Choosing & Ordering Seeds
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I have been sitting here choosing and ordering seeds to plant in my container garden. So many choices!
What I have on the menu to cook this week are soft tacos. They will be made with soft flour tortillas, ground beef with taco seasoning, and the customary lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese.
You may be wondering why I keep making ground beef recipes, since I’ve done so for the past three weeks.
Because right now it’s what I can afford. If I play my cards right, I can get 5 meals out of one pound of ground beef, which means leftovers. Along with the soft tacos will be beans.
I don’t know how much other meat costs, but I can still buy grass-fed ground beef for just under $7 from Walmart. Kendra has told me that other cuts of beef are much more expensive.
DogDog.org:
Over the weekend, I came across dogdog.org, an alternate search engine from Google. I’ve discovered that it’s quite fast, so I am using it and bypassing Google.
Not only is this a good alternative search engine, but it also helps to take care of dogs! That caught my eye right away.
I created my account yesterday. Your dogdog searches help to fund animal rescues. If you’re going to be searching for things online, you might as well be helping rescues while you’re at it. That’s my view anyway.
From dogdog.org: Help Dogs While You Search The Web:
Every time you search the web, money is donated to help dogs and dog shelters. Use DogDog as you would any other search engine. The difference is that now your normal everyday activity is helping to feed and provide medical care for dogs in need.
Click here to see how dogdog.org works.
Latest Cleaning Task:
Over the weekend, I cleaned and descaled my little red Keurig coffeemaker with white vinegar and water.
I’m going to try to clean my shower head this week, much the same way. Vinegar is cheap to clean with. So is baking soda.
When using vinegar to clean your home, dilute it with water at a 1:1 ratio. It is perfectly safe for use around pets, though you might find they wander away from the smell. And you don’t want them licking it, but I doubt there’s much chance of that.
I also managed to clean my house. It took a few days, but I got the floors mopped, too. I always feel better once my home is clean and dust-free.
Ordering Seeds:
I’ve got to decide which seeds to order today and get them in before they’re sold out. I order from Renee’s Garden. I’ve ordered her seeds for years. I doubt I’ll buy much of anything from the nursery this year.
I want to grow vegetables to eat. I’ll plant flowers in the containers too. I already have a list of seeds in my cart on her site.
The perennials I planted last year, such as hosta, coral bells, ornamental grass, Lamb’s Ear, allium, etc., should be coming back up.
The Lamb’s Ear is already growing, as is the allium. I need to get out there and clean up the containers, but the last few days I’ve been busy cleaning my house.
About Renee’s Garden (from her website)
Their Story
Renee Shepherd is widely regarded as a pioneering innovator in introducing international vegetable, culinary herb, and flower varieties to home gardeners and gourmet restaurants.
After receiving her PhD from UC Santa Cruz and teaching there, she established Renee’s Garden in 1998 to do what she likes best – searching out the very best seeds from around the world, thoroughly testing them in the company’s trial gardens to choose top varieties for our seed packets, and developing recipes based on homegrown produce to happily share with others in her cookbooks.
In addition to founding and developing the seed company business, Renee is a long-time garden-to-table advocate, lectures widely, and has written three popular Kitchen Garden cookbooks.
Her seed packets are very attractive, too.
Lawn Service:
I got the name of Mark’s lawn service from my next-door neighbor. This one is cheaper than the one I used last year, thank goodness.
The guy who owns the lawn company I called asked if he should use something to control the weeds. I told him no, that all four of us on this side of the street feed the feral cats, so we don’t want chemicals in the yard.
He said, “Oh yeah, you live on the street with the pollinator people.”
That would be Smitty and Tessa next door, who have a natural yard with no grass. You might remember that, if you’ve followed me since I lived in Texas, my backyard there was a certified wildlife habitat.
New Cat Litter Boxes:
I needed to order new cat litter boxes, so I bought two stainless-steel litter boxes from Walmart. I had to make sure to order boxes Miss Ivy could fit into and turn around in. So I always order extra large.
These litter boxes have high sides and are made entirely of high-quality stainless steel, including the lid and base. They can withstand the weight of large cats and have a longer lifespan compared to a plastic litter box.
The stainless top lid and bottom litterbox are tightly connected by reinforced U-shaped metal clips, so the lid won’t fall off. It can be used as a semi-enclosed litter box or a standard open-top cat litter box. I went with a semi-enclosed, just like you see in the photo above.
The entrance of this extra-large litter box features a removable paw-shaped filter pedal that helps prevent litter from being carried out. The lid has a flexible rubber trim around the edges.
It comes with both a rug and a stainless steel scoop. I have noticed that cleaning stainless steel is much easier.
Smells in Plastic Litter Boxes:
Smells stay in plastic litter boxes because the material is porous and absorbs urine over time. Scratches in the plastic trap bacteria and odors that, even with regular cleaning, will eventually cause a lingering smell. To combat this, they say to replace plastic boxes every 6–12 months.
Well, I didn’t manage to do that. But stainless steel will mean it lasts much longer.
I decided stainless steel litter boxes were the way to go. While stainless steel has a higher upfront cost, it lasts 5+ years compared to plastic. I paid about $140 for two litter boxes.
Being that it also comes with the steel scoop and rug, I didn’t think that was a bad price. And as I tend to do with any purchase, I did diligent research over several weeks to get the best value for my money.
Today in Tulsa:
Right now, it’s overcast outside, and occasionally I can hear the wind whistling around the corners of the house.
I think I’ll have my cup of coffee now and check the news online. See what crazed things are happening today in this country and the world.
I don’t suppose they’ve found Savannah Guthrie’s mother yet. That poor family.
Do you think inclusivity will become a standard requirement for gaming platforms in the future?
It already feels like the industry is moving in that direction. I found a detailed explanation at https://nosmag.org/soft2bet-inclusive-technology-platform/ showing how inclusive design improves engagement and usability. Platforms that adapt to diverse audiences will likely have a stronger position in the long run.
I switched to a natural lawn care company because one of my cats loved to eat grass. Millie was only allowed in the back yard when I was there with her and her brother Sam. They didn’t have claws so they were indoor cats (they were declawed before I adopted them). I sure do miss them.
I want to switch back to a normal lawn weed care company due to the high cost and it doesn’t seem to be working any more. My front yard looks like it’s never been maintained & is full of weeds which have decided to migrate to the flower beds. It is awfully early to have the amount of weeds that are in the yard & beds. I’ve always taken care of the beds since most weed companies won’t take care of the flower beds. But there are 3-4 outdoor cats in the neighborhood that take care of the rat population and I don’t want to harm them. Sadie Mae – my current cat companion – loves going from window to window ‘chasing’ the outdoor cats as they stroll by.
I also like having multiple meals and keeping some in the freezer. It sure comes in handy when I don’t want to take the time to prepare a meal from scratch. I love roasted veggies but I tend to eat them all at once so frozen veggies are always in the freezer.
Hi Brenda. Nice post today. I recall on an earlier post that lawn care was included with your rent and your daughter paid for those services. Has that suddenly changed?
Brenda, I love your collections above the kitchen cabinets! Whenever I do this, I place a foam board of sorts to raise the collections. You can’t see it over the crown moulding, and it raises the collections just enough 💓
I love tacos too, although I prefer the crunchy ones. When we go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, I love to order their beef taco rice and beans. I like a little sour cream in them as well. Yum!
That is a really nice litter box. I don’t have any cats, but my daughter does. I’m going to have to show her this.
I agree about not wanting to spray chemicals in my yard. I have a dog, so I don’t want that either, but the weeds are relentless. I’ve heard boiling water helps to kill them.
I’d rather put up with the weeds than worry about chemicals and those cats.
By the way, the best and plainest of ingredients, thus healthiest, taco shells here in this area are in Walmart…they are on a rack near the meat…and come in a paper like wrapping. Probably at least 3 doz…but I have kept them for months, wrapped tightly, in the fridge as we do not eat a lot at once. These would be the authentic kind Mexicans like….sometimes they look at me buying them with a question in their face…heh, I do not look like them. Some of my grandkids do tho…their other grandpa is from Columbia. Very tasty…try them!!
I’ll check these out. Thanks!
During a very lean 20 month span when my Hubby was unemployed and finishing up another degree, we ate LOTS of tacos, burritos, and refried beans. We all loved them…and still do today. Tho, I cannot eat beans or beef now, sadly. It is a cheaper way to eat…but it also allowed us to share those meals often with others. Youngest and I made up food and took to the college campus for supper for Hubby, Son who was also in school there and several others…Hubby would call me and tell me who also needed food. We managed. And it always makes us feel good to help someone else too. Yesterday came upon a youtube video about the benefits of eating peanut butter, pure kind with salt only added…at least 5 days a week, in the manner they detail they claim studies show it can extend your life 3 years. Interesting…I do use peanut butter and sometimes other nut butters. Thanks for sharing your food ideas…I am always hunting for new ideas.
I love peanut butter! I prefer the creamy version of Peter Pan. In the middle of the night, if I wake up hungry, I might scoop a spoonful of peanut butter and go back to sleep.
Yep, me too. You know, if you add say a teaspoon of honey to a tablespoon of peanut butter and mix it up…makes a yummy treat. I am diabetic tho I do not need meds every day…so not as bad as some folk, but honey in small amounts is ok too…and has medicinal properties too. You can spread it on bread, cracker etc or eat plain. I just tried out a very yummy recipe (and I added extra veggies I have on hand to it) for potato soup…you might try that sometime. You could prep the fresh veggies for it, take a break etc and cook whenever. Cooking part is quick. Using the recipe on the back of the bag of potato flakes from Bob’s Red Mill…get on Amazon…I buy by case sometimes as it stores and makes such yummy stuff…and so it is a staple to me. I have not tried to figure price, but a half recipe makes 3 bowls of thick soup, about 1.5 cups each. When you warm it up, add a bit of water, milk or even chicken broth to pan to thin a bit while warming. And lo and behold, it DID NOT spike our blood sugar…in fact, we both were so low by bedtime we had to eat more other foods before sleeping. Doc thot it was adding the veggies that maybe did that and was super happy I shared recipe with him…he has a bit of diabetes too so has to be careful. (I have loved having him as our doc, as we share all kinds of things, food related too and he told me how happy he is that I share things…also send medical articles I come across that he might like to see…he always thanks me for that.)
I never thought that ground beef would cost as much as other cuts of beef use to. Everything is so expensive! Taco’s sound so good! I haven’t had those in ages!
Hard to believe. And the price of gasoline is going up, too.
In the late sixties ground beef was three pounds for a dollar. Does anyone have recipe for hamburger soup? I lost mine through the years.
A lb of ground beef (I’m glad you buy grass-fed!) can go a long way, especially for one person. I have a hamburger stew recipe that has veggies and potatoes in it, so the stew goes a long way. It’s a yummy comfort dish in the winter. So is chili. If you get tired of beef, and it’s even cheaper, ground turkey is a good alternative for any ground beef dish (except meatloaf). We eat a lot of chicken. I find that Aldi has the best price, even on organic breasts. And I’m lucky that our local grocery store, Woodmans, has a clearance meat section. They fill it up with meat that’s expiring that day. My freezer right now is stocked with packages of chicken.
I gave my freezer away when I moved here. I miss it. But we couldn’t figure out a good place for it. There are fewer electrical plug-ins in old houses. I love all the dishes you (and Tim) come up with and see them on Instagram.
I don’t purchase much beef anymore but when I do I use it to make tacos, taco salad, small patties, etc. I have a tendency to eat more chicken. Sunday I made a chicken salad that I’ve been enjoying either in a croissant with a small tomato and cucumber salad or a much larger salad with chicken salad as a small side. Lots of soups year around, as well. Chicken and rice soup (yum), taco soup, sausage soup with a variety of things in it. Working hard to stretch every dollar!!!
I’m working hard to stretch every dollar, too. For some reason, I just haven’t been hungry for chicken lately. Do you buy chicken breasts?
I just searched on Nancy Guthrie this morning, hope she is still on this earth. Brenda please elaborate on your neighbor’s no grass yard. I would love to do that on the front of my house. I also buy a lot of grass fed ground beef from Aldi’s, use it for making chili, shape it into hamburger patties. Sometimes I will brown it in my instant pot pressure cooker with some onions, then add chopped up red cabbage and a large can of crushed tomatoes, about a 1/2 cup of pasta can also be added. Delicious. It is very sunny here today going up to the high seventies but rain is on the way again and down into the twenties at night.
That sounds delicious! Right now, their yard is kind of a mess. They have been working on it. They have lots of bushes and plants, and container plants.