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 14, 2014 Estate Sale, Strawberry Plants, and Nectarine Tree

Today I'm doing something I hate.  A mammogram.  I generally hate all doctor visit kind of things.  They're so tedious.  Waiting in the waiting room.  Waiting in the exam room.  And you know it's absolutely beautiful outside.

The rest of my day will include things like paying the bills.  My life is getting more exciting by the minute.  I do hope to have some pictures up.  I've been scouring Craigslist in case there's something I can't live without but need a truck to pick up.  I need to get my money's worth out this truck we bought. 

On our way to town I noticed a sign for an estate sale.  Oooooh.  There's rarely one close by our house.  Rowan and I went to the sale after we had done all our town stuff.

 

Here's a picture of almost everything I bought.  Rowan picked a game and I also got a rug.

 

 

If you're like me it's hard to resist so much wonderful stuff.  I had no problem resisting this cherub riding on a smiling (?) dolphin soap dish, though.  Later as I was editing this post I thought, "You know it's so absurd it would look great tucked away in a corner holding a potted plant."  I should have bought it...

 

 

True spring fever.  I'm now planting seeds in everything I can find, including this egg carton.  I simply poked holes in the bottom, filled with dirt and seeds.  We'll see if I get 36 melon plants.

 

 

A typical day's fashion sense:  My sloggers, leggings because chiggers suck, a cool skirt, my apron because my skirt doesn't have pockets, and my sweater.

 

 

One of the eleven strawberry plants!  They've become more intensely colorful and the leaves are opening up.  I bought these in a box for $4.99 at Tractor Supply.  (Not an endorsement, just a fact) I've decided to give 2 plants to a friend when I'm certain they'll survive.

 

I went to look at the nectarine tree again.  Is it really spring?  I have blossoms on my tree!  The apple tree is not too far behind.  The weather for the next week will be mild.  I hope it's not too soon for these blossoms to appear.   

February 9, 2014 Strawberries, Peonies, and Honeysuckle

Sunday.  Ahhh.  Yesterday was a very horrible day.  I am glad that it is over.  I should have known it would be bad.  Onslo stood right in front of me and peed on the floor.  My mouth dropped.  My excessively potty trained dog just peed on my floor.  I'm pretty sure it was because it was cold outside and he was just being stubborn.  I'll keep an eye on him.  Work was chaotic.  It's so busy in winter.  It makes me very cranky.  So I got in an argument with Jace.  We stopped talking to each other for the day.  But then I didn't have a support system to whine to about my terrible day.  Thankfully, Saturday is over.

This morning I took some time to read one of my old blogs.  This is actually my third blog to write.  I think I felt I outgrew the old one.  It put me in a good mood reminiscing about some past garden adventures.  Things are definitely improving on this tiny homestead.

Today, is beautiful outside.  I can tell it's a day for getting some things done.  I want to keep a good schedule of cleaning out the chicken coop on Sundays so I'll be doing that first thing.  They sure do make a mess.
 

 

I planted 11 strawberry plants in the hoop house today.  The box said there would be 10 plants.  Ha!  I got an extra.  Should strawberries come in a box?  I know I planted strawberry seeds and I still have a pot of dirt.  Rowan wants strawberries so bad and I'd love to make that happen for her.  She may have to settle for an artificial strawberry plant.

Today is exceptionally beautiful.  I went around the yard taking some pictures.  In the hoop house I planted 11 strawberry plants, a clematis, and three more peonies.  I love peonies.  If they grow I will even try to paint a picture of one.

It's hard to see but this chicken has a tasty clover weed I picked out of the potato area I'm working on.  It has turned out to be a good idea to dump the weeds for them to sort through.

This is a winter honeysuckle.  It always blooms about this time.  It doesn't mind any freezing temps.  It's wonderful to sit next to and watch the bees on warm days like today.  I can get close enough to see the pollen they have stored on their legs.  The winter honeysuckle smells very sweet and like perfume.

These are poppies.  They will be red.  I harvested seeds last year and then scattered them over all the back garden beds.  They are quite whimsical and lovely when they bloom.  They are one of my favorite picture taking flowers.

  

This is from the nectarine tree.  Lovely buds of new leaves.  Some are already opening.  This tree did very well last year.  However, due to blustery spring winds, all the blossoms were blown off.  No nectarines :(