Book Review of 'Ashley Bell' by Dean Koontz

 

Plot Synopsis

Bibi Blair, a funny, clever and fierce young woman – a writer by trade – is a girl who said 'no' to death.  When her doctor told her she had one year to live, Bibi replied “We'll see!”

And, suddenly, she is completely free of the rare, and fatal, brain cancer she has been diagnosed with. Bibi astounds medical science.

After returning home from the hospital, Bibi meets a mysterious woman who convinces her that she escaped death so she can save someone else; someone named Ashley Bell. 

Who is Ashley Bell, where is she, and why does Bibi Blair have to find ~ and save ~ her?

Bibi now finds herself on the run from threats that are both mystical and ordinary. It all appears to stem from a rich and very strange cult leader who has terrifying ambitions. One of his aims is to kill Ashley Bell. 

Summary

Bibi Blair is a delightful character whose story is told in sections. There is the present time when she is 22, on the verge of becoming a successful writer, and engaged to Pax, a Navy Seal, plus her friendship with her childhood surfing friend, Pogo. And there is the past when she is first 6-years-old, and we learn all about her special friendship with The Captain, who rents the garage apartment at her parent's home. And later at age 10 when 'Olaf' the Golden Retriever suddenly appears one afternoon and becomes Bibi's faithful companion. 

Bibi also has been writing stories since she was a child and this fact becomes very important as the plot unfolds. The story flips back and forth between 'young' Bibi and present-day Bibi. 

This is a fast-paced story with a fascinating heroine who has a good heart and a troubling gift we learn about in a twisting plot filled with many surprises. A suspenseful thriller with a mystery to solve.

Ashley Bell was published in 2015 (and somehow missed by me until now). It is listed by Amazon as Book 1 of 1 in the Ashley Bell series. I just discovered that Koontz also wrote a Trilogy entitled Darkest Desires: The Makani Trilogy, which leads into the Ashley Bell series. Darkest Desires is available in Audible Book form. 

For more Book Reviews on ReviewThisReviews
Check out ReviewThisBooks.com 

Links to other Reviews of books by Dean Koontz:

• Elsewhere
• Devoted
• Quicksilver
• The Big Dark Sky

*Book Review of Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz written by Wednesday Elf.

 

Available on Amazon
in four different formats

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Deviled Eggs Recipe - Uses for Dyed Easter Eggs

Easter is just around the corner and I am already looking forward to my favorite use of dyed Easter eggs --- Deviled Eggs!

My mother and my son dye Easter eggs every year.  They have been dyeing eggs together for almost 30 years.  Even though they are both adults, they still enjoy that annual tradition and their fun time together. They usually dye a dozen eggs or more so they can make several colors.

Many families use the dyed eggs for Easter egg hunts.  Our family always ate the dyed eggs and used plastic, candy filled eggs for our Easter egg hunts.

After the pictures are taken of their egg dyeing "event", several of us will grab our favorite egg and eat it.  I use the remaining eggs to make deviled eggs or potato salad.  

I will share my potato salad recipe in a separate post, but today I offer you my very easy recipe for making delicious deviled eggs.

 

 

Basic Deviled Eggs Recipe

This recipe is based on using 1 dozen hard boiled eggs, which makes 2 dozen deviled eggs.  If I have more or less eggs, I simply adjust the measurements of mayonnaise and mustard accordingly below.

1. Start by boiling the eggs and letting them cool (boiled egg directions below)
   
2. Cut the boiled eggs in half lengthwise & remove the yolk 
3. In a mixing bowl, mash and combine the yolks with 2 teaspoons mayonnaise & 4 teaspoons French's Classic mustard. *
   
4. Fill the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture
   
5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper & paprika (if desired) 

* I recommend tasting the egg yolk mixture before you fill the egg whites to make sure it is to your preferred taste.  We use more mustard and less mayonnaise than many recipes.  By comparison,  BettyCrocker.com recommends 6 Tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon ground mustard for a 2 dozen deviled eggs.

 

How to Hard Boil Eggs

Again, I am sharing my preferred method.  I've boiled eggs for the last 40+ years by simply placing a dozen eggs in a pan of water, adding salt, bringing them to a boil, and boiling for 10 minutes.  I let the eggs and the water cool in the cooking pan.  After the hot water has cooled to warm, I dump out the water out of the pan and run cold tap water on top of the eggs (still in the pan) so they will completely cool.

For a dozen eggs, I use my 5 quart dutch oven pan to boil.

 Cuisinart 6445-22 5-Quart Dutch Oven with CoverCheck Price Kraft Real Mayo Creamy & Smooth Mayonnaise, 22 fl ozCheck Price French's Classic Yellow Mustard, 30 ozCheck Price

 

 

 

For more of my tried and true family recipes, please visit Cooking for the Holidays 

I also contribute to our Recipes category right here on Review This Reviews alongside some really fabulous home cooks!  This is a category you will not want to miss. 

 

See more recipes that use boiled eggs here:
Simple Egg Salad Recipe
Potato Salad Recipe
Taste of Home Magazine Recipes

Deviled Eggs Recipe - Uses for Dyed Easter Eggs Written by:

© 2023 Cynthia Sylvestermouse
 

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National Bird Holidays and Awareness Days- 2nd Quarter

 

Male Cardinal

This review will introduce you to a few of the bird holidays and awareness days for the second quarter of the year.  I have found bird watching and bird photography to be a wonderful pastime.  In addition to sharing some of the second quarter bird days, I will share a few of my photographs in this review.  All photos were taken in my backyard.

April 8- Draw a Bird Day

Draw a bird day started in the UK in the 1940's.  A young girl wanted to cheer her uncle who was wounded in the war.  When she visited him in the hospital she asked him to draw a bird.  When he finished she laughed and told him that he wasn't a great artist but then she hung the drawing on the wall.  This cheered her uncle so much that she would have him draw a bird each time she visited him, and soon his walls were full of bird drawings.  The other soldiers and nurses in the hospital were all cheered by the bird drawings.  This was the start of the holiday.

You don't need to be a great artist to participate in "Draw a Bird Day", just sketch a simple bird and spread the joy.  

April 8th is "Draw a Bird Day".  To help you with 

this project you might want to order this book.

April 29th- National Go Birding Day

National Go Birding Day is a national holiday that is celebrated on the last Saturday in April.  It is a day to celebrate our feathered friends.  The Earth is home to over 10,000 different species of birds.

Some of the activities you might like to do to celebrate the day include:

• Take Photographs
• Visit a Nature Reserve or a Park
• Share your Photos and Videos on social media.

Sparrows on Deck Chair all Puffed up in Cold

May 4th- Bird Day

This holiday is the largest holiday in observance of our avian friends.  It is always held on May 4th and the US Library of Congress states that it was first observed on May 4, 1894.  This is a widely celebrated Bird Day and is often celebrated in conjunction with Arbor day.  Both days are focused on conservation and education.

Female Cardinal

To celebrate Bird Day you may want to learn more about birds.  There are lots of sites on the internet where you can learn facts about birds or you may want to look for a bird book on Amazon. Here is one for you to consider.

May 14-World Migratory Bird Day

This holiday is an international holiday that is celebrated on the 2nd Saturday in May.  It celebrates the many miles many of our feathered friends travel each spring and fall to avoid the cold and snowy weather.  They travel thousands of miles from their breeding grounds in North America to their winter homes in Central and South America.

I am always fascinated by the migration of birds as I see the skies full of them heading south in the fall and then both north in the spring.  The one bird that I find particularly fascinating is the hummingbird.  These very small birds travel from our area in mid Missouri down to Central America for the winter months.  In about April we see the first ones heading back to our area.  I always put my feeders out about the first of April to be ready for them.

Hummingbird on our feeder last year.

June 20-National American Eagle Day

National American Eagle Day is celebrated each year on June 20th.  That is the day that in 1782 the eagle was added to the official seal of the United States.

Here is some information I found on Eagle Day.

Celebrating American Eagle Day

The first American Eagle Day was proclaimed by President Bill Clinton in 1995. Since then 41 American states have made the day an official observance. From 2007 onwards, the US Senate has also passed resolutions to mark June 20 of the year as American Eagle Day. The American Eagle Foundation is at the forefront of organizing and sponsoring events on this holiday.

American Eagle Day is an observance, which means that businesses, stores, and government offices are open.

On this day, conservation and educational organizations hold public outreach programs such as lectures, workshops, and informational sessions to raise awareness about the importance of preserving and protecting bald eagles and other wildlife.

The holiday is sometimes known as Bald Eagle Day or National Eagle Day.

Here is a link to the site where this information is located American-Eagle-Day

For a review on the bird holidays for the first quarter of the year, go to https://www.reviewthisreviews.com/2023/01/national-bird-holidays-and-awareness.html

Check out more photography reviews at:

ReviewThisPhotography.com

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Exchanging a Saatva Mattress: My Personal Experience

This post is the seventh in a series of candid, in-depth reviews about my experience as a first-time Saatva customer. In the six previous posts I have discussed what happened when I was researching Saatva mattress options, choosing the best mattress for my husband’s and my needs, placing an online order for a Saatva Solaire mattress, bedding and adjustable base and taking delivery of our mattress pad and sheets, as well as the white glove delivery of our upper-flex Solaire and removal of our old mattress and my detailed, candid product reviews of our new Saatva Solaire mattress and adjustable base. 

Today I will review our experience with exchanging our split-top Solaire for the (solid) standard version.

Disclosure: I have joined the company’s affiliate program, which means that if you choose to make a purchase through one of the links in this post I may be eligible to receive a commission, at no cost to you. I highly recommend the Saatva company and its products for their excellent quality, performance, price and customer service. The opinions, product reviews and recommendations in this post are my own and are based on my personal experiences. The decision to click on those links to learn more about the company’s products or make a purchase is greatly appreciated, but entirely up to you.

As I explained in my last post, my husband and I loved nearly everything about our new Saatva Solaire mattress except the center split down the top portion. We had decided to give the “upper-flex” configuration of the mattress and adjustable base a try because the top split allowed one of us to elevate and lower the head of our side of the bed without disturbing our partner. For example, since my husband wakes up earlier than I do, he could raise his side to sit up and read next to me while I continued to sleep.

However, since we usually fall asleep snuggled together on our sides in the “spoon” position in the middle of the mattress, one of us would end up with our arm stuck in the center split.

After trying for more than a month to find a way around that problem, we finally decided we’d be happier with a solid mattress and exchanged our upper-flex king for a standard king Solaire.

Note: Even if you and your partner also like to "spoon" together, if you eventually return to your respective sides of the bed for sleeping you may love the upper-flex option. Exchanging ours for a standard Solaire wasn't an easy decision!

Initiating Our Saatva Solaire Mattress Exchange

The Saatva Mattress Home Trial, Warranty & Return Policies page provided simple instructions for exchanging a mattress: Call a toll-free number to initiate the exchange, pay a $99 processing fee (to cover Saatva’s fee to the delivery company for the white glove delivery and pickup service) “and we’ll take care of the rest!”

Saatva's website made the exchange process sound hassle-free...and they definitely "delivered" in real life

It was the end of a busy, stressful week and I decided to send an email instead of calling the 888 number.

Instead of calling the toll-free number to initiate the exchange, I replied to the order confirmation email

An automated reply from Saatva appeared in my inbox almost immediately containing a ticket number to track my inquiry and explaining that, due to heavy customer demand, it might take “up to 24 hours” for someone to respond. 

Since I had sent my email late on a Friday afternoon, and given the widespread pandemic-related staffing shortages at the time (August 2021), I wasn’t expecting a response until Monday. However, To my surprise, Ina, one of Saatva’s “sleep guides,” phoned on Sunday to help me initiate the mattress exchange I had requested.

She initiated a refund for the upper-flex king Solaire mattress, sheet set and mattress pad and placed our order for the standard king Solaire and bedding replacements. She let me know that the white king size sheets I wanted were backordered and expected to be in stock in two weeks, but the ivory color was in stock if I didn’t want to wait. I said I preferred to wait for white sheets and asked her to add a king size waterproof mattress protector to our order. She also asked us to donate the upper-flex sheet set and mattress pad to a nonprofit charitable organization of our choosing.

Ina explained that the delivery of our standard Solaire mattress would work the same way as our previous delivery. As soon as our new mattress was manufactured, the delivery company would contact us directly to schedule the white glove delivery and setup of our new standard king Solaire and the removal of our upper-flex Solaire. 

I told Ina that since we had purchased an upper-flex king Lineal adjustable base (now called the Saatva Adjustable Base Plus), which could not be exchanged for a standard king version, we wanted the delivery service to reconfigure and sync the two joined twin XL adjustable bases to work with the new, solid king mattress. She said she would instruct the delivery company to take care of that for us when they delivered our standard king Solaire.

A few minutes later, I received an email from her confirming what we had discussed and updating the support ticket.

Saatva's Sleep Guides (customer service representatives) help customers 7 days a week

Saatva Customer Service Follow-up

As promised, two weeks later the delivery company emailed me directly and asked me to call them to schedule the delivery of our new solid king Solaire.

The email arrived on the Friday before Labor Day, just as my husband and I were headed out of town for the long holiday weekend, so we decided to wait until we got back to put our calendars together and find a date when we could both be home to supervise the mattress delivery.

On Tuesday, the day my back-ordered white organic cotton sateen sheets were due to be restocked, Ina called to let me know that they were still not back in stock. She said that if I didn’t want to wait longer, she would be happy to either cancel the order for me or send me the same sheet set in ivory, which they did have in stock. 

I thanked her for calling to update me about the backorder delay and offering me the choice of several options, and said I would prefer to wait for the white sheets to be restocked. Ina promised to continue to monitor and keep me updated about the status of my backordered white sheet set. She proved to be true to her word and kept in touch with me until the sheets were delivered.

I also mentioned that I had gotten an email from the delivery company a few days earlier but that I hadn’t called them yet, since my husband and I had been away for the holiday weekend and we hadn’t yet had a chance to work out when we could both be available to supervise the mattress delivery. If she was able to stay on the call for another minute or two (and if I could catch my husband in between Zoom meetings), I could try to get her some options for delivery dates. 

Ina explained that mattress deliveries are scheduled directly between the customer and the delivery company, but that once my husband and I determined our availability, she would be happy to pass on those possible dates to the delivery company on our behalf, if we would like. Even though I declined and said I would talk to my husband that evening and then contact the delivery company directly, I considered her kind offer another example of how Saatva employees take initiative and are empowered and encouraged to go above and beyond.

Our Second Experience With Saatva’s White Glove Mattress Delivery and Setup

Our second experience with Saatva’s white glove delivery was very similar to our first Saatva mattress delivery experience. After receiving the email from the delivery company, I called them to schedule our Solaire mattress exchange and setup.

Once again, the company contacted us the day before, this time by email, giving us a three-hour delivery window, confirming our address and phone number, and saying the delivery team would call us when they were 40 minutes from our house.

Once again, we did not receive a call from the team before they arrived, nor did their instructions mention reconfiguring our two twin XL adjustable bases to work with the new solid king Solaire mattress.

Apart from that, however, the team was extremely fast and efficient (perhaps even more so than the team that had delivered our upper-flex Solaire and adjustable base!) and very respectful of our property.

Not only did they reconfigure the adjustable bases so that the head and foot would operate in sync, at our request they also showed my husband how it was done in case he needed to fix any issues that might arise in the future.

They were extremely professional, friendly and accommodating throughout their visit.

Follow-Up Customer Service Interactions

At one point, the remote control for my husband’s side of our Adjustable Base Plus stopped responding. I called customer service and explained that he had tried putting in fresh batteries and re-syncing his remote, which did not fix the problem. The customer service representative, Paul, explained that accidentally pressing and holding down the Lock button was one of the most common reasons for the remote to stop working. Unfortunately, the non-working remote was not in its usual spot on my husband’s nightstand, so Paul talked me through how to lock and unlock the remote using mine. When my husband came home, we tried unlocking his remote, which still didn’t solve the problem, and Saatva immediately sent us a replacement.

The next day, we discovered that the problem was, in fact, user error (I can’t remember what) and I called back to let Saatva know that we wouldn’t need a replacement remote after all. They were extremely gracious and said they had already shipped it to us and we should keep it, “just in case.”

Another example of how Saatva’s customer service goes above and beyond!

Final Verdict on Our Overall Experience Buying a Saatva Mattress, Adjustable Base and Bedding

My husband and I spent six months shopping for, researching, selecting, ordering, taking delivery of and exchanging our first Saatva mattress, bedding and adjustable base. Throughout that time, Saatva’s commitment to excellence was obvious in every interaction we had with the company and its representatives.

We were able to find answers or get help using whichever method we preferred (email, phone, website or live chat), even on nights, weekends and holidays. Everyone with whom we spoke was knowledgeable, professional and proactive in helping us. They also appeared to be empowered to “go the extra mile” to ensure that we had a positive experience without having to get permission from a supervisor.

Based on my personal experience, Saatva consistently delivers on its promise to provide superb customer service 24/7/365

In a recent article, Saatva founder and CEO Ron Rudzin shared the story and significance of the company’s unusual name, which is well worth the read. For him and everyone else at Saatva, the name is “a reminder every day that we are committed to honesty, transparency, and putting our customers first. We try to live up to the principles embodied in our name, whether it’s through the helpful content we put on our website or the premium materials we put in our products.”

As a former marketing professional who has advised major corporations on improving their customer experience, I am a savvy and demanding consumer with high expectations. Saatva has thoroughly impressed me with not only its products and customer service but also its overall standard of excellence and ethics in doing business.

If you are thinking about a new mattress, bedroom furniture, bedding or gifts for better sleep, I encourage you to explore the Saatva website and talk to a knowledgeable Saatva Sleep Guide to help you make the best choice for your needs, regardless of what brand or model of mattress or bed you ultimately decide to buy.

What's Next: Which Queen or King Size Saatva Solaire Mattress and Adjustable Base Is Right for You?

Next week, I'll publish my final post in this series, 

Be sure to subscribe* to Review This Reviews to be notified when new posts in this Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper series (and my popular keto diet success series) are published!

*See the email subscription box in the sidebar; if you are viewing on a mobile device and don't see the sidebar in your browser, click on "View web version" at the bottom of the page.

Exchanging a Saatva Mattress: My Personal Experience by Margaret Schindel

Posts in This Series

Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper, Part 1: The Journey Begins

Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper, Part 2: How to Choose the Best Saatva Mattress for Your Needs

Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper, Part 3: Ordering a Saatva Mattress and Adjustable Bed Online — A Candid Review

Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper, Part 4: Saatva Organic Cotton Mattress Pad and Sheet Set Product Reviews

Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper, Part 5: Saatva Mattress and Adjustable Base White Glove Delivery and Setup

Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper, Part 6: Saatva Solaire Mattress and Adjustable Base Plus Product Reviews

Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper, Part 7: Exchanging a Saatva Mattress: My Personal Experience

Confessions of a Saatva Mattress Shopper, Part 8: Which Queen or King Saatva Solaire Mattress and Adjustable Base to Buy

Read more product reviews from our Contributors at ReviewThisProductReviews.com.

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Growing The Beautiful And Useful Evergreen Rosemary Shrub Reviewed

One of the most useful and lovely plants in our garden is the Rosemary. All year it delicately perfumes the garden with its gorgeous aromatic scent as you brush against it. Rosemary is a Mediterranean plant with fine needle-like but very soft leaves that emit a beautiful aromatic scent when handled or brushed against.

In summer it is glorious with its pretty flowers, delicate leaves and lovely aroma and even in the depths of winter I can stroke the leaves and smell the delicate scent on my hands. 

Being evergreen it provides structure and something lovely to look at when nothing is flowering and many shrubs have lost their leaves.

Beautiful Aromatic Rosemary In Flower. Photo By Raintree Annie

Ways To Grow Rosemary

• We grow it as a decorative shrub on its own as a single plant where we enjoy its beautiful scent and its pretty tiny bluish flowers. 
• It is also grown as a low hedge with several plants spaced about a foot apart growing into each other to provide a loose hedge that can be clipped to the desired height and width. 
• We keep young plants in pots near the house for clipping new shoots for cooking and baking. 
• It is always a lovely idea to grow Rosemary where you will be walking close by. So by a path or a seating area where you get the benefit of the aromatic scent every time you or your visitors pass.  
• It is evergreen and takes very little looking after. It is easy to propagate and simple to grow. We grow it in the garden in the ground and we also have it in pots.
• Rosemary has its individual needs and likes just as any plant but I feel it is a very straightforward herb that most people can grow in their gardens, patios, or even when young, on a window sill. 
• Whether you have a large garden or a small garden, whether you incorporated it into your garden with other shrubs and flowers, or grow it in a herb garden as in the photo below, it is a very versatile and lovely plant.  

Herb Garden Barnsdale Garden Geoff Hamilton. Photo By Raintree Annie

Care Of Rosemary

• We should plant rosemary in the Spring or Autumn/Fall. I always do it in Spring in my clay soil garden so they get a chance to establish themselves before the winter hardships start. If you have more suitable soil you could do it in either season. 
• Add some bark compost or leafmould or simply fine gravel or grit to the planting hole in order to break up the soil structure and improve the drainage if you need to. 
• Each year we should give Rosemary a gentle prune once she has finished flowering to prevent her from becoming woody or spindly. Watch for any damaged or dying branches as well and prune those out.
• Pruning Rosemary is one of my favourite jobs in the garden as it is so fragrant and easy to do. Apart from those few jobs, there is nothing much else to do regarding regular maintenance.
• The only pest that bothers Rosemary is the Rosemary beetle. The small metallic-green and purple-striped beetles can be found on the underside of the leaves. I am lucky that we have never been troubled by it, but it is becoming more common. The beetle itself was once thought to be a severe problem to Rosemary, but it has since been found that it usually doesn't cause too much damage.

Rosemary Flowers Photo By Raintree Annie

Soil And Water Conditions For Rosemary

• Being from the Meditterean, Rosemary loves to bask in the sunshine, so a sunny spot is a must for this plant. It likes free draining soil and a sheltered place in the garden. 
• Having said that I currently have three very healthy Rosemary plants growing in full sun and a sheltered position, but in heavy clay soil, which is far from ideal. I do worry about them each year in winter when the soil becomes a claggy, heavy, cold and wet place to be, but so far they have coped admirably with this. They have managed because I grew them in pots for a couple of years before I planted them in the garden. So they were bigger stronger plants when they had to cope with the less than ideal circumstances. 
• I do however take cuttings every year and have some Rosemary growing in pots of well-drained soil in case I lose the bigger plants.
• If you have anything but well-drained soil I would recommend you take cuttings every year. I do not think Rosemary will live as long in heavy clay as it would in ideal well drained soil but they are healthy. If I was starting the garden again I would grow Rosemary in a raised bed so that I could give it ideal conditions.  
• In terms of watering, I never water the shrubs in the ground. Even in last summers heatwave Rosemary was perfectly happy. I do water the rosemary in pots and the cuttings when they become dry.  

Last Years Rosemary Cuttings Photo by Raintree Annie

Propagation Of Rosemary Cuttings

I take cuttings every year from the Rosemary bushes I have and so always have an abundance to keep or give away.

Taking cuttings is very easy. I have never grown Rosemary from seeds and understand that can take a very long time. So it is best to buy your first Rosemary, then take cuttings to make more.

Before you prune the rosemary for cuttings have everything you need handy. Cuttings can dry out very quickly and if they do they will not grow, so act quickly,

• You require gritty compost, pots preferably terracotta but plastic will do, hormone rooting powder if you can get it, a pencil, a watering can full of water, a sharp knife and secateurs. 
• Cut stems of about  4 to 6 inches long using your secateurs and gently remove the lower leaves. Lay the cutting down on a hard surface and using a sharp knife cut just below a leaf node (the point where the leaf has been growing.) 
• If you have hormone rooting power dip the ends of the cutting into it. I often do not have it so skip this step. 
• Place the stems into pots already filled with free draining gritty compost. You may need to make a small hole with a pencil first depending on how dense the compost is. 
• It is best to place the cuttings around the edge of the pot so they are not touching each other. 
• Then simply water well and place it where it is sheltered and shaded, not in direct sunlight, until they have rooted. 
• After about 4 weeks check to see how they are rooting. If they are rooting well you can at this point pot them on into their individual pots using a loam based compost. 
• If not give them another few weeks. Keep watering well so that the soil is moist but not waterlogged. Once they are in their own individual pots we start them on a feed of liquid fertiliser.    

Rosemary Spring Photo By Raintree Annie

Rosemary Uses In Cooking And Baking

I like to incorporate Rosemary into cooking and baking wherever possible and as I grow it we have an unlimited and fresh, organic, pesticide-free supply year round.

It can be used for so many dishes including potatoes, meat and baking. Also in soups and stews, bread, stuffing and roasted vegetables. We love the extra flavour and aromatic scent. 

I always prefer to strip the leaves off the main more woody stem and wash in clear, cold water before using. 

For ideas on how to use Rosemary in cooking/baking please take a look at the links below. 

Reviewing Baking Irish Soda Bread With A Twist by Raintree Annie 

Grilled Rosemary Ranch Chicken by Sam Monaco

If you are interested in cooking with herbs you may like this book  The Herbal Kitchen from Amazon.

Rosemary Benefits To Wildlife.

Bees love Rosemary! This plant has tiny blue flowers that appear irresistible to bees. All summer they are so busy flying from flower to flower and so intent on their work that it is completely fascinating to watch. It is mesmerising watching bees and I would, if I had the time, watch them for hours, but even a few minutes is such a relaxing pastime.

  

Personally, I find the scent of Rosemary very soothing and relaxing. I love those little bags of Rosemary leaves to put under my pillow and in my clothes draws to give them a lovely scent. 

We give Rosemary in terracotta pots as gifts dressed up with a bow or other trimmings. It makes a simple and quite lovely little gift that the person can keep for a long time. 

We cut stems of rosemary and bring them into the house to put in vases like we would fresh flowers. I also buy Rosemary oil to scent our home in diffusers. 

I enjoy growing Rosemary and would not want to be without it in my garden. For such a lovely, easygoing, low-maintenance plant it has great beauty and benefits.

More Gardening Articles

A Review Of The Elaeagnus Shrub In The Garden

Reviewing Ten Ways To Keep Garden Plants Alive During A Drought

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Moving House With Your Garden Plants Reviewed

A Personal Review Of The Inspirational Gardener Geoff Hamilton

Reviewing The Benefits and Drawbacks Of A Manual Lawn Mower

Growing Magnificent Magnolias In The Garden Reviewed

Reviewing Restoring A Metal Garden Swing Seat

How To Grow Camellias In Your Garden Or Container Reviewed

Review Of Wolf ByPass Secateurs

Reviewing Growing Annual Sweet Pea Plants And Flowers

Reviewing The Growing And Care Of Bottlebrush Plant

Reviewing How To Put The Garden To Bed For Winter

Metal Wind Spinners For The Garden Reviewed

Spring Woodland Walks For Wellbeing Reviewed

Why Insect Hotels Are Good For Wildlife And Gardeners Reviewed Growing Vegetables In Outdoor Containers Reviewed.

Review Of Wolf Garten Shears For The Garden

Gardening Reviews By Contributors On Review This Reviews

Diary Of A Wild Country Garden 

Essential Wildlife Gardening Gifts  

Raintree Earth Designs

More Gardening Articles By Contributors on Review This reviews at 

ReviewThisGardening.com

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Reviewing Miracle LED Grow Lites for Small Space Indoor Growing Areas

I am not an experienced gardener. Especially when it comes to starting seedlings and growing plants indoors. I often kill more plants than I grow successfully. But I recently purchased the Miracle LED Grow Lite bulbs for my setup and I'm having excellent results with growing starts and plants indoors. I have a very small space to use for plants so I wanted to share what I've learned so far and encourage anyone - even people limited in space - to try growing indoors.

I previously used two high lumen, daylight CFL light bulbs to help keep plants alive in my apartment. I thought they worked well. Since then, I've moved to a home with a wonderful south-facing window. But during the winter and early spring months, my plants still need additional lighting. A friend suggested that I purchase grow light bulbs with red and blue spectrum. I didn't even know what red and blue spectrum was so I did some research. While I am still using the CFL bulbs I believe that the addition of the Miracle LED Grow Lite bulbs have made a significant improvements in my ability to grow indoors.

Miracle LED Grow Lite Bulbs

I started to do some research when my friend suggested that I purchase grow lights with blue and red spectrum. I was familiar with "daylight" bulbs with high lumens. But I had no clue what blue and red spectrum meant.  I learned that there are MANY options to choose from. There are grow lights on stands, hanging grow lights in one large fixture, and shelves with built-in grow lights.  I already have a shelf and a small area so I chose Miracle LED Grow Lite bulbs.

I purchased 3 separate bulbs: The ultra daylight white, the Absolute Daylight (TM) max flowering with red, and the Absolute Daylight (TM) max grow with red and blue LEDs. 

The online description of the Ultra Grow white bulb states:

"Miracle LED Commercial Hydroponic Ultra Grow Lite - Replaces up to 150W - Daylight White Full Spectrum LED Indoor Plant Growing Light Bulb for DIY Horticulture & Indoor Gardening"

Advertising for all of the bulbs states:

• Nearly zero heat output
• up to 10x longer life than standard bulbs
• contains no mercury and emits no UV
• replacing 150W flood
• based on NASA Color Spectrum Technology
• UL listed
• runs for $1.44 per year

The description on the box for the Absolute Daylight Max Flower with Red states that the bulb is "ideal for plants and vegetables. Promotes flowering and fruiting"

The description on the box for the Absolute Daylight Max Grow with Red and Blue LEDs states that "red, blue, and daylight spectrum light for intense plant growth."

Previously, I had no idea that different spectrums of light are helpful for different plants or plants in different stages of their life (growth versus flowering). I had no clue that red spectrum light promotes flowering.  Now I know the very basics and my plants have clearly benefited already.

My Small Space Growing Shelves

As I mentioned above, I now live in a home with a wonderful south-facing window (southern exposures provide the most light). However, with the shorter days, I need to provide supplemental lighting. The pendant light cords and Miracle LED Grow Lite bulbs allow hours of additional light. 

My home is small so I have to keep my growing area small. I had an old shelf given to me that I repurposed and use for my indoor garden space. I am able to wrap the pendant light cords around the frame of the shelf and add the grow bulbs. The pendant light cords allow the height and placement of the bulbs to be adjusted as the plants grow. 

The growing zone for my area is 6a. However, I live on a ridge and that higher elevation seems to put me in 5b at times. I am learning how to garden here on the ridge and hope to start most of my own seedlings in the future. Because I live an a colder climate, starting seeds early helps to lengthen my growing season. I am also experimenting with growing vegetables to harvest indoors. I've recently started squash plants indoors and I've successfully gotten them to the stage of blooming. If I can successfully grow indoors, I'll have fresh vegetables year 'round.

I am currently having excellent success with this set-up and am very excited about learning to grow indoors. This is a short video of my indoor garden update thus far. 

I am quite sure that the Miracle LED Grow Lite bulbs are major part of the reason I currently have green, healthy plants growing in my little window garden. 

 

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

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