I've been absent since I've felt I haven't had much of interest to say. No pictures, no out-of-the-ordinary excitement to share. So what has been going on?
Well, so far it's been a busy week full of "usual" stuff. Our weather has not been spring-like, that's for sure. We had snow all day yesterday but with the thermometer reading 33 degrees and up to a few degrees higher, we had no accumulation. More of the same is forecast for today.
This past weekend I ventured out into the garden to see if either the rhubarb or chives were poking up under my blanket of winter mulch. Nope. How can the little greenies be expected to make it up through ground that is still frozen solid?
We made a trip to the The Big City on Tuesday of this week for supplies. If I'm not mistaken, it was our first trip since last October. On such excursions, we use our credit card which we always pay off each month. The charges on the next billing are going to be so astronomical, I don't think I'll even have the courage to open the envelope.
I've finished going through the pantry and freezers to determine how I did on putting food by last fall. Results? I can definitely cut down on how much I plant of nearly everything this gardening season. Either we're consuming less on a regular basis or I've finally gotten to the point where I'm planting too darn much. Not a bad situation to have to rectify.
Speaking of the garden, I'm about halfway done with the master plan for this coming season. Good thing I can cut down on space needed for veggies because I've got those 200 new strawberry plants coming that I need to fit into the field garden. Strawberries were the only thing we didn't have an adequate supply of over winter. One more year now and that won't happen again. Hopefully. Or my strawberry lovin' husband will NOT be happy with me.
We've been seeing a lot of wildlife activity. Just this morning right after dawn we saw the biggest, healthiest-looking fox come trotting up our driveway, take a hard left back into the wood working area and then disappear behind the big storage building. He looked to be on a mission. Wonder if he could have been a she taking breakfast home to her youngun's?
We've been seeing one or two wolves a week recently. These are bona fide timber wolves and not the brush wolves, or coyotes, also in the area. They are beautiful animals and we realize they have every right to live here, but when they do become too plentiful, there is always the problem with them attacking livestock and pets. I'm not real keen on encountering them up close and personal either.
A lovely surprise came in the mail this week from a beautiful blogging friend in South Carolina who is fast becoming an expert quilter. I now have a very pretty, spring motif mug rug beside me on my desk this morning. So bright and cheerful!
Time to get some breakfast on the table. We had French toast with homemade blueberry sauce yesterday morning. Today I think it will be poached eggs on slices of hearty, heavy, moist, dark bread that magically arrived late yesterday afternoon from a sweet gal in our area who turns out the BEST bread.
Have a great end to your week and a good, good weekend, y'all!
truth and reconciliation
10 hours ago
20 comments:
We had zero strawberries in our freezer this winter. We know we need more plants, but have to figure out where to put more raised beds. Sounds like you get a break from so much gardening this year.
I'm so glad to see your post. I've wondered at the "silence".
No sign of life in the garden here, either. I check every day though. And I finally got the cold frame set up and will plant it next week---if it thaws. Winter just doesn't seem to want to leave. It's snowing as I write this and I'm making Chicken Barley soup and baking. You'd think it was a fine November day. Har. Har. Har.
Good luck with your strawberries - I'm about to give up on mine entirely. I never get enough at one time to make it worthwhile - and last year a chipmunk beat me to what few I did have !
There's always something.......even if it isn't something we deem to be "exciting"........going on! :)
Mama Pea,
You did a great job at putting away food from your garden last year. This planting season you'll be able to relax a little and not have to plant as much vegetables, sounds nice :-) This year we are adding more vegetable seeds to our garden, hopefully I can put a lot more food away. Your posts on gardening and putting away food has inspired me totally.....thank you !!!
Oh boy.......200 strawberry plants coming to your place for planting......I know where I'm going for my strawberries this year :-)
Stay warm, and have a great day!
200 Strawberry plants! Makes my thighs hurt just thinking about it. Glad your food stores are in order.
Kristina - Knowing myself (and the fact that I love to garden), I'm sure I'll find plenty to plant in all that extra space (ha!) this year even if it's only flowers! :o}
Sue - Har, har, har yourself, silly girl! Both hubby and I came in from outdoors this morning commenting on just how very COLD it feels out there. Well, this is what we get for spring time in the north, right?
Jen - You have to have quite a few plants to get more than a handful at a time . . . even if the chipmunks do think you planted the berries just for them!
FoxyLady - No trouble filling our days, is there?
Sandy - You're very kind to say I inspired you. I think I just have a great love for being out in the fresh air getting my hands (and other parts!) dirty. I'll put in more flowers this year where I don't do the extra veggies.
There'll be no berries from these new plants this year. The first year you're supposed to pop off all the blossoms so all the strength goes to the plants. That way they get a good, strong start and will produce for more years. Sure is hard to do that though!
DFW - To tell the truth, I'm not exactly looking forward to planting each and every one of those little strawberry plants. But since my hubby is the dedicated strawberry lover around here, I know I will be able to coerce him into helping me with that job!
I have rhubarb up and some of it has leafed out. Yea! The chives in the pot outside are green and growing also. This week has been cold and I have been covering the rhubarb up. Warmer weather next week they say. Hope you get some soon.
Myrna - I would hope you would be ahead of us in warm weather, spring time and greens starting to show their heads in the garden! I'm salivating just thinking about your rhubarb as far along as it is!
Mama Pea,
Oh no......no eating strawberries, I'm coming for new plants, lol.......
Teasing!!!!
Enjoy your afternoon :-)
I'm with you - it's more like figuring out which lump of ice and snow is covering which plant. They predicted rain yesterday - we had lots of it - you know, the white fluffy kind of rain.... :/
Sandy - Do you know how HARD it is to snap off those beautiful little strawberry blossoms the first year? Hurts to do every one . . . but in the long run it pays off. I have kept one double row of my "old" strawberries so at least we'll (hope, hope, hope!) have ones for fresh eating this year, but very few for the freezer or jam making. Boo-hoo!
It's a little unbelievable (have I said this before?) the amount of snow you've had this season. We had a temp of 7 degrees this morning. Just can't seem to get much warm weather to take care of the rest of our snow . . . or melt the ice cakes that are otherwise called my raised beds. I think we all go through this every year. Thinking spring and warm weather will never come. Sigh.
Yes, quiet and busy go well together. It's my preferred way to operate :) Sorry I have been MIA as well, missing your wonderful blog posts. I will have an update as to why, on the new blog in just a bit.
http://batemanhomestead.weebly.com/
Stephanie - Yes, m'dear, you HAVE been MIA and we all demand to know why!! ;o} Eagerly looking forward to a new blog post from you to see what you've been up to.
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