Life Gets Messy

Summer Madness...

2010-07-27T00:19:00.000-05:00

Ah. The lazy days of summer. Fishing...

Catching up with friends... (Hi! Marissa!)

Relaxing by the pool... HEY WAIT A MINUTE! That pool is in the new shop, by the new garden, in front of the porch so new I haven't posted pictures yet!!! Frankly, people, I'm wondering just where the hell my summer has gone, already?!

Oh. That explains it.

There are not enough hours in the day. In the month. In a year. I miss blogging, but frankly who has the time. I've taken pictures, or asked Meg to as I ran by, but they sit in a camera somewhere, waiting...

Waiting for the laundry to be done, the peaches to be canned, the blueberries to be frozen, the tomatoes to be dried, the blackberries to be jellied, the carpets to be shampooed (again and again...) The shop to be finished, the shed to be cleaned, the lawn to be mowed, the garden to be tended, the porch to be screened, the chickens to be fed, the kids to be educated... (and let's not even talk about the basement.)

You get the picture. How things can snowball in the heat of summer, I do not understand. Al works two jobs. I work one. We're still homeschooling, and are back to the books for the 2010-2011 school year. I'm taking classes online and working on becoming a certified preschool gymnastics instructor. The girls are active in gymnastics in their own right, and there's still the farmers market, this blog, my neglected website, piano lessons, computer lessons, FCE, the senior center, and our farm, for Pete's sake. I'm learning the hard way to say no. I simply can't be in all of these places at once and expect to get the girls school work done and done well at the same time. Coffee with Sherrie on Tuesdays is a must, it's how we both stay sane. Past that, school is having to come first. Around the house? Our motto is more camp, less farm. Now we just have to figure out how to make that happen.

On the positive side, local food for us is now a fact. Eggs, milk, cream, butter, goat cheese, fruits, veggies, flour, pork, beef, chicken, & honey. Oh, and beer. We now go to the big grocery store once a month, and it's for mostly non-grocery items. Whole food must agree with us. We're all very healthy, and ~bonus~ I've lost ten pounds.

So, as usual, life is good here, life is busy, and life is messy. I just have to figure out how to fit blogging back into it. Later. Maybe much later. Take Care.

Shop & Garden Update

2010-07-11T19:41:00.000-05:00

This is what our garden is looking like these days. I gave up on paved paths this year and concentrated on weed control instead. After putting down weed cloth, I spread some straw and called it good enough. It's working great. Off on the right there you get a hint of the other big change in our yard this last week. Yep. Shop-action.

Here's the new view from the far end of the shop looking back towards the house. We turned the carport into a pool cabana for the summer, and honestly, it's working great. Note the flowerbed in progress with the concrete deep sink in front of the garden fence. Hopefully it will be a fountain some day.

(the sink, that is...)

Ok, so if you come a bit closer to the house you get a much better view of the shop- action. Mr. Incredible put up a wall a day by himself last week. To give you the scale of the whole thing, those are 12' foot bays between the posts. 60' total including the carport. This picture all shows you how much light is coming in through the 3 skylights on the roof on the north side. I went in tonight and thought the lights were on. Oh, but there aren't any lights out there yet. This thing ROCKS ladies & gentlemen.

(and so does my hubby... of course.)

So now we're standing up under my clothesline near the front porch.

Looks good, doesn't it!?! You'd never guess this was a homely old greenhouse when we moved in.

(Note how small my Yukon XL looks off to the left there...)

Finally, here's the view from the front steps.

Great, isn't it!?!

Way to go, AL!

(woot woot and all that!)

They don't call you A-1 for nothing!

Garden Updates...

2010-07-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is what the garden looked like in late May, after we moved the 2 kennels.

Here's the fire pit I threw together in an afternoon to have a marshmallow roasting spot.

And, here's the tent pitched right in the driveway so me & 5 girlies could sleep under the stars bug free. Good times, people!

Still loving eating local!

2010-07-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

I may not be posting much about it, but we're still eating as locally as possible. This was our spring table at the market. YUM!

2010-07-05T06:00:00.001-05:00

Crazy June storms out over the lake.

Never rained a drop at our house though!

VBS Fun...

2010-07-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

I spent the week of VBS in a covered wagon with Vicki and the little people. We had so much fun! So did our kids, but they were in a different building than me, so alas, no photos of them... Good Times!

Little Bit

2010-07-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes being the youngest isn't easy.

She makes up for it with a BIG personality!

Homebrew Reality Check...

2010-07-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Before you say, "get a hobby,"

Be sure you know what you're getting into!

Kitchen Chaos.

Calling all Campers!

2010-06-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

They're officially big this year. Our lives are filled with sleepovers, BFF's, gymnastics camp, and 4-H overnight camp. That's where she was headed. On she's big in another way too... at 11, she's now 5'2" tall!! And stealing my shoes! Next stop, college. (sigh... I think I miss them already!)

Wildflowers

2010-06-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month I stopped to get the mail, and happened to have my camera in the car. Sometimes it pays to be behind on the weeding & mowing...

Daisies are still my favorite!

But these thistles are pretty awesome too!

Who says weeds aren't beautiful?

Evidently the bees agreed with me!

Happy 9th Birthday Curly Sue!

2010-06-28T03:25:00.000-05:00

The highlight of Miss M's birthday was losing the booster seat! Every time she's gotten old enough, or big enough, they've changed the law!! Not this time! 9 or 4'9"... well, she's old enough anyway!

First stop? Breakfast Friday morning at the Bluegill Grill.

Gotta love feeding the fish during breakfast.

Next, home for presents while Dad is home to share in the fun. The girls don't mind Dad's wacky hours so much when it often leads to birthday weekends! She got some homemade cards & things from her sisters, and a Nintendo DS from Mom & Dad.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the new pool... fun stuff! We had dinner at China City with Grammie P. and she got her next favorite present... A singing Sponge Bob card. Thanks Mom, I OWE you! Oh, and a CD she LOVES. Thanks for real this time, Grammie! Friday night was a movie night for us girls, just hanging out at home, then Saturday (the big day) we went to Frontier Days in Lynchburg (after a waffle bar breakfast), spent the afternoon in the pool, and then it was time for the sleepover festivities to begin!

A Tiki cake for the Luau, decorated by the birthday girl.

A crowd of friends to spend the night.

A palm tree centerpiece (or party hat depending on how late it was getting...)

And we capped off the evening with some crazy dancing. And some confusion as to how to wear the grass skirts, evidently. Yes, Russell is break-dancing at the Luau! Goofy kids! Actually, the festivities extended into the wee hours of Sunday morning... I'm not sure how late, I went to bed!! We finished off the weekend with a great BBQ at Vicki & John's house, complete with wading (or falling... ahem...) in the creek.

All in all it was an AWESOME weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEG!!

June...

2010-06-19T03:14:00.000-05:00

Wow. Almost two months since I posted! Maybe I should rename my blog, "Life Gets Busy." Hopefully it will slow down soon, like, maybe in July. I hate doing those list posts where I say, "here's the insanity I've been up to..." but sometimes they are the most appropriate -like when I've not blogged in 2 months- so here goes.

May:

The Farmers Market started in May, and is keeping us busy every Friday morning, but since it's a great time to go hang out with our market friends, it's a welcome spot on our calendar.
With that, our garden is booming, and about to explode with 'maters, and that's where I'm spending what little free time I can find right now.
Also around our "barnyard" we moved the kennels next to the garden to free up driveway space, and make the whole thing seem more organized. One is for the 3 dogs, of course, and the other provides them with "Chick TV" since our 11 teen chickens are in there, and now so is Big Mama & her 4 little chicks. Oh, and the 4 rabbits are there as well.
We also picked up this year's cow, and he's quite happy in our freezer, along with the fruits and veggies we've put up so far. Tasty, too!
We had a great visit with Leigh-Ann and Mellie, who came over for Little Bit's ballet recital, and to pick up their own moo...
Peanut went to overnight 4-H camp, and had a great time, and is already talking about wanting to go to the week long camp next year.
The girls and I pitched a tent in the driveway, built a fire pit, invited their best friends, and had an all girls camp-out weekend under the stars.

June:

The girls have been attending Camp Gym Rat at Tumble U, and having a great time, despite the heat and a Tony-Hawk-style digger taken by Little Bit. They're also practicing for an exhibition in July.
I have also been going to gymnastics camp, but I'm there working. Vicki asked me to help with the pre-schoolers in a job shadow environment on Tuesdays, and I'm manning the desk on Wednesdays while our girls are there, and still doing that on Thursday nights during their lessons, also. This week, I also helped with the Mommy & Me class, and Vicki and I are talking about me becoming a certified preschool instructor. I'm loving it.
The ladies have had several sleep-overs, and this week had a girly trip to the mall in Chattanooga, with Ms. Melissa which was very fun for them, and it allowed Mr. Incredible and I to spend a little time together as well.
We rounded out our activities this last week with me serving lunch at the Senior Center, The Farmers Market, of course, and VBS at 1st Baptist in Tullahoma. I helped Vicki with her preschool class, and the girls had lots of "Saddle Ridge Ranch" fun as well.
In the meantime, Mr. Incredible has been saving the world, one internet connection at a time, working his regular job on the weekend, and in his "spare" time (as in there's not much of it...) he has almost finished the roof on the shop, built me a flower bed, hung a gate, and put solar lights out in the garden.

I have tried to take pics of all of this, and so has Curly Sue, but we think she deleted all hers by accident last night, and mine are on a camera card somewhere, and well, it's 3 am, so I'm not going looking right now... (this blog post powered by too much coffee and sweet tea...)

We're gearing up for the home stretch, as we still have a birthday to celebrate next week, and then Deb & Bill are coming for a visit the last week of the month. So, if I get a chance, I'll post pics soon, but please forgive me if it takes me a bit. Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this post... I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Hit the Ground Running...

2010-05-06T05:55:00.000-05:00

Happy May! Wondering where I've been? So far in May, I've been sick, but I think I'm on the mend. Too bad my kids seem to have it in varying degrees. No fair to wait till spring to get sick! Other than that I've been too Farmgirl busy to have time to stop and write about it. (Only reason I have time now is it's 5:30 am.)

Here's the rundown. In case you live somewhere besides here, Middle TN was hammered by the weather last week. Do a search for Nashville Flood 2010 if you don't believe me. We've been busy checking on friends, praying for everyone's safety, and thanking God that nothing more than our friend Vicki's car washed away on the interstate. So many were not as lucky. The pictures are unreal.

It makes the rest of our lives feel like small potatoes right now, but here's what's up at our place.

First 2 gallons of berries of the Season

Which became the first 12 pts of freezer jam

(with most of a gallon left to go today)

Peanut with the first bunch of Radishes

(freebie shot of the garden in the background)

Heirloom French Breakfast Radishes

(aren't they gorgeous?!?)

(Honey Wheat Bread rising for the Senior Center Bake Sale Friday)

Sourdough Starter: Yogurt based- new recipe

(I used homemade yogurt I made with local milk. So cool.)

So, that was yesterday. Today ...

For the bake sale: (7 am tomorrow. Be there or be square)

4 loaves of family bread (Farmhouse White)
3-4 round loaves Bucket Bread (no knead sourdough)
1-2 loaves Strawberry Bread?? (if I have time)

For the Farmers Market Grand Opening: (tomorrow 7-10 be there or be square)

get eggs ready
pick anything ready in the garden... lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, chard?, radishes, herbs
pot fresh herbs with Peanut (the budding Entrepreneur)
Make new sign for our table
Get something ready for when Dianna promotes Eat Local TN to everyone
make deviled eggs & get OJ for Grand Opening Breakfast

Other:

Laundry (CUBED!)
Post on Eat Local TN
Weed the Garden (at least the grass in the paths)
Remember to turn the crockpot on today (I didn't yesterday)
fool with the rest of the berries
educate children- 35 days left!!
recover kitchen from the bread marathon
hunt down the jerks who dumped a dog at 11:00 last night. We HEARD it!! Grrrr.....
GO TO WORK

So, it's getting light out, I should go take advantage of every minute I have. Besides, the sunrise over the lake this morning is shaping up to be a great one. Time for COFFEE! Have a great day, everyone!

Breakfast Picnic

2010-04-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

The other day, Mr. Incredible actually had a morning off, and the weather was great, so we decided to take the girls for a breakfast picnic. After a few wrong turns, we ended up at the Turkey Creek Boat Dock, where the view was awesome!

Here's Mr. I, watching the fishermen take themselves WAY too seriously.

Peanut.

Curly Sue (it was bright out!)

And Little Bit.

Bagels, strawberries, and coffee. Perfect!

Curly Sue

2010-04-28T21:29:00.000-05:00

Not to be outdone by her little sister,

Curly Sue strikes a pose in a

High School Musical Costume.

Work it, girlie!!

Miss Parton, I presume!

2010-04-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

So. You all know from previous posts how much my Little Bit LOVES to play dress-up. Here she is is Curly Sue's Halloween costume. Doesn't she look cute?!?!

Wait! Something in the profile seems odd.

The dress seems, somehow, (ahem...) well- endowed for a seven year old...

It seems Little bit learned a universal secret to being a girl.

If at first the dress doesn't fit... STUFF IT!!

Two capes full, evidently, boy, was she proud!

Kids are GREAT!!!

Breakfast Bliss...

2010-04-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

(I got this great jar at Big Lots for $6!)

So, thanks to my friend, Ms. Dianna, I got my hands on a gallon of fresh, raw milk. For the freshest milk, make friends with someone who owns a cow. That's all I'm going to say about that! So. We've been letting it sit in the fridge for two days so the cream could seperate out, and this morning we could wait no longer~ Partly because our store milk was gone, and I needed some cream in my coffee!

(look at that gorgeous, yellow cream on top!)

So, from our gallon of milk we got nearly a quart of cream, which made about a cup of butter, and 2 cups of fresh buttermilk. We started out shaking the cream in a jar to make the butter (partly just so the girls could help) but then we switched to using the blender like our friendly cow-owner recommended and in less than 5 minutes we had butter. VOILA!!

(Ms. M. shaking that cream for all she's worth!)

We promptly used the buttermilk in pancakes, spread with the butter and real maple syrup. I swear, they were the best pancakes I've ever had!! I even left out the oil my favorite recipe calls for, because with fresh buttermilk and eggs, I couldn't bring myself to add the "Canola" to the bowl. They didn't stick, rose just fine, and were creamy and delicious! HA!

(Here's the cream...)

Now I just need to re-write that pancake recipe...

...1 cow, milked...

...2 chickens, happy and well fed, collect eggs...

YUM!!!

Small Step II: Make Your Own Laundry Soap (Updated)

2010-04-18T11:46:00.002-05:00

Ok, so a few people felt ripped off when I didn't actually post my recipe, step-by-step, so here you go. These are the jars I use for making my laundry soap. They were $4 ea. at Wal-Mart, and I stenciled the designs on them myself (from an idea I saw in an old decorating magazine, I think from BHG.)

Here are my ingredients: 1 part Borax, 1 part Washing Soda, 2 parts Soap

I use Fels Naptha, because I like the results. (Update: for best grating results, set Fels Naptha out to dry for several weeks. I set new bars out as soon as I get a batch made.) These can all be purchased at Kroger. I've tried Zote soap, I mean, what's not to like? It has a cool name, and is PINK! However, it has a higher moisture content, and so curls rather than grates, and, as I have a top loading washer, it required me to play in the soap too much while the washer was filling to get it to go in. My sister used to use Pure & Natural (she can't find it now) and also has used Kirk's Castile Soap with good results. I've even heard of people using homemade soap or Ivory with good results. So anyway, pick a soap you like and use it in the ratio I listed. OKAY? Okay.

Here's what else I use: a grater just for soap, and an old dish pan I found at an antique store to grate into. The rest of the time the pan sits in the laundry room for everyone to put their cloth napkins into to wait for washing. Everything has to do double duty in a house this size!

Now you need to grate your soap. Little kids come in handy for this, just watch the fingers!

See? Grated soap, just like magic!

Now measure your two parts soap. I bought a one cup measure at the Dollar Store just for this.

Next: 1 Part Soda.

And then one part Borax.

Add your lid and SHAKE!!
You want this to get mixed in really well. I suppose a wooden spoon would work, too, but this is what I do!

Now, use two tablespoons per load, unless you're married to a mechanic, then you may need 3 scoops to get work clothes clean! (Maybe even a little Oxy Clean, too.) Especially if he wears light gray uniforms like a 1950's gas station attendant. Ahem. Enough said? Ok.

And, finally, this is what I use for fabric softener, just add it to the rinse cycle or the softener cup! I actually use vinegar for lots of things, but that will have to be another post! Buy it by the gallon, you will use it!
OK? So there you have it. Laundry soap by me.

Moving On... to our new Puppy...

2010-04-02T22:55:00.000-05:00

In case all you think I do is sit here and rant, I'm gonna move on.

This last Tuesday we got a puppy. She's a chocolate lab named Bailey. She's a stray who was hanging around Matt's house with pups, and one by one the pups got taken in, and we decided to bring her home. She's a sweet dog, we just need to teach her some "house dog" manners. We think she's about a year old, and as long as we can get her to stop terrorizing the cats & chickens it looks like she's a keeper.

Small Steps I: Give Something Up.

2010-03-27T22:23:00.005-05:00

In honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (April 22, 2010) I want to do a series of posts on Small Steps you can take to live more simply. OKAY? Here goes... Step One: Give something up.

Sound over-simplified? Maybe. But if it's so simple why are we all so bad at doing it? 3 years ago we gave up TV for Lent. Not just "didn't turn it on," but canceled it. We didn't have pay TV for a year until we moved here and could get NOTHING without it. No weather, no news, no PBS. So now we have TV, but that year without it started something. It snowballed into us moving to the woods, homeschooling our kids, downsizing, and paying off our debt. Putting in a garden, cooking from scratch, becoming farmers, and becoming active in our small community.

So what am I giving up now? I don't know. Eating out at chain/ fast food restaurants maybe. We still do that way too much, and when we do? It's not very good. My "seasonable" veggies the other night at Applebee's included summer squash and zucchini. ??? Far more memorable was dinner the next night, at home. Sausage and Asparagus with Sweet Potatoes. Delicious. Simple. Fresh. Local. Better.

So, my suggestion is, find something you can do without, and do without it already! Okay? Good.

Garden Update 3/21/10

2010-03-21T16:57:00.002-05:00

So, since the last time I updated you on our driveway garden, we've made some serious progress. Mr. Incredible built me this sweet gate from leftover pickets. AND behind that you can see all of my raised beds laid out, ready for dirt. This sight is what I came home to after work Thursday night! (Happy dancing ensued...)

Friday morning we road-tripped to Morton's in McMinnville, TN for some of their ready-mixed growing medium with worm castings. How much dirt did it take to fill all those raised beds?
150 cu. ft. We looked like crazy people who live in the woods and only go to town once a month. Oh... Wait... We ARE those people! Check it out...

So, We lined the beds with the Moore County News, and opened all those bags...
This is what it looked like Saturday when we were done...

Do you notice something green in there? I couldn't help myself. I had to plant SOMETHING! So I strung my square foot grid per Mel's instruction (using some metal screws and mason's twine) and got to planting! So far I have Cabbage, Red-Leaf Lettuce, Romaine, Red Onion, Yellow Onion, Swiss Chard, Spinach, and Marigolds. I've only filled a FRACTION of the beds.

Of course, I broke the #1 Middle TN gardening law of don't plant before April 15th. So today, with cold temps predicted for the immediate future, I had to get creative protecting my tender little plants. This is what my garden looks like now...

Good thing I saved all those vinegar jugs!

Daddy's little helper...

2010-03-16T11:52:00.004-05:00

Curly Sue LOVES to help her dad with projects.
The other day she helped him finish my garden fence.

Teamwork.

She's becoming a real pro!

Not to mention an excellent supervisor!

Look at that face! Farmgirl tough!
"Don't mess with me, boys, I've got a drill, and I know how to use it!!"
What a cute kid!

Quick Garden Update...

2010-03-10T17:49:00.003-06:00

This is what my front yard looked like 2 weeks ago. Bare gravel, that's it.

by last week we had progressed to this: mini Stonehenge. (this is where we left off, after the adventure with the post hole digger.)

Now, it looks like this! The fence is up, and the concrete has set. All we need now is the gate, the raised beds, and lots of dirt. I love the way it makes the front yard looks like already, you know, like it has a purpose? More to come soon!

Another Week, Another Post of Excuses...

2010-03-05T22:52:00.003-06:00

Or: What I've been doing instead of blogging...

It's been a week since I've posted on either my blog, or my website, and I'm starting to hear some complaints from friends and family who like to know what we're up to. So, here goes...
(brace yourself!)

Monday was a brew day. So the kids and I went to the library. We actually got a ton of school done in a reasonable amount of time, although I had to let Curly Sue listen to her MP3 Player since she said it was too quiet. Whatever works. We had lunch at the coffee shop (big shocker) and then spent the afternoon doing some local shopping for a swap I'm doing on MaryJane's Farm. I wanted to send local stuff, since that's my thing. Then we had a quiet night at home with Mr. Incredible.
Tuesday it snowed. A lot. The girls played outside until they were cold and wet, then came in to burn through some more schoolwork. We had to cancel coffee with Sherrie, their 1st piano lesson, and there was no 4H trip to the horse barns, but we sat around drinking cocoa together, and getting caught up on some baking. Mr. I worked late at job #2 in the afternoon. (and brought me home 25 lbs of flour from Falls Mill WOO HOO!)
Wednesday, we had breakfast at the coffee shop (again, big shocker) and then we did a ton more schoolwork. Wed. night, we had to go to ballet for Little Bit's pictures. She was beautiful. I'll share when I get them. We picked up a pizza on the way home. Everyone was tired. Mr. I worked all day again at job #2.
Thursday was crazy. Up at 6, I left by 7, leaving Mr. I. in charge. (I stopped at the coffee shop for an Au Lait and a Scone, surprised?) I went with 2 other gals from the farmers market and our county extension agent to a direct farm marketing workshop in Spring Hill, TN. It was an all day affair, with tons of good information, lots of local "farm celebrities" to meet and greet, and some awesome local food to boot! I came home with a pile of reading material, and plans to attend some other meetings/ farm tours going on in the area. While I was gone, the rest of the family tackled school and ran errands, and generally held down the fort just fine without me! I got home in time to pick up the girls, trade cars, and head to work at the gym, in Tullahoma. When the girls' class was over, Mr. I. picked them up , trading cars again, and I got home at about 8 for chicken pasta salad for dinner ( our first of the season, as we usually eat this in summer.)
Friday (today, I think) started early again (6 is the new 7 at our house.) Mr. I. was out the door by 7:30 for job #2. The girls and I tidied up the house, then got school started by 9 and done before noon. Since it was near 60 and sunny today, the ladies spent the rest of the day outside, and I opened some windows and did some heavy spring cleaning. (I washed windows, curtains, shampooed the carpet, dusted, and moved furniture ~yes, again, Jared~ and generally cleared the clutter...) I called my nephew to wish him HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEFF!!!!! I also got to talk to Dee (HI, DEE!!) whom I've missed! Mr I. got home in time to change his clothes for job #1, then we all went to dinner out (Chinese), since he had to drop off his work truck with Matt somewhere, and he'd be right there anyway. After dinner, he headed off to work for the night, and the girls and I went to TSC (Tractor Supply for you non-farmer types.) We admired the baby rabbits, decided Mr. I would kill us, and settled instead, for a stash of farm magazines, and a cheese making book. There were no ducks. I might have gotten ducks. (don't tell Mr. I. hi Mr. I...) After that we stopped by Grammie's house to say hi, and then called it a night when Little Bit started to fall asleep every time she sat down. Once we got home, I got the girls and chickens to bed, gathered up 17 eggs that were waiting for me, chatted for a bit online with Anna (we shared a beer over the internet) and began doing some writing and blog maintenance.

SO! That is why I've not have time to blog. My life has been taking over (getting messy again.) It feels good to be busy again, though. The only bad thing is that we are eating out (or bringing in) a lot more. Last week I was really good about fixing something before I left, but this week schoolwork kind of took over, and well, that's not really a bad thing. We hope to finish for the year by Memorial Day, and have the whole month of June off. June is really great here. We can see the end in sight, so the girls are willing to work hard again. Take it while you can get it, you know what I mean? Now, I must go to bed.

Tomorrow is slated to be a busy day again, with laundry on the line, wood to stack, seeds to order, bread to bake, groceries to buy, blogging to catch up on, and a sleepover for the girls to coordinate. Not to mention it's First Saturday. (at Goodwill, people, pay attention!!)

Thanks for reading this all. Good Night!

My New Garden...

2010-03-01T21:03:00.004-06:00

Evidently, this is the year we change the look of our property...
First the shop, now my garden. Come See...

This is what our front yard looked like on Feb. 25. We'd moved the lumber, and the woodpile, and done some serious planning. You can see the shop progress, the dog kennel/ turned rabbit & chicken yard off to the right, and the porch & clothesline in the background. The small rock pile in front of the slab is the temporary ramp that lets me say I'm "parking in the garage."

These are my picket fence panels. Waiting...

This is the pile of the nicest, clearest dimensional lumber ever. It's killing every man in town (especially mine) that we're "just" building raised beds with it.

This is my new favorite machine. The "your wife won't have to help" post hole digger. Worth every extra dime over the two-man job. It was still way harder than it looks.

And, this is what it looks like right now. Stonehenge all over again. And that, my friends is the beginning of "How to garden in the driveway, 101."