All Dressed and Ready for Farm Chores

So, what does a farmgirl wear to do her daily chores? Well, the best dressed farmgirls have 2 essential items on with any outfit.... an apron with lots of pockets and a straw hat for keeping the sun off the face. I've completed my farmgirl accessories for this summer: two aprons, both made from the same vintage flour sack material...each with lots of deep pockets for carrying eggs or the day's harvest. Note that one was made with a pretty fancy front pocket(made from an old doily).....that's my "all gussied up" apron. The other is a chore apron that will come in handy for working in the garden, the henhouse, or the wood shop. These aprons are my own creation...no pattern used, just a little imagination. Of course, no outfit is complete without a matching hat!

Princess Mater Meets Mother Earth

Well, farmgirls, I overheard a discussion this morning between Mother Earth (see my Mother Earth Musings blog) and Princess Mater, who just happened to stop by for a chat. They were discussing ways to live a more "green" life. One unnecessary piece of trash that we always seem to be accumulating is plastic grocery bags. Well, the girls got their heads together and came up with a plan for reducing the number of bags that ever leave the store. Stay tuned for pictures of their collaborative project......Susie Seamstress has to get moving....(Oh....I just ordered my new Mary Jane's Farm book - Mary Jane's Stitching Room. Can't wait for it to arrive.....more projects to look forward to!)

Finally, finished....here it is - Princess Mater's "Green" Grocery Bag

"Project Grape Arbor" Launched

An entire day's work, Saturday, yielded one very sturdy 8 X 12 outdoor room with walls of latice and ceiling of ladder rungs....strong enough to withstand grapevines. Imagine, if you will, several years from now....it is a sunny afternoon. There is a gentle warm breeze and the rustling noise that it makes as it tickles the leaves in the nearby woods. The birds are singing in the distance. A few industrious honey bees buzz past your ear, headed to drink of the sweet nectar that also beckons you. You enter the lush outdoor room that our grape arbor has become. You feel a welcome coolness from the shade of surrounding grape vines robustly covered in vegetation. You look overhead and delightedly find cluster upon cluster of sweet ripe grapes. You raise your hand and pick a bunch and place a plump, juicy fruit on your tongue. You bite down and your mouth is awash with both sweet and tart rivers of fresh grape juice that escape across your lips and drip from your chin. Oh what a lovely fantasy......another step closer to reality.

Today I planted 9 grape vines that will hopefully cover our arbor and bring this fantasy to fruition. Among the varieties are 3 Concord, 3 Mars and 3 green seedless table grapes (Niagara, perhaps). Now we wait, ever hopeful that their fragile roots will take hold to harness the nutrients of Mother Earth and send currents of growth thru their awaiting armlike limbs...ever grasping towards the warmth and energy of the spring and summer sun....climbing higher and higher still....


This picture is one that I took last summer on vacation in Napa Valley. It serves as my inspiration for "Project Grape Arbor"

Soon time to ride again.....

The ground is drying, the arena is almost finished....time to get back in the saddle. 2006 was a year of breaks, bruises, etc. I sure hope 2007 goes smoother.

Duckles,duckles.....

Due to the current imbalance of male vs. female ducks on the farm, Mike had obtained 8 new Campbell females. These adorable khaki ducklings have taken residence in a horse water trough in Mike and Becky's garage. With daily handling, "Daddy Duck" as we affectionately call Mike has his brood following him all around his garage and back yard. "Peep, peep, peep" you hear them call when they hear their "Daddy's" voice....knowing that shortly his gentle hand will appear offering them yummy treats of bread. It will be fun watching these girls grow. Once their primary feathers have appeared, they will be introduced to the pond and the rest of the flock.

The "Girls"

This is a tribute to one woman's best friends. These two gals are my closest friends and who I share my days with. We do just about everything together. They love to go for rides in the car and walks in the woods. They never offer any criticism. They are never moody....just always happy to be with me. They do compete for attention, however. Sadie is our 3 year old Bernese Mountain Dog. Maddie is our 1 year old 130 pound Newfoundland. They are about as different in disposition as two big dogs could be. But they have one huge thing in common......an unlimited supply of love and affection for those that they love. Sure, they are big and hairy and make my life more complicated as a result. But, I would not trade one slobbered up piece of clothes, or one hairy sagebrush blowing across the hall floor for one day in an empty, (lifeless) clean house. Our vacuum works hard , our petfood bills are large. But it is all worth it, for these girls are an endless wealth of enthusiasm. They are the best example of what "Joy" looks like and acts like.

Where have all the bees gone??

This week Mike is picking up 5 new hives and their accompanying colonies from a gentleman who is retiring from beekeeping. He also has two colonies on order to replace the two that perished over the winter. We are all concerned. In doing research, we have learned that there is a huge incidence of honey bee death in what concerned researchers are calling "Sudden Colony Collapse". Please read the following article.....

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/032307EA.shtml



"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
-Albert Einstein

Green thumbs, dirty fingernails

Spring is here....finally. A long winter of just watering the houseplants has left me with nice nails but a deep longing to dig in the dirt. A warm weather teaser over the past couple of weeks put me in the mood to garden. I spent weeks during the winter pouring over seed catalogs. I ordered new garden gloves, soil cubes, a potmaker; and cleaned out the greenhouse. With everything in order, it was now time to start planting seeds. I placed a small heater in the greenhouse to help with the chilly nights that we still have. Daylight hours are toasty warm inside. This year I have started cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers, hot peppers, several varieties of tomatoes, zinnias, cucumbers and summer squash. I figure these will be good sized by the middle of May, when I can transplant them into the garden.