No.29 Full Moon on Monday, September 12

The full moon in the middle of September supposed to be the most beautiful moon in the year. I will enjoy the beauty of the full moon tomorrow night. Hope we will have a special clear sky.

No. 28 Successful Home Grown Veggies This Summer

I planted a pumpkin for the first time this summer.

First of all, the way how I planted several veggies in my garden was not a good way. I don’t have any veggie beds in my garden, so, I planted a tomato here, and then another tomato here, and four basils here, and so on. Feeding those veggie plants made it very difficult to control the weeds around them, and, probably, it was a very inefficient way to water them as well.
Yet, basils, Japanese cucumbers, sweet 100 cherry tomatoes grew well. On the other hand, hot peppers and regular sized tomatoes ended in very poor harvest again, so, I won’t plant them anymore.
For the next summer, first of all, I would like to plan a layout of my garden including a veggie bed and then to make the soil rich before the planting season would begin.

No. 27 Chicken Wire Cages Worked 100%+

The newly adopted method to put chicken wire cages around newly planted bushes worked perfectly to keep squirrels off. The squirrels used to damage the newly planted roses, berry bushes, and etc overnight and I had really a hard time to grow bushes in my garden. I still have several squirrels living in my garden, but, they don’t bother bushes surrounded by a chicken wire cage. For the first time, I made a success to plant bushes in my garden this summer!
My friend in California used to put chicken wire cages around her cactuses and bird of paradise bushes covering with cotton sheets to protect them against frosts during winter. I am not sure whether or not I would need to cover any of my bushes during winter, but, I am going to keep the chicken wire cages since it might be helpful.

No.26 Additional Bird Bath and More Birds and Bees

It’s getting the end of summer season and it seems to be a good time for me to review what worked and what didn’t work in my garden this summer.

The best new addition to my garden this summer was an additional bird bath. It was hard to find a garden store which carried bird baths since most garden stores including Home Depot seemed to stop carrying them. I was fortunate that the Abner’s Garden in Wheat Ridge, Colorado had a selection of bird baths and I could purchase a nice one for my garden. The store staffs at the Abner’s Garden were very friendly and nice.

Last summer, I had one bigger sized bird bath and one smaller sized bird bath under a big tree. Mainly, the doves and the red robins which had nests in my garden used them. And this summer, I added one more bigger sized bird bath under a different big tree and had new bird visitors to my garden, which seemed to be finches, and a lot of bees.
It was a new lesson for me that to put bird baths(water) in my garden would sustain wildlife.

No.25 Handmade Carrying Jewelry Pouch

I am always so impressed by creative ideas by artists, crafters, gardeners, cooks, and etc. While checking a book, Craft Hope that I had introduced the other day, I was like, “Who could come up with this pillow case dress idea? Oh My God, these sock monkeys are way too cute.” The very idea that someone could come up to make sock monkeys from socks itself is so impressive to me.
This tiny jewelry pouch is one of those creations that gave me the same kind of surprise long time ago. When I purchased jewelry at a store, the store gave me a manufacture made tiny jewelry pouch, and it turned to be a very convenient item to carry in my bag for going to swimming, traveling and etc.
I made the one attached here by hands using a black felt with blanket stitches. This is a tri-fold jewelry pouch measuring with folded dimension of 4” long x 2” wide. It consists of 1 pocket and a strap with a snap on one end for holding ring. A very quick and easy craft project.

No. 24 Mashed Cauliflowers and Castle Rock

After visiting the Cherokee Ranch and Castle, I went to the down town Castle Rock. It was my first visit there, and I was so glad that I did. I stopped at a farmers’ market while they were closing, so I could get a chance to check only 1 stand which still had some veggies on the table. I purchased several kinds of veggies and the water melons were the best of all. I got two cauliflowers for one, but, quite frankly, that wasn’t an exciting offer since, well, to think I would have to eat two cauliflowers rather sounded like a pain. But, the store persons told me, “Oh, no, try mashed cauliflower with butter. It would taste like mashed potatoes and it would be good.” That mashed cauliflowers was new to me, so, I tried with butter and ranch dressing powder and milk, and it turned to be very good and a good way to eat a lot of cauliflowers.
Besides the farmers’ market, I had a great fun time at Bennington Mercantile which wasn’t just a feed store but also carries fashionable western clothing and work clothing and the owner and staffs of the store were very nice and friendly. I was so happy that I found used horse shoes for sale at the store since I had wanted one for good luck. Also, the Barn, which was like an antique and unique gifts mall with style, was a wonderful place. I purchased several high quality cotton fabrics. I am sure that women would love to visit the Barn. And, one more treat at a Mexican restaurant, Yolanda’s Tacos. They served all homemade tacos, and they were really good. I had stopped eating meats at any Mexican restaurants for a while because the meats didn’t taste good, but, the Yolanda’s pork and beef were very good. Probably, the Yolanda’s Tacos would be the only reason why I don’t say that I am a vegetarian.

No.23 Cherokee Ranch and Castle Tour

I took a tour at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle in Douglas County, Colorado for the first time. The castle was built with rocks originated to the Douglas County in a Scottish style. From my perspective that I had seen the Hearst Castle and other Victorian mansions in California, the Cherokee Castle had rather a simple interior with mainly beautiful stone works, not too many furniture and decorations, and the spectacular view.
And, it is great to know that the land is protected as a wildlife sanctuary.