There Are Days Just Meant For Fun! A Holiday Review

 As Mid-March arrives, if anyone asks what your favorite color is, the answer better be GREEN!

Why?  Well everyone knows that on the 17th of March, the whole world seems to be Irish!  St. Patrick's Day is the one day of the year where GREEN is the mandatory color in everyone's attire or their accessories!

It doesn't matter if its Kelly Green, pale Green, Bold Emerald Green or any combination, the most important part is that it belongs to the family of Green! 

Now let's get down to a bit of history!  St. Patrick became the Patron Saint of the Green Isle when he was sent to proclaim Christ to the people in the 5th century.  Yes you read that right, he is a very old Patron Saint. He was born in Britain and at the age of 16 was taken from his village and placed into slavery in Ireland.  Yes, the times he lived in were barbarous and slavery was not uncommon. He did manage to escape, but felt a calling to return to Ireland. 

He was a very spiritual man, who during his travels around Ireland, baptized many people into the Catholic Christian Church.  He was very careful to keep the peace with all the chieftains in the region so that he was welcomed by all.  He gave gifts and took none in return.  Many legends surround St. Patrick, the most popular is the Shamrock which helped Patrick explain the concept of the Holy Trinity. 

St. Patrick is also credited with getting all the snakes, demons and practitioners of magic to leave Ireland.  These "miracles" cannot be authenticated, but many still believe them.

But let's get to the fun part, current day celebrations of St. Patrick's Day are attributed to the European immigrants in the 18th century.  Boston celebrated the first St. Patrick's Day parade in 1737.  The large Irish population enjoyed the celebrations so much that many new ways to celebrate the day came about.  The color GREEN not only celebrates St. Patrick, but rather is a way to celebrate the country of Ireland.  

Today we see everyone as Irish on March 17th and many people enjoy adding to the mirth and merriment of the day by adding something GREEN  to their clothing.  People will enjoy Irish foods and even color their beer for the day. 

Now I've given you fair warning that this holiday is coming up shortly and to that end have furnished you with a page from Amazon.com where you can find anything your little heart could desire to make this St. Patty's Day fun for you and your family. 

Just imagine a day without any strife and everyone wishing everyone else a Happy St. Patty's Day!  A little fun goes a long way. 

Here's an Irish Blessing Just for You!

May love and laughter

light your days

and warm your heart and home,

may good and faithful friends be yours 

wherever you may roam,

May peace and plenty bless your world 

with joy that long endures,

May all life's 

passing seasons 

bring the best

to you and yours!  

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TO ALL!  MAY YOU ENJOY YOUR IRISH ON THE 17TH!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Recommended Reading for Small Space Gardeners

I am so excited that I can barely contain myself.   I have found something that I have to share with you.  I have found a nifty little magazine called Urban Farm: Sustainable City Living.  I am especially happy to have found this issue as the nights grow cold and the leaves begin to change in the mid-Atlantic.  Summer and gardening have begun to draw to a close.

All You Need wooden sign

Some of you are aware that I am a country girl, living in an urban (suburban) setting.  A few of you
are also aware that I try to grow a vegetable garden on my balcony and in my kitchen garden.  I'm not very good at it, but I've done great with tomatoes for two years in a row, and am currently having a great time finding uses for my sweet mint, rosemary, and jalepeno peppers.  

Over the decades, I have purchased many gardening magazines and how-to books.  Mother Earth News has been one of my favorite magazines.  But many times, with those magazines and books, I have had to read the articles and imagine the day that I own my own home again so that I can follow through with the things I've learned.  After all, no matter how much I plan and scheme, I cannot devise a way to raise chickens in my third floor apartment.

Imagine my happiness when I found this magazine that is dedicated to  folks who live in limited space but want a more self-reliant lifestyle.  

I purchased the September/October 2014 issue of the Urban Farm.  Some of the titles include:

• Framing Out the Cold (small cold frames)
• Storage Wards (storing your harvest without a root cellar)
• Behind the Scenes Inside the Hive
• A Dry Idea (how to dry and preserve tomatoes)
• Wild Gardens (a foraging garden with wild edibles)
• Shared Spaces (the urban farm movement)

Photograph by Ken Scicluna

All of the articles have been informative and interesting. I was especially drawn to the small cold frames article.  While I dream of own my own larger greenhouse, such as the one Diana Wenzel shows us how to Do-It-Yourself in her article, I have to deal with my reality.  And my reality is that I have a 9' x 5' balcony and one good but small space at my kitchen window for gardening.  I also live in Maryland.  I have a longer growing season than I had when I lived in northern Indiana, but it's still not as long as I would like.

The article in Urban Farmer shows "farmers" like myself how to use cold frames to make microclimates to extend the growing season.  While I've known about cold frames for years, I always imagine the large hoop style that commercial nurseries use.  There is one photograph in the Urban Farm article that shows a small cold frame insulated in snow with a single light bulb for additional heat and light. The remainder of the article and photographs already have me imagining and planning for my own cold frame on my balcony.  Extending my growing season has just become my new reality.  You can bet good money that I'll be out there before the end of the week, starting some sort of mini-cold frame.

If you are a gardener, no matter the space available to you - acres or inches - I highly recommend that you check  out this nifty little magazine.  Either at the bookstore or at Urban Farm Online.

Written by Dawn Rae

Disclosure: In affiliation with AllPosters.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of AllPosters products.   I am in no way affiliated with Urban Farm magazine nor do I profit from it's sales.  

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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