Heartbreaker

I wish I had some good news to report about the house or something but things just seem to be rolling downhill right now. I really don't like to post about down stuff but since I haven't posted in a while I thought I should put up something in case there are one or two out there that might be wondering what's going on.
I haven't been feeling too good this past week and have missed a couple of days at work. Just really tired and some other problems. My long time readers may remember that I occasionally have a little problem with my heart that I was born with. Just a minor arrhythmia but it bothers me sometimes. Feeling worse than usual though I went to my doctor Monday to see what he said. Oh, it's some other thing going on; not your heart, he assured me. But we'll run an EKG just to see. Afterward, I was supposed to go and have a chest X-ray but they suddenly told me I needed just to go have a seat in his office for a minute. In his words, the EKG results were consistent with a lateral myocardial infarction. It took me a few minutes to realize what he meant. I've had a mild heart attack. No, no, they said this wouldn't happen. I'm only 40. My heart beats strong, they said. It's just a minor arrhythmia. It skips sometimes, that's all. So, I'm barred from going back to work for now. I go have another test in the morning. One good thing is that the blood work came back fine. No damage to my heart. Well, anymore than what is normally wrong with it. This kinda sucks.
So, I don't really even know what to think about things. Just going to do this next test and see what they say after that. I swear I'll try to have a happier post next time. My garden is doing well, at least.

Hair Of The Dog

Meet Ernie. He's not my dog though. Ernie just showed up around here a few weeks ago and Allen took him in. He has always wanted a bloodhound and now he's got one. It seemed that someone had shut Ernie up and starved him. Whether that was entirely intentional, I'm not sure. He didn't have any sores or signs of abuse on him (other than being starved) so I wonder if his owner might have died suddenly and no one knew about Ernie or what. He is actually filled out some in this photo, due to intense feeding for about a week and a half and his claws have worn down to a normal length now since he gets out and runs around. He's very sweet but he is definitely a hound; always hungry.

So, sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I just have so much on my mind I don't know where to start sometimes. One good thing is that I think my work is actually going to hold out longer than previously thought. The Man From 12 Years continues to struggle at times with things. It's not just the issue of dealing with grief over his wife or even his brother also, as most people would think, usually after they tell him he just needs to "get over it" already. To say he has had a rough life, even from childhood, is like saying the Titanic was a big boat. His wife helped him overcome so much that to have her taken away has left him lost. Then , his brother was about the only one of his family that truly empathized with him and tried to help, and he dies 5 months later. The Man has basically starved himself for months and has now gotten physically worn down, making his recovering even harder due to the fact that his body and mind lack so many much needing nutrients to function correctly. One good thing is that he will do most anything I ask him, so I have him on a high protein drink with high potency vitamins and supplements to try to restore his functions. He will eat when he is with me but usually not much of anything if he is alone. He keeps trying though. He has an occasional bad spell where he gets really down for 2 or 3 days but I think that is normal at this point. I think if he could get his nutrition level built back up he could better deal with his grief. I have explained this to him and he seems to agree and tries hard to eat and take his supplements.
I guess most people would say that I should run screaming from such a situation but that I just can't see that. My sister says that anybody that comes to you and asks for help is just looking to use you. I don't think that is always true and he never approached me with that attitude anyway. If I turn away from him to save myself grief and he doesn't make it, then I have that to carry the rest of my life. If I try everything to help him and he still doesn't make it, I still have that hurt but know that, at least, I tried everything I could. I don't know. So many of the issues he has are so similar to things I have gone through in my own life that it really makes me wonder. I can completely empathize with him. Neither of us could ever be accused of being saints but we would both like to just have a simple life and love one another.
Sometimes it seems like I have always had to struggle so hard for anything I've ever gotten in life. College, work, this house and I wonder why, is it just my imagination? Lots of people say I'm a very strong person but it really doesn't seem so right now!
So, that's what is going on with me now. There is a lot more to it really but that is the main issue. I only hope and pray that things begin to really turn around for him soon. He has made progress in a lot of ways and tells me that I am a tremendous help to him but I wonder what else I can do. Collective good thoughts are appreciated; I think they make a difference. I'll try to post a little more. Maybe even something about the house.

New Dawn Coming

Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate. Either way, may we all grow a bumper crop of hope and charity this year. Peace to you and yours.


*Cowboy Junkies

Stormy Times

I don't know if you can really tell anything from this photo or not. The storm clouds are lower down in the sky and just starting to creep up over the trees. It's been on and off like this all day. Thunder and lightning acted as my alarm this morning. I had the day off as it is a company holiday. That has been nice. I haven't really done much. I intended to plant another grape vine and do a little work in the garden but the reoccurring storms have put that off.

The recent hard frost did not hurt any of the emerging flowers or garden plants but it did, it seems, kill most of my baby plums despite the efforts I took to prevent that. This is a native violet that grows very abundantly around here. It is hiding under another native wildflower. We call them black-eyed Susans. They are perhaps a type of coreopsis? I'm not sure.

This is bee balm or melissa as some call it. It is native also and this particular variety has really pretty dark pink flowers. I put my hand in there for size reference. This batch is just getting started; it will grow quite tall. It makes a nice tea.

My spring cabbage seems to be doing well. I need to spray (my organic!) bug control because I noticed one of the plants had been chewed on some. Hopefully these will do better than my fall attempt.

The onions are doing really well. I intend to follow karl's lead and dry much of these. That sounds like a very good way to store them for long term. They are a yellow variety.

Work has gotten so bad in the state that The Man From 12 Years is having to go to Louisiana to work. He must be there Monday morning. They don't give us a lot of notice. I hate to see him go and he is really upset about it but doesn't see much choice if he wants to keep working. I may only have this next week and then be out for work for a while myself. At least if I get laid off I can go visit him a little. It all just figures. He was finally starting to see a little break in the clouds that have been on him for so long and now he has to go away. I believe we can work it out but I worry about him and he worries that I will forget about him when he leaves.

Most people in the business are saying that they don't believe things will get better for us until about the end of 2010. I could see that happening. My company does have a couple of jobs here in the state but they are very slow to be starting. I hear it will be well into summer before they are far enough along to need carpenters. So, we'll see.

Snap!

Just when we thought winter was finally over. Hopefully, this little cold spell did not do any real damage but I have doubts about the state of my baby plums now. I covered the tree but they still seemed to have been bitten pretty hard. This is catnip and it usually recovers well from a little cold.

I had a doctor's appointment first thing this morning so I went in a little later. I actually got to see the sun come up at my place instead of some warehouse. I have a nice patch of strawberries and hope they fair well. They really had not even started blooming yet so I think they will be okay.

This is just some weeds but I liked the patterns that the frost made on their leaves.

I also hope I have time soon to write a longer post. Work is a big issue now, for me and others. Just when other things are starting to go well too, something happens to throw you a curve. I think it will all work out fine though.

Say Hey

I think Grendal has grown to enjoy posing for photos. She used to run when I got the camera out but now she hams it up for me. Maybe she's reading the blog while I'm at work and now realizes her world-wide fame.

Well, not much news to report from my parts. I have worked on the house some. Not nearly as much as I need to but sometimes there are just some other things more important. I did go by and price some cabinets the other week. Just the base cabinet for my pantry would be $2,000 if I order it. I knew it was going to be expensive but didn't think that much. So, looks like I may be building all or part of the cabinets myself. I will probably build the cabinet box and order the doors. They are generally affordable.

I'm not sure what my work situation is right now. We are getting very slow. I have just a couple of short projects to finish this week and then may have to take some time off for a while until we get more work. I hate to say that I would like to be laid off but could certainly use the time on the house. Of course, I can draw unemployment but that is miserably low here in Alabama so probably would not allow me to buy any materials for the house. But even that's Ok as I have some materials stored up and can scrounge quiet a lot.

It continues to rain heavily here every couple of days and all the trees and plants are sprouting like crazy. The dogwoods are starting to bloom. The onions I planted are growing well and the brussel sprouts have picked up production. I hope to be able to harvest much more food from my gardens this year.

I'll try to get back soon with some more posts. If the rain will hold off today I am going to try to run a little more exterior trim that The Man and I primed and readied yesterday.

Allusions

Do you see them?! Little, baby plums. Everywhere! Now, if I can just get them to grow and the bugs or cold not get them.

A Japanese print. To me.

A little group of seahorses.

I just don't recall ever seeing a cluster of trillium before.

A new oak leaf hydrangea.

Thank you all for your recent comments and well wishes. The morning after I asked for your thoughts, The Man From 12 Years did receive some information that he had been waiting months for. I think it will help give him some closure.

Help

I have one water faucet on the outside of my house and every day during the warm months these bumblebees are determined to make it their new home. I turn the faucet on and the water will spit and sputter for a moment and the faucet will disgorge these little guys into the bucket I have waiting. I can't believe they keep going back. Last year it would just be one bee but already this year there will be four at a time crammed up in there. So, I fish them out of the water and let them dry on a rock.

Grendal was trying to stalk me. I don't think she realizes how much bigger she is than my flowers. She has really been enjoying the warm weather lately.

*The Beatles

Bloomin' Idiot

I think that last post ended up making me sound depressed or something and that is far from reality. I must misrepresent myself a lot. I simply wonder about many things that happen in life and just tend to muse out loud. I am not upset or discouraged. Far from it. Things are going very well but there are challenges that come even with happiness.
This is an ornamental crab apple that I bought last year. It seems to finally be established and growing.

I finally planted the two grape vines that Allen bought. He got two pair for himself but I don't think he has planted his yet. I have one purple and one white but the white one has not begun to leaf out yet (neither has Allen's). Is this normal or are they dead? Anybody know?

The state of the economy is finally starting to affect our area, as far as my industry goes. Many companies have people laid off. I may have this week and the next and then I believe, I may be out of work. We do have 2 new jobs coming up but that will be awhile before they get started good. Looks like The Man From 12 Years may end up in Tampa. His company just has no work in the state.

So, life continues on. Hope everyone out there is doing well.

Bloom

These little native flowers are blooming everywhere around here right now. No idea what they are; if you know I'd appreciate a comment. This is the first year that I have really noticed them.

The redbuds are blooming also. I just love these trees and am fortunate to have quiet a lot on my land. In this area, the edges of the highways will be a soft purple haze this time of year due to the number of redbuds lining the roads.

I was feeling some better but I think tonight I may be having something of a relapse. And for some reason, both my shoulders are absolutely killing me. We poured a little concrete today and had to shovel about all of it but dang, it hasn't been that long since I shoveled concrete. The Man From 12 Years is also extremely ill right now but is still having to work due to being shorthanded and being a boss and the only one that can operate a crane on his job. Such is the life of a construction worker. I feel bad that I cannot help him but don't know of anything I can do. Maybe this weekend we can both rest.

I have a lot on my mind right now and some things that I want to post about but just can't seem to figure things out. I don't have a positive outlook right now but it should pass soon and I'll get back to posting about more than flowers.

Just More Green

I know these are really boring posts lately but I still feel like crap. I don't get sick very often anymore but when I do it just goes all out. But, I'm feeling a little better and hope to get back to work tomorrow.  The photo above is of the flower bed lining the drive by the house. All the day lilies, mints and coreopsis are popping up. This bed is mostly native flowers and medicinal plants/herbs. So far, the deer don't mess with it much.

The creek is up a bit due to all the rains lately. I hate to complain about rain since we just got over a 2 year drought but I will enjoy the next few days as they are predicting just sunny, mild days. I did manage to plant a few things in the garden on Sunday after the rain showers. I put in some new cabbage plants and will see if they do better in spring than fall. I planted the leeks and a good bunch of yellow onions. And I finally planted a row of lettuce and spinach. I am late getting my tomatoes started. Maybe I can do that tomorrow.
Well, just not much to tell. Maybe I'll have some progress on the house soon.

From Where I Am

I've started this post over several times, not sure how to get going. I've been very busy with things but not a lot going on with the house. It has been raining here fairly often so that has put a damper on several exterior projects that I want to work on. So, I thought I'd just post about a few miscellaneous things. I finally finished my raised strawberry bed that I started back in the fall. It is about 3' by 16' and about 1' deep. These are mostly two year old plants with a few of their babies thrown in, so I hope to have a fair crop this summer. I believe these are ever-bearing strawberries. I used all topsoil from my valley and added an organic fertilizer formulated for strawberries that I purchased from Gardens Alive. I have details showing how I built the raised bed if anyone is interested. I may post that anyway! even if you're not interested. Ha! My brussel sprouts continue to produce a small crop. They are great! I'm not sure how long the plants will last but I'm just going to keep tending them until they seem to play out. I cooked some of the sprouts for the Man From 12 Years and he seemed to enjoy them or said he did anyway. He scarfed them all down. I showed him the blog this weekend and told him what I write about. I wanted him to know he had been mentioned and make sure it was OK. He seemed to enjoy it and said it was fine but is a little hesitant to have his photo put up. He is still as handsome as he was back years ago but has become self-conscious over his hair and beard. See, they have both gone completely white and he thinks it makes us look very far apart in our ages. Now, he is a little older than me (but still younger than Allen) and most people associate white hair with much older people. I don't care myself. He had completely gray hair way back in his 30's and I've never known him with dark hair. I think he is beautiful, even if his hair were purple. I said I wanted a photo of him on his motorcycle and he seemed to like that idea so when it warms up a little more to start riding I'll get some pics.

The garlic is way up. I need to plant a lot more as I use quiet a bit in cooking. I roasted a head, that I had stored, the other night to use in some mashed potatoes and they were so good. That adds such flavor to potatoes. This is an old, unknown variety that a friend gave me last year. Most of my herbs are starting to spring up with new growth also. The lavender cuttings are still doing well. I need to fertilize my fruit trees before it gets much further into spring.

I have a chest cold this weekend and feel fairly crappy today so I've just been kinda taking it easy. The sun has finally come out today and it is very nice. Grendal and Lika are napping together on the deck. They may start to get along better after all.
Hope you all are having a great weekend and things are warming up where you are. Except for those of you in Aussie, where I guess things may be cooling down a little for you! But maybe that's welcome after the heat that you all have endured.

*Enya

Only Yesterday

Ooooh, I have been such a bad blogger lately. No posts for days, late answering comments. Well, I'm trying to mend my ways and get back to a little more frequent posting rate. I have no idea what has been distracting me lately (hee hee).
So, I'm going to answer another one of the great questions posed by my wonderful readers. This one from Island Rider asked, how did you go from art school to construction work? And I'm sure you may also be asking yourself what these photos have to do with anything? Patience, weedhopper, I'll get to that. These are photos of the Barber Motorsports Museum just outside of Birmingham, AL. A really cool place, even if you don't care for motorcycles and race cars but, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Both of my long time readers will remember the story of how I went from art school to construction but I'll tell it again. After graduating from college I needed a job ASAP, as most do, and a fellow I met in college offered me a job working with him. He maintained and repaired many of the grandest pipe organs in quiet a few of the big Birmingham churches. It wasn't the best pay but a decent job with someone I knew while I tried to decide what to do about graduate school and all that. Well, one of the largest and best known churches in Birmingham caught fire and the pipe organ was heavily damaged, so we began an immediate restoration. A local construction company (whose owner belonged to the church) also began repairs on the sanctuary at the same time and Allen was the superintendent for the project. We all became friends with him and his carpenters and worked for several months together. During this process however, my boss suddenly developed an intense and all-consuming cocaine habit. Obviously, this did not make for good working conditions so I began searching for another job as we were actually close to finishing. Allen suggested that I apply to the company he worked for as a field clerk and, because he knew I could weld and use tools, he had them put me down as a laborer also.

So, I got the job and became the first field clerk/ laborer for my company. Allen requested I be sent to his job so he could help me get started and knowing at least a couple of the guys helped me feel more at ease in the beginning. The job was a large house (I showed a few photos from recently) and the owner was the same man that built this museum, Mr. George Barber. I did a lot of welding and miscellaneous labor work on the house and the guys all made a great effort to teach me all they could about anything from building to auto repair and running heavy equipment.  Now, this house was nothing like a regular house as it was completely structural concrete and steel, much like what this museum looks like, so I got a good education in commercial construction. There were a couple of cars there that I remember Mr. Barber frequently driving to the house too.

But, I'm off the subject again. So, after about a year I was transferred to another job because it was federally funded and the government likes to employ minorities on such projects. My company had learned that I could do the work in the field and offered me the position of apprentice carpenter. This almost doubled my pay, so I jumped at it.

I still remember my first day on that new job. I had forgotten some tools or something on the Barber house so I went by there first, before going to the new site. The sun was barely coming up over the hill and it was a soft, cool fall morning.  My intention was to work that federal job to completion and then either go back to school or something but I guess Fate (or something) intervened and I met my first (and only) husband on that job and he, uumm, insisted that I remain with the company and in the field with him. By the time I divorced, I had been set up to journeyman and had actually grown to like the work.

So, I just kept on working construction and grew to be halfway competent at it. The men that I have worked with are just the best in the world. They have always treated me so kindly and fair. They taught me much of what I know and were patient when I didn't understand something. But they were always ready to give me a slight kick in the pants when I needed it for having a crappy attitude or acting like I wanted to quit on something. There were many skeptical looks in the beginning but they gave me a chance anyway. And now I've been doing it so long even men from other companies that I don't know have heard of me and I often get the "Oh, you're Annie!" Then they smile and step out of my way.

All in all it's been a very interesting trip so far. I've done and built some stuff that most of society doesn't even know is possible. Hopefully, I have helped make it maybe just a little easier for any women that want to follow after me. I've raised a little hell along the way and made the acquaintance of several lovely men through the years. I've acquired a world of skills that have really come in handy for many areas of life. 

*Appropriately enough, The Carpenters

Lovely Day

Hey People! No, I have not abandoned or forgotten you all; I'm still here! Sorry for my lack of posting lately. I've just, well, always suspected that there was something more to life than work and I believe I'm just beginning to see what that is. I will try not to effuse about things too much but let's just say it has been a very lovely weekend. The weather has been absolutely wonderful and warm, things are blooming and sprouting. I spent the better part of yesterday cruising the open roads on the back of a motorcycle, just enjoying the countryside and not worrying about anything.

This look on Lika's face kinda says it all, lol! What you can't see is that I am scratching his side for him. He has been recovering from a little surgery (something the Man From 12 Years jokes Lika will never forgive me for) and from getting all his shots and such.

I have actually gotten some stuff done around the house. The pantry is ready to set cabinets in, if I can ever get them ordered. I completed the patch in the bathroom and repainted, hung the mirror etc. The weather is so great here today that I may work in the garden putting in some leeks and new cabbage and finishing a strawberry bed. Work on the stained glass window has not gone very far though and I have got to get that restarted.

So, hope that everyone is having a good weekend and I have not forgotten about the remaining questions that ya'll wanted me to post about. I'll try to get to the next one soon.

*Bill Withers

Here We Go Again

Thank you all for the comments and discussions on the last post. That was great and I really enjoyed hearing from everyone and especially to hear from Ron again. However, I feel kinda sheepish because I think I misspoke a little in the post. I've just had a tremendous amount on my mind lately about totally non-blog related stuff (that's what I meant by the mulling and thinking) and the thoughts about the comments and Sitemeter just got worked in there somehow. I've been curious about the diminished comments lately but it doesn't really bother me because I see I still have my ever expanding group of regulars. And yes, I will continue to write about whatever I feel is appropriate but, like Ron said, I do like to hear from others because I get bored with me too! I like to hear others viewpoints. But still, I like what I write about and I don't have a problem with people from work or family knowing (although very few of those read this blog) about my personal life. And trust me, there is plenty I don't talk about but don't mind showing my feelings. I'm proud I've got them and am often perplexed by people I meet that don't seem to have feelings for others.
I mentioned that I have been aggravated by some stuff but it has not been anything to do with this blog or any comments left lately or anything. In catching up with the Man From 12 Years he has been telling me of his adventures in trying to find me and how that a couple of people we both know kinda tried to discourage him from finding me. They questioned his motives and even questioned whether or not he was waiting long enough after his wife died to speak to me! I just don't think that's really any of their business. I mean, it's been almost 8 months and he just wanted to find me, not get remarried next week. Plus, one of them even questioned whether or not he really wanted to find me, like there was something wrong with me. Geez! Now, I understand that the few guys that have my number are reluctant to give it out unless they know the person asking well, because my guys look out for me, but I don't know, that whole thing just kinda irritated me for some reason. The sweet part of the story is that they were all discouraging The Man, his own boss and his wife have been trying to fix him up with women from their church and he was just like, please ya'll, I just want to find Annie! And so he did.
Plus, a couple of people from work have been a little cool towards me lately in regards to Allen and that irritates me because they won't ask what the deal was even though I consider them good enough friends to do so. I mean, don't get an attitude with me if you're not going to ask for my side. I have never written about the demise of Allen and I because I felt it would always come off like I was running him down and I will not do that because he doesn't deserve that. We just didn't agree on some important issues.
But anyway, I guess I have just been overwhelmed lately by recent events. There has been so much to take in, in such a short time. I didn't write much about when The Man From 12 Years came here for the first time last week. I guess I've just been processing it still. We talked on the phone several times and it was just like old times. But to see him step through that door from the darkness, into the soft light of the house, is still a memory that gives me pause. We just kinda stared at each other for a second or two. I'll never forget the look on his face. Then suddenly, he was in my arms and for just a moment, it was as if I were supporting his whole weight, but easily so.
You just never know what life is going to send your way.

Walking After Midnight

Sorry I have been delayed on posting anything lately but there has been a lot of walking and thinking and mulling over just lately. Things have gone fine with The Man From 12 Years but more on that in just a minute.
I have been somewhat reluctant about blogging this week. I'm not sure why. I don't know if I'm aggravated or pissed with things or what. I've noticed in the past couple of months that my hits have gone up substantially but my comments have gone down and that I have lost a couple of long time readers (that I thought were pretty good friends) for some reason. Now, I'm not really whining about the comments, if you've don't comment much or at all, that's fine. I suspect that posts about some personal things has put some people off, and I know that is a tricky subject because you can't always explain everything fully, so I have tried posting about a variety of topics (even ones of your choosing) but there is still a lack of feedback. And maybe I'm just being boring on everything, I don't know. My thoughts are not really coming well to me right now; I've got a lot of other stuff on my mind but when I can organize some and get a coherent line of thought going I will explain things better.
As I said earlier, things have gone fine with The Man From 12 Years. It has been wonderful to see him again after so long. We have talked and talked about so much (one reason for lack of time lately) and this is what I meant when I said that I had been 'busy' in the comments from the last post. That's another thing, I think some people may have gotten the wrong idea about some things from my comments. But that's my fault for not wording it better. Anyway, I don't know if there would ever be anything more between us, even though we have had a great time just buddying around. He is still having a very difficult time and somehow got it in his head that if he could find me it would help him. So, I have been trying and that is a very tricky undertaking also, but there is no way I can turn away from such a heart as his. I thought so much of him when we worked together because he helped me out so often back then and have thought of him many, many times over the years.
So, that's that and I will get back to posting and replying to comments and emails soon. Please forgive me for taking so long on those things.


*Patsy Cline

Anticipation

Just a short update for any of ya'll that might possibly be interested in this. The Man From 12 Years and I were not able to go out to dinner this past weekend because he did have to go to Memphis. However, we have talked several times since then and he asked if it would be okay if he came to visit tomorrow after work, for a short while. He seems very anxious to see me and I have to admit, after 12 years, I am just dying to see him again. We agreed that if everything went well and I do not think that he has become 'an old goat', as he puts it, we would actually go out this coming weekend.
He has revealed quite a lot in the last couple of conversations and well, this is looking very, very interesting. It still is just astounding to me that this man has gone to the lengths he did to find me. Turns out it was not that he just happened to run into my former boss etc. and all that. So, we shall see what happens tomorrow.


*Carly Simon/ 'course, ya'll knew that

Homegrown

I'm skipping over a couple of other questions, just for now, because I had these photos and I need to get some others together for the art posts I want to do. So, Molly asked, what crops do I put in year around and Tammy inquired how the root juice experiment was going, so this is to answer both of those.
Our growing season is pretty long, generally April thru late October, but during the coldest part of our winter I don't actually have a lot growing. I don't have any cold frames or a greenhouse yet (I know, shame on me!) so I am at the mercy of the weather for most things. I think I planted the cabbage a little late this past fall and it has not done really well. I managed to get 2 heads and 3 harvests of Brussel sprouts from the plants but they seem pretty bitten at this point. So, when I passed by the local hardware store and saw they had their first shipment of plants in last Thursday I had to stop. I bought another batch of cabbage starts and am going to see if spring does any better for that crop here. I should be able to go ahead and plant these now. The variety is supposedly very cold hardy. I also bought some leeks, which I have never tried before and so am anxious to see how that does.
Our last average frost date is somewhere around April 15 so, I will be setting out my potatoes (gonna try Caribe) around the first of April and onion bulbs the first of March. I would also like to try hulless oats as a cover crop. These are planted in the early spring or late fall and can be harvested and processed to eat and the stalks incorporated into the soil for enrichment.
After our frost date you can go for it, as far as growing just about anything. It warms up so fast, spring lasts about 2 weeks it seems, that I just direct sow most things. Peas, corn, okra, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe and squash. Except for tomatoes, which I try to get started early. Of course, I usually get two lettuce and spinach crops a year, one in spring and another in the fall. I have also built a raised bed for my strawberry plants which I will transplant as soon as it gets a little warmer.
I don't feel that I have a lot to offer in the gardening information because I just haven't had much time to devote to that these few years that I have been in this location. But it's getting better and each year I add a little to the garden. And learn to extend my season just a little more. Previous to living here, I had virtually no experience growing anything during the fall or winter months.
Oh, in the photo above you see the lavender plants I started and the cabbage and leeks. Allen bought two grape plants for each of us. We'll see who's does better! He got us each a white seedless and a purple seedless. I know very little about growing either but am going to try hard to get these to live. Right now I'm trying to find a suitable location for them. I am also going to order two apple trees this spring (already have one established) so to add to that variety. I love apples; baked, raw, dried, you name it.

OK, so the lavender cuttings seem to be doing well. I let them soak in the willow water for about 5-6 days and then planted them in a small pot with regular potting soil. They stay outside unless it is going to get below freezing at night and then I will bring them in and put them out again in the morning. So far, so good. They seem healthy and vibrant. I gave them just a little fertilizer in their water today. I'm tempted to kinda dig one up to see if there are any noticeable roots forming but have contained myself so far from doing that. I'm very excited that this seems to be working because I'm gonna have scads of lavender plants if these transplant well!

So, next post I will try to make on some of my art and related questions. Thanks for all your questions.

How Long Has This Been Going On

This is a little side track to another subject I thought I'd write a little about. I'll get back to the questions posts next, I promise. Just so happens that Allen has been going through some of his old pictures lately and found some of me he thought I would get a kick out of, so he scanned them and sent them to me. This was the first construction job I worked on 15 years ago. It was a monstrous, one bedroom house for a very eccentric, rich man in Birmingham. Allen was the superintendent. Anyway, it was a very interesting job and I met a lot of great guys that really helped and encouraged me back then. Several of them have, unfortunately, passed away now but they taught me a lot. Looking at this photo I am aghast at the blatant OSHA violations in this one scene. We would be slapped very hard for such now days.

This track hoe is one of the most fun machines you can operate.

Workin' On It

This post is the first of several to answer all the great questions ya'll posed last week. I promise to get to them all but ya'll bear with me. So, the question was:
what do you have for a food pantry? Do you have cold storage, root cellar?? Are you a prepper?This photo shows what will soon be my pantry. Due to the fact that I'm still building on the house, I do not, at the moment, have all these items mentioned but do plan on all those things. So, I'll just have to show what I have and discuss my plans. My pantry is an 8'x8' room right off the kitchen. There will be a cased opening leading into it (no door) and it has one small window. I am trying to finish the side to the left so that I can at least set the base cabinets on that side and pour the concrete counter top. Above the base cabinet I plan on having open, wood shelving that extends up to the ceiling. The shelving will probably be five-quarter pine or cypress, 12" deep, with a natural wax finish. Both base cabinet and shelves will be wall to wall. That side will be used for storage of food and other items that I do not want to receive direct sunlight. On the other side of the room I plan on having a chest freezer and it also has a small broom closet behind the electrical panel. The kitchen and pantry will both receive cork flooring.

At the moment I do not have cold storage or a root cellar but would like that. I plan on installing a sand-set brick floor in my pump house (which is partially earth sheltered) and with the addition of shelving, can use it for some cold storage. The pump house stays about 35-45 degrees F. in the winter and I think it would be okay for storing canned food.

As far as the root cellar, that's a little trickier. On the front of the house, which is the north side, I plan on pouring 4' high concrete walls to form planter boxes. This will cover the concrete block that shows now also and help the house appear to 'sit' lower to the ground. Of course, once finished, the planter boxes could possibly be used to grow some food or herbs and medicinal plants without fear that the deer would chow on them. I would like to form a vault of sorts within those planters that would serve as a root cellar. The roof of the vault would also be concrete and it would be covered by the earth and plantings above. Also, since they are on the north side, it always stays cool there. A small, insulated access door would allow you to get to the food from either the outside or inside of the basement. I hope my description is clear and I explained all that well enough. This is one frustrating part of the house because I know what I want to build but it is just taking so long. I'm plugging along though and getting some stuff done. I'm hoping warmer weather will give me a boost of energy too!

As far a s being a prepper, not in the way most people define that I guess. Due to just the lifestyle I like to lead (rural living) and what I do for a living, I do have or employ many of the tools and supplies that preppers do but that's just circumstance more than a conscientious effort for prepping or belief that a great disaster is imminent. Now, don't get me wrong, everyone should keep a decent tool supply, certain supplies for emergencies etc. and I certainly believe that a disaster, whether natural or man made, is possible these days. I am short of the food supply just due to the fact I have not finished constructing my storage areas. I do have some dry goods stored and a good selection of heirloom seeds for growing more food. I have several fruit trees planted already and am adding to that selection and hope to acquire chickens this year. So, I hope that answers that question somewhat.

Oh, btw, this is the enlarged 'cartoon' of the finished design for my bathroom window. I have actually started the window! but haven't gotten real far. I have discovered I need to order glass pretty soon also. I'll try to show what I have of the window soon.