Blog Archives
Gnasty gnats
Posted by doggonedmysteries
The last couple of weeks we have a plague of gnats. They swarm and bite not just the dogs but us too. When I ran the trimmer around the pond, the gardens, and along the fence those nasty bugs were biting the heck out of my ears. They drew blood and were worse than the mosquitoes. It’s a darned shame the bull frogs consider them too small to be an appetizer.
No, our frogs want to eat birds and nightcrawlers. One of the frogs, probably Goliath, has the mourning doves on heightened patrol at the waterfall. The birds have begun to use a lookout when they come in to drink. I haven’t seen any starlings stop by for quite a while.
When I sit on the little bench by the back door, I can see a dozen or so gold finches feasting on my coneflowers’ seeds. They arrive every afternoon around five and aren’t as skittish now as they were this summer. The cat bird joins them. From the far side of the cemetery I can hear the red tailed hawk yelling at the mowers. I can’t stay outside and enjoy the birds for long because the gnats discover me again.
Posted in Dog related, hobbies, my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, bird watching, Birds, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
A little of this and that
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I received a lovely surprise in my mailbox today. The prize package from Jennie arrived. She’s such a dear. She didn’t have to send the package all the way here from Cardiff, Wales. She could’ve fibbed and sent it to someone closer. I’m glad she did send it to me though because it’s a delightful little treasure trove.
The news that one of my favorite actors has died threw me for a loop. I’ve always adored Patrick Swayze and kept hoping he’d beat that nasty pancreatic cancer.
We’ve had two sunny days in a row now—Hooray for the sun! I managed to backwash the pond filters, pick five tomatoes and a dozen or so grape tomatoes. There’s still more out there that aren’t ready yet. The first hint of a frost around here and I’ll scrabble to pick all the green tomatoes—we do love fried green tomatoes.
After I finished the yard work, I went straight to my computer and spent several hours reading and critiquing one of Dave’s books. He’s truly an excellent writer. In fact, I think I used ‘excellent’ more than once in my comments on his manuscript. I’m telling you people, when his books are published, you have to read them.
Posted in In memory of..., Misc, My blog, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pond, Ponds, Writer, Writing
Bullfrog glamour shots and garden pictures
Posted by doggonedmysteries
After accepting a bribe of worms, Goliath obligingly sat still for several photographs tonight. He stayed still even with my use of a prop (a one pound coffee can) to show his size. Goliath frog is fat! I then downloaded his ‘glamour shots’ and the garden pictures I took last week. You will find them on our garden and pond page.
The garden pictures are from August. I’m always on the look out for black flowers and foliage. (I have a thing for them.) One of my favorite pictures is of my black elephant ears. We lost our black bearded Iris to the mice a couple of years back and we haven’t found another one to replace it. This year I purchased a couple of daylilies that are quite dark but not black. I like the black flowers and foliage because they make the other colors in the garden pop. They also go well with all the gargoyle statuary. 😉
I did forget to take a picture of our torch wielding gargoyle. Yes, the torch does work. I’ll get around to photographing it one of these days.
Posted in hobbies, Misc, my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Fish, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Photgraphy, Pond, Ponds, Writer, Writing
To can or not to can
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I can’t believe it. We’re halfway through our second jar of my Cousins’ homemade jam. The first jar we finished was his raspberry jam what a heavenly delight! This one is sour cherry-raspberry and all I can say is wow. I’m sorely tempted to open all the others to taste them but I will restrain myself and go one at a time. I’m not certain as to which one we’ll try after this jar is empty.
We have a number of choices. There’s the blueberry, the strawberry, the strawberry rhubarb, and sour cherry sitting in the cupboard waiting for us to dive in. My cousin and his daughter make tons of jams for the family every year. Another cousin makes a wonderful salsa.
I’ve also been hoarding a jar of my Aunts’ tomato relish—it’s my last jar.
I’m sorry to say that I haven’t done any canning in several years. I used to make this wonderful tomato pear chutney, a port wine jelly, an apple ginger jelly, and a jalapeño jelly. Dear Hubby misses the jalapeño jelly most of all. I quit canning when my dishwasher died, it was a portable, and we never replaced it because it took up too much room. It had a sterilizing cycle that I used to sterilize all my jars, lids, and rings. It’s too time consuming and too much work without it.
Posted in Food, hobbies, Misc, My blog
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Cooking, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Food, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Cooler nights now
Posted by doggonedmysteries
The last couple of nights have been wonderful. It’s been very good sleeping weather with the temperatures in the mid sixties. Our AC is off and the house opened up during the day with the low humidity and cooler days too.
I am saddened to see that the leaves are ever so slightly beginning to change color and some of the Tulip Poplar and Magnolia’s leaves have fallen. Summer has passed too quickly.
We’ll soon have to rake leaves. Dear Hubby and I hope to get the pond covered properly this year so we don’t get as many leaves in the water as we did this past fall. We never did get around to putting the netting up and I had a heck of a job cleaning the pond out this spring.
The bullfrogs are eating everything they can grab now, fattening up for their winter hibernation. Yes, for Goliath this includes any birds that happen to land too close to him.
It’s also time to change the Koi to their fall food. I’ll have to add that to my list to pick some up this week before I forget it.
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Fish, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pond, Ponds, Writer, Writing
My turn!
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Since Gavin wrote the post yesterday, Mom said it was my turn today. My name is Patty; I’m the lovely dark princess in the picture above. Mom says I’m no princess I’m a Peppermint Patty I have no idea what she’s talking about when she says things like that ‘cause I know I’m a princess. Daddy says I am his rescued Rumanian princess. I love my Mommy too but she cleans ears and stuff so I’d rather sit with Dad.
When I went outside tonight, I chased two of those green critters into the pond. They both screamed and hopped so high I thought they were birds taking off. I couldn’t help chasing the first one he was sitting right at the bottom step. I surprised him as much as he surprised me. Halfway to the pond the other one screamed and took off so then I had two of them bouncing green things in front of me. I was so excited! That is I was until they splashed into the pond. I don’t like to get wet so all I could do was try to see where they went. Mom said they hide under the water with the fishes and can stay there for a long time so I should stop looking and come in.
I told Gavin about the green critters that Mom calls bullfrogs. He says he’s heard them scream and splash into the water but never saw one close enough to chase it. I beat him on that one!
Posted in Dog related, My blog, my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Fish, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
We are one step ahead of the squirrels in the great tomato war
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Gavin here, Mom said I could write the blog tonight. Boy is Mom completely ticked off at the squirrels. Tree rats she calls them. While Patty and I were enjoying the AC, it seems that those sneaky critters went and built a nest in her magnolia tree. Then they started stealing tomatoes and had the nerve to sit on her bench by the back door and eat them!
Patty says she could scare them off if only she could climb the tree. We’ve both tried but we don’t have any cat blood in us so it didn’t work. The danged old tree rat laughed at us but then so did Mom. Now that it’s cooler outside we’re patrolling the yard more often.
The tree rat cusses at us from the top of the magnolia. Patty and I pretend we can’t hear him and maybe he’ll come closer.
Dad says it’s time to get out the have-a-heart traps again. He said something about relocating the fluffy tailed rats. I don’t know what relocating means but I growled about it at the squirrel tonight.
Posted in Dog related, My blog
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Hookers, Johns, and night-time photographs
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I know it’s weird that I take pictures of the gardens at night. The whole night-time photography thing started in a strange way…
I live in the center of town in a rather quiet area, slightly off the beaten path. For years, we had a high hedge along the side of yard. This attracted a certain problem. What was the problem you ask? Hookers and their Johns discovered it. At first, I’d let the dogs out and allow them to bark at the strange cars but I began to fear that these people might try to harm my darlings. My tactics changed quickly when one man became confrontational and we had to call the police on him.
After such an experience, you tend to try to find easy ways to move them off without being confrontational. Having a camera’s flash go off several times in their direction certainly does the trick. No, I don’t take pictures of them or their cars but they don’t know this. Should they try to confront me, I can prove that I am innocently taking pictures of my gardens and pond.
I’ve found that when I photograph the gardens at night the colors of the flowers and Koi come up clearer and most natural. There is that deterrent thing too…
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Fish, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pond, Ponds, Writer, Writing
Never tell anyone who your tomato overflow person is…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We planted five tomato plants. The counters and fridge are teeming with tomatoes. I have several neighbors who put in at least a dozen plants, no wonder they have so many.
Our tomatoes are coming in faster than greyhounds after a rabbit and so are all the neighbors’. Neighbors are scrambling to get rid of them and they are all getting the same response, “I already have a ton of tomatoes.”
I’ve made salsa, tomato sauce, and relish. We’ve had so many BLTS that they are coming out our ears. (I’m not complaining I love BLTs.) I have two people I give my overflow to before the harvest fills every shelf of the fridge and my entire counter top. Shhh, don’t tell anyone but my next door neighbor and my MIL are our tomato people. They welcome our surplus with glee. Dear Hubby takes a basket of grape tomatoes and a couple of the Big Boys over to his mom once a week. My next door neighbor has Big Boy tomatoes whenever she desires them.
When other neighbors complain that have no one left to give their tomatoes to I suggest taking them to the soup kitchens.
Posted in my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
I am not a domestic Goddess
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I hate to clean. Don’t get me wrong, I love a clean house but I hate doing the work to get it clean.
Dusting, oh, I’d rather play with the dogs. Running the vacuum, yuck, it’s so noisy, wouldn’t it be better to sit and read a book? Sweeping, it’s quieter but wasn’t there something I meant to write about? Washing windows? Do I really need to see outside? If I wash the dogs’ nose prints off the windows, they’re back there in an hour anyway. They call it decorating and I tend to agree with them.
Who wants to schlep baskets of laundry down and back up two flights of stairs when there’s gardening to do? I can go outside, pull a few weeds, daydream, and play with the Koi and the bullfrogs. Therefore, the laundry piles up and when I finally break down to do it; I’m at it all day. It’s a good thing to do on a rainy day. I can cuddle with the dogs in between loads. No, I didn’t say dust, vacuum, sweep, or wash windows.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Fish, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
There was no blueberry feasting at our house
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’ve been hunting up recipes for things to do with blueberries. I’m dreaming that next year we’ll have some to harvest from the bushes. My cousin gave me some much needed information on how to get them to produce. He told me to add peat moss, iron sulfate, and plenty of mulch to the soil around them. Next time I at Home Depot, or Lowes I’ll make sure to pick up what I need.
The bushes looked puny this year and didn’t produce enough fruit especially with the cat bird making raids on the bushes. Danged bird would look right at me, make his mewling noise, grab a blueberry, and fly away. He beat me to every ripe berry.
The only blueberries I had this year were the ones I picked and brought home from my Aunt’s place. The first thing I did was to make us a lovely batch of blueberry pancakes. Next year, if my bushes produce like the ones at my Aunt’s place, I’ll have enough to share with the blasted bird without missing out.
I’m thinking about all this because I have to start now if I want the bushes to be in good shape next year.
Posted in Misc, My blog, my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
We will have to buy some mulch
Posted by doggonedmysteries
The poor pups had a late dinner tonight and they certainly let me know they were not thrilled it was late. Gavin scolded me as I washed and refilled the water dishes. This ritual marks dinner time in his eyes. Patty ran from the kitchen to the living room several times. There she’d sit in front of her dish stand for a second before returning to join Gavin in sassing me. What does this have to do with buying mulch you ask?
I finally cleared the mulch pile from the driveway today. I moved seven wheel barrow loads of wet mulch. I mulched the entire side garden, half of the garden under the Tulip poplar, and a bit of the back garden along the fence. I didn’t finish until after seven and that’s why the dogs were disgusted with me.
I figure we’ll need to buy about five bags worth of mulch to cover the parts of the gardens that I didn’t cover today. Unless, the neighbor’s son just happens to have another truck load of mulch to get rid of, of course.
Tired doesn’t begin to describe how I feel. My legs burn, my back is sore, but I’m happy. Tomorrow I’ll clean the house…yeah, sure like that’s going to happen.
Posted in my garden
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pond, Ponds, Writer, Writing
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