All of our vegetable seeds that get planted inside have been planted. Now, we’re busy outside. Yesterday, Will tilled the Main Garden with the little Kubota. As there are tight areas, you have to lift the tiller and back up. To back the Kubota up, you have to press down on a foot pedal. Really hard! My sore knees just don’t want to do that yet, so Will took care of that job.
But, when he was finished, I took it out to the larger, squarer, Wolf Garden and tilled all afternoon. I had expected the lower side to be more moist. It wasn’t. In fact, it was kind of dry. Oh oh! Is that a sign of summer drought? There’s no forecast of rain in the ten-day forecast. We had a frost advisory for last night, again tonight, and another the next. Seedlings off the back deck have to be carried out in the morning and back inside in the evening. Out for sun and hardening off, in for frost protection.
Today I helped Will haul manure. I’m the gate guy, keeping the cows in when they’d love to be out munching on all that green pasture. But we want to let it get taller and make those cows eat up some of the leftover hay, which we have plenty of. That hay’s a good thing, especially if we’re facing another drought. The hay crop will be shorter, we’re thinking. When Will was away with the manure, spreading on the Wolf pasture, half a mile from the house, I drove the golf cart next to the fence between the cow and horse pastures. The electric wire gets knocked down by winter deer and needed fixing up. It won’t be long before the horses get put back in their own pasture after spending the winter with the cows. We like them with the cows as they protect them from the wolves, especially new calves. Our mule, Domino, is fierce when it comes to anything canine! She would eat a wolf right up. Seriously!
After Will gets done hauling manure today, I want to hop on the little Kubota and till the North Garden again. The tiny weeds are just starting to show up and I love killing them dead. Again. We’ll till one more time in a couple of weeks and then get to planting everything in all six gardens. Whew! But we sure love spring! All the green, the Hummingbirds, Orioles, Grosbeaks, and other bird visitors, the fragrance of wild fruit blooms, and hope of a great gardening year. — Jackie
Mittens is a cutie! I understand the sore knee issues. Start with an icepack and then switch to a heat pack or heating pad on your knee. My husband just got this machine that circulates first cold water and then warm water through bladders you put on the sore area. What we were told is cold followed by warm/hot reduces the inflammation. My husband is a disabled vet so this came through the VA. He says it works well for the most part. As busy as you are it may take you looking for a sit down type of job.
Today I’m dragging a bit. So for a while it sit-down jobs. Either this evening or tomorrow I have to weed eat and mow our grass. Amongst other outside chores. It’s hard to do things when you hurt, but you want it done and hate just sitting around. So I understand how frustrating it is to not do what you want to get done. Take care, lady!!
Yep, I have one of those machines and do use it. It’s just the new knee joints that I’m sure I abuse the heck out of. The do seem to be getting a little better so I have hope. I try to alternate up and sitting as that seems to help. Like today. I’m planting peppers in the hoop house and also mowing the grass (riding mower). Mowing is my zen time!
Yep, new knees means usually a routine exercise program for the straight, the bend, and for strength (and for the other knee, too. Don’t leave it out.) I’m 68 and had to push myself during 18 pt appts, and a great deal of working out at home, and challenging myself up and down stairs, deep knee bends, running, and kneeling. It’s been so worthwhile! I’m thrilled with my new knee! Praise God.
What a pretty cat 😊 I don’t have a cat, only three beagles! You sure seem to get a lot of work done! I have followed you for years reading columns in Backwoods Home and your writing was always my favorite! Thanks for hundreds of good ideas and advice!
We love our dogs and cats too. So nice you’ve joined us on the blog. I love hearing what everyone is doing!
Ditto, Pam, for Jackie’s advice. I have no one else I can look to, whatsoever. She’s a tremendous help to me!
Jackie, love the pictures you paint with your words.
Blessings!
Aww, thanks Jane. We live in such a wonderful place I love sharing.
Jackie, your kitty’s eyes are the same color green as the leaves. So neat! When you have sore knees or sore joints, you have to learn to do what you can and maybe a different way. LOL I’m shelling English peas today and canning them up. I can sit and do that! And yes, the farmers here keep donkeys with livestock. They are murder to the coyotes.
Yep, I’m always figuring out new ways to do the same job. Like I have a plastic step stool I use to get up on my little Kubota. Yesterday, I tilled the Sand and Central Gardens by using it to get on. I want to get some rhubarb canned up. Yep, I’ll be sitting to cut it up. You bet!
Good evening.
You and Will definitely have been busy and Mittens keeping an eye on Will working.
Spring with the birds, flowers, and fragrances are priceless.
I am so grateful for Spring in all it’s glory now and able to start
planting out a lot of starts and get more going too.
I bet you all sleep well at night after busy days.
I pray you have a restful and peaceful night.
Thanks Cindy. You can bet we do sleep well after putting in long days! I just love smelling the fresh, spring smell of wild fruit blossoms, apple blossoms and new grass and leaves.
Jackie, I’m thrilled I’m building muscle and stamina again. I can work hours and not be exhausted, outside weed-eating and gardening, I haven’t done, nor been able to do for probably 4 years. I’m so happy with my new knee.
Great to see the sunshine. Busy, busy, busy-usual barnyard cleanup. Something ate my garlic. I had some I stored in the cold root cellar and replanted that -it’s coming up. It was cold enough for the vernalization. My peppers show a slight frost damage. Peas/potatoes are up and onions in the ground. It’s great to see all the migratory birds. Creaky knees are a problem I know well.
Yep, we’re really at it right now, getting ready for planting. Yesterday, Will hauled manure out onto the pastures as it had a lot of partially composted hay in it, which wouldn’t do on the gardens we’ll be planting pretty soon. It’s tough something ate your garlic. Just the tops off green plants or bulbs in storage? We had a frost advisory last night. But it seems to be the last cold for at least 10 days.
I experimented this last winter/spring, growing garlic bulbils. They worked out from small to large, had scapes, and were a successful crop, I’m so glad to say. My goal is to grow and use all my own seed, continually, from now on.
Mittens sure has the look! Don’t mess with. Is that your rhubarb in front of Will cultivating!!! Wow! You sure passed mine in size. I may be able to harvest earlier than you but you have me beat on size! Our dry summers make it difficult for size, but can’t beat the flavor of home grown! Just cultivated this morning the last half of garden. Hopefully get my hardened off transplant s in next week. Actually got in my early corn and snap beans I got from you. SO Looking forward to them. Take care of them knees. Happy planting and no frost soon so plants can stay out overnight.
Yep, that’s one of our rhubarb plants. We moved the others to various spots that AREN’T in the middle of the garden. I’ll be canning soon, lots of rhubarb for winter pies, crumbles and conserve. I’ve found that adding LOTS of rotted manure on your rhubarb plants, come fall, will dramatically increase the size of the stalks, come spring. Long ago, I went from pencil-sized stalks to ones that were two inches thick, in one heavy application of rotted manure.
Our cold has quit for at least 10 days. But I don’t feel confident that it’s totally gone. We usually get that last, unexpected spring frost around the first week in June.
Such a serious look on Mittens face. While it might say making sure Will gets it done right, it is also saying don’t mess with my Will.
The weather is certainly *not* as I remember it. Appears after further cutting, the one tree is an elm, which is okay. It burns well. We had the last stand of American Elms at our prior house. This house had the one that fell and another we had taken down (close to structure and power line). It looked healthy to the layman’s eye but was diseased. It did bless us with morels AND allowed a potential electrical fire to be averted (power line to the house had to be dropped prior to the tree being dropped).
Until the farmer passed away, there was an Angus farm just down the road from us. Yep, he had two mules though for mainly for coyote. We’re a bit south for wolves (as of this post that is but there has been a black bear down here).
Got a nice rain so I’ll be weeding the asparagus patch on Saturday. Before it turns into a tree farm lol..
It’s funny how Mittens is “Will’s” cat. She only sits on his lap, sleeps with him and follows him in the gardens. On the recent PBS show, there was Mittens, following Will in the Central Garden. (There’s a YouTube video of the show.)
We’ve got both coyotes and wolves, along with cougars and black bears. We pretty much get along with them all though.
We did get a little rain, although not the soaker we need. But we’ll be taking what we can get and be thankful it came!
Temps were perfect this long weekend – got the asparagus patch weeded. Took two morning efforts, removed more violets from the strawberry patch and I am seeing berries. Gave my garden shed a deep cleaning (dumped what I shop vac-ed into the woods as pretty much a bunch of corn, sunflower/safflower/bird seed). Winter items to basement storage, summer items from basement to shed.
At first it looked like we’d be getting another inch of rain over a 2-3 days but now we’ll be lucky get .25 inch. At least we can water.