Long Story Made Long...

I have a healthy dis-like for spiders.

So when they are spotted-either inside the house-or on there way there...I squash them to smithereens. It's just what I do.
So when I was sitting in the living room chatting with my daughter and happened to glance up the window behind her...I spotted it!
I was very careful not to say anything, but watched it until daughter left the room...then I sprang into lightening fast action-for me. Grabbed the fly swatter (longer handle so you don't have to get as close to the creepy things) and smooshed it!
Just as I was taking the little carcase out as a warning to others, in walks Daughter-did I mention that she has a healthier dis-like of spiders and other such things? Yes. Well she does--anyway back to the story... I blew it off and told her it was just a little thing...it was...until I saw the little thing in the light of day!!!

It was a black widow! In the house!

In the window above where Tiny Dancer spends most of her hiding out time!!

This would not do!!!

After they left I cleaned the whole living room from top to bottom-moving furniture and getting anything out of corners...Honey helped by doing the bug spray update and my mind was a little more at ease.

However, in the spider induced frenzy it had become blatantly clear that I am a stacker. And a collector. A collector who stacks. And since the living room was done I got to looking at the rest of the house...

What I found was disturbing to me. So I set a plan in motion. To deep clean, de-clutter, and de-junk. make it uncomfortable for critters...

I looked at each room and made a plan, then took a picture (so I could see progress-not so I could embarrass myself, though I am)...

And as all good elephant eaters will tell you, "it all starts with one bite", So I'm tackling from the least to the worst...

Guest room recently used...

Mom-izum's

"Spiders like it when you give them hiding places."

"If you keep your corners clean the middle will take care of itself".

(Now I notice bare walls)

(I'll remedy that later)

Next up-Kitchen pantry;
Before

After

When I was done I had more stacks...

Stuff that should have been taken to storage without stopping at the pantry...

Stuff that should have been put in the right place...

And the "what were we thinking?!" stack...
Empty boxes and bags? Smashed crackers?
Petrified drink mixes?
Broken seals on jams and syrups~

from WHEN?!


Now I AM embarrassed!
We are implementing a 'New & Improved' organizing plan called
'You don't have to keep everything!'

When the upstairs is finished I feel compelled to do the same down stairs.
Stupid spider!


Remember;
We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
Encourage each other!!!

And so it goes...

Summer is winding down...you can feel it in the air.

It is getting colder at night and there is a certain...something...that tells you Fall is at the door.

Maybe it's that you have been busy "putting up" your garden things for the coming month's and are getting a bit tired, its a Little exciting to know there is still time for more slicing, dicing and cooking down, more late night's and bottle washing to come...

My friend and I were talking about how good the harvest is being to us this year.

That there seems to be more than usual.

Enough and to spare.

For ourselves and to share.

With Fall come certain things...

I made my first ever apple cake. Yummy.

I am excited to try making a pumpkin pie from 'real' scratch this year, right down to the sugar pumpkin to be used.

I look forward to the weight of a 50 year old quilt that will help keep us warm,

Because it was hand made with love in every stitch-you know it will!!!

The peaches and cheese sandwiches,

The pancakes and jam.

Hash browns from "new" spuds.
And all the other things we are laying in store now...

Enjoy the warm afternoons cool nights of the changing of the seasons.

Ahhhh...
This Summer has been good.

Remember;
We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.

Encourage each other!!!

Secrets Of A Garden...

Are endless when you are young.
I remember my Grampa's garden from my childhood and it was a magical place where I'm sure Fairies and the Little People liked to be.

Tiny Dancer spent a day in just such a place not to long ago...

Her first picking was a crookneck that wasn't very big, but filled her little hand and heart right up...

Then it was off to the mud puddle for a tea party...

This little kitty got a bee sting on it's nose when he was new and his nose is a little swollen as a result of that but it didn't stop him from making friends with the first "Little Person" he and his kitty siblings had ever seen...

Next were the wide open spaces to run to your hearts content...

And an endless supply of family to swing you into the air...

Learning to keep the dogs in out of the garden is important work too.

So it must be true-that all gardens have secrets best unlocked with a child's help..

Remember;

We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
Encourage each other!!!

Puttin' Up Peaches

With the canning and freezing season in full swing in our neck of the woods, I did as many others with no orchard in the back yard (yet) are doing, and headed straight to the "fruit belt" for peaches!!

I LoVE dried peaches!!

My Grampa used to dry them on the roof of his garage, on special screens he had made and covering them with cheese cloth to keep the bugs off-and blankets at night to keep the dew off, from his tree's in the back yard. He would give us some of them during the year as special treat's.

While I am lucky enough to have one of his screens and a roof high enough and hot enough...It is true that I prefer to use the dehydrator instead-I can't mess it up as easily I think...

So I started out with some of the most beautiful peaches I have seen in quite a while-sweet-juicy-and HUGE!

Put a load in the dehydrator and let them do their thing and got things ready to bottle the rest...

Rounding everything up was a bit harder than I thought, because I haven't bottled...well anything really...for a couple of years. I had a lot that needed to be used up and we're almost there-so I was excited to be peeling peaches and all that jazz...

Tiny Dancer was not at all sure about the use of aprons-while she likes the ones I use-she wasn't at all sure about the one I bought for her.

Then too it got wet.

Now I ask you, "what good is a wet apron?!"

As far as she is concerned none at all-thank you very much! Got it off and it was-

Much better.

Now we could get down to business.

So while I did the dirty work she took care of the wet work, after all, someone had to play, I mean work, in the water or how would everything work out right?!

We didn't even take a cookie break until we were almost done!

We are quite pleased with a job well done!!

Two bushel's got us:

14 quarts and 7 pints
One and a half gallon bags of dried peaches

2 Peach Pies for desert

That same day Sister Nana emailed and said the honey was ready and she had made us an appointment to go pick ours up--

Now I ask how it could get much better than that?!

Local peaches

Local honey

One of Gram's bestest helpers

Pie for desert

And

An early bed time!!


Remember;
We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.

Encourage each other!!!

Day's to Remember...

September is here-already-seems like just yesterday it was just after Christmas...

The school year has begun for all our families and with Labor Day being the last really big week end for adventures we will be settling into Fall...

But first we have a couple more Birth Day's to come...

Our first of September Birth Day was celebrated a little early, our brown eyed Grandson will soon be 8...

What do "Crabby Patty's" really taste like?!

Gifts and wishes, BBq's and Cake...Wishing you a Very Happy Birthday!!!

Then it was relaxing time and what better way than jumping on the trampoline you ask?

Uncle B and kids are so fun to watch as they play gentle with the little one...

She tries to "Crack their eggs"...

And follow the tricks...and fun is had by all.

Summer has brought many things.

Visits and get together's, quiet evenings and BBq's...

New baby's and birthday's a-plenty...

Flu bugs and sketer bites...

Pictures and memories

And one very tired Gram!