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Sewing How-To | Easy Baby Quilt
Let me preface this post by saying that I am not a seamstress. I just wrote ‘sewer’ and realized it looked like the sanitary system, sewer, so now I realize why we don’t write that for a person who sews. *doh* Ok, back on track here. My sewing abilities began in 8th grade Home Ec in the form of a square pillow. I sew squares, folks. That’s it. I had a brief run in with a blouse that just did not work out. My mom worked with me on it but I finished back at home in Florida and I just didn’t like how it turned out. Maybe another pattern…
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2011 Summer Interview Series | Elizabeth @ Miss Wisabus
I wanted to interview Elizabeth because well, as was seen in my post on Saturday she’s my second cousin that I only found out about two years ago. I’d love to sit down with her over coffee again some day and pick her brain on books! First off, give us an idea of who you are, why you blog and your geographic location. I’m 26, a writer, a reader, wife to Kevin (we’ve been married 2 years), a “dabbler” at gardening, and am currently employed in the public school system. My position is one that I really can’t disclose any details about other than my day-to-day activities (making sure teachers…
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Carrots, Barns and other things
Last week I spent some time down near Houston doing a working interview. On my way back on Friday I kept an eye out for the Aggie barn located on Regan on Texas highway 6. It’s closer to Waco than College Station but on my relatively few trips down 6 to College Station I’ve always looked for it. I’d actually forgotten it was there until I passed it on my way down and then on the way back I kept expecting to see it sooner and didn’t realize it was further up than it was. I almost didn’t stop but decided to pull a uey and head back for the…
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One Year Ago | Maine
Hard to believe that one year ago we only had 281.4 miles left and we’d entered our 14th and final state, Maine, the Promised Land. I broke one of my poles later that day. Chris, I think you need to get the scraggly mountain man beard going again. Where did the last year go?
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Local Adventures | Crosstimbers Trail at Fort Worth Nature Center
Let me tell you something. This post was a booger to put together. Why? Because I did a lot of research. Why? Because I don’t know everything—duh! First, a brief explanation of the Local Adventures title. While some aspects of it might be similar to Nature in the City posts they will differ in that they aren’t going to be strictly nature or in the city. NITC posts focus a bit more on parks/areas that are within an urban environment and they may or may not have a playground. (Now I am reminded I need to do some NITC posts again soon.) Local Adventures will focus on anything from a…
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A Tandy Hills Evening
A few weeks ago we went for an evening walk at Tandy Hills to scope out some Passiflora lutea that had been mislabeled as Clematis pitcheri in a TH newsletter. I got the general locale for the vine so I could verify in person and sure enough we found the plants and many, many more! When we arrived we took the main trail from the playground out towards I-30. To the west was a stray shower over downtown Fort Worth. We found the original plant… and then 50 yards down we found more passionvine and a clematis. Smilax mixing it up with passiflora… and maybe a variegated passiflora? Some flower…
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2011 Summer Interview Series | Mandy Steward @ Messy Canvas
I don’t remember when I found Mandy’s blog, Messy Canvas, but I know that it was through Kasie’s blog and I was instantly hooked. She asked the tough questions and even if questions weren’t being asked her commentary always gave me more to devour and digest. There are writers behind the blogs that you just wish you could know a little bit better and so that I why I chose Mandy for part of the interview series this summer. Enjoy! First off, give us an idea of who you are, why you blog and your geographic location. My name is Mandy Steward. I’m an artist/writer living in Oklahoma City. I…
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Texas Wildflowers | Asclepias tuberosa
This widespread milkweed species is a larval host to monarch butterflies in addition to queen’s and the gray hairstreak. It has has the similar long seed pod with silky hairs that other milkweeds use to propagate. Preferring full sun to light shade, once established these plants can handle mesic to xeric conditions comfortably. These species has a very hairy stem, as seen above, and is apparently not milky when broken like most milkweeds and is instead clear. Definitely add this one in for diversity in your butterfly garden and to attract monarchs! More information: +Wildflower.org +TPWD on the species +Aggie horticulture +Milkweed guide
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Wordless Wednesday | Summer Tomatoes
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2011 Summer Interview Series | Susy @ Chiot’s Run
I have my brother to thank for getting me interested in Chiot’s Run. It was just a little link on the side bar of his blog and one click was all it took—I was hooked! Every day there is something new at Chiot’s Run, beautiful photos and how-to’s for gardening and plenty of gardening inspiration. Just reading about the life around Chiot’s Run will make you want to dig in the ground and live a bit more simply. First off, give us an idea of who you are, why you blog and your geographic location. I was born and grew up in Colombia, South America, and enjoyed living in a…