Still Raining!

 Yesterday I made the long and lovely drive to Gillette, WY to be part of a six team Instructor cadre teaching students from all over the state of Wyoming how to properly install child passenger seats.  It’s a fun group of instructors; they have truly become friends over the years.  I’m close to being part of this important work for 20 years.  

Wyoming is green, green, green!  The drive was amazing.  Grass up to the grazing horses bellies.  Yellow clover and vetch, thick along the roadsides, a solid bouquet of floral blossoms for miles and miles.  I could smell the nectar and pollen.  Today is cool and the morning started with a sprinkle of rain.  

The greenhouse is really coming along!   Mike and I got the roof stretched across before I left.  Definitely a two person job!  

I am dreaming about what I can plant given the time of the remaining growing season.  Such a beautiful thing and I just love the fact that this greenhouse was repurposed; saved from the landfill. See the wire in the picture with Mike working that wire?  It’s called “wiggle wire” and who ever invented this stuff should be sitting on a sand beach somewhere warm!  It’s magical!! 

Remember the no till drill planting experiment?  Mike has been dubious about the success of this effort.  The seeds that were left in the hopper were wet and he was certain things jammed up enough to keep seed flowing.  However, there is germination!!  With all the rain of late, these seedlings have an awesome chance of survival!!  

We have been trying to make ourselves to go fishing each week.  So far, no big pigs have been landed.  Mike had his line break last week and it may have been a monster that stole away his lure!  Such a lovely place to fish.  I have canned several more jars of local lake trout for winter dining.  100 minutes in the pressure cooker!  Fish is such a good food to eat - did you know it is good for brain health?  Some have dill and mustard and garlic.  We will cook the whole fish on the grill for summer, but I do look forward to Lake Trout melts this winter.  

Lastly, here is a fun video!  Mike watched this from inside the house (note the classic music in the background which is pretty good music for the fun game Rooster was playing!)

Hope things are going well for you this summer.  Stay safe.  Stay well.  

Hello There!!

Yes, yes!  It has been a long long time!  I see my last post was April 30.  Fed up with whining about the snow, I backed away from the blog site for a bit.  And then it warmed up, melted fast, and now it's full-on green spring/summer and BUSY TIMES!

 Want to see some BIG things?  We had a fun family reunion in Marshall, Illinois and spent a day checking out Casey, Illinois' big things.  I love this business plan!  The little dinky town has turned into a tourist attraction and I understand why!  Mom, Sandy and Mark, Stacie and Alex, Liz and Dan, Reigh Lynn, and I wandered around this small midwestern town for the day and were delightfully entranced with the very large offerings!  What fun and how wonderful to spend some time together!

I love this picture of Mom and me.  We just finished a vigorous walk (she walks on the treadmill every day going for 30 minutes at a very fast clip!) and enjoyed a Starbucks refreshment.  You are such an inspiration, Mom!! 

The garden is planted and somewhat weeded.  The dogs and I walked the field today hunting the elusive hounds tongue and killing it dead with posion spray.  Die, hounds tongue, DIE!  Every afternoon there is rain.  Raining now.  A wet, wet spring for the mountains.  Our crawl space has finally drained, although is still damp.  

This Sunday is Father's Day and I celebrate Dad!  You're a pretty tough cookie to send gifts to anymore, Dad!  No more sugar.  No more salt.  You certainly have everything you need.  What is a Daughter to do but send a card and hope you can feel the love inside!  Happy Father's Day.  You taught me much and I took those lessons and got to here.  And Here is a very good place.  

Meanwhile, the repurposed greenhouse is coming along.  Today, the last panel went on.  Next, the plastic covering.  It' going to be a giant great place for living things!  Thank you Mike! It's been a ton of work and planning and scheming for you and it is going to just be an awesome growing space when it's done! 

As if I wasn't busy enough, next week I am off to help teach a car seat installation class in Gillette, WY which is a formidable drive from Freedom.  Should be able to get a few books on tape read!  Then the 4th of July is right around the corner.  Where is this summer going?  It just got here!!  

Sainfoin in the ground.  We hope.  Using a new piece of equipment always has its learning curve.  The seed that fell is certainly getting a good soaking!