Spring is Coming Fast

This happens every year.  Spring is suddenly pouncing.  Sure, we still have cold nights and a few cold, windy days ahead but today is lovely.  34 degrees overnight.  Should be well into the fifties. Only a bit of a breeze.  Nice.

The greenhouse was only 40 degrees this morning.  Still too cold to do much but...I think I can plant lettuce in a couple of more days.  We had a couple of really cloudy days in a row and the door wide open while I was working on the interior.  Now that it is sunny, we should get some heating in there.

I am bringing some more dark racks into the space to help soak up the heat in the day time.  I have a barrel of water to fill.  That should help with the overnight temps.  We shall see.

I worked really hard to get the new ventilation door done.  Hubby did the real work on that but I insulated it and worked on getting the planter boxes set up and the shelving in and the rocks in.  A few more loads of rocks over the next couple of days.  I have to spread that out since it is very hard on my arms and shoulders.


We went to Fallon and we bought our round pen!!!!!   I am so very excited.  Wiseguy and I are going to enjoy our new adventure.  We can't use the cart in there because the sand is too soft but we can do lunging and trying the harness and different things.  Maybe even teach him a couple of tricks.

The panels are supposed to be delivered on Wednesday.  By sheer luck, Hubby will be off that day so he can help unload.  That saves my puny little arms a lot of strain.  Yay!

I am transplanting chrysanthemums and getting rid of some of those golden rods.  The golden rods are trying to take over the world.  Not too happy about that.

That should be enough for one or even two days:)

The farrier was here yesterday.  He has a new lady working for him.  He is a very good farrier so I trust him on his judgement for hiring in a new person.  I met the gal, raven, and she is very nice.  She likes doing miniature horse feet so that is good.

Goats

I did it.  I got the goat pen cleaned out, the straw in the goat hut cleaned out, the water trough scrubbed and filled with fresh clear beautiful clean water and new straw in the goat hut.  I am so proud of myself.  I am dog tired but it had to get done.  Those animals are counting on me.

I got a call for a new cleaning job.  I have to be there tomorrow at nine since their cleaning lady they hired didn't show up today.  Then, they will want every other week.  Let's see if they balk at my price.  I am not driving 45 minutes each way, bringing my own supplies and cleaning a 2 bath, 4 bedroom house with four people living in it for less than the usual $75 every other week.

Rested up and then got four plants into the ground.  Two rosemary.  Several people have told me they will make it through the winter here.  I put them up front in the warm part of the garden.  One Pineapple sage - I don't have a clue if it will live here but I put it in.  I love the flowers on sage plants.  This one has brilliant red flowers in a delicately shaped oblique tube with a fringe on the outside edge.  One German thyme - I know that one will grow here since I already have some.  Put it in on the south patio where it will fit in nicely with all the other heat loving plants.

Of course, I fed the goats and the dogs.  Loaded up for tomorrow's cleaning job.  Now, it is time to make sure I keep resting up.  I must do a good job tomorrow.

New Plants

Did I mention I went to the state nursery a few days ago?  Well, I bought the Jeffries pine and Austrian pine replacemnts.  I got those in this morning.

I bought these gorgeous Winter berry plants.  The tree at the nursery was a green ball about 20 feet in diameter with branches almost all the way to the ground.  Like a giant shrub.  They get beautiful foliage in the fall and they get really cool looking berries that hang on the tree all winter.  Had to have them.  Also, they were in five gallon pots and cost $8 apiece.  Quite the spluge.  I got five of them.

So, I am wandering around the Westside Windbreak deciding where to put them when I decide that one of the Staghorn Sumacs is really in the wrong spot now that I have finished the long shed/shade cover/greenhouse area.  I have an imaginary driveway to the back couple of acres and I want that to be wide enough to pull a truck and trailer in there.  We don't have horses but someone in the future might.  I have always thought a small sturdy cart pony would be nice.  I probably won't ever get one but I wanted to leave the option for some corrals and animals in the back area open for us or for future owners of the property.

So, I decided I had to dig that sumac up even though it is a good four feet tall now and has a couple of babies as well.  It wasn't too  bad of a job and I think I will move them down the line a ways.  That way I can keep some of my fancier trees up closer  to the house.  Now I have even more trees to plant so I better get crackin'.

Lots to do and less time to do it:)

I am plugging away this morning.  Had a bad stomach last night  and I am pretty sure I don't feel so good today but I have decided that I need to get things done because it is cloudy.  That means that it isn't horribly hot.

I pulled weeds in the front area, then I cut down another antelope salt bush and I pulled a bunch of bean plants for the goats.

I am washing up the laundry and hanging it out on the line.

I moved a couple of wheel barrows full of compost.  I moved one of the sand cherries away from the long shed and put it in an empty hole in the Northside Windbreak.  I cut a 92" x 24" piece of string board and got the first panel up on the front side of the long shed.

Hubby and I picked grapes.  Unfortunately four vines have reverted to concord rootstocks and only 2 vines have "real" grapes.  One of them is a Canadice and those grapes are delicious!

I picked zukes and patty pans.  I need to get a hold of C. and see if she wants to trade eggs for veggies.

It is time for a coffee break and then I need to make sure I have Hubby's work lunch and pre-work dinner organized.  He leaves here at 1:30.  Looks like he is going on day shift after the hunting trip in October.

Anyway, I still have lots to do and now I have less time to do it:)

Had to move some sand to do my project.  Shoveling sucks.  I got the last piece of stringboard cut and placed on the front section of the long shed.  I will need to buy two more pieces to finish this project up.   Oh well,  what's another $20 at this point?

 I was looking at the price of sheds at Home Depot and they want one thousand dollars for a much smaller shed  than mine and , of course, I also have a 15' x 15' covered shade area.  I must be getting close to $700-$800 spent  but I have a 6' by 20' shed with multiple shelves  and a shade cover for my money.  Should last me for years, too.

Got the clothes off the line and picked up the extra pieces fromt he project.  Got everything buttoned up and now it is break time!!!

We had a fantastic salad for lunch with cukes, carrots and tomatoes from the garden along with store bought lettuce, avocado and some bell peppers a friend grew... Some turkey and Havartic cheese and what a meal.

The sun is going down.  Good, because I am tired:)  I moved another sand cherry from in front of the long shed to the Northside Windbreak.   I already had a couple of drippers from trying to transplant slatbush.  They died but it is working out since I have the three sand cherries to put over there.

I started cleaning out the goat pen.  It really needs  a good raking up as I have been remiss all summer.  I got the branches out of there that the goats have stripped the leaves off of.  Then I raked up hay and goat O's.  That would be about 5 wheelbarrow loads of goat litter.  I put some termite killer around the posts on the goat hut since we have wetland termites and I will be cementing around the goat hut soon.

I cut down some more antelope salt bush in the new driveway between the garden and the long shed.

I watered the compost piles in the new garden area and now I am watering the Front Zone.  Looks like I should be watering the Eastside Windbreak overnight.

I have to freeze up some fruit.  We picked several melons and they aren't very ripe but they should be good in smoothies this winter.