Cajun Corner – Vol.
4, No. 31 – August 19, 2012
Bon
Jour! Welcome to Cajun
Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.
ΘΘΘΘΘ
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Wow! Is
there some sort of record being set by all of the rain this summer here in Pensacola? Other parts of the nation are suffering from
drought, but not Pensacola. It has been nice not having to water the
garden much, though. Florida is so funny about rain. We had one shower where half of the deck was
wet with rain and the other half was completely dry.
Speaking of the garden, our first tomato of the
season has arrived. It is a tiny cherry tomato.
The tomato plants are large and lush.
Maybe we will have a bumper crop.
The cherry tomato is in our experimental garden. It is a plant that just happened to grow on
its own. Neither George nor I remember
planting it. It is probably left over
from last year. However, we have about 4
tomato plants in another area of the garden that are “Beefsteak” tomatoes. One of those plants I purchased as a seedling
from an organic farm near Huntsville,
Alabama. I asked the owner why my tomato is lush and
green but no tomatoes. She said that Pensacola’s summers are
too hot. In order for the tomatoes to
appear the temperature needs to be 85 degrees or less. We will probably get tomatoes this fall. I sure hope they really do grow to be
beefsteak size, instead of our usual cherry tomatoes.
The yard long green beans are growing and we are
harvesting them. The bell peppers are
now being harvested, as well. The
spinach isn’t doing very well, but that is a cool weather plant and it is
probably just too hot for them. Onions
and garlic are also doing great.
Watermelons, cantaloupe, squash, and cucumbers
always seem to have a difficult time in our garden. I sure wish we knew the trick for growing
those.
The herbs are so easy to grow and require very
little care. This year has really been
the stevia year. Those plants just keep
on giving. The apple and chocolate mint
plants are thriving and are very easy to propagate.
Ginger is another star this year. A few years back George planted several
different types of ginger. They grew.
They are beautiful. One day this year I
asked him which of the ginger plants is edible.
Neither of us knew the answer.
So, George went to the grocery store and purchased edible ginger root
and we have planted it. We need to put a
big sign around that plant saying “this is the edible one”. We are still waiting for the plant to
emerge. Early this past spring a ginger
plant popped up in our experimental garden.
Then another popped up. We have
no idea how they got there. Maybe a bird
dropped a seed. Nevertheless, they seem
to be thriving in their corner of the garden.
Awhile back we had horseradish growing. We don’t use a lot of ginger in our food, but
horseradish is something that we love to use in flavoring. The horseradish grew but we never knew when
to harvest. Then it went away, never to
be seen again. So, while at the store
getting the ginger, George also purchased a horseradish root and we have
planted that, as well.
Enough talk about gardening. Let’s talk about embroidery. Lately, I’ve been trying to collect line
drawings of heirloom monograms and designs.
I had pictures of designs but it is so difficult to digitize a photo
when it is white on white. My problem is
that when you are looking at a photo and it is the same color, and it is swirls
and vines and kind of art deco, I end up staring and saying “what is that?” Once I digitize over the picture, I cannot
see under the digitizing. In order to
see the original design, I have to go to a separate screen with the picture. So, I came to a conclusion that practice
makes perfect and I should start digitizing with simple designs and graduate to
these more ornate and distorted designs.
This week there was a rush order on a continuous
hoop design. It worked! I believe the design was continued 9 times. I think it turned out pretty good.
I’m starting to get a grip on the boring needle
designs and holes. As with everything in
fine embroidery, it takes time, but we can do it.
A gentleman contacted us for 72 – 144 ball caps. The design is his fraternity crest. I ordered the design digitized. On ball caps the design cannot be taller than
2 inches and sometimes less than that. A
visor design can only be about 1-1.5 inches tall. We are talking very small designs. It is not easy to put a lot of detail into
that small of a space. We have gone back
and forth with the digitizer trying to get a more readable design. I really think that the end result is going
to be that it is too small to read the year and Greek lettering clearly. But I have seen this digitizer work miracles
with a design.
George has always been my ball cap and visor
guy. I had never embroidered on a cap or
visor. We decided that it was time that
I learned on the new machine, Clothilde.
It was a piece of cake. I
watched, repeatedly, a video that came with the machine about hooping and
embroidery on ball caps. This machine is
so much easier than Boudreaux. I don’t
think I would even attempt this kind of embroidery on Boudreaux. George is definitely the king of that
machine. I still need a lot of practice.
Have a wonderful week.
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Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Long
Long created the Share
Our Wealth program in 1934 with the motto "Every
Man a King", proposing new wealth redistribution measures in the form of
a net
asset tax on corporations and individuals to curb the poverty and
homelessness endemic nationwide during the Great Depression. To
stimulate the economy, Long advocated federal spending on public
works, schools and colleges, and old
age pensions. He was an ardent critic of the Federal Reserve System's policies.
Charismatic and immensely popular for his programs and willingness to take
forceful action, Long was accused by his opponents of dictatorial tendencies
for his near-total control of the state government.
A leftist populist,
he was preparing to challenge FDR's reelection in 1936 in alliance with radio's
influential Catholic priest Charles
Coughlin, or run for president in 1940 when Franklin Roosevelt was expected
to retire. However, Long was assassinated in 1935; his national movement faded,
while his state organization continued in Louisiana.
Long
expanded state highways, hospitals and educational institutions. His governance
has had critics and supporters, debating whether he was a dictator, demagogue
or populist.[1]
- Mulch your
flower beds and trees with 3" of organic material - it conserves
water, adds humus and nutrients, and discourages weeds. It gives your beds
a nice, finished appearance.
2. Mulch acid-loving plants with
a thick layer of pine needles each fall. As the needles decompose, they
will deposit their acid in the soil.
3. The most important step in
pest management is to maintain healthy soil. It produces healthy plants,
which are better able to withstand disease and insect damage.
4. Aphids? Spray infested stems,
leaves, and buds with a very dilute soapy water, then clear water. It
works even on the heaviest infestation.
5. Compost improves soil
structure, texture, and aeration, and increases the soil's water holding
capacity. It also promotes soil fertility and stimulates healthy root
development.
6. Look for natural and organic
alternatives to chemical fertilizers, such as the use of compost. Our use
of inorganic fertilizer is causing a toxic buildup of chemicals in our
soil and drinking water.
7. When buying plants for your
landscape, select well-adapted plant types for your soil, temperature
range, and sun or shade exposure.
8. Landscaping your yard is the only home improvement that
can return up to 200% of your original investment.
9. Plant trees! They increase in
value as they grow and save energy and money by shading our houses in the
summer, and letting the sun shine through for warmth in the winter.
10. Think of trees and their locations
as the walls and roofs of our outdoor rooms, when you are planning their
locations and sizes.
11. Grass won't grow? Find an
appropriate ground cover for the exposed earth and fill the problem space,
creating an interesting bed shape.
12. Plant vines on walls, fences, and
overhead structures for quick shade, vertical softening, and colorful flower
displays.
13. If gourmet cooking is in your
plans, organically grown herbs make wonderful landscape plants. They flavor
foods, provide medicinal properties, and offer up fragrances. And most thrive
on neglect.
14. Shade gardens are low maintenance
- they require less watering, slower growth, and fewer weeds to fight.
15. Everyone loves flowers! Annuals
are useful for a splash of one-season color. But since replacing them each year
is expensive, concentrate them in just a few spots.
16. There is no need to work the soil
deeply when adding compost or soil amendments. Eighty five percent of a plant's
roots are found in the top 6" of soil.
17. The best organic matter for bed
preparation is compost made from anything that was once alive, for example
leaves, kitchen waste, and grass clippings.
18. Dig an ugly hole when planting a
tree or shrub. A hole with "glazed" sides from a shovel will restrict
root penetration into the surrounding soil.
19. Planting from plastic containers?
Carefully remove the plant and tear the outside roots if they have grown
solidly against the container.
20. Think of mulching as
"maintaining the forest floor": add 1" to 3" of compost or
mulch to planting beds each year.
21. Natural fertilizers, compost and
organic materials encourage native earthworms. Earthworms are nature's tillers
and soil conditioners, and manufacture great fertilizer.
22. Bare soil should not be visible
around a new planting. Always cover with a layer of mulch, any coarse-textured,
loose organic material.
23. Think "biodiversity".
Using many different kinds of plants encourage many different kinds of beneficial
insects to take up residence in your yard.
24. Organic pest control is a
comprehensive approach instead of a chemical approach. Create a healthy
biodiversity so that the insects and microbes will control themselves. Using
natural products and building healthy soil is the best long-term treatment for
pests.
25. Weeds? Spot-spray with common
full-strength household vinegar, on a sunny day. It's an organic weed killer
that's safe for you and the environment.
26. Mulch! The rain and irrigation
water runs off the land, eroding and depleting your unprotected soil.
27. Residential users of synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides apply more pounds per acre of these chemicals then
farmers do. As these pollutants run off, they harm aquatic life and contaminate
the food chain. If you keep your soil healthy, you won't require chemical
fertilizers.
28. Some mulching benefits are
protection of roots from the sun's heat, and protection of plant crowns from
winter cold.
29. To prevent diseases and pest infestation,
avoid piling mulch against tree trunks. Spread mulch out as far as the drip
line.
30. For effective weed control use a
layer of coarse mulch 3" or more in depth. Some hardy grasses may need to
be rooted out for successful removal.
31. For a good start, water the ground
thoroughly before and after applying a mulch cover.
32. Use plants in your landscape that
are either native to your area, or were imported from areas with similar
climate and soil. They require a lot less water and care, and won't die off in
the winter.
33. Compost is what happens when
leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, woodchips, straw, and
small twigs are combined, then allowed to break down into a soil-like texture.
Use it instead of commercial fertilizers.
34. Formal gardens are for you if you
love symmetry. They work best around a focal point like a fountain, sculpture,
specimen tree, or group of plants.
35. Some flowers, including sweet
peas, iris, foxglove, amaryllis, lantana, lupines, clematis, dature, poinsettia,
and oleander, are poisonous.
36. When buying annuals or perennials,
select plants that are budded but not yet in bloom, so their energy the first
two or three weeks in your garden will be directed toward making larger and
stronger plants with better-developed root systems.
37. To increase water conservation,
look for drought-resistant plants. Usually these plants have silver leaves,
deep taproots and small leaves. Succulents are also able to withstand dry
weather.
38. When planting, take into consideration
the plant's size at maturity. Layer by height and bloom time for emphasis and
constant color.
39. Soaker hoses deliver water
directly to the base of the plant, reducing moisture loss from evaporation.
Early morning is the best time of day to water.
40. Compost balances both acid and
alkaline soils, bringing PH levels into the optimum range for nutrient
availability. It contains micronutrients such as iron and manganese that are
often absent in synthetic fertilizers.
41. Avoid frequent, deep cultivation,
which can damage plant roots, dry out the soil, disturb healthy soil organisms,
and bring weed seeds to the surface where they will germinate.
42. Use the least-disruptive and
least-polluting protections against a pest. Try the following methods as
applicable: first physical removal, barriers, and traps; next, biological
controls; then, appropriate botanical and mineral pesticides.
43. Red, orange, and yellow in your
landscape will draw the eye and bring objects closer. To make a small garden feel
larger, place warm colors in the front of the space and cool colors in the
back.
44. Cover street noise - sound pollution can be
minimized by the use of water features, such as a waterfall, or a pond with a
fountain jet. Wind chimes also help, as can bird feeders that attract
songbirds.
45. Newly planted trees need
supplemental water to avoid transplant shock, so water deeply on a weekly basis
throughout the growing season.
46. Give order to your garden by defining the boundaries with
fences, stone walls, or hedges. Include paths for movement.
47. Less than 2 percent of the insects
in the world are harmful. Beneficial insects such as ground beetles, ladybugs,
fireflies, green lacewings, praying mantis, spiders, and wasps keep harmful
insects from devouring your plants. They also pollinate your plants and
decompose organic matter.
48. Plant newly purchased plants
during the late evening or on a cloudy day. They have a much better chance of
surviving if planted during cloudy, rainy weather than dry, sunny weather.
49. Compost introduces and feeds
diverse life in the soil, including bacteria, insects, worms, and more, which
support vigorous plant growth.
50. Bright light washes out the cool
colors, blue, green, and purple. They are best used in shaded areas for maximum
impact.
C’est tout, mes amis
Peggy Henshall
Cajun Stitchery
(850) 261-2462
P.S. You are always
welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me,
cher.
