Happy Days

 Hi Everyone!

Oh happy days. 

  All of you know that I have been doing extreme research and creating kidney friendly food. All of my hard work has paid off. Mr. M. had blood work drawn the other day. I looked everything over and there is significant improvement. Today we saw the nephrologist. He confirmed and was very happy to report that Mr. M. has gone from stage 4 CKD to 3B. Eating right for CKD does make all the difference. I'm gong to try my best to get Mr. M. to 3A. I have 3 months to do it. 

Wish me luck.

Nicole   

Baked bread

 Hi Everyone!

To warm up the house yesterday I baked bread. I simply used my pizza dough recipe, so easy.

A nice rise on this and ready for the oven. 

Just out of the oven.

Ohhh soooo good. Great crumb on this.

I know most of you are in a heat wave, but for those who are not bake break to warm up your house. 

Have a great day today.

Nicole 

 

It's winter in Florence

 Hi Everyone!

I know a few weeks ago I said I wasn't going to complain about the weather. Well, I lied. 😏 

 The last 3 days has been pouring rain, wind, and cold. Yeah that reads 51°F and at night it has been 39°F

 

It's like our normal winter here. 

Since I garden mostly in containers the plants can't take this much rain. So EVERYTHING had to be covered. However, 2 days of cover, plants needed to be watered. I uncovered everything for a good soaking but after I write this I need to cover everything up again. 

This is my driveway, well you can't see it because IT'S flooded!!!

OK, I better calm down before I blow a blood vessel. Ha ha ha. I'm really not as upset as the sounds, I'm just so sick and tired of having not having summery type days, when it's suppose to be summer. 

On the other side of things I have taken this day to draw, while Mr. M. is watching car shows.

Also, as I am sure you all know, I'm always researching and learning new things about the garden. Do you know what this is?

You are correct if you said a container of yest fermenting. I have read about this for several years and thought I would give it a try. You will need;

1 quart/1liter of warm water, 1T of dry yeast, and 1T of sugar. Place in a container and let it set for 24 to 48 hours, stirring once in a while. When you are ready to use it make sure that you have already watered your plants. Then take 1 part yeast to 10 parts water and mix. Add 1 cup of mixture to the base of your plants. If any of you have tired this let me know how it did for you.

That's it for now. I have to put my rain coat on and cover up my garden.

Hope you have sunshine.

Nicole  

Friday Face OFF 6/20/25

 

Welcome To Friday Face OFF (FFO)

This is the place to show off your faces or your face. Post any type of face from any medium. You can create it, or find it in nature, or even that face in the design of the

woodwork in your house. 

Human, animal, alien, or monster. 

ANY KIND OF FACE!

 

Today I had to get the yard straightened out and the garden organized. Starting tonight until Sunday night huge rains.  Yesterday I mentioned that I don't have any bees. Some of you out there must have done a bee spell/prayer because today I saw 5 different bees. They were all in the squash blossoms too. OK, this is not a squash blossom. AI made this flower instead. LOL

I did get some drawing done but didn't finish it. So, I will show it next week.

In the meantime here is some AI art.

This little girl is just way creepy, especially with her extra hand coming out of her hair. 

 

Some days I just feel like dancin' with my extra fingers on one hand and not enough on the other. 

Really, is that some sort of strange foot for a hand and the other hand is turned backwards?

AI is too funny 

I just wanted to sit on the porch and my third hand appeared. 

I don't know why this happens but it cracks me up. And what is with her chest???

 

Now it's time to show some features. 

Christine

 

Jeannie

 

Gene

 

Don't forget to link up with Gillena

That's it for me, 

now it's time to show me your face. 

Nicole

 

Very busy week

 Hi Everyone!

It's been a very busy week and it's only Wednesday. LOL

It's raining today and the garden is loving it. I have 8 garden areas now and everything is thriving. My neighbor gave me some poppy plants I dug out of her yard. With the rain one of them produced this beauty.

There is so much pollen, wish I had some bees.

I also harvested this gorgeous cabbage. There is nothing like growing your own food.

Oh, a few years ago I grew a huge amount of dill in my big garden. Since then I grow dill in a different place. I have carrots in the big garden this year and saw, what I thought were carrot tops, growing in the corner of the plot. Uhhh no, for no apparent reason it is dill.

It's been years since I've had dill in this area and the soil has been dug up, changed out, and revamped every year. So, you can see why I'm so surprised.

I'm off to dust the house. One of the things I dislike. If I were rich I would hire someone to come in just to dust. LOL

Have a great day today, and I hope to see you for FFO.

Nicole  

Sunday Stuff

 Hi Everyone!

I'm writing this on Saturday evening. I have way too much to do tomorrow. I was on my way to our protest when Mr. M's blood pressure plummeted. I had to call 911. So going to the protest was a no. However, my little town had a great turn out.  In fact the entire Oregon coast turned out in record numbers. 

It is impressive, around the world, how many people came out in support of us.

Later in the day I  started working in the garden.  I'm making some trellises for pole beans, cucumbers, and what ever else. The wind was knocking me off my feet so that will have to wait. Tomorrow the wind is supposed to be even worse. 

I don't know who the artists are for these but they are just too cute to pass up.  

Tonight we at cabbage from the garden. There is nothing like fresh veggies that you grew yourself. I soaked a potato over night to reduce the potassium and Mr. M. had mashed potatoes with his baked chicken.

Speaking of potatoes, I harvested the first grow bag or red potatoes.

When potatoes start to get limp, stop watering. In a few weeks the stems will start to fall over and the leaves should turn brown. This mean the tubers have stopped producing potatoes. 

I spread a tarp and start to pull on the stems tipping the grow bag onto the tarp. Then, beautiful potatoes emerge.

I really do love digging through the dirt getting every little potato I can find. 

the little ones get put into stew just as they are.

This isn't the largest haul I have had but these are beauties. It is the first time I have grown potatoes in a grow bag.  

Good size for reds.

then they go into a box for about 2 weeks so the skins can cure.

I have them in 2 boxes because you don't want them touching each other. Except these are touching because I had to bring them down from a shelf. LOL

Well that's it for now. I'm really tired and my entire body hurts today. Time to put my PJ's on and drink some hot tea.

Have a nice evening and a great Sunday.

Nicole 

 

 

 

Friday Face OFF 6/13/25

 

Welcome To Friday Face OFF (FFO)

This is the place to show off your faces or your face. Post any type of face from any medium. You can create it, or find it in nature, or even that face in the design of the

woodwork in your house. 

Human, animal, alien, or monster. 

ANY KIND OF FACE!

My daughter sent this photo. She has been keeping her appearance out of the lime light. She is battling myeloma. My daughter is the one with the green top. I think she looks beautiful. My SIL, the one with the tank top, retired from the Marines after 25 years. It's the first time he has been able to grow his hair and a beard. The other folks are good friends. 

 

As promised I have a real drawing this week.  Most of you know I haven't drawn since Mr. M. was in hospital last year. I sure can tell how rusty I am. Here she is though. I know, I hate drawing hair and it shows. LOL

 

I'm trying to find only fun, relaxing things in my life. The main reason is to keep lupus/sjogrens at bay, and I just can't take much more of the "thing" in the white house. So, I played with AI this week too. The fun thing with AI is that the strangest things can appear. Like her fingers. What the heck!

 

or this, she only has 3 fingers.

 

Or this, she has too many fingers. LOL

Anything to make me laugh.

 

Here are some features for this week.
 

Erika N  

 

Carol

 

 

Debra 

 

Don't forget to link up with Gillena

One last thing before I go. If you are protesting this Saturday know your rights.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the rights to free speech, assembly, and petition the government. Talk to the organizer in your area on what to do if faced with the opposition.

Be safe out there.

 

That's it for me, 

now it's time to show me your face. 

  

Nicole 

Tuesday

 Hi Everyone!

It's been a busy last few days. Of course in the garden. I am so lucky to have neighbors that want to give me new wood. 

Terrible photo but there is a lot of wood here.

I have an old pallet for gardening, but it is too small so I didn't think I was going to use it. However, these 8' boards came in handy.

I forgot to take a photo before I started putting grow bags on. I put the pallet down then the boards that rest on cinder blocks. Perfect and 8' by 4' area. 

 

A better photo of how it is set up. 

I have five 5 gallon grow bags and the one in back is 10 gallon. So far. 

 

For me this is the best way to mix soil. Some of this is the last of what was saved from last year. Soil is a premium for me so I save every bit I can. Add some compost, bone meal, blood meal, 10-10-10- fertilizer and some peat and I have a good growing medium. I did good too, this filled all of the grow bags.

The one thing I have learned about grow bags is that a good mulch needs to go into the bottom before soil. If you have never used a grow bags the water seeps freely taking nutrients with it. I found if I put some bark on the bottom it helps retain moisture and nutrients.

Opps, my shadow got in the photo.

I will be planting more varieties of squash, pole beans, cucumbers, and I can't think what else.

Speaking of cucumbers, I got my first baby cuck up yesterday. These are planted in my big garden.

 

I harvested my first cabbage today too! Can't wait to eat this. Absolutely no looper holes. It pays to cover plants.

 

This squash blossom is from my 

Italian Zucchini. There are a few Zucs growing and I thought something was wrong with them. 

 I've not grown Italian Zucs before. They look quite different from Grey, or dark Zucs.

 

I brought in a few snippets of herbs.

There is nothing like cooking with fresh herbs. 

 

I have also been drawing this week and will have it finished for FFO. Hope to see you then.

 

Have a great evening

Nicole