Shabbat Blessings. April 17, 2010

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This was a day of rest, and one we looked forward to greatly!

It began with turkey sightings. Michael has been readying to go on another turkey hunt, so every day when we hear turkeys he's all ears. Here's one that wandered across our field.

You may not be able to see it, but there is a dark bird right near the compost bins.





Then we had a great surprise! A friend from church brought over one of his duece and a half trucks filled with gravel for our French drain! YAY!





Michael showed him where to drop it.





And two more guys showed up to offload it.





Where will the rest go? Over there. We have to dig another French drain above the pool bank.





I have them pile it in the driveway for now.





Real men shovel gravel! WOOT!





Looks so great!





The Sugar Snap peas are coming up. We laid newspaper underneath the trellis wire to cut down on future weeds.





It's been really hot, this spring. So the peas are struggling a bit.





We've got a second raised bed built and planted now. The first has onions and Swiss chard, the second has peppers and leeks.





Michael left with his friends to go to a gun and knife show, and I set about to relax.





Ignore the dirt flecks in my camera lens. I really need to get it cleaned.





Dogwood.





Vineyard leaving and fruiting out.





Future clusters all over the place.





I notice the herb beds need serious attention next, but I hold myself to photography for the rest of this day.









I can't help but take another picture of my happy little French drain. Now I can begin to build the greenhouse. For next winter, but I am closer!





Friends come over and bring Michael back from town with them. When they arrived I was asleep, on a red gingham quilt in our orchard, under the blue sky, a cool breeze and warm sun. Can life get ANY better than this?





It took five hilarious minutes to get these two in the air at the same time.





While they left on a bike ride, Elaine and I wandered around the gardens.





Life is good.

~Faith

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Tea Parties, Tax Days April 15, 2010

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This duty-filled day began with more gardening. It keeps us grounded.

We decided to do onions in the first raised bed. I had four groups of them I'd purchased some time back, but things had never worked out to plant them. Now, on the verge of it being too late, we are giving it a shot.





Tilling it up. Oh, somewhere in here we had another workday with a friend who helped us put up the tomato cage. That's sturdy!





Planted and watered.





Dogwood season!





One Bradford Pear in!





Still haven't found this guy a home yet.





Asparagus beetles have invaded our patch.





They have 3 or 4 generations that hatch, come up on the spears, mate, lay eggs, die, and do it all over again. All this while you are trying to eat yummy spears.

Can you see the little black eggs on the sides of these spears?





Here's what the beetles do to the tops.





I picked all the spears for cleaning the eggs from and eating.





It's dandelion season!





Watering in the third Bradford Pear.





This is a Manchurian Apricot. It was a freebie from a lower quality nursery supply many years ago. It needs a pollinizer so I've never had any fruits from it. But I hope to get apricot trees this fall to add to the orchard.





We planted Swiss Chard at the end of the onion bed. I only went with six this year because last year we had PLENTY of Swiss chard.





It's the Bright Lights variety, so it will have beautiful stem color.





The praying mantis egg sacs have hatched.





Can you see the babies? They are about 3/8 of an inch long.





Those bare root blueberries in cardboard I picked up from Lowe's for 6 bucks are turning into a disappointment. They are about to be dug up and returned.





So we invested in an 11 dollar plant to see how it will do in the same area.





I got my taxes done and in the mail. Then we were on our way to the local Tea Party gathering.





Many friends, AKA terrorist/extremists, if you ask 'some' people.





Look at this vicious girl! I wonder if she feels uncomfortable by all us white extremists? LOL





And our young friend who opened us in ..... ready for this....?

PRAYER!!!!!!

IN PUBLIC!!!!!





All kidding aside, our friends also led us in songs of God and country.





In our conservative town of about 15,000 people, between 400 and 500 came to the rally. We had several speakers and, though people are angry about what is going on, there were no threats of violence or any of the ridiculous things that are bandied about in the media. Some reporters really need to take off whatever it is that is blinding them to reality.













I am at a loss sometimes as to what to pray for the country any more. The best I can do is say, "Your will be done."

We left with friends to spend the day together and have some fun.

Still working, still hoping, still praying, still loving, as madness ensues...

~Faith

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Onion Braids, and Shameful Things

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I took my camera along on our Monday excursions, but didn't take any pictures.

Michael and I learned to braid onions in the morning. I don't know if you can look at them and say, "Wow! Look at those braided onions!" But we did braid them, so that's what they are, by dingo!.





We took a very long piece of twine, folded it in half, and tied a loop in the end.





The first onion was placed on the twine, making three strands to braid; two that were twine and one that consisted of onion top.





Begin braiding...





Add another...





Get tired of how slow it takes and add several at a time. They are small anyhow.





Tie it off and trim. The loop at the top is how you hang it.





After doing some work in the garden and kitchen on Labor Day we took off for parts known.

A stop by the home improvement store to pick up lumber and paint samples for a little girl named Maddie. Maddie is a sweetheart. She's got a wonderful new family with a brand new baby brother. But she's been going through a lot. Her wonderful new daddy is battling cancer. Doctors say he is likely not going to survive this.

So with all that going on, plus having a newborn in the family, it's kind of nice to give Maddie a little extra attention. She's got a doll that does not have a bed. Michael and I are going to build one for her, and we hope it makes her smile. Her favorite color is pink.





If you remember to pray for this family. Todd truly means a whole lot to all of us. We selfishly desire to keep him here, with us.

It was a gorgeous, mostly cloudy day, as we headed to the blueberry farm for one more go at filling our freezer and jars.

The leaves were just beginning to turn color in some places. Not as red as these in this photo.





The bushes were mostly stripped bare. It was the last day he was going to be open. It was a little sad, feeling the season coming to a close, seeing the bare branches, feeling the change in the air, the leaves the soil, even the birds sing differently as the years progresses. The incessant joyful twittering of spring has long since faced into simple occasional calls to one another across tress.

It was only Michael and I then, so we didn't have a lot of constant chatter. Filling the buckets was taking a long time. We'd just decided to reduce our goal of 4 gallons down to 2 gallons, when we hear voices across the empty fields, calling our names.

It was our dear friends, coming to help.





They knew we were going picking today, and we were late meeting them and couldn't reach my cell phone which had been left in the minivan, so they piled into the car and drove to help us finish. Needless to say, the gloominess I was feeling quickly vanished and all was well with the world, once again.

The rest of the day was just hanging out with them. We played the clicker game, so everyone could get an idea of what clicker training is like to not only teach with, but what it is like to learn with.





Then we went down and worked with the horses a few times, had dinner, and watched "The Shaggy Dog".

Aaaaaaaaaand on the way back home, late, tired, needing to visit the powder room.....

Michael and I are chatting, wishing we were already home and sleeping, when he tells me he feels nervous. I look over at him, concerned, and ask why. He says, because there is a police car with flashing lights right behind us...





...I got my first ticket in nearly 20 years. AGH!

Common criminal, signing off,

~Faith

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