My dad came over and helped us erect a large tomato cage over the row. In one week of rain and busyness, it had gotten completely out of control. It was nice to have him spend more time with Michael, teaching him things about working and work ethics as well. Not only how to do something, but how to think about what you are doing and do it well.
Yup, I was working too. Here's my shadow, complete with tool belt full of wire cutters, wire, tying ribbon, scissors, etc.
First project was to build a holder for the wire spool, using a bolt and a bucket handle.
Next was building a stand for it, for the times when you are not carrying it, but are just pulling off wire and cutting it.
Then came wiring on the 1 x 2 furring strips. I had purchased three bundles of 6, at .87 cents a board, but will need a third course, so we'll be finishing today.
After church yesterday was a get together at the river. We all brought our own lunches and enjoyed the day. There was catch, ultimate frisbee, swimming, and hanging out in the shade.
We were there early. And used a little grill to cook up two burgers and some foil-wrapped potatoes and onions.
A few of the kids with Michael. They went upriver and floated back down several times. Worked on a rope swing from a tree. Michael, true to his Boy Scout motto, came prepared with rope. Today, he has stone bruises on his feet from the rocks in the river bed.
... and back up the river bank to where the large group kept moving chairs further in to keep up with the shade.
However, the clouds arrived and, at about 5 pm, showers chased us all into our cars to head home.
It was a great day!
~Faith
.
Faith...Can I ask how you built a tomato cage over the whole row? I have individual cages, but I don't like them much. They topple too easily, and I am actually short about 7 cages, so those tomatoes are now "cage-free"!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great day! I keep thinking we need to have a cookout..but we need a new grill. :(
ReplyDeleteI love that Michael has your Dad to teach him things. I love reading about those two! Somedays after reading your posts I feel like hugging them!!!
Thanks for the award! I will post about it later. :0)
Cyn,
ReplyDeleteI will make a post, probably later today, with more specific details on it. As I was posting, I really was wishing I had done that, as I want people to be able to read and know exactly how we did what we were working on.
Thank you for asking and encouraging me to do so. :)
~Faith
SBF,
ReplyDeleteHow about a camping type cookout? Just build a campfire and borrow your oven's rack?
Last year, the week of my accident, we splurged and bought a 60 dollar outdoor firepit thing that we have on the porch. I was not supposed to do outdoor stuff for healing, then it was winter, then we've been so busy... LOL we have yet to even use it. :P
~Faith
Sounds like a perfect day! It looks like the garden is iron-clad. A way better job than I could have done. I'm terrible at rigging up fences and trellises!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place you have-and such a gorgeous garden. I loved the picture of your father's hands.
ReplyDeleteThe picnic looks like it was a ton of fun! Holly
You have the most beautiful garden I have ever seen.
ReplyDeletewill you ask your dad what he thinks about pruning tomatos? I have a book that my dad gave me that said you should prune off a huge portion of your leaves from the tomatos. I have been doing that this year and am getting a lot of fruit from just two plants. I would like to know his view.
Jo,
ReplyDeleteWell, furring strip clad anyhow. ;)
~Faith
Holly,
ReplyDeleteThank you. And hands speak so much sometimes, don't they. Especially work-worn hands. :)
~Faith
Tracey,
ReplyDeleteThank you. You must have missed the closeups? LOL
Dad doesn't prune his tomatoes and hadn't heard of it before this week. I told him about the system of pinching off the little branchlets and tying the trunks upwards onto sturdy stakes, into a sort of mini tree.
I've never pruned mine either. I've visited farms who do and they are usually going for large tomatoes, blemish free, etc, better for market. I don't think the volume of the fruit is as high, though.
You can use those tomato pinchings as starts, however. You can really get a lot of tomato plants off of a single vine you plant in the ground; a little Root Tone and some sandy potting soil.
~Faith
I like reading about your dad and his little "inventions", the wire holder and the thing he rigged up to get your greenhouse posts out of the ground.
ReplyDeleteTell him I said, He sounds like a handy guy to have around. He even cans in the rain with you... I still think that is so cool.
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI know, dad always seems to think of something. I've learned so much from him. I grew up, working on the farm, with him as my example and it never seemed to me that I should be any different just because I happen to be female, so becoming a DIY tomboy was really the only direction to go.
Still so much to learn, though.
I will be sure to tell him. That always means a lot to him. :)
~Faith