them on the clothes line away from the squirrels but available to the birds (Until the squirrels find a way to get to them anyway.)

Keeping your garden clean helps to deter some pests, but not all of them. Still, it's the only way to insure a healthy harvest this year and next.

RX For Your Yard and Garden

2010-08-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

Just because the humidity is high doesn't mean your plants in your garden can get enough to drink. In Wisconsin we know about humidity - and 90 degree weather. It usually happens only one or two days a year in July - but ....This summer is an exception.

Please be kind to your gardens and give them a drink from your saved rain barrels. You do capture rainwater don't you? It's great for your plants during these outrageously hot days. It saves your well or water bill and electricity. Its easy and very good for all your gardening and lawn care needs.

Your lawn probably is screaming for more water as well. To help it absorb more and give it a good summer treat use Jerry Baker's formula 2 cups of weak tea water, 1 cup of baby shampoo, and 1 cup of peroxide mixed in a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer... It's sure to perk it up. Just be sure to water well, to really soak the ground.

For more of Jerry's tips and his books go to www.jerrybaker.com You'll find his blog down the list on the left hand side. I highly recommend his frugal and sage advice.

Summer is in full swing and my garden is over flowing!

2010-08-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful summer this has been for growing. The rain is on schedule every week - the new Pear, Apricot, and Mountain Ash are growing like weeds. The hollyhocks are 8 feet tall, the tomatoes are competing for height and the pole beans could easily reach the sky like Jack in the Beanstalk if they had taller supports.The grapevines are covering their support and have totally taken over a bird feeder hanging near the arbor. Incredible. Unfortunately frost hit the plums and apples when they were in full bloom and we won't get any fruits from them this year. But they needed a rest. I hope your garden grows as well.

I had a thought about wild plants - so many things we think are nothing but weeds really are useful as food and or medicine. The Native American's knew this and found ways around pills. From wild rice to maple sugar we still enjoy some of the Native foods, but did you know Dog Bane, Yarrow and Barberry were used to cure a head ache--wild ginger was used to tame a tummy of indigestion. Have a sore throat try tansy, cow parsnip or choke cherry. Some of these remedies would be made into teas from the leaves or bark, others it was the roots--chewed or gargled with. A book that can take you through the basics is How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine and Crafts by Frances Densmore, available by clicking the title.
You may want to be sure next year that you have some of these "weeds" in your garden or on your property.
Mean time, May your garden provide you with all your needs be it food, beauty, or peace.

Poison Ivy and Other Summer Surprises

2010-07-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

If you've ever gotten mixed up with the itch that follows an encounter with any of the plants that are like Poison Ivy, you know the torture it can cause. Poison Ivy, Leaves of three, let it be--the sharp edged leaves that resemble strawberry plants can fool us sometimes. If they do, hit the shower quickly using plenty of soap and water. Then apply a soothing paste made of one of the following:
Water: and Cornstarch, or oatmeal, or baking soda, or Epsom salts, or a combination of witch hazel and baking soda.

Poison Ivy does have a good side, Since poison ivy absorbs more than its share of CO2, it is helping combat climate change. And yes it has gotten worse, more of the juice that makes it itch, it has become stronger because of the very nature of it's CO2 absorption.

Remedies don't have to be expensive to work. A recent encounter with fire ants showed me that. The cornstarch and worked better paste worked better than Hydro cortizone, anti-itch or any of the first aid meds. My arm was swelling out of control until a friend suggested the cornstarch paste. It worked.
I am allergic to many of the green leaves in my garden, beans, cucumbers, squash, I react as if they were poison ivy. I wear long cotton blouses in the garden but it doesn't always help. The cornstarch does. It's good to know there are other sources of relief as well. Try one, try them all if you should find that your walk into Mother Nature was less then pleasant on any given day.

Gardening with the Bomb

2010-07-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of Guerilla "everything" basically. Have you ever heard of Guerilla Gardeners? I just read a short newsletter from Jerry Baker where he commented on the "do good" in all of us, but this in particular was about some who are bent on prettying up the ugly.

It seems some Guerilla Gardeners are bombing the planet. At least in and around their town. The idea is, vacant lot and free way eyesores. As these Guerilla Gardeners travel by foot or bicycle they drop, lob or toss green grenades, or seed bombs, made of compressed compost, fertilizer and seeds onto the barren plots of land. Eventually, they sprout all manner of flower and fauna to reclaim for Mother Nature what pollution or disuse, or misuse has created. What a great idea, don't you think?

How Far Did Your Meal Travel?

2010-06-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

Can You Shorten The Trip?

The average American meal travels 1,500 miles from farm to table. With so many recalls of food a Victory Garden, A Kitchen Garden or a few well-placed containers in an apartment window or on a balcony can help you take back control of what you eat. What you feed your family.

Organic gardening, foregoing the use of chemical pest controls, to preserve the nature-friendly atmosphere is a huge plus as well. There are many ways to feed yourself and your family and even your neighbors healthy fare.
Salad greens are one of the easiest to grow and supply fiber, calcium and vitamins such as A, C and K as the spicy lettuce-like Arugula (eruca sativa) does. This is a quick growing leaf (35 days) with many benefits. Cold and heat tolerant, it can be grown year around in zones7 and South from there. Its relatively short growing seed to maturity is ready when your radishes are making it an attractive salad choice.
All it needs is a fertile soil and full sun, although in the hottest part of mid-summer some shade is beneficial from the heat of the afternoon sun. Spinach, leaf lettuce, kale all seem to have similar needs.

Water plants deeply twice a week to keep the leaves from becoming too spicy-hot and so that the plant won’t bolt.

Since early plantings do bolt as the days lengthen, plant at 10 day intervals to ensure a lasting feast.

Recommended varieties are: Roquetté – an extremely frost tolerant variety or
Sputnik – a more mild-flavored variety with a wide range of leaf shapes which will add interest to any salad.
The arugula leaves can be substituted in most any recipe that calls for spinach, mustard greens, or Swiss chard. A very versatile vegetable, indeed. So why not give it a try. You may find a new favorite.

To protect your Arugula from the flea beetle you may want to use a row cover/caps.
Billie A Williams, Best-selling, award-winning author of Writing Wider, More Exercises in Creative Writing
http://printedwords.blogspot.com
http://www.billiewilliams.com

Birds of Every Color - Eye Candy

2010-06-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

Birds and Pieces
By Billie A Williams

It's not only the garden that satisfies this woman's garden. A flash of red catches my eye as the Cardinal comes in for his turn at the mix of sunflower seeds, sesame and other seeds mixed especially for him. ( A rather expensive mix that I dilute further with black sunflower seed and wild finch seed because I have a universal feeder in my front yard). But the colorful display is enough reason to spend the extra for the entertainment of these beautiful creatures. The small brown to yellow female isn’t upstaged by her brilliant male counterpart. I begin to realize the tradition of men being the brilliantly dressed, wig coiffured specimen of years ago must be from seeing the male bird in his splendid plumage next to the often dull female markings. I’m tempted to say, she does all the work (bearing and rearing the children, etc.) He gets all the glory, brilliance of plumage. But I digress this is about the birds.

My bird feeder is alive with color from the brilliant yellow, black and white of the Evening Grosbeak to the muted tan, gray and off white with touches of black of the black capped chickadee, . I can understand the Cardinal color, from the fruits, rose hips and berries it consumes. I can understand the Grosbeak, gold finch and sparrow yellow, black and white from sunflower seeds.

I ponder the brilliant hues of the blue jay, the indigo bunting and the blue bird—what do they eat that turns their plumage blue? Is there something in their eating habits that mixes green and yellow and turns them blue? It would seem they eat the same varied menu as the rest do, yet they utilize the color in such a different way, Puzzlement!

A one legged blue jay visits our feeder regularly puffing himself up to get exclusive use of the feeder platform, where he can forget about balance and just eat. I am amazed as the nuthatches sneak in to grab a seed or two without disturbing the blue jay. The wood peckers in brilliant markings of black and white splashed with a red skull cap — males only have the red says my grandson.

A new kind of woodpecker calls us home this year a along with the usual Hairy, Downy, Yellow bellied Sap sucker we have a ladder-backed woodpecker the Red-Bellied one…too far north but who knows what the weather may have done with all the crazy storms and tornados hitting the Midwest this year.

So I will enjoy his color and inclusion. We’ve put a squirrel baffle over the suet to protect it from the black birds. You can start laughing now. Yes, that worked until the first one jumped up from the ground and found he could cling to the mesh bag regardless of the canopy of the squirrel baffle. And the added benefit he can eat while it’s raining or snowing without getting drenched. {grin} so much for my ingenuity.
We tried a new one just constructed by talented hubby. It's roofed, it securely holds the suet cubes available from a local hardware store where the woodpeckers can eat in peace - well, they could until the black birds --common grackles-- found out by watching the woodpeckers what they need to do. It didn't take but a couple days and they are happily emptying the feeder nearly as fast as we can fill it. Soon the babies will be on their own and then it will settle down. But that is another whole story.

Enjoy the beauty and entertainment of feeding the birds and yes, squirrels, rabbits and occasionally a deer or two visit our in town yard. You’ll reap a double harvest in your summer garden as they forge for food. Birds will be cleaning up snails, grubs, ants, potato beetles and other insect pests for you as a thank you for their winter feasting. And the bird bath - amazing antics--more on that later as well.

Billie A Williams
Accidental Sleuths Solve Crimes
With Wit, Wisdom and Chutzpah
www.billiewilliams.com
http://printedwords.blogspot.com

Spring is in the air? NOT!

2010-02-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

But it will be anytime now. With that in mind:
While you are thinking spring and planting again…consider this.
Good Companions Gardening – Everyone needs a friend
Here are a few traditional pairings to try:
• Beans or parsley with carrots
• Broccoli with dill
• Cabbage family with thyme
• Native American trio: corn, squash and pole beans
• Radishes with cucumbers
• Kale with potatoes
• Onions with lettuce
Marigolds to surround your whole garden (the stinky variety, not the new hybrids) Not only do they deter insect pests they also deter deer, rabbits and other critters with voracious appetites. I do not fence my garden except with marigolds and while I have deer and rabbits around my bird feeders they leave my gardens totally alone. I also use bloodmeal around peas since they are the most desirable thing on the planet for rabbits and marigolds may appreciate a little help. The addition of bloodmeal to the garden is a boost to the soil as well – a win, win situation.

And if you are waiting to start planting, you may want to look at this little book on writing that will help spice up and create good reading while you anticipate planting.
Watch for crocus and daffodils - soon.
Billie
http://www.billiewilliams.com

Where Has The Summer Gone?

2009-08-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Try as I might, I do not find enough hours in the day to write and garden and the myriad of other things a woman must do. The garden is and has been producing wildly - The corn is nearly ready as the beans (yellow wax) have begun to fade. The late planting of the pole beans is nearly ready.

It seems to be a series of flower bed to flower bed, to vegetable gardens (we have two medium sized veggie gardens) A strawberry bed, grapevines, raspberries (newly planted) plum and apple trees, bush cherries and more. It has been an amazing summer for all of them.

We were gifted with enough hostas to plant everywhere I wanted them - I feel truly blessed. For years I've been accumulating them, but this year what a bonanza. The hummingbirds love them.

Speaking of the little hummers - they are gathering to head south. Our three we've had most of the summer have hung behind, but the flocks that emptied our feeder three times a day - have disappeared. This morning 10 or so gobbled hungrily and suddenly as they came - they disappeared. They were so much fun to watch -- *sigh* But this is the first time ever they have spent a week here - the weather has been so odd this summer...that could be why.

Now I am thinking of my Azaleas and I must consult someone who knows more than I do--how do I winter them over? We live far enough north that they can't do it on their own I don't think, though I have a sister further up north that has one that is so beautiful--I couldn't resist getting them. I think I need rose cones for them while they are still little. I did manage to keep a butterfly bush alive last year by applying a heavy layer of straw - will that work for the azaleas? I'll find and expert and let you know.

Meantime, take a deep breath, enjoy the flights of the geese as they pass over - and the migration of the others as they realize days are getting shorter and school starts here September 1. Where did the summer go?

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Happy 4th of July

2009-07-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go...in the garden for sure. Well, now that things have taken off and are looking pretty good - corn knee high by the 4th of July and all that - I must say, I get caught up in the garden and forget to put my fingers to the key board. So many new and interesting things.

For instance: my sister is growing an Azalea in the upper peninsula of Michigan - nearly out of zone 4 -- how amazing. It is the most striking bush I have ever seen. It's almost iridescent, a definite traffic stopper. Yup I ordered some, we are about 80 miles south of her, it should work right? I'll keep you posted.

My husband has split all our geraniums and they have grown beautifully into new plants. He cut them down the center and immediately planted them in a good potting soil (miracle grow this time) and they took off. Any shoots that broke off he stuck in another pot and they are growing like gangbusters. I'm amazed. Some of these geraniums I have wintered over in the house for several years and never thought to try to divide them. Retired turned Green Thumb, that would describe him. {smile}

Have you noticed the baby birds are now finding out how and where to eat. I have a mother woodpecker - a downy - I feel so sorry for her she has a male offspring that looks half again as big as her - and she is still feeding him. He is learning, but still can't master the new suet feeder. The robins have had their fledglings out for a while and they pretty much know what to do. It is so much fun to watch the mothers teaching their little ones how to eat.

The baby rabbits are on their own running just behind mom now too. So far the blood meal and stinky version of marigolds are keeping them out of the lettuce and peas. I have heard that human hair will work too. You can check out your local beauty parlor to get some...for most critters even the deer fences don't work.

I hung a single CD over my strawberries and surrounded them with blood meal and we have been able to pick at least a quart of strawberries a day without sharing any of our tiny patch with critters and birds.

Happy 4th of July to those of you who celebrate - please join me later for more tips for your organic garden.
Make it a great day!
Billie

Black Capped Chickadee Antics

2009-04-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

Black Capped Chickadee's abound at my feeder near a soft maple tree outside my kitchen window. There is a bridal wreath bush a few feet from the feeder that the birds love to escape to with a treasured sunflower seed. I watch them and the other birds as I eat breakfast every morning.

One morning I watched in delight as I saw our maple tree was running sap (it's that time of year in the North Woods of Wisconsin - cold nights, beautiful sun shinny days draw sap up the maple trees and the maple sap harvesting season is in full swing.) Well the woodpeckers had damaged various branches with their hammering. Warning signals, territorial, not destructive, but very intent on making their message clear--the tree will heal quickly in the spring and early summer.

The results created maple sap icicles that the chickadees hovered at like humming birds as they drank from them. It was amazing and wonderful to see. At one time we had seven icicles dripping sap from that tree. What a delightful picture to watch.

That same tree once had a sunflower blooming in the crotch of a branch about half way up the tree. We managed to get a picture of that, but that's a summer story. Keep your eyes wide open, you never know what amazing things nature will show you when you do. Please share with me when you do see something that causes you to stop and smile in your hurried day.

http://www.billiewilliams.com
The Capricorn Goat available now.

Did You Know?

2009-01-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

DO YOU KNOW?

1. Earthworms were wiped out by the last Ice Age in North America, but they were restored in the 1600s and beyond when they were stowaways in the soil of plants brought to America by the early settlers. Pioneers were involuntary carriers when they moved west with hitch hiking earthworms on cocoons attached to wagons and horses hooves.
2. The ancient Greeks believed that eating garlic increased strength and endurance. It was an important part of the military diet.
3. Pistachios were dyed red in the United States in the early 20th century to draw attention to them in vending machines. In Turkey the nuts were soaked in saltwater and lemon juice to give them flavor. The aside to that process turned the nuts brown skin crimson.
4. Great Britain and Ireland are the only places in Europe where bacon is traditionally served for breakfast.
5. Starting in the 1930s California began growing the Paste Tomato commercially. Tillie Lewis, a New York business woman was the first to convince growers to cultivate Italian pomodoro paste tomatoes commercially in the United States. Formerly, conventional wisdom told growers that the soil would not support the fruit of the tomato.
www.billiewilliams.com
http://printedwords.blogspot.com
http://wingsauthors.blogspot.com

Opportunity knocks - some answer

2008-11-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

Here’s a peek at what readers will get

The One Minute Coach: change your life one minute at a time

By Masha Malka

CONTENTS
Foreword (by Cary Johnston)
Introduction

Part 1: Freedom To Be Who You Are
Whose Life Are You Living?
The “Impossible” Is Often the Untried
If They Can Do It, So Can You!
Are You Starving Your Soul?
What Fulfills You?
The Gift of Personal Freedom
It All Comes Down to Faith

Part 2: The Secrets of People Who Are Successful
What Successful People Know
What Is Success?
One Word to Define Success
What Determines Success?
How to Get What You Want
Can You Really Change Your Life in One Minute?
Do Not Underestimate Your Skills
The Most Important Ingredient for Your Success

Part 3: Why Do We Suffer?
Are You Looking For Problems?
How to Get What You Want
An Opportunity for Guaranteed Enlightenment
Success Is Not Forever, and Failure Is Not Fatal
How Successful People Deal with Failure
Are You Guilty?
Eliminating Worry
Why Do We Argue?
How to Eliminate Self-sabotaging Beliefs
Everything Is Relative

Part 4: The Secret to a Great Life
Who Are You Not to Be?
Life Is About Creating Yourself
What Does It Take to Be Attractive?
How Much Do You Love Yourself?
Have a Great Day!

Part 5: Are You a Natural Leader?
Leadership Begins With You
The Power of a Team and Cooperation
Using Words with Good Purpose
Personal Satisfaction at Work
Helping Is Not Always Good
What Is Your Greatness?
Are You Busy Being Busy?

Part 6: Time Management and Decision Making
Effective Decision Making
How Much Do You Rely on Logic?
Are There Bad Decisions?
The Currency of Today
Creating a Balanced Life
The Value of an Hour
The Slower You Go, the Faster You Will Get There
Are You Living for the Future?

Part 7: The Best Source of Wealth
Produce the Results You Are Looking For
What Did You Miss Out On Today?
The Power of Questions
Ask and You Will Receive
Excellence Is Not an Act, but a Habit
You Have The Power – Mind Power!

Part 8: It Is Never Too Late
You Make a Difference!
Can One Person Change the World?
NOW is the Right Time

Conclusion
The Most Important Job You Do
Thank You!

References and Recommended Reading
About the Author
About the artist

To order the book got to http://mashamalka.com/bookpromotion/

MEET MASHA MALKA,- A Woman of Substance!

2008-11-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Masha Malka is a former Soviet refugee who knows first hand what it is like to be living below poverty level; to have low self-esteem; to start out without the language, money, or contacts and to make a great life for herself!

Masha went from living a life with little clarity and focus to becoming a successful entrepreneur, author, Clarity and Focus guru, international speaker and trainer as well as the mother of 3 children.

Understanding what it takes to successfully balance the demands of a growing career as an author, international speaker and a life coach with 3 children, husband, family, friends, and personal needs - she is passionate to show others how they can do it too!

Masha has delivered workshops, seminars, written articles and books, and provided personal training and coaching in the field of success and the skill of learning since 1998.

She graduated with Highest Honors from Florida Atlantic University majoring in Elementary Education. She then continued her graduate studies at Capella University completing a graduate certificate in Teaching and Training Online as well as Instructional Design for Online Learning. A life-long student, Masha is currently taking courses for an MBA. She is also a certified trainer in Accelerated Learning Techniques as well as Transformational Thinking.

Come back tomorrow to be part of an exciting opportunity to learn more.
Billie

IS YOUR CHOCOLATE SAFE? How about Your Toys?

2008-11-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

I know we don't grow chocolate or toys in our gardens, but this is important enough to give everyone you know a heads up.

Barcodes aren't just for books you know.

Something we all need to know - a note in Cynthia Sterling's excellent newsletter today.

The whole world is scared of Chinese made goods. Let me tell you how you can differentiate which one is made in Taiwan or China...the first 3 digits of barcode690, 691, and 692 are MADE IN CHINA. - 471 is Made in Taiwan .

This is our right to know, but the government and related departments never educate the public, therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves.
Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products "made in china", so they don't show in which country it is made.
However, you may now refer to the barcode, remember if the first 3 digits is 690-692 then it is made in China .
00 ~ 09 USA & CANADA
30 ~ 37 FRANCE
40 ~ 44 GERMANY
49 - JAPAN
50 - UK

Don't Wait For Your Ship to Come in Swim out to it!

2008-10-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

While you know you need to get out there and clean up that garden, protect those tender bulbs if not bring them in for the winter - we all procrastinate - beautiful fall days tell us nothing of winter -- yet we know better. Canna bulbs need to come in after the first hard frost as do Dahlia - yet we procrastinate.

In my morning reading today I came across this quote by Jonathan Winters: "If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to meet it."
There was another a day or too earlier that said something, "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." Abraham Lincoln.

In other words, the only thing that will create success, or create that book you've been waiting to write, or create some other printed words you dream to have written, is ACTION. There is no way around it if you don't put your butt in a chair and write - you will never publish a word. You need to banish all fear of failing, of making a mistake -- mistakes are the lessons of life.

This Frank and Ernest cartoon strip says it all. Frank is at the counter at an employment office he has a long long sheet of paper he is apparently reading from to the guy who is taking his application. The caption says--"I don't have any formal education so I brought you a list of the mistakes I've learned from."

Feel the fear and do it anyway is almost a buzz word nowadays, but it's absolute truth. Do not be afraid of mistakes, no one is perfect. Perfectionism will stall you in your tracks. Not that you should adopt a careless, reckless, not-give-a-darn attitude. You should do the best that you can do with what you have at this very moment and let the rest happen.

"You can never learn less; you can only learn more. The reason I know so much is because I have made so many mistakes," says Buckminster Fuller (a mathematician and philosopher who never graduated from college but received 46 honorary doctorates.

Imagine!
Write Like The Wind - Garden like the ever vigilant chipmunk.
Billie
Would you like to win a copy of my mystery suspense Ancient Secrets?
http://www.billiewilliams.com will give you all the information you need.

If What you grow in your garden is books

2008-09-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

I mean authors find their garden's are a source of inspiration and relaxation where the muse often visits. To that end -- here is a contest for you writing side.

Good Luck
Billie
Time Sensitive material:

Of interest to authors who are published electronically. Please distribute to your membership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EPPIE Contest in Full Swing to Highlight Excellence in ePublishing

Worldwide–September 16, 2008—EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, proudly announces the annual EPPIE contest. This is the premier contest in the book industry that celebrates the outstanding achievements of electronic books by authors and publishers. The EPPIE Awards have been given annually since the first EPIC conference to recognize outstanding achievement in ePublishing. The contest deadline for entries is October 4, 2008 at Midnight CST.

Categories are judged by volunteers, the largest percentage of which are members of EPIC, an organization consisting of electronically published authors and industry professionals. Guest judges, all of whom are either published authors or publishing professionals, are used only as deemed necessary by the EPPIE Chair/Committee.

The First Round Judging delivers our EPPIE Finalists, whose works are forwarded to a second panel of judges before the winners of our thirty categories are selected. Winners from each judged category are announced at the EPIC conference's gala award ceremony, taking place at the annual EPICon Convention, taking place March 5-8, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

EPIC is also the proud sponsor of the QUASAR/ARIANA Awards for excellence in graphic cover art for eBooks.

For contest guidelines, please visit http://www.epicauthors.com/eppierules2009.html

Electronically Published Internet Connection
Contact: Karen L. Syed, EPIC Publicity Coordinator
9735 Country Meadows Lane 1D, Laurel, MD 20723
410-878-7113 (v) 410-988-2864 (f)
erevolution.epic@gmail.com
www.epicauthors.com

B is For Bare Root Planting

2008-07-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Bare root or potted plants--what's your pleasure? Both have benefits. Let's examine the bare root. Checking at your local nursery you can expect to pay between forty and seventy percent less for your plants - and nearly the same benefits with a catalog nursery.

Saving money may be the reason you took up gardening in the first place. Bare root purchases will be in line with that. Other than cost what else would stimulate you to purchase this type of plant?

The plants usually have a more extensive root system which will give them a good start once in the ground. You can see how root to top growth is balanced and you can trim back the roots before planing to encourage new vigorous growth, in most cases.

You can sometimes find rare and unusual varieties that are not available in the potted variety.

Last but not least, the bare roots may actually take root and grow better as they more easily adapt to your soil.

If you buy bare root plants, they require immediate care of the delicate hold they have on life. Bare root plants are like infants, very vulnerable. What you do immediately when they arrive at your home whether from local nursery, or mail order catalog, is important for their survival and productive growth.

If you are unable to plant them right away you can use one of the three methods to make their wait safer and more comfortable.

1. Leave them in the original packing material and keep them in a cool dry place. Check them to be sure the roots are not dry - if they are, sprinkle with a small amount of water as necessary until you can plant them, hopefully in a few days.

2. Use any large pot saved from another year to pot them up. Use good soil, compost and peat moss mixed to keep them alive and let them begin to grow.

3. Dig a shallow trench in a partly shaded area of your garden/yard/area where you intend to set them out. Do this where you can conveniently water them as necessary. Lay the plants on their sides with the roots in the trench and cover them with the same type of mixture of good soil, compost and peat moss. They will be good for a while there.

Make sure you label your plants held over in these ways. It's so easy to forget what is where and planting instructions may vary for those held in waiting.

You may discover that bare root is better.

ASPARAGUS

2008-07-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

ASPARAGUS

Asparagus beds can be productive for 35-40 years if you keep the soil fertile and the weeds under control and the asparagus beetle at bay. So how do you go about this and why am I talking asparagus when you can only harvest them until the peas begin to bear sometime in June?

Preparing your bed is the start and if it is prepared properly you will have many years of superior eating. To start with, asparagus grows best with liberal applications of fertilizer. That fertilizer can be well-rotted manure or compost applied at a rate of one bushel to 30 square feet. Once a year you should spread a good 10-10-10 fertilizer, 1 ½ to 2 cups over every ten feet of a row. You can apply this late fall or very early in the spring – or even just after you finish harvesting your asparagus.

Another hint, allow asparagus tops to stand over the winter to catch and hold snow. This helps prevent deep freezing and sudden changes in soil temperature. Moisture added by melting snow is important to the shoots that produce the following spring. Once spring comes you can lop off the dead tops.

You can begin cutting your asparagus about mid-May, every other day if temperatures and moisture are favorable. Allow your bed to keep its foliage until it dies down naturally in the fall.

How soon can you harvest asparagus after you’ve started your bed? If it was started well, a few spears may be cut by the second year. It may be cut for several weeks the third year, but you shouldn’t harvest a full crop until the fourth year.

Some of the best growers now advise breaking, rather than cutting asparagus, according to Jerry Baker in his book 1001 Old Time Garden Tips. There is no danger of injuring the crown with this method the shoot will not break in the tough stringy part, resulting in perfectly crisp, delicious asparagus.

Now what about that pesky asparagus beetle? You should go through the patch daily with a pan of hot water, and shake the young asparagus heads that have the insects on them into the pan of water to destroy them.

========================

ASPARAGUS SALAD

1 lb asparagus juice of 2 whole lemons

1 head romaine lettuce ½ cup of cream

1 lb mushrooms ¼ tsp of paprika

Salt and pepper to taste.

Clean and steam asparagus until tender-crisp, cool quickly in ice water
Arrange lettuce around a large platter
Clean and thickly slice the mushrooms
Make dressing with lemon juice, cream, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir mushrooms into the dressing, remove with a slotted spoon.
Put mushroom in middle of lettuce, surround with asparagus spears—tips pointing outward. Garnish with carrot curls, cherry tomatoes, and/or English walnut halves.

Serve cold with dressing on the side.

================

About the Author

Billie A Williams is an award-winning, multi-published author her

Accidental sleuths solve crimes with wit, wisdom and chutzpah

http://www.billiewilliams.com

A Quote to accompany you in the garden

2008-06-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Quote: "Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits; Take care of your garden, And keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine, Kind words and kind deeds."

— Henry W. Longfellow

And may your harvests be full and plenty. Happy Growing!
Billie

Trash it or Compost it? Bag it or ReBag it?

2008-03-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

Trash it or Compost it? Bag it or Rebag it?

by Billie A Williams

Compost improves soil drainage and water retention — we all know that as organic gardeners. But it makes a difference what you put into that compost heap. So what is the idea recipe?

Three parts carbon-rich brown matter like wood chips, shredded newspapers the dead leaves from your fall raking and plants you’ve culled from your thinning process in your garden.

You need to mix that with one part nitrogen-rich green matter, which can be grass clippings – that is one good reason to have a mower with a grass catcher. Green leaves and fruit and vegetable waste such as peels, cores, bruised or damaged spots from your cooking. You may also add coffee and tea grounds/leaves, egg shells just about any kitchen scraps except meat and meat by products.

Your compost pile should be at least three cubic feet – that’s three wide, three high and three deep – think a cube of soda and you will be able to visualize that cube. If you are using a barrel composter, you mound isn’t’ in direct contact with the earth so you will need to inoculate your mound with garden soil, finished compost or fresh manure. The smaller your ingredients the faster they become compost. You could use a leaf shredder, or your lawn mower or even run your tiller through your compost heap to make it break down quicker. You should turn the pile no more then once a week and keep it moist but not soggy. A useful analogy is to think of a sponge that is wrung-out, it is still wet, but it doesn’t drip when you pick it up.

Compost takes nine to twelve months to fully mature; if you add to your heap regularly, use a screen to sift out finished compost. It’s ready when it looks and feels like moist chocolate cake crumbs and smells like fresh-turned earth.

Contrary to popular belief in some areas, your compost heap when done properly will not have an offensive odor.

Which brings us to what to use when you go grocery shopping, when they inevitably ask you paper or plastic? Give this some thought.

Paper bags are made from a renewable resource, obviously trees. They are recyclable and biodegradable. On the negative side, chemicals used to manufacture paper bags pollute air and water.

Plastic bags require less energy to manufacture, equaling less air pollution and industrial waste, but they are made from nonrenewable petroleum or natural gas, and are non-biodegradable—toxic chemicals are also used during manufacture.

The best solution – recycle by bringing your plastic bags back to the store for more groceries when you shop – or — and this is the best, bring your own cloth bags to fill when you shop. This may be a little inconvenient for a major shopping trip, but if you could recycle or reuse, bring your own cloth you are saving at least some of the environment we will be leaving to the next generation.

======================================

Billie A Williams is an award winning, multi-published author who's accidental sleuths solve crime with wit, wisdom and chutzpah. visit her website for more information at http://www.billiewilliams.com

email: billie at billiewilliams dot com

Sometimes Words are planted in a Garden of Prose

2008-03-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

And what grows may be an amazing new career. Check out what you can do if you follow your dream - and bloom where you are planted. One Woman's Garden - not necessarily mine, but it could be.





We’ve certainly had some great comments during each stop
of the Virtual Book Tourfor Jordan Dane.

Why was she chosen to be our first vic … I mean featured author?
Because she has a very professional website.  
Because she has a very professional blog.  
Because she has a presence on MySpace and other networking sites around the ‘Net.
Because she attends every writer’s conference she can possibly get to
to network with successful writers, editors, agents.
Because she promotes herself as a professional writer.

She isn’t resting on her laurels after having sold SIX books
to Avon HarperCollins before the first one hit print.

If you’re like me and wannabe like Jordan, take a look
at how you’re promoting yourself. Does your website look
like a novice put it together  Do you remember to blog
more than once a month  Do you network with other writers?

Or do you do like too many very good should-be-published writers
… and hunker down in the corner pretending that you’ve done
everything you can and the publishing world and all
its agents are against you?

Think about that as you visit the next stops on
The Writer’s Chatroom’ “Show—Not Tell” virtual
book tour featuring debut author Jordan Dane.

Jordan and Avon HarperCollins are offering
opportunities to win great prizes all along the tour.

Next up:

March 19 Cricket Sawyer

at http://www.Cricketshearth.blogspot.com

March 22 Diana Castilleja

at http://dianacastilleja.blogspot.com

Give yourself every advantage to learn from this marketing dynamo—

who just happens to also be a very good writer—

and read the interviews and comments at previous stops:

Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com

Linda J. Hutchinson at http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com

Kim Richards at http://kim-richards.livejournal.com/

Lisa Haselton at http://lisahaselton.tripod.com/reviewsandinterviews/

And don’t forget to come to the “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30^th! There are prizes galore!

Why Herbs Herb?

2008-02-13T09:11:00.000-08:00

What Do Herbs Have To Do With It?

When you think gardening do you think medicine? How about when you think herbs? Here’s a little pop quiz with some interesting answers for you.

Basil, Calendula, Parsley, Fennel, Chamomile, Lemon Balm just to name a few are herbs that could find a place in your medicine cabinet.

Okay, let’s say it’s spring and water puddles are standing everywhere. With the onset of warmer weather those puddles can produce mosquito habitat that will fill your yard with potential serious consequences. When you go outside to enjoy the beauty of the spring, I hope you will make good use of the herbal garden you’ve been nurturing all winter. How? Rub some of that basil plant on your skin. It will repel insects. Perhaps you want to stick a sprig of it in your hair its subtle aroma will lift your mood as you watch those pesky insects seek more appetizing bodies.

Calendula cures cuts and scrapes which seem to happen all too frequently in the spring yard clean up and getting the gardens ready for planting.

If the mold, mildew and pollen of spring are a bother think fennel – it can even ease asthma symptoms.

We are all familiar with the benefits of parsley to tame a tummy after meals, but it is also good for your breath. If you chew a little Parsley after a meal or after having a cup of coffee, it will freshen your breath. Peppermint will settle or tame that tummy if indigestion gets there before the parsley.

Lemon balm can ease and cure a cold sore. Chamomile battles gum disease as well as steeping you in a relaxing mood to help you get a good nights sleep.

The old timers knew of these uses and more for the herb patch. I think no garden should be allowed to grow without one—unless of course you grow several pots or containers in your home.

How To Plant an Effective Wind Break

2008-02-10T09:29:00.001-08:00

by Billie A Williams

Today the wind whips the landscape in wintery gust of 65 miles per hour at times. The few inches of snowfall in the last couple days piles up in great drifts where little or no resistance is met. I’m glad we have an effective wind break on the north-northwest side of our home. It happens to be the L shaped protection afforded by the house and garage next door. It saves us on our heating fuel bill. What saves the neighbor’s heating bill? Another wind break in the form of evergreen trees planted in the L shape recommended by those who know how to develop an effective wind break.
Which brings me to today’s question. What creates an effective, efficient, energy saving natural wind break? According to the Department of Environmental Protection research up to 40 percent of your heating fuel costs could be cut by having a barrier such as evergreen trees against the wind velocity of those north-northwest winter winds. In dollar amounts, considering the US average heating costs, that could easily be as much as $400 per winter.
Here are a few important considerations when planning your evergreen wind break:
1. Most Important: Evergreens need to be planted north and northwest of your home. The direction that the strongest and coldest winter winds come from.
2. Planting in a “U” or “L” shape is most effective against blocking the undesirable winds.
3. The best zone of wind protection is from 2 – 7 times the height of the trees when they mature. Example: Mature tree height 20 feet = 40 to 140 feet downwind protection. Plan your planting accordingly
4. If you want a quick wind barrier plant your trees closer together. If you are willing to wait, you can plant them farther apart and wait for them to grow into a dense barrier. This could save you money on the cost of the trees.
5. Keep in mind evergreens prefer full to partial sun. Most soil conditions are adequate for them.
6. Order your trees from a reputable tree nursery.

Care for your evergreen trees with plenty of water until they are well established and they will take care of you. Not only with energy/heating fuel costs, but with a variety of birds and other wild life that will be attracted to your property.

Billie A Williams
Award-winning, multi-published
mystery suspense author
www.billiewilliams.com

Do Animals Think - or - Reason?

2008-01-31T07:15:00.000-08:00

Do Animals Think?

I would have to say yes. I mean I put up a squirrel baffle to keep the critters off my bird feeder. It was a tube feeder that had a tray on it — to save the dropped seeds. Smart move put a baffle over it. That is until the gray squirrel decided he was too hungry to ignore the source of his delight – black sunflower seeds. He had already ruined two tube feeders. We finally hung it by a cloth covered wire so he couldn’t chew through and drop it to the ground. This is one determined squirrel.

Okay, Baffle in place. Are you ready for this. As I watched his efforts he shinnied down the wire onto the baffle —zip, slip, smash he was on the ground. Back up the tree he scoots, out on the limb, down the wire, onto the baffle. He did this three times, now he adds a little flip at the end of the slide – a near miss he lands on all four feet on the ground. The next time he timed it perfect, as he flipped he grabbed the tray under the bird feeder and crawled back up to the feeder.

I chased him away, but he had it figured out now. Turn my back and he was back at that black sunflower seed tube feeder with a vengeance. I won, I changed feeders and moved the feeder under the eaves of the house – He has not figured out how to get to that yet – oh, did I mention I got rid of the tube feeder with the tray – this one is a straight tube feeder, no tray for him to fall to – so far so good.
I have resorted to Cheyenne pepper on the other feeders – it only works briefly the reasoning behind that is that birds do not have olfactory glands (Butch if you are listening, that is used on more then the scratch off lottery tickets that don’t win) Those are the glands that allow us to smell – birds don’t have them – but apparently after a couple hours the squirrels can also by pass the pungent odor of Cheyenne pepper. So I have added a lower tray feeder especially for the squirrels where I keep a reasonable supply of sunflower seeds just for them and what the birds can steal while they are gone. They leave the upper feeder alone unless theirs is empty. Perhaps I should try moth balls in the feeder—hmmm but I am worried about contaminating the seeds for the birds. So I’ll feed the squirrels – we have a limited truce I guess.

Yes, I do believe animals have a brain and that they think with it, some more then humans = )
==================
Billie A Williams
Mystery/Suspense Author
Accidental sleuths solve crimes
With wit, wisdom, and chutzpah
www.billiewilliams.com

Growing in the Dank Darkness-Healthy Eating

2008-01-18T01:08:00.000-08:00

When it comes to surprises mushrooms are one of the big ones. There are classes at various community colleges and County Extension offices to help you be an alive and well mushroom gatherer…I’ve wondered why people would do that and not leave it to the experts. Well, where do those experts come from, people who learn how to go out and gather their own mushrooms. Duh! I still think I would feel safer buying one of those kits that you can use to grow mushrooms in your basement or something.

So your question is probably why bother? You could buy them from the supermarket of course, but as gardeners we know that satisfaction of doing it ourselves, being in control of the soil, the vitamins we feed them and the pesticide/insecticide deterrents we use if any.

Why would we care if mushrooms are part of our culinary choices? How about major health benefits.

Mushrooms, make that edible – mushrooms--the safe ones, are a right up there with other super-foods in the forefront right now such as green tea and broccoli. Did you know that the first antibiotics were extracted from fungi. Let's examine their benefits.

Mushrooms are 80-90% water, and therefore are low in calories high in fiber. We all know the health benefits of enough moisture and fiber in our diets. Now add on the fact that they are fat-free, cholesterol-free, and low in sodium (especially good for those on a hypertensive diet). If that isn’t enough for you here are some other reasons to get more mushrooms into your cooking:

• Phytonutrients found in mushrooms have been at the center of anti-cancer research for decades. In many countries, medicinal mushrooms are used as an adjunct to other cancer treatments.
• Recent studies have shown that white mushrooms (the little button mushrooms usually sold in the supermarket)can reduce the risk of breast and prostrate cancer
• Mushrooms are considered probiotic, meaning that they help the body to strengthen itself and ward off illness. The nutrient riboflavin is part of mushrooms' probiotic ability. Mushrooms have a high percentage of that nutrient.
• A great source of potassium, a mineral which helps lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke is another benefit of the lowly mushroom. A medium portabella mushroom has more potassium than a glass of orange juice or a banana.
What do you say? Shall we grow ourselves some delicious mushrooms. If you fry them in butter with some onions just until the onions are transparent they taste like steak. Imagine steak with a bunch of healthy side benefits. Have you ever had stuffed mushrooms? You are in for a culinary treat. This woman's garden will include mushrooms and since it's winter out, 8 inches of snow overnight proves that, I can feed my gardening urge by growing some mushrooms. A win win situation wouldn't you say?

It's More Than Just Printed Words

2008-01-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

It’s More Than Just News Print
by Billie A Williams

There is another use for the printed word besides wrapping fish, or lining the bird cage, with that newspaper that is. And only after you’ve read it of course and if you aren’t using it for fire starter for your wood stove or fireplace as you curl up with a good book. [Plug here: Small Town Secrets, ISBN 978-1-59705-766-0 released January 1, 2008 available anywhere books are sold. Wings ePress, Inc. www.wings-press.com]

How about saving a stack of newspaper to use as mulch in your garden this spring. No matter what it looks like out your window today, at least in North America, spring is right around the corner. We’re dreaming about it as we leaf through seed catalogs our order blanks filling up with all the nutrition and beauty our budgets can handle. Or as we begin cleaning and arranging, preparing to begin those seedlings that will later be transplanted to the garden.

Three alternating layers of single sheets of newspaper are adequate to aid in saving the moisture your plants will need in the hot dry July’s of your summer garden. Covering the sheets of newspapers with up to three inches of grass clippings will keep those shallow rooted plants from cooking in the sun and moisture loving plants thirst quenched. The Zink in the ink (I sound like a poet) will deter weeds while helping to maintain soil moisture and texture. You can shred the newspaper if you prefer and add it to your compost heap. As it breaks down it will add bulk and Zink to your compost.

Here is another helpful winter tip that will show spring benefits: Ease up on the use of ice melt or salt to keep your walks and driveway skid proof. Instead, use sawdust, sand, or fireplace and woodstove ashes. They provide the traction without the salt that can be harmful to lawn grass and flower beds.
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Feel free to use this article as long as you leave this resource box in place.
Billie A Williams
www.billiewilliams.com
http://printedwords.blogspot.com
Pens In Motion
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Winter's Garden of Verse

2008-01-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

Because it is well below zero today in our frozen Wisconsin North Country--I turn to the garden of my books to read, and dream and muse and celebrate. January 1st was the release of my 12th mystery suspense novel with Wings ePress, Inc since 2007. As I look at the framed covers decorating my wall, I think how like a garden of printed words they are. Each cover a flower of its own ilk, yet they are all similar because they are written by me. I think I should get a rose or some other very notable flower to represent each book in my garden.

Each book is linked to a local organization or charity that I donate a percentage of my profits to, so why not also link it to a flower. Small Town Secrets could easily be linked to the daisy - the petals of which often tell the secret - he loves me, he loves me not... so it does seem perfect for my new release. The non fiction book I just published Spice Up Your Writing! Write to Entice, could be a small herb garden, or the white rose that graces this book's cover.

I do not believe that gardening is that different from writing. You plant a seed, you watch it grow. When it is full grown, you harvest it and consume the proceeds. So it is with writing a novel. You plant an idea seed, you nurture it and write it everyday until it is fully grown. You then harvest it by sending it off to a publisher at just the right moment in its development. Hopefully, it will receive and acceptance letter and I will be ready to plant the next seed.

So when the winds howl around you, grab a good book (preferably one of mine) stoke up the fire in the fireplace and read until you can plant your own seed either through the printed word or your own one woman's garden.

check out the blog tour for my new release by going to my website at www.billiewilliams.com and clicking on the blog tour link - when you get the date from the calendar, scroll down and click on the link to the persons blog (or click on their name) and read an interview with me. Each one as different as a wild flower garden--and you could get a cook book or some other great prize if you comment on their blog.

The Blog Tour for Small Town Secrets

2007-12-31T17:31:00.000-08:00

Every Small Town has a multitude of gardens. Sometimes one woman's garden holds secrets that no one else knows...Come find out what secret Chaneeta's garden may reveal.
Won't you please join me and the wonderful people who will host my blog tour this entire month below are the dates, names, and blog sites of those involved. Come along and join us. Everyone who comments will get a PDF copy of The Small Town Secrets cookbook titled The Golden Kettle Cafe - so be sure to leave your email address.
Thanks
Billie A. Williams
Printed Words Blogger/author of Small Town Secrets
JANUARY 2008

Blog sites:
Joyce Anthony-http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog

January 1

Marvin Wilson : http://inspiritandtruths.blogspot.com
January 5

Nina Osier –http://ninaosier.livejournal.com/
January 6

Ron Berry – http://unwriter.blogspot.com/ and
http://here-it-is.tripod.com/kritterwriter

January 7

Sandra Cox – http://sandracox.blogspot.com
http://wings-authors.blogspot.com
January 8

Bryn Colvin –http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin
January 9

Nikki Leigh – http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/author+promo+interviews
January 16

Elaine Cantrell – http://www.myspace.com/elainecantrell
January 20

Janet Elaine Smith http://www.janetelainesmith.blogspot. com
January 31

Vivian Zabel - blogs: http://viviangilbertzabel.com/blog.html and http://vzabel.multiply.com/
January 26

Pamela Thebideau – http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com
January 25

Angela Verdenius -

Beckie Joki - http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chevynova71us
January 2 HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECKIE

Karina Fabian www.virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com
January 21 & 22

SK Hamilton, (Pee Wee) www.whispersatwillowwalk.blogspot.com
January 30

Mary Emmons http://www.authorsandreviews.blogspot.com

Kim Richards (waiting for link)
January 28 & 29

Bob Blackburn (waiting for link)
January 23

Dawn Mork (waiting for link)
January 14

One of the Things My Garden Grows

2007-12-30T07:45:00.000-08:00

One of the things my garden grows is mystery fiction. I am a mystery suspense author with well over two dozen books published. Today I want to announce the upcoming release of my brand new book SMALL TOWN SECRETS. I've set up a blog tour, schedule available on my web site, which consists of a series of interviews with other bloggers all over the web. Please feel free to join in the fun - participants could win a cook book of recipes from the Golden Kettle Cafe that is a prominent feature in Small Town Secrets.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!
Constable Dusty Rhodes mauled by a grizzly in the Colorado Wilderness area where he was vacationing.

(That is only the smoke from the fire that rages in tiny Nettlesville.)

Nettlesville is on fire
Who is that deputy new hire?
Is s serial arsonist doing the crime
As buildings burn, one at a time.
They wonder

Chaneeta Morgan’s secret past
Undoing the Town Chairwoman fast
She wonders

Is she destined to pay for an imagined sin
Will Olga’s vengeance allow her to win
The coveted Town Chairwoman post
What growing Evil does Nettlesville host?
They wonder

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Small Town Secrets
by Billie A Williams
ISBN 978-1-59705-766-0 (print)
ISBN 978-1-59705-283-2 (electronic)
Available January 1, 2008
From Wings ePress, Inc http://www.wings-press.com or your favorite bookstore.
Readers Guide available free at http://www.billiewilliams.com/READERGuide.pdf
Contact: Billie A Williams
P O Box 134
Amberg, WI 54102
billie@billiewilliams.com

This and That Now that Christmas is Over

2007-12-26T07:47:00.000-08:00

This And That Now That Christmas Is Over

One Woman’s Garden
By Billie A Williams © 2007

You’ve finished with the Christmas tree and you know that you should decorate it with bread tied to its branches — pretty yarn and string bows, that will serve as nesting material in the spring – and perhaps some pine cones filled with peanut butter and bird seed for the suet eating birds like the black capped chickadee and the nuthatch. You can stand your tree in a snow bank or a bucket of sand until the feast has been eaten by the birds. You can lay it on the ground as a natural hide away for rabbits. Your feathered and furry friends will appreciate it.

But what do you do with all that sugar left over from the candy making you did for Christmas. It isn’t quite time for hummingbirds (they get 1 part sugar to 4 parts water— you remember- and food coloring isn’t necessary – as long as the container has a little red to attract them initially – they’ll find it.)

So how about some uses for that left over sugar.

1. We’ll think ahead to your lawn use it to remove gasoline spots by sprinkling a mix of six cups gypsum and one cup of sugar over the area and watering frequently.

2. You can use it to trap insects. Create a sticky mess by sprinkling a flour and powdered sugar combination on plants before the dew dries in the morning.

3. You can use sugar to get rid of nematodes by tilling in three pounds of sugar per acre of soil in early spring and late fall.

4. Or you can make a fertilizer for strawberries and rhubarb by combining ½ cup of sugar with five pounds of dry garden food.

Oh and while you are visiting your local hardware store—you know your favorite pastime—looking for new gardening tools, be sure to look for a Bricklayer’s pointed trowel. Why, you ask?

Well silly think of it as an all purpose knife. Think of it as a planting, or harvesting tool. You can use it to cut apart and lift petunias, tomato, pepper and other plants from the flats when setting them out. You know how they never seem to release easily. You can also use it for gathering and trimming head lettuce, cabbage, kohlrabi etc. The blade is thin and sharp on both sides – why didn’t I think of that sooner, you’ll say the first time you use it. Your neighbors will think you are so clever.

Spring can’t be that far away when you start receiving those garden catalogs in the mail. Get out your pencil and paper and plot a garden – stick these hints in your note book and the howling wind and falling snow won’t seem so daunting.

Red, Pink and White Christmas

2007-12-24T04:57:00.000-08:00

Winter Reds, Pinks and Whites with Poinsettias
by Billie A. Williams

Euphorbia Pulcherrims, better knows in lay terms as poinsettias. This is the time of year you will see them everywhere in shades of the always popular red to pink to white. In The American Horticultural Society’s A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, it is mixed in with other cactus-like plants. This should give you a clue to its care and habits. But then, it’s a bloomer, it has a natural resting time that forces the color to the leaves—the part we think is the flower—much like the Christmas cactus it needs its hours of darkness. So, how do we care for them?

The poinsettia should be placed in a warm sunny window to receive maximum beauty. Do not, however, allow the leaves to touch the glass. As with all cactus, water thoroughly when the soil is dry to the touch. Do not let the plant become soggy. Poinsettia do not like wet feet, as we say in the plant world.

At some point leaves begin to fall, or you have had enough of the winter beauty and are ready to make room for spring plants. You’ve become attached to this beauty from the cactus world. Can you save it for next year? Certainly!

According to Jerry Baker in his book Great Green Book of Garden Secrets, you should stop watering the Poinsettia, when the leaves begin to drop off store it in a cool dry place [like you did the summer geraniums you hoped to winter over].

In the spring, you can begin to water it again after you’ve severely pruned it back to about 6 inches in height. If you keep the stems pinched back as new leaves begin to form, you will have a compact, bushy, beautiful poinsettia in time for next Christmas. From early October until blooming starts in late November or mid December, place the plant in a dark closet for 12 hours a day and then place it in a bright sunny window for the other 12 hours each day. You should see your plant return to its former gorgeous self.

Please do remember that poinsettias are one of those beauties that are also toxic to children and pets. So do keep this in mind when you place the plants around your house.

*A TIP: from Jerry Baker about bugs and house plants: Bugs won’t take up residence in the soil of your house plants if you sprinkle the shavings from your pencil sharpener onto the soil. If you don’t have a pencil sharpener in your home, ask your child or a friend’s child’s teacher if you might have the contents of their pencil sharpener occasionally. “Waste not, want not,” my parents used to say. Organic gardening is all about recycling whatever we can whenever we can.

Permission to use as long as you include this resource box:
Billie A Williams
www.billiewilliams.com
Small Town Secrets (available January 2008)
ISBN 978-1-59705-7660
Fire rages across the tiny town of Nettlesville. Someone is bent on burning it down to the ground one building at a time. Can Chaneeta Morgan and Olga Corn bury their rivalry long enough to stop the arsonist before the town is nothing but ashes, or will Chaneeta’s secret past destroy her and possibly the town?

Plant it! Harvest It! Then What?

2007-12-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

If you plant them you have to know what to do with them and only one of the things you might want to do with them is cook. (If you want the answer to more types and their uses go to the Cooks Thesaurus at http://www.foodssubs.com http://www.foodsubs.com/Onionsdry.html or www.cooksthesauraus.com

The Cook's Thesaurus is a cooking encyclopedia that covers thousands of ingredients and kitchen tools. Entries include pictures, descriptions, synonyms, pronunciations, and suggested substitutions.

What a fascinating place to visit. You can learn so many trivium, but also some pretty neat stuff. For instance here is just a tiny bit of what you’ll find on the lowly onion.

So which are best for cooking? The most common opinion is the yellow onion. Before we explore how to cook it. Let's look at a little trivia.

Why do onions make us cry?

You've probably noticed that when you cut up a raw onion, your eyes start to tear. A common problem for every onion chopper, this happens because of the enzymes in an onion. Since the onion is being chopped, the cells are being broken - allowing the enzymes to be released. The enzymes in an onion are called allianases (I find this funny nearly alien even) and they react to the sulfides in the onion-chopping environment to create a sulfuric acid gas. This gas is immediately composed and released into the air, therefore reaching your eyes. Our eyes' nerve endings are irritated by sulfuric acid, therefore inducing uncontrollable "crying."

When I think of the smell of sulfur – such as that emitted from striking a match, or from whatever the paper mill did when it unloaded a sulfur rail car a block from our home – the air became unbreathable—and the lowly onion creates sulfuric acid — would that be considered the same but in a less potent dosage?

Cooks Thesaurus recommends chilling onions first to avoid tearing. "If you're prone to crying while cutting onions, try chilling them first, then peeling them under running water.

How to cook them? — Always cook onions over low or medium heat, since they become bitter at high temperatures."

The yellow onion is a favorite for cooking because it is higher in sulfides; unfortunately, this is also what makes you cry when you cut into it. Yellow onions turn a rich brown and become sweeter and milder when cooked. Many people find them too pungent to eat raw.

5 medium onions = 1 lb=2 cups chopped=3 cups sliced

1 small onion = 1/2 cup = 1 tsp onion powder = 1 Tbs dried onion flakes

Substitutes: Spanish onion OR white onion

Winter Magic

2007-12-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Up here in the north it's a season of whiteness unless you are lucky enough to have the beautiful bayberry - the red twig dogwood or some other ornamental shrub that adds some color to the starkness of the snow.

When you plan your landscape in the North part of the world you'll want to consider adding some plants that add whatever you need to add color and interest to your world a bit in the long days of Winter (not that winter sun shines long, just that the days begin to seem endless - and cabin fever sets in.)

One bleak February when my grand daughter was a tiny baby - I had just picked up her toys from her playing just before we tucked her in bed. I was in writing course at the time and we needed to write poetry in different meters etc. So as I sat looking at these silly squeaky toys and rattles we give our children, tired, suffering a bit from the winter doldrums - I created what follows .. I hope you enjoy it without thinking me mad. LOL {smile}

OFF THE WALL

Turquoise blue dog
Stares silent at a January 20 below

Apricot orange monkey
Squeaks curses at crystallized snow

Wide-eyed pink elephant
Winks reminders of New Year’s Eve

What a macabre pattern they all weave

Bright yellow lion in a clown’s cap
Sits grinning strangely on green frog’s lap

Odd yellow giraffe with blaze orange spots
Stares blindly at north wind gusting at 40 knots

Skinny brown bear in beanie and necktie
Cabin feverish gleam in his crossed gray green eyes

Fluorescent pink rabbit
Frozen stiff in patent leather shoes
A martyr to post-holiday blues.

Furry gray mouse
Scurries out of his house

February smiles valentine’s candy
Ha ha January …We’ve survived you just dandy.

I think!

The Capricorn Goat--January Flannel

Join the bookclub and read a chapter a week of a new novel written by Billie A Williams,

Go to http://www.billiewilliams.com/BOOKCLUB.html and sign up. It's all Fr** - check it out.

Thanks! and until next time

Happy Garden Planning up North - and happy gardening elsewhere.

Garden Writing

2007-12-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

Whether you are a horticulturist or a people horticulturist (nurse), writing is an important way to share your craft, your life, and your expertise. While a garden will nourish and care for your soul and your sustenance, the nutritional value of what you plant can be a boon to your health. Traveling Nurse Epi Larue makes sense of some of it in her blog at http://travelnurisnghighway.bogspot.com/

Planting a garden sometimes is like unraveling your family tree or a good mystery. Who gets along with whom (companion planting); who dunnit? (Insect pests); solving the crime (Organic Solutions to garden pests and weeds.); editing your work (tilling and enhancing your soil); marketing and promoting (What to do with all that zucchini or abundant harvest) once your work is finished. http://www.janetelainesmith.blogspot.com/ and http://www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com/ or http://printedwords.blogspot.com/ .

In a garden, you discover peace, you don’t wage wars you correct imbalances. You organically remove what refuses to coexist with your plants. Manifest destiny and gardening co-exist. A victory garden is about peace, about winning the war over high prices and contaminated foods. Just as war affects human lives http://www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com/ war in your garden is not waged successfully by spraying the whole garden with weed killer, or some heavy duty insecticide that is also harmful to people and pets not to mention birds and the environment. Plant gardens, send seeds not missiles.

My garden continually amazes me, calls me to exercise, get out in the sunshine, smell the flowers, commune with nature if you will. Look at that rainbow after a storm. It’s a promise. The harvests are mental, physical and nutritional. Finding peace and harmony in a garden nurtures your whole being. . Sun shine for plant growth and human growth.

When you have down time, when it rains or there is snow on the ground it’s an excellent time to read. You could find author interviews and book reviews help you learn what others already have found out. http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog or http://talkingallthingswrite.blogspot.com/. Answers about gardening or about some other interest you have are only a click away, into day's connected world. Checking an author’s pass times you may find they are gardeners also with advice you can use.

So grab that garden catalogue and begin planning and/or grab your pen and start writing.

A SPECIAL INVITATION FOR YOU!

2007-12-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

Book Club Invitation

Are you ready to experience a brand new Book Club? Go here have a look see -http://www.billiewilliams.com/BOOKCLUB.html- and if you are so inclined click on the link to join up.
You will be getting a whole book for free --written by me-- it's my early Christmas gift to you - The Capricorn Goat -January Flannel (Working Title) being written while you watch - one chapter a week - get started now at http://www.billiewilliams.com/BOOKCLUB.htmlor go to the website http://www.billiewilliams.com/ and click on the book club link at the top of the page - do as it tells you and before you know it -- you'll be reading = ) Absolutely Fr**! You will never pay anything ever!
The Novel should end up at around 80,000 words, you’ll get about 2,000 words or so a week.
I hope you enjoy it,
Billie A Williams
http://www.billiewilliams.com/
http://printedwords.blogspot.com/
http://onewomansgarden.blogspot.com/

A Foot of Snow Makes Gardens Grow

2007-12-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

Well, that may not sound really true, but when you’ve had a very dry summer it means a lot to have a good snowfall. Trees, shrubs, especially flowering shrubs, need the added moisture a good snowfall will bring to them.

I think people can live longer without food then they can without water. Our vegetation is no different. The soil can lack nutrients but not water. Matter of fact some of the nutrients the soil needs can come from minerals in the rainfall/snowfall. Which brings me to the next topic — in the winter, around here, people use wood as a secondary source of heat. It has multiple benefits only one of which is in your garden. So, let’s take a look at using wood ashes in your garden.

Wood ashes are valuable for your garden. They are soil builders. If you don’t burn wood yourself, look for a neighbor who does. He will probably give you enough for your garden for free.

Unleached wood ashes (those that are not left out in the weather) contain 5 to 7 percent phosphoric acid. Calcium compounds of 25 – 30 percent, which will help build good sturdy root systems another benefit of wood ashes.

There are differences in the woods burned that will make the ashes contain different benefits. For instance Hardwood ashes contain more potassium than softwood ones. However, much of their value as a soil enhancer will be lost if they are allowed to sit out in and be affected by the weather (leaching). This causes the soluble chemicals to leach out. Keep your ashes covered until you are ready to use them.

When should you apply wood ashes to your soil? The best rule of thumb is some time in advance of planting, but don’t mix them with manure or any high nitrogen containing materials (new grass clippings for instance). An average application would be 5 to 10 pounds per 100 square feet of garden area. Scatter the wood ashes on a freshly dug or tilled surface and then rake it into the soil. Wood ashes are not recommended for lawns or any acid-loving plants.

So be happy if you are in a snow belt, it’s the equivalent of many gentle rains and you have all those wood ashes.

Imagine the marvel of burning wood. It warms you at least four times. Once in the cutting, twice if you need to split it, three times when you haul it to the wood shed to rest until you need it, fourth when you haul it in to the fireplace or wood burning stove.

It will warm you again, when you burn it as you are pouring over your gardening catalogs plotting next year’s crops. Then you get the benefit of those ashes to spread on your soil to enrich the level of certain minerals. Gives you a great new respect for the tree and the snow doesn’t it?

Happy Gardening,
Billie

NOTES; [Coal ashes have very little value except to loosen clay type soils. But it is worth mentioning here because of their value as a drainage medium. The screened coal ashes are sometimes used in green houses under potted plants to ensure good drainage. If you have coal ashes use them at the bottoms of borders or beds to protect roses or other moisture sensitive plants from getting “wet feet” in poorly draining soil.]

You may feel free to use this article as long as you include the resource box.
Billie A Williams
http://www.billiewilliams.com/
http://onewomansgarden.blogspot.com/

While You Are Planning...

2007-12-02T07:40:00.001-08:00

While you are planning next year’s garden, why not allot some space for the forgotten cole crop, Kohlrabi? Its name means ‘cabbage turnip.’ Its easy to grow and pretty much disease and pest-free.

Incidentally, if you leave them in your garden after harvesting what you want to use, and are in a rural setting the deer will provide you with delightful entertainment as they much on the tops.

Kohlrabi purchased in the supermarket is usually tough, fibrous and bitter. You are better off growing your own. It isn’t hard. There are a variety of choices. I prefer Early White Vienna, but there are others equally as good. Most varieties mature in 55 days, so you can plan accordingly.

A soil that is rich in organic matter, retains moisture, yet drains readily, such as is preferred by other cole crops, is ideal for Kohlrabi. If you have sand and manure-enriched compost, incorporate as much as you can spare into the soil for your kohlrabi for best results.

To plant directly into the soil (You can start them indoors early) plant them in two foot blocks, spacing plants six inches apart each way, or sow two seeds per spacing and thin to the strongest seedlings when they’re about 2 inches tall.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, mulching is key to producing prize-winning Kohlrabi. Start when the plants are three inches tall with a layer of clean straw or shredded leaves. Throughout the growing season you should keep the soil consistently moist, but not mucky. All you do is sit back and wait to harvest them.

What do you do with these jewels of the cole family? Start harvesting them when they are about two inches in diameter, somewhere between golf ball or billiard ball size. This is when the flavor and texture will be at its peak.

Pull the bulbs or cut them at the root just below ground level. Strip off the leaves from those stems to use as collard greens.

Now for the Kohlrabi bulb: you can grate it for slaws, sliver it for salads, peel and slice it into coins for cheese or onion dips, my favorite is to peel and eat it raw like an apple. You can also cook them as a creamed or augratin dish. Add them to soups and stews. If you like Chinese dishes stir fry them to add to those. Steamed (either sliced or cubed) served with herbed butter or combine with carrots and peas for a beautiful and delicious side dish.

To freeze, peel and dice, blanch for 90 seconds cool in ice water and package for freezing.
The bulbs will store for several weeks in the refrigerator or root cellar.

Nutritional facts: Kohlrabi has about twice the vitamin C content of orange juice and is an excellent source of vitamin A, several B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and other minerals.

German and Hungarian cookbooks usually have some extravagant Kohlrabi recipes.

Four to Six Inches of Snow Predicted

2007-12-01T11:05:00.001-08:00

We are in a winter storm watch. It started snowing about a half hour before the weathermen thought it would. Does that mean we are done gardening?

To me it means drag out those gardening catalogs that come earlier and earlier every year and start planning for next year. Those delightful blooms and veggies, fruits and shrubs are sure to get your happy spirit up. Personally, a warm fire, a toasty mug of herbal tea and a stack of paper to plot, plan, and scheme are my respite from any storm.

I learned while I was researching cyanide poisoning for one of my mysteries that the lovely privet hedge shrub is deadly. [and so too is the Pink Lady Slipper wild orchid that was featured in "The Pink Lady Slipper"] Now that was a frightening thought. Apparently our systems, the liver to be specific, can deal with cyanide rather effectively unless it is in large doses. The apricot pit is laced with cyanide, as are apple seeds and any plum type fruit. The good news is that unless ground, chewed, or deliberately ingested like the Apricot Kernels sold at health food stores a while back--they are not lethal to you. Whew!

Remember too that those beautiful poinsettia plants are poisonous to your pets.

So I will continute to let my privet hedge divide my property into neat they and me space.

Get out those catalogs and begin your dreams for next year. I hope that they may all be productive and colorful. Oh, and after you are done with your Christmas tree this year, be sure that you hang bread cubes and peanut butter pine cones on it and stand it in your yard for the birds -- our feathered insect repelents.

Merry Christmas = )

2007-08-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends—Merry Christmas —

Well okay it isn’t yet, but I had a thought. (Ouch! I know it hurt me too! ) With the recent steamy hot weather perhaps you needed to think about the coming winter and the Christmas Season to cool down.

If you haven’t made out your Christmas list yet – I have a wonderful idea for you. [Well to me it sounded pretty darn good] How would you like to help a struggling author who is working her tail off, busting her back and the legs her mother told her could never dance in a chorus line because they were too weak, doing dishes and waiting on other people’s demands, stocking 30 pack cases on top shelves to hands and knees shelving of booze on the bottom shelves—to stocking coolers and grocery shelves, bagging ice, to selling lottery tickets (ugh!!!) so that she can afford to stay home and write? [Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Now that is a joke if I ever heard one]

Remember those long winter nights when you yearn to spend some time with a good book in front of the fireplace- since you can't garden yet? You know of other gardeners who are feeling the same -- give them a book - a book keeps on giving long after the wrapping paper has turned to compost.

So my idea was this, if everyone of my relatives and friends bought one book to give to someone else as a Christmas gift, that would be at least a start to get my books noticed by New York and an Agent so that I really could make it to the New York Times Best-Seller list. I can’t get there if I don’t sell any books. So – buddy can you spare me a dime?

January 2008 my newest release from Wings, Small Town Secrets, will be available, but if you’d prefer not to wait that long — and I hope you won’t— you could get one of the other titles. They are listed on Amazon.com now but they are still cheaper at my publishers http://www.wings-press.com/ (at least the Wings books) I’ll enclose a list.

[A re-release of Knapsack Secrets (May 2008) and a sequel to Skull Music – titled Ghost Music of Vaudeville, (November 2008)]

Tung Umolomo, A Shutting of the Mouth is still available either from http://www.publishamerica.com/ or Amazon.com.

I have several titles available from http://www.lulu.com/ including a cookbook, (Bed and Breakfast Murders Cookbook and Extras) two poetry books (Feather’s in the Wind, and Meanderings Most Museful, an essay/short story book (Adrift) and a children’s book (Magic Carpet Ride.) I

f you would like something for a writer friend or wannabe writer: Writing Wide, Exercises in Creative Writing, or Characters In Search of an Author are both available from http://www.filbertpublishing.com/ or Amazon, Barnes and Noble or any bookstore – just ask them to order it if it isn’t on their shelves (actually this is true of any of my books they all can be ordered for you – and do tell the bookstore they are ALL returnable in good condition.)

Now, I have other books coming out next year but I would really, really like to see you fill some of your Christmas gift giving needs with a trip to my website to look at the books I have http://www.billiewilliams.com/ – if you like I can send you a PDF (electronic) Sampler of the first chapters of all my books for FREE. Just email me and I’ll send it right off – feel free to copy this PDF Sampler, share it with everyone you know, even print it off and leave it in your Doctor’s or Dentists, or hair dressers lounge/office.

If you haven’t heard and you know of anyone or any group that will be doing a Christmas Play this season A CHRISTMAS DREAM a 3-Act Play for small to medium theatrical groups from church, to school, to community theater and everyone else is available. It is my first attempt at writing a play and it has been getting some good reviews —It is available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or any bookstore just for the asking – I’ll include the ISBN of all the books on a second sheet here so you can take it with you when you go to a bookstore or get online.

Some books I have had a hand in are on the steamy side – Written by Cricket Sawyer or Logan Blue – some you will find at http://www.silksvault.com/ [Angeni, Irish Whiskey, Great White Bull, and Beyond The Shadows] or http://www.erotiquepress.com/ [Valentine Express]. A new publisher will be re-releasing several titles in January – two of the publishers who had published these books closed their doors so those books will be re-released from other publishers. Look for re-releases and new names for (Black Knight)Dark Knight (Logan Blue), Blue Interlude (a Billie title), Comfortable Shoes (Cricket Sawyer) From Echelon and Erotique.

Firedrake Weyr is a new publisher that is publishing a Cricket Sawyer book, Lavender Lust and several from me. The Power Stones of the Goddess Ebony, Write to Entice, Spice up Your Writing. They should be available in January, February, and March of next year.

So I hope you are enjoying thoughts of back to school, beautiful and cool fall colors, and looking forward to a wonderful Christmas Season. If you have any questions, comments, want signed copies or book plates for your purchases please shoot me an email or drop me a snail mail line. We really want the Post Office to know we haven’t forgotten them just because technology is faster then they are —most times. Thank you so much for your time, consideration and purchases.

Love & Prayers and good old fashioned hugz.

And of course MERRY CHRISTMAS (albeit a tad early)
Billie A Williams
http://www.billiewilliams.com/

[And Cricket and Logan say thanks too even though their books are only electronic and available online – they still make affordable sassy choices for some.]

A Letter From a Friend

2007-08-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with gardening - but it does have everything to do with friendship and the love we have for our pets. Please read this and then take action before you pass it on to everyone you know. You owe it to your pets and your loved ones.

Thank You!

Billie

Stop the Slaughter

Returning home from a routine trip to the library on Friday, July 13, 2007. I found one of my beloved cats lying on the floor in a pool of blood, her tiny body wracked with convulsions. Checking on the others, I found two more unable to stand, their legs too shaky to hold their bodies, their bodies trembling fiercely.

Wrapping these three in towels, we headed for the Pet Emergency Hospital, where one of the first questions was whether I had recently given the cats a flea treatment—I had, that very afternoon. The next question: “Was it Hartz?” Again, my answer was yes. This was my first year using this particular brand.

When I left the hospital that night, it was without my three cats. They were too far gone to make it through. I left with instructions to bathe the remaining four and watch them closely. I followed this. They were quiet and nervous that night. By the next morning, another cat was in full-blown seizures and the other three were blinking rapidly and jerking, their muscles starting to be affected. Another trip to the Pet Hospital. When I left this time, one more of my babies was gone and the other three had been admitted. I was scared they would not make it. These three did come home. They survived physically, but my heart goes out to them as they wander through the house crying for those who are gone.

The look on the vet’s face got me thinking and I started to research. This was not the first tragedy caused by Hartz flea treatment. Cats have been dying from this product for years---yet the product remains on store shelves. Unsuspecting consumers, wanting to protect their pets and trusting the Hartz name buy and use it—sometimes it is fine, all too often it ends in tragedy.

I am asking you today to take a stand with me and demand that Hartz remove their flea treatment for cats from the shelves. Hartz knows the danger, they are aware of the record, yet they continue—this slaughter must stop!!

The warning on the box states simply the product should not be used on cats under five pound, pregnant or ill. None of my seven fell into any of those categories—all were over five pounds, five over ten pounds. None were pregnant. All were healthy. The youngest was just over two years old and the oldest six—not kittens. Yet EVERY SINGLE ONE had a reaction!!!

How can you take a stand? The first step is to make a copy of this letter and post it anywhere and everywhere you can. Let people know the danger of this product. Next, contact Hartz at:
Consumer Relations DepartmentThe Hartz Mountain Corporation400 Plaza DriveSecaucus , NJ 07094 USAConsumer Hotline1-800-275-1414 Monday – Friday 9 am – 5 pm EST

And insist they remove their product from the shelves. If you see the cat flea treatment on a store shelf, talk to the store manager, let him or her know the danger and ask that it be removed.

Hartz, how many more lives must be lost before you stop this needless slaughter? Is it going to take you seeing the pain and horror in your child’s eyes when they watch a beloved friend die? Is it going to take looking into a pair of golden eyes that are begging for help as you hold the convulsing body that just hours before ran and played? If there is any compassion at all within you, you will see the need to remove this product immediately.

I panic every time one of my remaining three moves quickly. Hundreds of others out there do the same. It is too late to save so many—it isn’t too late to save the rest!!! I ask each and every employee at Hartz to stop by the pet shop on your way home tonight—or maybe you have a cat at home –really look into that cat’s eyes and ask yourself this: Doesn’t that cat’s life mean anything? Is the money worth the pain and suffering?

If that doesn’t change your mind, look into your child’s eyes. What would you do if you gave this precious child medicine to help him or her and instead of helping, the medicine attacked every muscle, caused convulsions – and death?

My cats were my children—just as so many others are to those who love them. Find your conscious, search your hearts---and stop this senseless slaughter!!!

Joyce A. Anthony
rainbow@velocity.net

Gardens On The Rise - or Vertical Response to a Small Space

2007-07-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Gardens on the rise — the vertical rise that is.

Have you ever thought of gardening vertically? I hadn’t given it much thought this year when I planted gourds in one of my swans that swim around the concrete fisher boy gingerly perched on a stump. He fishes there year round, though there is no pond.

The gourds started their meandering search for where the sun they liked best was available. I watched daily as they started out toward the lawn area – and then detoured back up a side table by the park bench, and turned abruptly to check out the potted petunias on that small table. Sure enough this morning when I checked they liked the moist soil in the pot and had quickly set a tendril into the soil and the rest of the plant continued on toward the back of the park bench. There is a small tree (broken off in one of our wind storms) that affords shade to the park bench – some of the branches are precariously low to the arm of the bench. I’m waiting to see what direction the gourd will take next.

But it did give me pause. I have only a small vegetable garden area. I do make use of vertical growing most years. This year I planted bush squash so I don’t need to contend with the vines. I planted the pumpkins over in the flower bed around the windmill instead of flowers – they make a beautiful flower bed. I grow cucumbers up trellis or corn, I grow whatever I can on fences and plant smaller crops like leaf lettuce at the base to help conserve the evaporation of soil moisture and to give me more yield in a smaller area. I find that companion planting lengthens my season – even in the hot weather peas will continue to grow when roses and onions shade them on one side and beets and bush squash shade them from the other.

If you haven’t tried vertical gardening you owe to yourself to try. The plants stay cleaner, are easier to harvest, and more disease resistant because most harmful plant pests do not climb. The humming birds, butterflies, and bees are delighted with the advantage you afford them with vertical plantings. Try it next year.

Happy Gardening.
Billie

Lord of the Flies or Pollinators?

2007-07-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Pollinators
By Billie A Williams
“Time’s fun when you’re having flies,”
Lynn Havsall, Environmental Educator at the College of the Atlantic

For most of us, bees or butterflies are the only insects we think of when we think pollinators. Would you believe a much more prolific pollinator, the ordinary Diptera (fly) is really a contender? Some of them resemble bees so of course we attribute even that to the bee.

In a recent article in (July –August 2007) issue of Audubon Magazine an article on flies caught my attention. Apparently “… scientists recognize flies as key players in ecosystems, recycling carcasses, dung, and plant debris while themselves serving as vital food in the life cycles of many kinds of birds, bats, and fish. Some rival bees as pollinators of domestic crops. Other flies are powerful tools for helping geneticists unravel the nature of life, the police in solving violent crimes, or pollution control specialists in assessing the quality of our waterways.”

A tall order for such tiny creatures you say. Me too! Ogden Nash is credited with saying “God in His wisdom made the fly/And then forgot to tell us why.”

Reading the in-depth wonderful article by Frank Graham Jr. really gave me pause to think about flies in a whole new light. The family names boggle my mind and classing mosquitoes, dragonflies, damselflies in the same group as black fly, horse fly or blow fly boggles my mind. To tell them apart the four winged Dragonfly from the two winged bottle fly is simple when you read the names — those four winged critters have the fly attached to the name – the two winged have the fly separate from the name. J I feel so very clever knowing that.

The first four-winged insects appear in the fossil records dating back more than 350 million years. “The two-winded flies show up 215 million years ago, having evolved the tiny, clublike hind wings called halteres to make flight with the front pair more efficient.”

Another distinction is made regarding the type of antennae the insects have. The long variety such as the mosquito has or the short-horned flies like the house fly. While the mosquito has serious and lethal names to describe their various disease bearing qualities there are only a few flies with lethal characteristics. Contrary to folk entomology, the common house fly does not bite. His mouthparts are designed as sponge-like usurpers of liquefied meals. If you believe you were bitten by a house fly the perpetrator was probably the dreaded, but similar stable fly. The tiny midges (Chironomid midges) not the biting kind, are always present around water and thus become one of the most reliable barometers of the water’s quality.

I may have to enlist the blow files (sometimes called blue bottles, green bottles etc.) in my next mystery as they are the star witnesses when it comes to presenting evidence in court about the time of death of a victim. They are attracted to the corpse shortly after death. They lay their eggs in various body openings. The maggots hatch in a matter of 24 hours and feed internally, hastening decomposition. Entomologists are able to identify maggots that are present on a body and can gauge their stage of development in the contents of environmental conditions — establishing the time, place and successive whereabouts in the time before the body was discovered. Perhaps it was killed in one place and transported to another – the flies in one place (say shoreline) may not be consistent with the flies that would be found elsewhere (say a city dump).

There is some fascinating reading in this issue of Audubon and I may have to revisit it in the next article perhaps looking at the methane gas emitted by cows by burping, creating 18 percent of the greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

Visit http://www.audubonmagazine.org/ for more information.

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Feel free to pass on this article as long as you leave the resource box attached.
http://www.billiewilliams.com/
http://printedwords.blogspot.com/
http://onewomansgarden.blogspot.com/
www.YouTube.com/basbleu43

What can you do with hay bales?

2007-07-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

After reading an article in The Daily Dirt, gardening news, I was struck by the beauty of this idea. Planting your garden in hay bales. I'm sure you could buy last years bales cheaply from any number of farmers. The thought of a strawberry pyramid built of hay bales is the best thing I could think of...fertilizer, the necessary control of where the vines will re-attach themselves and all that. It could be a real boost to the weeding and care process.

"Hay bale vegetable gardening is a technique that was developed by a vegetable crop specialist at the University of Florida. It may sound odd but vegetable gardening in hay bales really works. Wheat straw bales are better than hay because they tend to have fewer weed seeds than hay bales and alfalfa and mixed grass bales also work well." Heleigh Bostwick, of The Daily Dirt says.

The author of the article recommends if you must use new bales that you soak them for three days in a row, then layer fertilizer over them for 3 or 4 days and let them sit for three more days, then dig a hole in them to put your plants. She says any plant could grow this way with the exception of root crops and tall ones like corn (because they would become top heavy and tip over). Can you see the posibilities - Step gardens where there is not enough horizontal space...you may have to tend them with a step ladder - but at least you could grow produce. I'm seeing pictures of a tower of vegetables...What an amazing idea.

I see a circle of bales with poles in the center where you plant pole beans and train them toward the poles - wouldn't that be a spectacular center for other vegetables such as pumpkins or cucumbers growing below them?

I hope you will try it out. I intend to as my strawberries are out of control in my flower and vegetable garden areas.

Happy Gardening.

Billie

Roses in Peril

2007-06-23T09:25:00.001-07:00

Roses in Peril

By Billie A Williams

Roses are my husband’s favorite flowers—little does he know the work involved in keeping them beautiful. Today while I was out trying to rescue a $26 hanging basket of Petunia’s that were surviving on mere water and nutrients I had fed earlier in the week. A side note, beautiful basket but the first time I watered it I knew….I’ll save that story for another column.

Now on to the roses in peril I heard this buzzing sound – nearly like an electrical transformer makes in peak air conditioning season. I thought wow; the bees are especially busy today—on our very fragrant white roses. The fragrance is heavenly and perfumes nearly the whole yard. To my surprise – the bees were trying to be busy, fighting for existence among the blooms of the roses while an outrage of Rose Chafers devoured blossom, buds and everything they could reach. They even attacked the bees as I watched. I was devastated. Apparently, these obnoxious visitors are especially fond of white blooms.

I hurried to the house to read what Jerry Baker had to recommend. (I have several of his gardening books—he always has the natural solution) His solution was hand picking – YUK! Not something that made me feel very good. Other than that he mentioned a couple chemicals rotenone or Pyrethrin…Not into the expense or the side affects of chemical solutions, I opted for my old stand-by which cures nearly all insect infestations without the harmful side affects for birds and other critters in my yard.

I mixed up a cocktail of Mrs. Murphy’s Oil soap and water. (1/4 cup to a quart of water) and sprayed the dickens out of those roses. I probably err on the side of too much soap to water, as Jerry Baker has a different recipe below--but his is pre--mine is present solutions.

Reading further in Jerry’s book he says “if you give your roses a bath once a week with a solution of 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap mixed with 2 gallons of warm water, odds are, you won’t need any chemical controls!” I wish I had heeded my own advice earlier when I saw the first chaffer on my Smoke Tree.

Here’s another trick from an old-time gardening friend, "put one or two garlic cloves among your roses to keep aphids and other pests away." (Another thing I was too busy to follow this year) Usually, I plant a row of set onions in front of the roses that border the head of my garden, which normally is enough control. This year the weather has been so different that perhaps I need to go back to more intensive and consistent prevention medicine. It's hotter than it should be this early and the rains we get are torrential downpours accompanied by horrendous winds. Very unusual.

Now, I must keep an eye on my Concord grape vines as these nasty critters move across my yard, they are surely next and the Rose Chafer will feed on them too. Mrs. Murphy, are you ready?
Happy Gardening
Billie

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You may feel free to use this article if you retain this resource box with it.
Award winning Mystery Suspense author Billie A Williams invites you to visit her at http://www.billiewilliams.com/ or check out her You Tube video of A Christmas Dream Script for a 3-Act Play designed for medium to small theatrical groups.

www.YouTube.com/watch?v=z0G3KE5HxNY
http://printedwords.blogspot.com/

Bananas, Salt, Tea and WD40

2007-06-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

BANANAS, SALT, TEA AND WD-40™
By Billie A Williams
Rose bushes are they hard to raise? Depends on who you talk to. I have had terrible luck with the miniature variety, but basically the others are a breeze. They need pruning, water and occasionally a few banana peels. What you never heard of burying banana peels around the perimeter of your roses? The nutrients are ideal for them, but what I didn’t know before was, the banana peel actually retards aphids a real nasty for rose bushes and gladiolas. I usually spray my plants at the first sign of trouble with a weak soap solution. If I see any aphids near my roses, I use Mrs Murphy’s Oil soap mixed with water in a spray bottle (also good on the grape vines) but I like the double duty banana peel instead. Tea is another rose booster. It will enhance the growth of roses.

Here are a few more hints for other bugs and areas of your living space. Are you tired of uninvited guests at your picnic? To keep those pesky ants at bay try putting plastic containers under the legs of your picnic table and filling them with water. The ants may climb up the plastic container but they will fall in and drown before they get to the table legs.

Salt has always been a favorite remedy of mine for so many things. You can fill a plastic container with salt water and place it at ground level in your gardens where you have seen slugs or snail damage. The snails and slugs drown trying to get at the salt. (This works with beer too) If you need to bait them use pieces of raw potato around the dish. You can also use salt to stop weeds from growing in the cracks of your sidewalks or walkways and is one of the many things that can extend the life of cut flowers. In the kitchen you can use a light salt water solution to put peeled potatoes or apples in until you are ready to use them, to keep them from turning dark.

Tea is a great addition to any acid loving houseplants soil. I use weak tea to water my ferns, and other house plants once a month. You can also use it and the tea bags to speed up the decomposition of your compost pile. (Compost pile coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells and any organic vegetable matter is great.)

Now here is something I bet you’ve not heard of before—WD-40 ™uses in your garden. I believe WD-40 ™ has nearly as many uses as duct tape. You can use it to spray your flower beds lightly to keep cats, dogs and other animals out of them. You can use it on your bird feeders to keep squirrels off of them (hmmm cheaper than Cheyenne pepper – perhaps.) Those dirty messy pigeons building nests on balconies and porches, try spraying surfaces with WD-40™ it makes your place very unappealing to the pests.

Also spray railings and bird feeders to keep them off. If you have a wasp problem, building nests under your eaves—next summer spray the over hang under the eaves with WD-40™. One more good use for it, spray thistle plants and they will be history.

Use it to take care of your lawn and garden tools. Spray the handles to keep them from splintering and giving you slivers, spray the tines of garden forks, shovels, hoes, to keep them rust free and in good condition. (you can do this with your snow shovel, snow blower etc to keep snow from sticking to them in the winter, too)

Like I said WD-40™ is in a race with duct tape™ and probably super glue™ to see who is the most versatile and important. I love organic solutions when at all possible, but when something works like magic it’s hard to resist using modern warfare in the garden to get rid of pests.

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Feel free to pass this article along as long as you leave this resource box attached.
Billie A Williams
Multi-published Mystery/Suspense Author
Whose Accidental Sleuth’s solve crimes with wit, wisdom and chutzpah.
http://www.billiewilliams.com/
www.youtube.com/basbleu43

Rose Pests - and Helpers

2007-06-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

This morning when I stopped at our local Mathis Ace Hardware ( you know the jingle "Ace is the place with the helpful hardware - man" - er person) I needed a cure for my peonies - they haven't bloomed yet and I planted them years ago. Someone told me they need Oyster shells - I wasn't able to find any. (If any one has any ideas I'd be pleased as punch to hear them. I do have plenty of ants so that isn't the problem) Picture of Lady Bug and aphids on fennel

But speaking of ants they are a problem in another way. Every insect has a benefit - such as the need for ants to help open peony blooms. however, Ants do pose a problem in that they "farm" aphids -- aphids can mean disaster for your glads or roses. So whats a person to do? You could import some Lady Bugs - they have a special appetite for them. (not the asian beetle please, but the real Lady Bug)

A women next to me in the insecticide - fertilizer isle was searching for rose dust to kill the aphids and things bothering her roses.

I had a solution for her - since she seemed to prefer organic, but was desperate. We could use the lady bugs (we have many around here. They didn't seem to be doing their job) or at least something safe for pets, birds, people. My solution for pests is Mrs. Murphy's Oil Soap. I mix it with water in a spray bottle - about 1/8 to a 1/4 cup to a quart of water and mist my plants until the leaves drip. I've used it to get rid of the bugs in my grapevines, the bean and squash bugs. It works to spray it around my back door to keep asian beetles and box alder bugs from coming in everytime the door opens. It's a wonderful product and doesn't hurt the environment.

I love finding solutions to my gardening problems that can help others and not harm beneficial critters or people. If anyone knows a reason why my 10 year old transplanted Peonies are not blooming though - I'd appreciate a note. Thank you!

Happy Gardening.

Billie

It's Organic, It's Exciting, It's Cutting Edge

2007-06-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this (with permission of course) from a lovely lady over at The Daily Dirt - if you love gardening you will want to subscribe to her daily missives they are great! Here is the link.

http://www.mygardenguide.com/blog/index.php?id=1060

Wednesday What's New: Sustainable Urban Farm

The Link for the story: the original article: http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN0718100720070607

The Science Barge, a sustainable urban farm is on a mission to educate people about sustainability. Moored on the Hudson River on New York City's west side, the barge is equipped with two greenhouses and is powered by solar, wind, and biofuels, and irrigated by rainwater and purified river water--with no carbon emissions, no water use, and no waste stream.

The cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and other vegetables are grown using hydroponic gardening techniques. Ted Caplow, head of New York Sun Works, the non-profit organization behind the Science Barge, believes that if vegetables were grown hydroponically in greenhouses on New York City's rooftops, there would be more than enough vegetables to feed the region.

Caplow says that greenhouses produce seven times more food and use four times less water than traditional farming methods on land. Despite the proliferation and success of community gardens, one of the reasons rooftops may be the solution is that space for growing gardens on land is limited in a region with a population as dense as New York City. Of course most people don't have access to their rooftops, but the possibility of using public rooftops is a viable option.

Photo source: www.nysunworks.org Source: Environmentalist dreams of New York rooftop farms

Heleigh Bostwick, Making Gardens Greener

One Woman's Garden - a look at Organic Gardening

2007-06-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

I've gardened all my life. No wait, that's true. While I was growing up I spent summers on my grandfather's farm - he had two 80 acre parcels split in half by a road that twisted over the narrow bridge and through the woods to a little country town that was nothing more than a whisper on the map in Northern Wisconsin named Morse.

I learned that if you salt cabbage it heads without the intrusion of worms and a lot of other great things about gardening using ordinary things every kitchen should have to control pests and invaders. Control ants and weeds with vinegar or cheyenne Pepper. Skunks don't like moth balls. But I'll leave more on that for later.

Living on a small dairy farm with pigs, chickens and eggs, geese, sheep, worked by draft horses that eventually were replaced by the more energy efficient (?) tractor...a learning experience unequalled by anything else. I came away richer for it and I would like to share some of what I learned with you. If you garden, or want to garden in this day and age where you are afraid to buy Spinach or peanut butter because it might be contaminated-- tag along with me. It's time we all started doing, what during World War II they called A Victory Garden, near our kitchen doors. Don't worry if you live in a high rise apartment building - I've got solutions for you too. So join me, won't you! Until next time...

Happy Gardening,

Billie