FREE Museum Admission July 2014 - A Bay Area Staycation at your local museums . . .

First Full Weekend of the Month is upon us!

Heat waves in the Bay Area find us indoors at a cool museum! Often, there is a FREE MUSEUM DAY in July 2014, located in a town near you. (Nationwide.) San Francisco, Oakland, Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Portland, Boston and beyond.

First Weekend of the month has the most FREE Admission opportunities. Have fun. Be inspired.

CLICK HERE to find other FREE MUSEUM DAYS in a city near you.

CLICK HERE to explore Bank of America Cardholder FREE Admission Days

San Francisco Bay Area Museums & Gardens:

Asian Art Museum is Free FIRST Sunday to the general public.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Oakland Museum is Free FIRST Sunday to the general public.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Chabot Space & Science Center w/BofA Card FREE First weekend.

Saturday, July 5, 2014 and Sunday, July 6, 2014

Contemporary Jewish Museum w/BofA card FREE First weekend

Saturday, July 5, 2014 and Sunday, July 6, 2014

de Young Fine Arts Museum of SF w/BofA card FREE First weekend

Saturday, July 5, 2014 and Sunday, July 6, 2014

Legion of Honor w/BofA card FREE First weekend

Saturday, July 5, 2014 and Sunday, July 6, 2014

San Jose Museum of Art w/BofA Card FREE First weekend

Saturday, July 5, 2014 and Sunday, July 6, 2014

Tech Museum w/BofA Card FREE First weekend

Saturday, July 5, 2014 and Sunday, July 6, 2014

Bay Area Discovery Museum - FREE First Wednesday, general public

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site in Danville, CA - FREE.

Saturdays Without Reservations.

Access to the site is by National Park Shuttle only.
In 1936, Eugene O'Neill was the first American playwright to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
The park is closed to visitors Monday through Thursday. Guided tours are only available on Fridays and Sundays at 10 AM & 2 PM. Reservations are required for guided tours of the site. 
Self-guided tours are offered on "Saturdays Without Reservations" at 10:15 AM, 12:15 PM and 2:15 PM.

As an added bonus, there are special FREE days at gardens, Regional Parks, Swimming Pools, Museums not normally advertised:

San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum (located at Golden Gate Park) - FREE Admission SECOND Tuesday of the month, general public

Tuesday, July 7, 2014

Ruth Bancroft Garden - FREE Admission First Tuesday of each month, general public

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden - FREE Admission FIRST Thursday of the month, general public

Thursday, July 3, 2014

San Francisco Zoo Coupon - One FREE Child Admission, With One Paid Adult Admission. Expires 12/31/2014. CLICK HERE for printable coupon.

East Bay Regional Park District - FREE 3rd Fridays. Enjoy Swimming at lakes and swimming pools, Parking, Admission All FREE.

Friday, July 18, 2014

John Muir National Historic Site - FREE Admission Wednesdays thru Sundays. Tour the historic fruit orchards and former home of Naturalist, John Muir.

FREE last Saturday, Campfire Programs

Saturday, July 26, 2014 at 7pm

Amazing Selection of DAILY FREE Passes through your local Library

CLICK HERE:  DISCOVER & GO program, Search YOUR city.

CLICK HERE: Contra Costa County Library Discover & Go Partners and Offers.

CLICK HERE: Alameda County Library Discover & Go Partners and Offers.

Do you wish to learn about gardening? FREE Education...

If you really wish to learn about gardening, order your free seed catalogs. I've made it super simple for you, just click and order from several different seed companies: Kid's Gardening, Seeds of Change, Bountiful Gardens, Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek Seeds (Rare Seeds), Territorial Seed, Burpee, Gurney's, Henry Fields, Southern Exposure and Tomato Growers Supply Company.

Seed catalogs are packed full of useful information. (Education!) Share the catalogs with your children. Plant some seeds. Delight in the color photographs. Learn the history and origins of vegetables. Organic gardening solutions. Alternate pest control methods. Beneficial insects. Predatory insects. How to grow micro greens, baby lettuces, winter veggies, cold weather, warm weather, rainy weather. Any weather's the right time for gardening!

If you need seeds - I'll donate them to you. Let's get growing!

The catalogs are free. A beautiful, wonderful world of gardening awaits you. Become inspired. Garden. Grow. Live. Learn. Eat healthy!

Happy Harvesting.

A few garden related articles I've written over the past years:

FREE - Seed Catalogs
http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/04/thursday-april-23-2009-free-seed.html

Homegrown, Gourmet Salad greens for your Thanksgiving Day Feast
http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/10/homegrown-gourmet-salad-greens-for-your.html

Calling All Parents, Educators, Schools, Church and Civic Groups
http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/05/calling-all-parents-educators-schools.html

Local Foods, Local Tastes. At the Contra Costa County Library
http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/09/local-foods-local-tastes-at-contra.html

40 Days, 5 Cents, Fresh On The Table
http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/05/40-days-5-cents-fresh-on-table.html

Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower
http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/05/happiness-held-is-seed-happiness-shared.html

Weed Out The Hybrid Seeds
http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/05/weed-out-hybrid-seeds_24.html

Nasturtiums from our garden
http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/04/nasturtiums-from-our-garden.html

How is your garden growing? FREE SEEDS, Resources, Education, Gardening, Inspiration...

Spring Planting season is here! Have you always dreamed of gardening, but never knew how to begin. We're here to help! FREE SEEDS.

If you need free seeds, please contact:

AnnaAndAva@gmail.com

510.406.1625

SAVE seeds for next year's garden. That is the only way to grow a sustainable self-sufficient garden. Composting is easy too, even my 4-year old can do it! Please search around and learn exciting garden tips and advice. Plant a seed today. Thanks for stopping by!

CLICK HERE for fun CONTESTS and GRANTS awarding real scholarship and prize money.

CLICK HERE for GARDENING inspiration

CLICK HERE for updated FREE SEED CATALOGS 2011

CLICK HERE for GARDENING GRANTS

Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower...

Good Morning Sunshine and friends of The Lemon Lady,

A simple request. Please save gallon milk jugs. Rinse them thoroughly after use, and save the lids too. My gardening project can leap to greater bounds if I have more milk jugs. I'm growing and inspiring others to grow all over Concord, Clayton, Walnut Creek and Alamo.

Seedlings are being supplied to four community gardens, so I can always use more help with my volunteer seedling donation project. For those who don't have time to volunteer...how about saving a few milk jugs for me? Thank you kindly.

Happy Gardening and Sweet Lemonade.

Community Outreach. Gardening. Inspiring Youth Volunteers. Let's change the world together!

A few easy clicks...

CLICK HERE for fun Contests and Grants awarding real scholarship and prize money.

CLICK HERE for Gardening inspiration

CLICK HERE for Other Resources

Happy Gardening! Happy Volunteering!

Have you ever done this?

Plant a seed. Watch it grow. Read a seed catalog.

If you're a Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, or Teacher to a little one, I encourage you to plant a seed today. Better yet, consider planting HEIRLOOM or open-pollinated seeds. A gift in the garden can last a lifetime. Children love collecting, so why not start your very own seed-saving collection. Perhaps join a garden club: California Garden Clubs, Inc.

Play, plant and grow together!

FREE Seed Catalogs 2010

A few to get you started:

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
http://rareseeds.com/catalog
(417) 924-8917

Seeds of Change
http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/catalog_request.asp
(888) 762-7333

Bountiful Gardens
http://www.bountifulgardens.org/inforequest.asp
(707) 459-6410

Seed Savers Exchange
http://www.seedsavers.org/CatalogRequest.aspx
(563) 382-5990

Territorial Seed
http://www.territorialseed.com/catalog_request
(800) 626-0866

Wild Garden Seed
http://www.wildgardenseed.com/requestcatalog.php
(541) 929-4068

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
http://www.southernexposure.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=99006&Category_Code=CAT
(540) 894-9580

Select Seeds
http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mngmnt/catalog_request.htm
(800) 684-0395

National Gardening Association
http://kids.garden.org/inquiry.php
(800) 538-7476

The best things in life are free...

A wonderful world awaits you in the pages of seed catalogs. Seed catalogs can inspire future generations of gardeners, farmers, and most important, seed savers! Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is one of the best vibrant, full-color, thick as a luxury magazine to lull away the winter blues. To order Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Catalog, CLICK HERE or telepone: (417) 924-8917.

Heirloom seeds are what the world needs now!

The catalogs are free. Order yours today, before they run out. Last year when I tried to order a second copy for my office, they had already run out of catalogs. When you're ready to recycle old catalogs, please donate to The Lemon Lady. We can share these as education materials for low-income community gardens. Promote Literacy. Support Education. Inspire Gardening.

For a list of other FREE seed catalogs, CLICK HERE.

Garden, Grow, Dream. Renee's Garden Seeds...

This is a beautiful line of dependable and unique seeds. I have loved spending hours delighting in the artwork and planting dozens of interesting seed varieties offered here. A few of my favorites from last year were: Vanilla Berry Nasturtiums, Pan-Pacific Stirfry Mix and the spectacular, climbing Trombetta di Albenga Squash.

Renee's Garden Seeds online catalog is always a source for dreaming and inspiration. So much to choose from, only so little land available...

Happy Gardening.

A few local retailers that carry Renee's Garden Seeds: Orchard Supply Hardware in Concord and Sloat Garden Center in Alamo.

The Best Free Guide for Freebies, Playgrounds, Hiking Trails, Museums, Resources and More...

From the BayAreaParent.com website:
Our 2010 Family Navigator is here, with all the best places to go, things to see, and stuff to do with your family. new this year: A guide to Freebies in the Bay Area.

I can't say enough wonderful words about this excellent publication. Nothing on the internet even compares to this handy print edition. Never leave home without it!

Be sure to keep a copy of Bay Area Family Navigator in your car. It lists so many exciting activities in a convenient format, telephone numbers, maps and other details.

The secret to enriched living as a stay-at-home mom on a shoestring budget - is not to miss out on hundreds of Bay Area activities, from free museums, zoos, animal and theme parks, even free sailing on the Bay. While toddling around California, there is nothing more exciting than introducing our children to the wonderful world around us.

Buckle up baby, go exploring! While you're at it, find a fruit tree, make friends with a neighbor (It's easy!), and enjoy some fresh meyer lemons, sweet tangerines or navel oranges this time of year. A great way to bring healthy, super local, free fruit to your family's picnic table, with plenty left over for local food banks too! Call the Lemon Lady if you need help getting started. Happy trails. Happy Harvesting.

Love Lemons,

AnnaAndAva@gmail.com

Where to pick up a free copy of Bay Area Parent, CLICK HERE.

Anyone have 5 minutes and 100 words for our schools? Only 3 weeks remaining for nominations...

More than $1 Million in computers, technology and cash will be awarded to schools this year in the Samsung Four Seasons of Hope Education Nationwide Contest.

Wouldn't it be nice to see a few Bay Area schools share in the more than $1 million in prizes of Samsung products, Microsoft software, Best Buy Gift Cards, and cash grants from DirecTV?

Mount Diablo Unified School District students and parents - are we up to the task?

To enter, or to learn more about the Samsung Four Seasons of Hope Education Contest, visit: www.fourseasonsofhope.com/education.

Anyone in the community - students (K-12), teachers, parents and local residents - can submit a 100-word essay (in English or Spanish) on how the consumer electronics, computer equipment and software awarded through Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope could benefit their school.

Entry Deadline is December 1, 2009. Do good. Have fun!

FREE - Seed Catalogs

Order yours today! Many seed catalogs can be ordered by telephone, or internet free of charge. Seed catalogs are very educational, filled with beautiful, inspiring color photographs. Children and adults love variety and learning all about gardening!

http://kids.garden.org/inquiry.php

(800) 538-7476

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/catalog_request.asp

(888) 762-7333

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/inforequest.asp

(707) 459-6410

http://www.seedsavers.org/CatalogRequest.aspx

(563) 382-5990

http://rareseeds.com/catalog/

(417) 924-8917

http://www.territorialseed.com/catalog_request

(800) 626-0866

http://www.burpee.com/ancillary/catalogrequest.do

(800) 333-5808

http://gurneys.com/catalog_request_qas.asp

(513) 354-1491

http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/MP/catalogrequest

(800) 213-0076

http://henryfields.com/catalog_request_qas.asp

(513) 354-1494

http://www.southernexposure.com/index.html

(540) 894-9480

http://tomatogrowers.com/USCatalogForm.htm

(888) 478-7333

Did you know there is a Whole Grains Council?

The Whole Grains Council is having an "I Love My Whole Grains" photo contest? You can win some really neat prizes, a cookbook collection, free food, a professional chef to cook a week's worth of whole-grain inspired meals.

The Lemon Lady found a cute one of The Lemon Lady Junior. Be inspired to cook whole grains for better taste and healthier living!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW:

Title: Whole-Grain Banana Bread at The Tea Party

Sweet Hostess couldn't wait for her tea party to begin before sampling the delicious, healthy desserts! Whole-grain banana bread crumbs scatter the white table cloth. Yummy!

Local Foods, Local Tastes. At the Contra Costa County Library...

It's too hot to work in the garden today. We're going to the library!

From the Contra Costa County Library website:

Celebrate the food and the local restaurants that make the Bay Area such an appealing place to live. Want to eat more healthy and support local farmers? Interested in eating more foods that are locally grown? Check out ingredients and cooking styles from this diverse selection of food books that all have ties to our local surroundings.

http://ccclib.org/checkitout/localfoods.html

Free education at our local libraries, and new books too. If you haven't already visited the online library catalog, you're in for a real treat. Check it out!

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

An Apple A Day...

An apple a day is out of reach for more than 36 million Americans. Click HERE to read the March 17, 2009 article written by the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.


Check out the Food Bank's Blog. Food Bank has a website, but they write a separate blog too!