SNOW!!! and other stuff

Can you believe this?

This is what we woke up to this morning. A rarity around here in east Texas. It swooped through the Metroplex and it's still coming down even at 10:00 a.m. here at my office. Man, it's practically a blizzard! The roads are not frozen so we're okay. They might tonight if it gets below freezing, but we'll see.

On the way to work this morning, I swung through some country roads. It's always prettier in the country...

I'm really glad I went to the farm yesterday evening and covered my little broccoli and cabbage plants!  It's a redneck version of flower blankets. I turned my old metal lawn chairs upside down and put 'em between the rows, and then covered that whole stretch (about 35') with painters drop cloths and anchored 'em down on the edges with iron ore rocks.  In the country, you make do or do without ya know...  I hope those little plants make it. It's just about 32 degrees right now.  They might get cold, but at least they won't be gettin'wet or icy.

New topic -  Here's my garden all tilled up for this year.  We had about a 35' x 55' plot for the last two years, and we added another 12' x 20' specifically for corn this year. It's where it will get more direct sun all day. We added it kinda whonky-jawed to one side, cuz my hubby had transplanted an oak tree to the side of the main garden and we had to work around that.  Plus, this year, we're going to lay PVC pipe all around the garden to keep it watered. In the past we've had to set up sprinklers or do it all by hand which usually took at least an hour or two to do.

Here's my onions. They're about 6"-8" tall right now.

Here's either broccoli or cabbage. When they're this little, it's hard to tell them apart - at least for me.

My garden shed. I love my garden shed. It's a hunnerd years old probably, but Tony and our carpenter friend jacked it up and made some repairs and put in a new floor and it's super. I'd rather have this 'un than a new one anyday.  I've often thought of white-washing it or yellow-washing it, but I can't decide. What do ya'll think? Should I leave it just as it is?  All rustic-y and weathered?  I like it this way, too... We're gonna run water to it so I can use my old washtub and rinse my vegetables an' stuff.

The above picture may be disturbing and graphic for some. Caution is advised. Look away if you are horrified. There's 4-5 of my gopher traps on the left in this pic with which I maim and kill innocent little rodents with big hairy teeth that tear up my yard.  It's almost gopher season again!  Will have to re-set my counter on the sidebar...  

I wonder if there's a good recipe for gophers?  Man, I never thought of that!  We really could become self-sufficient on our farm with 75 acres and gophers running amok all under the surface!  All the gophers we could ever want and our garden, MAN!   Gopher stew or... hey I know --- Gopher Kabobs!  Skewer a gopher, some onion and bell peppers and wrap it all in some smoked bacon and I bet you'd have a doozy of a Kabob!  Maybe throw a little jalapeno pepper on there too, a wedge of Monterrey Jack or mozzerella????  My mouth is watering already!  Maybe chicken friend gopher!  With some gopher grease gravy & onions over mashed 'taters & greens! 

Ok, have I run you off yet?   If not, please continue...  sorry I get carried away sometimes... more junk in the shed...

Cool wooden boxes from the lumber yard that I haven't decided what to do with yet.

Shutters for future projects - they make great shelves and window boxes!

This is my thrifty nifty aluminum weather stripping container that I got at a garage sale. It's all wood and has slots on the top that I can drop my garden tools down into. It's so cool. It was once in a lumber yard, I don't know where, but it's worked out very nicely! My husband thought I'd really lost it when I came home with this - now he likes it!

Last, but certainly not least -  here's hard evidence that spring is right around the corner. The daffodils are coming up as well as my tulips.  They may freeze this weekend with the snow, but hopefully they are hardy and will make it!  I'm so excited to see them.  The paperwhites have already bloomed and faded. The quince is blooming right now, too, but I didn't get a picture.

Well, hope you enjoyed my random post this morning. Take care all you northerners in the snow. Ya'll had quite a storm up there in the northeast. Hunker down & stay warm, and as always, keep yer dress down!