Happy Halloween! I visited Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Farm in Redlands, California. I made it through the corn maze, ate funnel cake and kettle corn, played games, and purchased some pumpkins to dress up the front yard. It was a pleasant, spring-feeling, day in October here in California. The food was pricey, but if you want to go and have a good time and enjoy the season with family and friends that doesn't matter. If you can't make it to the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Farm here is a video look at some of my experiences for you to enjoy. Hopefully, you will visit your local pumpkin farm or pumpkin path to bring in the start of the holiday season. Stay safe and be well.
Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Farm website: https://liveoakcanyon.com
Friday, October 29, 2021
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Installing an Adjust-A-Gate Frame Kit Review #DIYProjects #ProductReview
Recently, I purchased an Adjust-A-Gate frame kit from Home Depot. I wanted to make my job easier than actually building a gate so I thought that I would give one of these kits a try. Since I used galvanized posts instead of wood posts, I had to use a different j-bolt setup, which I share below where I purchased that unit if you're interested. I also installed a 2-side lockable latch instead of the basic latch included with this kit. That information is below as well. Overall, after those basic modifications, I took my time and figured out how to get this gate frame kit installed. It comes with instructions, but I realized that it was still a bit of trial and error and learning as I went along. Fyi, the frame was shaky until I screwed the 2x4s on the frame, which tightened the extension I needed for the frame to reach the 5ft 7in. length I needed. I do recommend installing this frame kit and the fence pickets before you install your latch to ensure proper alignment and placement with your newly installed gate. While you are installing the j-bolts you can use the latch to get an idea of how far out you need to screw the j-bolts so you reach your key latch. Overall, I got it set up and the kit saved me time from building a wood gate. I would recommend it if you're not big on building an entire wood gate yourself.
Disclaimer: Some products listed are Amazon affiliate links. I am able to earn a small commission for products purchased or links used above. I use these products in my daily life and that's why I recommend them. I hope you like them too.
Saturday, October 16, 2021
Building a New Wood Fence for the Backyard #DIY
I completely finished building a new wood fence for the backyard. I'm super happy about it because the neighbor's old fence took a beating in these California winds and it was very decayed as well. In a future video, I will share with you how I installed the wooden gate and a double-sided key lock, but for now, hopefully, you can get an idea of this process.
I believe if I can do it, you can do it too. Be patient with yourself, ask for help when needed, and learn from others by watching others, to complete any task. The previous video and resources below will help you also if you're wondering how I built the fence panels and the brackets I used from Amazon. Enjoy!
Additional Resources for You
How to Build Fence Panels: https://youtu.be/Ilu8BsB1FoE
Vlog | Fence Teardown and Setting Metal Posts in Backyard: https://youtu.be/eFImnbwiz0s
WAP-OZ Steel to Wood Fence Brackets (12PK) can be purchased on Amazon here
Wagner Control Stainer on Amazon here
Disclaimer: Some products listed are Amazon affiliate links. I am able to earn a small commission for products purchased or links used above. I use these products in my daily life and that's why I recommend them. I hope you like them too.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Caregiver Daily Log Books for Senior Citizens to Track and Record Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
On October 1st, we celebrate International Day of Older Persons. It's a holiday to recognize senior citizens' contributions and well-being. For many years I had the opportunity to care for older adults during my career as an in-home caregiver. I helped many seniors continue to live an independent life in their homes. It was important to have a daily tracker to record their rehabilitation, activities of daily living, meals, and medical appointments. I feel that seniors should be celebrated every day because of their contributions to society and continual wisdom. To ensure that they are living their best life, there are daily logbooks available for caregivers. Use these books for recording and tracking the care provided to senior clients. Below, are some logbooks available on Amazon, with a couple designed by Selena Thinking Out Loud.
Caregiver Daily Log Book: Track and Record Personal Care Assistance and Activities of Daily Living
Disclaimer: Some links in this blog post may be affiliate links in which I may receive a commission. There is no charge to you. Thank you for supporting this blog and helping to continue creating free content.
Thursday, October 7, 2021
How To Build a Raised Bed for a Backyard Garden #Gardening
Even if you are in a tiny space and have a balcony or patio, you can still create your own garden oasis. You would just build your raised bed smaller or use the container gardening method. Last week, I shared with you my first summer garden tour so I thought that I would back up and give you a look at how I built the raised beds. I would recommend getting the best quality wood you can afford like cedar or redwood and ensure that it's thick wood because over time your raised bed will have a lot of soil in it and get exposure to watering and the environment (sun, heavy winds, and debris). I did use a water-based stain on the outside of my raised beds to slow down the time I will have to replace them again. So far so good! I'm in Southern California so we have a longer growing season and I'm currently planting my radishes, carrots, peas, lettuce, cabbage, and other leafy vegetables as the weather becomes cooler. This heatwave happened earlier than usual this year, but hopefully, it's settling down now and I can get some cooler crops growing. I will be building two more garden beds closer to next spring to grow a lot more warmer vegetables. The video is below and if you have any questions or suggestions leave them in the comments below. Stay safe and be well.
Additional Resources
Raised Bed Gardening: A Guide to Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds - No Dig, No Bend, Highly Productive Vegetable Gardens: Inspiring Gardening Ideas, Book 11
Monday, October 4, 2021
Reading Journals for Kids for National Book Month
National Book Month is celebrated in October. It's the perfect time of year to reiterate the importance of reading. Not only is reading necessary for daily life, but it is another opportunity to learn and discover new things, new places, and different viewpoints from people of various cultures and backgrounds. Reading is one of the best pastime activities to relax and enjoy a good book without television, social media, and other distractions. Many kids receive required reading lists, which help to advance their reading skills and keep them busy throughout the year. Other children may have a more flexible curriculum and reading journals and reading logs help organize all of the books they read during the year.
In the reading journals for kids below, there is a table of contents, open-ended questions directed toward the books they are reading, and space to write down more recommended books from teachers, friends, and family. Some of the books were created by Selena Thinking Out Loud and others are favorites on Amazon. At the end of the year, a child can see all of the books they have read and feel proud of such a great accomplishment. Happy reading!
Saturday, October 2, 2021
My First Year Summer Garden Tour #GreenThumb
Hello everyone! I hope you have been well. I have been working on my first-year garden a lot this summer during this intense heatwave. Southern California hit 100 degrees in June. I don't know where Spring came and went, but I'm glad that I was still able to learn and apply some gardening knowledge so far this year. In the video below, I invite you into my first-year garden. This is my first summer garden tour and I'm excited to share everything that's been growing. I have been growing beautiful, gigantic, sunflowers, green peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, grapevines, a cherry tree, squash, and more.
I have learned SO much from many gardeners on Youtube and reading books and articles. I have been doing my research y'all...lol. Now that it's about a week since the first day of Fall, I have also started three varieties of peas that I show you while on the summer tour as well. I recommend following the Farmer's Almanac, entering your zip code, and it will give you its historical recommendations on when to start your seeds, plant in the ground or raised bed soil, and transplant new crops. I am very surprised by the results I have been having so I mention "thrive" quite a bit throughout the video...lol. I started off dealing with the aphids, whiteflies, and earwigs galore. That wasn't fun and it wasn't easy at first, but I learned what they all looked like and their habits of destruction and eventually figured it out, using Diatomaceous Earth and Insecticidal soap. It's never too late to start a garden and since I'm in Southern California I'm gearing up for my Fall garden and looking forward to showing you my first-year Fall garden tour for 2021. Stay tuned, thanks for watching, and happy gardening!
Recommended Resources
- Farmer's Almanac (Planting Calendar): https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar
- Transplants purchased from Growjoy
- Drip Irrigation purchased from DripWorks
HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, 10lb with Powder Duster Included in The Bag
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)