Well .... it's ALMOST the 13th :^)! I have such a busy day tomorrow I thought I would go ahead and get this posted tonight (it's real close to midnight, so I'm not too far off!)

Have to get up at 4:30am and take my little brother to the city for a 6:30 appt. about a job he wants. Then when I get back, we get ready to go set up at the local Farmer's Market in town. It's way early yet, but we take eggs, honey, extra chicks and whatever else we feel might interest the town folks and stay about half the day. I think it's May 11th that we'll start going to the farmer's market in Olathe, KS on Saturdays ... higher traffic area of city folks who would be more likely to buy our stuff than the locals here (lots of chickens in the back yards around here -grin-).

After we wrap up the farmer's market, we'll come home and get ready to go to the drive-in movie with our two girls and my mom (if she wants to go stay out that late). It's going to be a long day, but it will be fun, too!

On that note, I will say good night to you all and hope you have a fantastic weekend! It's supposed to be beautiful and sunny here - I'm smiling already :8)!

-- Phil in KS (cshomestead@planetkc.com), April 12, 2002

Answers

Sounds like a busy day Phil. I started therapy on my legs on the first of the month and won't be able to do much for a few more weeks. Not being able to do anything in this beautiful spring weather is driving me nuts. I'm getting way behind on everything. Oh well, no point in grumbling about it. I'll get caught up when I can get outside to do stuff again. Have a great weekend. What movie are you going to see? Let us know how it was.

-- Murray in ME (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), April 12, 2002.

What started as a fantastic weekend yesterday seems to have come down a couple notches. I went fishing with my husband but it was very windy on the lake and we drifted like crazy so we called it a day after about and hour or so and paddled for shore. Then in the late afternoon I went to get my polish chicks and ended up with a golden laced wyandotte hen and a lovely silky/cochin cross rooster as well. Got them home and the guineas went nuts about the rooster and chased him away before I could get him settled somewhere for the night before introducing him to the flock after dark. I tried to catch him and after the final attempt he flew (FLEW!!) across the road. I could hear him this morning, crowing mournfully from the woods, until I called out from the front porch "Come Home!!!". Maybe I'll go out with a flashlight tonight and try to find him. The goat kid has found that she can squeeze out under the fence in places. She was grazing the back yard last evening and as I came toward her she scampered back under the fence to the sheep flock. Kinda funny but I wouldn't want her to get sick from nibbling any ornamentals in the front yard. The calf is fine but bottle feeding is wearing thin. I won't be doing this again anytime soon. Worse than making formula when my boys were babies (last bottle was just last year so I haven't had years and years to get over the tedium to washing bottles etc). It was glorious and sunny the last to day but today has dawned dark and cloudy..rain again? Probably. Hope you all have a great weekend.

-- Alison in NS (aproteau@istar.ca), April 13, 2002.

Hey there Phil, you're early this week!!! :) Saw the chat thread earlier and was going to post, but my brother stopped by and I had to get off the computer. I figured since I can't sleep (it's after 2:00 am) and the house is quiet, I can leisurely sit down and type for a change. :)

I've slowed my pace working around the garden a little this week. Seems like there has been alot of outside stuff I've had to do, but for the life of me, can't recall anything of importance. Must have been just piddly things that take up time.

Dave was off work on Thursday, so we had planned to get the dirt for 2 more beds and the compost for the garden. I went up to my moms and mowed her grass, got back at 10:30, so Dave and I got a late start. We managed to get the dirt in 2 trips, but I'll have to wait until Wednesday to get the compost. Bummer.

I did get my blueberry plants this week. Lowe's still didn't have theirs' in, so I let my fingers do the walking and found a nursery in the yellow pages. The nursery is located on the county line and the gentleman told me that they usually sell commercially, but he would sell me a few plants. I took the pickup and drove on out there and thought I had died and gone to heaven!!! I've never seen so many plants in one place. And to think, I didn't even know it was there. They had hundreds of blueberry bushes to pick from and the guy was real patient while I picked mine out, bless his heart. I'm keeping them watered in their pots until I get the compost on Wednesday. Hope they do ok!

We have had warm temps here and the night time temps have also warmed up quite a bit. It's suppose to get into the 80's all this week. I've started hardening off my indoor babies and they're doing fine. They seem to like it out in the "real world"! (mmmmmm, ya think I need to get out more often? :))! I'm planning on this Friday, for putting them in the ground, planting beans and all other seeds. Can't hardly wait, yeah!!!

Dave wanted some fennel planted, (I don't even like it!), so I made a bed just for it. Read where you shouldn't grow it around any other veggies. Thanks Phil for the companion and antagonistic plant link you posted awhile back. Really, Dave should thank you, because if his stupid fennel would have messed up my other plants,........:) He's also wanting to find some fig trees to plant!!!! This man can't pick something I know at least a teeny bit about! Does anyone know anything about fig trees? The closest I've come to figs, is fig newtons! Guess I'll crack out the gardening books and see what I can find.

Still not real sleepy, so I think I'll check out Melissa's board and see if Mitch has been up and posted a stumper, and then try and get myself to bed and sleep for awhile.

You all have a great week and here's hoping the sun's shining in your little corner!

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), April 14, 2002.

I cannot believe how out of shape I have gotten this winter! I moved some lettuce seedlings out of the greenhouse yesterday, and it totally exhausted me! On the good side, the soaker hoses I ordered for my Christmas present to myself are doing a pretty good job. Lettuce gets bitter early out here: perhaps the soaker hoses will help. I will be starting the warm-weather plants in the greenhouse now that some of the cool-weather plants are out.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), April 14, 2002.

Finally kidding is over and I am having a moment to sit down and get caught up at the computer. My best milker had quads on Sat. and I now have eleven kids on bottles until Sat. when the 7 buck kids will go to the 4-H auction.

We are having unseasonably warm weather here that can get worrisome in Michigan because of tornado danger. It is suppose to reach the mid 80's tomorrow.

I am planting peas, onions and FAVAs (thanks to Annie) today, and maybe some slaw type plants if I get that far. Hope everyone has a great week.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

We tried jacking the rooster Saturday night with my friends million candle flashlight. It was a very dark night that just seemed to absorbe any light. So there we are in the woods lurching about in the semi dark with this light and them my friend says "Does the light seem to be dimming??". "Ack! lets get outta here before the light dies!!" says I, envisioning getting impaled on dead tree branches in the pitch dark. Well we made it out, just. It was pretty funny. Then yesterday morning I could see and hear that rooster in the woods so we went out and basically chased him home. there were 2 hens out that hadn't gone in the night before so he chummed with them and I left everyone else feathery in for the day. we shall see how today goes for him. Been doing wash and have the dishwasher running too trying to catch up on the mess of this house. Husband is away now until Thursday so its juat me and the boys and they are driving me nuts already. Oh well, i'll just turn a deaf ear to the ruckus. My jaws are aching from gritting my teeth though. serves me right really for staying up to watch the Juno Awards on Tv last night. Great show BTW. Have a good one!

-- Alison in NS (aproteau@istar.ca), April 15, 2002.

Well, we finally got the taxes done last night. lol. My Partridge Rock broody hatched nine chicks over the weekend. Sent two doelings off to a new home:) And got some of the garden planted:)

-- mary (mlg@mlg.com), April 15, 2002.

What beautiful weather we are having here in NW Ohio. Not a day to stay indoors for sure! I am planting onions and peas today and tilling a spot to move some perienial flowers into.

We had 11" of snow the week before Easter and now it looks as though we will need to mow the front yard area by the end of the week! I thought Spring would never arrive!

This is the first year we have started some of our seeds indoors and they are doing very well.

-- (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), April 15, 2002.

Hi Everyone!! I've been MIA due to a keyboard crash, but Hubs hooked me up a new one last night - now I can "talk" again!

The weather here has been outstanding! We set a local record Wednesday - the temperature was 87*; it also got in to the 80's Tuesday and Thursday as well. The thermometer is sitting on 68* now, at 0800. It's been sunny and breezy as well - I have a sunburned nose and forearms thanks to working out in the yard and garden. Ahhh, Spring!

We didn't get to take our trip to Missouri, as our daughter ended up in the ER with a kidney stone/kidney infection. She's doing much better now - wish I had the resiliancy of the young! I did go to a local nursery and blow some bucks on perennials, and some annuals and herbs as well on Monday. And Tuesday. Except Tuesday was perennials and grapes! Then stopped at Wal-Mart for groceries yesterday morning on the way home from work, and somehow ended up in the garden center...salvia, mexican heather and iris! Now you know how I got my sunburn! I planted the perennials on Monday and Tuesday; then Hubs and I went out after supper last night and planted the 4 grapes that I had picked up - they're for his wine making project; gotta begin at the beginning, I guess!

The gentleman from the tree service dropped me off two dump truck loads of wood chips while I was sleeping Thursday, so now Hubs has a couple of mountains to move - He offered to do it, and I sure didn't hesitate to accept; 'course that was BEFORE he saw the size of the loads!! Pop was busy as well on Wednesday and Thursday while I snoozed; between stints of lawn mowing, he used the Super M to scoop manure, dirt and compost into my planting beds for me - really saved me a sore back! He also hooked the tiller up to the little Bolen's tractor and tilled all around my gardens as well.

I have to go into work at 2300 tonight for an extra shift on the med/surg unit; then have to work my usual 12 1/2 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday nights. We have been swamped at the hospital; have been on emergency admit only status for most of the past two weeks. Having a full house puts a heavy load on the nursing staff; especially when we (I) would rather be home in our gardens! I only agree to work overtime on the 23-07 shift, so that I at least have a few hours to spend gardening!

Since I have to work the next three nights, I've got lots of plans for today! While Pop goes in to the Red Barn for his daily dose of coffee and BS, I'm going to measure and dig 100 holes for strawberry plants in the four big triangular beds that surround my grape arbor. I'll use a bulb planting tool to dig the holes; then when Pop gets home we'll go out in the berry patch and I'll use the bulb planter again to dig berry plants out of the middle of the rows, while he totes them. After we get them all dug up, he'll put the water in the holes and lay out the plants and I'll follow behind him to plant them. We work well together! 'Course, we'll probably be arguing the whole time...either over just where exactly we're going to plant those walking onions, or whether the sunflowers or the sweet corn was planted next to the road last year (sweet corn - I don't care what he tells you, it was sweet corn next to the road last year!)

Anyway, if he isn't home yet by the time I get all the holes dug; I'll shovel up and sift a barrow load of compost, and use it to cover over some of my pre-planted seed squares as I put them down in the garden. After that, we need to make a trip to town to the farm supply store to pick up a few things. Then, home - only to turn around and make another trip BACK to town with Sis; she needs some new shorts and a pair of capri pants for summer! Gas companies sure aren't going to go broke with my family around! Just doing my part to help the economy ;o)

Well, I guess I'd better get outside and get to it, or I won't even have the holes dug by the time Pop gets home! You folks try not to work so hard that you don't have time to sniff the flowers!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), April 19, 2002.