Garden Notes: Love Lies Bleeding

I planted Amaranth for the first time this year.  The particular variety was Amaranthus Caudatus, Love Lies Bleeding and I will be planting it again!!

How it unfolded this summer:  I planted these from a packet of seeds in a row in the vegetable garden and didn't have the time to record what I was planting.  So...couldn't remember.  When they came up, I decided to put them in my tank garden to fill in some spots.

They had the ugliest leaves while they were growing and I told my husband that I thought I had actually planted Pig Weed.  I almost pulled them out.  Then I googled "plants that look like pig weed" For real.  And got my answer.  

Pig weed is in the Amaranth family.  And, is edible.  Then I read about Love Lies Bleeding and finally remembered that was indeed what I had planted.  So I waited out the ugly leaves and these plants got big!

So, so worth the wait and ugly leaves for the draping blooms I had to put in arrangements!  So, I will plant them again, but this time will leave them on the outskirts of the garden  so I can use them just for cutting.  I've experimented with drying them too.  Draped or hanging down...seems that either can work, depending what you want to do with them when they are dry.

And, that vase was actually a candle in it's former life...a great recycled object!

If you garden, are you planning for next year already? 

Little Wire People

A couple of weeks ago my youngest girls and I stopped at a garage sale where we found these great wire sculptures.  They decided they wanted to buy them with their own money so I agreed.

On our way home, one of them asked me if I could make them dolls to play with the pieces.  At first I was skeptical, asking what she had in mind...soft stuffed dolls?  She told me simple wire ones would be good.

I kind of jumped at this. I enjoy using wire in projects.  And even though they are fairly simple, they became a bit more involved than what I started out thinking I'd make.  

Later in the day, a dog was born too!

And, if you follow along on Instagram, you may know that magnets were added so they could be moved around on an old cookie sheet.  One thing always leads to another it seems....

So that led to a gif. :) 

Here are the past Gifs.

(If it isn't playing, just reload your page)

Yesterday a ballerina was born.  But, she needs a bit of tweaking yet.

On a side note: last night I went with one of my girls to see Ted Kooser and it was a wonderful evening!

Black and White Rice

With my husband being a farmer and myself a gardener, I think about where my food comes from often.  But, maybe not as often as I should.

Today, while eating lunch I was reading the rice package looking for the cooking instructions and what I was drawn to was, land of origin Thailand.

And thoughts stirred up.  How did it get here?  On a ship?  In crates?  how to the ship?  a truck?  how to the truck?  manual labor or conveyor belt? how was it harvested? (Very labor intensive I know.)  I know there are you tube videos to answer all of this and maybe someday I'll look.  But, today it was enough to just think about it, pray for those who labor so I can eat,  and to pray for the hungry.

Jasmine rice is our favorite here, but I'm trying fried rice for the first time and I'm thinking that this may not have been the best choice as it is a sticky rice.  We'll see.

My Memory Art

Fall Colors

at a slow shutter speed

just because

it was fun

and I could

These photos also make nice backgrounds!

Have a great week!