A Work in Progress

mommy brag

***Our Small Garden***

What your seeing is a Lasagne Garden made with Newspapers over grass, then petemoss, directly topped with manuere and soil, THEN repeated again with petemoss, manure and soil until I got the desired height.

Sweet 100's are producing 100's of little tomatoes now while our peppers are coming along nicely.  Cuces are growing up the vine like mad ...but the ONE issue we're having.  See the bald spot in the center of the garden?...that's SUPPOSED to be all my different kinds of lettuce.  WELL, Edward, the cute but pesky woodchuck (groundhog) has eaten them to stubs.  I have NO LETTUCE.

SO, I'm trying to figure out how to deal with this critter.  He's SMART.  We put a plastic bag over them one night and Edward (the woodchuck) pulled it off.  I can't believe I've named him, I'm not close to him now that he's wripped my dream of making a FULL SALAD directly from my garden.  Now I have to depend on the local farmers market, which isn't so bad because we're supporting them, but I wanted the good feeling of having grown my own lettuce.

So I'm trying to figure out what to do for next years gardening season. Nip this situation in the bud.

A Hubby Tag

As you all know, one of my most favoritest subjects to blog about is my Honey. Well, I found this hubby tag over at Jen Ig's blog

Here goes....

1. Who is your man? Tobias aka Toby aka My Honey

2. How long have you been together? First date- 12 days shy of 19 years. Married, 17 years, 6 months and 20 days (yep, we still say Happy Anniversary every month on the 5th)

3. How long dated? 1 year, 5 months (we married on the same date as our first date, the 5th)

4. How old is your man? 47 (9 years older than me)...but in my eyes, 28

5. Who eats more? I'd like to say him...but lately, he's not had too much of an appetite...

6. Who said "I love you" first? ME...I was in love the first time I saw him...even moreso the first time we talked...and oh my, the first time we kissed, well let's just say, I knew it!

7. Who is taller? Definitely him....poor guy has to bend over to kiss me..and let me tell you, he spends a good deal of time bent over doing just that ...or I find a stool and he doesn't have to do that...

8. Who sings better? Again, definitely him. Love his voice!!!!

9. Who is smarter? Once again, definitely him. He's the most well read person I know.

10. Whose temper is worse? Depends on the situation.

11. Who does the laundry? Since I'm the wife, ME!

12. Who takes out the garbage? That's a man's job (unless, of course, your Honey works till early morning and you are letting him sleep in)

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I never know which way you'd be looking...from the end of the bed...Honey.

14. Who pays the bills?  Well, he makes the money, I send it off to pay the bills

15. Who is better with the computer? Depends on what we are doing....some things, me, other things him.

16. Who mows the lawn? Again, this is a man's job..and my man just happens to love to cut grass. Or he weedeats while Thomas mows.

17. Who cooks dinner? Hmmm....why are these jobs not easily defined? Me, of course, I'm the wife, remember?!

18. Who drives when you are together? Honey mostly. Unless he's tired or just wants to take in the scenery.

19. Who pays when you go out? Well, again, he makes the money, I spend it.

20. Who is most stubborn? Depends on the topic

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Most definitely Honey. He's so quick to apologize it's not even funny.

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine..they like to come live in our front yard. We LOVE it when they do that!!!

23. Who kissed who first? In my dreams, me....in reality, him.

24. Who asked who out? Well, our first date started out as just two friends going to a new mall together...then we went to lunch together. Then we went back to get his truck...and the most awesomest kiss ever took place...then he asked me out to the movies... So officially, Honey.

25. Who proposed? I would have proposed a month after our first date, if not sooner. But, that's the man's job (again with the not knowing of the jobs...), so I patiently waited for him to do so.

26. Who is more sensitive? Depends on the subject. Overall, me, but there's such a sensitive soul inside my Honey that most people have no clue is there.

27. Who has more friends? Me, only because I have more time and don't have a job to go every day. My favoritest friend is my Honey.

28. Who has more siblings? Tie...I have two brothers, he has a sister and a  step brother

29. Who wears the pants in the family? We both wear pants...but the "pants of the family" goes to Honey, as it should!

30. How did you meet? On the phone first...I worked at a Firestone store, he worked at a parts store. I loved talking to him on the phone. Once I found out he wasn't already taken, I was quite excited to meet him in person at the store one day. Then we spent time together at church. So, we always say we met at work and church. Isn't God great?!

Well, that was fun!!!

Why do they grow up so quickly?!

While we were eating supper (without Daddy ), Mary showed me her corn on the cob and asked what the red was. It looked like blood to me, so I asked her to show me her smile. Sure enough, there's a hole where there used to be a tooth! She's lost a tooth at the youngest age of my four children. She's quite proud of that missing tooth!

So, we called Daddy to tell him. He was so happy to hear her sweet little voice. Sure do miss him at supper time. We've always been a family that eats supper together every night. We get a kick out of magazine articles that recommend a family eating together at least two meals per week. HA! Well, it sure is different eating supper without Daddy. We don't like it much and will be oh so happy when he's home at night again!!!

Talked to Mom as well. She got to talk to Mary and Natalie. Natalie sure takes after her big sister. As soon as she starts talking on the phone, she starts walking. For Rebecca, it's walking and waving her arms around. While we were in NY, she made a phone call...but we were at the pool, so she had to go to the patio area to be able to hear. She was just standing there, so we knew she hadn't gotten through yet...then all of a sudden, the arms were going, so we knew she was talking!

Last night I overheard a conversation between Rebecca and Mary that just made me so proud. Mary tried on my glasses and thought she looked oh so cute. Then she tried on Rebecca's. Now, Rebecca's prescription is at least twice as strong as mine. When she got them on, she asked Rebecca how she could see with those glasses. Rebecca asked her how she could see without them. So, Mary answers....

APPARENTLY, I DON'T NEED GLASSES.

Now, I ask you, how many five year olds could use the word apparently correctly in a sentence? Yep, that's my babe!!!

Our realtor came today. We're not ready to list, but are thankful for the visit. Gave us some ideas as to what to do to get ready to list and when the best time would be to actually list for sale. Also he gave us a figure for an asking price that he felt we would be able to get. It's not as much as we had hoped for, but much more than what we paid four years ago. Now, the job is to get things cleared out of here, make some improvements and see where we stand in a few months time. It is exciting to be in the moving mindset again.

I'm about to update Quicken. Payday tomorrow!!! Have a great evening!

Backyard Sustainable Agriculture

This is a good video for those interested in sustainable agriculture.  It is particularly helpful for those of us who are renting or have limited space.

Anyone here with advice on this subject, please share it with us, too!  This is something our family and a few good friends are looking at putting into practice in the very near future. 

Blessings,

Catherine

2008 Perseid Meteor Showers are coming!

Mark your calendar: The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12th and it should be a good show.

"The time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "There should be plenty of meteors--perhaps one or two every minute."

The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is far away, currently located beyond the orbit of Uranus, a trail of debris from the comet stretches all the way back to Earth. Crossing the trail in August, Earth will be pelted by specks of comet dust hitting the atmosphere at 132,000 mph. At that speed, even a flimsy speck of dust makes a vivid streak of light when it disintegrates--a meteor! Because, Swift-Tuttle's meteors streak out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."

(Note: In the narrative that follows, all times are local. For instance, 9:00 pm means 9:00 pm in your time zone, where you live. )

Serious meteor hunters will begin their watch early, on Monday evening, August 11th, around 9 pm when Perseus first rises in the northeast. This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond.

"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors," says Cooke. He cautions that an hour of watching may net only a few of these at most, but seeing even one can make the whole night worthwhile.

A warm summer night. Bright meteors skipping overhead. And the peak is yet to come. What could be better?

The answer lies halfway up the southern sky: Jupiter and the gibbous Moon converge on August 11th and 12th for a close encounter in the constellation Sagittarius: sky map. It's a grand sight visible even from light-polluted cities.

For a while the beautiful Moon will interfere with the Perseids, lunar glare wiping out all but the brightest meteors. Yin-yang. The situation reverses itself at 2 am on Tuesday morning, August 12th, when the Moon sets and leaves behind a dark sky for the Perseids. The shower will surge into the darkness, peppering the sky with dozens and perhaps hundreds of meteors until dawn.

Above: The eastern sky viewed during the hours before sunrise on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.

For maximum effect, "get away from city lights," Cooke advises. The brightest Perseids can be seen from cities, he allows, but the greater flurry of faint, delicate meteors is visible only from the countryside. (Scouts, this is a good time to go camping.)

The Perseids are coming. Enjoy the show!

Click HERE to subscribe to the NASA Science email updates

Stupid pigs ate my chickens

Ok...what do you do with pigs that eat chicken?

I know the obvious...put them in the freezer. But, in this instance, that isn't the best answer, although I am seriously pondering learning the butchering trade right now!  UGH!

Our new pigs, those pregnant sows we picked Saturday, they ate 2 of my laying hens.  Didn't have a chance-- just attacked them and then proceeded to pull them apart like some warped game of tug-o-war or something.

Our chickens have their home in the barn, and a nice, fenced yard.  I have 3, however, who are definitely roamers.  If we clip their wings any further, they won't have but a bare bone frame over on that side, yet they still manage to climb that fence and roam the yard.  They have a route...they ceck out the goats and puppies for a day or so, even roost in the puppy pen with them.  No one has ever cared (athough those blasted puppies have enjoyed playing with the younger pullets....and have killed a handful of them as well).

But, the pigs...they are in the other side of the barn, along the outside pens.  The chickens go through the horse lot there into the timber to wander.  A couple ended up in the pigs confinement and well....tug-o-war time.

I can break those puppies of playing tag with my chickens, but what do you do with a pig who has a taste for chicken now?  It rather worries me that the children don't typically think much of getting into the barn, and they help with the feeding and such.  As far as I'm concerned, these are dangerous pigs.  You know, around here, the standard was that when the Revenue men cam poking around and causing trouble, you just tossed them into the pig pen and let the hogs have them.  Nothing left to dispose of.

Now I have pigs that have shown a very dangerous side to themselves.  I'm not really interested in the additions to the freezer menu anymore, no matter how wonderful the other tastes.

FREE Farm Premade Thematic Unit Study

We really like these free pre-made unit studies...they are geared at younger children but could be adapted for older children...they are fun and engaging...

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