This Year's Garden

I have officially bumped our garden number to 4.  That means that probably at least half of this property is being worked every year.  The primary, the biggest of the plots I turn has been worked now for 3 consecutive years.  It's coming along nicely, the soil turns easily, very little weed vegetation to deal with annually (mostly invasive running weeds), and the rows are always even.  Roots and stones have essentially been eliminated.  This is the garden in which tomatoes and cucumbers tend to excel.  I plant a lot of those each year. 

The secondary garden is slightly smaller than the first, almost directly adjacent, but separated by a set of fruit trees.  The soil is very rich, it being only in it's 2nd year of being worked.  But there is still a substantial amount of weed vegetation.  This year a large number of trees took root in that garden, including Mulberries, which I'm in the process of transplanting to pots for resale.  They are apparently quite in demand locally.

The tertiary garden is very small, much older even than the primary, but extremely small.  It's a raised bed that I've been fighting with for years.  Originally it was merely a large pile of broken concrete and bricks; the shattered remains of a foundation to either a shed or hen coop (or both, since there once was both here that were torn down by previous tenants).  I became weary of this eyesore one year and determined to improve the view I used the larger bits of stone to build a retainer wall and proceeded to fill in the plot with dirt and manure.  However, it seems that no matter how much I add, the stones always keep rising back to the surface to foil me.  The birds knock over the wall stones and I'm constantly re-building.  On a good year though there are both strawberries and onions in that garden.

The newest garden is referred to as the side garden, it being located to one side of the house, slightly to the front.  This one is a little unusual as I took the time and effort to turn the soil and remove the grasses only to plant... grasses.  Timothy and Orchard grass to be specific.  Another ongoing effort to reduce the feed costs by raising some fresh fodder.  I will probably need to locate a scythe however, probably not going to be easy since when I mentioned it at the seed store, I was offered only blank looks in return.  "A what?!" said the clerk, "surely you've heard of the Grim Reaper?!" I replied in consternation, "he carries a scythe... a device that was once used to harvest grasses back before the invention of the tractor... an item I neither have nor need really." I suppose a sling blade would work as well, again, if I can locate one.  It's interesting how few people even know what equipment was around before the invention of the motor tried to make them obsolete.

I suppose though there actually is more than 4 gardens here, but those are the main ones.  If one were so inclined, one could also count the front herb gardens (a matched pair across the front of the house), the asparagus bed, the rhubarb patch, and the myriad herb pots as a sort of container garden.  Were I to attempt to account for everything, I'd also include this lot as a sort of orchard, there being fruit trees of multiple types here, including blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, and grapes.  The only thing missing are kiwi's!  I'm trying to remedy that, but you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a good self-pollinating kiwi these days.

The day that doesn't exist

I love leap day! Since it only occurs once every 4 years it feels like the culmination of a series of events. It's technically a day we skipped in pieces, and now must put back together as a whole. I've always felt for people born on this day, do they really exist more than once in 4 years? How did this day evolve anyway? Some elders were sitting around a fire one day, comparing their notes on the movements of the heavens and one of them, while poring over his charts and notes, says something like, "hey guys, I think we have a slight problem. There aren't an even number of days in an annual cycle. What should we do?" And then I bet it took them forever to think it over and ponder. I wonder if someone just had an epiphany and said, "I know! Let's just add an extra day every handful of years to account for the fractions!" Then someone else said something like, "but when would we add this 'spare' day to the calendar? It's pretty full already, ya know." And then someone else said, "well February has the fewest number right now, why don't we just add it onto that one?" And there were then shouts and rejoicing all around.

Do you ever wonder though, if there were no leap day, would our calendars eventually be off? Then spring might occur in November!

Family/Farm Goings-On

Wow has it ever been busy around here! If anyone thinks a WAHM or SAHM doesn't work their butt off, they ought to try it! The first inklings of spring are appearing. Early this year, but I'm good for it! I have seeds started in the house and plans to turn the big gardens in the back, plus a patch in the front to raise grasses. The kids are growing like weeds. I can't believe my youngest girl is 5 and ready to start school. She's far outgrown her current sleeping arrangement, so I've been trying to locate an alternative. I finally did find part of it yesterday on the side of a road, about 5 or 6 houses down. A perfectly nice mattress and box spring set. I only picked up the mattress though. Now if only I could find a frame for it...

All the kids are busy as ever with their extra-curricular activities. Both elder girls are trying out Track this year. Even if they decide they don't want to stick with it, I believe it will benefit them in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Upcoming Holiday Plans

I have a pretty good idea that most of my family doesn't really pay any attention whatsoever to any of my blogs, and that's honestly fine with me since it allows me the opportunity to write posts they probably ought not see. Nothing incriminating, of course, just not necessarily required to be completely known. In this instance, I'm going to talk about what items I have planned to give out this next winter holiday. Many are known by some, but not all, and that's usually the way I like it.

Now, last winter I purchased 2 large items, 1 for each of my youngest children. Little kids are generally so easy to please! I found a M&D dollhouse, complete with furniture, for my preschooler, who will be just barely old enough for it. Then I picked up a super-nice wagon for my toddler. This is one that has pneumatic wheels, wooden sides, and a domed cover over the top! Then I became stumped for my elder girls.

I'll be making several home-made gifts for the family too. Hats and scarves and mittens. Also slippers/socks and who knows what else. For my mother I was thinking of making a hands-free shoulder wrap or a shawl. For my spouse... I have no idea!! I also want to make some large crochet 'socks' to be used as stockings. I'm honestly not sure what else I'll put on the docket. Extended family will be receiving a dried goodies basket this year: puff-mallows (dried marshmallows), dried fruits, and maybe some veggie chips. Not much, but everything flavored with love.

Inner Peace

I have found over the years that there are some things that you have to worry over and other things that you don't. I have maintained my sanity through cathartic writing, though honestly not everything I write is intended to be read by anyone. There are a few things in my somewhat chaotic and hectic life that bring me quiet joy and true inner peace. One of them is the rare sight of my children in complete slumber... once you get past the drool that is. Another is my new beehive in the twilight. One that has given me quiet joy for many years is my chickens, just watching them do what chickens do.

One of the biggest is one that I discovered when I was a mere slip of a girl, maybe 8 or 9. At a time of true tribulation in my childhood, I discovered a love so deep and so profound that I keenly felt it's loss for several years during which it was lost to me. Between the age of 10 and 18, 8 years I felt the loss. Even though I didn't truly appreciate the loss for a long time. It was my love of the mountains. Sound corny? Well it isn't for me, not when you grew up as I did, a tractless, homeless nomad at the mercy of my unable-to-keep-a-job father and a mother trying to do the best she could.

I must admit that while I haven't had a chance to appreciate the youthful Rocky mountains, I do have a preference for the aeons-older Appalachians. I have come to appreciate the different ranges within them. The Blue-Ridge mountains do actually have a blue tinge to them. The Smokies are very much smoke-grey and cloudy in appearance. I have even witnessed the "purple mountains majesty" in the northern areas.

I've seen "hairy" mountains in the winter, where the bare trees over the snowy ground give the illusion of hair. I've seen "mottled" mountains where clouds in the sky cast individual shadows over massive ranges. I've even seen "red" mountains where the setting of the sun was at just the right angle to light them ablaze.

Every time I take a moment to look upon the distant range, a gentle peace comes over me. It is this that I will never take for granted, whether I live here 10 years or 80 years.

Rabbit Show

Yesterday we went to a rabbit show. We've not traveled to one in over 6 months, so I'll admit we were a bit rusty. The basics came back fairly quickly, but I've found that too much time between shows tends to have an impact of the quality of a herd. I'm not necessarily giving it a majority influence, but it really does help to have outside opinions of your ongoing selection methodology. In other words, someone else to evaluate your work in relation to others that are working toward the same goals. It seems like everything in the rabbitry has chosen this particular time to molt anyway, so we took the only rabbits that were in relatively decent fur condition. Even though it meant taking rabbits that were not necessarily the very best in the barn. Those beauties, I'm sorry to say, are currently visiting nestboxes.

So with that in mind, we really were not the best exhibitors in the showroom. It's rather a shame, considering the cost of gasoline to get there and the ever-increasing entry fees. I mean really, $6 per entry per show adds up quickly when you have several animals to bring! We took 2 Havanas and 1 Holland Lop. It's sad though when your best placing was Best Sr Doe (Havana) and when you can say, "well at least we weren't the first off the table!" (the Holland). Honestly, it was actually rather refreshing because there were a lot of new faces, and the old 'winners' were nowhere to be found. That means that the newer breeders and the breeders that don't have a lot of $$$ to sink into buying the top stock actually have a shot at winning the big awards.

I did manage to sell more than half the Button Quail I'd purchased for that reason, as well as several toys and a pint of fig jam. And I picked up a beautiful pair of cream/white Satin American cavies! Yep!! I'm back into show-cavies... on a smaller basis.

It's spring

It's that time of year again. I traveled north to a poultry swap yesterday. I admit the whole thing was a little disappointing as there were not more than half a dozen or so people there selling. After browsing and browsing I finally settled on a trio of blue Silkie started chicks and also picked up a dozen Guinea eggs for hatching. After waiting awhile a lady showed up with half a dozen laying hens, RIR & red sex-links. So I bargained for 3 of those for a co-worker. They are laying or will be soon. I missed a chance to get a quartet of blue Indian Runner ducks, but I figured it wasn't meant to be, so I'm really not upset. Honestly, I like the idea of ducks more than the reality. I also picked up a couple cards as I am still wanting some turkey eggs for hatching and some adult quail. Next week I'll stop off and pick up some Cornish Rock chicks to raise this year for meat and I'll also be placing an order for some blue Cochin chicks as well. So that will have me set for poultry awhile.

On the rabbit front, Jessi's 3 AFL babies have opened their eyes. Ari's doe and the Havana doe are due Tuesday, and 2 Holland does have finally palp'd positive! So there will be plenty of babies to go around for everyone.

As far as the gardens, I'll be planning to start tilling next week-end. We'll be turning 2-3 large areas, nearly the entire bottom of the yard. I've planted 3 more fruit trees, plus several root crops (asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries) as well as blackberry canes and some blueberry plants. Onions and garlic are up and thriving. Even the swiss chard came back out!