Rocky Mount Gourds & Treasures of Louisiana

While spreading more compost today on our various crops, I noticed the deer have been in the field again!! Time for drastic measures........I check the electric fence, and discovered it is not working. It took a little while for me to get up the courage to touch it, not knowing what to expect? I am not only getting out the Scare Eye Motion Activated Sprinkler, but mixing up that horrible combination of eggs and garlic to spray. That should do it,  with the addition of the terrible cologne and deodorant that someone gave my husband. Spraying it on strips of clothes and pinning them around our crop.

I have also learned these past few weeks to NOT be angry when we do not get any rain. We were spared the violent storms and tornadoes just north of us in Arkansas, Okla., Kansas, Texas and Tenn. I decided, after seeing the devastation,  that our Lord gave us a water hose for a reason. I just need to put out the drip system earlier this year!! "Thank you Lord for the water hose"!!

For now, The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is!!

Good morning, everyone!!  I pray that the others in our great nation will have the glorious weather that we are having here this week!!

Everyone know there is so much difference between north Louisiana and South Louisiana, even the climate is drastically different.  I have always been envious when I go to Lafayette, LA and see, what I consider, house plants growing huge in the flower beds there.  I really realize the difference, when, my husband's cousin tells us he is having his first new potatoes from his garden.  Tomatoes plants there have been planted for months, south of New Orleans where they live (The "East Bank" they call it).

Here, in N.W. Louisiana, our plants have been the ground less than two months, but are doing great.  After the five pick up truck loads of mulch and compost, I certainly would be devastated if they were not!!  I can't wait for the first Seedless Tomatoes, so I can report how they taste and how resistant they are to all of the various problems we all have with the plants.

Please keep our workers and the people that live down here in your prayers because of the oil spill.

For now, The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is!!

For those of you interested, there is another Facebook page set up for volunteer opportunities and other information concerning the Gulf Oil Spill. When logged in to your Facebook page you can do a search for "Dirty Cajuns" and it will take you to the page. It is called "Dirty Cajuns" because Cajuns are going to have to get dirty to help get this cleaned up and save our wetlands, God creatures, our homes, livelihood and possibly our culture!!

For now, the Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is!!

If anyone is interested in factual information about the Louisiana Offshore Oil Spill, there has been a page set up on Facebook. Just do a search for Louisiana Offshore Oil Spill when logged in on Facebook.

The page contains opportunities for volunteer work all over the Gulf Coast as well as job openings to work with the oil spill clean up.

This is devastating to our whole nation.  I hope our Government puts more safeguards in for the oil corporations to stand up to.  The spill may totally destroy the wetlands that provide a buffer from the effects of hurricanes, at least that which is left and not already destroyed by the oil corporations.

I have already read of volunteer opportunities in Alabama for helping with the wildlife!!

For now, The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is!!

Just an update on how the composting and mulching is going!! After three days for pitch forking and shoveling compost...I was telling myself I was doing "weight bearing exercises" and this was good for me. That worked for quite a while, then came the "I don't want to do this anymore" thoughts.  I found I just needed some rest.  After a day in town, I was ready to get back with it.

Now we are through, almost, and five loads later, I still could use at least one more load and can actually think about the possibility.  It is wonderful to pile compost and mulching around those potato plants as they grow up and I plan to do the same when the tomatoes get larger, just can't wait. 

The weather has to get more stable and warm, but I know that will come with time, and all too soon.  Just can't be pleased.

For now, The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is!

I wanted to share with anyone interested what I have found to stop the invasion of spider mites on my tomato plants.

 For years I have been plagued with spider mites on my tomato crop, until one year I did some heavy composting.  That was the only year, out of  25 or more that my tomato plants have not been wiped out by spider mites.

 It was a "school of thought" that spider mites only invaded where the humidity was low....well, living in Louisiana, is it possible to have low humidity?  No, of course.  It was not the lack of humidity, it was the lack of ground moisture that was effecting the plants.  I put the barrier cloth down and then the heavy compost everywhere.  It blocked the weed growth, as well as kept the moisture in the soil!!!  NO spider mites that year.

I have talked myself into it again this year.  It has taken over a week, but it will be worth the work.

If you can get a tree service company to dump piles of the chopped up leaves and limbs, this will eventually turn to compost.  Just leave the pile for a couple of years.  Even if you use it before it composts, it is great mulch in the garden area.  Maybe not around the house, but in the garden, it is great!!

Again, for now, The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is

Oh, here they come again with the helicopters to spray the wooded areas at Rocky Mount.

 And, the frogs have just returned this past year after a very long absence!!

 It was probably ten years ago that a helicopter was out spraying the defoliants in the forest behind our home.  My husband and a young neighbor road the four wheelers to back to watch.  The next day we found out that the company had sent someone around telling people to stay inside their homes while they were spraying, but they missed our house!!

 I sure would like to find out what they are spraying today!!  Guess we have the right to go and find out from the trucks that are hauling in the "non-lethal elements"?? like what they used to use?? 2-4D maybe? I know that was in the past, but not that many years ago......The huge insurance companies that own the woods today don't even know what they are doing...

I am so excited!! Our Seedless Tomato Plants have finally arrived. I have started seedlings in the greenhouse, but they are not growing as fast as I would like!! The Seedless Tomatoes will be such a blessing to my husband this year. When he over indulges, hopefully, he will not have the stomach problems as in the past. Will keep this updated on the progress of the new plants.

Could not resist!!  Being born and raised in Louisiana!!1

 WHO DAT!  SAINTS GEAUX ALL THE WAY!  FINISH STRONG!

For now, The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is!!

This is a wonderful time of year. Here at Rocky Mount the pecans are covering the orchard and we are getting ready to create fresh New Orleans Style Pralines!!! All of the jellies and jams are finished, for now, and time to get back to the gourd crafting business too!! I just finished creating awards for the Dept of Culture and Tourism for the Cultural Awards for the year awarded annually by the State of Louisiana. It was such an honor to be asked to create awards for such distinguished honorees of Louisiana. Here at Rocky Mount we create jellies, jams, birdhouses, and farm gourds. Our gourds are used for a fine crafting which I enjoy creating many different designs and use the Louisiana Long Leaf Pine Needles in my basketry to create what I like to call a Gourdsket!! It is a combination of a gourd bowl and a basket. We are having the most wonderful Arts Market on the Red River at the Barnwell Garden and Arts Center in Shreveport, LA. Not too far for me to travel for my work to be displayed and sold. For today, I remain, Gourdially yours, Susan Breeland, The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is!!

 

After a long battle with family health matters, we are getting back to our Gourd Business!!!  This is an exciting time of year.  The crop is almost through, at least what the deer didn't have for dinner!!  It is harvest time!!

 For those that are not familiar with the gourd harvest, make sure you don't harvest too soon!!  The stems need to be brown.

We have also been creating many new jellies and jams and will have them on our site soon!!  Anyone for Jalapenos???  Love them!!!

For now, The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana That Is!!

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I am testing putting images into this blog, so if this doesn't work, please forgive me.

It is such a wonderful project to have with children, you will love it!!

Hope you have a wonderful day.  It is raining here and I am hoping I will get to Gourd Art today!!

The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is.....

We have been busy cutting and trimming unwanted trees and limbs.

 We have a way that makes it, at least, partial fun!!

 My husband installed an extension on the bucket of the tractor, using heavy plywood so I could stand on it.  We have a small generator going and I use an electric chain saw (not too heavy).  He can lift me up high enough to get to many unwanted limbs.....this is actually a fun way to go about it.  At least HE gets a kick out of it!!!

The clean up is not so bad when you throw a chain on the ground for the limbs to land on and haul them off with the tractor to the burn pile.

This is a good way for me to help, as I cannot use the heavy chain saw, but can use the electric one!!

We have put up our Martin Houses using a similar method too!!  Don't have to drag a 14 foot ladder around doing it this way.

Still watching for Purple Martins!!

The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is....

We had wonderful weather here today, in N.W. Louisiana, it went from a cold 20's to possible 54 degrees.  We should be so thankful for this.  I spoke with a gentleman today that lives in northern Arkansas, he said it looks like a war zone there because of the ice storm.  They have been without power for several days now, and not sure when it will be back on.  This really makes one appreciate things more!!

To view the image for this project, simply right click on the image and click on 'view image" and the image will pop up. 

I want to give you an idea for a crafting that would be good with children of many ages using the Buffalo Gourd.  You can create Indian Rattlers, either large or small ones for Christmas Decorations.  Children of all ages enjoy this one.  All you need is a small round gourd, Buffalo, we call it.  If not a Buffalo, you may use a Dipper Gourd.  Cut a hole in the gourd to fit a stick, possibly an inch wide.  You may clean the seed out (and save them for planting) and put in some small pebbles.  Glue the stick into the gourd through the hole that you cut.  You, or the children may decorate the gourd with acrylic paints, or marking pens.  To preserve the design, later you may use a light misting of polyurethane spray.  If you would like, you may further embellish the stick (handle) and gourd with leather lacing and feathers.

This is a great project for Boy Scouts too!!  I used it often in Arts In Education in the schools in Louisiana.  I am adding an image of a couple of completed ones so you may see.
For now, have a good evening,
The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount!!

Sorry for not posting for a while, but we were clearing an area behind one of the barns that was overgrown, and the bamboo kept coming up inside of the barn.BAMBOO!!!!I love bamboo, but

My husband has no appreciation of it when it is so invasive.

When he planted it, I could just see all types of things I could do with it.I even tried torching it one evening.Had more fun, but it actually didn’t bend as I wanted it too.I see all types of elements from nature that I can use to further embellish my Fine Art Gourds.I do a lot of weaving onto my gourds to create a Gourdsket (combination of a gourd bowl and basket).One particular evening, my husband had

gone to a meeting and I saw my chance to play.That is when I made small strips from the bamboo.I had been working on a bamboo design on a gourd and wanted to use real bamboo around the top.

It took much patience, and it almost worked.I finally completed the gourd in pyroengraving and staining…maybe I will try bending bamboo again someday.For now it will be used for bean poles and tomato stakes!!

Now, it is time to get back to the Purple Martins.I noticed on my calendar that I saw the first scout

on February 17^th last year.Checked the Purple Martin Conservatory website and there have been

sightings in Shreveport, LA, just 30 or so miles southwest of Rocky Mount, on the other side of the Red River.

If any of you have any input you would like to make about your Purple Martins, or pictures you would like to share, just email them to me here on the Local Harvest website.And don’t forget, it is not too late to order your Purple Martin Gourd Houses.

For now,

The Gourd Lady of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, that is!!