Our Raised Bed Garden Adventure: The Beginning.....

Photo credit Eartheasy.com 

We have had a garden for years. Husband's first garden was one he helped care for as soon as he could walk out with his mama and pull a weed. He's had a garden ever since that day. When I met him one of the first things he showed me was his garden. 90' x40' . (yep that's feet)... For 34 yrs. we had that big garden. The past 2 yrs. with back and leg issues we've not had one. 

I would hit farm markets and such for anything I needed. I missed going out and picking veggies for supper. We always had a big dinner when the corn came in. Just corn on the cob and tomatoes. I even bought seeds one year in the hopes we could find someone to plow up the old space and till it enough for me to plant it myself. If just didn't work out.  

I think we are typical garden growers. We just love watching things grow and I loved canning and freezing all the produce. No worries about how things were processed, or what type of chemicals were used. We knew exactly what was done to remove bugs and keep other critters away from our stuff. I knew what was in every jar I opened for us to eat. Nothing with words you couldn't spell. I like that. 

The first raised bed I saw was as a teenager at my Aunt and Uncle's  home in Lansing Mi. Ed had a bad back and they were getting on in years. They had a typical city lot that included a small backyard. I was amazed at what they grew in those beds. They were raised up off the ground and were easy to access from both sides. I was amazed. 

The next raised beds I saw were at my Uncle Roger's place. I couldn't believe how much he grew in those beds. My Aunt Janet cans tons of stuff. I just couldn't believe it all came from those beds. It peaked my interest, and with the raised bed popularity I wanted to try them. 

Husband is a huge fan of flea markets and yard sales. He came home this spring with 4- 30" x 5' beds. I'd also seen people making beds out of cement blocks on facebook and Pintrest. So we decided to give it a try. A neighbor has been using raised beds for several years. He suggested getting a "garden mix" 1/2 top soil and 1/2 compost, from a local landscaping company. so we placed a tarp and ordered 5 Yard's of garden mix. It arrived the same day. 

We laid down Preen weed control fabric. then set the beds on that. Husband also had extra cement blocks sitting behind the shed so we made another bed using the blocks. 

 Our neighbor saw us filling up our wheelbarrow and walking it back to fill the beds. He got out his little walk behind bucket loader thingy; and moved the dirt for us. He filled the beds and then took the remainder of he dirt and put it close to the beds. I still owe him some kind of bakery for his kindness. :D 

And so it begins. We have planted the beds. added a couple of things. Tilled up a bit of the "old garden" space and added a few more items. More about that in the next post.. I promise it won't be so long. Well, maybe I better not promise. You know how I love to talk..   LOL  I hope you are enjoying your summer and growing something.   

Let Them Eat Pie

This past fall my friend Abby asked if she could come and bake with me sometime. We found a day to meet and we baked pie. We made 2 pies. Sugar free apple for Mr. Ken and Chess pie for our ladies prayer group. 

We cheated a bit. Well, I should say I cheated. I just used a refrigerated pie crust. so we made the filling from scratch. Mr. Ken's favorite thing about pie, well besides eating it, is to use our amazing apple peeler, corer, slicer from Pampered Chef . 

Abby was also fascinated by the Kerosene lamp Mr. Ken showed her. She asked him to light it. Mr. Ken was in his glory. He "fired it up" and explained all the particulars. He also sent her home with a Tiny Kerosene lamp of her own. I reminded her several times that she could not go home and light that one. 

It's wonderful to have a kid running around our house again. She's old enough to be curious about everything and wants to know how it all works. She loves to bake and has a little notebook of her favorite recipes with several from her grandmother. She is a bright twinkling light that fills the house with pure joy. We look forward to her visits. 

I'll share a few of our adventures with you. She has some cool siblings and they like baking too. 

Finally A New Post

Welcome back to "My Front Porch" It's so good to see you, grab a chair, a glass of iced tea, and sit a spell. 

I can't believe it's been almost 6 months since my last blog post. Yikes. I hope I haven't been kicked out of my family and friend circles for not posting. That would be worse then not posting. 

I have thought about writing a bit. I'll think of something and then get busy thinking about something else and just let it slip my mind. Frankly my life is pretty boring. However today I have decided to Drag bring you along with me on a couple of my journeys. 

First, I've been visiting and baking with a sweet friend's daughter. Abby comes visiting on the occasional Monday to talk and bake with me. Her mom comes too, and that's fun. We also get to talk about stuff. I love getting a younger mom's perspective on things. Abby also has siblings that occasionally join us. That also makes for fun. Kids are fun in general and these kids fit the bill for sweet and funny. 

Second, I am now a "raised bed" gardener. Husband picked up 4 pre-made and hinged (exciting, I know) beds at a yard sale for $1 each. I thought it would be fun to share our experience with that. Especially since it's much more exciting then hearing what TV shows we watched yesterday. Though I may just talk about that some too. Not the shows in particular, but how far Television has come or should I say gone over the top. I'll stop there. 

For now I'm excited to share about my raised bed experiences and my new baking friends. 

I hope you have launched whole hearted into Summer and are enjoying the beauty and fun of each new day. 

Merry Christmas From Our Home To Yours.....

A few years ago a dear friend sent me a Christmas card containing this "List" of Blessings. 

It so eloquently expresses in words what I feel in my heart. 

Merry Christmas from our Home to Yours. 

God Bless us, Every one... 

“My Christmas List of Blessings”

~Vicki J. Kuyper~

My Christmas List is more than just a way to keep track of The Special people God has brought into my life to love.

It’s like a treasured scrapbook filled with pleasant memories of all the times God’s answered prayer through friends and family.

Every name’s a touchstone that leads to a place and time, Where God has used another’s heart to reach out and touch mine.

It may have happened years ago or even yesterday, 

but every person on my list has changed my life some way. Through simple conversation, a warm hug 

or a shared meal.

Every person on my list has helped me grow or heal,

Or laugh or love or learn or smile… 

the blessings never end. As God allows our paths to cross as family and friends.

So please know that this greeting is more than a Christmas wish. 

It’s a “thank you” card to God for putting you on my list

Each and every one whose name I’ve come to hold so dear. 

Those who’ve shown me Christmas joy each day of the year. 

The Year 2015 In A Few Words...

January: Birthdays, Lunch, Valentines for the Troops, Awana Camo night Cold and Snow...  

February: 11" snow, Dentist, Paczkis, Awana Store, more Birthdays, Cold and Snow... 

March: Daylight savings time, family birthdays, Easter boxes for Troops, Awana pizza night, new crown and not the sparkly kind, Garth Brooks Concert :-) 

Cold, but I think the Snow decided to leave for good by the end of the month...

April: Awana Pajama Jam night, Sponge Bob boxes to the Troops, Secret Church, Hubby Jury duty, mad hubby for 3 days, NO Snow.... 

May: Our Grand baby girl turned 21, Picnic boxes for our Troops, Crazy hats at Awana, Mother's day with Ella N family, Matt's last Debate, Memorial day, and the official start of Summer...

June: Graduation Open Houses, No garden this year just to wet, Christmas in July boxes for Troops, Annual trip to the Vet for shots etc, movies, Farm trip to Waterloo Farm Museum and a trip to Dewey School where I found grandma Sykes name and photo from when she taught school there...

July: 4th of July celebrations, Our grandson Bryan married Becky the sweetest girl ever, Barbie heads to the Troops, VBS Snacks, More Open Houses, lots of visits to the Farmers Market...

August: The loss of a special friend, Potlucks galore, Genesee Co. Fair and a ride in a Monster Truck, Concerts, Awana Grand prix...

September: Labor Day the official end of summer (much to quickly I might add), Mammogram, 32nd Anniversary, Tractor show, Sending Disney to the Troops, Awana starts again...

October: Bake sale, Awana photo booth, New babies, Halloween mailed off to the Troops, Hey the shower works, New water pump and tank, Hot water working, Canning Applesauce, making Apple butter, New baking buddy. 

November: Voting, Awana Superhero night, Christmas shoe boxes, New glasses, Christmas boxes for the Troops, 11" snow (first of the year and it only lasted a couple of days) Unusually warm for November...

December: Weirdly warm but wow so nice, More family birthdays, Rocking around the Christmas Tree, Christmas party with kids and grands, wrapping paper flying, Cookie decorating with friends, Decorating inside, Sending Homemade Christmas treats to the Troops, Music, twinkly lights, Ham lots and lots of Ham.... 

That wasn't all, lots of haircuts, dish-washing, refrigerator defrosting, Vacuuming, cooking, baking, mowing (hubby), Grocery shopping, Flea markets, yard sales, Online Shopping, laundry, prayer meetings, Bible study, Worshiping, Singing, praying, and thanking God for the Blessings of each and every day...  

I Need A Time Machine....

Well August has run past me at break-neck speed. As I look at the Calendar it's already the last full week of Sept. I really wish I could have a time machine. I don't want to go way back. I just want to go back a little. 

  Maybe back on occasion to the late 70's to see my Papa and brother Keith. I'd love to hug them both for hours and spend the day eating, talking and laughing with them. I'd love to see grandma again and other friends and family that passed on to soon. 

I'd want to go back to re-live a few favorite memories; like graduation and all the fun things of my Senior year in H.S. I'd love to relive visits with cousins, Aunts and Uncles. 

I don't necessarily want to change anything. Just time to spend that day and commit more to memory. My long term memory seems to do a little better at remembering. I need hints and clues, but once it finds the right file drawer I surprise myself at how much I can draw out of that particular memory folder. 

Right now, today, I'd like to travel back to June. I'd like each day to last longer. Each event to go on for a few days instead of a few hours. I really wish days didn't pass by so quickly. Well the bad ones could just skip past me without any complaints from me. 

I have noticed this summer I am losing more words. It's frustrating reaching for them. Looking for the word file folder and someones moved it. It use to happen only occasionally. Now it's pretty much every day. 

Reading is still fine. If you ask me today what I read in the book I've started re-reading 3 times, I might be able to tell you about a character or two. but if I can't read the whole thing at one time I'm not going to remember much. Unless I can read each day a bit of what I read before, I don't remember any of it. That is very frustrating.  I am doing a ladies Bible study at Church. I'm trying to make notes as I go. Sometimes I understand the questions other times I struggle. I've decided to just put the material down when I can't make heads of tails of it. I can always read it again later and maybe it will be clearer. Making notes helps. 

I guess the real reason I'd like that time machine is so I could concentrate on memorizing everything. Before things started slipping off into the fog of forgetfulness. Mild Cognitive Impairment. For now that's what we are calling it. It won't be early onset dementia unless it gets worse. 

Some days I don't think about it at all. Nothing is interrupted in my day by lost thoughts. Other days I feel like it's all slipping away. Not quickly like a magician yanking a tablecloth out from under a table full of china. But slowly. It's scary. I don't like it. I'd love to wake up one day feeling like my old self. ready to face the day with no fear of forgetting words in the middle of a conversation, or forgetting what someone just said to me. Forgetting that the water in the tub is still running, Or the water on the stove is boiling. If I leave it, there's a good chance I'll forget about it. 

Yep, I'd like a time machine. Since I don't think they'll have one available for my use anytime soon. I'm going to keep praying that my symptoms don't progress. I'm going to continue to walk with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'm going to trust God's plans for me, and I'm going to trust that no matter what comes tomorrow Jesus and I will walk through it together. He reminded me that My Father In Heaven has promised never to leave me or forsake me. He never breaks His promises. I may come to a place where I won't remember Him, But I know He'll never forget me. 

Update: June-2016... Since October of last year my memory issues seem to be few and far between. I still lose words (don't we all) and sometimes I have to ask people to repeat things. I stopped stressing about it. I stopped focusing on it. I stopped letting the anxiety of it rule my life. If I don't remember I just go on. I have left all this memory stuff and my fear, the kind of fear that freezes and envelopes you, with God. I believe He is the reason I'm doing better. I have a real peace about it all. 

None of us knows what the future holds for us. I certainly don't know, but like others have said. I know who holds the future. The God of the Bible. The God who created me, loves me, and walks through life with me. And it is True I may forget who He is, But He'll never forget me.  

Discovering A Truth in an "Odd Thomas" Book....

I'm not a huge Dean Koontz fan. Don't get me wrong, I've read several of his books. My favorites are the "Odd Thomas" books. I am an avid Stephen King fan. I love all his books. I love the character development, and the way the things he writes about really could happen. There really could be a dog named Cujo that is Rabid. Any of us could get out on a secluded road with miles between farms. Any of us could be attacked by said rabid dog, especially a St. Bernard that weighs well over 100 lbs. Really it could happen. I think that's what draws me to King. The very real possibility that one day some crazed maniac could hack into cell phones and kill everyone on their phones, or make them zombie like to do the evil guys bidding. Something evil could really live in the fog, and that clown in "It", well let's not go there. 

I am in the middle of the Dean Koontz "Odd Thomas" series (Odd Hours) . I Love Oddy. He's a wonder and very philosophical man. I read the following one afternoon. Odd and Birdie were discussing the death of her husband. She mentions "many tears, they seem to wash somethin' out of you, they leave this emptiness". Odd answers, and then decides to "fumble out what I thought she might want to say herself"..  

I read and re-read the next paragraph. I finally got out the green highlighter pen and marked it. I don't think I've ever heard anyone explain grief in quite this way. It was something I felt but just couldn't express in words. I haven't experienced the death of a spouse, but I have lost grandparents, parents, siblings, and friends. I'm quite sure this is exactly how losing a life mate, a soul mate might feel. Thank you Mr. Koontz for finding a way to take deep unexplainable feelings and put them on a page to be digested. You have moved up a notch on my favorite writers stick. To be honest you are now #2, which would be super cool except for the fact that there are only 2 writers on my stick. (I don't count the Bible since the Author is God and His writings are far above any that man could pen) I  have read a lot for years, but couldn't tell you the name of any writer. You can find more of Dean Koontz's work Here. 

" Grief can destroy you - or focus you. You can decide a relationship was all for nothing if it had to end in death, and you alone. Or you can realize that every moment of it had more meaning than you dared to recognize at the time, so much meaning it scared you, so you just lived, just took for granted the love and laughter of each day, and didn't allow yourself to consider the sacredness of it. But when it's over and you're alone, you begin to see it wasn't just a movie and a dinner together, not just watching sunsets together, not just scrubbing a floor or washing dishes together or worrying over a high electric bill. It was everything., it was the why of life, every event and precious moment of it. The answer to the mystery of existence is the love you shared sometimes so imperfectly, and when the loss wakes you to the deeper beauty of it, to the sanctity of it, you can't get off your knees for a long time, you're driven to your knees not by the weight of the loss but by the gratitude for what preceded the loss. And the ache is always there, but one day not the emptiness, because to nurture the emptiness, to take solace in it, is to disrespect the gift of life." 

~Dean Koontz Odd Hours 2008~

Thank you Mr. Koontz for using your talent with words to speak what I feel in my heart..