Amazing Skies

My chosen home is beautiful. The skies can be breathtaking.

Last night I was out, and luckily had my camera.

I was awestruck.

In the northwest a small thunder storm storm was rolling through.

In the southeast the sky was quiet.

Nearly every shot here is natural light, only minor tweaks on a few.

There are so many because I couldn't choose...

every shot was taken within two miles of the farm.

Ben

Sheep

How Two Bitter Adversaries Hatched A Plan To Change The Egg Business : The Salt : NPR

YES!!!!!!! I LOVE seeing positive results from alliances such as this!

How Two Bitter Adversaries Hatched A Plan To Change The Egg Business : The Salt : NPR:

"Gregory sent a message to Pacelle through an intermediary: "Can the two of us just talk?" And Pacelle saw an opportunity."

'via Blog this'

Tried and True Perennials « Eastern Shore Gardener

Tried and True Perennials « Eastern Shore Gardener: "My friend, Nancy Ondra, has a great new book, Tried and True Perennials, and I wanted to make a quick pre-Christmas post about it. It may be a perfect gift for someone on your list.  (I got it for myself!)"

'via Blog this'

Handy in All Seasons « Eastern Shore Gardener

Handy in All Seasons « Eastern Shore Gardener: "I spent an hour or so cleaning up the garden this afternoon. As I was pulling up the first of the winter weeds and cutting back chrysanthemums, I heaved all the debris onto an ordinary green tarp that I have used again and again this year. Since it has become one of my favorite tools this year, I thought I should write a few words about it."

'via Blog this'

The Impatient Gardener: Caterpillars in the Garden or "It Pays to be Pretty"

The Impatient Gardener: Caterpillars in the Garden or "It Pays to be Pretty":

Unexpected Wildlife « Eastern Shore Gardener

Unexpected Wildlife « Eastern Shore Gardener: "We’ve all read at least something about welcoming wildlife in the garden. Providing suitable habitat—including food, water, and shelter—is essential. Sometime the habitat that wildlife chooses isn’t quite what you would expect, though. My current case-in-point is the rather large toad that has been living on our deck all summer long."

Not your grandma’s strawberries | Grist

Not your grandma’s strawberries | Grist:

"In 1950, your parents, grandparents, or a perhaps a younger version of you could eat a handful of string beans -- about three-and-a-half ounces -- and get about 9 percent of the calcium you needed for the day. Almost 50 years later, in 1999, the amount of calcium in string beans dropped by 43 percent, leaving you with only 5 percent of your daily calcium. You could eat more string beans -- except you might not want to, because they wouldn't be as flavorful as in the past. So you could eat more of other vegetables, but it's likely other vegetables wouldon't have as much calcium or flavor as they used to, either. And it's not just calcium: Preliminary research shows that many vegetables have lost significant amounts of nutritional value."

Click through for the entire article.

Potted’s DIY Cinderblock Wall | Potted

Potted’s DIY Cinderblock Wall | Potted:

"Potted’s DIY Cinderblock Wall
A while back I had a discerning client who was also an interior designer. We got along great and she was easy going…all she asked for was something nobody else had or that she’d never seen before. Sure, no problem. I come up with those ideas 20 times a day (okay, that’s a total lie…I wish I came up with them 20 times a day). But I accepted the challenge and started looking for inspiration. And then I was struck…"

click through for photos and full story!

Why there’s more to keeping chickens than getting fresh laid eggs - Green Living - Go Green - WalesOnline

Why there’s more to keeping chickens than getting fresh laid eggs - Green Living - Go Green - WalesOnline:

"Chickens are not only a great source of backyard food, they can also become well-loved pets.

First we wanted our eggs free range, so as not to support battery farming. Then we wanted them organic, without any of those nasty chemicals involved.

Now we want our eggs one stage more wholesome – fresh from the garden and our very own brood of hand-reared chickens.

Keeping chickens has grown in popularity over the last few years, much as traditional crafts and home cooking have done."

click through to read the story!

Kids and Dogs: How Kids Should and Should Not Interact with Dogs | Animal Behavior and Medicine Blog | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS

Kids and Dogs: How Kids Should and Should Not Interact with Dogs | Animal Behavior and Medicine Blog | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS:

"When a child is bitten by a four-legged family member, it can turn the household upside-down. Owners feel puzzled and confused. “They sleep together all the time,” they might say, or, “He’s always been really good. He even lets Timmy sit on him.” In a majority of cases, the bite seems out of the blue. The humans can’t fathom why their once-trusted companion would bite an innocent child. But anyone who reads “dog” or can see life from the pet’s point of view would most likely say, “I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”"

Great posters and illustrations on kids and dog interactions. Click through to read more!

The Chestertown Spy - PAR Community Garden Donates Bounty to Food Pantry

The Chestertown Spy - PAR Community Garden Donates Bounty to Food Pantry:

"The garden, hemmed on one side by fencing (to keep Ruckelshaus’s sheep from both ravaging the place and escaping), at a guess is 15X 50 feet, and is planted with beets, lettuces, peppers, sweet potato, shallots, carrots, peas, lima beans, herbs, pumpkins, gourds, and a veritable forest of tomatoes –38 incredibly robust plants barely contained by a regiment of volunteer-made cages. Among other things, the group has so far donated 40 pounds of mesclun (about a 55-gallon drum in volume) to the food pantry."

click link to read entire article. I am super proud of this project and our volunteers!

Soil 101 « Eastern Shore Gardener

Soil 101 « Eastern Shore Gardener:

"Soil 101
July 19, 2011 by Eastern Shore Gardener
Soil isn’t the sexiest topic for a blog post, but it’s been on my mind quite a bit of late. Part of the reason is I just finished editing/rewriting an e-book on composting for a client, and the organic matter in compost is at the heart of great garden soil. I’ve also had conversations with several friends and gardeners about soil recently. (Yes, I am the nerd that sits under an umbrella at a pool party and talks compost and compost making with fellow gardeners.) So, it’s no surprise that I’ve been thinking about my own composting efforts and the state of my soil’s organic matter."

click through to read the rest of the story...

Concerns About Unleashed Dogs | The Bark

Concerns About Unleashed Dogs | The Bark: "In Juliana Keeping’s column Hey Ann Arbor—put your dog on a leash. A short one, she writes about bad experiences with off leash dogs. She shares her own stories and those of a few other people and complains angrily about so many dogs being off leash in violation of the laws of her city."

Study: Hypoallergenic dogs not less allergic than other dogs

Contrary to popular belief, so-called hypoallergenic dogs do not have lower household allergen levels than other dogs.

That's the conclusion of a study by Henry Ford Hospital researchers who sought to evaluate whether hypoallergenic dogs have a lower dog allergen in the home than other dogs. Hypoallergenic dogs are believed to produce less dander and saliva and shed less fur....(see link for article)

Study: Hypoallergenic dogs not less allergic than other dogs

The Impatient Gardener: Tomato Update

From Lisa's blog: Tomato Q&A

The Impatient Gardener: Tomato Update

Growing Up! « Eastern Shore Gardener

Nice blog post on vines and trellises from my friend Barbara:

Growing Up! « Eastern Shore Gardener

Sweet Potato Dog Chew Recipe - Easy to Make Alternative to Rawhide

It seems obvious that you should be able to make healthy dog treats easily, but I always think of it being time consuming. Not these, and I know our dogs LOVE the commercial variety!

Sweet Potato Dog Chew Recipe - Easy to Make Alternative to Rawhide

Great healthy alternative to raw hide and no reason why you can't cut the pieces (before cooking) into any size you want!

Woof!

Gleaning Inspiration « Eastern Shore Gardener

Nice post about a garden tour and our own expectations of our gardens. I especially appreciate the photos of mature plants included.

Enjoy.

Gleaning Inspiration « Eastern Shore Gardener