Skip to main content

Chit Chat

I finally got this granny square done.  I finished this book a while ago.  Yikes.  It was a good book though.  It was a blind date with a book gift to me.

If you have not read about my crocheted book blanket, you can see my very first post about it, which was posted January 1st, of 2025 (click HERE to see it).  The last "end of the year" update was posted HERE.  I will try and get an updated photo in the next few months.

Technically,  I crocheted the first granny square for my book blanket back in December of 2024.  Guess I better get some books read huh? 

Thick smog is outside.  Canadian wild fire smoke is heavy.  Air quality is terrible.  It got up to 103 degrees yesterday, and it remains hot and very dry.  The grass is dying.   It's that dry.

Thunderstorms may arrive in a few days.  We hope.  It will help water the gardens and cool us down a bit.  It will also get rid of the air smog.

I'll admit, it feels weird (and wrong) to have to buy all our squash this year.  We don't regret killing off the squash bug for a year.  Last year we did not see one tomato worm.  So far, there have been no potato worms either.  I missed the window to plant sweet potatoes this year.

The blackberries and red raspberry bushes could really use a dose of mother nature too.  I've been diligent at keeping the birds out of them this year.


Fun brain game we have added to our games.  It's small, portable (great for campers) and easy to replace your doom scrolling hours and more.  I'm just sharing for anyone who enjoys puzzles, and prefers to do them offline.  It's a quick way to get a boost of dopamine for the day.  

Labels:

Comments

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage said…
I do hope they get the wildfires under control soon and that you get relief from the heat as well. God bless you. Praying now.
July 17, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage, we do to, thanks. It's been the worst smoke in the air we have ever (in my lifetime) experienced. Never had this happen growing up.
July 18, 2026 at 8:52 AM
Jennifer said…
Such a cute idea! I hope your air has improved. We saw a lot improvement (and generally much better weather) this morning! Hooray for Mondays!:)
July 20, 2026 at 12:01 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Horsetail Salve ~ A "first" this Year

We purchased some horsetail salve to try last year.  It is said to help with severely dry, cracked skin.  My husband was the first to try it, with very, very dry and cracked hands from work. He loves it!  He joked I could not have it back.   I started the infused, horsetail oil the last part of March. Something I learned:   horsetail is also called shavegrass. I infused horsetail in oil, and strained it.  I then made horsetail salve.  I remembered to label my jar with what oil(s) I used, so I can journal this all in my "Herbal Remedies" journal.  I often forget to write the oil used. Now, the one we bought, has more in it than I put in ours, as far as ingredients (the purchased salve had lanolin, and aloe).  We'll see if ours works just as good.  I added the sage essential oil, and vitamin E oil. A "first" time experience for us this year.    I bought the larger tins at a seed store in an Amish area last year.  They a...
6 comments
Click here to read the entire story »

New Recipe Tried and other Bits

  I tried a new granola recipe and boy it's good.  First, it's a recipe from Mennonite Girls and Cook, and called "Backpack Snacks" online.  It calls for granola, so I used my homemade granola that we love.  Picture is the dry ingredients. Second, I pressed the final mixture into a 9 x 9, parchment lined baking dish instead of rolling it into balls.  The color of these photos are all different, because of the time of day, and how dark the house was from the thick Canadian smoke that was still outside at the time. These cut very nicely, and were very good, straight from the refrigerator.  It was hard to eat just one of them.  I will be making this again, and switching out the peanuts with walnuts, and switching out the raisins with dates.  Oh my!  The binder is honey and peanut butter. These are perfect for your hiking days, camping, your grandkids, or just for snacks when you want one. The rain arrived thank goodness, and washed the smoke in...
10 comments
Click here to read the entire story »

Chit Chat

  The pickings are slim right now, but we'll take anything we are blessed with.  I made a salad and cleaned the beans.  The rain will give us more for a meal in a day or so.  The green beans are every so slowly coming on this season. I made a batch of homemade granola, and instead of my homemade vanilla extract, I used my homemade Christmas Spice Extract.  It smelled so good in the oven, and while cooling.   I picked some purslane, and am doing an experiment with it this time.  Update soon.   Chit Chat ©  August 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
14 comments
Click here to read the entire story »