"BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!"

Not my horse but my Deere!!!! Ok $200 later. Yep I not only bent one of my blades but I bent the deck also. I got real lucky that they were able to do the work at my home and in one day.

I couldn't wait to get home and mow. And mow I did. Only mowed a little over an acre, a little around the pond.

I HAVE A HUGE BULL FROG! He was looking at me while I was mowing. I bet he weighs at least 2 pounds. I can't believe how green everything is getting. It is amazing. I love it.

When I got off of the tractor, I fed chickens and chicks and filled waters and then just stood and enjoyed the view. GREEN. I sure hope winter is done. 10 day forecast says it will get down to 39 on Monday night though.

Didn't get the cukes in the ground. Tomorrow maybe.

There is a Chuck Wills Widow ,which to me is such a cool sounding bird, singing down in the little valley behind me where the old barn stands. Rare in this area also.

Daughter is getting ready to raid on WOW.

Nugget and his bro are covered with a blanket and going to bed (or supposed to be).

I am going to catch up online until I pass out.

Update on my nephew: they will be doing an MRI to see if he can have the treatment for his back. Keep praying.

CHILLY SUNNY DAY

I could never figure out if it was warm or cold today. In the shade it was cold as heck but step 3 feet out into the sun and you had to take your jacket off. Clear blue sky, light breeze. I really wish I didn't have to work.


A bit of bad news though. I have talked about my sis who is the single mother of a disabled son..she is going through radiation treatments for cancer. Her son has 2 compression fractures of his spine. He is now in the hospital. It just never lets up with my sis. Her life is very hard.


When I got home today, I planted 10 sequoia strawberry plants and 1 marigold plantling. The marigolds are ones that I started in the seed box with the sunflowers. I have just been lazy about transplanting them.



We had a storm last night and it seems like the perfect amount of rain. Not too much.


All the tomatos peppers and herbs seem to be ok and not going into shock. I spread a wheelbarrow full of compost around them. I will spread more later when they are bigger.


I also planted 3 rows of soybeans. I love steamed soybeans and I hope they do well. Tomorrow I will decide where to plant my cukes. I may plant them in pots next to my fence and let them climb.


I don't know how long it should be before my peas should begin to show blooms. They are about 6-8 inches high and no blooms. They are struggling with climbing up the fencing. They seem to prefer getting tangled with each other.


I just finished dinner. Look at the onions on the side of the plate. These are the wild eqyption walking onions. I cut a bunch last week and dehydrated them. That worked wonderful. Today there were several growing in my flower bed and I intended just to pull them up and throw them. Then I saw how beautiful the heads were. They were delicious. Herb salad, alfredo pasta and broccoli, and raw crunchy green beans.




I am watching Nugget eat some grass that my daughter gave him. He is lonely. I may bring in one of the little roosters to be with him. I will have to cover him with Vicks Vapor Rub.




Well time to catch up on emails blogs and forums.

NOTHING RUNS LIKE A DEERE

Ok so mine is limping not running. I went to the http://www.johndeere.com/ website and found a local repair shop who can come to my place and service my tractor. I am very excited because I CAN HEAR MY GRASS GROWING!!

They will be here day after tomorrow. It will probably be expensive. I guess I will be a little more careful about what I am running over.

Also...you are not going to believe this. I can't leave my 27 yr old daughter alone for one second. You know I have the wounded rooster chick in the living room in a cage. Well he is now officially in love with my daughter. She sits next to the cage and he runs over to her....she scratches him on his chest and he "purrs" and then falls asleep.

Guess who won't be made into chicken nuggets? :( PS...and this seems wrong somehow...she works at the local wing place. So I guess we are going to name him nugget. (he is ugly...I wish he was a barred rock).

The wind is picking up and it is cloudy. I am going to change clothes and go out and plant my tomatos, herbs and cucumbers and soybeans.

****UPDATE****

Ok I got the tomatos and herbs planted but not mulched. I will mulch tomorrow. Harvested 8 fat grub worms and gave them to the chickens. They loved them.

Have a great evening.

COLD MORNING

I got up before the sun. Drank coffee with a kitty on my lap and caught up on some blogs. The N wind is whipping still around the house. Then I picked up the book and now it is 2 hours later. What happened to the time.


I was hungry....what do I want on a cold winter morning for breakfast? What else but hot tomato soup and home made corn bread.



Just sat down to eat and then will go to the feed store, take a shower and go to work.

:(

*****UPDATE******

I have people coming to get the 40 bags of grass today. They called me right as I was getting off of work. So I fed horses in Lucas and then raced home. Got my coat and work gloves and ....yes in this cold wind....headed out to the field to bring them in. After two trips up to the house, each time carying 4 bags I decided to get the tarp.

On the tarp I carried 7 bags dragging it behind me. By the next trip I was frozen and exhausted. I went and got the tractor and an old partial electric cord without a plug and drove out to the field. Ok this load had about 10 bags on it, no wonder I was tired. Anyway, I strung the cord through the holes in the tarp, then around my seat and drove slow dragging the tarp. It worked great. It only took one more load to get the final bags.

Then while I was out and because I knew I didn't want to go out again, I fed and watered. I will gather eggs later.

I had a bad thing happen. I had the chicks kill one of their own and were on their way to do in another one. I brought him in the house and he is happily healing in the living room in a cage. I will give him about a week and then smear him with Vicks and put him back out. He is eating and drinking fine so I think he should be ok.

WINTER WIND AND BOX TRUCKS

Wow what happened to spring???? 39 degrees and dropping. 40+ mph winds. Holy cow. I picked a good day to rent a box truck.

I JUST got home. It is almost 10pm. I left work at 5. I went at lunch and rented a 14' box truck because they are the only ones with a ramp. I was to pick up a free A frame from craigslist and then go to pick up the freezer from mom and dad.

Who has ever driven down Hwy 75 during rush hour. Ok, try it in 40 mph wind in a box truck. It took me 30 minutes to get 5 miles. I found the site and someone had already taken it. So I turn around and head toward mom and dad's right at 40 mile away. Yep had to get on another freeway...still rush hour. I didn't get frustrated at all because I was not in a hurry. Mind you I prayed over the truck the whole way. With a power steering pump ready to go out at any moment, a truck stereo with dash board speakers...one of which had a loose wire, and wind whose goal was to turn that truck on it's side...it was kinda fun.

Got to mom and dads, got out and set up the ramp. Ok did you know I am afraid of heights? I can't get more than 3 rungs up on a ladder....well the top of that ramp is about that and I would be wheeling a 10 ton ancient deep freeze. But when I saw my dad trying to get it I decided to suck it up and do it because I was afraid he would hurt himself.

He guided and I pulled backwards. I did it!!! I headed home hoping that my daughter would be there to help guide it out. I figured if she wasn't by gosh I would get it out and into the house somehow. Thank goodness for the dolly.

She pulled in just as I did with the grandboys. These two little boys got a kick out of their old nanna and their frozen mom trying to get this freezer in the house.

But we did it!!! Woooohooo I have a freezer.

And to top it off....the boys had so much fun running in and out of the box truck, it was worth the wind.

I have to work tomorrow but wont go in until noon. I am going to drink coffee, go to the feed store and if the wind has stopped, drag some of the bags of grass up to the road for pick up.

Stay warm all who are suffering in this spring cold.

SO MUCH FOR GETTING ANY WORK DONE

Ok so the storms that raced up through the middle of the country have as expected made for some long hours for the next couple of weeks. And although that will keep me from getting much work done here....that's not what the title means.








I got home tonight and decided to try something. I have a ton of the wild garlic/onion things (egyption walking onions) around my yard. So I cut about 2 pounds of them, then using scissors I cut them into 1/2 inch lengths and put them in the dehydrator. I plan on using them this winter in soups and stews. They are so yummy. If they grow back I will keep doing this until they stop growing or I get enough.





Tonight: I ate a huge salad OUT OF MY GARDEN! Ok so it was the winter lettuce but so? It was yummy with onion buds from the wild onions, calorie free asian dressing, shredded cheese and yes again...butternut squash raviolis. This was so cool. I will run out and feed and water the animals, check the garden and start the laundry. THEN.......................

Yep once I start this....I won't get anything done for the next fews days.

IT'S COME A FROG CHOKER

Ok so maybe not a frog choker, but it rained like the dickens. By the time I got home the end of my driveway was totally under water.

The rain has stopped for now though and the end of the clouds is moving eastward and the sun has just broken through.

You are not going to believe what I bought on the way home! Two Granny Smith apple trees. They are 5 gallons and about 7 feet tall. That was interesting getting them home in my Galant. I will unload them in a bit once I put my mud boots on. Looks like the brief high winds have died out thank goodness because it is chilly. Wow black clouds on one side and sunny on the other. Very cool. No pic though, sorry.

I just ate a salad with butternut squash ravioli and sweet peas (all store bough though). Yum!

Since I hate mud....have I told you guys I hate mud...yep I bet I have...anyway since I hate mud I will only do the chores outside that I have to. When I bought the trees at Home Depot, I also bought a new broom...mine mysteriously broke when the grandboys were here over spring break, and I bought scrubbing bubbles. I am going to do all my laundry, scrub tubs and toilets and sinks, scrub wood work with Murphys oil soap and then sweep, mop and vacume. By then I will need a long hot shower.

Then the best part. I am going to make a huge cup of herbal tea with honey, sit at my computer and cuddle with Flash.
Ok I have put off the mud chores long enough.