Sore Muscles and Unexpected Blessings
These last couple of days have been crazy busy with setting up our garden plot, picking up loads of compost (the stuff smells nasty but it is known to make plants yield enormous amounts of excellent vegetables), building a greenhouse, building a milk stand for Coie’s goat, raking out the barn, plus Geoff built me the most charming cedar garden bench for me to sit on that you’ve ever seen. I am excited about the memories we are building with our kids. It’s been a *lot* of work, which has been nice. There’s something satisfying about having sore muscles.
Here are me and the kids building our garden. I learned that putting newspaper down will control weeds, and it attracts worms.
I will post pictures when it’s done. As lovely as all that was, things got even better because of the many blessings we received over the last couple of days. It started on Thursday morning. We got an email about a
The owners had wanted to keep him, but their other
And then, the next day, the splendid Mr. Burggraf called geoff and told him he could come and pick up his fabulous rototiller for all of our garden needs. What a huge blessing! Geoff plans on tilling about an acre to plant corn. That would have been hard to do with just a shovel. Mr. B also sent us home with some of his excellent soap. On top of that, I got a vacuum cleaner. That may not sound like a big deal but this isn’t just any old vacuum cleaner. My husband found a $400 vacuum cleaner on clearance for $100 and this thing is incredible. Check it out, doesn’t it look like a sleek little Robotic Suckasaurous? It also transforms into a cannister vacuum cleaner somehow. Seriously.
Ryann had taken a picture of all the CRUD I was pulling out of our nasty carpet but that shot got deleted. Bummer, you would have been astonished. And my hand is up like that because i was holding the cord. And yes, those are the same jammies I was wearing the day before in my garden. What can I say? They’re comfy! I stole them from my sister in law (accidentally). Sorry Erin, at this point I don’t think you’re going to get them back. |
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March 10th, 2007 - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments No Responses to ' Sore Muscles and Unexpected Blessings 'Leave a reply |
on March 10th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
OH Neat!!
Sounds like so much fun!! It is so neat knowing you all and getting to see what you are up to.
I got loads of manure if you want to come pick it up!! LOL!! Although Mom will prob use it for her garden!!
So your kids like horses, huh?? Well you are all going to have to come up this summer and ride mine!! How fun would that be!!
I miss you all!! You are all so great and sweet!!
Congrats on the vaccum!! I must admit, when I saw you vaccuming that one Sunday with just the hose, I was thinking about asking Dad to get one from Lowes for you all. Not that I think you are too poor to get one, but I know what a pain it can be to just have to vaccum with the hose!! and b/c my dad works at Lowes and can get them on clearance!! We used to do that, til we got our vaccum!!
Glad you found the dog you were looking for. Some dogs are just hard to find at a reasonable price.
And even though you are in your pj's you look as B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L as ever!! =0) I wear mine down to the barn with my dad's big boots that I have claimed as mine!!
Its really great that you are getting to do this as a family!! I know thats how it will be when we start ours. As a matter of fact, Mom is planting seeds now as I type this comment!!
Well I think it is long enough and I am your first commenter!! YAY!!
God Bless and Keep You and Yours!! Take Care!!
Love
Amanda ~ Siol Enal ~ SUPERANGEL
Edited by SuperAngel on Mar. 10, 2007 at 6:16 PM
on March 10th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
The California Hillbillies
Man, I can not believe what I just read and the pictures I saw. You all are become true Tennesseans – shoveling manure in your PJs and boots. I guess Geoff was too embrassed to be seen in the pictures in his PJs. I hope you put the paper down right. If you did not it will not attract the worms. Mr. B
on March 10th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Farmer Jen
Hey friend! Country life suits you…I'm comin' to your house for squash this summer! 🙂 Congrats on your new doggie. He is very handsome. He'd eat my little Crowder for breakfast. Tell Ryann she did a good job with the photos.
Deb
on March 10th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
You were in Kentucky?
What part? About 5 hours away sounds like you might have been in our neck of the woods. And I'd love to know where those awfully cute miniature horses are. :o)
on March 10th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
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is that a dog or a polar bear?
i loved all the photos. i'm so glad someone else wears their pajamas all day besides me.
did you know you now have me hooked on the ishmael books. i just ordered the sequel because i only have 3 chapters left! pricey little books but oh so good.
on March 10th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
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Dear sweet educated friend,
HELP!!!
Since the HSB change, I can't get pic's to upload easy. What's the secret??
By the by, love the jammies, I, too, am known for jammie wear after the sun has rose.
have an awesome day,
Vicki
on March 11th, 2007 at 12:26 am
Whatasaurus????
Where DID you come from.
asdl;fkjasdlfkasdflkjasd!!!
(Forget that thing, just get a shop vac! Works on the kids, the dog, the floors, the husband…)
love, guess who?
Just me, Nancy
on March 11th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Oh My
You have been quite busy at your house! Your garden looks like it will be wonderful. It will be well read, at least. 🙂 I hope you used the home and garden section of the newspaper. Our container garden will have to suffice for this country girl wanna-be.
Congrats on all your hard work.
on March 11th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Manure is a Blessing from God!
Creamy and Sugar would like for me to post this. They would like to know if Banjo can come a visitin'!
Happy Gardening…one of the great joys in life is gardening! Though it seems more difficult in the south then it did in California. May be it is just a problem with the gardener not the gardening.
on March 11th, 2007 at 11:51 am
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What a bunch of hard workers you are! You live next to that beautiful river (or big creek?) and still you work. Me? I'd be sitting by it everyday drinking my coffee, Seattle-ite that I am. See, the closer you get to Seattle, the harder pieces of property like that are hard to find, so I would be in complete awe everyday to wake up to that (though we do have a 1/2 acre parcel, which, over here, is extremely rare in a world of postage stamp-sized yards). You are definitely blessed — and how fun that you're all working on your garden together. You're inspiring me!
Keep us updated on the progress of your garden! Beautiful dog!
on March 11th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
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I've been saying that we'd have a garden for the past…oh…4 years now! It's already HOT here and the trees have budded and the weeds have bloomed. Maybe this year we'll do that garden. Every year I wonder if I've waited too long… But then I look at the weeded messy state of our flower beds and think "How in the world could I keep up with a garden?".
Maybe next year… I'll let you work out all the kinks first. 🙂
Marshie
on March 11th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
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Ooooo! It looks like you're lasagna gardening! We've done that before – it works great Enjoy your mega-veggies – Karen
on March 11th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Oooooooohhhh!
I cannot wait to have that kind of sore muscles! I'm just itching to get out there and start a new garden. We don't exactly have the greenest thumbs, but each year we've had a bit more success and I'm just chomping at the bit to see what we can accomplish this summer. We've started studying botany as a family to gear up for our summer of gardening and I'm thinking of expanding the study for my oldest so we can give him an actual 'credit' in a high school level botany course! I've looked on-line and found some course outlines for high school and college botany 101 type course and I think we can manage that quite nicely… he may end up graduating with 4 full credits of botany & agricultural science some day… and if we get some critters, we could work in some zoology…
At any rate, I am so ready for all of this snow to melt!
We'll be starting some more of our garden indoors over the next couple of weeks, that should get me through…
Have fun with it all, enjoy your long growing season!
ali
on March 11th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
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I scanned the pix before reading the post and thought to myself, oh sure, I *always* go out and hose down the Sunday paper! Neat trick getting worms. We always throw our yard waste on the compost pile, turn it over the cold months, and have nice black wormy dirt by spring. Works for us! We've had some awesome broccoli!
The snow has just about finally melted off in the last two days and temps have reached the 40s, peaking at 60 the other day. There are still big piles where we shovelled, but the two feet in the backyard is mostly gone. What a great winter this has been – this is the first time we can see our grass in the new year. Just like the good old days in the 60s and 70s. Yuck, the grass is all cruddy and matted down and moldy-looking. Y'all southern folk would probably be amused at how it can be up in these parts this time of year — 65 degrees with a thick cover of crusty snow still on the ground for days!
on March 11th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
While your new dog is beautiful…
he also looks like he wants to maul someone in that picture! His ears are back and his tail is down.
All the work you are accomplishing together looks very satisfying.
on March 12th, 2007 at 8:01 am
Green acres is the place to be…
Jen, I think we want to come vacation in your yard! It looks so nice and peaceful (though maybe smelly right now from all that compost)!
My Horsegirl loved the picture of the miniature horse, as well as the maximum dog. Congrats on the new garden, the new dog, the new vacuum (I'mnotjealousI'mnotjealousI'mnotjealous) and the satisfyingly sore muscles!
on March 12th, 2007 at 11:02 am
What fun!!
So did you dig underneath the newspaper?Or did you just put the newspaper on the ground/grass, soak it and then put manure on? I'm curious.:)
on March 12th, 2007 at 11:09 am
OMG!
Are you in your pjs?? LOL
Looks like fun! I hope your goats aren't as bratty as mine when they're on the milkstand! I have to keep Chloe from laying down while she's on it! ARG!
Your house doesn't look the same from that view, though I did not go on that side of the house!
Your cedar bench sounds lovely. I hope you have plenty of time to use it!
Thank you ever so much for commenting! Glad you enjoyed it!
Love,
Jocelyn
on March 12th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Sore Muscles and all…
Oh yes, I am feeling your pain. Isn't it a wonderful feeling??
I *love it* that you are posting these pics!!! I have a couple of questions –
>>What is the plastic covered structure in the back of pic #1? Is it the greenhouse Geoff built? I remember reading about it, but don't think there were any pics. I was wondering what it looked like.
>>Where is the pic of the bench? You shoulda' put "garden bench for me to sit on that you’ve *NEVER* seen." ( :
I love the pictures. You all look like you are having a lot of fun working. I think we have a huge boxful of newspapers in the barn, and I think we are going to go out right now and do the same thing – GREAT idea!
We have compost to put on there too… and NOW we have manure, too… lol.
Thank you for sharing all of your fun! Glad Geoff got his Pyrenees. He has found a wonderful home, and, being gentle with all of your animals…well, yay!
Tell everyone hi from the Dixons… All the Littles who don't blog much, if they can remember who we are, anyway!
Isn't it great when we get excited about something like a new vacuum cleaner? congrats. ( ;
-J
on March 12th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
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By an odd coincidence (truly I did not come here til just now), there is a picture of our maximum dog on my post today! She's not as clean as yours….
I'm wondering 2 things: 1. what would the right way to put the paper down be in order to attract worms? I mean do you need to make sure it isn't upside down or they can't read it ? roflol 2. I thought the typical Tennesseean attire was –well, like your old neighbors… ok, that was funnier in my head. I'm going back under my rock (at least my postpartum brain is trying to be funny!)
on March 12th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Wow!
Great pictures! Been megabusy, but OK. How are you? Thank for stopping by my blog. I have new theme. Success in homeschooling. Testimonies about successful homeschoolers!
Karen
on March 12th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
curious
I was about to ask why they were laying newspaper down and watering it and then I read the captions. Now I know.
Just a City Girl.
on March 13th, 2007 at 9:10 am
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I love the jammies. I wouldn't tell just anyone but most day me and the kids just wear jammies all day long. Yep, thats right, all day long! The neighbors already think we are nuts(we homeschool you know) so we dont care, let 'em talk LOL
on March 13th, 2007 at 10:15 am
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That all looks like a lot of fun (except the vaccuuming). I'm so glad your week was blessed. Ashley's dog is part Great Pyraneese. She is a sweetie–except she digs my yard like crazy! Maybe that is whatever the other part is!
Letitia
on March 13th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
The garden …
I'm inspired! We'll be doing ours about the 2nd to 3rd week of May. Would be kind of hard right now with the several inches of snow on top!
Deb
on March 16th, 2007 at 12:57 am
Wow!
Love that suckasaurus!! LOL
AND I love all these other pictures.
I will not ask you to move back to CA, but I can miss you like I wish you would! :+)
Kate
on March 16th, 2007 at 8:07 am
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What a neat dog!
We got our new puppy from a farm, too – but it's because HE was the 'aggressor.' ( He thought their free range chickens were squeak toys!)
Oh how I wish that we had room for a garden. What a wonderful experience for your kids!
Blessings,
Michelle
on March 16th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
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i'm thinking of getting some of the lamplighter books to read aloud to my children. the ones more suggested for children. i don't think they are ready for ishmael yet. have you read any of them? can you make any suggestions?