Changes are in the Air…

Oh Dears… the changes… they are a-comin’… I can’t divulge some of them right now but as someone special said to me the other day, (paraphrased) “Just when life starts getting calm and settled, it all goes kaflooey!”  Never get “settled.”  


Some changes I can talk about here… Our church’s Easter Drama is coming up soon.  For you local-yokels, it will be April 13, 15-17.  Here is the official announcement and information.


Stretching the theme a little but I have a "newly changed" light fixture in my kitchen.  The old one was put up by Farmer-dear's parents back in probably the 1970s.  It has worked beautifully everyday for over 30 years.  I have a new fixture and new "daylight" bulbs now.  Will it keep going for 30 years?  All I know for sure is it is SO bright and there will no more cooking in the shadows or by flash light.  


Changing times… it’s almost spring!  It has been a couple of beautiful 70° days and then WHAM!  The cold front came in this afternoon and it’s wildly windy and very chilly tonight.  Warmer temps again by the end of the week. Schwoo~


While south of the Big City yesterday, I heard the Peeper Frogs.  None are singing here yet, but I always figure we are about a week later than the City for Spring advancements. The forsythia are blooming there and the daffy-o-dills too.  I figure in 2 weeks we’ll be blooming and “singing” too.


Just to keep up with “the neighbors”,  Farmer-dear tilled my 2 garden areas this afternoon.  

From 2 years ago, but same tiller and same Farmer.

This is the bed south of the patio.  It will be for flowers and shade loving plants--Hostas! Columbine! Bleeding Hearts!  Lupine!


The only veggies that ever did very well here were lettuce, peas, spinach and chard since they grew before the trees leaf out.  I will probably plant my sugar snap peas and put up the fencing for them again but as soon as they are done in June, I can pull it down and plant some annuals.  The edge closest to the patio is sunny all summer.


 I just read about planting potatoes in bottom-less 5-gal buckets.  We have an abundance of bottom-less cattle lick barrels (half 50gal drum size).  Farmer suggested using those for the tomatoes too, since one is not supposed to plant tomatoes where potatoes were the previous year.  
I’m hopeful that by using these taller containers I will:  
A.  Get more potatoes from fewer seed potatoes. (you just keep mounding up the dirt as the plant grows, then in the late summer, remove the container and knock the dirt aside to find the potatoes… no more digging for them!  Ds2 will be happy.) 
And B. Whatever varmint that keeps eating my tomatoes as they start to ripen will be deterred with having them 2 feet off the ground.  My only concern will be caging the plants.  I will need taller cages if I plant the vining kind of tomatoes.


I am reading “Lasagna Gardening” by  right now. 

 I’ve done variations of this type of gardening for years.  Basically it involves layers of wet newspaper, compost or mulch and then planting.  I want to seriously implement this in the main garden and plant more peppers, zucchini (darn squash bugs anyway!), onions, maybe green beans.  I’d like more perennial plants around the garden.  More rhubarb and some berries.  I have a pyramid strawberry “bed” that has never been used.  I just need to find a spot for it.  It’s hard living on a hillside.  And I’d like to plant more asparagus or move the bed I have by the peonies.




Speaking of Lasagna Gardening, few years ago I surrounded our Big Rock...

Thank goodness for a couple of friendly trees.

 with wet newspapers and rubber border and filled it all in with river rock.  The Rock needed to be “grounded” and this worked very well to keep the weeds out for a while.  I wish I had made the newspaper layer thicker as now the weeds come through, since the paper has disintegrated.  My hope this year is to “zap” the weeds as soon as we see them and also to plant some Yucca plants in that hot, barren landscape.  The Rock looks a little lonely up there all alone. 

While in the City this weekend, I noticed the pop-up garden centers are open.  Pansies!!  And my favorite family-owned bedding plant market will be opening April 25!  Be still my heart!  I don’t anticipate any huge events this early summer to keep me too busy, so I hope to get everything weeded, mulched and settled in before the heat gets going and actually have a decent garden again.


And then there are those Standing Salad Tables (read about those HERE) I made 2 years ago.  They need to be painted (Badly!) but they are just waiting for some new potting soil and seeds.


I guess it’s good that nothing stays stagnant and boring.  Shake out the cobwebs and throw open the windows of our souls to all the good things Father God has for us with each change in our lives.  Everything He allows for His glory and our good.


Be watching tomorrow for another Change… a new menu for this week. 


Hugs!
Kay~

** “Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.”  ~Pauline R. Kezer

Our "Brief 2-day Spring"

Good Morning Puffins.... technically it's morning as it was at 3:45 a.m. both yesterday and today.  Farmer-dear is working some over-time at the factory, so we all get up then... him, me and the cattle.  I don't mind quite as much in the summer as it is dawn about then, but in March, after daylight savings time has started (Way too early IMHO!), it's DARK!   But it is morning so we'll just get on with it...

Remember a few days ago when I mentioned the Blue-eyed One had the tractor and disk out for oats sowing?  I remember it well, for it was our 2-day Spring.  Here, let me show you how we spent it....

We had a thunderstorm complete with HAIL!  Those white blurs are more hail stones falling.   The hail ranged from quarter to pea-size .

This was a marble-sized hail stone outside the front porch.  If you look closely you can see a few pea-sized.

But shortly after that brief storm, the sun came out!  I hung jeans on the clothes line in the breeze and Farmer-dear did this...

Opening the drill boxes.

Reading the settings for oats.  (Notice the glorious sunshine on the hills.)

Pouring in the oats seed.  This was the last bag.  I helped by lifting the bags onto the walkboard. (I'm sure there is a technical term for that, but I don't know what it is.  I should ask Mr. Thinker.  )

Dumping out the last bits, as this was rather pricey seed!  And then off he went behind the hill until way after dark.  He was pleased he got finished and used all the seed.  

These "beauties" will have feed this winter.  We have a variety of colors in our lot now.  From pure white calves to these  funny brownish ones to dirt-colored ones.  Most of the Mommas are black, with a few brown and one white.  The Bull, Amos, is a white Charolais. 

Hello, Inquisitive.

And then it turned cooler (ok, cold) and Winter came barreling in for another round of rotten weather.  **sigh~**  To keep my spirits up, I went to the Thrift Store and found some bargains.

A gardening book, (the Farm Animal Ailment book is for Farmer-dear... I just don't want to know about any of that!), a Grace Livingston Hill book and an audio book for my sewing room.  Some serger thread.  I only got one spool to see if it will work for piecing quilts or if is too thick.  Some greeting cards.  And music cds.   

This morning (yes, I could see it in the dark) we awoke to snow on the ground, snow coming down and more in the forecast.   **bigger sigh~~**   On the bright side, we also had 2 new calves in the last 24 hours.  All is well with them and their mothers.  We are past the half-way mark on calving.  YAY!


I believe I'll be home today and while I should do some bookwork, I think it will more cozy to do my Bible Study, read more chapterz for our church's Bible Reading Challenge and then see how  many pinwheel blocks I can sew.  Also feeling like sewing some small giftie-type items like bags and tissue holders.  Both the laundry and dishes are caught up and it will only take a short amount of time to do the rest of the dailies.  


Final question... Chocolate Chip Cookies or Brownies?  


I hope Spring is firmly in place wherever you are (unless you are in the Southern Hemisphere, then I hope you are having a nice long, beautiful Autumn.)


Hugs!
K~
** "Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine."  ~Anthony J. D'Angelo

Menu March 21-27, 2011

Hey!  I remembered!  I told you I would post my menus and I remembered.   (With my brain these days, I take any victory I can.  ;o) )


Without any further delay or silliness....


Monday - "First Warm day of Spring" Chef Salads made with Romain lettuce and various toppings (hard-cooked eggs, good turkey from the deli, good cheese, tomatoes, avocados, homemade dressing for the Farmer) with grilled Ciabata Rolls;


Tuesday - "First Spring Supper Served at 8:30 p.m. because the Farmer was out in the field"  Pancakes made with egg, oil, half dry milk and half creamer since the milk went bad on me; leftover sausages from Saturday's company meal, fresh strawberries & cream (if wanted.);


Wednesday - "What the *%@$^* happened to Spring?"  Bean, Onion & Cheese Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, Pickles Jalapenos, Tomatoes, Avocados, Lettuce and Tapioca Pudding for dessert;


Thursday - "Really??!!  60% chance of SNOW/Rain mixture?!"  Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Frozen Mixed Veggies, Biscuits or Butter Sticks (for him, I plan to use mine for a strawberry shortcake dessert);


Friday - "I'm not Catholic anymore but Fish was made for Fridays"  Pan-fried Nebraska Trout, French Fries or left-over Rice, Cole Slaw or Mennonite Fruit Salad; leftover biscuits or toasted Tuscan Boule, (if there's wine, then no dessert for me) Individual Rhubarb Cobblers;


Saturday - "If I have to spend the day in the pickup doing farm errands there had better be a dinner 'out' at the end of this road!"  Seriously, we plan to go to the town where my sister-in-law lives (the Blue-eyed One's sweet sister), so it's probable we'll take them out for dinner.  At the very least, there will be lunch somewhere on the way and then we'll make do with leftovers for supper;


Sunday - "Sorry, Cook's Day Off"  I rarely have to cook on Sundays, but if I do, I'll make something fast like hamburgers or grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, raw veggies and whatever sweet thing we can find for dessert (cookies, ice cream, pudding, fruit.)

Looking over my menu for the rest of the week, I can see I only need to buy milk, potatoes, cole slaw mix or cabbage.  I like that kind of small shopping list!


Is anyone else doing a Pantry Challenge Week/Month?   I'd love to read your menu.  
And Thanks to Mrs. Mac for the suggestion of making a big Caesar Salad with my bitter romaine with croutons from our extra bread.  I may have to substitute some of the veggies this week for this for me... Farmer-Dear isn't a fan.  Or maybe make myself a Trout Salad on Saturday/Sunday evening.  I had a wonderful one on Sunday at a local bistro, only made with grilled Salmon. 


Happy Pantry Shopping!


Hugs
K~
** "If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you.  But you have no chocolate!  I think of that again and again!  My dear, how will you ever manage?"  ~Marquise de Sévigne

Pantry Challenge Spring 2011

Spring is "Springing Out" on the Prairie Farm

Everyday more perennials are poking their first sprouts out of the ground.  We have a few more calves on the ground.  And the Farmer hooked up to the disk last evening and prepped some oats ground up behind the hill.

Today is a breezy, chilly, humid/damp, unsettled kind of day.  Storms and a change back to winter is in the forecast but I remain hopeful.  I'm getting very spoiled
by these 50-70° highs.

(Update:  It turned out to be a wild day.  Chilly and breezy in the morning.  Humid and warm in the afternoon with a hail storm and a little rain.  Warm and breezy in the evening until the cold front came through.   Farmer-dear was able to finish working up that oats field and then sowed it in the evening.  God willing, the cattle with have oats bales next winter.)

One nice thing about the return of Spring, more daylight and warmer temps, is I have much more interest in cooking again.  I had a few growly days lately (ok... alot of growly days) ... sort of like a bear coming out of hibernation, but adjusting my supplements and adding a few more veggies, fruits and glasses of water to my diet has helped pull me out of that slump.  

We've also been adjusting our budget with the anticipation of the Farming Year beginning and the expenses associated with that.

One item to be cut was our subscription to the local "big city" paper.  I didn't read it on a daily basis but I do miss the ad flyers on Wednesday and Sunday.  I have subscribed online to the weekly grocery ads and I need to get into a habit of looking for the few other stores I find bargains (Menards, Wal-greens, Shopko, etc)

And while I'm sure I've missed a few good sales, I also know I have saved by staying out of the stores.   Except when I don't plan and impulse buy.

We did just that this weekend when a Salad Supper sounded good one day.  Not remembering how much or the condition of the salad greens in the fridge had us buying a large bag of romaine.  I found the bag of romaine hearts I had were perfectly "fine" and what I should have purchased was another jar of Miracle Whip (for Famer).  There was one on the pantry shelf, thank goodness.

Adding to the frustration is that both this new bag of chopped romaine and the bag of romaine hearts are bitter tasting.  Anyone have a good solution to this?   Farmer-dear is a 1000 Island dressing or French (in a pinch) dressing fan and will not eat ranch or vinaigrette and this is just too much lettuce for one woman to eat. 

We have a bread glut also at this time.  We had some wholegrain bread, then I bought milder bread when I thought Farmer was getting the stomach flu and then there were those ciabata rolls & Tuscan Boule on the sale rack.  The rolls are almost gone and the boule I'll stash in the freezer for the next spaghetti night.  I'm planning on a French Toast (or in Farmer's case "German Bread") for a meal this week.  I'd like to make a strata but He's not the biggest fan.

As I posted before we have been stocking up the old Farmhouse pantry while we've had some extra funds.  One thing I purchased, was a large bag of Basmati Rice.  I don't have room for it in my freezer so I'm cooking it, vacuum-sealing it and freezing it.  Then I have it ready to eat more easily during the week for lunches and quick suppers.  

Another plus to a well-supplied pantry & freezer is you can entertain on a whim.  Saturday evening we invited some friends over for a "Breakfast for Supper" meal, spur of the moment.  Except for the eggs, which they provided, (we were not near the natural foods store this week), it was a pantry/freezer pulled meal.  Waffles with butter, jelly & maple syrup, sausage, grapes and juice.  Easy-peasy.  The hardest thing was keeping up with the hot waffles for all the diners.

Speaking of my freezers... I haven't shown you my organized upright freezer.  (I'm so proud of myself!)

The top shelf has all my extra, small baking supplies.  Sugars, coconut, different-flavored chips, decorations, dried fruit and the like.

The second shelf has 2 bins of cheeses.  

The third shelf has other proteins foods -- cooked pork roast, chicken stock, "fake" meat products, and some regular rice (I forgot I had this when I bought the Basmati.  oy~)

The bottom basket has the frozen fruit I put up last year.

The door is a wild and varied place.  Let's see.... I spy more frozen fruit, some purchased frozen veggies, some home-frozen tomato juice, some power bars, bananas, hash browns and apple sauce.

No photos of the chest freezer.  After all, how boring is a big dark hole full of white paper lumps?  lol  Not that I'm complaining!!

So you see, we are not in any danger of starvation.  I'm back to only shopping for produce,  dairy, loss-leaders and only produce until the garden starts growing again.  I whispered a "HURRY UP!" to my asparagus this morning on my way to the mailbox.  

Stay tuned dear Friends.  I hope to start posting my menus again.


Happy Early Spring!
K~


** "Where man sees but withered leaves,
God sees sweet flowers growing."
~Albert Laighton

It's here! *shhh~~~*

Yes, dear Puffins... I do believe Spring may actually be here.  (shh~  don't say that too loudly or we'll have a snow storm tomorrow!)


While the warm temps have been very welcome, I'm trusting the other evidences more.


Such as:

My Thyme coming back vibrantly on the back porch.

Swiss Chard greening up, having survived the winter.

New baby calves in the lot.

Chives (and garlic, Surprise Lilies, Day Lilies and Peonies)  poking through to meet the sun.

The female robins are here and many other song birds, flitting here and there, nest building.  


I'm just waiting for the Peeper Frogs to start their Spring serenade.  There is an old rhyme about them starting to sing 3 times and then Spring is truly here to stay.  


I also know that until the Barn Swallows come back, we could still have a freeze.  Our earliest last frost date is April 15th.


I've missed the pea planting moon dates for this month, but my garden is just too wet to do any kind of planting yet.  We'll try for April along with the potatoes on Good Friday.


I'm trying to be patient.   Guess I'll have to do something else, like wash windows, clean cupboards, or....  


THIS!  

Happy National Quilting Day!!

Hugs!

Kay~

"Spring Cleaning

March bustles in on windy feet

And sweeps my doorstep and my street.

She washes and cleans with pounding rains,

Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.

She shakes the grime from carpet green

Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.

Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,

She ushers gentle springtime in."  ~~ Susan Reiner

It’s in the Small Things... Spring’s Coming

 Today I witnessed one of my favorite indictors of Spring.  

No, not the robins, although I do enjoy them.  
Not early budding flowers; it’s several weeks [months] too early for those. 
The peeper frogs are still hibernating on the pond bank.

No, this afternoon, I stood at my laundry room window and soaked in the sight of the small usually-dry creek/gully behind our house, sparkling and dancing with melting snow run-off.  **Very Big Grin**

The temps have been in the 60s this week.  The roads and driveways are all snuddy from the melting and thawing; sullen and messy.

Our little creek can be a roaring torrent later in the spring when the thunderstorms dump on us.
But in early spring, it eases my mid-winter depression with it’s joyful exuberance and reminds me once again, that my Heavenly Father’s mercies (and love) are new every morning. And winter will soon be over for another year.

(I have been praying lately for some relief from the “blahs.”  Thank you Father!) 

Sometimes you have to find the joy in the small things....

Hugs
K~

** "For every day that there is sunshine, there will be days of rain,
it's how we dance within them both that shows our love and pain."
~Joey Tolbert

Summer came in like a lion

I know, March is suppose to come in like a lion or lamb, but March weather doesn't usually bother me as much as HOT, Humid Summer weather. Yesterday it was 88° and HUMID. Same weather forecasted for today and 80s all week. It's still May. This does not bode well for the rest of the summer.

I went rummaging through the sheds and found an old window. It's in worse shape than I thought, but it may still work OR I'll find a picture frame at the thrift store and use that. I also found a base from our old porch posts. Love it! It'll be a base for a pot or just "art" on the porch.

Speaking of porch posts. I found one of the original ones in the barn. I had the Blue-eyed Farmer move it from the tumble-down barn to the feed barn where it will be more protected. Now what should I do with it?
One I idea I had, was to keep it and then when we redo the kitchen, use it as decorative legs on the island.
In the mean time, I could prop it up on the porch in the corner and hang something from it. I'll muse on that a while.

I spent a delightful day last Friday with my dear Friend "Belle" (not her real name) at the Barn Festival near Hastings. We didn't buy much but oh the inspiration.
One idea she came up with for my office sitting area, was to use two of the old shutters (again, found in the barn), connect them and set them in the corner behind my big chair. Then to hand a quilt over the edge and I thought a small wreath on the other one.

I'm feeling the urge to paint more furniture. I have an old wooden chair out by the wash-house that needs something. The gardening sign on it is looking sad and needs a facelift. Manuela from The Pleasures of Homemaking blog had a tutorial on painting signs. I need to think of what to paint on this one and get at it.
And then there is this photo:


It has me aching to start painting my wicker furniture and find that old cream can down by the cattle lot or some other galvanized piece. I love this scene and the little dining area beyond. Oh my..... (sorry I can't remember where I found the photo. my bad!)

Blue-eyed Farmer informed me that he is going to have to dig up the rain gutter tubing under my east flower bed. Which means the peonies and day lilies have to be moved from it. **sigh!**
They were finally getting established. But I don't like the make-shift guttering system we have down on the patio either. And this bed backs the northern retaining wall and it needs some dirt filled in behind, so I guess it's time to do it. I just need to find a place for these plants. If I knew this would be a quick job, I'd just pot them, but I have a feeling it'll take a while. And none of my emptier beds are really ready for new plants. I need to amend the soil in them.

While Miss Belle and I were in Hastings we found a quilt/scrapbooking/beading shop, The Calico Cottage. Fun for both of us! She found scrapbooking papers and embellishments and I found 3 small wall-hanging kits. I was "good" and did not buy any yardage. One of my kits was "Harmony" by McKenna Ryan. I can't wait to get the whole set. I have the perfect place for them, here in the office.

(Harmony is the lower left corner block with the 2 birds.)

I did spend a little time down in my quilt studio yesterday and completed another block for "Brenda's Roses" and made up some more HST for it. One good thing about repetative blocks, you get better at making them. I've been taking my time and trying to perfect my 1/4" seam and being willing to "frog-stitch" anything that is not "right." I do know that I really dislike bias edges! I have one fabric that stretches like the dickens! So I've had to press it into obedience. If that doesn't work, I'm getting out the spray starch! lol

Saturday I had more quilting fun at the International Quilt Studies Museum in Lincoln. I went with a group from my church (Thanks again Daphne!). We went to see this exhibit from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. I never would have expected to see Ohio Star blocks in a quilt from that area of the world. It was a very interesting exhibit and more so since my friends Daphne and Sylvana are from Pakistan and could add their experiences to the presentation.

So all in all, I've had a lot of fodder for my "Muse" this past weekend. This week I will let it all percolate while I mow and pull weeds and plant plants and do bookwork.

Hope your week is just as inspiring!

Hugs
K~

** "An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied." ~Arnold H. Glasgow

And just when it was looking so good....

BAM!! Spring-time planting moods, tiredness, aching backs all take over and it's blue, black, grey, nasty, horrible, painful, and just down-right unpleasant here at the Prairie Farm.

Of course I know nothing like that happens in your happy domicile, right? (just let me keep believing that little dream.)

So.... what's a poor Farmer's Wife to do?

Throw in the towel and sell the Farmer along with his stupid cattle?
Head for the hills and not leave a forwarding address?
Turn into a combination of Roseanne Barr and Jezebel?

Or.... How about....

SING at the top of her lungs in the pickup (after one too many "words")

"I have PEACE like a river; I have PEACE like a river; I have PEACE like a river; in my soul.... I have JOY like a fountain, I have JOY like a fountain, I have JOY like a fountain in my soul....."


And.... Pray.

"Please God.... increase my patience. Increase my strength.
And PLEASE hold your hand over my mouth, again!"

Sometimes He does and sometimes I pry His fingers away, spout off and have to pray all over again.

It's a good thing He loves me.

And it's a good thing, this one does, too.


Thank you Father God, for your patience, your peace, and his forgiveness.



Hugs,
K~ (the mouthy, but trying to be humble, Farmer's Wife)

** A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. ~Ruth Bell Graham

The corn is planted and Amos checks in

Yes, the corn is planted for 2010 and Amos' "little swimmers" are alive and active for the 2011 crop of new calves.

The potatoes (all but 4) are up and growing, as are the onions, sugar snap peas (time for a fence!), and both colors of chard. The spinach and lettuce were slow, but with the last rains and warmth the lettuce looks like lettuce now.

I dug, divided and replanted an old rhubarb plant in hopes I can make lots of desserts and some Strawberry-Rhubarb jam in the future.

The berm is mulched and the new purple coneflowers seem to have settled in, as has the Easter Lily.

This week I hope to dig up and return the 2 hydrangeas I bought last year from the local nursery. They winter-killed and I'm going to get either a butterfly bush or some other smallish hardy bush for those 2 areas.
Also on the list is to clean off the patio. How embarrassing, we had a party for the Blue-eyed Farmer's 50th birthday 2 Saturdays ago and they all gathered on my messy, leaf-molded, muddy patio. **blushing** At least the guests were all farm folk who understand dust, leaf mold, mud, cat tracks, etc....
While I'm working on the east side of the house, I'll straw the potatoes, put up the pea fence, and hopefully plant the first of the cilantro and basil. I need to take cuttings from the rosemary and repot or fertilize the sage. Oh and the volunteer dill is up!! (lots of it!!) So is the volunteer lettuce and I'm assuming the spaghetti squash (right smack-dap in the middle of the onions. sigh~~). But hey! Free plants are free plants.
And my final goal for this week, is to weed the day lily bed east of the porch. It will need mulch too but there is too large an area to haul it there myself. I figure if I can get the flower beds weeded, then when I get my ONE day (annually) of Farmer help, the mulching will go quickly and I might get all the beds done this year!

That is life on the Prairie Farm for now.

In consideration of your sensibilities, I left out some cattle angst & rebellion; the round-the-world cruise we are financing for someone at the local John Deere shop after 3 pieces have/are being worked on and my on-going and now increased displeasure of push mowing that Danged Ditch!

You're welcome.

Hugs!
K~

** "The mere brute pleasure of reading - the sort of pleasure a cow must have in grazing." ~Lord Chesterfield

Saturday in the .....

Park?? how about Saturday, on the Farm... ;o)

And it is, Saturday.... on the Farm.... in April.... That means, field work, mowing, baking, cleaning, etc...etc...etc... No rest for the weary. Especially with stupid cows who think 6:30 is breakfast time. (ok, it is, for them on weekdays. What do cows know of Saturday?)

So I'm up, functioning, caffeinated, fed & dressed. I've been to the field once to pick up a Farmer so he could get extra herbicide.

Now I'm off to make some chocolate chip cookies since that Farmer thinks there is nothing around here for dessert.

Then I'll switch out the laundry and start on painting the last of the trim boards and touch up the paint on the trim in the bathroom.

After that I'll either be mowing or working in the flower beds.

And hopefully I'll get that date tonight. It got too late last night for one. Reheated homemade pizza does not constitute an "At Home Date Night" to me, so he still owes me one.


Do you find your weekends getting busier the nicer the weather gets?

Photos soon...

Hugs!
K~

** "The naked earth is warm with Spring,
"And with green grass and bursting trees
"Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
"And quivers in the sunny breeze."
~Julian Grenfell

Yes I know.....

Yes, I know the Mrs. Dash widget is so out of place and random. That's me... Ms Random.

Yes, I know it's been 32 days since my last "real" post. That's me... Ms. Forever Late-er

Yes, I know you are all STILL waiting for that video about the calves. Hope no-one was holding their breath, waiting on me, Ms. Procrastinator.

Yes, I know.... Spring is here and some of my Winter decorations are Still up. What?! Cardinals don't go with Spring Flowers? Those ice crystals could be rain drops if you squint at them and are going by on a fast horse.

But if you are still with me, I hope to have photos of my 2010 garden (The Spinach, Lettuce and Onions were up as of yesterday!!); the new compost enclosure (no more skunks in my compost pile!) and my newly organized & rearranged Sewing Studio (if that Farmer EVER gets that miter saw out of the room!)

And Yes..... I know.... that video....... s~i~g~h~~~~

Soon, Grasshopper, Soon...... (but don't hold your breath.... you know me.....)

Hugs!
K~

** "Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday." ~Don Marquis

Box Salad Garden

I learned a new skill last evening. I learned how to use tin snips and a staple gun. It's about time. Every woman should know how to use a staple gun.

I had a project in mind for several weeks now. This project needed tin snips and a staple gun. A bit removed from my usual wooden spoons, pots & pans or sewing machine & thread.


You might remember I had started some romaine lettuce inside a few weeks ago. Last year I tried to make a portable lettuce garden in an old enamel pan. It didn't work very well. The soil was too dense and there were no drain holes and the weeds from the soil took over.

So when I saw THIS in the April-May 2008 issue of Mary Janes Farm magazine,



I was thrilled and finally had a design that would work. I had to order some of the supplies from my hometown hardware store. They came in yesterday.

So after I got home from buying more plants (herbs, sweet potatoes, hydrangea, coreopsis and dianthus), I grabbed my camera and gathered my supplies and found a (semi-) sheltered spot from the wind and made myself a Box Salad Garden.

First, I gathered the supplies:



Hardware Cloth, Fiberglass screening, Gloves (very important), a tape measure, tin snips and a staple gun.



I did not build these stands. I'm not that handy. (I will paint them a better color later. Yuck!)

I had gotten these 2 sturdy wooden stands at an auction last fall but really wasn't sure what they were for. I had the idea of making this kind of garden using some kind of rubber totes for holding the plants but I couldn't find any the right size.


I wonder if there were liners for these stands but in the midst of cleaning up the auction debris maybe they were thrown away. I know Farmer-dear wondered what I was going to do with them. But then he often wonders what I'm doing.... **laughing**

Back to the construction...

After gathering the supplies, I measured the tops for the hardware cloth.

I added an extra 2" to each side for "ease."

Then I donned my gloves.

I love my gloves. They are the first pair I've found that fit well and have the suede protection on the palm side. You'll see why this is important in a minute.

I measured the hardware cloth and marked my cutting point.



See why gloves are important? Sharp, pokey ends!

Keep cutting.


And now we're ready to attach it to the bottom of the box bed.

I used the good old staple gun to staple it to the underside of the top.


Being careful to fold the edges over so the soil would stay in when I fill it and to give the cloth more holding power.


Here is the completed bottom:


Notice the folded over pieces on the legs. That was an interesting development & design change. lol I suppose a master carpenter would have measured each leg and cut the cloth to take them into account. But I'm not a master carpenter and this worked.




I turned it right side up and measured the individual openings. I cut the screening with scissors and laid the screening over the hardware cloth.

(there are those darn leg corners again....)

Both sides are ready for the potting soil and planting.


I just used the potting soil I had for my flower pots. It has the fertilizer in it so I won't have to add more like the article recommended.

I watered it down a little and made some pilot holes for the plants.

I had grown my lettuce starts in a 18-ct egg carton (cardboard). I knew the carton would disappear after planting.
First 2 baby plants in the bed. You can just see the carton around them.


Here's what they looked like cut apart:



See, their roots are coming through the bottom. They were ready to be transplanted.


After all eighteen were planted, it looked like this:

(ignore the scraggly grass under the box .... you'd think someone would trim around here. sheesh!)

While I was working on this project, I had some company...


And knowing my barn cats & their idea of the perfect "potty" is anywhere I don't want them to go, I figured they'd find my new beds and that pretty clean potting soil. So I had to cover my boxes with some ugly old wire fencing.

This photo was taken this afternoon. The baby lettuce survived a windy night. I have the boxes against the east side of the bathroom, where it's sheltered from the hot southwest wind and will get some afternoon shade during the summer. It will still get morning sun, so I should have lettuce all summer.

The other box was lined and filled with soil too but I'll be planting it directly with seeds....after the wind dies down. Right now I'd be broadcasting the seeds everywhere except in the planting box.

Now, go out and plant something! It doesn't have to be this elaborate. Get a big flower pot, (or a small one) and plant a patio garden or a single sunflower. Find some herb plants and pot them up. Or be wild and courageous and plow up the back yard and put in 2 dozen tomato plants!
It's SPRING and it's time to play in the dirt.

Let me know what you are planting or if you have any questions.

Hugs!
Kay~
PS next time.... the potato bed!

** "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
~~Margaret Atwood