Author: mjkisner

Greyhounds Still in my Heart!

Over the last few months I’ve been working on researching and producing various products to make life more comfortable for greyhounds and their owners. Thanks to Toni Duchi and Nittany Greyhounds, their wealth of knowledge and experience with greyhounds gave me a lot of guidance on what some of their issues were.

Healing Salve for your Paws!

An issue shared by the greyhounds was the difficulty owners had with keeping their dog’s paws soft and their noses undamaged. The salve that I made with calendula-infused olive oil and beeswax felt good on our hands as a lotion bar. Why not make something a little softer with the right essential oils that were safe for dogs? I also discovered the great healing properties of Manuka Essential Oil while I was researching Manuka Honey. I tried using the honey in my products but it just didn’t incorporate easily into soaps and lotions easily. I found Manuka Essential Oil had many of the same healing properties but incorporated well into those products. This salve was soothing and helped with healing paws and noses.

I’ve now made over 60 salves and they are ready for labels. We will share them at the Greyhound picnic on August 15.

Healing Shampoo Bar for your Fur!

I was asked if I could make a flea soap for the dogs. I’ve been making soap for several years…actually, it’s melt-and-pour soap with enhancements…so I made a batch with a goat milk soap base to see if I could incorporate the necessary essential oils to repel bugs. I gave this soap to a volunteer at the kennel who also grooms dogs. I also gave her one of my Aloe Vera soaps that I make for myself, since I’m not happy using goat milk soap…may be my allergy to milk? She used them on two dogs that were in the kennel at the time. She said she preferred the Aloe Vera soap! Interesting! Thanks to Teresa for testing these out!

Why not just medicine for fleas?

Dogs can be given a pill that will kill the bugs if they bite the dog. This medicine is hard on the dog’s system and really is too little too late. If they have already bitten the dog, they leave behind a sore, itchy spot that is irritating. According to the research any soap will wash off the fleas, however the flea soap can aggravate the sore spots.

So now the focus shifted to a healing, soothing soap and then we’d figure out a topical spray that could deter the bugs from landing in the first place. Essential oils have a good track record of being soothing to the dog while offensive to bugs. Let the experiments begin!

My Aloe Vera soap recipe uses an Aloe Vera soap base with an additional Shea Butter soap base. Then, extra Aloe Vera gel and powder is added. Finally, Lavender and Manuka essential oils enhance the healing qualities of the soap.

Even the shape of the bar matters…a smooth oval was deemed too slippery when wet. The heart shape seemed to give the appropriate hand hold in the notch.

I now have 50 shampoo bars of Aloe Vera soap ready for the picnic. Since I can’t put a label on the bar, I’ll put each bar in a mesh bag so I can include the card with each one. It’s important to me that folks know exactly what’s in the bar.

Natural Bug Repellent for Dogs, not Cats!

The next challenge was to figure out what kind of spray would keep the bugs off the dogs. The first issue was to research which essential oils are safe for dogs. After reading many lists from many sources, I settled on this combination of oils:

For healing (and apparently the bugs don’t like these either): Lavender and Manuka Essential Oils.

For bug deterrent: Eucalyptus, Lemongrass and Rose Geranium.

Because there are very few essential oils that are safe for cats, I’ll make sure to put on the label that this spray is not for cats!

I was going to mix up the spray in 8 oz. spray bottles but decided that they might not travel very well. So, we’ll offer the refill and folks can buy the spray bottle or go home and use their own.

We’ll offer these tester spray bottles at the picnic so folks can try it on their dogs right there.
Now I have a bunch of bottles ready for labels!

These are not necessarily the finished products, but we’re hoping folks will give them a try and give us feedback. As I said at the beginning of my blogging adventure back in March, the Greyhounds are Still in My Heart! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Late Summer Door Quilt

Time for my Patriotic Door Quilt to retire! The colors in the fabric were starting to fade. The block I chose for August and September is called Grandmother’s Pride (sometimes called Courthouse Square).

Here are the four previous door quilts lined up, beginning with the Christmas stocking made from recycled neckties. (See earlier postings for each of these blocks.)

Given the parameters I’ve set for myself…a single quilt block with borders about 12″ to 14″ square, with the outer color being lighter so it will show up on our dark red door…I usually start with Marsha McCloskey’s BLOCK PARTY book…a mix and match book of 9″ blocks.

I love the way the pages of instructions are laid out and I have many of the templates already cut. Each page has a color picture of a finished block, a diagram showing the straight of the grain for each piece, step-by-step how to assemble the pieces, alternate color choices and how many of each template to cut.

All the templates are diagrammed in the back of the book. All I have to do is lay clear template plastic over the template I want, trace the lines and cut out the template.

Since I usually plan to hand stitch the pieces, I need the stitching line marked not the cutting line. Then I draw around the template onto the back of the fabric and cut each one out, leaving about 1/4″ to 3/8″ seam allowance. It doesn’t matter if I’m exacting in cutting…the stitching line is what matters. So, I trace the inner line of the template.

I have made many of the blocks in this book, so I have many of the templates already cut out. All I have to do is dump them out on the table and sort through to find the ones I need.

The block I’m making needed only three templates, as indicated on the box of instructions at the bottom of the page. The shapes in the diagram refer to the diagram at the top of the page, which shows the straight grain of the fabric with arrows. You can see on the chart below, Template T5 will be used to make 4 of Shape A. They also give instructions if you are using a Rotary Cutter.

Now that I know I will need 4 different colors, and I know I’m aiming for colors of the season…late summer greens and a splash of color, I head to my bins of fabric. I have found I tend to look for fabric by color, not size of the piece. Most of the fabric I have is cotton and is washed right after I buy it.

In the “Green” bin I found these choices:

This is how I arranged the pieces:

Next, I tried out some strips to see what I liked for the border:

I’m pleased with how the finished block shows up on the door!

So, my door is decorated for the next two months. Around the beginning of October, I’ll find orange fabric to make something for Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving. Such fun! Enjoy!

If you have comments or questions, email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

How to Save Echinacea Seeds

The Echinacea plants in the garden are looking very pretty, especially because we have several different varieties. Three plants I purchased at a local plant sale. Bert started the rest from seed indoors in the early spring. A friend asked if I would save some seeds for her so I decided it was time to research how to do that.

I found a wonderful site online where the author walked through the steps to saving the seeds. It even had an embedded video clip of him putting the dried seed heads into a coffee can and shaking them hard to loosen the seeds! I won’t try to embed videos in my blog, but I will post a link to the article I found helpful.

Written by Joe Foster. https://growitbuildit.com/harvest-echinacea-seeds-an-illustrated-guide/

Step 1 said to cut off the seed heads when the blooms have faded and turned brown. Already I could see I would have a problem, because I have several different colors…when they are brown how would I know which is which?

So first, I went out to the garden and took some close-up pictures of the plants. Then I numbered them on the picture and made markers to put beside the plants. In the fall, when they are all brown, I should be able to keep the seeds I collect separated by color (theoretically!).

The markers I made out of skewers for the grill and wind corks we had saved. I wrote the number and color on the cork with a marker.

Then I went up to the garden and placed the markers beside the plants. I did not mark every plant, because the way we planted them and where the picture shows them along the fence should be enough.

Anyway, at least now I don’t have to remember what color is where. When they start turning brown, I’ll continue with Step 2!

Step 2 said to store and dry the seed heads in a paper bag. Great…I’ll have to go get some paper bags…maybe lunch bags??

Step 3 said to knock the seeds off the heads. The author did this by putting several seed heads into a coffee can and shaking vigorously. This should release the seeds from the seed heads.

Before storing, the seeds should be allowed to dry another week or so exposed to the air. They can then be tossed gently in a strainer to separate out the chaff that gets mixed in.

Step 4 said I can then store the seeds in an envelope for several years.

The only issue is…I don’t know if the original seeds we bought were hybrid seeds, in which case they will not necessarily reproduce the same plant when grown the second year. If they don’t, oh well…at least I’ll know how to do it for the future!

So, while I’m waiting to continue this process, I’ll just enjoy the colorful flowers in the garden! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly if you have questions at marykisner@comcast.net.

Trying my air fryer…again!

Two years ago, we invested in an air fryer. We thought it might keep the house cooler in the summer instead of turning on the oven. Who doesn’t love crispy foods without all the oil? Most of the folks we talked with said they were great to prepare frozen French fries so they turned out crispy. Very few people we knew actually prepared recipes from scratch. Our daughter also uses hers as a toaster!

We have a great toaster/oven we use all the time, so we didn’t think we would replace that appliance. We really don’t buy or eat frozen French fries. Most of the recipes I found started with a breading of some sort made with eggs and seasoned bread crumbs. Since I avoid coatings like that because of my allergy to eggs, I first tried making chicken “nuggets” by cutting up boneless chicken breasts, coating the pieces with oil and seasoning and cooking them in the air fryer. That worked well, but certainly made a mess inside the fryer. Too much oil! Broiling them in the oven on foil was much easier to clean up! Needless to say, storing the air fryer was a real pain! It was finally relegated to a cupboard in the garage.

Fast forward to today. We recently enjoyed veggies that were skewered and cooked outside on the grill (thanks Todd!). We love grilled vegetables! How could we get them more often? There are just two of us and we usually don’t bother firing up the grill for a quick meal. We wondered if the air fryer could be useful?

First, I had to locate the air fryer in the garage cupboard and figure out where to set it up. I have a small kitchen without a lot of counter space. Before the Pandemic I had just a table for a work surface in the kitchen. During the Pandemic, Bert stayed busy by building me an enclosed table/cupboard that was just the right height to knead bread…my main request.

This table/cupboard has a shelf that slides out so I can store three large appliances. I rearranged appliances and made room for the air fryer. I can move it to the table when I want to use it. (see the pictures below)

Our air fryer is called the Instant Vortex Plus. I think it’s made by the folks that made the original Instant Pot popular.

Our air fryer comes with two shelves and a rotisserie basket. It rotates as it cooks so I don’t need to flip foods halfway through the cooking time. I guess I could also use the long skewer and do a whole chicken or roast, but I’ve not tried that…yet.

I found the instruction manual and picked up a new cookbook that looked like it might have smaller portion sizes. Turns out, much hasn’t changed about air frying…most all the foods needed a batter of some sort, which won’t work for me. I did find two recipes online that sounded like what I had in mind: one was for air frying vegetables, another was for baking a potato with a crispy skin.

I could see the basket would be helpful for the veggies…I wouldn’t have to flip anything halfway through the cooking time.

Air Frying Vegetables

The first thing I noticed in the recipes was foods were sprayed with spray oil, like PAM. I think that would cut down on the drippy mess of too much oil. I didn’t need a lot of seasoning, so we started with salt, pepper and a simple Garlic & Herb Salt Free seasoning (from McCormick).

The first batch had green beans, asparagus tips and onion. The second batch had red sweet peppers, broccoli and zucchini.

We preheated the air fryer to 360 degrees (took about 4 minutes) and put the vegetables into the basket, one batch at a time. When the air fryer beeped to tell us it was preheated, we put the basket in and set the timer for 7 minutes. I tried to take a picture of the basket rotating…but obviously it’s a still picture. Haha.

The basket was a little awkward to open when hot, but it worked great!! Just perfect with our pork chops for dinner.

Now that I have a place to store the air fryer in the kitchen, and have figured out the details, I think we’ll do this more often. It’s great for just one or two servings without heating up the oven or the grill. I consider my experiment with the air fryer a success! Enjoy!

Notes:

–An air fryer with a non-rotating basket or drawer should work just as well. You will have to take the basket out about halfway and give it a shake.

–Next time I think we’ll increase the temperature to 370 degrees and give it about 8-9 minutes to crisp up the edges.

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Garden Update July 24, 2021 Second try!

The garden is going into production mode! With over 6″ of rain this month so far I’m just grateful the garden drains well and the sun comes out once in a while. Time to show you how things are growing.

First, we have the row of lavender and the first row of carrots. Hope you can see the lavender buds ready to pop. I’m so hoping the whole row will eventually be in bloom at the same time. I have memories of the lavender fields in California that were so impressive. Plus, I can dry the buds and use them in my soaps and skin care products.

The second planting of carrots are doing well. The end of that row has a few late green bean plants. That’s where we tried to grow beets, but nothing came up. Must be the seeds. Oh well…I can buy beets at the Farmers’ Market.

I couldn’t resist pulling a few carrots just to see how big they were.

This section had two rows of green and wax beans. My California granddaughters helped me pick them and we ate them right away! Very tasty!

The extra beans went into the dehydrator and now fit in this little bag. Storage is easy and they are ready to toss into soup anytime.

These two rows were the second planting of green and wax beans. Yesterday I picked the largest green beans. Today, the largest wax beans were picked. By Monday many more will be ready to pick.

We have lots of tomatoes…only one was ready to pick.

The echinacea is finally making flowers. Who knew we had such a mix of colors? I hope the bees enjoy them.

As I walked down the hill, I passed the cucumber plants and peeked under the leaves. Surprisingly, the few plants that are left are making cucumbers!

So, this is my early morning harvest today! There are still some hot days ahead this week so things will start ripening faster.

We do not have a huge garden this year, but it is fun to check it out each morning. If I really want a quantity of produce, the Farmers’ Market is still my best choice. At the end of each season, I can usually get large bags of cucumbers or tomatoes to make into relish or spaghetti sauce for a good price. Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Garden Update July 24, 2021

The garden is going into production mode. With over 6″ of rain this month I’m just grateful the garden drains well and the sun comes out once in a while! Time to show you how things are growing.

First, we have the row of lavender and the first row of carrots.

Hope you can see the lavender buds ready to pop. I’m so hoping the whole row will eventually be in bloom at the same time. I have good memories of the lavender fields in California that were so impressive. Plus, I can dry the buds and use them in my soaps and skin care products.

The second and third partial row of carrots are doing well. The end of that row has a few green bean plants. That’s where we tried to grow beets, but nothing came up. Must be the seeds. Oh well. I can buy beets at the Farmers’ Market.

I couldn’t resist pulling a few just to see how big the were.

This section had two rows of green and wax beans. My California granddaughters helped me pick them and we ate them right away! Very good!

The extra beans went into the dehydrator and now fit in this little bag. Storage is easy and they are ready to toss into soup anytime.

These are the second two rows of green and wax beans. Yesterday I picked the largest green beans. Today, the largest wax beans were picked. By Monday many more will be ready to pick.

We have lots of tomatoes…only one was ready to pick.

The Echinacea is finally making flowers. Who knew we had such a mix of colors? I hope the bees enjoy them!

As I walked down the hill, I passed the cucumber plants and peeked under the leaves. Surprisingly, the few plants that are left are making cucumbers!

So, this is my early morning harvest today! There are still some hot days ahead this week so things will start ripening fast.

We do not have a huge garden this year, but it is fun to check it out each morning. If I really want a quantity of produce, the Farmers’ Market is still my best choice. At the end of each season, I can usually get large bags of cucumbers or tomatoes to make into relish or spaghetti sauce for a good price. Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly if you have questions at marykisner@comcast.net.

Quick fix for a chair head rest

Changing color schemes in our living room isn’t too hard. The furniture is dark wood and brown leather. I add color around it. I seem to have established a common element…a small quilt hanging above the sofa. This started years ago with a full-size quilt draped over the rod (thus the hefty rod on the wall). After that I went with smaller wall hanging quilts that I could make by hand. They satisfied my love of hand-piecing quilt blocks on a smaller scale. I can change the color scheme in the room by changing the wall hanging and swapping out pillows and throws to coordinate the color.

The Cathedral Window quilt hanging that I made several years ago was blue and white and I love it, but I tired of the color over time.

The most recent quilt (that I’m phasing out) started with a plan to make a full-size quilt for Kathy, but by the time I had hand-pieced a few blocks her colors had changed and I lost my motivation. So, it became the next quilt on the wall.

Of course, as I change color schemes, the pillows and throws on the sofa have to change too. A small matching piece of fabric provides a pad on Bert’s chair to protect the back under his head. Thus, I had used extra fabric to make this:

Now that I’ve finish the next quilt, changing my color scheme to gray and burgundy, his chair needed a new head rest piece. This is the new wall quilt:

So today I pulled out the extra fabric and whipped up a new head rest pad. I had two fat quarters and trimmed them to 14″ x 21″ and added a piece of batting.

The fabric pieces are right sides together on top of the batting. I stitched around the outside, leaving a 4″ opening to turn right side out. I hand stitched the opening closed and top stitched around the edge. In half an hour I had the final piece of my decorating! Finally, everything matches! Whew!

I am definitely not a decorator, but somehow these quick changes I can handle. The slowest part is hand-piecing the quilt, but that makes a good winter project…one block at a time! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly if you have questions at marykisner@comcast.net.

California Family in Pennsylvania

Ted’s family has been visiting us from southern California for the last two weeks. It’s been two years since we’ve been able to give them all a hug! Luckily, Ted is able to work remotely and Erin is a teacher and can travel in the summer. The girls are 15 and 12. We try to plan a few activities but mostly we let them explore the area as they like.

Here are some photos of their visit. (Thank you, Erin, for having your camera ready…you took some wonderful pictures of your activities!)

Of course, no visit to Boalsburg is complete without a guided tour of the Boal Mansion Museum & the Christopher Columbus Chapel.
Near the Mansion are lots of new trails with blueberries along the way.
It was time to bake a cake to celebrate birthdays!
Happy Birthday Erin, Annika and Aislinn!
The girls were very helpful at bean picking time!
There are always lots of craft projects at Grandma’s house.
We had to try my new soap molds. (Gee, I look like I’m gritting my teeth! I wasn’t, really!)
They couldn’t resist the local swimming pool. Lots of updated stuff since they were here several years ago.
Ted remembers learning to swim at Whipple Dam, so they had to check it out.
Most of the time Ted was hard at work…
…but who can resist a game of horseshoes!
They couldn’t come to see Grandpa without a little shooting!
This is what they were aiming for!
And of course, a trip to the Penn State Creamery was necessary!
They said the Creamery offered only one size of ice cream cone! Riiight!
Can’t come see Grandma without checking out the greyhound kennel on the edge of town.
This hound got special attention from Aislinn.
The most exciting event of their visit seemed to be the huge thunderstorms we had this past week! California is dry right now and all that rain invited dashes off the porch to feel the rain.
Three power outages gave us a chance to light all the lamps and remember why most people went to bed at dark way back then. Of course, we all had backlit e-readers and phones, so we were fine!
The rainbows after the storms were impressive!
That concludes some of the adventures with our California kids and grandkids! They will head out tomorrow to get home in time to get ready for a new school year. It was a great visit!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net. Enjoy!

Happy Anniversary! July 15, 2021

Today is our 54th Wedding Anniversary! I know! Hard to believe! Actually, we celebrate the date we eloped in 1967…

My goodness we were so young!

…not the next August (1968) when we fessed up and told the family. Long convoluted story for another time! We renewed our vows and had the reception! Who knew it would last 54 years!

Bert, Grandpa John Bixby and Mary.
Bert made me this beautiful box/picture frame last year. A real keepsake!

Our family now has two grown kids with kids of their own! We were thrilled to spend time with all of them over the last few weeks. Ted’s family lives in California and it’s been two years since we’ve been together. Luckily Kathy’s family is near Pittsburgh so we’ve seen them more recently. We are blessed!

What a pair!
All four cousins got to bond and Erin was able to get into the picture too! Not sure how Steve got away with not being photographed!

What a wonderful visit! More pictures about what they did at Grandma’s house in the next post! Enjoy!

Email me directly if you have comments or questions! marykisner@comcast.net.