Update on destructive moth post: (For some reason I can't use the title feature.)

On June 25th, I posted about my Dwarf Alberta Blue Spruce which had been infested with moths and cotton like masses, I was very concerned that the tree was dying. Here is the picture from June 25th.

I picked all of the eggs sacks off and have been using a strong jet spray from the water hose almost every evening to run the moths away, (and there have been quite a few of them flying out of the trees). I am seeing new growth on the tree now, and the brown needles are being knocked off by the spray. It's looking so much better and I think it is going to make it. Here is a picture of the tree today.Again, no chemicals were used at all, just picking the eggs sacks and bag worms off by hand and using the jet spray feature on the water hose. I think a lot of times people reach for chemicals when other things can be just as effective and certainly much safer for us and for the environment. I wanted to say thanks again to Lynne Eldridge M.D. Author, "Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time" http://www.avoidcancernow.com/ for taking the time to respond to my June 25th post and remind me of the dangers of using chemicals around my home.

There's not much going on around Robin's Nesting Place right now. I've just been dead heading, weeding and trying to keep things alive, not too exciting. Yesterday while I was sitting on the patio swing I heard a raucous at the bird feeder, when I turned I saw a black cat in my yard with a sparrow in it's mouth. I was so sad that my bird feeder was a trap for the bird, now I'm hesitant to fill the feeders. Not only that, but the neighbor behind me has the large shrubs where the birds stay and he keeps spraying for Japanese beetles. I'm not sure if that harms the birds, but my bird population is declining. Hopefully they've moved to a safer place.

I bought four of the Raspberry Surprise dianthus, three of them are like the one below and one of them has a completely different flower. They must have mislabeled it. I like it and probably would have bought it anyway. Maybe that's the surprise.

Conner Prairie

My friend's mom had heart surgery this week and I watched her five children for a couple of days so she could be at the hospital. I took them to Conner Prairie, which is a living history museum. The people dress in period clothing and really act the part.

They were harvesting wheat at the Zimmerman farm while we were there. The horses are huge, they come almost to the top of the wagon.
The children helped take the wheat to the barn after it was unloaded from the wagon.

There are quite a few animals on the different working farms at Conner Prairie.

They had several little lambs.

This was a very active kid!

I'm so thankful for running water and modern conveniences!

This is the Zimmerman farmhouse which is at Liberty Corner and is in the time period of 1886 . It is a quite an experience to visit this "old" Victorian home.

Squash Casserole Recipe

I cooked my farmer's market produce today. We had roasted corn on the cob, fresh green beans with new potatoes and onions, sliced tomatoes, grilled chicken and the squash casserole I mentioned in yesterdays post. It was all very yummy!
Now, about that squash casserole...
Several years ago, after having some minor surgery, my friend, Mae, helped provide a meal for my family. She brought a delicious squash casserole and was kind enough to share her recipe with me. It's not particularly healthy, but if your looking for a way to get kids to eat squash, this cheesy dish should do the trick.

Squash Casserole

3 to 4 large yellow summer squash, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
Boil the squash and onion together in a small amount of water until soft. Drain and mash.

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 egg
1 sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers
shredded mild cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients with squash. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle additional cheese on top. Bake at 350 until done, (when cheese is lightly browned on top).

Edited to say:
If you don't have picky eaters who would turn their noses up at squash, you can saute the onions and squash in a little olive oil or butter and leave them unmashed. You can also lighten the recipe some by just adding 1 can of cream of mushroom and chicken soup, rather than the two seperate cans listed in the recipe.

Hummingbird Moth

I had a hummingbird moth visit my butterfly and hummingbird garden yesterday. It loved the purple verbena and spent quite a bit of time going to each tiny flower. It flitted around so fast it was impossible for me to get a good picture.

I had my usual two hummingbird visitors and finally got a picture of the male Ruby Throated hummingbird. He is quite a bit faster than the female and quickly flies away at the slightest movement, so he has been more difficult to capture. The red on his throat gleams so brightly when the sun hits it, like a big sparkly ruby.