"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Writing Burnouts ~ Stuck in a Rut

I started writing for another Web site, called Bukisa.  I can't seem to get my writing mojo going on that site.  I've managed to squeeze out 8 articles since June 2010 and have made a a whopping $.07.   I also noticed that with my articles on Helium, that the rating score doesn't always mean a low earning article.  Many of my lower rated articles have earned more than higher rated articles. 

With so much physical work outside this summer, I've been too tired to concentrate on what I'm writing.  Mixing up my routine doesn't seem to help either.  I've tried writing before/after exercise, and before/after working in the garden, and way before the kids are out of bed.  I just need to find that avenue I need to get back to where I was before summer. 

Back to the Garden ~ Peppers Frozen for Winter

I spent a few hours cutting away the end rot on all of our squash, only to notice some type of white beetle crawling around on dead squash leaves (only on the crookneck squash).  I have yet to identify them.

It wasn't easy working in a stooped position, carrying a bag alongside me, to remove all the end/wet rot.  I had talked to my husband, who in turn talked to his co-workers, who gave us a few tips.  First, the bees will start to carry the fungus around, so it must be removed as soon as you see it.  Most of his co-workers have, or are experiencing this with their squash.  They also mentioned the calcium solution and to spray the leaves once a week.
 (Look in the center of the photo to see the fungus on a dead blossom)


I've heard 2:1 solution and I have read to mix it 1 cup with 9 cups of water.  I've also read you can make a solution with baking soda.  We are mixing our solution 1 cup milk to 9 cups water.  Despite all that work, I did manage to make 2 more quarts of refrigerator pickles and picked about 30 cayenne peppers, which were frozen for winter.

Now, if I could just learn to have ripe tomatoes and ripe green/poblano peppers, when I have cilantro in the herb garden.  It seems that once the tomatoes are ripe, my cilantro has already gone to seed.