I was looking and realized I do a lot of posting on FB to help identify plants for new owners. And it occurs to me that not everyone may know where to go or how to go about identifying a plant. So I am going to put together a cheat sheet of sorts to help and I am going to drop it I think Friday during the coffee break!

Today my thoughts revolved around water. I know - it seems silly. But living on a sustainable farm, we are always looking for ways to save a penny or a dime. I think that is why I am always looking at what I have and what can I make out of it. So, back to water - Our chicken coop is about 40-50 yards away from the house. I was looking at how many water hoses (hose pipe) we have that have busted ends and I was looking at the distance from our closest pond to the chicken pen. about 100 - 150 feet. And I found an old pump out in the barn that I believe I could perform minor repairs on. With a little time, a trip to the Farm Supply store for splicing materials...I could run water from the pond to the chicken coop AND I could literally have a perfectly built trellis for gourds next year! And a way to water the chickens, the gourds, and maybe some blooming annuals like coreopsis or cone flower that would give the chickens some green and me some cut flowers! Anyone else looking around for what they could do to make a small improvement?

Has or is any one experienced this peak and valley thing with their houseplants? You hit a peak and you have several things to do and then you run into a valley where you simply get to enjoy your plants and know if you even look at a watering bottle, you are going to drown something? I've decided that instead of just watching my plants inside, I am going to do some damage to a daylily patch and a porch corner of irises. At least I can be seeing something happen!

Being able to hang out is always a great way to share knowledge! And just hang out with members! Friday evenings 8:30 to 9:30 pm central standard time