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

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...

Randomness

Peanut needs a home. The county I live in does not have a no kill shelter and I can't bear to send her to the "pound". If anyone needs a friendly, bouncy, spayed, house-trained-but-will-live-outside dog, I'll pay them $25 to give her a good home!! I have passed the time in my life that lots of dogs are fun... moving on... Yarrow. I love yarrow. Especially the stuff that is native to the yard and surrounding property. It has the prettiest foliage and the flowers are so dainty and perfect. I have taken no less than TONS of pictures of yarrow. Every spring it seems new to me. I dug up a big clump out of my yard and put it in with the herbs that I like to grow in my garden. I also go out of my way to mow around it when I see that it will flower soon. Adam is so sweet. He just smiles and shakes his head when I ask him not to mow the places I "missed" and says, "I'll try not to, baby." He knows that it makes me happy to see blooming all over. I have some out front that blooms pink and ohmygoodness it is pretty.

That is it for today, folks. I am going into Nashville this morning to wish my big sister a happiest birthday yet and then coming home to weed my garden. The massive rains have let the garden get ahead of me in that area I'm afraid. That is ok, though. Today is a COMPLETE day off. I haven't had one of those in a WHILE. I will be able to get lots done this afternoon while Adam is teaching and am looking forward to sweating and getting a good garden workout... Yay!!

Have such a good day and remember that people are people and everyone deserves a smile!!

Love,

Malinda

Some Cuteness

I am always amazed at the mama kitties. Especially when they've never been mamas before. It took Matoike a few minutes to figure out what was going on, but she's got the hang of it now. If you need a kitty, let me know because those aren't the only kittens here at the homestead!!

Have a good day and hopefully if I can still move at the end of the day I will show you what's goin' on in the garden!!

SMILE!!

lots of love

Malinda

Garden Update...

Here is Maggie inspecting Adam's potato planting a few weeks ago. She is so funny. Very concerned with why WE are digging up the garden when SHE knows that she is not allowed.

Garlic!

Onions! Mmmmm...

Asparagus from my Gramps's garden in Ohio. I brought some home with me a couple of years ago and am so thankful to have it. Now that he's gone on to Heaven, I have something here on earth that reminds me of my beloved Gramps.

And here is some sunshine for you on a somewhat murky day! Be happy, people, and smile at a stanger today...

Love,

Malinda

There is Hope...

Two months from now, I'll go out to the garden and see things like this:

There will be no more cold fronts - no more frosts. Now - am not wishing the time away. I enjoy my days, but I'm goin' CRAZY. I'm ready for the cold to be less frequent. Not that the weather should be based upon what I want, but I'm COLD. :)

We've planted potatoes, onions, peas, kohl rabi, and turnips and transplanted a TON of garlic. There are more potatoes in the house waiting for us to do something with them and I still have to get some broccoli in the ground. Lettuce too. Maybe a quarter of the garden is weeded and ready - our neighbor is fixing our tiller. We didn't want to use it, but will have to just to keep up for the spring, anyway. So we have garden prep to do, still, and getting beds ready (we do a funky kind of semi drought resistant raised bed system). We are also wanting to start some rain barrels this year.

There are five 3 day old kittens on the back porch (that will need a home in 5 weeks and 4 days) and 30 chickens on the deck in a pen that keep reminding us to build them a permanent home. They're not ready for it yet, but will be soon and we need to get busy! We are also looking for mutt homes. I have TOO MANY dogs and they are driving me NUTSO. If you need a mutt, let me know. I can help.

It is time to start tomato and pepper seeds and also time to be planting some apple, pear, and cherry trees, methinks. We're gonna cash in ye olde change jar and see how many trees that'll get us.

On top of all that is lesson preparations for students, lessons, house cleaning, window washing, church stuff, and music playing. One of Adam's friends down at Flat Creek Market gave us a four track digital recorder with an MP3 encoder, so we have a new toy to play with.

All this being said... I have plenty to fill my time until I can bite into a juicy, homegrown, bright red and purple heirloom tomato. That thought alone will get me through the spring time craziness!!!

I love life, I really do. I'm happy to be alive and see all that God has created - to be a part of it. There is so much to experience and do in this one short lifetime that I feel full of God's love and am in wonderment of His beautiful creation. I feel rich with all He has given my husband and I.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Keep warm!!!

Love,

Malinda

ps. I tried to separate my sentence groupings, but good ole blogger keeps putting them back together again...

Back Scratching

In my family you are sometimes judged soley on your ability to scratch a back. Typically not your own, but someone else's. My sweet puppy can scratch her own back and I decided to post this video even though it is somewhat shaky (ok. REALLY shaky, but bear with me). She looks so happy when she's done.

Also, the Lovin' Husband does what he always does at the end of every video he sees me taking. Since editing my video is beyond me at this point you get to hear some commentary from Adam who doesn't know I'm taking video on my camera.

This is at the end of a vigorous roll in the yard. Enjoy -- if the shakiness doesn't make you nervous anyway.

Happy Sunday everyone!!

They are 3 Weeks Old Now

See the doggy nose in the bottom left hand corner? The dogs freaked out with all of the cheeping. It was more than they could handle calmly.

So tiny!! ...and here is their little nest. (It isn't so little anymore, but I'm behind, ok?)

There are 15 New Hampshire Reds, 15 Dominickers (not Barred Rocks, but actually Dominickers!), and 1 mystery chick. It came for free, so we're waiting to see what he turns out to be. I know he has feathered feet, so I'm excited about that, of course!! It is the brown fuzzy one down there by the feeder.

More soon, I promise!!

Love,

Malinda