Plant Marker Art

A few weeks ago another Master Gardener suggested I put some larger markers in the herb beds in our local teaching garden. Well, the markers she had in mind look good in her formal rose bed, but are a little too formal for the beds where I work. Boring. To me, anyway. So I went online and searched out some free-ish, more interesting (to me) options, preferably that could be made at home.

My daughter Cecilie and I made these.(All the super-cute ones Cec made. Mine are pretty basic.)
What do you think? We are having a great time making them and sharing with the community garden and decorating our own yard, too.












Here are the steps to making Plant Markers.

Materials: Rocks, acrylic paint/craft paint in a variety of colors, paint pen (opt), paint brushes, spray urethane (clear spray paint).

1. Collect rocks. Our rule has been: If someone paid for the rocks for drainage or landscaping, we may not use them (no matter how awesome they would be). We find ours at the beach, in ditches, along the side of the road, wherever.
2. Make sure the rocks are reasonably clean. I soak them briefly in a bucket, then rinse and air dry. Sometimes they have needed a bit of scrubbing.
3. On a table covered with newspaper, paint background color, if desired. (Some rocks are beautiful as background.) Let dry.
4. Using paint pen or brush with acrylic paint, paint the name of your plant. Let dry.
5. Spray with clear spray coating; let dry. Place near chosen plant!!

Do Chickens Eat Spaghettios?

Here are the spaghettios after the hens had retreated for a break.

I happened upon a can of Spaghettios in our storage, which I didn't buy. No one was going to eat it, because it's, well, hardly food. I thought I would try it out on my chooks.

Indeed, they did eat, albeit sporadically. 

I put the dish out in their yard, and they started gobbling. Then they stopped. One girl kept wiping off her beak on the straw, somewhat distressed. Or it seemed so to me. But they came back and came back. When I went out later it was all gone. So, yes, I believe chickens DO eat spaghettios. I don't think it was a huge hit, and I don't believe I will make a habit of feeding it to them. But in case you wanted to know, now you do.

Handling Growing Older with Grace

         Lorraine, Age 51

I took my teenage son to breakfast recently. Never one to shy away from an opportunity to tell his mother the truth about herself, he commented on the horrible bags under my eyes. Upon checking in the wall/mirror there next to me at the restaurant, I noted that, indeed, he spoke the truth. Ouch! And, of course, the crowning blow: The Senior Discount. At the register I checked the check, calculated the tip, and when I received the final receipt noticed that the total (before tip) was lower than the original check. "No, I don't actually qualify for any discounts." The hostess laughed. "Well, you're saving a dollar today!"

I choose to keep my life simple by staying with my current natural hair color, and using minimal cosmetics. What do you think? And when does one become a "Senior?"