grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert Divorce. I’m in mourning.

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I’m in mourning over the Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert divorce. More upset than I probably should be for a couple I didn’t know. Based on the social media explosion, I’m not the only one.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert

photo attribution: (Flickr) Larry Darling under Creative Commons 2.0 license (no changes to photo)

 

Once again, we are reminded that no matter how perfect life appears, things aren’t always as they seem.

Perfection belongs to fairy tales and movie endings and romance novels. Real life is just that—real. The stuff of country songs.

Here’s the thing. We needed to believe in the love affair of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. Even though they are both gorgeous and charming and make more money in a month than most earn in a lifetime, they seemed normal. And real. Like best friends from high school or the boyfriend that got away.Continue Reading

Parmesan Croutons – take your salad to a whole other level

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Parmesan Croutons

The next time you make a salad, add homemade Parmesan croutons to take your greens to a whole other level. Like the top floor. The ease of preparing these croutons compared to the flavor added will leave you wondering why you don’t always have homemade Parmesan croutons on hand. I call this the Flavor Multiplier Effect (FME) something I just created based on all that economic theory I learned at Baylor in the eighties. Sounds official, doesn’t it?Continue Reading

During the dog days of summer, my garden is the boss of me.

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during the dog days of summer, my garden is the boss of me.

Right now, this time of year, my garden is the boss of me. It’s a fact. I plan my day around watering and deadheading and weeding and watering again. The dog days of summer are tough ones on new plants that aren’t well established. Babysitting. That’s what I’m doing.

Webster defines the dog days of summer as: 1) the period between early July and early September when hot sultry summer weather occurs in the northern hemisphere; and 2) a period of stagnation or inactivity. Check and check! The origin of the phrase (first known use in 1538) came from their being reckoned from the heliacal rising of the Dog Star (Sirius).Continue Reading

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