Monday, June 24, 2013

Tomato Update

Hello Sweet One!

Wanted to give you an update of the tomato farm!

The good news--we have babies!!!  Baby tomatoes, that is!  I had been worried that our pollination efforts weren't enough as I was tying up more plants and tapping the blossom ends.  I prayed that the Lord would let me know that we were on the right track and not even a minute or three later, I saw our first baby tomato!!!!  I was so thankful!  He is so kind to us.

I also, though, found evidence of disease in some plants.   We have sent the photos off to an expert and are waiting for the reply.  I am not going to be worried though--the Lord has all this in control.  If we lose them, He is still there, if we don't He is still there.  In any case, He is still there.









Friday, June 21, 2013

Father's Day Present

Hello dear friend,

I am a little tired today.  I dreamt last night that a sweet friend died tragically, suddenly.  I spent the rest of the night, all my dreams after that one, mourning her in my sleep.  She is very much alive, but my dreams were so real that this morning my head aches and my throat is strained from crying in my sleep.

Dreams.  They are often so interesting, but sometimes so dreadful!

Anyway, I wanted to show you what we did this morning!  TWS wanted a flag pole for Father's Day. There is one that came with the house, but it had been bent by a storm at some point and was weak.  TWS ordered a telescoping, sturdy flag pole with an American Flag and a POW Flag.

Parenthetically, a neighbor told me that she had seen that robbers will often skip houses that have American Flags, presuming the occupants to be armed.  Interesting, don't you think?

TWS cemented the flag pole two days ago, and today the concrete was set enough for him to raise the flag.  He was so excited (as excited as TWS gets--he is pretty low key :) ).  He almost wanted to fly the flag last night, but we couldn't because we do not have the lights installed to shine on the flag yet.

So he had to wait until morning, and went out before breakfast:

Getting the flags ready.

Being very careful not to let the American Flag touch the ground.

Straightening and unfurling.

Attaching the POW/MIA Flag.  We remember you!

Beautiful!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Our "Farm" Kitty

Hello beautiful one!

I had forgotten that I had not finished posting about our kitty and his food issues!

I have a pet cat named Scout.  He is a tuxedo cat and the oddest one I have had.  He literally melts in your arms and sleeps so relaxedly that his lips droop.  He prefers to be upside down (I think his gyro got installed wrong ;) ), and completely trusts you to a)hold him like a baby and b)when you are done, turn him over end in a reverse summersault to the floor. 


If I may...this is his little story:  several years ago we lost both of our cats to kidney disease (more on that below).  I want a cat in the house, one who is loving and people oriented.  Howitzer, my big cat, was a wonderful people cat.  He adopted any little baby who came into the house (including letting our other kitten nurse off of him!  She had a strong suckling urge and he let her actually nurse off his little boy cat nipples.  Poor thing had furless raw patches up and down his tummy, but eventually he weaned her :) ).

 Hummer, my little female, was shy but not aloof.  We got her from a box in front of a grocery store and she was only as long as my hand--I remember riding home and marveling at how tiny she was.  She would pat your back and snuggle if you were crying.  Her purr was loud like a chainsaw and you could hear her purring down the hall, but her meow was so quiet that often you would see her mouth open but no sound came out or you would just hear the tiniest little squeak.  They were wonderful.


And then they both were gone.

It was time for a new kitty and I went to the shelter to find one.  I was thinking of getting a little tortie--I had had them before and liked their color.  The worker was surprised that my torties were well behaved because many, apparently, can be aggressive.  They did have one available, and we took her in the little room to get acquainted. 

The worker was right--she was aggressive and not at all inclined to make friends.  She was not acting shy, she was acting angry.  Not the cat for us.

But there was a mom and two half grown kittens that were tuxedo cats.  The worker assured me that the male was a love bug.  She was right again!  He was so snuggly and so sweet that when they injected the ID and gave him his shots, he just purred louder.

I was still nervous.  I wanted to get the right kitty.  I wanted to know he would be a good fit.  I prayed that the Lord would let me know as I walked to the front desk to finish the paperwork.  Not a few seconds later, the lady at the desk told me his name was Scout.

Why is that remarkable?  Because we were in a phase of naming all our pets after military somethings.  Scout was military enough that I knew that this was the kitty for us :)  The Lord blessed us with the silliest, snuggliest cat I have ever had :).


Ok, back to the present and his present issues....

He has been on friskies wet food for a couple of years now.  He was on dry, but then had bladder blockage issues, and for some reason stopped drinking his water out of a bowl after surgery.  So we went to wet food.  All seemed fine.

Then last week he started getting ill when he would eat.  I was upset (he is one of the niftiest cats I have ever had--very cuddly, plays fetch, etc).  But I was also confused.  Not to get indelicate, but his constitutionals were still fine, the problem seemed to be only upper GI.

This weekend it got very bad, so I made him some chicken and rice and cooked egg.  He kept that down fine.  Then I bought some organic food for him, and he kept down the poultry based foods, but NOT the beef (though the problem was much less severe).  Then I tried him back on poultry--fine.  Tried him on liver--he refused to touch it.

I am seeing a pattern:  poultry is fine, beef and beef related food is not.

So I went to the Pet Depot to see what was available.  Honestly they are just so expensive!  I did buy a few cans of food just to try.  I avoided science diet (per the worker) and a few others.  I have also decided to avoid Natura and related since they are having a lot of recalls.  I asked the worker (who is extremely knowledgeable regarding food) if it would not honestly be better if I just made him chicken and rice since he tolerated it so well.  She said that that would be best.  She said use brown, not white, rice.


So now I will be making my own cat food on the big cook days.  I will freeze it in muffin tins and pop them in a ziplock and microwave for his meals.  I have not finalized the recipe yet, and still have some research to do, but I am pretty confident that this will be a good way to go.  I will see if there are trace minerals that he might need.

DISCLAIMER!!!  I am NOT a vet.  I am NOT a nutritionist.  In fact, it was only about 10 years ago that I stopped arguing that poptarts should be considered a fruit serving because there is a picture of a cherry on the box.  PLEASE.  DO.  NOT.  TRUST.  MY.  METHODS.  I am in no way responsible for anything that might happen to your pet if you choose to try what I am trying.  If a couple years pass and my critters are doing fine, then I might have more confidence, but for now, please feed your pet at your risk and not with my "research" :)

Is it perfectly scientific?  Nope (but I am going to try to make it so!).  But knowing what junk can get into the foods, and knowing that my cooking process will not result in recalls, I feel that he will get the best he can if I make most of his food.  I will keep some organic food (I am liking Newman's at the moment) around for emergencies, camping, and in case I am behind in my cooking :).


After doing some research using http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood and http://www.pet-grub.com/part1/how_to_make_your_own_ground_egg_shell_calcium_supplement_for_dogs_and_cats , I have a better idea of what I will need to make sure my little scamp is healthy.  He will definitely need taurine, fish oil, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, and lite salt (which has potassium in it).  I will be using egg shells, as I have no desire nor inclination to have a raw food diet for him (as much as he drags food around the house, no way raw chicken is going to be in his bowl!).

My only question is whether I will include brown rice or not.  On the one hand, I think not as he is a carnivore.  On the other hand, I am not so much sure it will hurt him since he also eats plastic (and obviously is not too choosy in what he swallows).  I do know that meat will be the majority of his diet, with rice as a filler.  I have no problems with a little filler--which is why I end up eating more breadsticks than necessary at the Olive Garden.

I guess my thing is that I am not afraid of FOODS for my critters (though I will never feed meat to an herbivore--that is how mad cow got started).  I am wary of pathogens, melamine (Howie and Hummer that I talked about earlier:  Two completely unrelated cats, one male and one female, three years apart in age, from different towns, and they just happen to get simultaneous kidney disease right when the melamine-in-pet-food stuff came out?  I find that a bit of a stretch.), aflatoxin, and other nasties.  I figure if I get the pet food about right in terms of making sure I have the minerals, etc, then it is as good as I can do. :)

I am sure that TWS won't mind if I don't get to his breakfast biscuits because I have to make food for the cat, right? ;)


This is our silly boy.  It is hard to tell from the pic, but he is really limp.  You can continue to flip him over to his feet and he does not mind at all!


Back To Work

Good Morning dear friend!

It is a wonderful, blessed morning here on the farm.  It has cooled down from the rains of the past few days, the birds are singing, there is a light mist gentle caressing the big pond, and everything feels fresh and new.

I have renewed energy to work, and I think it might be because yesterday TWS and I took the day off to celebrate a special day.  The only work we did yesterday was hand pollinating the greenhouse (basically gently tapping the stems that were flowering so that the pollen would fall into the right place).  That only took about 15 minutes.  Then we went to town for the day to enjoy each other's company and browse.

We gently tapped the stems that the blossoms attached to in order to mimic the wind or a bee.  Tomatoes are self pollinating, needing only jostling to get the pollen from one place in the blossom to another.

It was our anniversary, you see, and we had not planned to do anything for it.  Not that I do not like celebrating our anniversary--I love it!  I love marriages and love and yearly markers of time together, through struggles and through blessings.  Marriage is HARD work, and it is a blessing to mark the time together.

However, our anniversary always seems to fall at a busy time of year and sneaks up on me!  Additionally, with the expense of the move and establishing the farm, there was not as much discretionary time or income. 

Instead TWS had a wonderful day just being together.  We went to my favorite fast food restaurant (with coupons!), went to a local store that has the most amazing show rooms (most of their items were too expensive for us, but we had fun looking at everything and chatting with the sales person about our time in Alaska!).  We went to Pet Depot to find new food for our cat (more on that later) and a dog bed.

We drove up one of the most beautiful highways I have ever seen into Tennessee and back (a short trip).  This highway looks like a drive through arboretum--the trees are magnificent and groomed and stunning.

We stopped by an antique store where TWS got an incredible deal on a hand plane and I found some copper cookie cutters like my mom used to have.  Oh, there is s till a very tender wound in my heart from her passing, and yesterday it was particularly tender for some reason.  There was a lady in one of the stores we went to that had hair like my mom and was about the right height.  Every time I caught a glimpse of her through the aisles, I would quickly get an excited, joyful catch in my heart, then just as quickly, I would remember that it was not my mom.  It was sorrowful, but also beautiful, because, for the merest of split seconds, my mom was back here with me.  It was worth the pain of disappointment to have the joy of that moment.

I also found a new (old!) book series:  Cherry Ames.  It was written long ago about a nurse who solves mysteries.  It reminds me of the Trixie Belden series, which I adore.

Let's see, we of course had to go to Lowe's (they know us well there!) and we went to Tractor Supply.  Since we had not planned any gifts for each other, we almost got an "anniversary auger" for the tractor :).  However, we passed on that and I got Ball Jars to put up dry goods instead :).

We have been married 19 years.  It seems so short!  The present for a 19 year anniversary is "bronze".  TWS and I like to go by the traditional gifts instead of the modern, but the traditional skips from 15 to 20 (those are some mighty good years that the lists carelessly skip! :) ).  In these cases, we look to the modern list.  Though I found some incredible bronze items in the first store, they were entirely too pricey for our budget, so instead we got an "oil rubbed bronze" shower head at Lowe's, which we needed anyway :).

I also bought some gladiolus bulbs for the walking garden, and some seed starter trays to start the flowers I have.  I could direct sow into the ground, but with the walking garden carved out of the grassy meadow, I am afraid we might misplace (and mow!) what we would plant. 

We also tried some goat cheese with honey in it (and fig, and coffee--they were each delicious!) from a local store.  And I got a few little gift bags at an antique store that also sold some paper goods.  I thought it would be wonderful, if I baked some brownies or something, to put a few in one of these pretty little bags for a neighbor :).

When we got home, Precious had completely cleaned the kitchen for us!  What a sweet and wonderful surprise!

TWS talked about taking the day off and how he is just starting to feel like he can.  He apologised in case I had felt he had been a "stick in the mud" about going places, but I understood.  He is under incredible time pressure, at the whims of nature, to get the farm established.  Now that some of the big projects are being completed, he feels more like he can take some time.  (however, he was joking last night about being lazy and taking the day off :) ). 

So it is back to work today after a wonderful day spent celebrating our marriage and thanking the Good Lord for His provision in it. :)


Still a lot of ground to plow.  This was just broken up, not tilled or prepared.  Late, late garden this year, but perhaps we can get it ready for the cool season crops. :)

Grocery Wednesday!

Sweet friend!  So glad you are here!

I am slowly getting into a routine to try to keep everything running smoothly here at Lemonrock Farm.  I truly was never that wonderful of a housekeeper.  However, I am determined to do much better at it, and a routine helps me immensely (when I remember to stick to it).

I am letting the Lord establish my routine for me.  Instead of declaring what day I will do what, He is gently guiding me in wisdom to what days are best for what major chores.  Additionally, I need to seek Him every day for the incidental tasks that need to be done. 


Today is Wednesday and we have established that that is a great time for me to do my coupons and flyers and grocery shopping.  I have read in some places that couponing takes a great deal of time.  Truthfully I do not find it time consuming.  I get a Sunday paper with coupons (and I clip the ones I need), then I go to my store's website.  They make it easy to print coupons, have digital coupons, and make a list all online.  Truly the time I spend making my list and clicking digital coupons is very small (compared, say, to the time I spend on facebook or pinterest ;) ), and therefore worth the effort.  I save my coupons from Sunday, my organizer, and a pair of scissors in a little reading basket in my sunroom and do all clipping and grocery related tasks on Wednesday.

That is my routine chore for Wednesday.  My incidental tasks that I would like to accomplish today is to make a few internet inquiries regarding selling some fiestaware, planting my seeds in my trays to eventually transfer to the Walking Garden, finish a painting I was working on, make sweet tea, and perhaps a few other items I have forgotten at the moment :).

What is your plan for today?  Do you stick to a routine and do you find it suits you?  Do you find it difficult to stick to a routine?  Do you have any tips for smoothing the housekeeping road?  I would love to hear from you!



Monday, June 17, 2013

Catch Up Day!

Good Morning sweet friend!

Goodness I am way behind!  Somehow my chores got less done than I like and now it is time to play catch up.  Though today is a day of scrubbing bathrooms and such, I decided that I still want to look and feel put together whilst I work:  cotton skirt, cotton blouse, satin brocade apron, hair neatly pulled back, and some make up on.  My family still has to see me, even as I clean, and I would like for them to see me at my best.  They deserve it :)

My thoughts are turning to sewing and I am eager to get caught up so I can unpack the sewing machine.  I also have painted a painting the past few days.  I am not at all an artist, BUT I enjoy painting so much!  It is good to do things that we enjoy without having the expectation or pressure of having to be "good enough" at it.

So today my plan is:

-tax teleconference for the farm
-dye Precious' hair
-cut up watermelon and honeydew
-make "man pleasin' chicken" for dinner
-do at least two loads of laundry
-clean all bathrooms
-clean my bedroom
-sweep and mop

Now, if I get those done, my next list is:
-go check the wild blackberries for ripeness
-contact a company to see if they are interested in buying some fiestaware that I do not want
-pack up everything non-essential that is on the dining table
-finish painting
-work on part of Walking Garden--establishing plots where I plan to plant seeds.

Whew!  I must get busy!  Let me know what wonderful things you have planned for today!



Friday, June 14, 2013

The Walking Garden

Hello sweet one!

I just finished up a delicious lunch of grilled cheese (made with fresh mozzarella) and cherries!  Cherries are my favorite fruit (though I also love watermelon and nectarines).  They are such a rare, expensive treat here--they almost cost as much here as they did in Alaska! 

I know we were supposed to be in the greenhouse by now, but our tax discussion ran long, then it was too close to lunch not to just have it, and now TWS is making ice cream base for ice cream tomorrow.  Tomorrow's flavors are peach and mint chocolate chip.  Remind me to tell you about our ice cream maker (the machine, not TWS :D ).

Right now however, I wanted to tell you about the Walking Garden!  If you recall, several days ago I had backed my plans down to a simmer.  However, what we have done is to cut the path through the grass in the area of the cutting garden.  I had no plan.  I just got in the golf cart and drove a meander through the trees, praying I was choosing a good path!

You know, faith is a little like that for me sometimes.  There are times that I have NO idea what my Dear Father wants from me.  Not because He is quiet, but because I am not :).  Sometimes any choice is a right choice, any path is a right path for Him.  Shall I study art or music?  Either of those is fine.  Shall I sew a dress or study astronomy?  Either is fine.  Shall I be a scientist when I grow up or a historian?  Either of those is fine. :)  The Lord does give us rules for living that we must try to stay with so we do not suffer or cause others too, such as refraining from unkind words, adultery, lying, sarcasm, etc.

However, after that, there is a whole big world and it is scary to think of the weight of some of the decisions we make....until we know that the Lord has made our path already.  We will not surprise Him.  He will bring us where we need to be for His glory.  We don't need to stress.


So I drove.  I meandered.  I tucked behind this tree and between those.  And then I did it again and again so that the path was well worn in the tall, tall grass.  TWS came behind with the tractor and I drove the path again, this time with him following behind me.  Then he cut the path again on his own to make it a little wider.

Now I have a wonderful path under the trees, through the wildflowers and weeds.  I had wanted TWS to mow all the grass down there to make it "park-like".  I confess I was disappointed when he was very resistant to the idea.  I honestly did not know what the problem was.  There did not seem to be a good reason not to just mow it, not to just make the whole canvas flat and clean.  But he chose not to.  TWS, who loves me and indulges me, said no.

This too is an amazing metaphor for how the Lord (and our husbands!) works.  We often think we know the best way, the right way, the easier way.  My idea was not a bad one at all.  It would have been lovely.  It would have blended with the yard.  It was not sinful. 

BUT it was also not the best.  I had to put my frustration aside, my idea of "this is MY walking garden, just mow the grass!" :).  I had to defer to his will, and the results are much, much better!  It was more stressful for me (did I choose the right path?), but in the end it is so much more lovely!

Ah...sometimes the Lord tells our husbands things that He does not choose to tell us! :)  It is a hard lesson for us to learn sometimes, especially when we are strong willed and capable women :)  But it is a blessed lesson and, in return for swallowing our pride, we receive blessing beyond measure.

So, please allow me to introduce you to the beginning of the Walking Garden....


We start here, at the entrance to the Walking Garden.  There is a beautiful wood arbor that we walk under, and we feel a little like Elizabeth and Jane as we step onto the path and away from the world....


We meander here, letting our hands brush a patch of lavender.  We pause to pick some leaves and blossoms to rub on our wrists and throat.  What a wonderful scent fresh lavender has!   It is delicate as our conspiratorial whispers (lest the trees overhear and reveal all our secrets!)
 
 
And there....can't you just see a hammock between those two trees? :)  The day is hot and the clouds are fluffy white, and your day dreams are so full and laden in your head that you simply MUST rest and nap so your dreams can soar into the bright blue sky.  Don't worry about me, I will be right back!
 
 
Wake up dear one!  It is hungry work letting dreams fly!  Here is a little table filled with chocolate and cherries and scones.  There is a pitcher of iced jasmine tea by your elbow, dear, and some raw blossom honey for it.
 
 
I think we need to gather flowers so we can take this walk inside with us when the sun goes down, don't you?  I will gather delphiniums and dahlias to the left side.  You can gather pink and yellow primrose to the right.  We will tie them together with lengths of honeysuckle vine growing round this tree.
 
 
I know we just had a snack, but can you possibly resist the honeyberries on these bushes?  I know I can't!  They are so ripe and sweet, it would be a shame to let the birds eat all of them!
 
 
Alas, we have reached the end of the Garden.  Here, take this bouquet with you, I can get one later. I so enjoyed this time with you!  Come back soon and we will walk it again! 
 
 

Busy Farm Day Ahead!

Good morning friend!

Oh I do love mornings!  Last night I was feeling quite unwell, so I took some benadryl, said a prayer, and went to sleep.  This morning the vertigo is gone and I am feeling quiet but eager to take on the day!

The weather is moderating, and the extreme temperatures and extreme storms are gone.  That is good because we will be back out in the greenhouse today tying and trimming tomatoes!

First, though, we have a teleconference for business taxes.  Legalzoom provides this service when you sign up for one of their packages.  It is not a glamorous part of farming, but it is part of being a citizen of these Great United States, and we want to make sure we do it properly :)

So, drink your coffee, put on your work clothes and let's have a wonderful day on the farm! :)


Thursday, June 13, 2013

Big Cook Thursday!!

My darling friend!!

Well, another Thursday has arrived--time for BIG COOK THURSDAY! :)  I love these days--lots of accomplishment.  I love projects, and this is a wonderful project to make a house a home and to bless the family (and myself!) when time is short during the week.

I go to the grocery store on Wednesday nights after dropping the babies off at Youth Group.  Last night, however, we were a little late leaving the house.  Then, on our way to the church, we hit a detour as they were working on the railroad close to our house.  We must have driven 15 miles out of the way!  I honestly thought we might hit Tennessee before we were able to get back on the road we needed.  If we had gone the "long way", we would have arrived sooner :)

In any case, because I was so late dropping them off, I was very late getting into the store, and this was a BIG shopping trip since I had not gone in two weeks.  Long story short, at one point I had to leave two buggies of groceries at the front of the store to get the kids, then come back, get the rest of the groceries, then come home.  We did not get home until 10pm, and it took several more minutes to unload and put away.  I had not even had supper!


In any case, I woke bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for our big cook.  I am going to start alternating children to help with the cook, as The Boy* has requested to learn more about cooking and Precious just needs to start, whether she has a druther or not ;).

So today we made chili in the crock pot.  They all love chili (I must confess, the texture of beans is a very big struggle for me).  I love putting it in the freezer so they can have it any time they want.


For lunch, I quickly fried up some catfish from our "Pro Catfish Tourney" and some tater tots.  Very quick and easy--I need to make it more often!

Now The Boy and I are working on more sausage egg and cheese biscuits for TWS.

We might have to run to big town later, and there are also storms coming in, so I am not sure if I will get another dish cooked.  Hopefully I will (we are running out of chicken and dumplings :) ).

I hope you have a wonderful day!  Let me know if you do any big cooking and what you like to cook!


*Sooperman.  I call him Boy or Sooper (or any number of derivatives ;) ).  I think it will be easier to stick with Boy from now on in the blog.  :)

Greenhouse Chores

My sweet friend, good morning!

Here are a few photos of the greenhouse work that I needed to do yesterday.  Yesterday was also the hottest day of the year, and we got to over 100 OUTSIDE the greenhouse.

The first order of business was to build up soil around some of the tomatoes.  We have some low spots in our greenhouse and the water, during bad rain, will stand around some of the plants.  I built up around the plants so that hopefully the water will drain away from the roots.

Next came weeding.  Whilst the weed mat helps, there are still weeds that poke through around the plants.  The weeding is actually pretty easy, until you hit an ant bed!  My goodness the little black ants we have here bite with a fury and sting like fire!  They do not blister like fire ants, but you can feel the sting going up the nerve away from the bite. Quite unpleasant, though it only lasts a few minutes.

It was very warm in the greenhouse, very humid.  I was praising the Lord, though, as I worked because I actually do not get that uncomfortable in the greenhouse.  I love heat and humidity and it was a very pleasant working environment for me.  The sun was not beating down on me, the fans moved the air around, and I was thankful that the Lord had put me in a position of what feels comfortable for me, after so many years in the cold and dry of the sub arctic.
 
However, I definitely needed to be much smarter and go by wisdom, not physical feeling.  By the end of the day working, I knew I had pushed too far (even though I did not feel like I was) and had not drunk enough.  I love heat and humidity, but towards the end, my brain was starting to send subtle signals of "this is dangerous, stop now, this is starting to hurt you".  But I ignored it as I was almost done anyway :)  Next time, I will try to pay closer attention :)  To reinforce the lesson, I ended up with a tremendous headache most of the rest of the night!

The thermometer above is high in the canopy of the greenhouse.  It used to be that the cooler air actually stayed there, while the warmer air (because of the energy of the sun being absorbed by the black mat) stayed around the tomatoes.  This was not good for the tomatoes, so TWS framed a transom at both ends of the greenhouse, which you can see in this photo below (this thermometer is at plant level).  Additionally, we have put shade cloth over the greenhouse.  Now the higher temps are away from the plants (though "higher" is relative when it is 100 degrees outside :) ) and are circulated through and out.  We still need to bring the temps down though as tomatoes do not pollinate when they are too hot (above about 95).


I am such a proud farmer!  We are finally starting to get little blossoms on a few of the plants.  I am actually tempted to pinch these off so that the plant will continue to grow for another week or two, but I want to make sure that that is acceptable.  The tomatoes we are grown are Sakura Honey and are indeterminate, meaning they do not all ripen at once.  This extends the harvest, which will be good.  So, presumably, I could pinch these off and more will follow later.

Most of the weeds are harmless little groundcovers that are prolific but easy to pull.  However, every so often I encountered one of these which pierce right through the glove in a very unpleasant surprise!
 
 
Taking a Gatorade break.  Parenthetically, water with a little salt and sugar is absorbed more quickly than plain water and is more hydrating.  The sugar and the salt draw water through the intestine quickly.
 

While I worked inside the greenhouse, TWS worked outside improving the drainage.  It was wonderful to take a break, get a drink, and appreciate the cuteness of a man in a cowboy hat on a green tractor ;)

After the weeding was done, all the detritus was swept away to prevent disease.  Then it was time to go inside and get cool and clean :)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Hot Tempers and Hot Temperatures

Good morning dear friend!

It is a busy day for me here out in the greenhouse, but I wanted to check in with you and say hello :)

It is going to be a scorcher today with temperature indexes up to 107.  I hope the tomatoes are not suffering too much--we are cooling the greenhouse down as much as we can.  A few of our tomatoes are suffering greatly from the amount of rain we received the other day, and a few were underwater.  We had lowered the sides, but the land is uneven and a few tomatoes were in a catchment.  They are planted in the ground, under cover, so it would be very difficult to backfill.  We are going to dig a trench today and mound up around the tomatoes that are prone to flooding.  

I had planned to do this tomorrow, but there is severe weather coming through and any outdoor activities need to be done today.  We will be extremely diligent to keep cool, to stop often, and to hydrate much.

As for hot tempers... :)

This morning I got involved in a discussion online. I love a good, rational, calm, discussion.  I delight in playing with point of views and facts and studies, turning them over and around and looking at all sides.   I am a scientist at heart.  I like counter points, and welcome the testing of my fences in terms of what I think, because if my ideas cannot withstand scrutiny, then I need to rethink them.  

(I believe I got that from my sweet mother and her father.  Her father would present a subject for debate after supper.  Halfway through the discussion, he would say "switch" and she would have to debate the OPPOSITE side.   It was an excellent practice in knowing both sides, understanding both sides, then knowing what was right.  They were not only intellectually rigorous, but also spiritually so, and logic and spirituality, science and faith, imbued their minds and hearts and spirits.  I still struggle with pride and "rightness", however)

However,  we have to be careful to always conduct ourselves online as if we were in person.  There is a real live human with real live struggles on the other side.  If we would not say something to their face, then we should not say it on line.  We should always make sure that EVERY SINGLE WORD, spoken, typed, or thought is graceful and seasoned with salt.  It is inevitable that we will disagree, but we have to be careful to be thoughtful, even if we are just debating with someone online.

One thing that sorrowed me about this discussion is that it lost its rational edge.   When we stop answering someone's points of logic, and instead start criticising unrelated people, the conversation is lost.  In this case, it was a study presented by someone who might not be the best spokesman for the study.  The study was sound, but the presenter was someone that might be seen as divisive.  However, that person's personality does not change the results of the study, and the discussion was the study itself.

This happens when we feel defensive about something.  We lash out or start picking apart other people as persons instead of analyzing and debating data.  It is an emotional, not rational, reaction.  It is natural--no one likes to have "the other side" be right about anything!  We start attacking, all of us, when we feel we are being attacked.  However, what we FEEL and what is TRUE can be two different things.  We must be careful that, in any situation, we are gentle with the heart of the other person.  Mocking, snarking, name calling, all are signs of weakness.  It takes a LOT more strength to be calm and loving in the face of "attack" than to mock, be sarcastic, and troll.  Those things are easy.

In regards to intellectual rigor--the Lord gave us sound minds.  He gave us rational thought.  He gave us logic and order.  We should make sure that any thoughtful discussion we get into uses logic and reason, and that we do not let it dissolve into a snark fest.  When we see the other person getting upset, it is often good to withdraw, for at that point, even if we have the exact right answer, they are defensive and will not hear it.  It is a kindness to them, and to the point you are trying to make.  There is always time later to readdress, carefully and full of logic and grace, what points need to be made.

And when we find ourselves about ready to send a "zinger" (and trust me, we all have that desire!), then  we must stop.  Right there.  Our arguing at that point is filled with anger, not love.  Pride, not care.  In order not to bring dishonor to ourselves or the Lord, we must pause, stop, breathe, pray until our words again become sweet, fresh water that bubbles out, not salty bitter water that spews out.  It is hard.  I fail.  But this is a worthy goal to try to attain and the Lord will empower us to do it as long as we do not let our hot tempers get in the way :)



Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Farm Update- Greenhouse

Good morning sweet baby!

I had a little cajun great great grandma and that is what she called people--sweet baby.  As in "Sweet baby, have you passed the rag over your face this mornin'?" (washed your face) or "Sweet baby, come down off your car and come here" (get out of your car and come inside :) ).

Our little cockatiel has a new habit.  He shrieks until I uncover him, then he immediately gives me a wolf whistle!  It is kinda nice to know my bird thinks I am pretty, even if my make up isn't on :)

The builder of our greenhouse came the other day to deliver shade cloth.  The sun is so warm here in Alabama that the greenhouse, even with the sides open, gets over 100 degrees.  The tomatoes will not pollinate that warm, so they brought shade cloth to help reduce the amount of sun that enters the greenhouse.

While he was there, he saw the improvements that TWS made to the design and function of the greenhouse and was completely impressed.  So much so that yesterday one of the owners of the company called and said he had heard about what TWS had done and wanted to come out and see it.  When Publix comes to inspect greenhouses, they will probably be brought to ours.  That makes me feel good, as TWS works so hard and is so brilliant--I am glad that he is being recognized for his efforts.  In fact, the owner suggested they might bring him on as a consultant at some point!

There have been times during this process of working with other people when I have been extremely frustrated.  Actually I have been downright het up sometimes.  However, I am working on being forbearing and letting the Lord take care of things.  The other morning I was praying because the type of tomatoes we got, Sakura Honey, are grape tomatoes, not full sized.  While investigating the yields, I found that they were not as productive as I was thinking, and I could not imagine that this first year of our farm would be profitable.  However, I prayed and turned that over to the Lord (and then fret and take it back, then pray and turn it over...it takes me a while sometimes :) ).  The Lord filled me with such calm and definite assurance, that I am resolved not to fret.  No matter what happens, He is in control.  While I sometimes want to stomp my feet and be the proverbial shrieking wheel ;) to get what I want, in the long run, what is most important is winning souls, soothing burdens, and not doing anything that might reflect badly on the Lord.

Anyway, I am excited about this and have a newfound sense of calm :)

One of the upgrades that TWS did was to attach fencing around the outside of the greenhouse.  Not a moment too soon, incidentally, as last night he went to check the greenhouse and there was a deer!  We have many deer here, and his research showed that they may or may not eat tomatoes, but if they do, they will most likely decimate them.  The only openings were the front and back door, as TWS is still designing and building them.  As a stopgap, he placed an A-frame ladder in each doorway and "booby trapped" them with things that would make a noise.  He also used my crawfish trap under one ladder and a large bin under the other.  It would have to be a very determined and level headed deer to blow through those. :)

What else...OH!  My little baby magnolia has bloomed!  I will take a photo of it and show you.  AND we got our first bloom on one of the tomato plants.

We also went to Lowes and found that they had most of  their flowering and fruiting trees on half price.  I, of course, wanted to buy a ton of peaches, but we settled for two peaches and two figs.  One of the peaches will go in the hole where our dead asian pear was, but the other, I think, will go on the other side of the yard with the figs and the honey berries near the walking garden.  I think having refreshment as one walks is a good idea :).

I hope you have a blessed day!


Sunday, June 9, 2013

Pouring Rain

Good morning dear!!

Well, this is a fine bit of rain we are having!  The first band of thunderstorms has rolled on through, leaving a lighter sky and a soggy ground.  We have a weather station that TWS bought for me which literally reads "It's raining cats and dogs" when the rain gets heavy :).

It was so wonderful to sit in the sunroom and listen to the thunder rattle and bluster through the sky.  I love morning thunderstorms.  They are such an energizing and magnificent way to start the day.

This does keep some of our plans at bay....well not mine.  I am glad that it rained, as my plan was to iron and do laundry.  I love to iron--there is something about fresh, clean clothes, about taking something wrinkled and making it pretty.  I am trying to decide if I will put in Pride and Prejudice or Swamp People to watch as I work.

Very early this morning, about 3 or 4, TWS and I awoke.  After a while, we realized that sleep was futile and decided to arise.  We needed to watch a webinar on business taxes.  Why am I telling you this?  Because it is part of owning the farm, and I want to share my full farming experience :).  We have formed an LLC to protect ourselves from liability.  We used LegalZoom, and so far we are pretty pleased with the work they have done on our behalf.  They had sent us a time to watch a webinar, but we missed the time (farm work comes first!), and watched the replay.  I must say that the webinar made business taxes seem less daunting, but I am still thankful that that is TWS's cat, not mine. 

Oh I planted my magnolia yesterday!  Well, TWS planted it, I was running to the house to get the biting ants out from under my skirt (yet another part of farm life that is not as pinterest-y as others :) ).  The only tree or plant that I dearly wanted in the south that I had not gotten yet was a magnolia.  When one of our asian pears died, we were able to return it to the nursery for my new tree.  It already has a bud on it!

I put it at the edge of the walking garden.  Ah...about the walking garden....

I am realizing that my plans are....ambitious for the first year.  Whilst we have been very diligent and hard working, we will have neither the time nor the funds to turn every dream we have into reality in the first few months :).  I had grand plans for our side yard to make a walking garden--perhaps with an English flair, or overblooming in Southern generous profusion.  At this point I am content just to get the hay cut in that area of the yard :).  It will not be lined with flowers and hardscape for now, BUT the trees are magnificent in that part of the yard.  Couple that with flat green grass, and it will be a delightful place to wander and meander.  I plan to add beds and such later, as well as transplant many of the bushes and natural plants that we have around here.

So my plan for this year is, God willing:  get the house unpacked, including the library and the barn.  Finish the greenhouse for the tomatoes.  Perhaps finish removing the rocks from the flower beds.  Get the berries and orchard on firm footing.  Take care of the pond. Get all irrigation laid out and ready (this is done).  Explore the land to see what is available to me in terms of plants, rocks, etc.

Next year:  add crawfish to upper pond, add mayhaws to the wet parts of our land, focus on garden, perhaps start remodeling the house (repaint a few rooms).

I think that is better.  No sense in trying to exhaust ourselves this first year. :)  



Saturday, June 8, 2013

First Fruits

Hello Sweetie!

I had been outside feeding the catfish and seeing if any if the new catfish were at the dock to eat.  No new catfish came up, but every time we go out, there are more and more mudcats that appear.  Apparently, we did not fish out as many as we thought :)  No problems, though, as they are tasty and I am sure we can keep the population down through the summer.

I then meandered to the berry patch.  There is actually sort of a sad reason I was out there:  there was a baby bluebird whose wings grew in, but whose feet had gotten so deformed or broken, we are sure he cannot make it.  I wanted to see if I could find him.  I did not find him and can only hope that the Lord heard my prayers for his healing, or that he died quickly.

Anyway, the berry patch was not too far from where I was headed, so I decided to take a look.  Imagine my delight when I saw the first ripe blueberry of the season!  The blues had been at the same level for so long, I was almost afraid that they had actually stopped growing!

Then I walked to the blackberries and was even more delighted--ripe blackberries!  In just a couple of days since I last checked, our little berry patch has started producing!  Of course I had to share this with you, so I got my ipad and a silver dish to collect them in and went back out....







I am thankful to the Lord for His bounty.