Late winter 2017

Hello everyone!  I hope you are enjoying the weather. If you don't like today's weather, don't worry because it will be changing very soon.  That is just the way it is in the Midwest. We have been potting up strawberry plants and selling them; hatching baby chicks some of which will stay on the farm and become part of our family and others will be sold.  I love the different colors of chicks, so as you can tell I have a flock of adult chickens with varied colors.  It makes me happy!

The seeds are ordered and most have arrived.  Planning for the 2017 garden has been in full-swing for a few months now.  We are going to apply compost this week, then begin planting potatoes, onions, lettuces, radishes and beets. It won't be long before it will be time to plant other wonderful fruits and vegetables.

In my spare time this winter I have been quilting and crocheting.  My spouse says I have hobbies for every season so I never get tired of whatever is going on at the time. The truth is I learned to quilt from my grandmothers and mother, all of them fabulous quilters, and I am forever grateful for their time and patience in teaching me these things.  This project is called a "sampler quilt." It is not quite
finished yet but it is close.

My mom would have loved this quilt, but since she has passed, I am hoping my own child will enjoy it someday.  Another of my favorite things is to crochet booties, which I have done for many years for family and friends.

After the rain a few days ago, the grass has started turning green and the trees are budding out.  Of course many of us are battling sinus issues due to all of the budding and pollinating around us.  We transplanted a young tree about a month ago and it is budding out beautifully.  The sunny days have made the chickens happy and their egg production has picked up a bit.  We have a weather forecast for the next few days for rain, snow and sleet.  Old man winter is reminding us it isn't over yet.  That sounds like a good time for soup and chili.

Best of luck to all of you who are beginning a garden soon, hope to hear from you.

January 16, 2017

After my last post during the fall, we acquired an updated version of Windows (10) and have had
so many problems that we went to a computer technician for help.  He basically said that no one is finding windows 10 user friendly and all of the techs he knows are having trouble also.  I apologize
for not blogging sooner, I do hope you will understand.

We narrowly missed an ice storm that moved far enough north that it missed us for the most part.  But there for a while I sure thought we would be iced in for the weekend.

The garden is in sleeping, dormant mode at present. While I am planning for the next season and using all of those wonderful fruits and veggies that I preserved last summer and fall.  It is so exciting to plan a new garden and try new varieties.

Not only am I planning the different varieties that it would be nice to try, but there is also the planning of soil amendments to help those fruits and veggies grow!  There is also the planning of when to plant and when those plants should produce a harvest, and reading over my notes that are kept on a calendar so my feeble mind can remember events that occurred in the garden last summer.

Now is the time to order seeds, plan placement in the garden and the appropriate date to plant seeds either indoors or directly in the garden.  Last fall I brought pots of curly and flat leaf parsley indoors when the weather became too cold and have enjoyed them all this time.  Last week I cut most of it and dried it in the dehydrator while still having plenty to use fresh. Cutting also encourages growth

of new shoots. Since they are producing plants they do need some fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks during the winter. 

Today we have some sunshine and the water is sinking into the soil from all the rain we had especially through the night last night and the night before. With the sunshine brings eagerness and joy to begin a new growing season!  I am already making lists of things that might be done the next few days as the temps stay in the 50's and low 60's.  If nothing else, get online and find seed companies where you can shop online, or let your local garden enthusiasts know what you would be willing to buy, barter, or trade next summer when the crops come in full and beautiful!  Enjoy every moment of every day.  Talk to you soon.