Tomato Evolution

Canning season is here! And what a year it has been for
tomatoes! We sell organically grown produce using sustainable
farming techniques. This year we grew over 70 different varieties
of tomatoes. All of what we grow are heirloom varieties that
have been around since 1950 and before. We trellised our tomatoes
with 10 foot high bamboo poles that a good friend let us forage
for in her woods. So far the tomatoes have not grown to the top,
but almost!



Next to our tomatoes are heirloom French
melons 'Prescott Fond Blanc'



Check out that vine!



This is one of my latest ATC
creations... 'Tomato Evolution'.
This was for an ATC swap that
required the ATC to have seven
layers. I painted on overhead
sheets with acryllic paint.The
seventh layer was a cardstock 
background. This is what the card
looked like from the top layer.



Layer #2 the Tomato Flower

Layer #3 the Tomato Sprout 



Layer #4 the Tomato Seed



Layer # 5 the Tomato on the
cellular level

Layer #6 the Tomato on the
molecular level

My creation all layed out before I sent it

Fontorama

I am always forgetting which fonts I like best... so I made a cheat sheet. Leave no font left behind.

Postponed Post

The past week we have been celebrating the life of Judith Miller Davidson who passed away at the age of 67. She was born May 4th 1943 in Charleston, West Virginia. When she passed she was a member of the Olive, head of the Eastern Star and American Legion Auxiliary. I am waiting for a copy of a beautiful picture of her when she owned multiple beauty salons in Boise, Idaho. Pictures of the week with family photos and Judy's life to come...  This is picture is the home where her wake was.

Song in my head

Yesterday Joe and I bought the CD 'Violator'
by Depeche Mode. The song I am listening to
today is Personal Jesus! We were too young to
remember it when it came out, but it still
feels like a part of our childhood. This is a
great CD for this time of year when the days
are getting shorter and the leaves are
starting to turn.

You still buy CD's?! Yes... I do. But never from a chain like walmart. I
have a great local record exchange that buys and sells used music, movies
and video games. I think that the CD was almost a form of art. They designed
the CD label, the booklet and both covers... you can not theme things like
that on itunes... Lost arts all around

Scarlet Nates a.k.a. Buns

This is Scarlet Nates, but we call her buns for
short. This is a picture taken when I first got
her as a birthday present! She is three years old
and her favorite time of the year is summer, when
she gets all of the kitchen scraps from the goodies
we make. The whole year long I collect clover, apple
tree twigs, flowers, grains, pine cones... anything
I see other bunnies eating in the wild. The other
day I saw a bunny eating wild geranium seed pods out
my window at work. So I collected some at home and
they are a new favorite treat. I keep her pelletized
food in a cute lettuce dish with lid from Holland.
Of all food her favorite is clover flowers, young
bean plants and sweet potato anything (even-though
I have read that this is harmful in large quantities).
Scarlet lives in my art studio. She has the run of the
place except all of the electrical cords must be
pulled up before she is let out.

Madison mighty cat a.k.a. Schmitty

This is Madison... he is my wonderful four
year old Mancoon cat. He is the best pet
I have ever known. I never had a cat and
everyone's cats never played with me. So
when Madison came into my life I guess I
just raised him like a dog. He runs to
greet me when I come home, he licks my
face and he comes when you call his name
He plays all the time with me and with
anything. Toys that I buy bore him, but hair
ties and empty toilet paper rolls are his
favorite. He loves anything from the garden
and his favorite food is freshly shelled
peas. He will cry for them when I bring them
inside. He is fascinated with the basement
and his favorite bed is any clothing that I
have worn. I grew up in an age that when you
had a few pictures left at the end of you
film roll you used them up on your pets.
Well I still do that but with 2 gb of digital
memory :o)

Baby Madison :o) This is my babes right when I found
him. A friendlet me borrow this carrier. It's
pictures like this that make me wish I took more.

Madison likes to be the tallest person in the room.
If you are tall and come into the room he is in,
he will climb up you and try to sit on your head.

"Madison Mighty Cat" is what his tag says. Is it Maine Coon or Mancoon? Well I was told a long time ago by a reputable West Virginian that my cat was a Mancoon. I thought it must have been something that his family had passed down. Then one day I was watching Jack Hannah's animal adventures and he was entering his Maine Coon in a cat breading competition! The correct name is Maine Coon but the pronunciation is Mancoon... so that is the spelling I like best. I have read that they are known for their hunting skills. Let me tell you that is true! Madison is a ninja cat; he can catch a fly with one paw. If a moth gets in the house he will not sleep until he has made it his lunch :o) He will make a good farm cat!

Foraging for black-raspberries

This is the second harvest of wild black-raspberries I have foraged this summer. It takes a while to harvest them, but once you have found a heavy producing patch you can gather a quart every few minuets. A few tips I would have is never wear shorts or sandals in the woods. These are a delight to eat and a battle to collect. If I had nice long leather rose gloves I would wear them! Also do not gather from plants that are next to roads. This is because of run off from auto fluids and road salt. Also municipalities hire companies to cut down brush at the side of the road and they also spray chemicals like herbicides and pesticides... enough said. Personally I like black raspberries better than raspberries or black berries.

I remember hearing a story about when Europeans came to the Aztecs, they said 'take us to your gold. The Aztecs took them to their corn because it was the most precious thing they had. If I were to show you my gold I would take you to my secret black raspberry patch :o)

If you are making jam it is best to harvest
slightly under ripe berries