Hi there. If you have been with me for this wonderful ride these past years, I want to thank you so much. I so appreciate you and have loved having you by my side.
This will be the last blog post for me. I’ve been at it for a very long time. Not many bloggers can say that they have been doing it for over 16 years, but it is time for me to hang up my blogging hat.
I feel that I am not reaching you all any longer and, sadly, no longer inspiring gardeners to plant flowers in the food garden, to feed the bees, birds, and bugs, and most of all, to please stop killing all the things.
Not going to lie, I had to get off the fb group pages as all people want to do is kill the bugs. Even if they don’t know what they are or what they do, what purpose they serve, or what critters they feed. I think that is the way with today’s gardeners, perhaps? Let everyone else save the planet, I just want pretty with no holes. You all know that I am not that person. It not only takes a village, it takes a planet to save our bees, baby birds, and beneficial insects. If you only care about your garden looking pretty, things are going to die. Fact. So… lol, on that positive and sunny note…
This is what I have been up to lately…
I thought I would share a tip that has really helped me a lot with sleeping. I come from a long line of insomniacs so this is something I have been dealing with most of my life.
- The obvious one – put a book and pen beside your bed. When there is something ruminating in your brain, sit up and write it down. That way you can revisit it in the daytime, when you can do something about it, if it is still pertinent. Often, in the light of day, those worries seem much less important.
- Take 3 deep breaths and let them out slowly. Feel your body relax.
- You want to keep your brain occupied so you can fall asleep, but not with anything that is too complicated, requiring too much brain power so that you end up stewing.
- I try to come up with herbs that start with every letter of the alphabet (a is for agastache, b is for basil, c is for cilantro, d is for dill…) Not to worry if you cannot come up with some letters, just skip them or switch out with a herb or flower, lol.
- If this did not make me fall asleep, I then switch to an animal for each letter of the alphabet (a is for alligator, b is for baboon, c is for crocodile, d is for dingo….)
- That usually does it. If you are still not sleeping, start all over again, using different animals or herbs… or make up your own subject matter. I swear this works better than anything else I have tried.
I have just started book 25, the last book in Frank Tayell’s zombie series (I am a die hard zombie fan). I have enjoyed this series, am sad to see it end. Their home base ends up in Nanaimo. I know, how cool, right? A lot of the later books are based in Canada.
And… the last thing I wanted to share is if you have not watched The Boroughs, you should check it out. It is a bit trope, but worth the watch. Oh, and we just watched #alive. If you are a zombie fan, you need to see this Korean movie. It is not amazing, but you need to watch it anyway. #zombiesuperfan
Garden Inspo
- Garden Diaries: Step Inside Shea McGee’s Dream Home Garden – this is a lovely, peaceful looking raised bed garden. Where she says she will use a pale yellow marigold, I usually choose a burnt red colour, like Red Gem or Disco.
- Tour a Sensational English Cottage Garden in Oxfordshire
- Grandmother’s Garden Flowers that Deserve a Comeback – go back to simpler times.
Garden How-To’s
- 15 Ways to Protect Your Plants From Extreme Heat
- Dealing with Drought in the Garden
- How To Water Plants in June: Expert Tips for Midsummer
DIY a Garden Water Feature With a Floating Solar Fountain – This solar fountain has a 4.8 star rating on Amazon. This 2 pack is perfect if you have both an open water butte (as I do) plus a birdbath. Helps keep the water moving for less cleaning and no mosquitos. Check out the great price on this red birdbath.
Do These 3 Things Now for Healthier Tomato Plants – I thought I would share this if you wanted to see some fantastic diy tomato cages for indeterminate tomatoes.
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How To Grow…
- Growing Savory Herbs: Summer & Winter Savory Guide – hubby has asked me to start some summer savory for him that I can dry and he use in winter cooking. I did get as far as purchasing the seeds ; ) Luckily, it is not too late, I will just have a shorter season.
- How to Grow Borage Plants | A Pollinator Magnet with Culinary & Medicinal Perks
- Best Basil Varieties for Pesto, Cooking, and Containers | Almanac.com
- Shade-Tolerant Vegetables: 12 Beginner-Friendly Picks
- Veronica (Speedwell) Flowers: Planting, Growing, and Caring for Veronicas
- Growing Bellflowers: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Campanula
Homey Ideas
- A charming cabin on Sweden’s west coast becomes an inspiring retreat for its creative owners – living the easy life on the lake.
- Basement Food Storage Room – this pantry/store room looks great. Has inspired me to do something about our cold room… which is very basic and very ugly.
- How to Remove Oven Glass Stains Quickly and Safely
- How the 1-Minute Rule Can Transform the Way You Clean
Foodie Bits & Party Ideas
How to Host a Favorite Things Party
- Burger Bowls Recipe with Homemade Special Sauce – I call these a burger salad and make them regularly. Though, I use ground lion’s mane mushroom ‘meat’ instead.
- 20+ 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Dinner Recipes
- White Bean and Tuna Salad
- Spaghetti Salad Recipe (With Video)
- Pasta Salad with Peas and Summer Beans Recipe
- Pasta Salad with Chickpeas and Green Beans Recipe
- Easy Tea Sandwich Ideas With Sweet and Savory Fillings
- High-Protein Creamy Cucumber-Tomato Salad with Feta & Chickpeas (it calls for cottage cheese, I have no alternatives that I can think of so think those of us who do not like it, just have to omit it.
- Mediterranean Cucumber Tonic Recipe – this looks like something I would really love. Going to give it a try.
- Five Best Iced Tea Recipes
- How to Make Sun Tea
- Frozen Lemonade Recipe – sweetened with condensed milk. Is condensed milk making a comeback this year?
- Frozen Bellini Slushy Recipe
- Lemonade Slushy Recipe
- Virgin Bloody Mary Mocktail Drink
- Easy Virgin Mojito Mocktails
This blog will stay up till the next renewal payment is due, so until September. Go back to find your favourite links, ideas, tips, recipes till then. Thank you again for all the great years together!
The Marigold Potager - A Zone 3 Prairie Garden 
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