July 5th, 2008
Fireworks Over The Lake
We watched fireworks over the lake last night, of course I had to take a couple shots. Check em out, and have a wonderful holiday weekend.
All image (c) Linette all rights reserved
We watched fireworks over the lake last night, of course I had to take a couple shots. Check em out, and have a wonderful holiday weekend.
All image (c) Linette all rights reserved
What does your garden grow? I would like to know what everyone’s growing in their garden this year? Do you love herbs? Are you a flower fan? Are you growing some extra vegetables to help offset your costs at the grocery store? Or are you like me, and grow a little bit of everything (including weeds).
I would love to hear from you. Please take time to vote in the poll midway down in the right sidebar. You can also leave a comment here letting everyone know the details of your garden. Better yet create a post on your own blog, and leave a note with the link in the comment section so we can come visit.
While the writers of the b5media Lifestyles Channel may be scattered about globally, one thing we all have in common is a celebration of fireworks. Whether it’s the U.S. and our Fourth of July - or a very different kind of holiday in Perth - we all know the unique smell that penetrates the air and the sense of freedom the mere sound of them instill. There is truly something so divine about a celebration of fireworks - they do create some of the most treasured memories.
Chloe of Tangled Thread shares a few festive fireworks and needlework patterns.
Kerri and Cory at Marriage Actually talk about why having a shared past is one of the best parts about being married.
Heather at A Creative Journal shares her first memory of firecrackers with a view from Australia.
Christine at Mad Cropper remembers Guy Fawkes Day, a day celebrated in New Zealand with lots of fireworks. Find out why Guy Fawkes is celebrated by the English and most commonwealth countries. It is indeed a blast from the past!
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork, provides a quiz for her readers. See how many of the quilt designs you can connect with historical Americana - events, objects or people.
Marye at Baking Delights reflects on just how much menu’s have changed over the years while at Kettle and Cup she shares a modern twist that many are sure to love with her Non-Alcoholic Long Island Iced Tea
Kelly Saunders at Thrifty Mommy shares her favorite 4th of July memory - I just can’t spoil the surprise - check it out.
Char and Christine continue Camp Weary Parent with this weeks Patriotic activities (Camp Weary Parent has a ton of great ideas for your children this summer if you haven’t visited you should): Star Spangled Rocket and a week full of other fun projects
Marcie and Mary Emma are blasting through books with Fourth of July and summer recommendations at One Book Two Book. Make sure to check out Fourth of July Books for Teens and The 10 Best Fourth of July Picture Books
At Robust Cooking, I share 10 Healthy 4th of July Dessert Ideas. Here at 
Mother Earth’s Garden I call out the old saying about corn - “Knee high by the fourth of July.” At She Knows Parties, I share fond memories of my summers and holidays as a child.
Karen at Thrifty Mommy probably has the most reason to celebrate the fourth as anyone I’ve heard - join Karen as she shares family photos of one of the most memorable nights in her families lives.
Over at All Holiday Cafe, Sandy talks about how various countries celebrate their independence.
Christina at SoloMother shares her own experiences of celebrating the 4th of July in the nations capital.
Susan at PlayLibrary shares her memories of playing the classic game of Zimm Zamm during her family’s annual July 4th barbecue celebration.
Eliza at Babylune reflects back on early holiday celebrations with baby on board and looks to this years celebration - their first out of the military.
And finally, there’s Gayla at MomGadget - Without fail, each year her memories race back to an earlier time when life was much simpler and she’d celebrate her summer holiday with relatives down in the holler in the hills of Kentucky - this year - she shares a Bluegrass Kinda Fourth of July.
To all our readers in the U.S. - we wish you the happiest and safest of holidays - and everyone else, thanks for allowing us to share our own memories with each of you.
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In June I asked you what garden zone you were in, to help me target what information I should be covering here at Mother Earth’s Garden. Here are the results:
Any other countries out there represented? Please let me know in the comment section.
Thanks to all who participated. I’ll have a new poll up later this afternoon.
Image via Stock.xchng
The big planting push is done for the year, now it’s time for maintaining and caring for the plants in your garden. I showed you my favorite garden tiller, I love this little tiller because it’s easier than hoeing, but it’s not burning any fuel other than the extra piece of pie I ate for supper.
This is the time of year when you really have to stay on top of weeds in your garden. I run my little tiller down the middle of the rows, but I have to get out there with my garden gloves and weed between the plants.
I usually work in my garden early in the morning, and late in the evening. I try to avoid working in the garden in the heat of the day.
We’ve had plenty of rain so far this summer here in Ohio, but that usually changes during July, so I’ll be adding some watering to my list of gardening chores soon. I usually water early in the morning, before the sun is beating down on the plants.
What are you doing right now to maintain your garden?
Image (c) Linette
Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend. It’s been a little very rainy here the whole month of June. The weeds are growing fast, and I can’t get into the garden to weed without being head to toe mud.
Since I can’t get in the garden, I thought I’d do a quick roundup of June photos here at Mother Earth’s Garden.
I love photos, and June’s been a great month for photos in the garden. I hope you enjoy this garden photo collection:
The rest of the Lifestyles Network has been blooming in June too. Check out what’s blooming at the other Lifestyles Network blogs.
What’s been blooming in your garden during June (besides the weeds)? Please feel free to share below.
Image (c) Linette
Through the years I’ve discovered being a gardener can mean many things. Here are some of the things being a gardener means to me.
Being a gardener means always having green gunk under your fingernails, no matter how many times you wash them.
Being a gardener means you can’t drive by a garden center without stopping in, just to “take a look.”
Being a gardener means the first section you stop at in the local book store or library is the gardening section… just to see if they have anything new.
Being a gardener means, on the day after Christmas you run to the mailbox to see if the gardening catalogs have started to arrive yet.
Being a gardener means, hoping your husband (wife) will drive so you can look out the window and see how everyone else’s garden is growing while you’re riding down the road.
Being a gardener means having your husband stop the car so you can jump out and take a picture of that beautiful hibiscus flower at the edge of the road (or maybe that’s me being a photo freak).
Being a gardener means always finding one more plant to add to your garden, even when all available space appears to be full.
Being a gardener means your favorite form of fun and relaxation is strolling through your midsummer garden.
Being a gardener means having all your windowsills full of new little plants from February until June. And having those same windowsills full of plants you just couldn’t let the frost get in October.
Being a gardener means planting more fruits and vegetables than you’ll ever be able to use, and giving half away to friends and relatives who run from you when they see you coming with a load of fresh zucchini.
Being a gardener means you have a little piece of heaven in your back yard.
Being a gardener means you love the earth, and would do anything you can to help preserve her beauty.
Being a gardener means seeing each new bloom and rejoicing at its wonderful uniqueness.
Being a gardener means having a sense of pride when you put a meal on the table provided by your own garden.
What does being a gardener mean to you?
Image and content (c) Linette, do not copy anything on this page without prior written permission.
This month the Lifstyles network is reflecting on 4th Of July
’s of the past. I can’t think of Independence Day without remembering the saying for corn, it should be knee high by the 4th of July. These days most of the corn around here is usually much taller than knee high by the 4th.
Some fields got a late start this year with all the rain we’ve had recently. My sweet corn will probably only be about mid-calf high by the end of next week.
I’m thankful I have corn to measure on the 4th, some farmers in the mid-west won’t be measuring much of their corn crop thanks to the devastating floods this year.
How’s your corn crop doing this year, will it be knee high by the Fourth of July?
Image via Stock.xchng
It’s cherry picking time in Ohio. I have one lonely little cherry tree in my small orchard. I’ve thought about getting more cherry trees, but then I have flashbacks to picking cherries for hours at my grandma’s house growing up. After we spent the afternoon picking cherries, we spent all night pitting them.
I’ve been picking the ripe cherries off our little tree each day, before the birds can get them. I’m storing them up in the refrigerator for a few days. My plan is to make some cherry crisp, with the same recipe I used to make my Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch a few weeks ago. I’ll just substitute the cherries for the strawberries, and leave out the rhubarb.
Cherry pie is another favorite at our house, but we’ve been trying to eat healthier this summer. What’s your favorite cherry dessert, or dish?
Image (c) Linette
Sandy knows her holidays, and she sent me some important information on National Pollinator week.
The Pollinator Partnership declared June 22 to the 28th National Pollinator week to help raise awareness of the decline of bees and other pollinators. Honey bees have been hit especially hard in the last couple years with Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, which has devastated a large portion of the honey bee population.
The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign is releasing a set of guides over the next couple years to help people determine the best plants in their region to help pollinators thrive.
The main goal of the campaign is to make people more honey bee aware, and to help set up more natural habitats for the bees to thrive in.
The effort has two corporate sponsors, Burt’s Bees ™, and Haagen Daz’s(tm), hurray to these two corporations for doing something positive to help the bee and pollinator situation.
More on what you can do to help the honey bees.
Image via stock.xchng
About Gardening, Composting and Growing
Written by Linette Gerlach [email] for b5media.
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