It's hard to believe that August is almost over.  For those of us who are attuned to the seasons via our gardens, this is the harvest time of the year.  In our corner of California, it's also the time when the summer vegetables are winding down and the time has arrived to plant our winter crops.  I'm planting Kale, Beets,…

Wow, this has been the summer of learning at Casa HenSongs! Remember that fantastic idea to hang a fly trap in the chicken run? I believe I said it would be the answer to keeping flies down to a minimum and make us good backyard chicken neighbors? I was wrongOh SOOOOOOO wrong! Today I went into the yard to settle down…

This year our yellow crookneck squash plants are producing like crazy.  I wish I could figure out what I did to reverse my inability to grow squash over the past few years.  Some say the weather is better....some give credit to Henny and Penny scratching a pecking.  I'm thinking that the garden elves are just happy with me. Living near…

Woo hoo!  One of my dill plants survived!  I'll admit that it's not the most beautiful plant - but I've never had one survive before.  Perhaps the silver spoon plant marker gave it hope and purpose in life. Quickles Have you ever forked over $5 at a high end grocery store for a jar of dilled green beans?  I'm here…

It's been a while since Henny and Penny have made an appearance here on Fingers in the Dirt.  This week Mr. HenSongs and I also realized it's been a while since we've done a serious cleanup of Casa HenSongs.  The weather has warmed up and it was too much to hope that the aromatic smell coming from the backyard was…

I don't know about you, but it's when the power goes out that I remember we've never bothered to put candles, a holder, and matches all in one place.  This super quick and easy project solves that problem. It's also a nifty idea for gifts. People will think you're oh so clever and thoughtful. Supplies 1 - 12 ounce Ball…

My last post about our passion for supporting our local ranchers and the value of grassfed meat made me hungry.  Mr. Hensongs said it made him REALLY, REALLY HUNGRY and reminded him of my mom's yummy recipes. Now, for Mom, "recipe" was a loosely used term.  She was a farm girl, single mom (my dad died when I was young)…

  Caution - this post may  be unsettling for vegetarians and vegans. You may want to read this post instead Yes, We Are Omnivores In addition to growing as much of our own food as we can in our urban garden and tending our hens for eggs, our family has a commitment to supporting our local ranchers.  We are so…

Note of Caution - Update August 2013: I found out the hard way that some knits of less than wonderful quality do not respond well to the homemade soap.  After finding a couple of knit shirts that looked like the losing side of a laser pointer war, I did some research and found that there are some fabrics (of the…

I have no idea why, but July is the month when my handmade gift alarm goes off.  My mother had the same alarm and I knew I had found the man for me when I saw his mother breaking out the holiday projects during the summer. I've been lusting after some stamped silverware since seeing them first on Eclectically Vintage…