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Good Morning all!! I'm beginning to believe in Spring again - the sun is shining, the thermometer is climbing (almost 50 already!) and the birdies are chirping. The forsythia and daffodils are budded out and a few have opened - their brilliant yellow echoed by the goldfinches, who are finally losing their grey winter coloring. I've been sleeping to the sound of spring peepers for several nights now and waking to bright sunshine through my east bedroom window.

We've had some thunder storms and a bit of rain, but the ground soaks up the moisture as fast as it comes down so we've not yet had to endure mud season. No tornados as yet in the area. The farmers are all busy in the fields; Uncle Ivan has disced our ground but we will wait a while to plant in this cold clay soil. Plans this year are for a small patch of oats for straw and feed, our normal 1/4 to 1/2 acre of sweet corn for family, and field corn in the balance of the ground. Oh - don't let me forget - sunflowers for the wildlife and the simple joy of seeing all their smiling faces as I drive in from work in the mornings!

All this spring weather has got me wanting to garden and otherwise work outside - the upshot of this being that I am discovering anew those muscles that have been enjoying my winter hibernation - I say "So what if it took me 10 minutes to get out of the bath last night - it was worth it!!" The raised beds are cleared and ready for planting and I've made two tomato rings out of stock panels. I'm thinking of planting potatoes in the center of them - what do you all think?? Wouldn't be losing much as I have some sprouted 'taters in the drawer that have gone sweet tasting on me. I'm still working on getting my new beds set - I need to get them done as my fruit trees that will be in the corners and my grape vines to go in the center will soon be here.

The chicks have been moved out to the chicken tractor and are discovering the joys of scratching for bugs and having "salad" for lunch. I'm contemplating making a smaller pen the width of a strawberry row to see if they will weed for me.... I burned off the aparagus patch yesterday morning - should have a few crunchy spears to munch on in a couple of weeks - I like mine raw, but will welcome any good recipes anyone wants to send in!

Well, I'm off to town to vote - school board and road commissioner on the menu today. Think I'll pick up my onion sets while I'm in town - and if I know me; probably some broccoli and other plants as well!! Hopefully, I'll go in to work this evening with a sunburned nose and dirt under my fingernails - wouldn't that be grand!?! Think Spring!!

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001

Answers

hi i was also beginning to believe in spring(here in michigan)the snow was leaving, flowers coming up,also my hose to the barn was thawed, a sure sighn of spring!no more totin water to the critters yaaa! but then hubby decided to grill steaks outside he started up the grill to get hot then 5 minutes later looked outside and it was snowing like crazy!still a dreary day here, but suppose to be up to 55 the rest of the week, here's to hoping. I WILL NOT BE LETTING HUBBY GRILL AGAIN UNTIL I"M SURE IT"S SPRING! LOL happy spring to all! cindy

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001

I am pretty sure spring is here in south east Louisiana, it's gonna be in the 80's the rest of the week and maybe 90 by Saturday. The azelias (sp) are blooming everywhere and the trees are getting new green leaves. It got cold enough here this winter to actually have some trees change colors. Now that was a beautiful sight. Have a great day.

Blessings, Judy

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Polly and Cindy, this is my first visit to the new "beyond the sidewalks" forum. I hope it will be another fun forum to read and to try to answer a few questions. I have spring fever here in Kansas. The trees are blooming which means my allergies are in full force. Today it is WARM !!! It is cloudy and we have had rain. Last fall it looked like we were in for a drought so the rain is so welcome. I have chicks coming the 16th of this month, golden-laced Cochin banties, and some Partridge Rock full size. I have enough chickens but do not have any of the above so am getting excited about the new arrivals. My kid crop is over half here)ha) as usual it is a buck year with 3 bucks and 1 doeling so far. I bought a new buck and am hoping he will produce more girls as his dam has lots of doelings besides being a very beautiful Nubian herself. MY orchard is still alive!! This is the second year for the nice big ones and the 3rd year for the "twigs" i got from the Arbor Day foundation(live and learn). My daffodils are in full bloom and look so pretty, the grass is green and growing!! What a wonderful time of year. Have a great day everyone. karen

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001

Cindy, I won't let my husband till if you won't let your husband grill!!! LOL. Yesterday was quite gorgious though and I spent most of the day outside just rejoicing in the spells and sounds of spring. Take Care

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001

Hm, everybodys so happy, and I'm glad , that's the way that we are soppose to be this time of year. But I'm sad, I just can't seem to shake the blues, I've been listening to the Carter Familys old song, The March winds are gonna blow my blues away, but hey, March blew away and my blues are still here! What am I gonna do, I feel so mad at the world, mad at people for being bigets and money hungry, wondering if anybody cares any more or if its all for money. wondering why the world is filled with too many people with too little fillings, Oh what am I gonna do, How do I get these blues to go away, so I can be a consttuctive person again. Is it because I'm 41, will I feel better when I'm 42?

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Trendle: Have you tried St. Johns Wort for your depression? I had a bad case of the blues the first of the year and I got back on it. I feel better and I know several people that swear by it. I do alot better when I don't think too much about things I can't do anything about and when I think about all the blessings I have. Hope you get to feeling better.

Blessings

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Oh yeah, it's feeling very Spring-ish around here too. But in these mountains you never know. Last year after about a week and a half of this it went down to freezing three nights in a row - kilt all the blossoms and we got no apples, pears, cherries, no nuthin'. Hardly even any acorns. Hope Mother Nature cuts us a break this season.

I'll believe it's really Spring when I see my first rattlesnake of the year.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Polly,

Let us know how the potatoes work out in your raised beds. I'm really interested in what results you achieve.

I tried plating sweet potatoes in my raised beds last year and was very dissapointed. Lots of vines but very few sweet potatoes.

It's possible that I planted them too close together (about a foot apart) although I was following the spacing recommended by Mel Bartholomew in his sq ft gardening books...

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


I am so excited! I am having a big truckload of topsoil delivered on Friday, and then Saturday my FIL will be down here to help me build some raised beds. I'm putting in two beds 4'x12' for vegies and one bed 3'x8' for herbs. This is my first year gardening and of course I've gone totally overboard! I guess the next job after I get the garden in will be to clean out a space in the garage for a freezer so I'll have someplace to put all the produce.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001

Ah yes the garden! I love this time of year because its something my son and I do together! Last few years he's been hooked. He could have his own but its better in Dad's garden! 28 years old and finally coming back home again. I love it.....Kirk

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Broke down and turned the air conditioning on yesterday, 80 degrees outside but the humidity is already reminding us of summer! I have my raised beds all dug, we will be planting this weekend. No planting before now because we always get torential rains and hail even with the spring weather!

We are also done kidding, 2 doelings and 18 bucklings :( Had to buy 2 more doelings just to fill the pen! Sales are brisk thanks to the internet!

We are getting to be the laziest homesteaders around, paid a guy to dig my beds, and installed a dishwasher! Does make the milk bucket shine though, does that count? Moved the hay trailer back behind the shop since it is almost empty, tweaked the extension on the trucks towing ball (not a clue what it is called) then broke the bucket on the tractor trying to lift it off the ball! My husband just shook his head! Vicki (of the Saint Johns Wort generation also, perhaps I need to up my dosage :)

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Cindy, Sometimes we've been so desperate for a homegrown steak or fresh caught salmon thrown on the grill, we've had to shovel the snow off to find the grill!! It's worth it. Thank goodness my husband does the barbecuing (in the snow) and I get to watch out the window! Even though we still have some snow on the ground here, the daffodils are coming up and the apple trees are budding out. This my last week off as my does will start kidding anytime after Thursday. Got to get my baby bottles out of the attic!! I only bred five does this time so it wont be too hectic. Wont be able to get on my garden for awhile...too muddy. Even though I'll be planting a little later this year, our growing season in this part of Maine last well into October for most veggies. Can't wait to fight with my old rototiller!!!

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001

Okay, Vicki and all you southerners, y'all can quit teasin us up here about your daffodils and air conditioners and whatnot!! We still have a foot and half of snow in places......winter just doesn't wanna let go this year. I have no clue when we'll get to start planting!

Trendle dear, my favorite book for depression is EXCUSE ME, YOUR LIFE IS WAITING, by Lynn Grabhorn. It always gets me going when I feel the old dark cloud revisiting. Very empowering. I think we get depressed when we feel disempowered.

We are being inundated with beef and chicken orders the last two weeks; I can't keep up and am almost sold out! Wish I had more ready to go, but they'll all hafta wait a few weeks. Must be people freaking out about meat safety. I'm considering contracting with some people around here to do some of the growing for me so I can concentrate on the marketing more. ( I really do not care much for winter chores, truth be told, and my oldest daughter will not be here next winter....going to the city to seek her fortune in the music world :(

Blessings to all!

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Sheesh! Gonna have to quit my town job just to keep up with you all!!!

It's been raining here and kind of cold (seasonal, tho.) The rain is welcomed of course! The blossoms are just ready to pop on the apple, pear, and crabapple trees...have been out for 2-3 weeks on the ornamental cherries up the street. Ah spring....

The eagle must have come back b/c we found the scant remains of one of our ducks tonight...some vertebrae, feathers, and intestines. That was not a happy harbinger of spring, I'll tell you... So....back to square one, lock 'em all up again and see what happens. I really don't like this going-off-to-town job, but it's the best thing in the long run. I suppose even if I were home, stuff would still happen.

Glad to see you all here. I will still be over at the CS Forum (I like the Belangers.) But I too have grown extremely weary of the attitudes of some at that forum. Oh well. Guess that's the diversity I have been advocating... :)

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Brag, brag, brag---I'm jealous. Here yesterday we had about 1 1/2" of sticky, sloppy snow thats gone today. The roads were lousy(I drive a courier van) Well, they say If you don't like the weather in Wisconsin, wait an hour or two, it'll change.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


Good morning all!

Just was out feedint the rabbits. Waiting for the newest kindlings, but no luck yet. I'm afraid she might have aborted when I moved the catges from the old rabbitry into the barn. Anyone heard of this?

I don't know about living in the south, but here in Emporia KS, it's another warmish misty morning. When DH hets up, we'll go looking for morels down by the cottenwood river again. They like damp nights and suddenly warm again mornings. I have onions and spinach barely up in the garden. A few peas up too. Transplanted broccoli last week, but something muched off my carrot I think.

My sister brought me 11 black australorpe cickens to stash in the barn a few weeks ago. They are still in the laundry room in their big ole box under a light eating, sleeping, cheeping, and messing as is the way of little birds. Anxiously awaiting the full feather stage, so I can try them out in the funny looking "chicken tractor" we are building.

Would love to plant potatoes in a compost nest, as I've read about, but I don't know how it's done, exactly. I hear that you get a 18" pile of compst, and plant taters. Everytime they get 12 inches taller, you cover six inches with compost, so that they grow potatoes all along the vine. Anyone ever done this?

Trendle, maybe you need to find a sunny window and sit there for an hour a day, doing something you like, say napping? I've heard that st.johns wart helps, but I've never tried it. My husband suffers depression, and this time of year he finds sun to help a lot. I hope that the sun will rise on the inside for you soon. :-)

-- Anonymous, April 04, 2001


Tren....

I don't think that it's 41 honey, 42 doesn't feel much different than 41 to me! Watch your blood pressure if you try St. John's Wort - it can elevate it and it can also cause BP meds to be less effective. My Granny would have said that you need a spring tonic - her favorite was sassafrass tea. And this is about the time of year that she used to drag me (kicking and hollering!) out greening - dandylions, lamb quarters, rocket, dock. Then she'd boil up a mess and make me eat 'em - leading to even more kicking and hollering!! Beat the heck out of seeing her coming toward you with the dreaded "brown bottle" - her infamous spring "physic" - even the greens were better than that stuff!!

So get you some sassafrass roots and brew you up some tea (honey helps the flavor), sit for a while in any patch of sunshine you can find - bare your arms and legs to it to soak up the Vitamin D and then eat a bunch of dark green and dark orange veggies to repleish your vitamin A and C. Put on some yellow or orange clothes; brightening your surroundings often helps brighten moods. Smile - even if you don't feel like it. Find some kids (or grownups!) to tell you some elephant jokes. Turn off the blues and put on some jazz or zydeko - and come back and let us know how you're feeling. Hugs!!

-- Anonymous, April 04, 2001


Hey Tren, I get terrible depression if I go too long without sunshine. I consider myself solar powered. I invested in grow lights and a shelf and I garden every day for a while and it is amazing the difference I feel. (get some lettuce and greens out of the deal also)

-- Anonymous, April 04, 2001

Don't feel bad, Sheepish--I work at a *GASP* city job! I'd much rather have a town job! So just remember, things could always be worse. That never makes me feel much better, but it could work for you!

-- Anonymous, April 04, 2001

Judy, Marty, Polly, Earthmama, Diane, gee thanks everybody for caring about sad ole me. I feel better allready, and I'm gonna take all your good advice, The book you mentioned sounds really interesting Earth Mama and I like the sound of the Sassafras Tea and Sunshine, so I'm gonna get out there and quit feeling sorry for myself, I appreciate the time that you all took to respond. I'm sure that I'll be back to my perky old self in no time. You all are great. Have a good day! Love Tren

-- Anonymous, April 04, 2001

Is this the sign of a disease? I just gotta have my living things. So I work downtown on (now) the 65th floor. I currently have six plants (five were rescued from abusers and are recovering nicely), and have plans to sneak a betta fish into my workspace, disguised as a flower vase. How obsessive is that? Do you think they'll let me bring in a chicken? ;)

-- Anonymous, April 05, 2001

Oh Laura If it's sign of a disease, then I have it pretty bad too. I will never forget one time when I was moving and my Dad was helping me, after moving about the 20th potted up plant, he got flustered and exclaimed " Trendle , there IS DIRT where you are moving You know!" Guess that's just the way we are. Love Tren

-- Anonymous, April 05, 2001

Trendle, I'm glad that you're starting to feel better. Based on personal experience I have one more suggestion to add to all of the great suggestions sent in so far. I went through a period this winter where I was feeling very angry/depressed for much of the time, and I finally realized that a lot of it was due to my internet habits. I was active in a couple of email discussion groups that had started out great but had slid down into a bunch of whining, fighting, and backstabbing and had lost all practical value (no, I'm not talking about the CS forum). I used to dread reading my email each day. I unsubscribed from them, and I feel like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders. So my advice is to take a good look at those things in your life that are getting you down, and if the benefits they provide don't outweigh the aggravations they cause, get rid of them if you can.

-- Anonymous, April 05, 2001

You're right about that Sherri! I was beginning to feel the same about the CS forum. I don't think we all need to agree on everything, but I don't like the hurling of epithets and labels as soon as you have a different view point.

-- Anonymous, April 05, 2001

John -- foo! If you don't like the weather in Wisconsin, wait an hour or two and it'll change? Can I have that in writing? I WISH it'd change!! It's still snow here, altho I'm breaking up the snowbanks and tossing them onto the melted areas to try and speed it up (desperation, I guess!). I long for the first peeper...

-- Anonymous, April 05, 2001

Hoo-boy! I sure am looking forward to going in to work on overtime this afternoon - I'm plumb wore out....I need the rest!! I've got to admit that this has been a productive week - I just don't know if this poor old body is going to recover! Seems to take it longer and longer every spring to get back into shape. 'Course, I guess I COULD work out in a gym or something over the winter and spare myself.........NAH!!

I turned 2 of my big beds with the spading fork and planted a double row of peas down the center; then set out broccoli plants to each side (28) and then planted onions on the outer edges of the beds. Then Pop came home from town with a bushel basket of rhubarb - a friend of his has a 20' long row that she wants to get rid of. My garden beds consist of a center square bed that is 3' on each side; then a double set of I_ shaped beds on all four sides of it. I spaded up the 4 corners of the inner set of I_ beds and planted big clumps of rhubarb in each corner. Now I've really got to get my next section of beds finished so that I have room for more rhubarb before she mows it down!

I spaded up another section yesterday afternoon when I woke up and planted carrots and spinach. Then Hubby and I took a long walk and scouted out the neaby ponds for fishing potential. Didn't seen any tadpoles yet - maybe it's still too early?? This morning, I worked up 3 more sections and planted brussel sprouts, chard, beets, lettuce and radishes. I work my garden in the square foot method (somewhat) and I had spent a little time the other evening with a roll of very cheap paper towels and a bottle of Elmer's glue making "instant" square feet plantings, so it didn't take me very long this morning to get the plants and then the seeds in to the ground.

After that, I drove over to the local sale barn where they loaded my little Dakota to the brim with manure in sawdust - it had been composting at least 2 years and was the most beautiful dark crumbly stuff. I noticed quite a few worms in it too, as I was unloading it - by hand...UGH! Just a rich warm smell to it - no bad odor at all. I'm gonna take neighbor Mike's big farm truck in on Monday to have it inspected (Pop has to drive it for me as my feet won't quite reach the clutch and accellerator) - then go get a REALLY big load of poop. And the best thing is - his truck has a dump bed!!

Now, if I can just talk Hubby in to going after a load of wood chips when he gets off work this evening........

-- Anonymous, April 06, 2001


Julie, the peepers are coming!!! We heard them last night loud and clear. The silly things that bring so much joy. Here in Michigan it is warm enough to work in shirtsleeves today. The dirt smells like it is almost ready to till and I have daffodils that have swelling buds on them. I had begun to think that I would never live to see spring.

-- Anonymous, April 06, 2001

I know exactly what you're talking about, diane. My wife and I love the spring peepers!

Our first hobby farm had a slough out back and we always enjoyed hearing them every spring at dusk.

Unfortunately our new place doesn't have any wetlands near by so we can't hear their singing anymore.

-- Anonymous, April 06, 2001


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