Category Archives: Home

April, blogging, flowers, garden, gardening, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, Home, hummingbirds, Natural World, seaonal change, Shop Local, southern living, Spring, Spring Gardening

Hummingbird Season

April 23, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

Excitement and anticipation… emotions from a few weeks ago upon the first spotting of a tiny hummingbird! My first little hummingbird zipped right by me as I sat on my back porch. It signaled my brain that it was time to get busy and get my feeder out ASAP! I busily hurried along to find my feeder, throughly cleaned it, and began my first batch of clear nectar.

Are y’all ready for hummingbird season? Here in North Carolina our season officially begins each year around Late March – mid April. Ideally, it’s a good time to place your hummingbird feeder out around tax season, April 15th as they are warm season birds.

If you haven’t prepared for your tiny visitors yet, you can visit us at Wilkes County Hardware for a great hummingbird season. We have already had a few questions regarding hummingbirds… feeders, etc.

Did you know that hummingbirds tend to return to the same areas as the previous year? Hummingbirds are migratory birds and they will be eager to find a full feeder. Hummingbirds will return to the same source of food each and every year, if it is readily available. Be ready with a clean, full feeder for your favorite little hummers.

Stained glass hummingbird now available inside Wilkes County Hardware

Creating A Hummingbird Habitat in your own backyard

1. Hummingbird feeders ideally should be placed 15-20 feet from a window. Shrubs and trees nearby for resting areas for hummingbirds as they feed, and a have water source close by like a bird bath or a fountain.

2. Hummingbird Feeders should be cleaned out every few days as the temperature begins to warm up and feeder should not be placed into full sun.

3. Hummingbirds will be attracted to all the beautiful colors in your yard/garden. Bright and vibrant flowers that can attract hummingbirds like Vines, and tubular flowers and some perennials are welcome sources of nectar.

Plant a variety of flowers to keep hummers, bees and butterflies happy all season long!

4. Your Hummingbird feeder should be easily visible for your enjoyment and easy to spot by the hungry little hummingbird.

A Shepherd’s hook is a great way to showcase your new hummingbird feeder from Wilkes County Hardware

5. Be patient, it may take several weeks before you notice any little hummers at your feeder. Leave your feeder in place for a least two weeks before moving it to a different location.

6. Lastly, use CLEAR nectar in your feeder only. Yes, hummingbirds love the color red, but nectar is clear in its most natural form like the beautiful red, tubular flowers that hummingbirds love to feed from in nature. If you wish to attract more hummers, then go for a red hummingbird feeder and clear nectar.

April, blogging, Crockpot Cooking, Hardware Store Life, Home, recipe, soup, southern cooking, Southern food, southern living, Spring, stew, supper

Pork Stew

April 21, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

My grandparents grew up during the Great Depression. The one thing I learned from them was never to be wasteful with food. Granny always saved the smallest portion of food and they used leftovers at the next meal often as a new side dish. It wasn’t always a “reheat and eat” type of side dish… They also used leftovers as a soup or even made a casserole. Waste wasn’t part of growing up during the Great Depression. Everything was used to the fullest extent.

I must admit, leftovers do get away from me sometimes, and they end up not being eaten before the expiration. I created this recipe out of necessity, using what I had on hand in the refrigerator and using up my leftovers.

Leftovers are a great opportunity to experiment with pantry staples and mixing in your leftovers. Challenge accepted!

As you review my recipe, please feel free to add your leftover veggies, pantry staples, and spice blends into this recipe to make it your own. This would be similar to a Taco Soup flavor profile or Mexican Chicken Soup as far tasting and key ingredients. Enjoy!

Pork Stew Ingredients:

-Leftover pork chops or chopped pork (2 grilled pork chops cubed )

-Chili powder, red pepper, black pepper, salt (1/2 tsp each ) I used these to make a blend of spices to sprinkle over pork chops

– Canned salsa or Rotel (I had 1/2 can salsa left so I used it)

– 3/4 c Button Mushrooms diced (sauté in soup pot with dried onion and dash of Italian seasoning)

– Shredded carrots (1/4 c)

– Beef bullion cube- see note below

– Water 2 cups ( Note: 2 cups of beef stock can replace water and beef bullion)

– 1 can dark red kidney beans (drained)

– 1 can White beans (drained)

– Tomato sauce (1 small can)

– Handful of Frozen corn (leftover roasted or grilled corn would definitely add to the dimension of flavor)

Prep and Make: Easy Stove top recipe or even Crockpot

1. Sauté mushrooms in spices (dried onion and Italian seasoning) in your large soup pot.

2. Add shredded carrots and sauté for a few minutes. Add the diced leftover pork chops, add black pepper/chili powder spice blend. This spice blend will give it a nice kick. Reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/4 tsp to reduce spice.

3. Pour in salsa or Rotel. Stir well. Add water and beef bouillon cube or beef stock (see note above)

4. Add tomato sauce, all drained beans and a handful of frozen corn. Stir well. Simmer on low until vegetables are cooked.

5. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and cornbread.

April, blogging, flowers, garden, gardening, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, Home, hummingbirds, Natural World, old hardware stores, photography favorites, recipe, seaonal change, Shop Local, southern living, Spring, Spring Gardening, stew

April

April 3, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

April, preparing her “green traffic light”… April, a month when Spring moves from a quiet, slow, slumber to a full blown reality. The trees fill out with abundant green leaves almost overnight, and the grass greens up. The last of the cooler nights are a short- lived phenomenon and the warmth of a lasting Spring has arrived.

**No Fooling Around**… April 1st sunrise was absolutely stunning.

**Solar Eclipse sunrise**… lots of clouds in view

April 12th… This series of 4 photos were taken the morning after the brief tornado touchdown in our neighborhood. We are fine, no damage to our home. The skies were dramatic this quiet Friday morning.

Blooming in the Garden during the month of April

***Peony buds are beginning to show signs early this year. Normally my peonies are in full bloom around Mother’s Day.***

**Solidarity among the purple blossoms**

**In full bloom along the front sidewalk**

New Recipe Alert 🔔

**Pork Stew and cornbread on a rainy April Sunday afternoon view complete recipe here…** Pork Stew

In the Wild

**Wispy Wildflowers along the Greenway**

**First signs of strawberries** 🍓 **beginning to ripen**

**These sweet horses walked up to have picture taken near Shiloh General Store**

Finished Creative Pieces

**Poppies are glazed and ready to enjoy!**

Happenings inside the hardware store in the Month of April

**New on the blog.. the Spring is Here** MUST HAVE itemshttp://Spring is Here! Garden Essentials 101 April is here and the Gardening season is upon us! I have prepared for y’all a quick list of TEN basic gardening essentials that are selling quickly … https://hardwarelifewife.com/2024/04/06/spring-is-here-garden-essentials-101/

**New locally sourced products arrive during the spring season**

**Hummingbird season is here!** Hummingbird Season

**April 22nd -Earth Day-** Earth Friendly products found inside our hardware store

**Oh no Wally!** Our Front windows received a fresh update this month

**Open doors and empty chair ready for you!**

blogging, clover, family, finding inspiration, gardening, Hardware Store Life, Home, luck, March, memories, Natural World, photography favorites, Spring, Spring photography, St. Patrick’s Day

Finding Clover

March 17, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

Many people consider clover as an invasive weed in their lawn. I believe it is now a LUCKY task for the finder… no matter if you find a 🍀 four leaf clover, all are lucky!

Why do you suggest it is a lucky task???? Clover spreads and often can take over in your grass. Is that lucky??? Well maybe not if you love a perfectly manicured lawn. But for those who continue to read this story maybe you find a bit of inspiration in finding clover today.

I found this green patch of clover flourishing several years ago in my grandparents yard. It was a thick patch of clover that was overtaking an area in their lawn near the driveway.

It was a beautiful capture for me as a photographer, and I cherish it as a sweet memory of my grandparents yard and flower garden.

Time has passed and I recently found this quote concerning clover that is too good not to share today as we are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and it provided me a bit confirmation of what I already knew.

Legend says that each leaf of the clover has a meaning: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and, if you can find a 4-leaf clover, the fourth leaf represents luck.” —Jean LeGrand

I never found a four-leaf clover 🍀 in that small patch of clover at my grandparents house, but I was definitely LUCKY. My grandparents gave and showed me all three of those characteristics…hope, faith and love. So I consider myself to be the luckiest person alive. Here’s to you finding a beautiful patch of clover today.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

almanac gardening, blogging, flowers, Forsythia, garden, gardening, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, Home, March, Natural World, Plant Lady, Shop Local, southern living, Spring, Spring photography

Forsythia, Spring is Here!

March 6, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

One of the happiest and brightest shrubs in the Southern landscape has to be the Forsythia. You may also know Forsythia as “Yellow Bells”, due to the shape and color of the blossoms . I think the first time I ever heard the term “Yellow Bells” reference to a Forsythia, came from my Granny many years ago when I was growing up.

**Complete Spring** … Forsythia has 4 petals on each bloom… Forsythia blossoms from the spring are produced on the old wood from previous year. The remaining buds overwinters… the leaves are a gorgeous reddish color in the fall season. A complete bush in all four seasons.

Once the Forsythia breaks into bloom, Spring is not far away. Maybe that is why I consider it to be a “happy bush”. The sunny, vibrant, buttery-yellow blooms signals my brain that the spring gardening season is not far away. That in itself is JOY.

*Forsythia is native to China and other parts of Asia*

I recently read that the word Forsythia is related to anticipation. Yes, I get that… the anticipation of SPRING… Beautiful, joyful things yet to come.

What can we learn from the Forsythia??? The blooming Forsythia maybe our slumbering winter wake up call. The arrival of these vivid blooms definitely launches me into a spring planning and gardening clean up mindset. Rightfully so, because it is truly the time to begin focusing on some key elements for your lawn and garden maintenance, taking our cues directly from Mother Nature via the blooming Forsythia.

*Forsythia is a fast growing shrub but if you must trim it wait until after blooming has been completed.*

Once the forsythia finishes blooming, pre-emergents (for weed control) can be used in your lawn. A Pre- emergent is used to help prevent weed growth in your lawn… before the weeds actually begin!!!

If you use the “gardening cues” from the golden blossoms of the Forsythia, and apply your pre-emergents on time, it should then be re-applied three months later, so think about another application in June.

A multi-tiered approach may occur at your home… the focus on the garden… starting seeds indoors or even beginning to think about planting cool season crops once the Forsythia blooms are fading all the while working towards a beautiful, green, and healthy lawn. Whatever you decide to plant or grow this year, just enjoy it, savoring the season.

As you are reading this, the time to begin your lawn care maintenance is upon you! In a few short weeks, your actions will be futile if you delay using Pre-emergents and other actions will be necessary in order to avoid weeds in your lawn in the form of post-emergent weed killers like these in the photo.

*Post-emergent Weed control for lawns: 2-4D works well to reduce weed growth without damaging lawn*

*Forcing Forsythia inside can be a lovely way to brighten your mood on those cool, rainy, foggy days in March*

Within a few days these blooms are opening up! Use a knife to slice the bottom of the stems to open them up so more water can flow into woody stem and make sure to remove bottom blooms in place in warm water.

The Forsythia is legendary to hold medicinal qualities in past centuries. I believe that still holds true for me… maybe not so much in the traditional medicinal sense. The vibrant yellow hues are medicine to my soul, gearing up for another sensational Spring. Happy Spring Y’all!

The Hardware Life – A wife's journey into the hardware business