Reduse, Reuse, Recycle

My yard is a work in progress. No, it will never win the prize for "House Beautiful" largely because I wouldn't have a clue as how to get it there. I love the flowers I have, but they are randomly distributed wherever an empty spot opens up. I guess you could call me an opportunistic gardener.

That goes for my garden structures as well. I've been using rainwater for my gardening needs for about a year and have found that the garbage cans I bought leak. They will be put to other purposes now...maybe I can grow worms in those or store extra compost. My solution to storing watershowed up on Craigslist. The above barrel cost $10 and took about 20 minutes to modify it so as to make it workable for my needs. I felt a little like a blacksmith as I hammered out the top of the barrel to create a fitted lid and felt a good bit more respect for those people as my biceps and wrists started complaining. The top of the barrel gave itself up easily to my reciprocating saw though the steel ate the saw blades at roughly one blade to 3 barrels. Still, it's a cheap, er, a , frugal way to store water.

The potting bench functioned as a bunkbed just 2 days ago. My neighbor left the wood pieces on the curb for the garbage men to pick up and I beat them to it! It went together as if someone had cut the pieces to fit and the only cost was that of the screws I used to secure it.

I 'adopted' the pallets behind the potting bench from the side of the road. Much easier to handle than stock fencing, it also provides a little bit of a screening though I'm not too concerned about that.

I like getting my supplies for nothing. Yes, I can be a little cheap and I won't deny that. I also really like the idea of second and third uses for everything. Newspapers make great ground cover bases for my raised beds. Baling string works well for trellis netting. Manure is out there for the asking and sure beats petrochemicals for conditioning the soil for long term success and nutrient rich crops. And in just a month or so, Central Florida trees will give up their leaves and I'll start collecting them too.

Come to think of it...tomorrow is yard waste pickup day. Maybe I'll just take my little utility trailer out and see what we can come home with !

I Love Autumn!

I love the Fall. I love it when the cold fronts slide through Florida and we can pretend we actually have seasons for a few days. These are the nights when I can get out my fire pit and build a fire out of the wood I've gathered out of my yard in the past year. I've been wanting to go camping but after building my fire and roasting a few marshmallows, I'm kind of glad I get to sleep in my own soft bed.

There's something fascinating about fire and the embers it leaves behind. I can understand why early man thought it alive. I watch the embers ebb and flow, glow and fade, with a rhythm all their own. They draw me in with their dance and pull me back to a time before TV and before electric lights. To a time when nighttime conversation was how people passed the time before sleep. Fire meant connection, protection and safety. For me tonight, it means a peaceful night's rest after a very pleasant hour talking with my husband and enjoying the pleasures of times past.

Celtic Thunder

These are The Celtic Thunder!!! Rich and I went to listen to them at the UCF Arena and the show was great.

The "little guy" below is Damian, the youngest of the group. He has a great sound, a big teenie booper sound that all us old ladies love.

This is Paul, the pure Irish tenor. Wow, what a voice! You can tell he's classically trained and can hit the high notes like nobody's business. Pure and clear and lovely.

This is George, the Scot. He sings the ballads that make you cry and is the oldest of the five. He seems very fatherly, especially to Damian.

This is Keith. Keith sings a more folk flavored music. I believe he's Irish.

And this is Ryan, the Bad Boy!! He can make you believe that he is the darkest lover boy in the world...you should have her the ladies screaming for him!!!

The only bad thing about the whole concert was the temperature in the facility...it had to be over 80 degrees. Still, we had a great time and bought a couple CD's to remember a really wonderful night with.