Chickens Eat Cherries!! :)

I love these tomato stakes and cages. The cages belonged to one grandfather and the stakes to the other. The tomatos that are growing in them are mine and the Lovin' Husbands. It makes me happy to see this when I'm in the garden. I think of both beloved grandfathers and smile just knowing that if they can see me from where they are that I really think they'd be proud of me. I love potatoes!! Yukon Gold potatoes to be exact. This is one of my favorite times of the year!! I also love good dirt. See the worm? Let's zoom in a little closer...

I love worms!!! They make the dirt happy... and nutritious...

I love to see the shell of the seed still gripping the baby leaves of plants. And I love to see the first true leaves appear on the plants that we grow. It's kind of like a promise, I think.

I love rosebushes that climb and make the tiniest of the most perfect flowers. I don't pick them. I just leave them there and everytime we walk by them or I'm sitting on the porch I get to look at them and my soul is content.

I love BoJangles, the dog there. He's had a rough time to adjusting to having no friends his size to play with. We had to take Roscoe and Peanut to the no kill shelter and Maggie disappeared again. He has been so good, though. He sticks close now and rarley wanders off for long.

I also love how the Lovin' Husband loves his tomatoes. Sometimes things just mean a lot to you and you don't know why, ya know? These are Brandywine OTVs. They're supposed to hold up to the southern heat. We'll see!! I love that they are planted in the front yard. We always have something to talk about when folks stop by for a quick visit...

Oh! I almost forgot! I LOVE Adam. He is my best friend... we work well together and are so lucky that we are interested in the same things for the most part. I feel like we are growing together through our life and we remember to just talk to each other. I hope we always do that.

And I LOVE to see this!

It makes me happy to know that the chickens get all sorts of goodies from us. Cherries and turnip tops here.

A good batch of wormy dirt really gets me going. I'm such a dork... We (you know the drill here, *ahem... Adam) moved the old dog house and I said, "Oh, look Adam. That is some good dirt!!" He grunted as he was still moving said dog house.

And I love to find little creatures under doghouses that husbands move.

Happy Sunday!!!! Find some things today that you love and that make you happy. Share them with somebody!!!

the most of my love,

Malinda

A Little Bit of this... and that...

I weede the mess beside the barn. Found 2 more calla lily plants that I thought had been strangled out, but hadn't. :) I also (with Adam's help, of course) planted some gourds next to it and got some stuff for them to climb on. Fencing, the old bench that is too rickety to sit on, and that lovely tree has been a trellis for three years, now. It'll be fun to watch them grow! We started a kiddie pool garden. This was our pond last year, but it finally started leaking. When we put green peppers in the ground out here, they never do well, so we thought we'd try this instead. We LOVE jalepenos and this year Adam is excited to grow some chocolate bell peppers. Also we put two bush tomato plants in there. Silvery firs. They don't get very big at all and man are they tangy! There are a couple of basil plants in there too.

We (ahem... Adam) hauled dirt from the compost pile and ammended areas of the garden and added it to the pool.

That is my hand waving hello to you... and some lovely jalepenos...

Planting... forgive me I did not take a picture of the finished product. I will show you once the plants start to get a little bigger...

And here is my man doing what he does best. Planting tomatoes.

We're off to Adam's nephews first birthday party today. I dislike the city, folks. I love the family, though, so I'm gonna quit complaining now and look forward to seeing the Stenberg clan.

I hope that whatever you do today brings a smile to your beautiful face!!!!

So Much to Say...

Broccoli. Since I've had a camera, I've really enjoyed taking pictures of droplets on the veggies. Don't know why...just looks neat to me, I guess. This one is for my good friend Cheryl. That is what it looks like, good buddy!!

BAD DOG

This is Mary. She's looking at a cat...

Rhubarb. I made my very first ever strawberry rhubarb pie this year and it was GOOD!!

The big chickens. They love this time of year. So many weeds and vegetable scraps. I think these two are in charge and the red one is no joke. I know I'm a lot bigger than that chicken, but she still intimidates the pants off of me!!

Some garlic that my dad gave me a couple of years ago from a very nice lady in Tullahoma. It is scaping. That is why it looks funny. It is making it's flower full of little bitty baby garlic bulbs. If you want the plant for the garlic, you are supposed to snip the stem and not let it flower, but I want it to establish itself so I'm letting it flower away.

Sweet Violet. She follows me everywhere I go and finds a nice shady spot to watch me toil in the sun. When I'm not around she defaults to Adam...

We need a home! Look how cute we are... we defy all laws of nature and stay this cute all of our lives... :)

Turnips...

Adam ate this very turnip yesterday for lunch. Creamed turnips. I can take a few bites and that is enough for me, but he'll eat a whole bowl of them.

Scary chicken. She really has the evil eye down.

BAD DOG

Here's my sweet husband hard at work again while I take pictures of vegetables. He's diggin' us up some lunch. MMmmmmm tatoes.... Aren't the clouds so pretty?

My spring is now complete. I have lillies....

Enjoy this beautiful day, folks.

Much Love,

Malinda

Good Morning

We've had broccoli, swiss chard, and peas from the garden (and baby tatoes). One of our neighbors has brought us some lettuce (yea!) I'd show you some of the garden pictures, but I can't find my camera as of yesterday morning. I know it is somewhere, but I forget where I put it. I figured the morning pictures would do for one more day... ;)


One of my students brought me yesterday two loaves of homemade wheat bread (Mondo promptly ate 1 and 1/2 because I forgot to hide it from him - I tell you that dog is getting down right ridiculous - and quite demanding - in his old age) fresh milk from a cow that lives in the same county that I do, butter made from that milk, and all sorts of other yummy treats.


What I'm getting at here is that we have been enjoying our local resources. Quiche made with eggs from you backyard is just better, folks...


Have a great day and give someone a little encouragement. Compliment someone if you notice a new hair do or a pretty skirt or brightly colored tie. Then smile and tell that person that seeing them made your day and MEAN it!!


don't forget to SMILE!! :)

Beans (LOTS of Beans)

I have finally learned that if I am going to can mass quantities of beans that I need to plant them all at the same time. I do like the succession planting, but the problem is I'm not so good at it and Adam is busy enought without me saying, "Honey, will you plant another row of beans today?" He'd probably throw them at me! In love, of course... :)


SO - we planted a LOT of beans. Adam went to the hardware store and got a scoop of Blue Lake bush beans. I planted most of them one day while Adam was teaching a guitar student. I put them in the very first garden we ever did together. We like bush beans because you don't have to trellis them. I do NOT like wandering around the yard/property looking for suitable support for my vegetables!!


ANYWAY - I'll have plenty to can, keep my neighbors in beans, and sell at the farmers market. We are going to be swimming in beans, folks. I have no excuse not to learn how to can this summer. Little does my sweet Mama know... I have plans for her... and Dad... and Monna and J.C. (the littlest sis and hubby). :) Shhhh, don't tell!!

funny thing is: We were sitting and looking at them a couple of nights ago and Adam says to me, in a calm, almost amused voice, "Ya know,baby, I think those might be pole beans..."

to be continued...

Pickin' Jesus

About a year ago my mom asked me if I would lead a music group that would do music one Sunday a month. I said yes and Pickin' Jesus was formed. There is Noah on the left. Adam and I share him as a guitar student and he is really doing well. You can tell that he LIKES the guitar. Samantha is next. She is telling me to be quiet because right before I took this picture, I dropped my camera on the floor. I was shushed by an almost ninth grader. I can handle that. She is an awesome young lady and so fun to have in the group. She keeps us guessing. And laughing. She also helps lead the singing and does a wonderful job. Adam is next. He helps so much I cannot even begin to explain. So I won't. I will just be thankful that he comes and plays with us. Thanks, honey!! And there are my feet. Let us not look at those...

There is my sweet Mama. See? Told you you'd see her today! She rocks the guitar and sings. It makes me really happy when she sings harmony parts. :) Ray is next, there, with the mandolin and Julie, whom you can barely see, is our violin player extraodinaire. They both sing as well. Add me on the guitar and singing and you have an overall idea

There is my seat. And my flip flops. I wish I could claim the awesome guitar, but that is Noah's. :) His parents made sure that he would keep up with playing and then got him a guitar that he could really learn on and wouldn't need to replace unless he wanted to. It really made me happy when he walked into his lesson with that guitar. Happy for him, I mean. He is a really cool kid. Ahem... young man.

And here is the mugshot minus me. I sit next to Noah on the end in front of Ma. Fun times. :)

Busy Weekend (part 2)

I have become a fairly early riser. A fairly happy early riser. My dad would probably think that was funny because in the mornings when I was growing up, he called me The Bear. I think maybe I was a tad bit grumpy in the mornings back then. I digress.

My wonderful husband is NOT an early riser so I have mornings much to myself. The ritual is dogs out, don't let the cat's through the door while doing dogs out, check the baby chicks, wash hands, brush teeth, make coffee, get dogs, turn on computer, check coffee (I make it on the stove because it just tastes better that way), check email, get coffee, blog, then start my day. Sometimes I do things like this... And this.... I like to take pictures of my morning shadow. This particular sunrise was delightful by the way. This was Friday morning. I was waiting on Adam to get out of bed and also on my parents and Granny to come for a visit.

Granny wanted to see the chicks. I'll just say right now that somehow I didn't take a picture of my sweet Mama. You will see her tomorrow, so don't fret!

She had barred rocks when she was growing up... it was so good to have her visit!

BoJangles decided Dad was ok and preceded to sleep on his foot. I think Dad thought that was pretty cool.

Saturday was the baby sister's recital.

I got to be part of it as did another sis...

Sunday was my day to do music at Dad's church. I'll talk more about that later....

Have a lovely day. Keep smilin' even if the sun ain't shinin'!!!!!