A Moderate Success

Remember way back in spring when I first planted our garden?  I'm back with an update on how my garden grew this year.  

I planted spearmint seeds twice.  And not a single sprout popped up.  

The basil did better.  We actually ended up with a few plants.  We picked the leaves and used them in pasta dishes and made caprese salad.  They had good flavor and I think we'll continue to plant basil in future gardens.  

The parsley also came in pretty well.  We have quite a bit of it.  Adam has put it in some dishes and reported that it tasted pretty good.  

The cilantro wasn't having it this year.  It hardly grew at all and didn't last very long.  It's too bad, because that's what we were most excited about eating! 

The most disappointing was the arugula.  It sure did grow rather rampantly, but it was disgusting.  It was way too spicy.  I'm not sure what made it so gross, but I don't think we'll try to grow it next year.  Not even the rabbits nibbled on this!

For the longest time, I didn't think the zinnias would bloom.  I knew they needed more sun than the spot provided, but I was still hopeful.  Just a few weeks ago, a few of flowers started to bloom.  The colors are gorgeous and the blooms keep getting bigger and bigger.  I can't wait until I have enough for a bouquet to put on our dining room table. 

And the rock markers held up very well.  We had lots of rain, but it didn't wash away the labels on the rocks.  I will definitely be using that trick next year.  While not everything turned out, we did have some moderate success!   

Grasshoppers, Cicadas and June Bugs, Oh My!

Jazzy has started a new diet recently.  It seemed as though every person Jazzy met started out saying something to the effect of, "Well, she certainly seems like she's well fed!"  After talking with several other dog owners, we decided Jazzy was getting too much dog food each day.  We still feed her twice a day, but just not as much.  

I think Jazzy has noticed.  She seems to get pretty "hangry" (hungry + angry) as evidenced by the picture below. 

Since she's cut her calories, she's been trying to fill her food quota for the day by dining on bugs.  She likes to gobble up grasshoppers on her walks.  She also hunts cicadas in the back yard.  I walked around the yard trying to find a cicada so I could take a picture of Jazzy staring longingly at it, but I couldn't find one.  Jazzy, however, found three.  They make a very distinct crunch when she bites into them.  I guess hunting cicadas takes skills that I don't have.  

Here's Jazzy hunting.  She looks like a little cow, grazing in a field.  But much cuter.  

She also likes to eat the June bugs that gather on the back deck by the light.  It's pretty funny to watch, especially since she's afraid of flies.

Jazzy's an insect-loving fool these days.  It's darn near impossible for Adam and I to get the bugs out of her mouth because she swallows them in two swift bites.  I guess it's alright for her to eat them.  She hasn't gotten sick yet.  Bon appetit, Jazzy!     

Whooooooo Loves Estate Sales?

Me! 

I was driving home from school today and saw one of my most favorite things in the world: an estate sale sign!  So, I drove across two lanes of traffic to make the turn towards the sign.  I promise I did so in a safe manner.  

After I followed the signs to the house, I walked towards the door with a skip in my step.  I was giddy with the possibility of finding a treasure.  I imagine this is how deep sea divers feel when they're hunting for gold.

So, I walked into the house and was greeted with quite the collection of owls.  There were owl statues and owl plates.  Owl figurines and owl throw pillows.  Anything and everything you could imagine...with an owl on it.  While I don't share the same owl fetish this homeowner used to have, I did find one cute, little, glass owl.  He was calling my name.  After I saw his $3 price tag, I decided he could come home with me.

I finished roaming around the house and ended up with some small foam wreaths.  I figured I could make a wreath for my classroom door or maybe one for my front door.  I'll keep you posted. 

I didn't have any cash with me, but they did accept credit cards.  However, I had to spend at least $5.  I asked them if they could just charge me $5 so I could use my credit card.  The little old ladies running the sale tried to get me to take another owl trinket, but I kindly declined.  One owl trinket is enough for my house.  Eventually I talked them into charging me the extra dollar.  I didn't realize it would be so difficult to pay people more money than they were asking!  

    

I was very happy with my finds.  I put the owl on my dresser in my room for now.  I'm not sure if that will be his permanent perch, but it works for now.  

So keep your eyes peeled for any estate sale signs!  You just never know what treasures you may find.