Mountain Musings

Snakes Alive!

Today Mom and I went to see a very interesting program at our local library - Snakes Alive! We saw this presentation twice many years ago at the library in Williamsburg, and so when I saw that it would be here, I definitely wanted to go again. :)

It was quite an ordeal just to get into the room where it was being held--there were so many kids, it was a far too small room, the air conditioning was broken, and the herpetologist, Ron Cromer, had trouble getting his large snake cage in the elevator.

Once everybody was squeezed as tightly together as possible, he started his talk. He explained the five catagories of markings: stripes, solid, bands, rings, and spots. There was a slide show of snakes with different markings...one of which was the copperhead. One of two poisonous snakes in this area, it has hourglass shaped brown bands. He explained how identifying snakes by the shape of the head is hard, as many NON-poisonous snakes bluff having a diamond shaped head by flattening it out on the ground. Baby black snakes are often mistaken for copperheads, but if you study the markings, they have spots instead of the bands.

Then Mr. Cromer started to take out several kinds of his snakes from the bins you can see behind him. He asked for volunteers to hold a couple, and of course all the kids raised their hands. One little boy held a hognosed snake called "Bacon Bits." There were several of those, all named things like "Miss Piggy." :) Another girl held a large gopher snake that wrapped around her neck.

In the top picture, Mr. Cromer is holding a black snake, which is the largest snake in this area. Another demonstration was of feeding a large iguana; Tarzan was his name. He came up out of his cage, and all the kids were screaming. He got a piece of sweet potato from a little boy who wasn't scared up until that big lizard actually started coming close to him!

Next came the fun part - Mr. Cromer called for adult volunteers to come forward, and he would give them snakes to take around to all the kids. I went up...I actually can't remember what type of snake I got, only that it comes from Texas. Her name was Gracie, and she seemed pretty strong for a small snake - especially when she wrapped herself all the way around my wrist. This part was quite fun, helping the kids hold it and rub it. Since it was so hot in the room, the snakes were only able to be held for a little while before getting too "tired." We were informed to bring back any snakes that became wiggly - mine did. :)

The grand finale was taking out a very LARGE Burmese python and standing in a line holding it for everybody to see. I got to help with that too - but Mom just took pictures. Penelope the python was 35 years old, 15 feet long, and weighed almost 200 pounds! Very neat to hold part of it. I can remember seeing all the adults do that when I was little, and now I've gotten to! I even got a sticker to prove it...it says "Snakes Alive Python Holder." :)

All in all, an informative, enjoyable afternoon.

~Sarah    

43!

43 years ago...July 18, 1965...the day I became a Christian, a new creature in Christ...the day I realized I needed a Saviour and asked the Lord to come into my heart and forgive my sins. Today is my spiritual "birth" day! Thank you, Lord!

I shared my life's testimony three years ago on the blog, and you can find it here in a post titled "40 Years A'Walkin'!"

Have a good weekend everyone! See you on the blog next week.

~Deb

Old Red Barn Quilt Giveaway

Is this quilt absolutely beautiful, or what? The quilt measures 65" x 87" and is from Sandi Henderson's new fabric collection called Ginger Blossom.

This is the same fabric I recently ordered and received in the mail from Randi's new online fabric business Fresh Squeezed!  I love seeing what these different fabrics look like all sewn together!

And...The Old Red Barn is giving this quilt away!! All you have to do is go over and leave a comment, along with all the 1300 folks who have already entered! But...someone's going to win it!

Contest closes next Tuesday, July 22, at midnight.

~Deb

Not Long Now...

...until we enjoy some juicy corn on the cob!* I love to see those tassels finally make their appearance. It reminds me of our long-ago homeschooling days and the poem I often quoted to the kids.

Lovely! See the cloud, the cloud appear!

Lovely, See the rain, the rain draw near!

Who spoke?

'Twas the little corn-ear

High on the tip of the stalk.

~ taken from Corn Grinding Song from the Zuni Indians

I took this picture last night when I was out watering the vegetables while the sun was setting. The tassels were so perfectly highlighted in the sunlight. It was so beautiful!

I immediately grabbed the cell phone in my pocket and called home for someone to bring out my camera to the lower garden. I love it when Tom takes a break from studying and comes down to meet me in the garden. :)

* Peaches and Cream, bi-color, due to harvest August 1st. 

~Deb

Answering Gardening Questions

Karen, over at The Sower's Corner, asked what plants I have found worked well as far as being deer-resistant. I thought I would answer her question in a post. Here's a good website that lists quite a few deer-resistant plants (not deer proof though). I have heard, unfortunately, that no plant is safe if deer are really hungry.

Below are some of the plants we have in our yard taken from the deer-resistant website, and I've made notes as to what I've observed.

• Barberry - never touched
• Bee Balm - touched by something, rabbits maybe?
• Begonia - never touched
• Black-eyed Susan - whole section near garden nibbled down, rabbits or deer?
• Bleeding Heart - never touched but behind chicken wire
• Butterfly Bush - planted in deer territory and never touched
• Candytuft - never touched
• Canna Lily - never touched
• Clematis - never touched
• Cock's Comb - protected behind garden fence
• Columbine - buds nibbled by something, rabbits maybe?
• Coneflower - usually never touched once bloomed; I've had buds nibbled, rabbits?
• Coral Bells - blooms nibbled off; I had assumed deer but now think rabbits
• Coreopsis - never touched
• Cosmos - protected behind garden fence
• Cotoneaster - never touched
• Crape Myrtle - doing fine in deer territory
• Dahlia - protected by garden fence
• Delphinium - nibbled down, rabbits?
• False Indigo - nibbled by deer I'm sure, too tall for rabbits
• Feverfew - never touched
• Flowering Dogwood - never touched
• Forsythia - never touched
• Foxglove - protected behind wire, then removed, not touched yet
• Geranium - protected on porch
• Goldenrod - nibbled down, rabbits?
• Grape Hyacinth - nibbled, by rabbits?
• Hens and Chicks - on porch; I shouldn't see rabbits or deer here!
• Iris - in deer territory, never touched
• Juniper - never touched
• Lambs' Ear - never touched
• Lavender - never touched
• Lenten Rose - never touched
• Lilac - has never bloomed or thrived in deer territory; assumed deer was eating it?
• Lily of the Valley - some nibbled, rabbits?
• Marigold - inside garden fence
• Morning Glory - never touched, too near house
• Nandina - never touched
• Nasturtium - protected behind garden fence
• Peony - never touched
• Primrose - never touched
• Red-Twigged Dogwood - never touched, too near house 
• Rose of Sharon - only eaten by Japanese beetles
• Scabiosa - protected by garden fence
• Scarlet Sage - never touched
• Shasta Daisy - never touched
• Speedwell - never touched
• Spiderwort - nibbled, rabbits or deer?
• Stokes Aster - never touched
• Sunflower - something ate some sunflowers, and we think deer.
• Sweet Woodruff - never touched
• Verbena - nibbled down to the ground; I thought deer but maybe rabbits?
• Viburnum - new plant near house, still watching
• Yarrow - never touched
• Zinnia - protected by garden fence

One plant we have that deer definitely nibble is hollyhock...both near the garden and near the house (it wasn't on the list for being deer-resistant). Sometimes I spray Liquid-Fence on plants around the yard, but I haven't this year. I need to spray what's left of the black-eyed susan and the hollyhocks.

Karen, I hope my notes helped to answer your question. Sometimes deer follow the list and don't touch these plants, and sometimes they're hungry and eat anything!

To answer Jamie's question about our berries still producing. Yes, we are still getting raspberries, although the strawberries are winding down. Hannah says it's because they both are called "ever-bearing" which may be the "second crop" we are getting. The blackberries have finally dwindled down, although just a few days ago, we were getting a pint every other day. I don't think she does anything special, and we may be on the tail end of berry season at this point, although last season we were picking raspberries into October.

Thank you both for the questions!

~Deb

Bloomin' Tuesday

For today's Bloomin' Tuesday over at MsGreen "thumb" Jean's, here's a picture of the first bloom this year on the canna lily plants we transported from our daughter-in-law's parents' home in Georgia and planted in our backyard about three years ago.

This fall I plan to move a whole section of them down to the new garden's flower border as they have multiplied greatly in the small spot where they're planted!

Next, our hyacinth bean plant which is spiraling its way quickly upward and twining its vines around the birdhouse pole and the wire supports out back.

Once the plants were established earlier this spring, we transplanted a couple of the bigger plants to new locations. Note: they don't transplant well, and the ones we moved are not as far along as the ones pictured, but hopefully they will eventually bloom this season.

Hyacinth bean plants produce many seed pods, and we save the seeds each year to begin new plants each spring.*

It was very encouraging to read a comment recently from Island Sparrow, blogging in Prince Edward Island, Canada, who told us her hyacinth bean plants from the seeds we sent her were coming along nicely! I hope to see a picture of them blooming before long.

To see more Bloomin' Tuesday pictures, visit MsGreen "thumb" Jean's blog!

* (We hope to have plenty of seeds available for sale at the end of the season. Check back later for more details if you would like us to mail you seeds from the Mountain Musings garden.)

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today: Monday, July 14

Outside my Window...it is a beautiful, sunny, 78-degree day. The mountains are as blue as can be this morning, and I can see for miles.

I am thinking...that I will work outside this afternoon pulling weeds and doing some around-the-yard chores.

I am thankful for...the wonderfully refreshing rain last night that we needed so badly.

From the kitchen...raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries on the counter waiting to be eaten or frozen for later...a big bowl of green beans just picked, yellow squash simmering in a frying pan for lunch.

I am creating...a scrapbook of memories from our past Keepers at Home skills days as a sample for a scrapbooking class we're teaching later this month.

I am going...to Lowe's to buy more potting soil. I have a tub to fill with flowers!

I am wearing...an old navy skirt, a dirt stained white top, and my straw hat...my gardening clothes.

I am reading...instructions for another McKenna Ryan wall-hanging that I will soon be starting.

I am hoping...one of the girls will let me use their sewing machine for my quilt block which I still need to figure out from Saturday's first sampler class.

I am hearing...the sound of the air-conditioner running...and a welcoming sound it is after the repairman came this morning to fix the struggling-to-keep-up downstairs unit.

Around the house...plenty of laundry washing, a quilt being worked on in Sarah's room, and the house being cleaned from the weekend's church fellowship. 

One of my favorite things...is a normal-run-of-the-mill day, just like this one, working around the house.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...planning the food for my mom's 80th birthday celebration later this month, cleaning the guest room for my sister's visit, and all the usual daily chores.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... 

To see more Daybooks, visit The Simple Woman, a new-to-me blog I recently discovered.

~Deb

Yard Sale ~ Deal or No Deal?

Would you have paid $5 for this tub of antique blue jars? That includes the tub, TWELVE blue jars, and FOUR clear jars with handles (which the seller told me were really old ones).

Originally he was asking $10 for the lot, and I said no. He immediately dropped to $5! I couldn't let him see the gleam in my eye when I told him I would go ahead and take them. I'd say that was a pretty good deal. What do you think?

Actually, I wasn't planning on posting until Monday, but how could I keep this good news to myself? :)

~Deb

Thursday Thirteen

  

Thirteen Things We've Been Doing on Our Blog Break!

Well, we've had a very enjoyable week away from the computer and thought it would be a good time to catch everyone up on what's been going on around Mountain Musings lately.

1. My mom and her friend, Evelyn, visited for lunch one day last week for my birthday. We took them on a tour of the gardens--you can see the tall sunflowers behind them. My mom will be 80 in a couple of weeks, and her friend is 85! They drove three hours to get here and drove back home the same day after their short visit.

2. The girls prepared a delicious lunch for the special occasion. Our menu: Ham Broccoli Ring, Tomato & Cucumber Salad, Sugar Snap Peas, Ring of Cantaloupe topped with raspberries and blackberries from the garden (along with watermelon balls), and Key Lime Pie for dessert. Yummy! 

3. And don't forget the Peter Paul Mounds Cake!** After our company left, Sarah got busy in the kitchen baking a birthday cake. I have requested this particular chocolate cake every year since I was a little girl! It's unfortunate the guys don't like coconut, but it's only once a year.

4. Tom scheduled a vacation day and took me downtown to The Pampered Palate for lunch. We always enjoy the time we spend together. I took my camera and forgot to take a picture!

5. One of our errands while out (a surprise!) was looking at picnic tables over in Stuarts Draft! I have wanted an outdoor table for awhile now, and it was just delivered this week--a big one that seats 10 and 2 extra on the ends if needed. We haven't initiated it yet--who wants to come over and help us try it out?

6. The 4th of July holiday was a very nice celebration at the home of one of our church families. After target practice with really LOUD guns, there were lots of afternoon games: balloon toss, 3-legged race, wheelbarrow and gunny sack races, tug of war, and hula hoops!  Here's Jonathan on our family's team trying to get the hoop over to Sarah.

Thankfully, I was the official photographer for the day and, instead of jumping in a sack, participated by taking pictures of everyone having fun! Quite hilarious! We all had an enjoyable time and some sore muscles and bruises the next day!

7. Our contribution to the July 4th cookout was Sarah's Turtle Trifle**--an outta-this-world delicious chocolate dessert! Doesn't it look yummy in this punch bowl?

8. Even though we were taking a blog break, garden chores didn't take a vacation--the raspberries keep on a'coming, and the green beans need picking! Hannah also harvested the rest of the lettuce and keeps the Mountain Musings' kitchen well supplied with her garden produce. 

9. Also, we've been out measuring the garden in order to answer a question a commenter recently asked about the size of our garden. Well, we actually have two gardens because we quickly outgrew the original one. The "old" garden has four raised beds (made with 2" x 6" boards) that are 26' by 4', 15' by 3', and 15' by 5' long. There's a middle mounded row between the two longer raised beds that is 26' by 2'.

The "new" garden is for spreading vegetables like watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, acorn and butternut squash, and gourds (our first try at gourds).  Also corn, raspberries, blackberries, and the strawberry bed are in this garden. All the flowers you see down in the new garden are volunteers: sunflowers, cosmos, cockscomb, and scabiosa are from last year's seeds being dropped.

The new garden measures approximately: 62' x 50'. I'm gradually working on making a flower bed around the perimeter just like the old garden. I have two sides done so far, and I need brick or stone to go around the mulch for borders. I'm on the lookout for free bricks!

10. Yesterday Hannah made some Zucchini Squares for lunch with her first zucchini of the season. We are hoping a few more will be ready before Sunday as we're preparing Vegetable Lasagna for our fellowship meal.

11. And on the days that we didn't go outside to work in the garden...Hannah is crocheting a baby blanket; Sarah is sewing on her red double wedding ring quilt; and I'm still knitting a kitchen towel. (Update pictures will be posted after we're farther along.)

12. During part of our blog break, we've been busy working on all the necessary preparations for our next two Keepers at Home skill days. Hannah is teaching calligraphy, and she and I are teaching scrapbooking at the end of the month.

13. Finally, we relaxed and enjoyed the sunset (picture taken by Hannah from our front porch).

Everyone have a wonderful weekend ~ see you on the blog on Monday!

** recipes on continuation page

~Deb

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend! We'll be taking a short blogging break (recuperating from the June blogging challenge!). See you next week!

Thank you all for the wonderfully, encouraging comments on my birthday! The family really did treat me like a queen!

~Deb