After a long day on my feet, I'm taking a little rest and decided to check the blogs. Glad to see a few more people wrote a blog. 

The past couple of weeks have been ones of working in the yard. On Easter we are invited to purchase an Easter lily and can designate it as a remebrance or a thanksgiving. We bought two since they were $8 and after Easter service, brought them home and used them as table decorations for the two tables we had for our Easter dinner and our family coming. I then planted them in the front garden near the ones we planted last year that are starting to come up. Yesterday when I went to church to fill the altar candles  and attend ladies' Bible study, one of the ladies was going to get rid of the leftover ones so I snagged two more. It rained yesterday and today so I need to wait to plant them. I know I won't see them bloom again this year, but that's OK. I figure it is a good way to reuse the plants and with the two free ones, it's something else nice to have in the garden. 

Sadly I have spent money on some plants to put in the front flower garden, and then also bought two plants for a smaller flower garden at the back of the house. We are trying to make it a pollinator garden to attract butterflies and bees. I read where you could put different sized rocks in a bird bath and it helps the butterflies and bees get a drink, so I did that. Some of the rocks were ones I dug out of the ground when I mowed. There are lots of rocks in the land around here. DH had said we could buy a bag of rocks, but I figured I might as well use what we had. I'm sure the butterflies and bees won't mind. We also bought a "bee house" to put out in the pollinator garden. It is scary reading how many honey bees we've lost in this country.

We have a Dollar Tree in the small town we live near and I was surprised to see some perennial bulbs. I bought a few and planed them in the front garden. I spent $3.75 and tax. Figure if just a couple come up, I'm money ahread. Dollar General had a box of flower seeds for hummingbirds and butterflies so I spent $2 and bought that and planted them in two different areas. It is supposed to have both perennials and annuals in the seeds. I have a small area near the front steps that I planted some since the tulips are starting to die back. I found some black landscape border in the pole barn so before I planted the seeds, I put it in around the tulips and the rest of the bed, hoping that will enhance the area. 

I read online where you could plant potato starts if potatoes had started growing the eyes. I cut them up and dried them for a couple of days and planted them. I did buy grow bags because I honestly didn't want to have to dig them up in the soil. It seems like it has taken forever for anything to pop up, but I'm seeing leaves so I'm hoping my "free" potato starts do well. 

The big thing was we tilled up a small area in the very back to make a vegetable garden. I have been saving coffee grounds, tea leaves, and egg shells and DH tilled them in the soil. I planted lettuce, green onions, radishes, and carrots. I want to make sure there is no chance of frost and hope to plant peas, cucumbers, tomatoes,  and green beans. I'm hoping we do well on this garden, not only because fresh vegetables are wonderful, but hopefully it will offset the grocery bills. 

In the front flower garden was this small plaster decoration that said Cubs. My husband is a Cubs fan. Sadly, the paint had totally faded on the red part that said Cubs, and the blue circle around it was faint. I bought some red paint at Dollar Tree  and we had blue paint, so since I could not work in the yard due to rain the past couple of days, I painted the red and blue. DH is thrilled. It did revive it and better than buying new. It was nice working in the room we finished in the basement just for crafting. 

My other project today besides putting together dough for homemade sandwich bread was to clean and organize the pantry. We have a reach in pantry and I'm ashamed to admit it was a mess. I looked on Pinterest for suggestions on organization and honestly, some of those folks either don't have a lot of stuff, or are far better at organizing than I am. I did not want to buy anything, just wanted ideas. I did use some of my canning jars to put cornmeal and oatmeal in, but it helped that I took everything out and then reorganized everything. A few items found homes in better spots. Fortunately nothing in the pantry was expired, so at least I haven't let that happen. 

After baking bread and making supper, I think a relaxing evening reading a library book sounds wonderful. 

Spring is here and DH and I planned our vegetable garden. Last year we planted 3 tomato plants, some green onions, and a cucumber plant and three herbs: Oregano, Rosemary, and Thyme. Last fall I planted garlic. 

This year we are expanding our garden a little bit. DH got out the tiller and we measured out the plot based on my plans on graph paper. Yesterday we planted most of the seeds for the cool weather crops. And today it rained so it watered our newly planted seeds. I've been saving coffee grounds, tea leaves, and egg shells and those were worked into the soil for our garden. Hopefully they will help feed some of these plants as well as commercial fertilizer. 

I bought some grow bags a couple of months ago because I wanted to try and grow potatoes. I had some potatoes that were starting to get soft and grow eyes, so I read online how to prepare them to grow new potatoes. I have two grow bags and a large pot planted, as well as a few in the ground. The ones in the ground are going to town; the ones in the pot and grow bags are beginning, but aren't as large. But hopefully we'll have some potatoes this year. I tried regrowing green onions, but haven't had a lot of luck with that, but other than my time and some water, I'm not out much. 

In addition to our vegetable garden, we've been working on different other yard projects. One was to fill in some holes the dogs dug. Top soil seems to have increased in price over last year. Mulch has as well. And although seeds are not super expensive, I'm seeing an increase in price there as well. 

As we've been working on all this, we sort of wonder if we will see an uptick in people planting gardens with increasing grocery prices and possibility of empty shelves. I remember during Covid more people gardened not only for the food, but also to have something to do since so many places were shut down. What are your thoughts?

I've spent quite a bit of time working on a front flower bed. My husband's late wife started it and planted lilies, a peony, and a rosebush. I've added some other lilies. We purchased Easter lilies for church the past two years and after EAster service, we can bring the plants home. I have planted them both years. I bought a lily root at Dollar General for $2 the other day, hoping it comes up. Last fall I planted a few daffodils and tulips and they came up. My hope is to have a variety of plants that flower at different times to keep color going during the growing season. We put out our hummingbird feeder and saw our first humming bird this week. I planted some flower seeds in two different areas to hopefully help hummingbirds and pollinators. I hope to plant some sunflower seeds soon too. We found a reasonably priced "bee house" on line and it is out as well. 

So here's hoping for a successful growing year. 

In the past I've mentioned my sourdough starter, Sammy. He's around 5 years old. I started sourdough because I wanted something to do during the months we couldn't do anything or go anywhere during the Pandemic. I know I have learned a lot and have more to learn about sourdough bread, but it sure is fun.

The interesting thing is sourdough has become big. I mean, really popular. Just this past couple of weeks I've seen "classes" for showing people how to start a starter. I guess that's wonderful, but it's a skill one can learn for free. 

A friend of mine, when I offered him some starter a couple of months ago, turned me down, saying he didn't want to be bothered. He visited a family member and is suddenly interested in starting his sourdough journey. So, when I head to the city he lives in later this week, I will be sharing a little Sammy with him so he can start. Although he can start his own, mine has that good sourdough taste from years of fermenting. I'm still amazed at how 1/3 cup of fed starter and 3-4 cups of flour and some honey, extra virgin olive oil and some salt can make a delicious sandwich bread if let rise overnight. 

My loaves aren't the fancy ones with the designs. I have thought about it, but honestly, the bread I make is for every day stuff like toast and sandwiches, so we like the softer crusted stuff. Plus, I like to experiement with different types of flour, which I sometimes add to give it a different flavor and crumb. 

Guess I missed my chance to make money on teaching people to make a starter. I didn't look into the classes, but I wonder if people have to bring their own jar or if that is provided. The cost is $10. I take that back, one class offered by an extension group was ten dollars and people had to bring their own jar. But I think they learned about it and got part of a starter besides. 

So, my Pandemic hobby continues. I have baked our bread since last summer. I think I've saved money because Artisan bread is expensive. Are you doing any of the hobbies you picked up from being isolated at home during the Pandemic?

It seems like it's just doom and gloom as far as the markets. Here it is Monday, things were up and down, and when I checked my retirement accounts, I lost yet another $10,000. I know we all say to stay in it in the long run, but I'm not a youngster starting out. I've been fortunate that I haven't had to use any of this money so far. But it isn't like I'm going to make it up very quickly. I tend to worry about stuff and now I'm feeling stressed. I'm sure I'm not alone. I think we are all on edge. 

Other than fretting, are there are things you are going to do to try to tighten your belt and spend less if prices go up? I seem like I do this anyway. I spent the money a year ago and bought a toaster oven. I use it when we want to heat something up or bake one item so we aren't heating up the oven and wasting electricity. When I do bake, I often will try and fill the oven and bake more than a couple of things. For example, I baked two loaves of brad and baked some dog treats too. I make many of our dog treats to help save money and give them healthy treats. 

I'm sure all of you are doing this too. I've read what many of you are doing to not spend as much and save as much. I think the time has come for us to start emailing our congress people. Maybe if we all make a big enough fuss, they will listen. 

Yesterday was a day I could head to a Kroger store in a nearby larger town. Since we live 40 minutes away, I try to bunch my errands so I don't make a lot of unnecessary trips and with gas prices on the rise, I especially don't want to spend more on gas and wear and tear on my car.

I had a list created. Most, not all, of my items were either on sale or I had digital coupons. I was fortunate that I found a couple of things that I wanted on clearance so I saved even more. Even so, I wound up spending almost $120 and only one item was meat. I did splurge and buy some teeth cleaning dog chews simply because the pups like them and its cheaper than getting dental work done on them. I try to write out my list based on the store layout so I don't forget stuff or make additional visits to aisles. The longer I spend in the store, the better the chance I wind up buying stuff I don't need. One item was buy one, get one free and although expensive, it was far more reasonable than regular price. 

I kept seeing some of the same people making many of the same purchases I was making -- stuff on sale, stuff on clearance, stuff with digital coupons, or items with paper coupons. According to the cash register tape, I saved over $40 and if that can be believed, that's a nice chunk of change. The gal ahead of me in check out had a full cart. But of that cart, I bet she didn't have more than 5 items at regular price. Everything was either on sale or marked down on clearance: very little snack foods, mostly fruits, vegetables, and bread.  I saw the same pattern with the older man ahead of us. Very little was regular price in his small basket. I think there is a trend developing. I think this trend is going to continue as people feel more of a squeeze as prices increase and money doesn't go as far as it did. The thing that bothers me is the people who can least afford high prices are the ones who need help and as programs are being cut, they won't get the assistance. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm thinking as everyone suffers, the folks who were generous to donate to food banks and things like that will cut back because they will be afraid themselves.

I'm hoping if you are going to the grocery you'll report on what you are finding. I'm curious if you are seeing the same thing or doing the same thing.