Slug Defense

So far, crushed egg shells around the base of the plants seems to be helping.

I always wear gloves when I sprinkle them since A) they are sharpish and B) my husband doesn't rinse them out when he puts then in the milk jug on the counter where we collect them.  (The full ones go into the shed.)

An Orchid for My Readers

Book Bag

I just finished The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, which I enjoyed very much.

Now I'm reading a collection of letters from a trip Agatha Christie took with her husband.  The book is called The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery.  It's a fascinating glimpse into the world of the English Empire and the 1920s.

Used Christmas Cards

I've been working on getting ready for the St. John's Craft Fair early this year.

Here are some of the circles I've been cutting out of Christmas cards:

You guessed it--that represents 721 circles.  I am guessing that over the past two or three years I have punched out approaching 3,000 of them.

Compost Pile + Pumpkin OR Squash

A mystery plant in our compost pile!

We planted a couple of old pumpkin seeds elsewhere, but we haven't succeeded with pumpkins or squash in all our years of gardening.  Where did it come from?  A bird, presumably.

I adhere to my Mom's definition of a weed ("Any plant growing where you don't want it") but Belovedest wants to leave it alone.  He says moving it will probably traumatize it so much that we won't get any fruit off of it.

But I had big compost plans!

Sunday Thoughts

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Your character is everything that matters about 

who you are.

Sporadic Round-Up

Since my last round-up I've....

.... visited Grandma Shirley in Omaha

.... played board games with my sister and nephew

.... followed my nose and found that the garlic was drying on the porch.  I feel very safe from vampires!

... visited some dear friends with cute kids

... had my first joint art show with my husband at Gianna's Java and Gelato, a coffee shop that is also a fundraising effort on behalf of women escaping abuse.

Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate!