It's still cold and yucky, but we are promised better weather for the weekend. I'll be very glad to see some sun and feel some warmth. DH got me a Boston Red Sox ball cap to wear out in the sun. I used to like getting a tan. Now, I'm not liking the wrinkles that I am getting around my eyes and mouth. Since there's no way I would ever get Botox, a hat is the answer.

We have a boxful of peeping chicks in the dining room. These are the boys we are raising to go into the freezer this fall. Noah asked what we should name them, and DH said that we shouldn't name them anything. We try not to name our food. I thought we were supposed to get turkeys today, too. Perhaps they will come tomorrow. At any rate, it's good to know that we will have hormone and antibiotic free food for the winter.

Oops! The garbage truck just went up the road. I'd better go get the trash put out!

Cold and Crabby

It has been crazy, wicked cold and rainy here for the last several days. It has led to a back up of laundry and some cranky children. Today, we are getting a wee bit of a break. It is already about 50 degrees, which is six degrees warmer than anytime yesterday. I did three loads of laundry, hoping to get it dry before it rains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Not too much is going on in the garden. We have asparagus, onions, potatoes, cabbage, etc. that needs to go in the ground. We are hoping that it will dry out this weekend so that we can get all of it planted. We got a seeder yesterday which will make planting the peas, beans, and corn so much easier. Last year it took DS #1and I three days to put in the peas. Getting it done in a couple of hours will be a huge time savings. If we can get the whole garden planted in a few days, we will be way ahead of the game. I figure if I am planting hills of zucchini and squash while DH is running the seeder, we can make quick work of the whole thing.

Maybe it's the weather, but I am feeling really out of sorts lately. I weighed myself at my MIL's the other day, and that was a big mistake. I thought I had lost most of my baby weight. WRONG!! I know I'm never going to weigh what I did when I was 30, but I'd love not to weigh what I did during the mid-point of my pregnancy! I know I have to be patient, but I feel like a blob. Perhaps I should go for a walk while Henry is sleeping. Or I could knit.

That's the other thing that has me disconcerted. I was making a sweater, and the front turned out to be much longer than the back. So, I had to rip the whole thing out. I am going to make it again, but I'm going to do it all in one piece. I will have to do one and a half inches of seed stitch over 180 stitches, which will make me want to put my head in the oven, but at least it will come out like it should. I am working on an afghan to give some friends as a wedding present, and it's not going as well as I would like. If it looks really crappy when I'm done, I will get them something else. I would be embarassed to give something ugly away.

Okay, enough complaining. I'm going for a walk before it rains.

The Days Are Just Packed

Since we have been having such nice weather, we have all been busy little bees. The garden is getting lots of attention. Jim has been rototilling the spot where we had potatoes last year. A cover crop is going in there to help feed the bees. He is expecting his packages of bees to arrive any day now. We should have three or four hives by the end of the summer. He finds beekeeping to be a most relaxing hobby. I am willing to help, but I am still a bit nervous. Bee stings aren't high on my list of fun things to do.

I have been weeding out the strawberry patch. The rows that I have done already are growing beautifully. Hopefully, they will hold off on blossoming for another week or so to avoid being killed by frost. I am looking forward to nice fresh strawberries. We should be putting in the cabbage, cauliflower, brocolli and brussels sprouts next week. The seeds we ordered are coming in by the day. I think we should be able to direct sow some lettuce and spinach shortly. I can't wait to eat fresh food!

The ewes are starting to have their lambs, and thankfully, there haven't been any problems (except for the lambs we lost to the coyotes). It is so great to see them running around the pasture. It's amazing how much energy they have just a day after they are born. Sooo cute!



We had to take the dog to the vet yesterday because he has been feeling rather poorly. It turns out he has a classic case of tapeworm from his fondness of chasing and eating rabbits. I got some medicine and he should be back to his old perky self in a couple of days.

Well, another lovely day beckons. The ducklings are supposed to come tomorrow. I can't wait to see them. We've never had ducks before. Another beautiful day in paradise.

What a Difference a Day Makes

I got so much sleep last night, I (almost) don't know what to do with myself. I finally managed to put away several loads of laundry and get the trash put out for pick up today. I might even vacuum and dust - all in the same day! The best part of it is that I know what we're having for supper. If I know what I'm cooking., I can make sure we eat early enough that I can get the kitchen cleaned before bedtime. That makes the next day go much better, and so on. I hate getting up to yesterday's mess.

We decided to use our economic stimulus money to buy plants and seeds for the garden. We weren't going to use it, but we figure if we buy all sorts of stuff that will give us lots of food in the near future, we wouldn't have to stimulate the economy this fall. In addition to the seeds, etc., we ordered new chickens and turkeys. We will butcher the turkeys in the fall and probably do the chickens in early winter. It will be so exciting to have lots of turkey in the freezer. The only time we ever have turkey now is at Thanksgiving when they are cheap. I would never just buy one to have if it weren't on sale. We can have turkey twice a month if we get enough males!

We accidentally forgot to bring in the brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower plants that we bought the other day. It got down to 18 degrees last night. DH spritzed them with water and I put them in the basement before the sun came up. I haven't had the heart to go see if they are okay. I hope they are; it'll be a serious bummer if they all died.

We don't have to buy any seed potatoes because we have enough left over from last year that are all sprouty. We'll be able to put those in the ground next week. I am also going to get my herbs planted. It doesn't have to be super warm to plant parsley and basil. I have to keep working in the strawberry patch so that the plants aren't all choked with weeds. It's so exciting to be gardening again!

I do have some bad news to report. The five lambs that were born last week have been lost to a predator - most likely a coyote. DH is going to electrify the fence and the ewes will be locked in the barn at night. Also, any coyotes will be shot on site. We can't tolerate our money "crop" being eaten.

Pictures will be coming. DH needs to show me how to download them from the digital camera. I can take it from there.