Garden Market Fair 2011

Sunday, May 22nd from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. was the date and time for the annual celebration of spring, gardens, and gardeners in Wilcox Park in the center of Westerly.   (And thank you God that it didn't rain!)


Wilcox Park in downtown Westerly overflowed with an abundance of greenery on Sunday, May 22 as the annual Garden Market Fair took place. (It overflowed with an abundance of people too!)


There were vendors from Rhode Island and Connecticut there selling annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, vegetables- including organically grown ones, herbs, and garden accessories. There were also a large selection of hanging plant arrangements, and visitors were even able to find unusual plants at reasonable prices. (Reasonable prices? heh heh heh That's the politically correct way of saying Cheap! And tack on Variety and those are two of the many reasons I Love to go!)


Wilcox Park volunteers (Park Pals) were at the bandstand helping to sell plants from the park's collections. (That was the Kids Corner at the gazebo... I didn't get to do a craft this year... they told me I was too old. heh heh heh... okay so I really didn't even try to do a craft, I was to busy frolicking.)


Also present this year were vendors offering jewelry, fudge and candy. (There was Fudge there??)


And a local massage therapist was on hand to help alleviate those garden-related aches and pains. (Really? I didn't see that either? Now if only I wasn't so busy hunting I could have had a massage... right there in the park... as thousands of people walked by... okay maybe not...)


This annual celebration of spring; gardens; and gardeners was organized and run by a group of volunteers and the Wilcox Park grounds crew. (And Thank you all very much for doing it! It is something I always look forward to doing every spring! Ü)


At 1:00 the Westerly Town Band also gave an afternoon concert behind the library. (It was a lovely concert too. I could hear it in the distance as I cavorted about.)


I adapted the tense of te above story which was taken from the Westerly Sun
to reflect that it was a 'past' event and not 'future'.
Also everything in the (.) is my comments... in case you couldn't tell!


And if you wished you could have been there, you're in luck... here is pictures from the days events -


Okay I have set this to play in high definition on youtube but it seems the settings are individually controlled and it automatically plays iat a low quality. So to see it 'not blurry' you may have to change it yourself?... stupid! Why did they even bother asking me if I wanted it to play in high definition if it doesn't automatically do it?  

One Liners... Ü

Ü

My Baby!

My baby came to visit me!

He is just so beautiful!

I haven't seen him since March and it was so good to be with him again.

I was able to snug him and kiss him and hold him...

but I ended up having to put him down *sigh*

as being the 'toddler' that he is

 

he wanted to 'toddle' around the farm.

Can you say "wood splitter"? Ü

Last summer, when I had him, he was too little to 'toddle' so he wasn't able to hang out with any of the animals.

Can you say "Maaaaaa"?

Can you say "Pony"?

And of course Webster (did you catch that? I said Webster!) had fun playing with him too.

Get back here you little monkey!

We all love you very much sweet baby!

And we plan on seeing you again real soon!

 

♥

Eww! and Oww!!

Okay, I am in pain and grossed out at the same time.
Yesterday, the top of my right hand started hurting me and it has done this before but I just dealt with it and it eventually went away. But this time it has gotten worse instead of better and just tonight it was doing some weird things... it felt like there was an air bubble moving around inside my hand when I would bend my fingers.

This is where it hurts

So I told the Farmer of the Dells, I said it feels like my hand is squeaking everytime I move my fingers, which he thought was rather funny as he imagined me trying to tell my doctor that my hand was squeaking... Well! It actually is squeaking!

Listen to this -
(you might have to turn up the volume)

{and that is Cliffords toenails clicking on the floor as he approaches... and yes, that is my iphone, fuzzbuster, camera lens, empty pill bottle, tweezers and general junk on my desk Ü}

Ewww! Isn't that gross?

And it is just getting worse with crackles and pops too! I can't even move my hand without it hurting or making noise. So I went upstairs into our bathroom closet and rummaged around looking for my lifetime collection of ace bandages and got out a hand brace to put on hoping it would hold things in place.

It felt better but it wasn't able to supply enough stability to my fingers so...

I used two rawhide dog chewies and a hair scrunchie to prevent my finger from bending... and it is working!

I've been doing some research on the net as to what could be causing my problem and the closest thing I have come up with is hand tendonitis.

And the squeaking and pain would be caused by my inflamed tendons rubbing and catching everytime I bend my fingers!

Gaaa! Ewww... now that is just gross! ~shivers~

I got this info of of ehow.com... I closed the page before I got the address but oh well... 

A tendon is a band of fibrous connective tissue that usually joins a muscle to bone. Tendonitis is an inflammation of a tendon, and tendonitis of the hand is typically an overuse injury.

Overuse

Hand tendonitis usually results from tendon strain caused by overuse of the muscles in the hand, wrist or forearm. It can also be caused by an unusual use of the hand.

Tendonitis can also result from a direct blow to the hand that bruises the underlying tissue. This can cause blood from capillaries to infiltrate the tendons, inflaming them.

Risk Factors

The activities most likely to cause hand tendonitits include sports with throwing or contact.

The chances of complications from surgery for hand tendonitis increase with smoking, drug abuse and chronic illnesses.

Prevention/Solution

Hand tendonitis is less likely when athletes are properly conditioned and warmed up. Protective gear can also reduce the chances of hand tendonitis.

Prolonged Healing

Tendonitis in the hand commonly takes a long time to heal because patients tend to resume activity too soon. It's also especially prone to recurrence.

This site actually has a more in-depth info: What Are the Causes of Tendonitis in the Hand?

 

But this is kinda stinky... that my dominate hand would be out of commission during planting season! I guess Webster is literally going to be my right hand man for awhile! hehehehe

 

Actually, I would appreciate prayers for a speedy healing for me and I'm sure Webster will appreciate them too! ;-)

 

Sqe-e-e-eek-Squa-a-a-ank...

Sqe-e-e-eek-Squa-a-a-ank...

Sqe-e-e-eek-Squa-a-a-ank...

 

*sigh*

There were no Leftovers...

I'm sitting at the table, minding my own business, enjoying my dinner of homemade chicken noodle soup

See - Homemade chicken noodle soup

And I get this uncomfortable feeling that I'm being watched... by searing eyes that if they could they would will my bowl of soup right off the table...

I think this is the 'feed me I'm starving' pitiful face routine

And then a vulture swoops in and takes up vigil on the other side of me looking rather forelornly too.

Can't you just hear him... Can I have a noodle, or two, or a hundred and twenty?

And Hopey, using a different approach altogether, is closing her eyes in anticipation, confidently beleiving that the noodles are already hers!

Brandee is still determined to burn holes in my concious with her 'Give me a noodle... Now' stare.

And even the royal cats gallantly move in to check out what the tail-waggers are so interested in... not neccesarily because they want to, or need to, but just because they can...

And then they turn aloofly and depart again.

Uh-oh. . . I believe this is a conspiracy...

I think they've formed an alliance.

*sniff*. . . *Sni-i-i-iff*

And I think I smell my brain smoldering!

Heh heh heh

Okay... so I caved in and they got the leftovers.

What can I say... I was being tortured! 

I Love my Doggies!

Ü

Container Gardening

Every year, sometime in the beginning of May, I swing by my mother-in-laws house and pick up this planter (pictured below) and take it home with me. I then pull out all the old dead 'stuff' from the previous year, refreshen the soil and refill it with new live 'stuff', and then return it to her for her Mother's Day gift!
This is what it looked like when I brought it back to her this year. 

I love the bright festive colors!

This next picture is of my cast iron urn that I found a few years ago at a yard sale. At this particular residence we were at, they had everything for sale. If it could be moved you could buy it! My husband couldn't believe that I actually hauled this thing out of the woods and over to the truck... what can I say?
I really wanted it!
hehehehe

I bet you would have done the same thing!

And the two terra cotta window boxes below I bought at the Goodwill for $3.99 each. I was surprised they were that cheap and they looked like they had never been used either!

Pretty pretty, eh?

When ever I first plant up my pots, they never seem to look all that great... but I have high expectations this year and imagine, that in a month or so, all these fantastically brilliant colors will be cascading over the edges of their pots and down the sides in a sorta Rapunzel like way!

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Garden Art... Part 2!

Okay, I didn't go shopping again but thought I would post up a couple of pictures of my all time favorite type of garden art... The living kind! Ü

I love my Ducks!

And I love it when they hang out in my gardens, unlike the chickens that are only welcome in the winter as they are extremely destructive and dig huge pits and fling dirt everywhere... that is why I love my ducks! They are gracious and gentle waddling to and fro and just being down right neighborly. And as an added bonus they give us the most delicious eggs too. Such sweet gals they are.

We have several different breeds. The big white ones are Pekin, the brown one is a Khaki Campbell, and the black one is a Blue Swedish... even though she's black.

We were extremely fortunate with the last batch of ducks we got and most were females as we usually end up with a majority being male in any straight run poultry that we get!

The picture below is of Papa Pekin and his girls. He is gorgeous if I say so myself!

We also have a few Call ducks which were originally called Coy ducks...

They were called that because they were used as decoys to lure in other wild ducks to be captured.

I'm assuming it must have worked well but I haven't seen any wild ducks around my property... well, that is unless you count these guys...

But technically, they're not 'wild'. And we can't even make them leave without them coming back. 

Perhaps then, the Call ducks really do work then? Hmmm?

I think everybody should have a couple ducks (or more!) for their garden.

And I bet you really wished you had some now too! ;-)

QUACK!

Garden Art

I love discount stores. I have a few favorites like Christmas Tree Store, Hobby Lobby, Family Dollar, Job Lot and even The Dollar Tree where EVERYTHING costs only a buck!

But unfortunately, (or for my husbands sake, Fortunately!) there is only one that I visit regularly and that is Job Lot.

I was there today actually Ü... and I found... (it is a treasure hunt you know!)... the most Wonderfully Whimsical garden stakes!

Isn't this just the Cutest thing!

And they were only three bucks each!

Seriously, look how Happy he is to be in  my garden!

They were All begging me to take them home!

And I must say, I relented and got one of each... it was purely an act of Mercy and my Christ-like duty to save them!

Because...  "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36

 

Be Free my Friends!

 

And You're Welcome!!

 

Heh heh heh

 

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