Howdy, folks!
It’s hard to believe summer has already come and gone, isn’t it? Why, it seems like just the other day I was putting seedlings into my springtime beds, and here we are watching the leaves fall and tumble across the lawn. Even though the growing season is just winding down, there’s already plenty to do to make sure my (and your) lawn is ready to grow again come spring. For starters, leaf-covered turf is bad news, so I spent Saturday raking leaves. You should’ve seen the mountain I had by the time I was finished—it would’ve filled at least two dozen yard waste bags! There’s no way I’d throw out that much valuable organic material, so I sent ‘em through my Jerry Baker Leaf Eater. In no time at all, that gigantic pile of leaves was shredded into a neat little bag of nutrient-rich mulch that was perfect for my flower beds.
You can bet a day of leaf-rakin’ can leave the old muscles pretty darn sore. So I grabbed a hand towel, and soaked it in warm water. Meanwhile, I mixed 1 tbsp. of petroleum jelly and 6 drops of peppermint oil in a bowl, and set it in a basin of warm water for about 3 minutes. Then I wrung out the towel, dipped it into the oil/jelly mixture, and had my wife massage it into my aching muscles. This terrific treatment left me feeling soothed, relaxed, and warm.
Speaking of feeling warm, did you know that by turning your thermostat down by just two degrees, you can save as much as 10% on your heating bills? It’s true! You’ll hardly even notice the difference in temperature, but your monthly budget sure will!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Hello, Friends,
The weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse and, as much as I hate to admit it, it’s officially time to close up shop in the vegetable garden. So this weekend, I covered my vegetable bed with a mixture of shredded leaves and grass clippings, and then I mixed up a batch of my Fall Garden Bedtime Tonic consisting of 1 can of regular cola (not diet), 1 cup of dishwashing liquid, and 1/4 cup of ammonia in my 20 gallon hose-end sprayer, filling the balance of the sprayer jar with warm water. I saturated the layer of mulch over my vegetable garden and said “good night, sleep tight” for the winter.
Once the veggie patch had been put to bed, I decided to clean out my flower beds. But as soon as I began snipping back spent plants, it started to rain—and I mean hard! Well, by the time I got indoors, my sneakers were sopping wet. So I made a makeshift shoe-dryer. All I did was bend the corners of a wire clothes hanger straight up. Then I tied one shoe to each side, and popped the hanger hook over the shower rod. Problem solved!
A dreary Saturday afternoon might depress some folks, but not me! That’s because there’s nothing my wife, Shirley, likes to do more than serve up a pot of homemade stew and a loaf of fresh-baked bread on a cold, rainy day. (And, there’s nothing I like do to more than eat ‘em!) But when she reached into the oven to pull out the bread, she singed her finger on the pan. Ouch—it was Jerry to the rescue! I snatched a raw potato, sliced the end off, and gently rubbed the cut surface over her burned skin. It relieved the pain almost instantly. Then we sat down and dined on the best stew-and-bread supper in town!
The weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse and, as much as I hate to admit it, it’s officially time to close up shop in the vegetable garden. So this weekend, I covered my vegetable bed with a mixture of shredded leaves and grass clippings, and then I mixed up a batch of my Fall Garden Bedtime Tonic consisting of 1 can of regular cola (not diet), 1 cup of dishwashing liquid, and 1/4 cup of ammonia in my 20 gallon hose-end sprayer, filling the balance of the sprayer jar with warm water. I saturated the layer of mulch over my vegetable garden and said “good night, sleep tight” for the winter.
Once the veggie patch had been put to bed, I decided to clean out my flower beds. But as soon as I began snipping back spent plants, it started to rain—and I mean hard! Well, by the time I got indoors, my sneakers were sopping wet. So I made a makeshift shoe-dryer. All I did was bend the corners of a wire clothes hanger straight up. Then I tied one shoe to each side, and popped the hanger hook over the shower rod. Problem solved!
A dreary Saturday afternoon might depress some folks, but not me! That’s because there’s nothing my wife, Shirley, likes to do more than serve up a pot of homemade stew and a loaf of fresh-baked bread on a cold, rainy day. (And, there’s nothing I like do to more than eat ‘em!) But when she reached into the oven to pull out the bread, she singed her finger on the pan. Ouch—it was Jerry to the rescue! I snatched a raw potato, sliced the end off, and gently rubbed the cut surface over her burned skin. It relieved the pain almost instantly. Then we sat down and dined on the best stew-and-bread supper in town!
Monday, October 16, 2006
A Busy Week!
Hi again, everyone!
Whew—I’ve had a mighty busy week since my last entry! The local meteorologist warned that we were about to get hit with some mighty cold weather, and I had lots to do to get ready. First, I wanted to make sure that my house was sealed up tight to keep us toasty warm inside. With that in mind, I set out looking for any drafts that might let cold air leak in. I closed all the doors and made sure all the windows were shut tight. Then, I walked around each room with a lit candle. Whenever the candle flickered, I knew I had found a draft. Luckily, I only found a few trouble spots, so fixing ‘em was easy. Once I located the source of the airflow, I cut a sleeve from an old jacket, stuffed it with cotton padding, and stitched it closed on both ends. Then I laid this insulator against the area where the air was coming through, and voila—no more draft!
I was just about finished checking my whole house for drafts when I noticed my throat was feeling a little sore. I didn’t want to be laid up by a sore throat, so I crushed one clove of garlic and put it in a large glass of water, then mixed in 1 tsp. of salt and a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper. I gargled a glass of this mix right away and another later in the day, and my throat was feelin’ fine by nighttime.
And to top it all off, I had meant to cover my veggie plants with paper grocery bags (my favorite form of frost protection), but I got so busy with my draft-location project that I plumb forgot! Well, come the next morning, my fall crop of veggies was covered in white, glistening frost. Shirley thought our harvest was down for the count, but I knew just what to do to save the day. I ran out to the garden before the sun was up, and started sprinkling the plants with a gentle spray from my garden hose. By the time Ol’ Sol was shining bright, my veggies were perked up and rarin’ to grow a while longer! Of course, I made sure to cover ‘em up with the paper bags the next night so I wouldn’t have to be up and at ‘em quite so early again. And, now that the cold snap has passed, it looks like we’ll be able to keep our fabulous fall harvest going for several weeks to come!
Whew—I’ve had a mighty busy week since my last entry! The local meteorologist warned that we were about to get hit with some mighty cold weather, and I had lots to do to get ready. First, I wanted to make sure that my house was sealed up tight to keep us toasty warm inside. With that in mind, I set out looking for any drafts that might let cold air leak in. I closed all the doors and made sure all the windows were shut tight. Then, I walked around each room with a lit candle. Whenever the candle flickered, I knew I had found a draft. Luckily, I only found a few trouble spots, so fixing ‘em was easy. Once I located the source of the airflow, I cut a sleeve from an old jacket, stuffed it with cotton padding, and stitched it closed on both ends. Then I laid this insulator against the area where the air was coming through, and voila—no more draft!
I was just about finished checking my whole house for drafts when I noticed my throat was feeling a little sore. I didn’t want to be laid up by a sore throat, so I crushed one clove of garlic and put it in a large glass of water, then mixed in 1 tsp. of salt and a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper. I gargled a glass of this mix right away and another later in the day, and my throat was feelin’ fine by nighttime.
And to top it all off, I had meant to cover my veggie plants with paper grocery bags (my favorite form of frost protection), but I got so busy with my draft-location project that I plumb forgot! Well, come the next morning, my fall crop of veggies was covered in white, glistening frost. Shirley thought our harvest was down for the count, but I knew just what to do to save the day. I ran out to the garden before the sun was up, and started sprinkling the plants with a gentle spray from my garden hose. By the time Ol’ Sol was shining bright, my veggies were perked up and rarin’ to grow a while longer! Of course, I made sure to cover ‘em up with the paper bags the next night so I wouldn’t have to be up and at ‘em quite so early again. And, now that the cold snap has passed, it looks like we’ll be able to keep our fabulous fall harvest going for several weeks to come!
Monday, October 09, 2006
A Perfect Weekend
Hi again, everyone!
It was a fun-filled weekend at the Baker house, let me tell you! We had absolutely beautiful weather and, like any green-thumbed gardener, I couldn’t wait to spend Saturday and Sunday in the great outdoors. But I was in such a rush to get up and at ‘em, that I accidentally banged my shin on my night table when I got out of bed. Ouch! Well, I wasn’t about to spend the day nursing a bruised leg, so I prepared one of my Grandma Putt’s favorite healers. I melted 5 teaspoons of petroleum jelly in a saucepan and added 1 teaspoon of hot pepper to it. Once the mixture had cooled, I rubbed it onto my sore shin, and soon, I was ready to dance a jig (or do some yardwork).
Once outdoors, I was rarin’ to grow. But what to do? My beds were in pretty good shape, and it wasn’t time to rake leaves yet. Then I remembered how much Shirley loves a bloomin’ bouquet of fresh, cut flowers. So I decided that a cut-flower garden would make the perfect addition to my yard. I found the perfect patch of ground and got to digging. After I finished removing the sod and loosening the soil, I mixed 25 pounds of gypsum, 10 pounds of organic plant food, and 5 pounds of bonemeal in a wheelbarrow, and worked this into the bed (approximately 100 square feet). This super blend will make the soil in my new bed as rich, fertile, and loose as possible come spring planting time. I can hardly wait!
And what would any perfect autumn weekend be without fresh apple cider? So we went down to the local mill for some warm doughnuts and a glass of just-made cider. It was delicious! Since I knew one glass was not going to be enough, I brought a gallon home and whipped up a batch of my Grandma Putt’s Famous Spiced Cider. It’s fast, easy, and oh-so-good. We spent the evening out on the back porch, soaking up the last of the beautiful weather, sipping this special brew until it was gone. If you want to make some for your family, mix 3 qts. of cider, 1 tsp. of cloves, 1 whole nutmeg, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a pan, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Then strain, and serve while still warm. One taste, and you’ll love it as much as we do!
It was a fun-filled weekend at the Baker house, let me tell you! We had absolutely beautiful weather and, like any green-thumbed gardener, I couldn’t wait to spend Saturday and Sunday in the great outdoors. But I was in such a rush to get up and at ‘em, that I accidentally banged my shin on my night table when I got out of bed. Ouch! Well, I wasn’t about to spend the day nursing a bruised leg, so I prepared one of my Grandma Putt’s favorite healers. I melted 5 teaspoons of petroleum jelly in a saucepan and added 1 teaspoon of hot pepper to it. Once the mixture had cooled, I rubbed it onto my sore shin, and soon, I was ready to dance a jig (or do some yardwork).
Once outdoors, I was rarin’ to grow. But what to do? My beds were in pretty good shape, and it wasn’t time to rake leaves yet. Then I remembered how much Shirley loves a bloomin’ bouquet of fresh, cut flowers. So I decided that a cut-flower garden would make the perfect addition to my yard. I found the perfect patch of ground and got to digging. After I finished removing the sod and loosening the soil, I mixed 25 pounds of gypsum, 10 pounds of organic plant food, and 5 pounds of bonemeal in a wheelbarrow, and worked this into the bed (approximately 100 square feet). This super blend will make the soil in my new bed as rich, fertile, and loose as possible come spring planting time. I can hardly wait!
And what would any perfect autumn weekend be without fresh apple cider? So we went down to the local mill for some warm doughnuts and a glass of just-made cider. It was delicious! Since I knew one glass was not going to be enough, I brought a gallon home and whipped up a batch of my Grandma Putt’s Famous Spiced Cider. It’s fast, easy, and oh-so-good. We spent the evening out on the back porch, soaking up the last of the beautiful weather, sipping this special brew until it was gone. If you want to make some for your family, mix 3 qts. of cider, 1 tsp. of cloves, 1 whole nutmeg, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a pan, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Then strain, and serve while still warm. One taste, and you’ll love it as much as we do!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Howdy folks,
I might not be as hip as I used to be, but I’m not one to be left in the dust by new-fangled technology, either. That’s why I make sure my kids and grandkids keep me in the loop on the latest technical advances these days. And when one of my grandkids recently told me about bloggin’, my eyes lit right up. After all, what could be more fun than an online journal? Besides, it’s a great way to keep in touch with my friends and share some of my down-home wisdom with folks everywhere on the World Wide Web. So here it is folks—my blog. Check it out each and every week for my latest entry and a few of my favorite timely tips!
As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing as satisfying as getting my hands dirty in the garden, so I spent some time last weekend planting a new bed of spring-blooming bulbs. But, as I learned the hard way some years ago, pesky squirrels love to rummage through my freshly planted bulb beds. So this year, as soon as I finished planting, I sprinkled black pepper over the bed. The spicy stuff will work wonders to keep the furry fiends well away. If you have squirrels running amok around your yard, try this trick to keep your spring-bloomin’ beauties safe until warm weather returns.
And once bulb-planting season arrives, I know that cold weather is on the not-to-distant horizon. With as high as my energy bills were last winter, I wanted to do anything I could to cut costs and save energy this year. Now, lots of folks swear by storm windows, but they can be awfully expensive. So I went down to the local hardware store and the guy behind the counter said I could get the same energy-savings at a fraction of the cost by using plastic sheeting. So I taped clear plastic sheeting to each window, and used my wife’s hair dryer to dry it to fit the window. Then I hung some heavy drapes for even more insulation. I tell you, my house feels warmer already!
Finally, after all my hard work planting bulbs, winterizing windows, and tending to other “Honey-Do” chores, you can bet my muscles were aching. But I’m not one to take medications if I can avoid it. So instead of popping an aspirin, I whipped up a batch of my favorite muscle-soothing salve and had my “Honey” rub it on for almost instant relief. And believe you me, that night, I slept like a baby. To make this super salve, mix 2 cups of witch hazel, 2 teaspoons of light corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon of castor oil in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add a few drops of your favorite scented oil. Shake well, and massage the potion into your sore body parts. Then sit back and say “ahhhh….”
I might not be as hip as I used to be, but I’m not one to be left in the dust by new-fangled technology, either. That’s why I make sure my kids and grandkids keep me in the loop on the latest technical advances these days. And when one of my grandkids recently told me about bloggin’, my eyes lit right up. After all, what could be more fun than an online journal? Besides, it’s a great way to keep in touch with my friends and share some of my down-home wisdom with folks everywhere on the World Wide Web. So here it is folks—my blog. Check it out each and every week for my latest entry and a few of my favorite timely tips!
As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing as satisfying as getting my hands dirty in the garden, so I spent some time last weekend planting a new bed of spring-blooming bulbs. But, as I learned the hard way some years ago, pesky squirrels love to rummage through my freshly planted bulb beds. So this year, as soon as I finished planting, I sprinkled black pepper over the bed. The spicy stuff will work wonders to keep the furry fiends well away. If you have squirrels running amok around your yard, try this trick to keep your spring-bloomin’ beauties safe until warm weather returns.
And once bulb-planting season arrives, I know that cold weather is on the not-to-distant horizon. With as high as my energy bills were last winter, I wanted to do anything I could to cut costs and save energy this year. Now, lots of folks swear by storm windows, but they can be awfully expensive. So I went down to the local hardware store and the guy behind the counter said I could get the same energy-savings at a fraction of the cost by using plastic sheeting. So I taped clear plastic sheeting to each window, and used my wife’s hair dryer to dry it to fit the window. Then I hung some heavy drapes for even more insulation. I tell you, my house feels warmer already!
Finally, after all my hard work planting bulbs, winterizing windows, and tending to other “Honey-Do” chores, you can bet my muscles were aching. But I’m not one to take medications if I can avoid it. So instead of popping an aspirin, I whipped up a batch of my favorite muscle-soothing salve and had my “Honey” rub it on for almost instant relief. And believe you me, that night, I slept like a baby. To make this super salve, mix 2 cups of witch hazel, 2 teaspoons of light corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon of castor oil in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add a few drops of your favorite scented oil. Shake well, and massage the potion into your sore body parts. Then sit back and say “ahhhh….”
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