February 20, 2014 Potato Bed, Nectarine Tree, Peppermint, and a Wash Cloth

Today I am still dreaming of garden creativity.  Along the fence line for the big garden I have set some eight foot cedar posts for stability for the fence.  The fence is necessary for keeping out deer and occasionally there is a dog running loose and I don't want to be surprised by it.  Anyway, I have already dug a hole for another cedar post along the front side of the fence.  I have the cedar post and the cement to set it.  It has dawned on me that I would like to plant a shade tree there instead.  Our summers are brutally hot and any bit of shade is welcome.  In this location the plants all do much better with partial shade.

Now to decide which kind of shade tree I would like.  This will require a trip to either Lowe's or Tractor Supply.  I'd like to get something that is fast growing.  I'm reading some things online, too.  Like here.

Another area I'd like to create is a bulb and cutting flower garden.  I think this would do well in the area next to the chicken yard.  I can't work on this until the new chicken fence is up.

Enough dreaming for today.  Something I need to work on is getting a picture of the potato bed because I finished digging it!  I think I'll be planting those potatoes very soon.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to wait till after the last frost date.  Something else to research.

 

Here is the lovely potato bed.  It looks narrow in the picture but is 3 feet wide.  There will be 2 rows of potatoes.  I'll cover the bed with hay.

 

 

Hello Spring!  The nectarine tree is most definitely ready.  I'm sorry all the people living up north are still blanketed in snow and can't experience this yet.

 

 

My experiment with melon seeds in the egg carton is doing well.  So far 21 seeds have sprouted.  Now where am I going to put 21 melon plants?

 

 

Peppermint has beautiful blue eyes.  Dreamy.

 

 

This is a wash cloth I finished today.  It has seed stitch on the border and then basket weave stitch for the main body.  I like making our own wash cloths because they last forever and they feel so much better on your skin.  The longer I have them the better they look. 

February 18, 2014 Lemon Cake and An Apple Blossom

I had a wonderful sleep last night.  I dreamt of looking at houses.  They were all circular, I guess like a yurt, and there were no hallways.  I always wonder why I dreamed something so specific.

This morning I woke up to all manner of dog mess.  There was poop and pee and puke.  The three p's.  I also know why this happened.  I heavily suspect Onslo is being territorial in the laundry room and doesn't let Lizzie eat.  When I came home last night I let her run around the living room and gave her a bowl of food and water.  A little later I put her back outside for half an hour and then brought her in for the night.  She most likely had to go again later in the night and made herself sick with not wanting to go on the floor.  And then she went on the floor.

Luckily the weather this week will be very nice and it's a good time to transition the dogs to staying outside on the back porch at night.  It's very secure so I don't worry any stray coyote or house cat will get them.

Today I have to do some weekly chores.  For some reason I always enjoy putting my clean clothes away on Tuesday.  I also enjoy dusting and vacuuming.  I think in a way it's tidying up the house and having it ready for my days off from work.  Sort of starting with a clean slate.

Other things I need to work on are finishing the potato bed.  I strongly suspect this will win out over everything.  I desperately need to finish sanding the china hutch.  I can see it from almost anywhere I am in the house and its' unfinished state.  It is so very hard to work on it when the weather is so very nice.  Ah, there really are so very many projects I'd like to work on and so very little time.  I'd best get to work.  I'll be back soon to update my day.

I had meant to post this at the end of the afternoon but I was in a cake coma from a delicious made from scratch lemon cake with lemon frosting.  I'm trying to cook more from scratch and I think cake is a great place to start. 

Lemon Snack Cake from Hickery Holler Farm

 

In the hoop house there are lots of big and little things happening.  I've noticed some plants are getting their true leaves.  This is a Fordhook zucchini.  

 

 

This is a cucumber.

 

 

Hello strawberries.

 

 

Apple blossom on a Fuji apple tree.

Some seeds are just coming up.  I'm happy to see my Japanese white eggplant make an appearance.  I've noticed some seeds dying off.  These are only in the biodegradable/plantable pots.  I think they may drain water and dry out too quickly.  I'll have to keep a better eye on these.  

 

February 7,2014 I Wish Winter Wouldn't End

I really wish the day would start later.  Something decent, like around noon.

The chickens are a bit funny.  I opened the coop this morning and they all ran out but then must have decided it was too cold and they all ran back in.  I didn't get to see what they did after that because it's Friday.

Friday means paying the bills and buying some food before all the money is gone.   Today was a special Friday.  I also got to buy 150 pounds of various animal food.  It's still in the car.  I suppose it will help to give some weight since there's ice on some of the roads.  It would be my luck to end up in a ditch with 150 pounds of pet food strewn all over.

We spent our evening playing Go Fish with Lizzie (one of us is a cheater and licks the cards)

 I don't mind the ice or yucky things of this weather.  Especially in February and early March.  Most of the blogs I read are all bemoaning the endless snow and pronouncing boredom and plans for riots against the weathermen.  I see it in a completely positive light.

 Cardinal on a Mesquite Tree.  Foggy day, long grasses underneath

I'm not ready for Spring!  The weather, sure, but I don't have things ready yet.  If tomorrow was planting day outside I wouldn't be ready.  I'd even be disappointed with myself for not having things completed.  Disappointed that some things would be getting a half effort because it wasn't finished.  Disappointed because my plan was to work hard over the winter so there would be no hard work when spring came.  So I could enjoy my Spring.  All my beds would be cleaned out and compost mixed in with all the dirt.  All the dead things would have been cleaned out and moved to the compost pile.  All the tools, pots, buckets, and trash will have made it to their purposed spots.  All the fencing put safely away.  The lawnmower tuned up and anxiously awaiting it's first chance to mow.

Most of my plans are actually coming along quite well.  I proved true and completed the cucumber and grape growing area.  That's a huge relief.  The grape growing area does need some bun poo still.  I'm creating another area for growing potatoes.  I only started this yesterday.  I approximate needing 30 sq ft this year, allowing for spacing.  I have much work to to do to get this area ready.  The rest is making sure the beds are topped off and pulling errant weeds.  Then I will proclaim it Ready!

It should only take 2 days.  That's where things don't work out.  It's difficult to work outside in these kinds of conditions.  Although, the boys at the greencenter do give us weird looks for wanting dirt and seeds right now.  One can only ignore the biting cold on the hands for so long.  The hoop house is a blessing to work in when there are winds or rain. 

We should have been able to complete some more over the weekend but a minor travesty occurred.  Jace decided to take his car into the shop to get something fixed.  It's going to cost more than what the car is worth.  Now we are blessed because we didn't get the camper this past week.

The rest of the weekend will be spent scouring the internet trying to find the elusive .
vehicle he's searching for.  I have found 6 within 100 miles of us.  Jace will have to gather the rest of the information and make his choice of which one he wants.

I hope next week isn't so pressing on my time.