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I’ve downloaded a few free Kindle book titles today. Note that often Amazon has free book titles for only a very short time, so they may revert back to regular prices at any time.

I use as little pesticides as possible on our property. This works fairly well except for the brick walkway and the gravel driveway. With these we have to ramp things up a bit.

I recently read that boiling water will kill a weed right down to its roots. Hmmm. Water? That’s about as natural as you can get. I decided to try it.

The first place I have tried it is our brick walkway. Here are some shots from yesterday, before the boiling water experiment:

I’ve been busy finishing up tax season and am now starting to turn my attention to the gardens. It’s been a long, hard winter here in Indiana. Spring finally arrived with a fanfare of crocuses and daffodils. Welcome, Spring! Here are some inspiring sites to get you in a Spring kind of mood ….

Let’s get this clear: A handmade gift is one of those gifts that can go terribly wrong. If it doesn’t fit, is the wrong color, wrong style, or if it’s just plain ugly, it can’t be returned.
That said, I’ve been thinking about handmade gifts that have a good chance of being well received. Here are some ideas.

A gift is an expression. It can be an expression of love, of gratitude, an acknowledgement, an expression of friendship, or just a fun exchange. What makes a gift special is not the cost, but the ability of the gift to convey to the recipient that they are special in some way and that the giver of the gift has made an effort to truly connect with them and has paid attention to their interests, needs, and unique qualities.

This recipe is for Herbs and Cheese Bread. I’m posting my recipe here for anyone who wants to try a recipe for a quick bread with herbs, and for those of us who have more garden herbs than we know what to do with!

It’s fun to get away from the house and do something different. It can be a way to reconnect with your spouse and/or kids, or it can just be a good change of atmosphere. Doing something that is out of your routine is mentally stimulating and can really add some vibrancy to your creative energy. One smart day trip would be to find a local museum that is offering free admission.

I calculated that whenever I drive “into town” from my home in the country, the round trip takes about a gallon of gas and costs at least $4.00, or the current price of a gallon of gas. I’d have to add in the other wear and operating expenses of the car to get a real cost. So every time I can eliminate an extra trip into town, it’s a $4.00 savings.

I’ve compiled a list of gift ideas, links to instructions for homemade gifts, and links to other websites that have really unique or just plain good ideas for inexpensive yet meaningful gift ideas.

Some of the ideas are good for special gifts. Some are good for the last minute gifts that arise because you forgot someone or unexpectedly received a gift that you’d like to reciprocate.