Gardens growing - random things

How can the morning waste away? Blogging takes too long when the computer is slow. Either I have too many photos on or something. I keep virus checks up to date, plus delete browsing history just to keep the cookies cleaned up. It makes a difference, but this thing is 8 years old. I'm sure computers and gadgets are faster than this thing, at least I hope so. Is a laptop worth getting and what brand do you recommend?


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I love what my friend wrote on facebook this morning: looking behind doors and under beds and in closets for my energy and motivation. No luck finding it yet.

A friend's comment: Its either in the Bible, the phone book, or the coffee pot!!!! Keep on lookin'!!!!!!!!!
*100% COWGIRL*  Now I like that!!!


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Time for more tilling. It's a perfect clear day, exactly the type of weather b4 dear hubby left.

This morning I needed my daughter's assistance in removing a tick from my back. Groan!
Yes, it's that type of weather again - watch out for ticks! It rather gave me a stinging sensation.


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The onions are looking nice. We planted the early things Good Friday weekend.

The potatoes are looking wonderful. They do have some small holes and the beetles were starting to eat the leaves. So I gave it some seven dust. This whole bugs, weeds, and keeping a neat garden is a new thing to us. I've always had a garden with weeds yay high. But determination and hard work will pan out this year, and I will have a neat garden for the first. I am determined!!!

We planted tomatoes and peppers only a couple days ago. We piled on rye clippings and compost. I don't know if we were smart or not to put cut rye on as a weed barrier. We'll see.

I love when my husband plants. His rows are perfectly straight. Mine, they need help as they're crooked. We have green and yellow beans here with lots of rye seedlings to take care of and mulching to do.

 

The beets are doing great. I'll have plenty to share, I think. Maybe I should thin them out?

Hooray, the carrots are up. They can be hard to grow. There's nothing that tastes better than carrots from your own garden. One year I blanched them a little and froze them. It was so handy.

Of all times, our door latch went on the blink. This is the second time it happened since we've lived here. It simply won't open. Zach took the thing apart and said there's a metal pin that's bent. He's the man, but he's limited to fixing this one. Thankfully, his Daddy will be home tomorrow, Lord willing!

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Amber tries to practice violin every day and why not, while her hair is drying? It was interesting when we were at music lessons on Monday. (Last week we got the fiddlers book and Amber's been learning a number of new songs.) She went to play 'Dixie' and her teacher said, "I can tell you're from the north, because you never have to teach a southerner how to play that song." ☺

Now it makes sense to me why when Josh Turner played that song in California, they didn't get it! This northerner/southerner now understands his story. I don't listen to him on a regular basis. But He has a fabulous voice and I  w.i.s.h. he would play all gospel instead of just one that he features on every country album. He has excellent pickers in his band.

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We are buying some really good Guernsey cow milk for only $2 a gallon. Most times the milk looks like the jar on the left. But this week we got a gallon that has more than half of cream, the jar on the right. Wow! I don't know much at all about skimming cream and making butter. But we've been doing some online research and came across the Homestead Blessings DVDs by the West girls and they look very intriguing. The dairy DVD would be a great help to me.

We've been making our own yogurt and I wasn't keeping it warm while letting it set for 10 hours. The idea is to let it stay at about 110 degrees for 6-10 hours, longer if you want it stronger. I learned from the dairy DVD trailer that you can pour the yogurt in glass jars, put them in a cooler and then cover with boiling water about half way, cover the lid and just let is set up. Interesting!

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This little guy hurt his foot yesterday while walking to the tree. I don't know what he stepped on, but he had a big gash. The boys said it was a snake bite as they saw some shed skin. But it's a gash and none of that snake story. It's still pretty deep so tonight we put two butterfly bandages on and hopefully that will help it to heal together faster.

With the type of dirt we have and the gravel driveway, this is how their feet look even after a bath.

 

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 Last week the lightning bugs lit up the night sky, but a couple weeks prior, my sweet love and I were working in the garden till dark. It was a little lovely date-like quality time work night. We noticed the fireflies light up for the first time this season. Then when we were walking to the house, my husband saw a falling star. How romantic with all the different little night lights!