Wordless Wednesday

Maple Hill Hop 61

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

Thanks for linking back to Maple Hill 101.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last week, Big K had a whole week off of work,
so we decided to head to the big city to see
The Tampa Firefighters Museum.

 This is the first station in Tampa
and it dates from 1911.
The substantial brick building now houses offices on the upper floor
and features the museum on the lower level.

A few original pieces of equipment could be found.

This ladder truck is currently maintained
so that it can be used in parades and other special events.
Notice the brass bells on the sides?

This was the dispatching office back in the day.

It's almost as if time stands still.

Some of the equipment used in years past
has found a home here.

Even the original sliding pole is intact
for visitors to enjoy.

The museum is peppered with informational displays
describing the station's features.

An area is set aside for school groups,
so that children can learn more about the firefighters' role in community.

Our boy's favorite section, by far, was this fire alarm.

This vintage alarm had most likely been  used many times.
Instructions for use are right on the front,
so that anyone could easily operate it ,
and firefighters could respond as quickly as possible.

 My boy schooled me on how it works,
mentioning more details than I could possibly remember.
This would make quite the conversation piece in our foyer.

The museum doesn't charge visitors,
but does accept donations to ensure that it stays open.
We relish these scraps of history that are passed on for our knowledge.
Give some consideration to paying them a visit,
and pay homage to the firefighters who have done so much.
What would our world be like without these brave souls?

You'll find the
Tampa Firefighter Museum at
720 East Zack Street
Tampa FL  33602
(813) 964-6862
For more information,
visit them here.

Where have you been lately?

Let's HOP!

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Christmas To All...

God Bless Us, 

Everyone.

May your Christmas be filled with peace and joy.

daisy & crew

Maple Hill Hop 60

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

Thanks for linking back to Maple Hill 101.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the celebration of the Winter Solstice,
we share what's growing this time of year.

Our lettuce is doing well in the container planting, 

and shares space with beets and parsley.

It's wonderful to be able to harvest fresh lettuce for salads.

The broccoli is slowly but surely growing.

This is the first time we've grown this crop,

and we look forward to enjoying it into the winter.

Our eggplants have quite a few flowers, but so far no fruit.

This season's crops have taken their time in developing,

but we think it'll be worth the wait.

Along with a few food crops,

the winter has been mild enough to encourage a number of ornamentals.

We still have daisies popping up throughout the garden.

The milkweed is bursting with colorful blooms and seed pods.

We appreciate having that flush of color.

Imagine my surprise in finding this little cutie chowing down in December!

Some of us are late bloomers...

African Iris

We welcome winter with the knowledge that 
better times lay ahead.
Dreams fulfilled, new goals made
and a plenty of good memories to make.

What's happening in your neck of the woods this week?
HOP on!

An InLinkz Link-up

A Spicy Gift

Spice mixes can make the cook's job so much easier.
With ingredients already combined,
just a pinch or two of favorite seasonings
can change a dish from blah to brilliant!
Even better is when those spices are homemade.
That's why we are working toward creating a pantry full
of delicious and easy-to-use seasonings for our everyday scratch cooking.

How about preparing jars for holiday gifts? 
How fun to give it as sand art and have the recipient shake the contents to get this:

Anyone who enjoys time in the kitchen
will appreciate this thoughtful offering.
It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Every time they use it, they'll think of you.
They may even be inspired to generate their own pantry full of homemade goodies!


House Seasoning
(Paula Deen)
1 C sea salt
1/4 C ground black pepper
1/4 C garlic powder
Add ingredients to a glass jar and shake!
Enjoy!

Or try:
 pistou
seasoned salt

Thrifty Thursday-Christmas Star

Being the scrapper that I am, I knew this old gate that a neighbor had thrown out
was coming home with me to be repurposed.
Although at the time, I wasn't sure exactly what it would become.
Then it hit me.
We'd make a Christmas star for our holiday decorating!

The first step was to disassemble it.
We didn't bother to sand or paint it,
instead favoring the rustic look.

With just a few supplies,

and one 14-year old helper with a power drill, 
we managed to get it apart.
(Guess who's keeping the "no trespassing" sign for his room?)

The boards were different lengths, but we chose the ones
with similar widths.

It was laid out until we found a shape we liked.
It's not symmetrical because we want to showcase the rustic feel.

Holes for nails were pre-drilled,
 which made it much easier to pound them in.

It took us a few hours to complete the project,
and cost us not one dime!
We then strung rope lights around it
and used tie wraps to fasten them to the wood.
This star turned out so well,
we're planning on hanging it from our future barn!

Can't wait to see what folks throw out this week!