Clotheslines and Dogs

I've been working inside the house most of the day, but thought you might enjoy this:

A Clothesline!

The neighbors in the new condos behind me are going to love this when they get home tonight and look out their window, heeheehee! That's what they get for moving into an area that has no homeowner's associations (me laughing hysterically) and still is somewhat of a rural edge to suburbia.

The reality is that I shouldn't be doing this until the pollen stops flying, but it was nice and breezy out today and I just happened to be in the midst of 5 loads of laundry, I couldn't resist at least putting it up. Finnegan thought is was loads of fun hanging his "woobie" on the line!

I wanted it close to the house, but in reality I think it will have to be relocated further out into the yard for more space (and closer to the condos, tee hee!).

Lastly, I leave you with our beloved Aussie girl, Marley snoozing with her stuffed sheep. Poor dog needs some real sheep, what's an urban herder to do? (hmmm, bite the ankles of children?) Good thing she loves Frisbees just as much!

Afterthought: I wonder if I am on some kind of "suburban homesteader watch list" yet? If not, I probably will be soon with the addition of my eyesore clothesline! I still entertain the idea of playing chicken noises over the ipod speakers outside to see if anyone calls the city... kind of a little stealthy recon/intel gathering mission...

For the Parents of Gardening Kids!

Thanks to Judy, of My Freezer is Full, I found another great blog! In between shuttling kids and planting and watering seedlings today, hop over to the inadvertent farmer to check out her blog and take part in her new challenge/contest "kinderGARDENS", looks to be a great way to get our kids even more involved and inject a bit more fun into the garden! Even if you don't participate, do check out her blog, I intend on surfing back and reading more later today (in all my spare time)! They are doing it all, (today for example, her kids are painting beehives!) - it looks to be a fun and learning filled journey going on there!

Headed out now to "walk the estate"... i.e., water gardens, pick up dog poop, toys, check seedlings, LOL...

Have a great garden day everyone!

Jody stopped by again this weekend...

Warning: one big pi$$ed off Navy wife rant coming!

Remember Jody? The unseen entity that weaves a path of destruction and financial ruin whenever hubby is deployed? Well, he was kind enough to stop by early this time, 5 whole weeks before the big day! Oh yes, that's a beautiful stainless refrigerator on my curb, isn't it? Mr. Trash Man will pick it up tomorrow. The compressor went at 1 year and was replaced, and yet again at the 3 year mark. I won't be repairing it this time. It was in my rental house so it was extra urgent that we get a dependable one this time. So hear this: to all of you out there with the Avacado, Harvest Gold, Almond, etc fridges.... keep them! Hoard them! I know so many people who have pretty new fridges, all shiny with lights... we covet the old ones, and may break into your house for that 1980 fridge, beware! I don't care what it looks like anymore, as long as it does one thing: "be a fridge that works"!

So if anyone is keeping count, that's "3" stainless refrigerators purchased in the past 5 years for 2 houses. ??? And if I can stop you from ever buying a Frigidaire appliance, all the better. Our new kitchen went in 5 years ago with a new stainless & black ceramic stove, stainless dishwasher, and fridge - all Frigidaire. 5 years later we now have a Kitchen Aid fridge, a GE dishwasher (I went without for all of last year) and our stove had to have the entire circuit board/panel replaced. I've got $1200 paperweights all over the place. STAY AWAY FROM NEW FRIGIDAIRE... read complaints on the web, it's not just me.

As if Jody hadn't wreaked enough havoc with that, he stopped by this morning at my next door neighbor's house. Her husband is in Iraq, and as she got ready to leave - flat tire, really flat! So after figuring she'd deal with that later, she gets into her husband's car and it wouldn't start. So us girls jumped it and got her going again. Jody, never underestimate us military gals, you may financially ruin us, but we won't go down without a fight! If he so much as thinks blight towards my garden this year, heads are going to roll! Apparently Jody didn't get the memo that my husband hasn't even left yet!

Now onto better things:

I finished my first bag this weekend! It's loud, funky, and uneven, but wow, it's not a scarf! I'm happy knitting anything now that's "notascarf"!

We are working hard on eating everything that's leftover from the garden last year to make room for the new. Plus, it would be really nice to remember to defrost the freezer this year before it gets packed full again!

Stir fry with "froze-fresh" from the garden broccoli, peas, beans, and leeks we pulled the other day.

Finnegan in training making pizzas with daddy the other night

The pollen is killing me....

We did get a ton of stuff done around the yard the past weekend, every bit makes me feel a little better about the upcoming deployment, we have been slowly finishing a bunch of little projects that have been in limbo. I planted ALOT this weekend, and I hope it wasn't too early.

The highlight of the past week was today. Husband back at work, kids back to school after Spring break, I was alone sitting in my Adirondack chair with my dogs, listening to the birds, sipping an iced coffee, and knitting! Did I say alone? LOL. Unfortunately the birds were soon replaced by the sounds of F/A 18 SuperHornets screaming through the sky, banking right over my backyard - they are always so close I can read their helmets. I wonder what they think of me knitting under them, lol? Like I always say, Military Homesteading is kind of an oxymoron, but you can't blame a girl for trying!