That DOES bring back memories ! I made basically the same things when I was little - only I used green tissue paper cut in strips and gathered. I glued old sequins on for the ornaments . AAAhhhhh ........ those were the days ! :-)

This is all so interesting! Gelsons, which is a small, local chain, which used to be very upscale, is not what it was. You used to be able to get anything at Gelsons and the quality of their produce and meats was legendary. Then you couldn't get just anything there, but they'd order it for you. Then they'd only order it if their distributors had it and they had many fewer offerings on the shelves. They also seemed to have joined that thing where brands can rent shelf space because there bloomed whole shelves of cheap strawberry and grape jam for PBJs and all the lovely selections of different jams was no more. Finally, the produce started to be meh, and the meat was no longer top tier. It used to be that at Gelson's you didn't really have to look at the produce. Pick up one from the top, it's pretty, put it in the bag. Pick up the next one, it's pretty, take it home. No more. They now have wrinkly peppers! That might not sound shocking to everyone, but it's horrifying in a place like Gelson's. And the last straw was when the meats turned tough. I'll still stop in if I'm parked nearby, but I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's (great prices and good quality) or Whole Foods (great variety and top to near top quality, though not sorted for perfection like the old Gelson's). Whole Foods, however, has taken to having more and more of only their house brands and less variety. I know they need to make a buck, but they're relying too much on computer models. A recurring pattern is I find a product I like and then have to order it direct from the maker or on Amazon because they don't carry it any more. It's like they swallowed a Trader Joe's pill and only want their name on stuff. :) At least with the branded products, you can get them on Amazon. You have to beg for canned tomato puree. It'll be on the shelf for awhile, then disappear. The only people who use it are people who cook, so it doesn't have a big sell through and they don't reorder until someone complains. And it's not the kind of thing TJ's has at all. :) Plus, if you order meats for a party form the butcher at Whole Foods, they might or might not have it when you come to pick it up. So you see, I'm currently on a hate of most grocery stores. The only things I buy at the big chains are paper goods, and a very few national brand staples. Every single Trader Joe's parking lot is crazy. They also are far more likely to have packaged goods which have gone off. Even one of their freezer tote bags had a smell problem. They give refunds cheerfully, though, and always make good. And everyone is so nice there (it's company policy) and they empty your cart. So even though they don't have everything (they were founded as an accessible gourmet store for people with educated palates on teachers' salaries), and the parking is crazy-making, it's my current favorite. Yeah, they only have some favorites during specific times of year and others disappear, but they don't nix whole categories and shelves. Can't get a rutabaga there though. :)

After so many years of making the garden bigger, it is hard to give in and make it smaller. Of course, Mother Nature is helping by making the shade encroach from the west and north of the front garden. The voles help by making it frustrating to get too fancy with the back garden. All in all, I am on the right path for me. During all the heavy canning years, I promised myself that when it stopped being fun, I'd stop doing so much of it. Well, canning all the time stopped being fun, so I've cut back a lot, and I'll keep cutting back. I don't think I'll ever give it up completely because it still is enjoyable when done in reasonable amounts, but I can be happy doing much less canning than I have done each year over the last decade or so. I grew a row of mini-sunflowers right in the garden about a decade ago. I had two kinds. One was Teddy Bear, and the other one was a single-flowered, multi-branching one whose name I no longer remember. They both did great and were so cute. I want to have that sort of fun with flowers again without worrying that too many flowers will equal too few veggies-----it is okay if there's fewer veggies. George, Some years are just that way. With Jerreth's health issues and the final part of her Master's Degree program, I do not know how in the world she is finding time to help your daughter renovate her house. I bet they are having fun doing it. Like you, I hate growing food and having it spoil because I cannot get to it, but you're only one person and can do only so much, so don't beat yourself up over the lack of canning time this year. Something had to give....and, if canning was it, so be it. My solution this year is just to feed the deer when I have more than I can process or more than we can eat fresh. The deer never know what they'll find on the compost pile lately, and are thrilled with whatever is there. My Heidi seeds this year probably came from Victory Seeds, but I've ordered them from various sources over the years and never had a bad batch. They seem to be consistent no matter who sells them, so I don't worry or fret about my source. Jen, Maybe that was a children's play area. Once amended with lots of organic matter, it ought to make great garden soil, especially for plants that love sandy soil (melons, southern peas, etc.) and those that demand great drainage. Things grow well in our amended sand out back, but I do have to water it more than I water the amended clay out front. Most of the sandy soil areas around us that are naturally occurring are deep sand that drains really fast (much more quickly than ours) and are infested with root knot nematoes. Our sandy soil is not infested with rkn's, for which I'm really grateful. I've often wished I just had a gigantic mixer that would mix together the clay from the front garden with the sandy/silty soil from the back, but of course, I don't. Still, adding clay to sand can work (or vice versa) as long as you add lots of organic matter too. Isn't it fun planning for next year? I love doing it while things are fresh in my mind.

Good evening, I am sorry it has taken me so long to post my envie. Jayeanne sent me a pretty sparkly snowflake card that she made. (I might add it was full of confetti, lol). She put in a pretty beaded bookmark and calendula, cucumber and african daisy seeds. I will make these a part of my new gardens this year. Thank you Jayeanne Thanks to Jeanne for the fantastic month of fun. Margo