South Light Art Blog Updated...

Updated my art blog in case you're interested!  I'm getting very close to the finish of the painting!

Time for Gardening!

At LAST!  It's officially time for gardening!  At least here in East Texas, altho I wouldn't doubt that we might have one more bout of nasty cold before it's all over with!  Usually Easter weekend, but it's in April this year so I think we're safe.  I've been bustin' a gusset to start my garden.  I'm doing something different this year - Square Foot Gardening - at least on part of it.  I'll still do my row crops like peas and beans in rows, but other things are going in raised beds.  I've been reading Mel Bartholomew's book "Square Foot Gardening" and it really makes alot of sense.  So...

Who do ya call?  Why, Daddy, of course!  Oh, hubby could do my bidding, too, but he's working, and Daddy needs something to do.  He's my partner in crime (or whatever else) and my go-to guy for all my little projects.  He built me some garden boxes from some old oak 2x8's and 2x6's, and I'm working on getting my planting mixture all ready for the beds.  Below is our new compost bin that Tony and Dad built last fall and we've got some super composting going on over here.

Here's my mixture of products - compost, vermiculate and peat moss.  I have to mix it all up barrow by barrow and put it into my raised beds...

Below, two of my beds all filled with the growing mix.  I've already got my onion starts planted in them but I haven't gotten their picture taken yet... I put out about 250-300 onions.  I know it sounds like alot, but we eat alot of green onions and that'll start in a few weeks, and then we'll leave some of them to grow to full size.  That'll take us through the summer, fall and part of winter (if I put them in the fridge).

Here's me, below, with my trusty Deere.  Our compost is pretty big so we turn it with the bucket.  Lots easier...

After all the gardening going on, these beautiful almost spring days call for a trip to the lake to do a little fishin'.  The bass were hungry and we caught about 20 each.  Unfortunately, Dad caught the only two big ones.  The rest were under about 10".  Oh well, we both had fish in the freezer, so it was fun catching them and letting them go - plus - no cleaning!  The bass are beginning to move up into the shallows to spawn.  Give them a couple more weeks or three, and we'll be able to just sit in the boat and watch them big lunkers jump in with us!  Just kidding, but the prospects for BIG bass will improve significantly!

My oldest son may be coming home from Nashville for a week or so, so I may be out of pocket for a bit.  Plus, WE (me & Dad) ARE FINALIZING OUR PLANS FOR BUILDING MY CHICKEN COOP!!!  At long last!  Hoping to get Adam in on that little project  - unless it rains.  They are predicting rain for 4 days this week, so we'll see how that goes!

PS -  For all you gals that commented about my last post on my husband's family's farmstead, I really appreciate your comments.  Unfortunately, we can't buy it as much as I'd like.  It does belong right now to one of the cousins and their family wants to possibly sell it - not sure yet.  He has Alzheimers disease and cannot really tell us anything about it.  We know very little about the early history of the property - only what's on the family records at the courthouse.  But thanks so much for your comments - it's a neat place and I'm sure it would have been SO interesting to know more about it!

Keep yer dress down!