Who We Are



The past few years, the area where I live, Crawford County, Ohio, has seen a wonderful explosion of younger families who are embracing the joys and challenges of living off the land. Because of them, amazing things are happening which have been embraced by our community. Farmer’s markets have been created and on-farm stores have opened. Families dedicated to growing organic produce and naturally raised meats are meeting the public’s needs for locally raised foods. And at the heart of this movement are the women.



Ohio Country Journal is my attempt to share the essence of farm life, focusing on, but not limited to, women. My goal is to bring you into our circle of friendship by inviting you to share your stories and experiences with us. You don’t have to be a full time country woman to benefit from joining us; you just have to be you.





The full-time country women featured in Ohio Country Journal are an inspiration to anyone who dares to follow her dreams, whether it is to live in the country or to bring the country life-style to their urban neighborhoods.





Friday, April 5, 2013

China Garden

This morning I took a look at our asparagus patch *hoping* to at least see a few brave spears waking up.
 
No luck.
 
Winter hung on too long for those tasty spring veggies to emerge. The good thing is, I know that they will, eventually.
 
An asparagus patch is a good investment, as it is a perennial vegetable. Once a patch is established, it provides early Spring side dishes for years and years.
 
The only flowers I have blooming right now are the snowdrops. Other flowers, like daffodils, have shot up but have not revealed their yellow heads just yet.
 
What's a gal to do?
 
For a couple of years I've seen garden sculptures made of dishes and other china pieces. Most of the sculptures are flowers, but I've also seen bird feeders. What a wonderful way to up-cycle odds and ends of dishes!
 
Being a long-time crafter and Goodwill Hunter, I've been too cheap to buy the sculptures from vendors at craft shows because I figured I could make my own.
 
That thought got caught in limbo for maybe a year and a half. A few days ago I dusted it off, gathered up a dinner plate, a salad plate and an ashtray  (all purchased at thrift stores)  to see if I could make a "flower" to cheer up my bleak landscape.
 
 
 
 
First I washed the pieces, then gave them an extra rinse as the glue suggested. I spread the glue on the back rim of the salad plate, positioned it on the dinner plate and held it down for 15 seconds.
 
I waited a few minutes and repeated the process with the ash tray.
 
The directions on the glue says to let the pieces cure for at least one day. This glue is dishwasher safe, so I figured it should do O.K. out in the rain. This morning I gave each piece a tug and believe me, those babies are stuck tight.
 
*Y*A*Y*
 
!!!Success!!!

 
 
Sort of.
 
The "flower" does not have stem, and I don't want it laying on the ground like some sort of fallen lady. Lucky for me that my friend, Ray, has an idea of how to attach a holder on the back of the plate that will accommodate a pipe for the stem.
 
He won't be able to help with that part of this project until next week sometime, so meanwhile I'll glue a few more "flowers" together.
 
I love crafting and designing things. It is more fun when friends are involved. I can't wait to get together with Ray and finish up our China Garden sculptures!!!
 
Marcheta *stuck on crafts

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