Invasion!

I have been invaded by these huge bloated little buggers. Caterpillars have made their home on my tomatoes.

I was not alarmed by the few holey leaves I was seeing here and there and when I discovered that it was caterpillars causing the damage to the leaves I removed them quickly. I am trying to stay organic so I am not using pesticides however I did "Google" for a few organic options including a garlic spray.

But apparently I may have waited to long, in just a matter of 2 days my plants have become bare.

The little buggers have become huge which makes them a lot easier to find but they are a lot hungrier.

They are now eating my tomatoes.

Will I ever win?????

Bucket Gardening

I have a lousy time with gardening. My husband swears I have a black thumb. Every spring I plant and something always goes wrong. I have learned by trial and error that vegetables do not fair well in my back yard. Apparently I can't grow grass there either. I have a sprinkler system and I would use it if someone would quit running over the sprinkler heads. I turned on the water last week and flooded the front yard. The weeds seem to like my yard better and I guess some green is better than none at all.

I like to think of myself as determined, a problem solver or what my family refers to as hard headed. My goal is to grow fresh vegetables for my family and I am not giving up so I go back to surfing the internet for ideas. I researched raised garden beds but I knew that idea wouldn't work unless I was able to surround the raised beds with a steel mesh cage. My dogs would not let a little height stand in the way of watering my tomatoes or digging them up in search of the neighborhood mole. There is also the problem of invading nasty looking horned caterpillars. !!Yucky!!

I tried an experiment with Aquaponics last year and had very good success in starting several types of tomatoes, herbs and leafy veggies. I tried to grow these starters in containers and I did have some initial good luck. I was able to harvest about a dozen small cracked fruits off my bushes but my herbs eventually died from lack of attention which means I forget to water them.

I tried something different this year with my aquaponics/aquarium system and took a terrarium approach to gardening. I filled the tank half way and floated Styrofoam rafts in the tank using the aquarium lights as the light source. It works fairly well but only on one half of the tank. I have had a problem with too much moisture on the side of the tank with the filter. I was thinking of using a piece of plastic to cover the down spout but I haven't gotten around to that yet. The aquaponics projects have been fun and a learning experience but it can be complicated and is not the best for growing tomatoes and like vegetables.

During my research on youtube, I discovered self-watering containers. Eureka! There was hope for me after all. I proceeded to do a little price checking. I found and purchased 3 small hanging plant containers that were on sale. I also found the large pretty hunter green or terracotta self watering containers that seemed to be the rage but I was not willing to fork out the $50.00 per container price tag. So I went back to researching youtube and I came across several do it yourself containers. I finally decided on what is called the bucket system or "Global Buckets".

Two 5 gallon buckets some pvp pipe and a plastic cup. I like the plastic drive through cups just so I feel like I am recycling. So far, I have made 5 buckets: 1 with my blueberry bush that my husband bought me, 3 tomato plants and the last one is for my basil as soon as its tall enough to transplant. So far my dogs have left the containers alone, there is no sight of caterpillars and I only water the plants every third day or so. The big plus plus is that it is impossible to over water. I think I found the cure to my black thumb back yard gardening problem. I am so excited.

For my next project, I have purchased 2 (two) 50 gallon rubber maid containers I found for $15 each. I'm thinking carrots, radishes and green leafy veggies. I'm on a roll...........

My Girls

It is amazing how quickly my girls have grown. They will soon be adults and I am having some issues. I believe it is called the empty nest syndrome. I cry sometimes when I think about them leaving me but I also cry during sad commercials. They will tell you I am over sensitive but actually I am just a big cry baby.

They are so different my girls so much like myself and my brother. My brother with his white blonde hair and blue eyes and me the brunette with hazels eyes.

Ellie so much like me. She is my twin in almost every way. She is so responsible, very serious, she knows everything and argues her point until you are just tired of arguing and it is easier to just walk away. She has my temper explosive and wrathful yet she is so loving and wears her heart on her sleeve for everyone to see. There is no guile about her. What you see is what you get. She is her daddy's princess.

Erin has my brothers coloring but that is where the likeness ends. Intelligence hide behind those blue eyes and be prepared for a tongue lashing if she is in ear shot of a blonde joke. She will argue that she has to work harder for her grades because no one takes her seriously. She is a goof at times and a trend setter. She can be a cool as a cucumber impossible to know what she is thinking. She is charitable, kind and giving. She is my baby.

I love them both so much it breaks my heart to think that they will soon be grown and will no longer need me. Ellie off to the Navy soon already so grown up. Even though I protest loudly her decision to go into the military, I am still so very proud of her. She is ready to begin a new chapter in her life and I know I can not hold her back. I was on my own at 17 and I remember how strongly I felt about my independence.

However, Erin has a few more years before she can leave and I am kinda feeling sorry for her. I will have to smother her with all my affection and she really hates that.

The Steak House Ninjas

It being our last night in New Orleans my husband wanted to take us all out for a fancy dinner. For several days he asked around trying to find the best steak house in New Orleans. After a few mixed reviews he decided on the restaurant and made reservations. He decided on Dickie Brennan's Steak House in the French Quarter. I think a large part of his decision was based on the delicious food and service we received at The Palace Cafe which is owned and operated by Dickie Brennan, Steve Pettus and Lauren Brennan Brower.

The night started off well. As we were seated, my poor daughter was attacked by "The Ninjas". "The Ninjas" as my daughter called the wait staff. The poor young waiter went to place a napkin in Ellie's lap and she almost jumped out of her chair. He was so embarrassed, he didn't know what to say and he tended to stay away from her side of the table throughout the rest of our meal. I can't say that I blamed him. For the rest of the evening when we weren't eating we made a game of alerting Ellie when a "Ninja" approached the table so she would not jump and scare the poor waiters.

I have to say my hubby made an excellent choice in restaurants. We have been disappointed in the past paying too much for a piece of meat that no amount of steak sauce could save. We were all delighted with our meals. I ordered the chef's special Twin Filets over grits with a spicy garlic sauce. This was a very brave move on my part but I was intrigued by the choice grits served with this entree. Initially I found the reduction sauce over the filet very peppery almost too much but once I added all the flavors together the dish blended perfectly. I love my grits, I eat them with my eggs and my fish regularly but I have never eaten them with beef. I would never think to eat them with a filet. It was an awesome experience and a perfect dish for this old southern gal.

For 90 minutes, we were pampered and fed wonderful food and can't remember a moment during the entire evening when there wasn't something to eat on our table. The bread was warm and crusty. Fred ordered a starter of Portobello Fries. The salads were delicious - no ranch dressing here. And for dessert we had Bananas Foster over bread pudding, I have not enjoyed Bananas Foster since I was a teenager in Miami. I have to admit I was a little disappointed they did not prepare it at the table with the flame but it was very good none the less.

Life seems so dull now that we are back at home. Food doesn't taste the same, its tasteless and boring but after so much good food I see salads and other non-fat dishes in my future for a long time.

My Feet Hurt

I am guessing we walked well over 3 miles today and my feet hurt. I have discovered over the last few days that I am seriously out of shape. In Puerto Rico I blamed my shoes. I bought a pair of walking Crocs called Trailbreaks and they are ugly but comfortable until I have to walk any distance. I have discovered muscles in my feet and ankles that I did not know about. They are also useless trapsing through the woods. Our first day in New Orleans, after bursting into tears from the leg cramps trying to walk in my Crocs. my hubby made me stop and purhace a pair of flip flops. My feet and calves felt much better but after a few hours I developed blisters between my toes.

Thankfully, I brought my old boots. I have had them for years and they have not failed me yet. My old red clay covered boots saved me. They are not exactly the prettiest pair of shoes and I can't wear them with capris or shorts but they have allowed me to walk again. Disaster averted.

Working on the Farm.

We have spent the last several days working around the house. It is so pretty with everything starting to bloom. There is so much to do but little ambition from my crew. We are all addicted to our electronics and trying to get us off our phones and computers can be hard but some how we managed to get a few things accomplished.

Erin and I made a little headway on the yard cutting back bushes and helping Eleanor pull weeds. My back protested loudly on the weed pulling. This body does not bend and pull anything but I made those muscles work anyways. The yard is so pretty right now the camelias are in bloom although a little damaged by the earlier frost, along with the azaleas and the daffodils. The bumble bees are everywhere. It's funny watching Erin run from these poor critters like they even know she's there.

We worked on cleaning out the storage shed and loaded up the trailer for the dump and while we were making the run to the landfill, the girls finished painting the backside of the garage.

I found this little critter among some old carpet remnants that we took to the dump. He was very nice to just sit there and let me take his picture unlike the Bumble Bees who wont sit still for more than 2 seconds.

We only have one more day left to get things done. Today, I believe the men are putting up a chair rail on the front porch. I will be in charge of laundry washing and car cleaning because tomorrow we leave for New Orleans.

Spring Break - Alabama

After spending the most of the last 2 days in a car, I took some time this afternoon to walk around the farm . The weather is good; we woke up to 37 degrees this morning but by this afternoon it was up to the low 70's. The wind was blowing almost gusting at times as I looked for interesting things to photograph.

I loved the bird house by the front field.

The blueberry bushes are budding. I hope they bloom before we leave Friday.

An abandoned beehive, I found several behind the old shed.

The Barn.

One of the back fields.

Farm equipment.

The pictures are a little washed out but the sun was going down. I'm hoping tomorrow I can get some morning shots and maybe walk out to the back field. It is a treat to see spring in action.

20th Wedding Anniversary: Puerto Rico Part 3

We slept in on the 18th and being our anniversary, neither one of us was in a hurry to get up. My legs and feet were still aching from all the walking the day before. We fortified our selves with the last of the bananas in our room and headed back into San Juan.

Hubby wanted to go back to Sigal XX for breakfast and again we were not disappointed. I had and egg and cheese omelet with the Puerto Rican version of toast and freshly squeezed orange juice. Yes I said freshly squeezed. Hubby watched the waiter squeeze the oranges. The juice was a little tart but excellent.

Our failure in finding Don Q the day before, we decided to visit the Bacardi Distillery. It was not easy to find and after a few wrong turns we finally located the front gate. By noon I was feeling very happy. I love Rum. The tour was very informative and the last part of the tour included a mixed drink demonstration. I wish I had taken notes because my rum spiked brain retained very little. Hunger drove us back to San Juan and I know this is hokey but we decided to eat lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. We had to pick up the glasses for our collection and t-shirts for the girls. We cut our trip short because of a back ache and headed back to the Villa.

I had nightmares all night worrying about hubby's back. All night I went over our emergency plan. We would get up, quickly pack and find the nearest massage therapist. Thankfully he woke up feeling much better. I was so happy and relieved because there was so much we still wanted to see. We said our good byes to Carole and thanked her for a wonderful time. I really hated leaving.

We found a place to eat breakfast in Rio Grande called Antojitos. It was a very pretty restauraunt. The atmosphere was awesome unfortunately the food was not. It was average at best and the service was slow. After eating at Siglo XX, I was very disappointed. The family next to us raved about the food. I guess I should have ordered pancakes.

We hurried back towards San Juan but this time we took the beach road - PR187 back. I still had a few gits to purchase and pictures to take but the clock was ticking. We had to be at the airport by 5pm.

The traffic was hideous. There were school children and school buses every where. I have to mention that I love the school busesin Puerto Rico. We had a terrible time getting to the parking lot but once we were back on the street we caught a trolley and headed to Fort San Felipe De Morro.

We spent a beautiful afternoon taking pictures at the fort. We took dozens of pictures the place was awesome. It was windy and overcast and several times it threatened to rain but we kept going up to the last minute. It sprinkled a little as we rode back to our car in the trolley but had passed by the time we pulled up to the airport. We had a lovely trip and I really enjoyed myself but next time we will definitely stay longer.