Saturday

Day Lilly's and Nome, Alaska.....




I had some bulbs stored in a basket for the winter, with the hopes of planting them this spring.  
Look what I found.  One of the Day Lilly's bloomed in that basket without producing leaves. 
As most of us in the South are experiencing beautiful weather I wanted to share a photo of my Son. His local news  took the shot while he was walking near his home,  along a down town Juneau, street.



 Think it might be cold there?
Below is the view from his living room window today, in Juneau.. yes, really!

 

We here in Clearwater were in the perfect 80's today and I spent another day in the garden.  I managed to clean up one of the flower beds by moving some bricks and adding new soil, then planted the stored bulbs.


 I felt sorry for this poor Day Lilly and put it in a coffee cup, then on my kitchen window sill.




After having such a beautiful week here in Clearwater I keep going back to look at my Son walking in all that cold and Ice.   I get cold just looking at the photo.
The photo below is of a town he will be going to this week. It is all of 1.5 miles away from Russia.   Little Diomede, the Western most US village sitting on the International Dateline. Only 147 people call this awesome place (Toms words) home.   I hear from an elder in Wales, AK that we shall see Polar Bears!!  OH.... and since there is no airport, we'll be landing on the Bering Sea, an ice runway that hopefully has not blown away from the northerly winds.
 
Tom is an officer and an adventurer, with the Coast Guard and will be teaching the Native Americans that live there, safety and boating,  he is so excited to be going.  


My boy, my grown up boy, is holding the sweat shirt that he will be wearing during this operation. I can still see the 16 year old with his new shirt.



We may be losing an hour of sleep due to daylight savings tonight but Coast Guard men & women remain 
Semper Paratus, Always Ready.


I wanted to send out some good vibes for Tom to have a fun, safe trip.
"Fair Winds and Following Seas"
* * * *
And sending out a big
"HAPPY SPRING"
 to everyone.


I'll be linking up to





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Wednesday

Spring, The Best Time Of Year.....


If I could bottle the weather here today and screw the top on tight,  I would open it in August,  when the heat sores in the high 90's. 
We had the most beautiful, perfect 75' day here,  today.  
I used this day to pull all the weeds that have collected over the winter.  I even put on my tattered  jeans and my garden boots,  then took out the weed wacker and cleaned up  down by the creek.  This was not an easy job. I had to cut several Banana trees that had to endure the cold weather.  Branches and limbs from the tall Hickory Trees,  were scattered from the high winds we've  had and all of the garden waste went into the pile for the lawn guy, who will cart it away tomorrow.


After the ground was turned and the weeds were gone I got myself cleaned up and headed to my local garden shop.  
Geraniums and Soprano's for the front yard flower bed. This spot shows from the street and each year I do my best to make it beautiful and proud.
I may have started something this morning. One of my neighbors came out with his rake and garden tools and said,  "I was making him feel guilty" and he got started on his yard.








Although I love to craft, do needle work and putter around my house, I think the most pleasing activity for me is working in my garden.  This past winter I've been busy inside with family and projects, I'm so happy to be able to venture outside with my garden tools.
I do hope everyone gets as much pleasure in the garden as I.

 * * * *

A Prayer in Spring 
OH, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
 For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
Robert Frost

((huggss))

Tuesday

10 Things You Can Clean In the Dishwasher....




"Spring is on the way and time to clean a few things around the house"

 I just love helpful hints and I ran across this article the other day.  It's been something I've been doing for years.  For those of you who may worry about the dishwasher being unsanitary after using it for other items, keep in mind the dish washing detergent has bleach in it,  so be careful with colorfast items and don't put anything silver in there, it will turn black.  I totally ruined a set of silverware.

 Sure, your dishwasher makes quick work of dirty plates and cups. But lots of other stuff will get squeaky-clean in there, too. "Dishwashers are real time-savers for cleaning many household and personal items."
I have been putting so many items in my dishwasher for years.  In fact,  I have put my kids sneakers in there on occasion.




1. Glass Globes from Light Fixtures
It's amazing how much brighter a room will look after this cleaning task is checked off your to-do list. "Run these through on the top shelf and make sure there's space between them because the glass is more fragile than what's used for drinking glasses.   Use the delicate, china or crystal cycle if available, and skip the heated dry option. And to be safe, avoid washing antique or hand-painted globes or those with gold-leaf trim in the dishwasher.

2. Shower Heads and Faucet Handles
If your shower head is spraying sporadically from clogged holes or your faucet handles aren't as shiny as they used to be, place these on the top rack and run the pots and pans cycle. It's fine to run cookware through at the same time, so you're not wasting a wash for these few items.
3. Plastic Hair Brushes, Combs, Clips and Barrettes
These personal care items get coated with hair products, but clean up well in the dishwasher, says Trotter. Remove all strands of hair, then corral everything in a mesh lingerie bag or dishwasher basket on the top rack. Run a normal cycle. One note:  Don't try this trick with wood-handled or natural bristle brushes because the water and heat can damage them.
4. Baseball Hats and Visors
"The dishwasher is a fantastic way to make sure hats keep their shapes."  Put hats on the top rack, head opening down, on a separate wash cycle from dishes because you can't use dishwasher detergent (many contain bleaching agents). Instead, fill the detergent cup with borax, found in the supermarket laundry aisle. Run a regular cycle without the heated dry option, then place hat over a glass or jar to dry. Reshape brim while damp.
5. Plastic Toys
Small plastic items such as baby toys, teethers and action figures can get funky pretty fast. Toss them in a mesh bag or dishwasher basket and place on the top rack. "Wash these on a normal cycle along with your other dishes"

6. Pet Bowls and Toys
It's generally fine to load these with other dishes. "Wash them regularly to prevent the growth of bacteria that can make both you and your pet sick."  "But it's prudent to run a separate load or use the sanitize cycle if you have a baby or a familymember with a suppressed immune system." Most dishwasher-safe toys are labeled accordingly on the package or manufacturer's website. However, if you're not sure whether the material will hold up in the dishwasher, just to be safe, you can also soak toys in 1 part bleach to 10 parts water, and rinse well. Rope toys and rawhide chews can't be cleaned; toss when icky.

7. Kitchen Dish Sponges and Brushes
Load these up at the same time you do the regular dishes. The top rack is usually the best place so you can stand them up or wedge between other items. Run through on a normal cycle.
8. Kitchen Appliance Parts
Once a week, load all of these into the dishwasher to make the whole kitchen seem shinier: chrome drip pans, enamel-coated gas grates and burner caps, fridge water dispenser grate, sink plugs, microwave tray and range hood grease filters. Use the normal washing cycle.  I even put my refrigerator racks in the dishwasher.

9. Butter Dishes, Sugar Bowls, Spoon Rests, and Salt and Pepper Shakers
"We handle all of these things every day, so they collect lots of grease and grime, which you may not even notice," says Trotter. Periodically empty sugar, spice and condiments and wash these containers along with your regular loads. Once they are completely dry, you can refill them with the contents you set aside before washing.

10. Personal Care Items
Toothbrushes, toothbrush holders, goopy soap dishes, nail brushes, plastic makeup brushes and bathtub drain plugs all benefit from an occasional run through the dishwasher. Place on the top rack with smaller items tucked in a dishwasher basket, and wash on a normal cycle with your other dishes.  Lets not forget the rubber bath tub mat. It comes out beautifully.


 Ok, no more excuses to not wash all those items around your house.  
Put them in the dishwasher.

I'm linking this great info 

Saturday Night Special 

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