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Monday, May 4, 2015

Dirt, Drudgery, Discombobulation and Dust.

(I've decided to create the Alphabet Series of Posts...)

This weekend was filled with the usual (and more so) stuff, but we were blessed with beautiful weather.  As a matter of fact, I suspected we went from our usual one day of spring into full-on summer.  Both days reached a high in the low 80s, which, while glorious after all this cold, gives me the wilts.  And discombobulating because it was in the 30s in the mornings.  Geezloueeze.

Saturday, we moved some furniture into my DS's new house and then the Girlz (Mom, DS and Yours Truly) went to a great place that sells the contents of estates.  They have an auction every Sunday during the summer, but the rest of the 'treasures' are stored and sold out of an old house.  It is so much fun to rummage around!  You can get everything from old postcards to a stuffed swordfish!  My DS found a lovely, small, cherry desk with a chair at a very reasonable price, so we toddled that back to her house.  Slowly, but surely.  She moves here two weeks from today.  I. Am. So. Excited.

The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning up the raised beds, weeding, schlepping dirt around, more weeding, more schlepping, and planting.  I got some lettuce planted under hoops, rearranged my cucumber/bean bed to accommodate trellised beans AND bush beans.  I also planted some sweetpeas (encouraged by Mama Pea's success) and my red onions.  I had been poking around in a big box store's garden area and found a lone, bedraggled six-pack of curly kale.  As all it appeared to need was a good watering, I talked them down to less than half price, and they were taken home and put in the kale bed.

I managed to slog along all day on Sunday, but have made the executive decision that all drudgery stops at 4 o'clock.  Sometimes I actually follow my own directions!  It was a great weekend for laundry and I got four loads dried on the line.  How nice it is to put away the racks - and the flannel sheets.  However, I keep waiting for the other snow boot to drop.  I've been tricked before, which is why I did not plant more.  Should the need arise, I can easily cover what I've planted.  By the time I was finished, I was covered with dirt.  What a glorious feeling.... :)  Now, if it would just rain.  It is as dry as dust out there. 

On a sad note, I lost another chick - he/she was not as hearty as the other five and when I moved them to a box in order to clean out the brooder, it was too much for it.  I also opened the coop on Sunday morning to find that E-Claire had died during the night.  That was a tough one - she was the first homegrown chick here and a real character.  But she had developed a sour crop and had three years of ups and downs. 

The sheep got out on some grass on Sunday and were thrilled.  I had to keep an eye on them, with the heat and threat of bloat.  I have decided that Linden is not the sharpest tack in the box.  As a matter of fact, I would refer to him as a marble in a box of tacks.  While it's much better now that their woolly coats are off, they still can get sunburned and overheated.  The other two, Juno and Norman, and the llama know to head for shade if it's hot and take breaks to suck down water.  Not Linden.  He goes around like a lawnmower.  I had to physically move them up to the barn and close them in a shady space.  He was actually panting!  My problem child.

22 comments:

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i sure hope we get rain too. i am watering like crazy but everything dries right out. it is way too hot for this early in the year.

Sue said...

I haven't put away the flannel sheets---yet. It's been warm the past two nights up there, but it's supposed to get cold again. I always fight giving them up. I understand hubby's protests--he is rather furry.

Did you get the swordfish?????
LOL!

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

We are dry here too. And windy. I planted a few things this weekend too, which is way too early for us here on the prairies. Rule of thumb here is the long weekend in May, but we did get frost last night (of course) so luckily I put things that could be moved under the eaves and covered the rest. Poor chick. They sure are delicate.

Janice Grinyer said...

HOW COULD YOU PASS UP THE STUFFED SWORDFISH????????

on a nicer note, YAY DS!!!

and on a weird note, there are two different spring ads on our local facebook page - "free llama, if you can catch him/her"... what does this mean??? ;p LOL

xoxo

Susan said...

Jaz - It is really dry here, though not a drought. Doesn't it seem like it's gone right from winter to summer?

Susan said...

Sue - LOL! I hang onto my flannels for as long as possible, but I keep thinking I'm jinxing myself (I'm also coming to terms with the fact that I am superstitious...) I was tempted to get the swordfish, but I don't think it would have fit in my car.

Susan said...

Mrs DM - Yes, we have dry, windy conditions, too. There are numerous fire alerts and warnings. I am always amazed at how stupid some people are - a neighbor of my farmer neighbor started a brush fire! Lucky for him (and us), a bunch of people swooped down and put it out. They are delicate things, those little chicks. However, once they get their sea legs (speaking of meat chicks) they turn into Frankenchickens!

Susan said...

JG - What a musical comment! (Notes -- get it????) I was afraid that I would give both cats heart attacks if I brought home the swordfish and hung it on the wall. Hey! Time to get on that mustang and lasso yourself a llama! xoxo

Tombstone Livestock said...

If you think it's dry there try California, I have 7 ewes I am waiting for them to lamb and my pastures have not only dried up but are down to dirt already, bad year to breed ewes late. So far 2 ewes have lambed and they are all rams. Have no clue how the pioneers survived under the conditions they must have endured

Buttons Thoughts said...

Free Llama Feral woman may have something there for you she can lasso it you can rise it you are so good to your animals it would love the company. Hug B

Unknown said...

What what a temp swing!!! Sorry you lost E-Claire, she was like my Rosie. 1st chick ever raised. I planted a small red, mini rose in her honor :)

Sandy Livesay said...

Susan,

There's always one bull headed......I mean stubborn animal in the bunch :-)

DS must be excited about moving in. Is this her first place?

Spring is in the air up there, and you were able to do some planting......and of course playing in the dirt :PPP Were expecting a solid 9 days of rain, I'll do a rain dance to direct the rain toward you. Hopefully the rain Gods will listen to my terrible singing and not laugh at my awful dancing.

Susan said...

A - I don't know how you can do it, either. It must be awful expensive to have to buy hay - if you can find it! I think you should move Northeast... :)

Susan said...

Buttons - I think she should, too!

Susan said...

Nancy - We do get so attached to them, don't we? There are always special hens. I love that idea - I will have to plant something sweet to remember her by.

Susan said...

Sandy - You are so right! He is so stubborn! It's the first house she gets to pick out and it's two doors down from our folks, so it is extra special. Wow! Nine days of rain! I will be thrilled if we get a couple - but nothing's forecast now until Sunday.

Mama Pea said...

What's with this early lack of rain in so many places? Well, except for Sandy's locale anyway. (Sandy, I promise not to laugh at your singing or dancing. Just give it a try for the rest of us.) We're going to have to haul out the hoses if we don't get rain by Friday. That's the cut-off date we picked.

So happy to hear your DS's moving date is progressing. Are your folks excited, too?

Casa Mariposa said...

Linden must be the sheep most humans are related to. My area is packed with sheeple.

Spiderjohn said...

How's poor Dexter? Bet he's pretty discombobulated too....and has things turning to dust. Bless his little heart. Dirt and drudgery now, I suppose. Tell him I'm still thinking about him.

Susan said...

Mama Pea - We are not getting rain until, possibly, Sunday, so I HAVE to water, drat it. My parents are over the moon - especially my mother, as my DS is a fabulous cook!

Susan said...

CM - I swear he is a sheeple. Of course, I think ALL of my sheeples are.

Susan said...

Spiderjohn - Well, bless your little heart. I'm sure he'd be happy to know that SOMEBODY cares about the shriveling up of his once-was-now-never manhood. I will give him your regards....