Sparky to the Rescue

Hey, if any of you are looking for a last minute gift idea. Clark Griswold has one! (but not this one....for his, I suggest you pop some corn and watch Christmas Vacation). :)

I wanted to buy new blue jeans for one of Jim's Christmas presents, but did not want the hassle of shopping for an item that might end up with another trip to the store in case they didn't fit. Today, not technically the *last minute*, but still feeling under the gun, the light-bulb in my brain went off and the spark ignited an idea for a solution.

As an extra bonus, it also helps in de-cluttering by getting rid of an old pair of cut-offs that is beyond saving. Long past their prime, and even usefulness, they linger unwelcome (like Eddie, Sparky's brother-in-law) in one of Jim's dresser drawers, crowding other pairs of shorts to the point the drawer is hard to open or close, and naturally the whole bunch are wrinkled. 

I think that the cut-off's life had a happy ending because, for one last time, they served a useful purpose by providing a fun way to give Jim a gift card for new jeans. At least, that is what I hope he'll buy with it....*spoiler alert*...when Jim gets gift cards, he usually buys socks. He currently has two drawers that are full of socks from Cabela's because he thinks their clothes are too expensive. Go figure.

Here's how I re-purposed the cut-off jeans into a gift card holder:

After struggling to wrestle them out of the drawer, I freed the front pocket with a pair of shearers. Next I spray starched and ironed the pocket to make it look as good as possible (epic fail, nothing could improve this sad, sad pair of old work jeans).

The gift card was tucked in the small upper pocket (what is that normally used for, anyway?).








(Why does this post have so much text in parenthesis?) 

(Because this is a secret, and when I use parenthesis I feel as if I am whispering...shhh....).

Maybe this little idea will spark your imagination, too, for fun ways to give gift cards. If you have any old jeans that need to move out of your house, give them one last time to shine :)

Marcheta *Clark: "you're pretty set so far as shopping goes?"                             Marcheta: ("You betcha, Sparky!")
               

Flashback Friday - Inexpensive Halloween Decorating Idea

A blast from the past with Flashback Friday!

Hi All, 

This idea is so much fun, I decided to re-run it by you again. I know that it's just about time to pack Halloween decorations away for the season *sob* (hate to see them go), it is a good time to purchase plastic pumpkins if you plan to use this idea next year.

Since decorating this tree with plastic pumpkins two years ago, the population has almost doubled.  Maybe you're wondering why. Ponder no more: it's because at this time of year plastic pumpkins are extremely inexpensive, so naturally I had to buy more. Nowadays, this extreme orangeness brightens up our woods for our annual Halloween party. 

But even if you don't need, say, 100 plastic pumpkins (storage can be a problem, I must admit), it is still well worth it to buy a dozen or so to decorate a tree or make a banner by stringing them together with twine. 

I enjoyed revisiting this post. I hope that you do, too.

Marcheta *color my world orange

The "Trick" to this "Treat"

Pretty good for a crab-apple tree, huh? Sprouting plastic Jack-o-Lanterns just like it's Halloween time, or something like that!

This is not an original idea; I saw one somewhere last fall and thought it was brilliant because the multiple Jacks are so large that they are easily seen from a distance, and when seen up close and personal, they're downright impressive! 

I was inspired to do this at our own home, so I set out for my local Goodwill where I found a good amount of plastic pumpkins (the kind that kids use for trick or treating) for 50 cents each, which makes this decorating idea even more awesome. I found even more at another Goodwill, which made enough to fill the tree as far up as we could reach with our tall orchard ladder.

When the sun shines at just the right angle, it lights up the lanterns with solar energy, which is really cool. Maybe this year I'll buy some small solar lights and place them in the pumpkins to see if they will glow at night or on dark days. 

Installment was easy, I simply used chenille stems wrapped around the handles, and then around the tree limbs. Simple and satisfying!

Marcheta *Shine on, Orange Lantern

Orchard Babies Quiz Answers

How many did you answer correctly?

Here's my grading scale: everyone gets an "E" for Effort!



This is a baby pear. It should be fully grown around August 10th.

This fuzzy little guy is a peach, basking in the sun until it becomes ripe in late July/early August.








This baby will change color from green to purple when it is a ripe plum, again around the end of July or early August.






Last but not least are these Yellow Delicious apples. They'll be ready in mid to late September :)

So there you have it; four orchard babies just hangin' out until harvest :)

Why are the "due dates" kinda iffy? That's because each season our fruit is ready to harvest a bit earlier. Global warming? I don't know...but it has been interesting to witness the fruit coming to fruition earlier and earlier over the years, leading up to now when some trees are almost a month ahead of schedule.

Marcheta *just hangin' around until harvest, too 

Orchard Babies and a Pop Quiz

 

People usually know how an orchard looks in the Spring when it is in full, fragrant bloom.

And like-wise in Autumn, equally fragrant with fruit, ripe for the picking.

But what about the dash between  the Spring-Autumn connection?

Well, mostly the orchard looks green. It is full of leaves. It takes a closer inspection to find out what is going on.

Protected in the full leaves are the beginnings of apple crisps, plum kuchens, pear pies, and peach cobblers. Or, if you please, apple cobblers, pear kuchens, plum pies, and peach crisps. :)


Here's the quiz...can you guess the names of these babies?


Stay tuned for answers....

Marcheta *Fruit Mama

PS. What is your favorite fruit dessert?

If Barns Could Talk

This barn makes me smile every time that I see it, which is almost daily because it is near the reservoir where I love to take nature walks with my camera.   I love its Mona Lisa type of grin, which makes me wonder what memories it could share if it were able to talk. How many haying seasons has it housed in it's big loft. What kinds of animals found shelter in those orange walls. And..really, why was it painted orange in the first place?

My own memory about this barn is from a beautiful autumn day many years ago. The owners had a country shop in it, named, of course, The Orange Barn. My mother-in-law took me to a special event hosted by the business. It was the first time I had warmed apple cider, complete with a cinnamon stick for stirring. Such a lovely, simple drink to warm the hands and heart on a cool day. And spending the afternoon there was a nice way of getting to know Marge better.

As I drive around the countryside, I notice that many barns and outbuildings seem to have "faces" as this one does. I usually cannot photograph them because of traffic, or because I need to keep driving in order to get to my destination in time. But, because I think that faces in barns would be a nice collection, I am going to put more effort into recording them before they all disappear, only to be replaced by nondescript metal buildings.

Where do you find "faces"?  Do you record them with your camera? If not..what's holding you back?

Marcheta *about face!

Logging On, Country Style

This year Winter is hesitant to say "goodbye".  This means extra effort is needed to stay warm. Here's Jim "logging on", dragging logs from the woods to cut into fire wood for our wood furnace. 

I am pretty sure that Jim will be glad when chores like this one become a distant memory.  But for today...Old Man Winter has painted a beautiful landscape with his crystals, maybe for the last time before the Old Sol decides to stop loafing and do a proper job of warming the Earth. I am enjoying the beauty today...soon enough everything will be sloppy and muddy. 

Make no mistake, I am tired of the cold, too. That's why I am grateful that I am able to "log on" via this computer from the comfort of my warm home, thanks to Jim's outdoor work. :)

Marcheta *logging off

Happy New Year!

Here we are at the 2018 edition of New Year.

I've declared this one as the Year of Adventure!

To kick-start my intention, we braved the (extremely!) cold weather and took back country roads to Mohican State Forest.

Hoar Frost on trees, New Year's Day 2018

Many times, when most water is frozen, a plenitude of eagles will be fishing the running waters of the Mohican River. The covered  bridge is an excellent viewing area. I was hoping that eagles would be there and in a mood for having their portraits taken.

We saw an eagle cruising down the river a few miles before we entered the forest, raising my hopes and filling me with anticipation of taking great Nat Geo worthy photos.

It was not meant to be.

The waters near the bridge must have been fished out, sending eagles elsewhere for dinner.

BUT

All was not lost. We saw many hawks, deer, and other wildlife, including these turkeys. 

Jim especially likes to see turkeys in the wild and asked me to take a picture. These dudes were pretty far away, and I was inside the running car (vibrations make it difficult to get clear pictures), but I gave it my best effort. More of a documentation than an interesting photo, I printed this picture and taped it to Jim's desk as a reminder that Adventures are Important. Why? For me, finding the unexpected gives the day "just enough" adrenaline to offset mundane chores.


Plus, adventures make me feel happy.

And happy is good!

My very best wishes for a Happy New Year to all my family, friends, and blog readers. Let's make 2018 the Best Year of our lives!

You in?

Marcheta *you betcha!