Spring is Bursting out all Over!

Spring is here and I've been as lazy as a hibernating bear.  I'm not only behind on my posting but I haven't even started my seedlings. 
I have however been spending my long winters rest learning more about gardening and have plenty to share. 

I'll start with my forgotton seedlings.  I've been trying for years to get a good batch of seedlings started but have met with skinny scraggly seedlings that don't produce well.  It turns out that when you start seeds indoors your supposed to have a light positioned a couple of inches away from the plants.  This is to keep the seedlings from "stretching" to reach the light.  This allows for a sturdier seedling.  I have an extra lamp with a hanger for our turtle I think I will repurpose it as a day lamp for my seedlings.  Since tomorrow is my day off it will be a good time to get started!

Baking Soda To Melt Snow?

I was checking out First Magazine at the library. It has a tip from readers section where one reader sent in that baking soda was good for melting ice. I thought this would be great if it works because I could use it on the back steps and not have to worry about irritation to Crickets paws. Yesterday I gave it a try. Unfortunately It didn't work. What I got was baking soda paw prints all over my kitchen floor. So I will be sticking to coating the ice with sand for traction and save the baking soda for my muffins.

My Seed Catalogs Have Arrived

Only three of them but it has me thinking of spring. I'm got my first order set... I just need to place it. I'm ordering from the Gurney catalog and taking advantage of the free $25 coupon it has. I'll have to spend $50 total but they have some really nice looking patio blueberry bushing I want to get. I'm also ordering some strawberries. I wanted to plant some last year but the only plants I could find were sold individually from about $5 a piece I couldn't find anyone who was selling them in the packs.

I Love Snow

I really do. I love how beautiful everything looks right after a fresh snow. I love watching the kids ride their sleds down the hill laughing and screaming with glee. I love snowmen and women though getting that head on top can be a pain. I love the look of icicles handing from the trees and roof tops. Although if you have icicles hanging from your roof top make sure you get your gutter looked at right away. Since it means the melting snow is not going down the but over the top and that can lead to roof damage.

BUT.....

Even I will admit we have way to much snow here. The worse part not being the mounds of snow everywhere since I think it looks cool but the fact that not all the sidewalks are clear which means I can't walk to work.

I find it absolutely astounding that people who shovel their walks beautifully will leave that one foot one the property line unshoveled. Neither side taking responsibility for that last piece and when the snow is up to your knees that one foot of sidewalk is a pain to navigate. Then there is the areas that are suppose to be shoveled by the city ( I assume since there is no home owner or business to shovel them.) Especially under the bridges... what a nightmare! You cant safely walk on the sidewalk so you are force into the road which is much more narrow then the rest of the road, placing you that much closer to traffic. ( If you could see the way they drive here you would know the further away from them you can get the better.)

I tried walking a couple of times before the last snow storm. After some ankle twisting and a semi blasting past me under the bridge, I gave up! Now I"m driving and I feel terrible. Not just using precious resources (gas and money) but I'm missing out on the great exercise I was getting. Now I'm stuck driving with people who are apparently crazier then I am (when they get behind the wheel) watching them run stop signs (not even bothering to pretend to stop), illegal passing and turning. The stuff some of these people do should lose them their license but the cops are too busy texting and talking on their cell phones and activity that is illegal here but you can watch them driving down the road doing it.

I can't wait till spring and the sidewalks become safe for walking again or better still my hubby gets assigned someplace else hopefully away from the giant mass of people crammed onto this Island.

Thinks Are Going to Change

Well I'm going through a changing period in my life. Now that I'm getting back into the blogging game. I want to change my look. I'm also considering a name change but all the good information I have will be the same. I'm also thinking of adding more posts on environmental news. I read about a lot of interesting things and would like to share them. I also need to find more ways to put money into savings. I've been working on meal planning and its been helping a lot with savings. Knowing just what I'm going to make when I get home stops many trips to the store to pick something up. Which of course prevents unplanned impulse purchase, but more on that later.

I'm thinking of the name Crazy About Green instead of The Crazy Green Cheapskate...What do you think?

Was I Really Gone That LONG???

Hello all

That was a short lived resolution. I didn't even make it back the second day. Here is what happened...

After posting the first thing I did was open my list of favorites and click my top number one favorite only to find the extraordinary writer of this blog had lost his battle with cancer and passed away...


FIVE Months Ago

I felt and still feel horrible! I loved reading Barry's Blog and the adventures he had with Lindsey his beautiful dog. I stayed away too long and missed the opportunity to be part of the time he had left. He was a wonderful story teller and was wonderful at responding to the comments people made and even stopped by to comment on mine. I don't get a ton of comments and his were worth every person who stopped by and said nothing and he will be sorely missed.

New Years Resolution

Hello all

I know it's been too long since I've been around. I've been working my butt off and trying to get more hours. I've also been walking to work to help keep from spending money ... which is just as important as making it! I've made some New Years Resolutions and today I'm sharing them.

1. Lose Weight. I'm doing it for health reasons but it also helps financially since smaller size clothes cost less then plus sizes and eating less processed food and more healthy food cost less too. I should be winning all the way around.

2. Start planning meals. Number one way to save money on food is to plan ahead. I always feel so rushed that I forget to make the plans then at dinner time I get flustered trying to figure out what to make.

3. Post on one of my blogs every day and visit at least 10 of my fellow bloggers every day. I miss visiting everyone and I miss posting. I need to remember to take some time for myself and do the things I love to do and one of them is visiting with my fellow bloggers.

Well those are mine what are yours?

My New Toy

Check out my new garden toy!  I am so happy to be able to compost again.  I haven't been composting due to the fact that since we are currently renting there is no place to build a compost pile. 

Thanks to a program being run buy our township I got the wonderful compact tumbler style composter for only $50.  Now I did a little looking around and found a few compareable bins for anywhere from $110 to $260.  The idea is that the more people compost the less waste gets hauled to the dump.  This allows for less money being spent by thwe township on hauling and storing garbage.  It also increases the lifespan of the current dump.