A Fresh Basil Plant in the Kitchen

I broke down this week and purchased a basil plant for the kitchen. This was actually a big step because I hesitate to bring any live plants in the house because inevitably the cat will try eating it, knocking it over, or causing some other mischief.  So far though, he hasn't bothered it.  In the meantime, we've had basil in a pasta dinner and basil on our pizza.  The Basil is MMMMMMMM good.

I am actually most looking forward to fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, fresh tomato with a sprinkling of Italian dressing. 

If this basil plant continues to thrive, maybe I'll try some of the other fresh spices.

How do you keep your cats from getting in your plants?

Identifying Sumac: Poisonous vs. harmless

I don't know that I have mentioned, but poisonous plants and I DO NOT get along well. DH husband used to be able to bushwhack the stuff and come out with nothing. I, however, can barely look at it without contracting it. Frankly, I'm so afraid of it now that if it is an the area then I am not. This posed an especially tricky problem this year as there was a cadre of sumac in the backyard. When I would mow, I would stay as far away from it as I could. You would not believe how well you can move a mower with just the very tips of your fingers. So I decided that I need to know if these were plants that I should be afraid of. Sumac can be both poisonous and not. I figured that you may also have to someday figure out the difference so here is what I found to help you identify the difference (please not I am not an expert and I highly recommend that you err on the side of caution unless you are 100% sure):

Where is the sumac growing? Poisonous sumac prefers damp, boggy areas. Regular sumac prefers drier areas.

What color is the stem? Poisonous is red; regular is green brown

How many leaves does each stem have? Poisonous has fewer (7-13); regular has more

What do the leaves look like? Poisonous are smooth; regular are hairy and jagged

What color are the berries? Poisonous has pale yellow / cream colored to white; regular has a red that looks more like a flower than a berry / seed

Where is the fruit growing? Poisonous grows at the base of the leaves and hang down in the fall; regular grows at the end and aim upward

This is poison sumac:

This is what is in my backyard:

I am safe.Phew! Now if I can just get rid of the Poison Ivy.

Garden Steps

We have this hill that has just been left array this year. I’m sure the butterflies, bugs, snakes, and rabbits enjoyed the disarray, but I can’t say that I love it. My brother-in-law let me know that it is ok to leave an area of your yard unmowed, but I find it UGLY, especially since it is in front of our house. Yesterday, a friend of mine posted about a catalog of perennials and I was inspired. Today, I got out and got dirty. I uncovered a set of stone steps that DS uncovered when he was mowing and I dug up both sides of the steps up for some hosta and lilies.

By no means is this project over, but I sure made a start. I think that I am also inspired to make an even bigger change there. I think this would be the perfect place for the garden a mix of vegetables, herbs, fruit bushes, and more perennials. The land is virtually unusable for anything else. It gets a good amount of sun and it is screaming for something to be done. So I have a lot more work ahead of me, but here is to a good start.