Dog Kennel Brooder

It's been a few since I've actually written in this blog space. Today is the day!

   Last Summer a Bob cat got our beautiful flock of seventeen chickens. It was awful! We had worked so hard getting ready for our girls, enjoyed watching them grow, and appreciated their eggs. We had discussed getting more this Spring, but had originally opted not to, in favor of camping a lot in our "new" camper. Well, we won't be camping every other weekend like we thought. After a visit at a couple friends homes who have chickens, I asked my husband if we could purdy please get a few more chicks. I'd planned on six at most, but he decided seven would be better, to account for losses and still have a small flock to provide entertainment and eggs.
 The Monday after Easter I hit the local TSC, and left with eight beautiful babies. Five heavy layers, and three cute bantams. I brought them home and set up brooder shop in a new 18 gal. Rubbermaid tub.

My husband, was a bit miffed I bought 3 bantams because you don't exactly get good egg return on your investment. So on Thursday this week, I went back to TSC and left with three New Hampshire layers and two of the seriously cutest bantam bitties I've ever seen.

I knew we would be out of room in the tub and had to figure out an alternative brooder location with a quickness! The Monday batch was already hoping on top of the water and feeder. Light bulb moment. I'd seen on Instagram, while chicken hash tag stalking someone who'd converted a dog kennel {some call them crates, but ours is massive, so it's a kennel} into a brooder. Ah Ha! I'd figure out how to modify it for my baby chicks. I got some free cardboard at TSC, and came home and got to work!

The dog kennel is approx 4 ft. long, 2 ft. wide and 3 ft. tall. Perfect place to cage my peeping new girls. 

We have a five month old Rottweiler puppy, who well used the kennel for a few months, but now rarely goes in there except to nap during the day. I scrubbed it from top to bottom! I used super hot water, Palmolive soap, and a full cup of white vinegar. I poured it all over the plastic bottom and let it set a few minutes while I measured and hacked up cardboard with a paring knife. I was sure to scrub the heck out of it! I dried it and placed some old newspaper on the bottom. I put cardboard up the long sides and down the back. It's inside the kennel to help with shaving spill out.

Then I added some pine shavings, not very deep, but enough for some insulation and scratch factor for the babies.  Then I placed the food and water. I strung the light, with a red heat lamp bulb, away from the feed and water. I noticed in the tub the water heated up fast and I was changing it three times a day. The light is hanging a bit low right now because the chicks are still very young. {You raise it an inch a week, and want the temp at around 95 degrees.}

Lastly, I added my chicks, one at a time, dipping their beaks in the water so they'd know where it was. That's important because lets face it, chickens aren't exactly super smart.  They were a bit confused at first, all of them stuck close to the entrance. Then one of them took off running like she'd seen the Promise Land, and all followed suite. They now have plenty of room to grow, play, sleep and get away from the heat lamp if they need to cool off. I added a stick from the yard fro the brave ones who are ready to begin perching. I'm quite proud of myself, to be honest. It was "free" to do it and all it took was a little thought. So far, they are thriving. It's hilarious to watch them.

Forever 52

 Tomorrow Daddy would have been 55 years old. He took his trip up to heaven just over two years ago at age 52.
 My memories of celebrating his birthday weigh heavy on me right now. It started a few weeks before Christmas,near his day of death, and are hitting me hard over the past few days.
 My Daddy was a tall man, he was a loud man, a quick tempered man, a kind man, a great singer man, a generous man, he was crazy in a fun way man, he was a good Daddy man.
 When his time ended with me, so did his age. It stopped forever and for me to imagine that he would be 55, is difficult simply because he never will be.
Time is moving on, but for him it stopped suddenly, and and I still have trouble understanding why. Fifty two is not a long life, but in fifty two years he filled it up. He worked hard, struggled at times, made money, lost money, loved, lost and died in a state of grace.
At times he comes to visit me in my dreams. I'm at various ages in those dreams. Sometimes I'm still a child with her Daddy on a pedestal. Sometimes he helps me do things. Sometimes he's singing in church, sometimes we just talk. It makes me not miss him so bad when I'm dreaming, but then I wake up and it hits me all over again.
There are so many events he will miss seeing. There are so many events he shared. There are so many events where I almost feel him there. There are so many events when I just feel the hollow loss.
He will always be fifty two in my mind. I see my Mom get older. I see my in-laws get older. They were all around the same age. I see the progression of their lives and wonder what else I'd have shared with him. Would we run hot and cold? Would we laugh when I called him about a quip his grandsons made? Would he be proud of me? Would I still get mad at him for playing favorites {I was not his favorite} Would he have finally realized that no matter what happened I'd always be a "Daddy's girl"? Would he take my boys fishing? Would he still lead singing at church?
I try not to what if those things too much. The grief gets unbearable if I dwell on the what ifs and wonders. I had twenty nine years with my Daddy. He had fifty two years to make his mark in this world. Make his mark indeed. He truly lived life to his fullest. I can still hear him laugh and sing sometimes. Sometimes I don't cry at those memories. Sometimes I curl up in a ball.
I accepted that he's gone. I accepted that he's with the Lord. I accepted fifty two years was all he had.

Future Home of the Doo Drop Inn

It's that time in West Tn when spring is toying with us. There has been no real winter to speak of thank the dear Lord for that,as I detest snow. However,during this hibern
ation season, plans have been in the making for what we are calling "Operation Chicken Drop". Yes, we are getting hen's out here in the boonies! No, I don't mean me and the girls sitting round cackling, but real live hens! When we moved to our current home, almost two years ago, I was promised chickens! There was even a stipulation in the lease,saying,yes,I can get them. Last year it seemed to be a dead in the water venture,but I did get my garden. This year,we're expanding the country living operations!

For months,nay,years, I've been dreaming of the day when my hen house dreams would come true, and I'd have a feathery little flock of girlie hens flapping and cackling about. Those dreams are now becoming a reality! Back in early winter Joshes cousin had built him a deer stand out of an old pallet of some sort. Tall,off the ground,floored,sided,and big enough for a recliner. As time went on this winter and time ran out,said cousin didn't have time to finish the deer stand. The first time I saw this massive creation, I just KNEW it was the thing for a hen house. I called him then and there,knowing he was somewhere working on the river barges,and asked him if come spring, he reckoned he could built another structure,JUST like the deer stand. He said sure,if we'd supply beer and wood. It was a done deal,and my

hopes were higher than ever before about my hen house. Well, turns out ole Cuz didn't have time to finish out his deer stand,so I asked him if we could buy it fro

m him on the cheap! He readily agreed! I was so happy.

Then the arguing commenced between me and Josh. He's a country boy and the smartest guy you'll ever meet,but he knew no chicken terms,except fried,smothered

,dumplin's, and the like. So, I had to teach him about hen houses,coops,hen's,feed, stuff like that. He's the brawn,and I'm the scatter brain of the outfit.

We did a once,twice, three,four,hell,I lost count over on the prefab structure willing it to become a house for my future hen's. We finally decided on a spot in the yard, and an interio

r design that would suit not only the hen's,but we who shall take care of said

hens.The plans have been modified,re modified,and argued,discussed and finally, Yes Dear

ed,from Josh.

Over this past weekend we were able to haul the shell of what will become ,"The Doo Drop Inn", to our piece of the Promised Land of West Tn. Right now the hull is sitting in the yard,adjacent to where it will be finally set up for our hens. You will see in the picture's what is done and what NEEDS to be done to finish it out. We have gone over so many idea's about interior design, size and locations of nesting boxes,material for them, roost post, flooring, all kinds of stuff, you probably wouldn't think you need to know in o

rder to begin a back yard flock. Trust me, its a lot of work,and the hens aren't even here yet.

Thankfully I have a field manual to this whole chicken ball game,or stew pot shall we say. It's Storey's Guide To Raising Chickens.1995 and 2010 version. I have both.

Sitting in and around the yard now is the hen house, boards to finish it out, the roost post, the 5 gal buckets I decided to use for nest. [An Aside buckets, I got them for FREE at my local grocery store simply by asking a deli/bakery clerk if they had any. ] There is wood to use to hold the buckets in place, little trim boards so the eggs don't roll out, paint, nails,screws,and soon a big slice of plywood that will be used as a roof and covered with tar paper,I think it's called. Josh had post for the wire over at his parent's house. I raided their shed for scrap wood pieces to use for the inside. I bought the wire at Tractor Supply along with water and feeders, and big rubber boots for my sled size feet!

So now, thanks to Joshes cousin splitting an order of Rainbow Assortment Layers from Murry McMurry Hatchery, we will have 12 hens come on or around March 19,2012. We figured we'd get a variety to see what kinds we like,and half the fun of seeing what we gonna git! They have to stay in a brooder box, anything from an actual wood and wire brooder box,a Rubbermaid tub,or just a card board box, for a month. the goal is to have most everything ready by then,but if it's not,there will still be time to finish out the actual chicken yard.

I asked my Father in Law if he thought I was crazy for all this, he being a kind man, just kinda smiled and changed the subject!

The Top picture is the area where the hen house and coop will be. The end of the hen house will be flush against the shed. There will be a door for people to walk in and out of, a chicken yard built and the inside finished.

.....Stay Tuned.

The Clampitts and The Brady's go a Camping!

This year,if we were to get a vacation of any kind,it had to be cheap. Back in the spring my BFF,Jessica,and I decided this was the year we would finally combine our 2 families,and go camping for a few days,make that 4 to be exact. We decided on Land Between the Lakes,on the KY/TN line,b/c it looked like half way for us,near Memphis,Tn,and half way for them near Bardstown,KY. Sure enough,when we mapped it,it was exactly half way. We chose a little known camp ground in the Federal Reserve park called Energy Lake. With the help of the resident keeper,we chose 2 sites perfect for her crew of 8,and mine of 4.

We planned for months,both in person,via email,and on the phone. We Mama's wewre going to make this the best vacation yet for our hard working husbands,and children. We both packed massive amounts of CRAP! Pure crap! Well,mostly ME,since this trip made time #4 camping for me,and the last time was 3 years ago with my inlaws and family. Growing up on a State Resivoir,Arkabutla Lake,we didn't HAVE to go camping! We fished and swam at will growing up.Josh,Henry,and Jessica however were old pro's at this. Joshes family vacations as a kid ment sleeping in a tent,Henry's family have a cabin,and Jessica is a Girl Scout,family camper,and Boy Scout Den Mom. I'd rather have HER in the woods with me than our men...shh..dont tell. We planned what foods to bring,who would bring what gear,and the like. So the day arrived,and we loaded up my FIL's borrowed camper and Tahoe,and set out for the wilds of KY!

We arrived way after our friends did. They already had their tent set up,fire going,and the kids were playing on the near by,{when I say near by,I mean 30 yards away,and we could see all of them there}. We arrived to our huge,shaded spot,and set about making camp ourselves. Granted,I was mainly watching everyone else and following their lead,since I had NO real clue what to do. I did get a lil pissy when Jess told us our sites,didn't have water hookups.well crap! time to figure out plan B on things. turns out,yes it was a pain in the ass for them to haul water up,but Jess brought these huge water cube things that held like ten or 15 gallons of water.And I had picked up a couple cases of bottled water,for drinking. she and I made a clothes line. with 12 ppl,it needed to be a HUGE clothesline.we strung it between 3 or 4 tree's and to be honest,it still wasnt big enough. Josh and Henry got the camper set up,and the AC turned on. We only slept in the camper,and thankfully had AC at night. Jess and them slept in the biggest tent Ive ever seen up close.with a family of 8,it has to be big,I reckon. The kids were hot,and tired from the 3 plus hr drive,so we decided to go swimming! there is a large size of the lake squared off for swimming,complete with teeny sandy/rocky beach.Fun for everyone.We adults could all stand flat footed at the barrier tube,so we rode herd on our young while they swam and frolicked in the brown,murky water. It was great,but felt like a bath tub in most places. Jessica and I figured out quick that since it was a small lake,and only a few boats,we could swim out way past the barrier,and find cool spots. BLISS. being weightless with my back was the first time in forever my back didnt hurt!

Supper that night was an interesting affair. I had assumed there would be tall grills to cook on. Not this site. We had a round fire ring,with a grate that covered half of it.So Henry and Josh rinsed off taters,and Henry put them directly on the grate. I dont think Ive ever eaten a better tater in my life.This,coming from she who can cook a tater! Then He grilled chicken Jessica had marinating for a day in some yum.And I busted open a bag of salad mix. WaaLaa,Supper. It was So yum! Then after supper,the obligitroy smore fixin's were brought out. Its great being a grown up at smore time! Better n being a kid. B/c with 8 kids around,and dual ended roasting wires{thank you Poppy!} the kids could cook 2 large marshamallows at one time,but only eat 1 smore at a time. So,lightbulb! Get a kid,whichever kid,to roast 2 at a time,and I set up a smore for them,and me,and they got to stand over the fire and roast em. Yes,I AM Smore genious!!! The Super Jumbo marshmallows we found at Walmart were a HUGE hit with the kids too!

Then shower,and dish washing time. Chaos soon commenced in this crudeish bath house. Imagine this,if you will. a small bathroom sink,you have to push the button down to make the water come on,a foot tub full of dirty plates,cups and silverware,a bottle of Palmolive,a large bath towel,a rag,and ingenuity! I had to wash these dishes in that sink that night. I didnt come up with a system that really worked,but somehow none of us got sick,and Jessica,Girl Scout Genious she is,had it all figured out by breakfast. 2 tubs with water,one soapy,one not,whaa laaa,clean dishes!!!

The next morning Jessica made pancakes for breakfast.They had set up the coleman stove,and since we BOTH forgot our griddles,Jess shelled out pancakes for 12 in a 9 inch iron skillet.I made coffee in the camper.My inlaws have this vintage electric percolater coffee pot thing. She brought her's that is metal,that you heat with a flame,but since Im still a novice,I stuck to the ' lectric one. 2 pots that morning were consumed! Thats when Henry told us about the SKUNKS! HUH? Whut,skunks? what the hell? yes,he said. he said he dosed off in his lawn chair after we'd all gone to bed,and awoke to feel something furry around his feet. In his sleepiness,he didnt know what it was,but then shortly realized,in the firelight,it was a pole cat! he said he kinda tensed up and didnt move,for fear of being sprayed. but they didnt bother him,they just rooted around in the trash and ran off. hmmmm.more to come on that later....
She and I had to run into town to pick up some forgotten items. YES,after ALL that,we forgot shit! I had to get NAME brand Dr.Pepper for Josh,she had to get baby wipes and powder. I hit the mother load of cheap UK Wildcat crap at the Dollar General. Came back armed with a new coffee mug,tee shirt,and UK sticker for my soon to be new car! Josh says Im just ate up with Wildcat fever. He's right! So,since we were HONGREY,we hit McDonalds for some lunch,shhh,dont tell the kids.Esp since they ate hot dogs and chips! That afternoon we spent several hours in the lake. It was pure bliss for all of us. We dragged back to camp in time for the Daddies to take a drive,and bring back some oak firewood for supper. on the menu, shuck roasted fresh corn,steak,and baked beans! Yum. Henry,who was the cook pretty much all weekend,can cook a steak!!! Nathan at like 3 ears of corn. He had a tummy ache later,duh,but Henry was impressed at his fierceness in attacking said ears! we learned a bit later,not all the ears made it into the fire!
So after the children were bedded down,we adults enjoyed a ngiht cap under the stars. Thats when we saw them. Them being SKUNKS!!! as in peppy la P-U skunks! One was munching on an ear of corn left under a picnic table by a child. Then,in the street lights,we saw 2 more! these ones were white!!! But obviously SKUNK!!! Josh,the brave man,was able to run the once under the picnic table off! But the sucker came back! I somehow voulunteered myself to chase em away! I grabbed my flashlight and walked over the wood beam into the tree's,praying all the way I didnt get sprayed! I grabbed me a large limb,per Joshes suggestion,and commenced to making vulgararities and waving motions at these vermits! All I could hear behind me was pure laughter from them! Then I saw it. One of them had turned its tail up! SHIT! Im bout to be sprayed! So I threw the limb at them,and RAN! I say I only run if Im being chased,well,now I've added seeing skunk butt to the list as well! They ran off,didn't spray,thankfully,and didnt come back,while we were up. However,at just day break,when I stumbled out of the camper to find a tree,and Henry,unknown to me,was stumbling for a drink of water, we saw em again! They had invaded all the way to the SITE this time. I dont know who was more suprised to see them.Me n Henry,or the skunks who scurried away!

That day,since it was over cast and too muggy for us to just sit around,we decided to visit a place n the park called The Homeplace. Its a real working farm,set in 1850. It was neat,to us adults,but until we got to the workshop,the kids were not really impressed. We adults could appreciate modern times with all of our conviences,like running water,indoor plumbing and TV.

We got back to camp,and swam some more. Poor Josh had gotten fried the day before,so he swam in a shirt. He is still really burned and even in the full ac last night,didnt sleep b/c he's in pain.He's got blisters on him. We adults voted to go out to supper on Saturday night. It seems that our full steam of thursday,had began to sputter by Saturday evening. I think its b/c we werent in our own beds. My mind loved the place,the memories made and what not,but my creaking back was in full on revolt! We went into town and ate at this great Mom n Pop fish house. Being from MS,I know good catfish,and that place has it. I think it was called Willow Pond or some such. We left full,and 2 jars of sorgum in tote! I also stuck some catfish away in a napkin,so I could have skunk bait! My camera died the night before,and I figured I HAD to have some proof of these suckers! I didnt have to get it out though,they came anyway!

Back at the "swamp" we made more smore's,and put the kids to bed early. We wanted some grown up time. Before that could happen,though,Caleb's words rang out! Look!!! Its a white skunk! He's running for your tent!!! Sure enough we look to our left,and see a white skunk scurring towards the Lyver's tent! Henry's oldest daughter flipped out!!! She was so stinking acred. this,a child who had just brought up a baby frog,was scared of the skunks! We told her they were scared of us,and if they wanted to attack us or spray us,they would have done it already! So she FINALLY said she'd go to bed,after we assured her Uncle Josh has a shot gun,and our camper was closer to them,than their tent... So as we adults are sitting there quietly talking,laughing,and carryon,they came BACK!!!and yes,ran towards the tent again.You could hear the boys say,LOOK,he's coming back!!! They thought it was neat,Im glad though that baby girl was on the other end of the tent,and we think was asleep by then. So,I was on a skunk mission that night. My goal was to get close,snap pics,and not get us all sprayed!!! I was mid way through doing just that,when one walked right up to me.I swear it was a mere inches from me.In the half light,I grabbed at anything that could be used as a weapon,I wound up with a scrub brush for veggies! I got a lot of hell for that too,like what were ya gonna do,Sarah,clean his butt?
After that close call,I decided to enjoy my slight buzz,and just simply BE. Not for long. the sucker came back,and crawled on OUR side of the beamed barrier. YEp. ALL of us adults were sitting in a line,and it climbed over by our fire,just rooting around.It LICKED marshmallow off discared wire skewers!!! NO LIE,yall. We ALL sat really still,till I grabbed my camera,thinking NOBODY is going to believe this!!! The skunk posed,as in it looked right at the blinding flash,and stopped. Probably b/c he was blind.but he didnt run off,even after about 8 snaps of the camera!!!
Shortly after that is when i decided to hang it up and go to bed!!! All of us did.

The next morning,chaos commenced. We had to resort our stuffs from each other,round up kids,avoid the massive amounts of yellow jackets that were swarming. half the kids got stung,Jessica wound up stung 3 times,Josh once. It was craziness,to be sure. Took us a full 2 hrs to load up and pick up stuff. Ever the duitiful Boy Scout Mama,Jess was telling the kids to leave no trace. Good idea,and allbut that ment I got to pick up ciggerette butts. not fun half hungover,to be sure. When we arrived,everything was neat,and organized. When we left,shit was thrown in Hefty bags,and slammed in the back of our cars.

We took the scenic route home,and enjoyed the last bit of family time. I know Jess and them made it home too. We've decided to return to the same place,and the same sites this time next year! We had talked about going to the Gulf Coast,but this was cheaper,closer,and just wonderful. We made some new friends along the way,whom we hope will join us again,and we want to bring our friends the White's and family along too. It was surely one of the best vacations I've ever had. All the kids want to return as well.

Lesson's learned. Bring more goldbond,bandaides,and booze.
Casualties of camping, Nate's flip flops,Logan's shoes,and Caleb's glasses!


So watch out Energy Lake,the Clampitts,and the Brady Bunch will be back soon!!!

Father's Day

Today is a day here in America,that has been set on the calander to honor Father's. It's simply called Father's Day. It follow's Mother's Day by about a month. What is Father's day? How did it come about? Those things I do not know,but I'm sure if I googled it,I could find out. I don't want to. Today we will honor the father's in our family with a lunch at my GM inlaw,Nanny's house. Ham will be baked,sides will be served up,and a cheesecake I made will be eaten. All the while the men of the clan are sitting on the porch,shooting the breeze,not really thinking about we who dont have father's to celebrate anymore. The mothers in the family will set out a spread to feed our hungrey men,and maybe say a few words. Myself,my MIL,and GM inlaw ,know what its like to not have a Father on today. This is the first one for me. Today is not much unlike any other Sunday dinner with the Clan. But today is different for me,b/c I'm not calling my Daddy on the phone to say hello on this Hallmark Holiday. Why is so much emphasis put on Mother's day and Father's day. Shouldn't we honor them every other day of the year as well? Shouldn't we cherish memories,make new ones,and enjoy each other's company the rest of the Sunday dinners? I think we should. I read somewhere years ago,that more flowers are sent on Mother's day than on Valentines Day,{another Hallmark holiday that climbs all over me,we boycott it here,b/c our anniversary and Joshes birthday are around that time}. And that more collect calls are made on Father's day than any other day of the year. Is a Father less important than a Mother? I dont think so. I think that society has put Mothers on a rightly earned pedestal,and Father's are the workhorses of our country.
My own husband,is one of those work horses,he gets up everyday and goes to work to provide for us,his family. I tell him I appreciate him in so many ways,every day. He loves his children every day,and they love him. At times,that love means discipline,or cuddling,or teaching them new things,or taking them on adventures in his Jeep. Just he and the boys. They make wonderful Daddy memories every day with him. Memories,that I hope when he is gone,they can look back and say,that He was a great Father,and loved us so much.
I can say that about my own Daddy. He loved me even when I was wrong,even when I was mad at him,when I was down he tried to lift me up,when I was mad,he was mad too,when I couldnt figure things out,he was a phone call away. Now,I dont have that. All I have is my memories to sustain me,till we meet again on God's golden shores. I know that my Daddy is in heaven, along with my 2 grandfathers. While I know they are enjoying a happy reunion,I wonder if its possible to miss us too. Not worry or be troubled over our lives and things that might go on,but I wonder if they too feel the void of us,like we do of them. I've never thought about that till just now,sitting in front of my keyboard.
The way I see it, we should honor,love and show our Father's whoever they may be, be it step,father in law,grandfather or grandfather in law,that we appreciate them every day,in every way.

Seeds planted,Dance done,and Prayer Lifted!

Well, the garden is planted here in the Boonie's of West Tn. Our garden is about the length of 2 Altima's and the width of a Hummer. It was about all the room we had. Josh,and the boys,and I,and even my Mama,aka Nana,got it sewn just 2 days ago. It will probably be a hot mess,but we get an A for family effort. We planted English peas,carrots,beets,cucumbers,{aka pickles},squash,lettuce,and watermellon. the rows arent straight at all! But I've learned that it does not matter,food will grow in crooked rows.Nathan,bless his heart,couldnt follow directions too well,and instead of popping peas in the ground by following me,he went backwards.We will probably end up with a pea,beat hybrid. The tomato's will be bought in plant form,and planted sometime over the busy Easter weekend.Maybe Saturday.
We got the flower bed turned into an herb garden! I planted zenia seeds at the end of the herb bed.they are already sprouting. I planted basil,chive,cilantro,dill,parsely,green onion,rosemary,thyme,and sage. Since I had no clue how to do it,I simply put them in alphabetical order to keep up with what is where. The basil has already sprouted! Im so happy! Nathan planted daisies,and zenia's on the other flower bed.Its got Iris,and lillies,and roses in it too.My MIL and Aunt IL did some awesome work on the flower beds here,when the Grandparents lived here.So there's lots of stuff coming back.There's a rose bush blooming,and a clematis blooming. I wound up redoing another flower bed under a big tree in the front yard. I moved some of the Iris growing in the "herb garden",bought some already blooming pansies and impaitents,and got them swen into Calebs favorite dirt digging place! Its a true challenge keeping him from stomping in the beds.Today he and I walked down the hill to check on the garden.Before we planted,we noticed some river beds,where the water drains down the hill,and straight through the garden spot. I managed to divert the water with some cinder blocks and pieces of wood. I need to put 2 more blocks down,as well. Caleb stomped right through where I think carrots are in the garden.He loves mud! and I guess since he cant SEE the seeds in the dirt,they arent there,we plowed up a fresh mud hole for him! WRONG! It gets tiresome hollering for him to get out of the garden,herbs,and flower bed.
I'm not sure yet just HOW things will grow,I just hope they do! Josh planted the cucumbers and squash,and apparently the little seed packs hold quite a few.they did on basil,carrots,and beets as well.next year i will only buy 1 pack of each! this year Im droping the rest of the seeds in the mail to my friend.shes more poor than we are,so I hope 4 bucks worth of seeds will help them out.Heck,I hope it helps us out too. I want to be able to use cucumbers I grow myself,with dill I grow myself,and garlic my cousin has at our Memaw's house,and make some kick ass pickles.All organic,but the store brand vinegar I use.
I used to be know for doing happy dances,rain dances,dont rain dances,etc. well I used to think it was from my Native American heritage,but NOW,I know its my Celtic heritage.So seeds planted,dance done,and prayer lifted!

Spring Time in the Boonies

So,I know Ive not written on here in months.Greif has a horrible hold on someone at times.I've been trying to cope,and its one day at a time.I've been doing pretty good,but now,I'm back to just ok. I have things to look forward to,and stuff around here to keep me busy. My boys are both playing little leauge this year,and watching them is a blast. We are hosting Easter Dinner here at our home this year,and then,a bridal shower for my friend Melanie who is getting married in May. Its non stop around here. I like that,most days.Keeps my mind occupied,and my hands busy. Yesterday,weee doggie,we worked and worked in the yard. I'm talking big tractor work,not diggin in the flower beds work. We are going to attempt a garden this year. I got all my seeds at the local Dollar General store.Most were 3 packs for a dollar. I'm not expecting prize winning cucumbers here,but I do hope to have enough to make dill pickles.Those are highly requested by our friends,and some family. Our garden patch,as I'm calling it,is not big. We live on a hill,so its at the bottom of our west facing hill.It gets full morning,and mid day till about 4pm sun,so I hope thats enough. We dont have any real level places on our property.except for the front yard,and a little down the hill. My patch is about 12 ft long and about 5 ft wide. I cant remember all the seeds Ive got.I know I do have beets,lettuce,cucumbers,squash,and watermellon. I'm also turning one of the flower beds in front of the house into an herb garden.Its only got a few items that come back in it,so they are going to be moved to other beds.I've got to till the soil with a small tiller today,add some garden soil to it,and some plant food.I got my seeds for the herbs at the D.G> store as well. Basil,thyme,parsley,and dill. My MIL taught me that you can pick the herbs when they come in,and they will keep making.Also,you can wash them,and freeze thm,and just hack off what you need,as you need it.I might try to try some things too.We have another flower bed int he shade under a beautiful old tree in the side yard. Caleb likes to play in it,and dig.Not this year! If he does,it wont be pretty seeing the hissy fit,I will throw.I scraped off more top dirt from the garden patch yesterday to fill in the flower bed. Im going to till in some top soil froma bag into there today too.I've got lavender,pansies,impatitents,and Iris that are going into that one. Iris is the state flower of TN. And they are so beautfiul blooming in my Nanny inlaw's yard right now.They are also my Memaw,in MS,favorite flower. I hope they do well being moved.I had some I got from my MIL,that I moved to our old house,and they did well. Ive got some old bulbs Mama gave me too.Im putting them in the dirt as well. I know this blog is normally kind of humerous,so I will share a story about me driving Uncle Bills big tractor. It has a big bucket on the front.So I filled it up with tree branches and debris from a tree that had fallen in the fall. I go down the hill,and dump my bucket onto the burn pile,and as Im getting ready to make the loop and come back up,I notice Josh waving and hollering. Oh No,what n the sam hell did I do? He was clomping down the hill and pointing at one of the front tires. I noticed it then.The ENTIRE tire had come off the rim!!! I had no clue! I've only driven a tractor once before yesterday {and my wonderful Josh taught me on both tractors}.So he tried his best to get it back on the rim,which he did,with sucess.BUT,then the ded blame thang,wouldnt air up! He had to take the tire to the shop at the GP inlaws house to fix it. It was only a delay in working our butts off yesterday.B/c soon as he got it fixed,it was back to hard work. Im proud of the work,me,Josh and Nate did yesterday.Today will be a repeat,except I DO get to dig in the dirt of my flower beds! So on a wish and a prayer,I hope it all is fruitful!