Gardening Plans

I'm still getting used to living here where there are several growing seasons, coming from a place where we were lucky to get one. This summer we had a drought, my Pecan Trees,Lemon Tree and grapes dropped their tiny fruit way too early. The Blueberries, Fig and Pear did better, in fact I am still getting figs every few days...I am kinda figed out. This winter I have a LOT of pruning work to be done, I would venture that most of these haven't been pruned in about 10 years. The bonus is that I have very mature trees in place. I have also been working on raised beds and building up the soil quality in a section where I plan to have traditional rows. So these are my plans for next year,right now all I have in the ground are sweet potatoes. Raised Beds with Herbs: Stevie, Parsley, Rosemary,Basil (for pesto) Raised Bed: Mescalin Lettuce and Romaine, this can be kept going in all but very hot months, with a cold frame can be kept through the winter Tomato, peppers, mainly paste tomatoes I am going to add Mignonette strawberries as a border to garden beds, these are very small, heirloom berries that are grown from seed. It was hard to find a type that won't bake here and these are self sowing without sending out runners, I will have to plant these early as they don't like extreme heat. Row Crops Heirloom Popcorn Green Beans Egg Plant Climbing stuff: Cantaloupe Watermelon Cucumbers Summer squash and Zucchini In a small plot Shallots, vidalla,garlic Fall Garden Beets, Kale,Rainbow Carrots, My fun item is a small plot of peanuts, which I'm told grow wonderfully around

Winter Projects

This is a wonderful link about worm compost bins http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/wormbins.htm I Hate to use the term "winter" now that I live in FL winter to me is feet of snow, here winter will mean nightly lowes in the high 30's maybe low 30's for a few weeks, then warm up to 60's during the day. Jan & Feb. are cold by the end of March most people have their garden in. I have a LOT of pruning to do, there are lots of scrub trees growing in my blueberry bushes, and the bushes themselves are a good 15 feet tall,pretty much everything needs pruned. There is also a 12 ft. tall pecan tree growing in the middle of my Hydrangeas...I love Hydrangeas and I love Pecans but we need a shade tree where it is, I'm thinking I will try to transplant the hydrangeas. I didn't order meat birds as I planned, we have an empty freezer but the power here goes out ALL THE TIME, I'm afraid all my expense in raising organic birds will go to waste, the power company claims they will be fixing things so maybe next year. In the spring I plan to hatch out chicks from my flock (for sale) as well as a few new pullets for me. I plan on getting a milk goat but I need to secure a fence around the barn for pasture which will be an expense, I will be looking for a pregnant Nubian, however goats don't like to be alone and may also consider getting a meat goat to raise with her till she gives birth. I could fit 4 goats in the barn section I plan on using. I am told that 100 lbs. of goat = 40 lbs. of meat so I will be getting a bigger goat, I won't be keeping a male as they are smelly and can make the milk smell which is the main reason I am getting the goat to begin with. I will be working a compost bin (made from pallets) ;and a worm compost bin, the chickens eat most of my kitchen scraps but worms will eat coffee and tea grounds. I am also leery of putting table scraps in a compost bin as it might attract roaches or rats. The whole point of compost is that the soil quality here is very poor, I am very afraid of using outside compost as it can contain herbicide, I know my chicken manure is fine etc. What are you "winter" projects?

Living for Today and Tomorrow

I love my own mother dearly, she had me late in life and worked all but my infancy. My mother wasn't domestic,she liked to cook but wasn't good at it (she can decorate fancy cakes however...strange), shes not a very good housekeeper, but was a wonderful affection shower and supporter. I was raised by my grandmother mostly, I kind of got a 1950's upbringing in the 1990's. Someone once came to my house and commented that it looked just like my Grandma's and if they didn't know better they would think a 80 year old women lived there...ahh thanks,I think. As a result of all this I knew when it came time for me to have kids I would stay home with them and raise them myself! I knew this even before I got married and when I was dating seriously I made sure that my husband to be agreed with this. Is it easy? no, we have learned to live on one income which at times meant we only had one car so I was at home a lot when he was working (my sacrifice), vacations are not the trips to Europe that my husband enjoyed every year and they are few and far between (RevDr's sacrifice) our kids don't take dance or art classes (their sacrifice) we also don't eat out often (which we all love). You know something, when you almost never eat out when you do it's a real treat, my 5 year old gets more excited about Waffle House then I ever did about Red Lobster. We take more joy in the special things. Once a week I serve a really super dinner sometimes it's strip steak with shrimp. I can make two surf and turf dinners for about $8. You can but a lot of hot dogs for $8 but it helps in not feeling deprived. I also don't want to spend my retirement on take out, does that sound silly?? If I spend any "extra" money on take out and save none then that’s what I've done to MYSELF I shouldn't expect any government to help me. Do I have it "hard" absolutely not! Hard isn't using cloth diapers, it's having to beat those cloth diapers on a scrub board or put them through a wringer washer. Having my washing machine doing a few extra loads a week is very easy. Hard is sewing clothing yourself because you HAVE to, not shopping at consignment stores or accepting hand me downs. Our Grandmothers never had their own car, in the 1950's it was very unusual for a middle class family to own more then one car, it was also unusual for a mother of young kids to work. It's simple math (FYI I do have my own car now) and am very thankful for it. Anything in life you REALLY, REALLY want to do you can usually find a way to do.

Theres One in Every Group...

This is Maria, the naughty, loud hen. Maria has discovered how to jump onto my windowsills, which is pretty impressive since they are a good 10 feet off the ground. Maria pecks the other hens, squawks when she's sitting on a nest then squawks and parades around the yard after she lays an egg...and pretty much squawks all day long. When the mail man comes in the gate she follows him to the front door and back just to make sure he's not up to any funny business. I noticed the other night that all the other chickens roost together, except for Maria. I used to tell people that we're interested in chickens that hens we're only as loud as a Guinea Pig...well most are, but not Maria . Maria does have cute qualities she runs quick as her little legs can carry her the second I open any door, shes there first wanting her treat, if I don't have a treat she will follow me around the yard reprimanding me till I usually give her some sun flower seeds out of the bird feeder. I thought about selling her, but she lays an egg every day and she's my biggest fan.

I'm A Christian, but I Never go to Church

I have a lot of Christian friends. I grew up in Christian Schools and graduated from a Christian college. Something that saddens me is how many of them don't attend church anymore. I don't mean people who we're brought up in an ultra Fundamental Church and go to a more liberal one, I mean people who never darken the doorstep unless their visiting Grandma or going to a wedding or funeral, if you asked them they would of course say they we're saved and believed in God and Christ. They know hymns by heart and can find a scripture reference easily. They can spout off John 3:16 and quote Psalm 23, but it does them very little good. They are not giving their children the same knowledge they we're given, they will tell their child that" yes, of course we believe in God", they may read Noah's Ark and say bedtime prayers, but that child is never taken to Sunday School and never read the Bible that sits on so many shelves. Many of them are married to unbelievers, who may in fact be willing to believe if only they we're asked and educated about Christianity. Many have good intentions and plan that "soon we will visit that church around the corner", or if they've moved will eventually try to find a church, but Sunday after Sunday slips by and good intentions stay just that... intentions. Someone asked me recently what church they should go to, it's a rather personal question but I would say if you we're to pass away tomorrow who would do your funeral? That church would be a good starting place. Do you have a peer that you respect who attends church? That might be another good place. Some people like large congregation some small. I'm not trying to tell you what church to go to but to just GO! If you visit one and you don't care for it then visit another. If you work Sunday morning many churches have Friday or Saturday evening services or Wednesday night Bible Study. Maybe you don't want to go because your spouse won't go with you...then go by yourself, but GO! Perhaps there is another reason people don't go,they say "church is full of nothing but hypocrites", well my friend then go anyway because Heaven is full of the same sinners and you might was well get used to them. Sadly there are people who are believers but have been hurt by a church in the past, just as someone who's been through a divorce eventually you have to try again. Lasty there is a group of people a very LARGE group who "know whats right, but do whats wrong, because it's more fun", if they went back to church they would feel convicted of things in their life that they know they shouldn't be doing, if your worried about having to "give up" things like this in order to love and worship then my friends you may have never know the real Jesus to begin with?