Thrifty Thursday-Pedal Petals

A bike has been on my wishlist for a while now.

When we were visiting state parks,

I'd have to rent or borrow one.

Not anymore.  :D

Found this diamond-in-the-rough on Craig's List.

It was promptly taken apart.

No disrespect to the Wolverines,

but this would not be my choice of colors.

Some big tools were needed for the job.

The inner tubes were just fine,

no need to replace them.

The tires were shot.

New tires were in order.

Priming helps the paint stick better and last longer.

Even the rims were due for a new color.

The seat was in decent shape, but Big K cleaned it up a bit.

Time will tell if it agrees with my backside.

Now to daisy-fy it.

Clip-art flowers were printed on cardstock

and cut out with a craft knife.

Blue painter's tape keeps it secure.

Petals are painted with white craft paint.

Yellow centers were filled in with cotton swabs.

Professional?  Far from it.

But it suits me.

There won't be another one like it on the bike trails

or in the neighborhood.

Happy pedaling!

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop

Wordless Wednesday

Bloomin' Tuesday-Bamboo fence

This butterfly vine was growing like gangbusters

on a bamboo tepee.

 

It started blooming again recently.

I think it gets its name because the shape of the dried blooms

resemble the flying beauties, not because it attracts them.

Recent winds toppled it

so I rethought its position.

This blue tub houses my attempt at composting,

but I really wanted to have a designated compost pile,

away from the eyes of the HOA.

The tepee was taken apart and with some remaining

bamboo not being used, this wall was created.

The twine is repurposed from our bales of pine straw mulch.

The vines wind easily around the stakes.

Blooms peek out and keep right on poppin'!

Along with creating a bit of privacy on this end of the yard,

the tepee's previous location

will contain the new compost pile.

There's always another project...

Have a lovely bloomin' day!

Carrot Salad

My mom used to make carrot salad alot

when we were little,

especially in the summer

when she didn't want to heat up the kitchen.

This is the most basic carrot salad recipe on the planet.

Okay, maybe not the planet, but,

it's pretty simple.

Carrot Salad

8 carrots, shredded

Dressing:

1/2 C olive oil

1/2 C apple cider vinegar or balsamic

1/4 C water

2-4 T honey

1 t Italian seasonings

1 t salt

1 clove crushed garlic

***Add-in options include sesame or sunflower seeds,

walnuts, raisins, or black olives.

Enjoy!

Our Windfall...

Today's the first day of Hurricane Season.
We've already had some strange weather
a week before the season officially begins.
This is a long story...

See these two tall trees in our neighbor's backyard?

She had one more just like it out front.

The folks across the street from her were having a party

and a company was putting up an inflatable slide

(like a bounce house, only it was a slide).

I saw them from the backyard when I went out

to take pictures of the garden.

It looked like rain, so I wanted to get some shots before it hit.

A few minutes after I came inside,

there was a tremendous gust of wind for a few minutes.

Turns out the slide had not been fully secured and the gust

took not only the slide up, but the guy holding it.

He was airborn and finally let go of the thing.

He ended up with a broken ankle after landing on the street.

My neighbor lost her mailbox and the giant tree out front.

The slide continued on for four blocks

after destroying her property,

damaging fences along the way.

That was some wind...

The tree was taken down and cut up. 

It will not be replaced,

and the two in the backyard will be removed as well.

This neighbor offered to give us the mulch

that used to sit under her trees.

Generous soul, she is.

We had planned on purchasing more pine bark

to fill in the path along the east side of the house.

Just hadn't gotten around to it.

Although I feel awful for the guys and the expense of repairing the damage done by their equipment,

and knowing the tree wouldn't make it

and now the other two will be cut down as well,

I'm mighty grateful that it didn't turn out worse.

And that we'll have a piece of that tree right here.

Stay safe out there

and get those supplies stocked up!

It's gonna be a long season...