Vacation day 5: Made it to Mobile, AL

Approaching the city of Mobile

After about 6 hours in the car and the 4 previous days on the road. Staying somewhere new every night we were all ready to sleep in the same bed for more than one night. So Aunt Marilyn’s was just what we all needed. And for anyone who likes the whole shabby chic look, WOW you are in for a treat. Her home is beautiful! It is in the historic district of Mobile and they have really kept the homes historic features but brought it into the present day. She has her own artistic flare to everything in the house and there is not a room that there isn’t something handmade by her. I will take you on a tour.

Charming is the best word to describe their home.

She has more antiques than and antique shop.

They installed a old fashioned water pump.  The girls had fun with that.

The gardens and this swing...ahhh...charming.

Vacation day 4: Leesburg, AL

I LOVE camping, Mama!

Why don’t we camp more? After Chattanooga we drove into Alabama and found a campsite on Weiss lake in Leesburg. We pitched our tent about 5 ft from the water.

We had a campfire and made smores though I did make my own variation of the smore. Instead of using a hershey bar you put a reeses peanutbutter cup on it. It is pretty yum yum.

You are a smore making champ when you can roast marshmallows while eating your smore

We  (oh and by we I really mean my wonderful husband :) woke up and cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast. Which sounds way easier than it really was. We had packed a coleman camping stove but realized when we were there that it did not work. So Ryan had to start a fire using the wood that I insisted he douce with water the night before …oops. He did it though just like any real man could.

 It was very tasty and good hearty breakfast to start the day.

Good morning little campers.

We also realized how unprepared we really were for camping.  But you live and learn. I now have a list of what we need for next time. But we made due and everything turned out just great. We usually camp once a year but it is with my whole family and my mom is usually the prepared one of the bunch.  I guess she has spoiled me a bit.

We packed up and were back on the road headed to Mobile, AL. What I realized though was that we really love camping and we should do it more often.

Vacation; Turning 7 an all American way.

It doesn’t get more American than spending the day driving across the country. Getting to learn what this great country has to offer, the history and diversity of this country that we are priviledged enough to call home.

 We stopped at Fava’s Restaurant for a late lunch in Georgetown, KY.

 It is a historic little town that seemed to be doing well. Usually when you drive through those little towns the old building are empty. Not so with Georgetown.

They served a Kentucky hotbrown, an open faced sandwich with turkey, ham, bacon with brown gravy and cheddar cheese poured over it with a tomato on top. The Boss tried it. I would have to say that it was not all that good.

But the frickles on the other hand were pretty darn good. Frickles; fried pickles. Then we ended the birthday lunch with a big banana split!

Brain freeze

Scraping the bowl

Happy Birthday my baby girl I am so grateful God blessed me we you 7 years ago.  You are truely a joy to us!

Vacation day 3: Chattanooga, TN

Waiting to go in.

I have never been in a cave before let alone taken down in an elevator hundreds of feet underground. It was cool, beautiful and definitely worth seeing!  Then a waterfall in a cave....pretty cool.  Here are some of the things that we got to see. 

Ruby Falls

Me and my girls, love them!

It's a tight squeeze.

The idea here was that it would show the Ruby Falls sign.  I guess when you ask a random stranger to take your picture, you can't be too picky.

At the top of look out mountain.

For a 7 year old it's like being on top of the world!

A civil war canon.

My kitchen was featured on another blog!

I am so excited that my kitchen was featured on Down to Earth.  If you want to see the post look here.  I have loved this series.  You get to see kitchens from all over the world.

Seed companies supplied by Monsanto (reposted)

This was taken and reposted from  Never Done Farm



Seed companies supplied by Monsanto




Some info I already knew, had saved and now is found. Unfortunately this won't help you this season in your seed choices, but save the info. for future reference.



Here is an interesting post on Seed companies supplied by monsanto. If you think it is relevant please pass it on to the growing food and justice list serve.



Recently on a gardening forum in which I participate, a list of various seed companies now owned by Monsanto was posted. I was so shocked to discover Territorial Seeds on the list that I immediately wrote to them to ask if it was true... As it turns out, while Territorial continues to be owned

privately, by Tom & Julie Johns, one of their seed suppliers, Seminis, is in fact owned by Monsanto. Over the course of my correspondence with staff from Territorial, they provided me with a list of the seeds currently purchased by Seminis, which I have attached. And I was told that the owners are 'considering' whether or not to continue using Seminis as a vendor.



I'm sending this information out in the hopes that *you'll* consider writing to Territorial Seeds to request they terminate their relationship with Seminis, as well as expressing support for them as a company you'd continue to buy seeds from in the future. I can't express enough how important it is for those of us who are dedicated to food security, and the ongoing availability of good, local, organic produce, to do whatever we can to prevent Monsanto from colonizing our primary sources of seed. Toward that end, I'm also posting the list of companies owned by Monsanto for your

review, in case you find others whose seeds you've bought.



* Territorial Seeds

* Totally Tomato

* Vermont Bean Seed Co.

* Burpee

* Cook's Garden

* Johnny's Seeds

* Earl May Seed

* Gardens Alive

* Lindenberg Seeds

* Mountain Valley Seed

* Park Seed

* T&T Seeds

* Tomato Growers Supply

* Willhite Seed Co.

* Nichol's

* Rupp

* Osborne

* Snow

* Stokes

* Jungs

* R.H. Shumway

* The Vermont Bean Seed Company

* Seeds for the World

* Seymour's Selected Seeds

* HPS

* Roots and Rhizomes

* McClure and Zimmerman Quality Bulb Brokers

* Spring Hill Nurseries

* Breck's Bulbs

* Audubon Workshop

* Flower of the Month Club

* Wayside Gardens

* Park Bulbs

* Park's Countryside Garden



And one final thing: here's a link to another seed company, Fedco, who posted information on their website about their own decision to forgo using Seminis any longer once they had been purchased by Monsanto: http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/monsanto.htm

Fedco Seeds - The Monsanto Debate/Monsanto Buys Seminis

Whats growning in my garden~ May edition~(also how the cold frame worked for me)

The box closest to me is the one that I used the cold frame top on.

All the plants in the front are volunteer cherry tomato plants.  Anybody want any?

Ermosa lettuce, with a few volunteer tomato plants in between.  I don't have the heart to pull them and throw them out.

Bright colors swiss chard.

Spinach

Two of the four brocolli plants.

Tallest in back, cilantro, to the right chives, front oregano.  All of these came back on their own.

In back is garlic. In front of that are red long of tropea.

Garlic and onions.

Happy gardening!!

Turkey update!

Ok Ok I know I promised one of these a while back but all you country girls know what time of year it is.  Which means you also understand that it is hard enough to keep you head on straight because of the amount of work that needs to be done.  Let alone trying to keep a blog straight.  So true to my motto "Better late than never ;)"

Remember those cute little fluffy birds a few weeks back?  Well here they are now.

Not so little anymore.  As you may notice there are only 4 instead of 5.  I was going to mention later in my vacation posts about the phone call received while on vacation from my friend that was taking care of my animals that one of them was killed :(  Turns out she decided to leave them out over night which was a big mistake.  They need to be locked up at night because all sorts of things would like to make them a midnight snack.

Here is Kermit struting his stuff. 

We have 3 males and one female.  Not that it is relevant when they are going to be dinner.

Tukreys for us have been a pretty easy animal and we enjoy them both alive and on the dinner table.