Autumn Feast

Today is The Day before Thanksgiving!  This year we are going down to visit Kip's Mother, several Great Aunts, and a random array of people that we are somehow related to.  It should be fantastic and I am looking forward to it, although I do miss being home with my many siblings, nieces, nephews, parents and the all important Thanksgiving Day Basketball Game which injures at least one of us every year.  

Seeing as how it is The Day before I have a long list of things to do.  One of which is figure out how to get my pictures off my camera...so, I am sending you to a link that anyone who loves autumn, or nature, will enjoy!

You see, my brother-in-law, Kevin Winzeler, is a photographer.  He's very good, and I think that some of his Autumn Pics are captivating.  

Kevin did my wedding pictures.  

Please Enjoy.   And then feel free to zoom around the web-site if you like good photography.  

If you want to see one of my favorites then this is my other brother-in-law at the salt flats.   I don't know how many of you have been to the salt flats, but this is quite the picture.   

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Repotting Abraham

I was repotting in the kitchen the other day and made quite the mess.  You see, our new apartment does not have any outside storage, so I put all of my potting soil into a five gallon bucket in the house.  When I opened it up the other day, and set about my task of repotting Abraham (a plant, not a person) I had a few topples, and balancing problems, etc.  Needless to say Kip looked over to find me in  the middle of a process that should have taken less time, with dirt all over the kitchen floor.  He raised his eyebrows and told the that "those things should be done outside."  Luckily, he's a good sport and I got him to take a picture of me.  

And now I have a question for all of you.  I have officially repotted all my plants twice.  Both times would have been humorous had anyone happened by, with me arguing out loud and practically killing them all.  These things should be done in a potting shed, with a stool perhaps, and plenty of space.  My situation was, um, less favorable.  No, I did not try it in the kitchen.  The question I have is when do you know when it's time to repot your plants? 

Any takers?

Curious Climber and The Near Death Experience

I stopped after noticing the ambitious pumpkin, and then screamed and jumped back when I suddenly saw a huge lizard.  Luckily, those large plastic types are rarely poisonous.   I thought that if someone had a chain link fence like this, they could create quite the beautiful show by getting pumpkins to grow all along it.  Who wants to try?

"G'Day G'Day" this is for you!

My internet has not been working for several days, and so my ability to post has been...nil.  I have a few flowers to report on, and questions to ask, etc.  Jannette, "G'Day G'Day", asked for the recipe of Rice Crispy Treats!  

Albeit this is a gardening blog, I would love to leave the recipe until I post a "Real Post" in the morning.  It's late.  I am tired.  My jaw dislocated itself a couple of days ago and I still can't shut my mouth all the way.  If those aren't good enough reasons for me to not get you a "Real Live Red Clover Post" then I don't know what is.  

Now...This is how I do it:

Buy 

1 Box Rice Crispies 

1 16 0z Bag of Marshmellows

1/3 stick of butter

1 bag of Chocolate Chip Cookies

Get a big pan and heat about three table spoons of butter until it is melted, then add a whole bag of those big marshmellows!!!  Once the marshmellows are all melted then take it off the burner/heat and add about 7 cups of rice crispies (that you had already prepared into a bowl.)  Then you stir them all together, just enough to make a real sticky mess, drop in about a half cup of chocolate chips, stir just a touch more, because you don't want the chocolate chips to smear, and then dump it all back into the bowl.  Then you sit down at the table with a fork, a place, and a glass of milk and dig in!  I don't put it into squares, no, I prefer a big messy pile of chocolaty-marshmellowy-goodness.  

Did that make sense?  You may have to fiddle with the measurements depending on what part of the world you live in.  

Surprise!

After I picked Kip up from class I asked him if he had seen the new member of our family.  "No" he had not and didn't know what I was talking about.  When we pulled into our little gravel car spot I grinned and said I had a surprise.  His interest was peaked until I told him it was another plant. 

 "You bought another plant!"  

"I needed a plant to teach one of my kids yesterday, so I bought two."   

He sighed with a smile and when we entered the apartment I made him walk around trying to locate the new arrival.  "Is it that plant?"  "What about that vine?"  Until his eyes fell upon the small flash of green and orange above the kitchen sink.  "You bought a cactus?!"  

Yes, and he is adorable.  I once swore I would never own a cactus, alas, it was almost love at first sight.  The charm he possesses will soon be explained via picture.  Once that darn camera turns up. 

After Kip admired our new plant he turned to me and said, "I thought the surprise was that you had made me rice crispy treats."  I laughed, cried out, and gave him a hug simultaneously.  He gets home from work in about forty-five minutes, and I am planning on making some rice crispy treats, while talking to my cactus. 

By the by, the dark green plant, covered in a galaxy of yellow stars?  I named him Abraham.  

I Am Alive...

...Infact, the living room is now properly organized, now that I assembled the new bookshelf...and we only have two stacks of books on the floor now, instead of three or four significantly higher stacks.  My plants are happy!  They are each taking their time to decide on their "spot".  Kip and I just bought a new little guy.  He is a gorgeous galaxy, with blazing yellow stars scattered in glorious nightscape across the keep green leaves!  Will introduce you to him...as soon as I find my camera.   Love you all.  Still sane.  Just a little more moving, and a lot more organizing, and then our regular programing will continue!  This novice gardner is not to be derailed, no!  I will persist.  And I will water my spider plant (hen and chicks) before madam and all her offspring expire.  (She shouldn't complain, for she was placed upon the much envied blue bookshelf next to Mr. Tuttle, the golden toad, a ship, and a few pirate books, Treasure Island not being the least. Arrgg!)

"The measure of the little while that I've been long away."

Posting has been at a low point the last several days. The main reason is that Kip and I found a new apartment. It has seven windows. Seven! Four of which are all the way above ground. Heaven. It is a fair amount bigger then our other apartment, too. And there are closets.

It has been on our mind for a while, getting into a place with more light, (That has become my rallying cry when ever I craved change) and space...and closets. So, Thursday I casually got online and browsed some classifieds for our area, with one particular road in mind. "Straton" Road. Now, I live in a city, good size, three large high schools, a couple hundred thousand I think, etc. It's twenty minutes from the mountains, and thirty minutes from the capital city. Perfect. And I grew up in a neighborhood next to a long street called Fourth South. If you follow this road all the way down, it eventually turns to the right onto an old farm road. It is down by the lake, and surrounded by fields. This was where I had decided I wanted to move. Close to everything, with a slight country feel. About a week ago I made Kip drive down there after work one night looking for "For Rent" signs. Considering there are about ten houses total on the old road, that was a far cry.

Well, I always tell Kip I lead a charmed life. I jumped online and, lo and behold, the first apartment that came up that day was on "Straton" road. It had been posted that day. After a phone call or two it was arranged for me to come down and see it before three other couples were supposed to look at it. It was perfect.

I loved the landlords; they are great and have five really fun kids. They liked us, too. And within twenty four hours we were offered the apartment, our landlords worked out a deal in our own apartment, and people were looking to move in. As Kip said "That was the fastest move of my life." I just smiled. He knew what he was getting into when he married me...I think.

So, I am spending this week moving while he is going between full-time university and full-time work. The yard is beautiful! I will take pictures. It is very large, and has a gate in the back that leads to a large park. My plants are excited as well, because the window sills are deep, with room and light. We are all thrilled. Leaving the neighborhood will be hard, because we have grown close to many of our neighbors, and I have been teaching the 14 year old Sunday School class. But, as I said to Kip the other day "We can't live in the "Jones'" basement forever." He ageed, though, as we lay on top of the bed talking, Kip looked over and said, "It just feels like we're leaving home."

Sorry for the break. Glad to be back. - Red Clover

P.S. Still to come...Pumpkin Land Pics, Farmer Grant, and more Fall Pictures! The yellows are in their prime!
P.P.S. That title of this post is from one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost. If you want to read the whole thing, here it is. It's a beautiful read.