Weekend Wrap-up

Another busy weekend has flown past, but in a good way. Full of things I am proud of. Mom is feeling better and may return home tomorrow! Lizzy had a nice 7th birthday party with her friends (I got lost picking a girl up, and nearly ran out of gasoline but made it on time -mostly!). Both girls showed at a local 4H show-Lizzy in a lead line class and Erin in a walk-trot class. They both did their best and had fun. It still floors me to see them up on this 18 hand horse with such confidence.
My novice garden is going well! We hilled potatoes-they are starting blossoms. I finished the pea trellis (sticks and strings leading to the perimeter fence) I am seeing that it may have been a bad idea to plant so close to the edge-I am in mortal combat with quack grass in these areas. But the edges seem to be protected from something which is making my turnip greens look like fine green lace. The turnips planted in front of the peas-along the weedy perimeter fence look great-the plants in middle beds are full of holes. Hmmm, habitat or beneficial bugs? My pepper plants also look like they want to die, they have turned a yellow green color and the lower leaves have a grayish tracing in the leaf away from the 'veins', the new leaves do not have the grey so I believe that is just the old leaves getting burned from all the sun. I fertilized them lightly and watered heavily, hoping that will get them back to a normal-not death bed-color green. I also removed the milk jug cloches from half the group. They were only transplanted 1 week ago.
The carrots did not germinate well-i think they were too dry, so the bed I take spinach out of will get more carrots. I am in love with the garden! I just wish I lived where I gardened-or gardened where I lived :)
I have been thinking about this having a foot in two different lifestyles and it kinda sucks. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to play with this homesteading lifestyle (thanks for sharing your farm Dad), but being between is not much fun. I am anxious to see if our house will sell. I am anxious to start work on our own place instead of 'playing' on someone else's place -even though it is shared with such abandon!

Erin and Beljit

Erin has been taking saddle seat lessons off and on for 12 months. This weekend was her first show. It is so great to see this shy quiet kid get all excited about performing in front of an audience!
Beljit is a Fresian, he is huge but such a gentle giant! The only sudden moves he makes are toward the feed bucket! He is the lesson horse owned by the trainer. Erin is completely in love with him (and so am I!)

The cedar stumps in front of our house have officially kicked our butts! I voted to just buy more wood chips and pile them above the stumps-but Tom will rent a stump grinder this week. Sigh, i'm the 'duct tape and binder twine' girl while Tom does things the right way or not at all! I have started cleaning out our closets and getting rid of unwanted stuff. Lots of Goodwill donations over the next few weeks!!!

kris