What a weekend.
Instead of planning a long weekend of relaxing and gardening I thought I had overbooked the weekend and would be pooched out by the end. Most holidays do actually end that way I didn't want that for my may long weekend. I worked the closing shift on Friday and Saturday. Both nights I planned to go out after work with friends. I don't usually go out late anymore (something to do with getting up early in the morning?) so by the time I got home both those nights it was around 1:30. One-Thirty!! That's crazy. I can't do that anymore... two nights in a row. Between those two days Dan went on Aux. so I didn't see him much and neither of us got any of the house cleaned. We planned to have all our friends over on Sunday night so getting the house cleaned was a must. Since Dan was sleeping off his night shift on Sunday morning and I had a plant sale that I REALLY wanted to go to, I'll admit it, I forfeited my day of rest. I skipped church, went to the plant sale (bought some really neat heirloom tomatos; they'll probably die to pay for the sin of buying on Sunday) and Dan and I cleaned the house all day. I won't say that I forfeited the day as a day of worship because sometimes I feel like I am more honestly worshipping in a hen house or garden than a sanctuary. It was a cool day but when our friends all came over, the hardy few of us made sure we all went outside anyways and had a campfire. It turned out to be a pretty good evening. I even managed to get to bed shortly after midnight.
Monday really took the place of a Sunday for me. What a great day that was. I'll have to remember it for the "what was your favorite moment this year?" question at New Years. One couple had slept over, Dave and Brenda, and we all had a big breakfast. They left fairly early to begin their busy day of landscaping (oh, new home-owners) and so Dan and I started our landscaping. My seeds STILL haven't come in so I wasn't in the veggy garden at all. Instead, I decided to try a bit of cleaning in the flower gardens. My flower gardens are always neglected and there are a ton of them on this property so I just have to pick and choose what I can/want to do. I got a good start on it by noon when Mom and Dad W. and Caleb came over. What great in-laws. I couldn't ask for better. I have a hard time not talking about how great they are to friends who don't get along with their in-laws. They brought a weed whacker (?), a sledge hammer and all the other tools in Dad's work van. For the last month or so I have been planning on putting up that chicken wire fence around the garden, right? I had just imagined some metal posts and wire wrapped around it. Nothing fancy. Wrong. Get Dan and Dad together working on a project and it turns fancy pretty fast. It started by digging (really deep) corner posts in. They even used the nice 6x6 clothesline post that came down this winter. They figured I still didn't have enough metal posts to support the wire (its chicken wire!) so they found a way of rigging airplane cable (?) stretch really tight between the posts. Of course the first had to reinforce the posts by digging supports in for them. Then after all that was done, we rolled the wire around and tie-wrapped it to the cable and posts. What a work of art. It's awesome! Mom helped with the final touch by looking around our place and finding a really great picket gate that was mounted on the corner post (another post had to be dug for the gate too... a lot of digging). It looks so great. Afterwards we sat around the fire, having a BBQ and watching the chickens inspect the fence. There was even a little bit of scratching around the edges. The garden looks smaller now. More permanent and stable though. And the best part is, I now have 5 perfect spot to place a wine glass or beer bottle when I'm out in the garden. A picture is definately needed and coming.
The second really great thing that happened on Monday is that I got a scythe. Look it up. There's quite the internet community about scythes. I visited our neighbors who haven't quite moved in yet and found a scythe in in their back old chicken coop that they are burning (terrible.. it's a really good coop too). They said I could take it so it's snatched. Now I just have to figure out how to peen it, sharpen it and get a whet stone.
After a day like that, I thought work would be dreadful. It was great. It flew by and I was looking forward to seeing my fenced in garden all day.
Instead of planning a long weekend of relaxing and gardening I thought I had overbooked the weekend and would be pooched out by the end. Most holidays do actually end that way I didn't want that for my may long weekend. I worked the closing shift on Friday and Saturday. Both nights I planned to go out after work with friends. I don't usually go out late anymore (something to do with getting up early in the morning?) so by the time I got home both those nights it was around 1:30. One-Thirty!! That's crazy. I can't do that anymore... two nights in a row. Between those two days Dan went on Aux. so I didn't see him much and neither of us got any of the house cleaned. We planned to have all our friends over on Sunday night so getting the house cleaned was a must. Since Dan was sleeping off his night shift on Sunday morning and I had a plant sale that I REALLY wanted to go to, I'll admit it, I forfeited my day of rest. I skipped church, went to the plant sale (bought some really neat heirloom tomatos; they'll probably die to pay for the sin of buying on Sunday) and Dan and I cleaned the house all day. I won't say that I forfeited the day as a day of worship because sometimes I feel like I am more honestly worshipping in a hen house or garden than a sanctuary. It was a cool day but when our friends all came over, the hardy few of us made sure we all went outside anyways and had a campfire. It turned out to be a pretty good evening. I even managed to get to bed shortly after midnight.
Monday really took the place of a Sunday for me. What a great day that was. I'll have to remember it for the "what was your favorite moment this year?" question at New Years. One couple had slept over, Dave and Brenda, and we all had a big breakfast. They left fairly early to begin their busy day of landscaping (oh, new home-owners) and so Dan and I started our landscaping. My seeds STILL haven't come in so I wasn't in the veggy garden at all. Instead, I decided to try a bit of cleaning in the flower gardens. My flower gardens are always neglected and there are a ton of them on this property so I just have to pick and choose what I can/want to do. I got a good start on it by noon when Mom and Dad W. and Caleb came over. What great in-laws. I couldn't ask for better. I have a hard time not talking about how great they are to friends who don't get along with their in-laws. They brought a weed whacker (?), a sledge hammer and all the other tools in Dad's work van. For the last month or so I have been planning on putting up that chicken wire fence around the garden, right? I had just imagined some metal posts and wire wrapped around it. Nothing fancy. Wrong. Get Dan and Dad together working on a project and it turns fancy pretty fast. It started by digging (really deep) corner posts in. They even used the nice 6x6 clothesline post that came down this winter. They figured I still didn't have enough metal posts to support the wire (its chicken wire!) so they found a way of rigging airplane cable (?) stretch really tight between the posts. Of course the first had to reinforce the posts by digging supports in for them. Then after all that was done, we rolled the wire around and tie-wrapped it to the cable and posts. What a work of art. It's awesome! Mom helped with the final touch by looking around our place and finding a really great picket gate that was mounted on the corner post (another post had to be dug for the gate too... a lot of digging). It looks so great. Afterwards we sat around the fire, having a BBQ and watching the chickens inspect the fence. There was even a little bit of scratching around the edges. The garden looks smaller now. More permanent and stable though. And the best part is, I now have 5 perfect spot to place a wine glass or beer bottle when I'm out in the garden. A picture is definately needed and coming.
The second really great thing that happened on Monday is that I got a scythe. Look it up. There's quite the internet community about scythes. I visited our neighbors who haven't quite moved in yet and found a scythe in in their back old chicken coop that they are burning (terrible.. it's a really good coop too). They said I could take it so it's snatched. Now I just have to figure out how to peen it, sharpen it and get a whet stone.
After a day like that, I thought work would be dreadful. It was great. It flew by and I was looking forward to seeing my fenced in garden all day.
posted by Nicole at 8:35 a.m.
8 Comments:
my goodness. i can't BELIEVE someone would burn down a perfectly good chicken coop!
i love reading about your farming adventures. next time i will be SURE to see it for myself.
too bad they are not doing another installment of that pioneer show, where people had to live like pioneers for one year. you guys would be perfect. and you're both so photogenic, too.
i always brag about my inlaws, too. and my parents. and my family.
we're pretty lucky.
You forgot Caleb sweeping your huge lawn.
It was a great day, a fulfilling day, with good bonding time and lots of food and drink.
Gotta have a work party more often.
Let's open our pool together! :)
Mom
I think the best part was watching Motz running around and being so happy to have people around.
It was great to have everyone around and good to help you two with your little farm.
Dad
michelle - yah, it's too bad you couldn't make it last time you were here. Oh well, next time you'll be able to see the place with a fence around the garden!
mom & dad - we definately should have a work party at your place. I would love for us to open the pool together... probably because I've never done it before and don't know how much work it is. Usually we end up sitting around talking, which is good too, but it would be fun to get out and work together again... maybe we should do it every Tuesday with dinners. :)
A sythe!
I always wanted one but Opa W. said I would cut my feet off. Opa Z bought me one at a garage sale. I never learned how to peen it, or sharpen or swing it. It was fun swinging it though. SOMEONE! leant it to the highschool drama and it never came back.
Take care of your sythe. Don't cut your feet off.
Nicole you definetly have the agrarian bug in you! Even with all the gardening stuff, and chickens etc. that we have around here I'm still jealous of you! The hard part is trying to stay on top of everything and working at it in between with snatches of time here and there. That's why it's so awsome that you have such great inlaws, who can help kick start things once in a while. You have a right to brag about them! I look forward to seeing your new and improved garden and all the new livestock you've acquired. Love Dad Z
Pictures! I need pictures!
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