The Garden

is almost completely rototilled (is that a word?) and I have been plotting and planning the arrangement. I've been sifting through my seeds anxiously, while watching the five-day weather forecasts and "grrrrr'ing" when I see anything below 35* degrees. I need to KNOW there won't be frost or a freeze. I NEED to know that.

So, there they sit. The packets of seeds, mostly new, some leftover from last year, and some that I saved from the produce that I grew. I learned a lot last year and although the intense heat and drought took a toll on the garden, overall, for a first-timer I did pretty well. This year I plan to plant successively, every two to three weeks so as to better handle the canning and freezing I plan to do.

Let's see, off the top of my head, here is a list of what I plan to plant;

corn
tomatoes
bell peppers
hot peppers
carrots
radishes
broccoli
cabbage
onions
chives
basil
potatos (potatoEs?)
sweet potatoes
lettuce
green beans
cucumber
zucchini
yellow squash
watermelon
pumpkins

and probably lots more.

speaking of gardening, I just got a message from my dearest friend Kim in Redding, CA. Here it is!

Hey you, just wanted to touch bases with you and see what you have been up
to. Wish you were closer so we could garden and can foods together. I used to do
alot of that in my 20's. The pressure cooker always scared the shit out of me. I
just knew the top was going to blow off. Take care and have a great week.
Love, Kim.

Home Sweet Home

So I spent a few days in the big city of Charlotte. Actually, just on the outskirts in a township called Matthews. I went home with Gregg, Kathy, and Eric on Sunday night, after our day of gallavanting around Hope Farms - enjoying some really tasty Coney Island Dogs and cole slaw, with bbq flavored chips and corn on the cob. Sorta like a premature summer day.



Earlier on Sunday, we went to the church Easter Egg Hunt and watched the kids run around scrambling for eggs (no pun intended, or, was it?). Eddie had a blast. He followed a girl named Savannah around and even gave her some of his eggs because she was smaller than everyone els and couldn't get the eggs as fast. So sweet!



But I digress; I did close to nothing for almost three full days while I was at their happy home. I painted my finger and toe-nails. Pink. And dark Pink. (or, Hot Pink) We enjoyed a couple trips to the GW (GoodWill) and acquired some great second hand items. Namely, sandals, jeans, capri's and a couple t-shirts. Eddie of course, followed Eric around and they got some good old fashioned "hot wheels" time in along with some disney movies.



We went to PF Changs Tuesday night with Kathy's best friend Diane and we had a blast. After we ate, I took Eddie outside and ran into a guy walking his little terrier dog that fell in love with Eddie. I couldn't help but notice his jacket said "U.C. Davis" and I asked him if he was from California; and he was. We chatted for a while and his dog became even more enthralled with Eddie. We had a great chat about the difference between CA and NC and we agreed,...the living here is fine indeed.

Spring Forward

and wait.

Yep, we changed all of our clocks in the house, and left the alarm clock by the bed a few minutes fast, compliments of dear toddler who pushes the buttons repeatedly. One learns to rely on your 'inner clock' after a while.

So this weekend not much was accomplished here on the farm. On Saturday it was windy. Southern California Twin Pines Road windy. Ask anyone who ever spent the night in our house in CA what windy is like, and they'll tell you a story. Speaking of stories, I had the pleasure of being told that I always seem to have a story behind everything. I took it as a compliment, and am proud that there is a story behind me. And everything around me. Most, if not all of the household items in this home are second-hand and I really take pride in that. A few points that come to mind are: 1. they're here, and not clogging up a landfill somewhere. 2. I have been blessed to receive these 'gifts of old' from people who saw a need, and filled it. and, 3. there is really something to that age-old adage; One man's trash is another man's treasure.

For instance, this cabinet door, in all it's shabby-chic glory, and it's three other mates, had been made into a box, of sorts, and was sitting in the back of the barn. Hubby took them apart and put them up in the kitchen. They are lovely, handpainted and look very, very old. I shudder to think of them in the landfill, or rotting away somewhere unappreciated.

While today the temps should reach 65* F, the night lows in the high twenties and low thirties keep me chucking wood into the fire (how much wood could a wood-chuck chuck, if a wood-chuck could chuck wood? a LOT. I have been trying to estimate how much heat an old farmhouse can eat, and I can't come up with a figure. All this to say Thank God that we haven't had to pay for wood yet. ) and wearing my down vest from sun-up to sun-down until I sink into our hand-me-down bed, with hand-me-down linens.

Yesterday I DID manage to pull away the pile of brush we've been clearing from the gravevines on the southeast portion of the property and clear up the pile of magnolia limbs and leaves I'd accumulated last Friday before it started raining. And, I divided up some Day Lilies and gave them to our neighbor friends, along with a starter for some Amish Cinnamon bread. The wife returned the favor with some candied pecans which I am having trouble not eating for breakfast. Nuts have GOOD fats, right?? And protein. So maybe I won't argue with myself for too much longer. Justification. It's a habit of mine.

Today, I plan on dividing more Day Lilies and planting them in some other areas of the property. Run into town and pay the homeowner's insurance premium and do a couple other errands. And, as always, toddler chasing is on the agenda. Which leads me back to spring.

I'm so grateful for the change in seasons. For confirmation of this, see this blog in mid-August when doing dishes in cold water brings on the sweat. At least I get my pores cleaned out once a year.

About that bakery.....

I saw on ABC news (nightly? tonight?...ah, fieldmouse-itis again...can't remember) that wheat is a hot commodity. The way I understand it is that a lot of farmers have been convinced (read: paid off) to grow corn (read: ethanol/alternative fuels) and that leaves us with less crops of wheat.

$15 U.S. Dollars for a 50 lb. sack of flour. Not bad, right?

How about; $40 U.S. Dollars for same said sack of flour. Bad. Right. That's a nearly three hundred percent increase. (Am I correct in my attempt at math, here?)

So there will be no bakery here at Hope Farms anytime soon. Darnit. I love to bake. And people love to eat home-baked goodies, no? I was wanting to open M-Sat 5AM to 9AM and Sunday 12-3 for those after-church-munchies. Banana bread, zucchini bread, muffins, cupcakes, cakes, and Irish Soda Bread, which you really must try at home, it is superbly simple, dense and hearty and who doesn't love the smell of bread baking in the oven?

The best you can do is hope for a supper invitiation which always ends with my never-to-be-humble Best Hope Farms Banana Bread Ever. Hot coffee. And good company.

p.s. I can't take credit for the cake in the picture above. It was served at my baby shower in May of 2005. My friend Annie picked it up at a place called Martha's I think, in Redlands, CA. It was as good to eat, as it looked too.