Something Has Got To Go

Grandpa Ott's Morning Glory from Seed Savers

There have been several times when I sit down to do a post here and I'm fresh out of thoughts, imagine that, or I have other things that require my attention. If I had my way this is what my life would be:

• Turn off my alarm and wake up anytime I want.
• Go for a run or a ride.
• Take care of the critters.
• Nap.
• Plan all of my gardening adventures as the year goes on.
• Play in the garden and make the yard and surrounding areas pretty.
• Cook Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
• Go to bed whenever I feel like it.

Looks like a life without working away from home right? It's a dream for me at this point. 

As it is I spend 40 hours out of my week away from home. Actually more because lunch breaks and travel time don't count into those 40 hours. Depending on the time of year and how my morning starts off as I wake up for the day I will either head out after coffee and bible reading. Lately I have not been going outside to help with the chores. I have been known to head outside for morning chores on the weekends though, so I'm not a total deadbeat "mom." 

Gus & Greta checking out the home improvement project

The evenings are fairly enjoyable - arrive home and eat dinner then head outside to give the feathered creatures a treat or just sit and watch them be who they are. The Magpie Squad and the Geese are usually penned up by 7 or 7:30 and the two Magpie Babies get some extra time to play in the pool before it's time for them to go to bed. 

If I want the routine of a person who doesn't go to work everyday I'll take vacation to get away from the crazy. I took vacation time during the first full week of this month and boy I did not want to go back to work. Especially since my supervisor would be on vacation when my vacation time was over.

sigh.

The past two weeks I have been back to the regular work routine and now the weekend is upon us again and this weekend I have even less time to hang out at home. It's all good though. We'll be heading out to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival tomorrow with some friends and then Sunday I have a couple of responsibilities at church that I will need to do before we have home time. Although I have a feeling that my afternoon will involve going to a local building center to pick up some decking materials that are on discount.

oh well.

This is the life of a full-time office assistant/part-time farmer-homesteader. One day I'll leave work and never return.

one day.

First Spookie sugar pumpkin

M.I.A.

Okay...I've stayed away long enough! Not on purpose, just a little busy the past few weeks and feeling oh so tired a lot. Like A LOT! So, I decided that I'm going to post a little bit of something several times a week.

This past weekend we went to a local running shop and we both got ourselves some new running shoes!

New Balance 880 for me

New Balance 1080 for Tom

The last shoes that I had for three years were not that great. I didn't feel 100% comfortable and just felt like running was turning into a chore. So over the next couple of years with those shoes our running routine kept dwindling down until we weren't getting out early at all. 

The good thing is that the guy that helped us with our new shoes brought these out for me to try out and it was like the heavens opened up and the angels sang...for real! 

Okay, they felt REALLY good. There was a second pair that I didn't like as much and when I had one of each on I definitely knew that I had to go with the New Balance! Come to think of it, I don't even know what brand the other pair was. Oh well. 

While I was checking out my two pair of shoes, Tom had a stack of men's shoes that were his size just sitting there waiting to be tried on! So he did his own assessment while Fit Right Ron was helping me out. After a few pairs he settled on the New Balance as well. 

This is not my first pair of New Balance shoes. My first pair was from way back when I was starting to run a bit more and like it at the same time - imagine that. I just remember that pair being really stiff, but still fit well and allowed me to actually feel like a runner.

So for now we are just fitting in quick walk/runs in the early morning hours. Today was the second time out and it was GREAT! We did a kind of race thing (okay maybe I was racing in my mind). We did the same route, but in opposite directions. I wanted to figure out where we would pass each other on the route. I actually did alright and felt pretty good about my second time out after not getting out hardly at all for the past couple of years for sure.

Actually using my sport watch for more than just keeping time.

Anyway, this is what is on my mind today. I see that it is sprinkling out right now, so my outside time might be limited to just getting the pigs fed. THAT is now a chore that takes the both of us.

More on that tomorrow...

I promise not to disappear...for a while anyway.

Taking A Day Off

Earlier this week I decided to take Wednesday off. There is a method to this madness of course, my workmate will be off all next week so I need to have a day just to chill and not think about work. AND I didn't want to "waste" a Friday - not another one. Seriously Fridays are the best, there are three of us on this side of the building and the crew across the way. So yeah, it's pretty sweet. Funny how I tend to forget about #4 in the back wing...

Anyway...

Vacation days in the MIDDLE of the week are the BEST!

To start the day of right I got to stay in during the morning chores and hung out and enjoyed my coffee. Didn't even think about going outside...not right away anyway.

After a little while I decided to at least go out and say good morning to the waterfowl and this is how Mr. Lenny greeted me...

Did you feel the love there? Lenny knows what he likes and it isn't Tom letting them out for the morning.

I did get a few things done in the morning working in the garden and checking on the critters here and there.

Fiona!

It's been so hot the past few weeks that we have been trying to keep a little bit of a wallow for the Dynamic Duo. As soon as the hose comes out they know what's happening, but are patient enough and usually eating - so they wait until we are done getting their spa all muddy again.

Canada Thistle harvest

One of the most tenacious weeds out in the garden...the Canada Thistle. Ugh. These were coming up in the space that we revamped not too long ago where the apple trees and discount plants are -

The short apple trees and discount plants area

I was watching the canada thistle getting bigger and bigger and just was putting it off. I finally just went for it. It wasn't bad. However I did a search on google about these nasty weeds...not good - let's just save that for a different post. Just YUCK.

Love Lies Bleeding

I really need to make it a habit to read the seed packages further than how deep to sow the seeds and how far apart.  According to Seed Savers Exchange these are the characteristics of the flower:

• Annual plants grow to 3-4 feet tall
• Red seed-trusses ressemble ropelike flowers
• Sometimes grown as a grain
• Long lasting in ornamental gardens

It's the 3-4 feet tall part that I didn't catch before. Maybe I did, but that was a couple of months ago. Anyway, I'm glad that I decided to transplant the seedlings along the path and not in front of the flower portion of the garden. Such a pretty flower and interesting too.

The flowers are long and kind of rope like.

Three Sisters

My Three Sister experiment is coming along. The corn is nice and tall and the beans and squash have sprouted. I might get something from the corn and beans, we'll see. There's still time for some disaster to happen - I did spy a bunny hopping through the other day.

It was also Mr. Rexy's 5 month birthday yesterday...he got a fresh mud bath out of the deal...

Mainly my day away from work was spent doing what I love and relaxing as much as I wanted. That almost seems like a luxury while trying to grow up animals and a garden. I wouldn't trade our farm for anything else, but I do like to nap. Just sayin'

Farm Life is the Best Life!

Throw Back Thursday - March 8, 2018

Wowie-Zowie! How I want the weekend to be here! The past couple of weekends have been a little busy and I'm looking forward to having almost NOTHING on the calendar that will take us away from what we are doing at home.

At this time last year we had some things started - the chick mobile, seeds...inside AND outside go HERE to check out my 2017 progress. Actually that post was from the 7th - The post from the 8th is HERE.

Anyway...

This year the only thing that I can say that we have done is planning on paper, in our minds and that's about it. The duckling situation has been mostly resolved.  Still thinking about when we should be bringing home the piggies. The chickies - they are growing so fast! I've got my seeds, potting soil, a couple of bags of mushroom compost and a vague idea of what I'm going to get done this weekend.

The one thing that I do know we'll do is get the the girls and dudes moved again. They have been pooping and scratching around the back yard and some of the dirt areas for the last month and doing a pretty nice job. They will spend another month on the garden before we move them out to the field  where they have spent a lot of time. This means another trek across the driveway...pulling up tarps...dragging all of the chickies water pans and food stuff back over again. I'll get my steps in for sure! I am pretty sure that the girls don't care so much where they end up. Just as long as their is a place to forage and some dirt for bathing.

The two hoodlums (duck & goose) are cool with being anywhere as well. However, I think Mr. Lenny likes being in the garden area so he can get a really good look at what is happening across the street - especially when the school bus stops in the afternoon. He MUST greet the kids with loud honking and pretty insistent "screaming."

He's a treat...really.

A year ago I had my old seeds all spread out and I was going through and getting rid of all sorts of old, OLD seeds to get ready for the season. I did something different last year and kind of planned out what would be started in trays by what week. I have to say that I kept to that schedule pretty well, but by the time the summer rolled around things went sideways and I wasn't keeping very good track of anything!

Last year I tried out something a little different...growing potatoes in laundry baskets.

My inspiration

Did I nail it? Nope. It was more of an Epic Fail. I don't even have a photo to prove that it didn't go well. That's how bad it was. I still have the baskets. We'll repurpose them somehow. I will continue to grow potatoes in the earth - as it should be. I always enjoy the process of lifting potatoes and seeing what kind of bounty we'll get from each plant. This year I want to plant A LOT! Enough to store for the fall/winter months...while still enjoying some during the growing season. 

This week seems to have dragged on and on. I think I just need a rest...