Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Friday, March 10, 2017

Bee Joy

Asparagus

Red Buds

Plum

Peach

Rhubarb

Crocus

Sweet Cherry Bush

Saturday, March 4, 2017

A Work Day, Abbreviated

Today was supposed to be a busy day.  The list was too long, we already knew, but we'd get as far as we could before dark.

Instead, JoJo woke up at 3:45, so I woke up at 3:45.  Since I didn't want to wake the rest of the family, he and I sat in bed with PK, he watching Chuggington and I stitching down the binding on a quilt.  When everyone else started to stir, James took care of animals and I cooked breakfast.

(We have the happy problem of so many eggs we can't sell them fast enough, so egg eating is important!)

I was exhausted, so after a little cleaning, I went back to bed and slept for (gasp) three hours.  The entire morning was lost, alas, since James can't work outside on the tractor and hold the baby.  He took care of phone calls for church, and I arranged lunch.  We made our monthly run to Costco, which was one of our chores for the day.

Once we returned, the rest of the afternoon was spent outside working on the grapes.  James brought over mulch in the tractor; I shoveled it, tied up grapes, and pruned grapes; Q ran messages to various people; the Assistant watched the babies; Spunky supervised JoJo.  All in all, we accomplished a significant amount even if we only made it through two chores.

(On a side note, we tried the wine I made last fall.  James says it's horrible.  I actually liked the few sips I had, which is hilarious since I notoriously don't like alcohol.  We'll age it further and see if it improves.  If not, we'll be more scientific next round.)

And, yes, it is the wrong time of year to mulch if we want the soil to warm around the grapes.  There are several reasons we are mulching now anyway.  James currently has the time, before the rush of spring.  I wilt once it gets hot, no matter the clothing and hydration choices I make.  Finally, the grapes are trying to bud too early, so cold feet can work in our favor since we still have a decent chance of another solid freeze in the next six week.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.