Meet my salad

I don't think I will ever tire of going to the garden, picking what is ready and sharing with my family.

This salad had various lettuces, cabbage leaves, beet greens, nasturtium leaves and flowers (very peppery), lightly steamed then chilled asparagus and a hard boiled egg my hens gifted me.

This bowl didn't last long.

Aliens have landed!

Not really, but something equally strange happened today.

WE SAW AN ICE CREAM TRUCK!

I was chattin with my online pals and I heard strange music from the window. It took a few seconds to figure out just what it was. We live in the country and don't get ice cream trucks. Jehovah Witnesses like crazy but not ice cream trucks.

So as I'm typing "I hear an ice cream truck" to my pals, i am yelling for the kids.

Now mind you I had no money. I had stopped at a couple of yard sales on my way to the post office and spent my last 3.95. Luckily I had change in the car changey holder so I was able to splurge!

I got 2 vintage pillow cases for .10 each

A brand new in the wrap Mickey Mouse t-shirt for 1.50 (for the girl)

a pack of note cards for .25, i think they are of Fort Mackinaw

and for $2 dollars some toys that just last week my son was trying to get me to buy for him online, score!

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Sorry where was I, oh yea Ice Cream Truck no money.

So the kids came running up from the cool basement, my son grabs $2 his bike and was out of here, I type "I'm heading outside" or something like that, my girl is freaking and cant find her $.

I wait, she finds some, its 90 degrees outside we get on our bikes and head for the hill of death. We have this huge hill to the left of the drive and that is where I last saw the truck and my son. We are dying, I'm trying to keep my girl from crying, she thinks she's missed her chance. We get to the top and see no truck and no big brother. We are trying to catch our breath and curse the heat at the same time.

Then from the road ahead, our hero comes bearing 2 Popsicles, the only thing the truck had for a dollar. He says he didn't think we'd make it so he got 2 things.

You should have seen my girls face. And I'm thinking "What did I do to deserve such a kid."

So the ride back, luckily all down hill, we praised our big brother hero and sang songs that will be passed down for generations to come.

So for their first ice cream truck experience, it was a good one.

funny food

This came off the grill last night.

The United Steaks of America!

New life for an old bag

No, I am not taking about my mother.

Most of you know I make bags, and apparently have mother issues ;-)

Awhile back, I made myself a new chicken bag,

but what do I do with the old one that I still love?

I tucked in the handle and crammed a pillow form inside, then I snapped it closed.

It's cute and I can still use it as a purse at a moments notice.

It was so easy that I "made" another one for the couch.

big things today

We got 9 new babies out of 9 eggs.

Here is a peek of a few of them.

We put that found goose egg under a broody hen.

Its day 24. We candled it (high powered flashlight) and it is growing.
It could be wild or domestic, the neighbors have geese.

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Best of all, my boy is 15 today.

He gets to drive in Drivers Ed, have tacos for dinner, ride in a parade in my Dads 57 Chevy and toss out candy, then on to Dairy Queen for a waffle bowl sundae. Not bad for a birthday.

Raindrops are falling on my bags.

With all my shows coming up, I put myself on a working schedule that I am trying my best to stick with.

This rain has not been much of a problem since I work in the basement. But since I am trying to take pics of my work, I need good lighting, FROM THE SUN. And my schedule says today is picture day.

So the fashion model and I went out to do the best we could. These four are what I've been working on this week.

The fashion model and I weren't alone for long.

Curiosity isn't just for cats.

I see you back there.

Oh geez.

I'm not known for my photo skills anyway. I frequently get on line customers informing me how much better my bags look in person. I still try anyway.

Luckily we missed the raindrops and no bags got wet in the making of this post.

It's summer!

Memorial Day Weekend jump starts our summer.

Sometimes the temps don't feel too summery but its this families official start just the same.

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We lost all our fish in our pond over this past cruel winter and being a family who loves watching our fish, fishing, eating fish, it was a hard blow.

We took steps to insure that this doesn't happen again.

We got a windmill with an aerator pump.

See the bubbles.

It looks so cool and farm like.

So with that in place, now we need more fish.

We placed an order with a fish hatchery from up north and they brought a huge truck load of fish down for us and 47 other families to our local fairgrounds.

Now this is the place where if I had brought my camera, you could have seen pictures of the truck with all the tanks and the guys with nets filling orders, and us sitting in the hot sun for 2 hours waiting our turn.

So instead you can see the buckets with the bags pumped with oxygen, waiting to be opened next our pond at home where my camera was waiting.

We got 25 large mouth bass (in this pic) 25 hybrid bluegill, and a couple of koi.

On the way home, we picked up a couple of 5 buck pizzas and after setting our new fishies free, we ate on the dock.

I am hoping in a couple years to have a better than local supply of fresh fish to feed our family.

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Our little town has a parade on Memorial Day.

The parade goes right past the Art Center that I belong to.

My kids and I volunteered to run the free Lemonade stand.

(my brother built it, thats his boy on the left)

I made cookies to serve at the after party.

I did bring my camera this time but was too busy standing and clapping to get shots of the veterans marching by.

I did get our High School Marching band (who all came back for the free lemonade).

I got a pic of the art center van.

I got a pic of one of the 2 fighter jets that passed overhead. (they flew over 3 times)

I wonder if they could hear our cheering from below?

I got a pic of the crowd that followed the parade to the cemetery and listened to the speeches that honored our Veterans.

It was a terrific day.

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I got word that I am going to be in the Ann Arbor Art Fair at Kings Courtyard again this year.

(the one that almost did me in last year)

They are offering spaces at a discounted rate due to the economy and barring any wicked weather it should go smoother than last year. (knock wood)

I have been sewing my fingers to the bone to get ready.

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I want to leave you with a video that I hope wins "the cute video of the day award"

(not a real award, just something I made up)

9 and her chicks taking a bath.