There are many obsolete technologies since mobile phones began taking over the world. I miss the elegance of watches in particular. However, some vintage technology is just misplaced and not obsolete. Frogs are one of those.

Not frogs of the living kind, but these frogs which were used in floral arrangements. The frogs usually came with a vase (or flower holder of some kind) which they fit inside. So the frogs were made to fit the vase.

Sadly the frogs were easily lost or misplaced. So not every vase still has the frog it came with originally.

We recently lost the frog to one of our own vintage vases. It was a silver frog, one of those which had to be polished. I hope we find it again, before it gets heavily tarnished. I can clean it but I can't do much if the silver gets pits in it from being tarnished. I'm sure this is why silver has lost it's popularity. As lovely as it still looks, stainless steel is much easier to look after.

Have you seen any frogs lately?

Vintage flower frogs...what are they? How many 'frogs' do you have?  How many did your Mom or Grandma have?   Frogs were used in the bottom of vases to hold the flower stems just right. They are usually metal basket weave grid, or fine textured metal spikes or made of clear or colored glass disk with holes....

Source: Flea Market flower frogs

Tomato cages are the best thing I can think of for the garden. Sure there are other garden tools but what else can you leave out there season after season, rain, sun or even the occasional late or early snow? Tomato cages!

Of course, tomato cages aren't just for tomatoes.

In our garden tomatoes aren't even the first plant we put the tomato cages on. Anything which tends to grow tall and then fall over gets it's own cage. Not for the plants which fall over as they finish their season but those which will bloom all summer. You don't want the plant to need the tomato cage. Plants should be able to battle the wind and still stand upright (unless heavy with fruit or vegetables).

Tomato cages work great for daisies of all kinds. The flowers tend to make the plant top heavy and then you don't see them even though they can bloom all summer.

Climbing plants can grow up a tomato cage but this is best for annual climbers because you want your perennials to grow up something permanent like a garden fence, a shed, a gazebo, the wall of your house, or a trellis of whatever kind you choose.

Tomato cages can train your shrubs and bushes.

We used to rope the Rose of Sharon bushes up to the fence every year. But, over winter the ropes we used (to be fair we just used what was around, even birthday party ribbons more than once) the ropes broke and the plants tend to overlap them in between seasons as we prune branches and new branches grow out. So, we started using tomato cages while the plants were still small to a medium tall in size. Once they grew too big we went back to the usual staking them up with rope, ribbon, etc. However, the plants grew pretty straight while the cage trained them so most don't need help now. Just the occasional branch which grows too far over the driveway and might scratch the vehicles.

Just for fun... decorate your tomato cages.

Add some sparkly things, twine some ribbon through the bars and whatever other great idea you get. People use tomato cages to make Christmas trees but they are so over looked as a great, cheap and fun way to decorate your garden.

Sadly, I did not see hot pink tomato cages on Amazon. I would have loved that colour in the garden. You can find yellow, red, green, blue and Earth tone colours via Amazon.

But, don't settle for less than the colour you want. Spray paint the tomato cage any colour you choose.

If you believe in karma and the good and evil sort of philosophies... is it possible that someone who has done a lot of bad things and caused great harm can still redeem themselves by being a gardener and giving back to life and goodness by creating good things in green ways? If the whole thing of life and having an afterlife of some kind is based on checks and balances can someone who has not been good to other people still be considered a good prospect for the afterlife if they have done good things with the other living creatures in our world? Or, do we as people think we are so self important that good deeds to plants and animals do not out weight bad deeds done to human beings?

Once you take time to think about this, write a character who isn't considered a good person and yet this same person has the most amazing garden which he/ she keeps themselves, working with their own hands to create it and keep it beautiful and growing.

The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. - George Bernard Shaw

I found this quote after I wrote this post. Just thought I'd find something nice to add about working in the garden. But, this is far more interesting.

We tend to think of things we want right now, or in the near future. Yesterday I was watering the garden (watering in the compost really) and I began thinking about what I want 10,000 years from now.

Besides the fact that I would like to be immortal and actually see the world in 10,000 years, I would like to see seeds from the plants I'm tending now. Imagine seeing the new seedlings growing from their great-great-great-grandparents, which you watered 10,000 years ago. I like to think that I made a difference, however slight. Maybe I will never have fame and fortune, but there will be trees here which I helped grow.

At least, there should be. If not for that band of rogue aliens which come to Earth in 8462 and torch the whole place, for no reason. Just some freak road rage incident.