Today

I have the flu and it's been pouring rain for two days. On the bright side, daffodils are starting to bloom. I saw three glorious, yellow blossoms yesterday. The end is in sight! Soon I will have plenty to blog about.

I had a fever the whole day on Thursday. It broke last night. Now I'm just coughing up my lungs and, if I'm not careful, my stomach contents.

Mouse hunter is sleeping next to me right now and keeps farting. They smell terrible. Silent but deadly.

I read Goat Song and The Dirty Life last week and loved them both. If you are a homesteader, love goats, cheese making or the pastoral life, you must read Goat Song. The Dirty Life is geared towards women readers. If you love farming and an intriguing love story, read it. I read it in two days.

Observations on Kittens

Since I brought the kittens home the couch has been covered in layers of blankets trying to spare it from kitten claws. Five blankets in total. One of these days we will get a nail clipper or something. Any suggestions?

Here are few observations on kittens.


A box is never just a box. Classy.


Relaxing in the recliner with Andrew is nice.


They enjoy kitten videos on youtube just as much as everyone else.


Nap time can occur at anytime. Yes, she is sleeping on my hand.


Andrew's smelly hockey bag is a perfectly acceptable place to snooze.

Reading is Good

Yes, reading is good. That's why I, in the last few years, became a reader. I just ordered the following books from Amazon.

The Essential Earthman by Henry Mitchell
Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi
The Gardeners Year by Karel Capek
Farmers of Forty Centuries by F. H. King
The New Farmers Market by Vance Corum
The Dirty Life: on farming, food and love by Kristin Kimball
Wisdom of the Last Farmer by David Mas Masumoto
The One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka
Goat Song by Brad Kessler
One Mans Garden by Henry Mitchell
Deeply Rooted by Lisa M. Hamilton
From the Ground Up by Amy Stewart

These should keep me busy! The one that I am most excited about is The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. I just love reading about other peoples experiences in the farming and gardening life.

There should be plenty of inspiration in the pages of all these.

Spring Sowing

This year, instead of my usual haul of perennials making the trip to MI with me, it will be vegetable seedlings. Why not take advantage of the greenhouse that I work at in the spring. This will be spring number three helping out there and the owner, Fred, has said that I can grow whatever I want so I might as well get the lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, brassicas, onions and flowers started.

I have a very large seed collection and it's time to get them all started. They won't last forever!

It's rainy today and will possibly become ice overnight. Oh joy.

Book Wish List for 2011

Over the past few years I have become quite the reader, considering I read a book about every two years before that. Now I read a book every few weeks, give or take. Mostly gardening and farming reference, I have only read one fiction, The Secret Life of Bees. Currently I'm reading Second Nature by Michael Pollan and Bringing it to the Table by Wendell Berry. I'm loving them both.

Here is a sampling from my extensive (maxed out) Amazon list.

And I Shall Have Some Piece There by Margaret Roach
A Way to Garden by Margaret Roach
The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
The Complete Guide to Small Scale Farming by Melissa Nelson
Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon
Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden by Eleanor Perenyi
The Garden Primer: Second Edition by Barbar Damrosch
Goat Song by Brad Kessler
Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler
Organic Manifesto by Maria Rodale
Deeply Rooted by Lisa M. Hamilton
The New Seed Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel
The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoko
Farmers of Forty Centuries by F.H. King
The Hoophouse Handbook by Lynne Byzinski
The New Farmer's Market by Vance Corum
Market Farming Success by Lynne Byzinski

What books are next for you?

Christmas Kittens!

Andrew and I love cats and have occasionally talked about getting one or two kittens. So I got the idea that surprising him with kittens on Christmas eve would be fun. I found some on craigslist on the 23rd and picked them up on the 24Th.

When I arrived at the place I was a bit shocked at how bad the living conditions were. The people had at least eight cats and a few dogs too. The house smelled awful and there was garbage everywhere. The cat litter boxes were overflowing so of course the cats had taken to just going where ever they wanted. I grabbed two female kittens and got outta there.

Andrew was not as excited as I had hoped. In fact, he was pretty much annoyed that I brought home kittens. We contacted AARF to find someone to adopt them but luckily, by that the night, after a few beers, he was smitten with the kittens.

We jokingly named our two little girls 'Mouse Hunter 5000' and 'Paul'. Ridiculous, I know. I hate to think that that will remain their names but at the same time it's a bit funny.

They are quite the pair. Play, sleep, eat, play is their daily routine with emphasis on playing. They enjoy string, crumpled paper, laptops, cords, chairs, books (when you're reading them), Christmas trees, ornaments, plastic bags and boxes to name a few items.

I'm thinking that we're going to enjoy having our little friends around.


Mouse Hunter 500


Paul

Backyard Birds

Watching out the window this morning I saw about a dozen Robins, four Cardinals, two Blue jays, one Eastern Bluebird, and several more small brown birds in the yard at the same time. I don't even feed the birds. Imagine the activity out there if I did.

I keep telling myself that I will start feeding them but always forget. Plus, my neighbors have six roaming cats so I would hate to set up a buffet for them. The birds seem to be quite happy to forage in our yard so I shall leave'em be.

The most surprising thing for me is how often I see the Eastern Bluebirds. We have several pairs that frequent the yard. Every spring there is a bluebird/nuthatch battle for the one nest box we have. The nuthatch's always win. We should put up another box just for the Bluebirds as it would be a joy to have them stay all spring.

We have a think coating of ice on everything right now. All schools are closed today so I am staying in, wooo hooooo!

Time for Cheer

We picked out a tree on Friday and had it decorated right away. Good thing it goes in the corner because the back side of it is pretty bad. You could never tell from this side. I think that's why it was only $25. Fine with me.



The Rural Hall Library held their Cookie Exchange/Ornament making party November 30. I had a great time once again. Warm spiced cider, cookies, Christmas music and wonderful people really make it feel like the holidays.

I made these two Christmas card stars. I plan to make more if I can find my old card stash. They are super easy. Make yourself a star template or find one on the web. Cut out three using old Christmas cards. Give them all a slight bend down the center from top to bottom. Glue them all together and don't forget to attach some string with glue on top. I glued glitter to all the edges too.



Isn't this little reindeer cute! He is made out of an Okra stem. I didn't make him but I'm going to try it soon. Have some Okra laying around?



Warm yourself up with a beer sampler from your local brewery. No, I didn't drink all that. Our friend Kevin did though. Maybe just have one.

200th Post!

I can't believe I have stuck with blogging. I've never been able to keep a written journal for more than a few days. I have a few journals that have about 10 entries spanning over 10 years. Isn't that ridiculous.

I've been purchasing vegetables nearly every Saturday from Harmony Ridge Farms. Local, fresh and organic! I volunteered to work in their greenhouse last spring and was planning on helping with the garlic planting a few weeks ago but came down with the flu.


Veggie order from two weeks ago.



I picked this order up on Saturday. The eggs are bright orange and delicious!!! The carrots are sweet and the broccoli is tender. This is the first time I have ever had Bok Choy too. It's really tasty.

There is nothing better than truly fresh and organic produce.

Glorious Color! A Walk in the Park

We have had a beautiful stretch of upper 60's and low 70's with lots of sunshine and fall color. Just when I think we aren't going to see the reds, oranges and yellows of fall, they magically appear. I spent a few hours wandering around the park taking pictures and gathering leaves. I couldn't believe how many squirrels were tromping through the leaves! There was a constant rustle on the ground and in the trees from their fall foraging.

I hope you enjoy the view!






Can you see the three squirrels on the large Oak below?