Fair, Fairs, I love Fairs!

by Diana McCollum

I don't know about you, but I'm excited for spring and the Fair Season! I especially enjoy seeing what others make or grow.

Diana writes paranormal romance, always with a happily ever after. In her latest book "The Witch with the Trident Tattoo" you'll find a heroine and hero to root for as they fight against an evil force set on killing all life in the oceans. Along the way are colorful characters. A teenage mermaid with pink hair who can come on land for short periods of time,  an octopus familiar named James, and a host of others.




A great anytime of the year read, "The Witch with the Trident Tattoo".


Fairs have been around since before 500 B.C. Fairs were mentioned in the bible as places to socialize and sell goods.

Over time, the fair morphed away from religion and commerce and into periodic gatherings attended by crafters, food brokers, clothing stalls and livestock for show and sale. People bartered for, and exchanged goods, not that much money changed hands, but lots of goods did.

The actual first date of the original fair is unknown. 

The first fair in America was recorded in 1765, in Windsor, Nova Scotia. In 1792, the first fair of Niagara was held, by the Niagara Agricultural Society. Both of these fairs still occur each year right through the present day.

Today, there are around 2,000 fairs each year in North America.

Now days fairs include, but are not limited to: food, shows, rodeos, games to play for prizes, carnival rides, 4-H exhibits, horticulture, livestock, all kinds of new innovated things for sale!

Personally, I love the fair! Hubby and I try to go every year. Here in Deschutes County there is one day , usually opening day, when seniors get in free. We missed that day this year, hubby wasn’t feeling well, but did go the next day to walk through the exhibits. 

What I learned is there are so, so many talented people in this world. From paintings by 13-year-old kids to gorgeous photography to quilts that are definitely a work of art, it humbled me to see all the creations by everyday amateur individuals.

Most exciting, unusual thing we saw? A couple cowboys riding Long Horn Bulls through the streets of the fairgrounds!

Most beautiful craft was this quilt.

Most beautiful flower? This two toned gladiola. 

The most exotic thing? This Styrofoam head decorated with food and flowers.

Do you have a fair near you, and if you do, what do you like doing the best? For me it’s the inside exhibits, including the animal barns.

Enjoy your spring which starts in a couple weeks!

Solstice gardening and beyond!

 by Diana McCollum

Summer time for our household is gardening time. When we moved from the high desert of OR my husband said No more vegetable gardens. As he didn't have much luck growing vegetables at 3500 ft and in a dry climate. So what do we have now that we live in northern CA? 

A vegetable garden!!!

 We have all kinds of beans, eggplant, tomatoes, corn, Thai chilies , sunflowers, three kinds of squash, pumpkins, lettuce, radish, onions, potatoes, fennel, all kinds of herbs. That's not even mentioning the 2 cherry trees, pear tree, fig tree, apple tree that have to be taken care of and harvested. Yikes! Definitely a summer of gardening.

Plant and Garden expert Craig Hignight says this is the best time for farmers and gardeners to plant. Around the solstice "we get the best growth," Highnight said. "That's why we grow so much corn and soybeans in the Midwest" Pumpkins have been known to grow by inches overnight in the summer.

There are cold weather crops that are good to start at Solstice, some of the better ones are members of the cabbage family. Kale is one of the vegetables and it can even survive frosts and quite often continues growing throughout winter. That gives you fresh greens in the dead of winter time.  It is best to germinate indoors and then plant in prepared beds. 

If it is too hot the seeds may not germinate if sown directly into the prepared beds. There are a dozen plants you can plant at Solstice to harvest in the fall or winter.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Summer Solstice Plants: What To Plant On The Summer Solstice https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/summer-solstice-plants.htm

Come with me for a walk through our gardening areas:

The box above is fennel radish, green onions and herbs.

Box on right are cucumbers and squash.

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Tomatoes and potatoes and onions.

Tomatoes, eggplant, Thai peppers in boxes above.

String beans and peas

Pumpkin hills to the left.

Hill of Corn on right, husband is doing the three sisters method. that consists of corn, beans and squash all planted together. the corn grows up, the beans wrap around the stalk and the pumpkin or squash grow in between on the ground.

Husband's grape vines, he planted four but only two survived.

And then the sweetest thing of all in the garden, he trimmed this bush just for me!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of our gardens (not all).

Do you plant a vegetable garden? or flowers? or both?

We plant both.

(all pictures taken by Diana McCollum in her yard)