How It All Started

Honestly, I blame Laura Ingalls Wilder. Well, my mom and sister, too. And my Granny. And an online friend I had, who really is something of a homesteader. But mostly I blame Laura. That chick started it all, and here I am now, sharing it all with the world. Or however many of my friends I can cajole into looking at this  ;-)

I read the Little House books eleven times when I stopped counting every time I read them. And that was recreating from memory the first few times, so give or take a few more. The point is - if I had my worn out paperbacks available to take a picture of (they are, sadly, at my mother's house), then that's the picture that would be here, instead of the nice hardback I have on a bookshelf.

Maybe it was my Midwest upbringing, living in Ohio for the first part of my formative years, and being raised by women from Michigan who could grow and save and pinch pennies like nobody's business. Add to that the fact that my grandmother could embroider (I still have some of her things, as does my mother, and I suspect my aunt and uncles, maybe cousins, as well), and knit, and crochet and all that stuff, and you see how this has come about.

Gardening was something forced upon me as a child and I hated it with a white hot burning passion. Even as recently as a year ago, the subject of gardening would have me remarking to people that I'd rather stick a hot poker in my eye than do it. Oh what a difference a year makes... 

Now I have two half dead basil plants (that gave loads of basil, I just figured they'd die after I cut it all off. Little did I know). I have three upside down tomato plants, two bell pepper plants, peat cups, dirt, and three packets of seeds. That's right - seeds, as in the type you push into the dirt and hope you get a plant. I swear, Hell has frozen over.

I also started, and more importantly - completed - an embroidery project on Sunday. It will soon be winging its way to my Aunt Pam and then I will post pictures. (Shhh... don't tell her, it's a surprise!). I've been wanting to do more embroidery, and this went so well I might actually keep going on it. 

There's a lot of cooking, too, more in recent months. It's getting to be fall, and that's supposed to be prime growing season here in South Florida. All I want to do is put stuff away for the long, cold winter... *sigh*. I miss seasons...

Anyway - this is a brief introduction as to How It All Started. Expect posts on cooking, gardening, embroidery or any other crafty thing I think of, funny stories about my pets (I have a bunch, if you don't know), maybe even on some of the writing I do... And I promise to try not to be too obnoxious if I do a post during Friday Happy Hour. Oh, or tell too many personal stories about people other than my family (I figure they are fair game, ha ha). 

Let me know what you think and let's see how this goes...

Pam :)