Saturday, March 3, 2012
March/April 2012 Countryside magazine posted.
Good Morning Everyone,
I first want to say that I hope and pray that everyone who reads here, or visits and lives east of me, I hope that you are ok from the storms that have passed through. Tornadoes are a force that cannot be reasoned with or avoided, they are just here. We deal with them here and I will say, I have been through some that have made me quite paranoid, to say the least. I do hope that everyone is ok.
A few posts back, I talked about the article from the Countryside Magazine, about chicken crimes. Well, the March/April 2012 magazine is posted on the website to read. So if you want, please go to: http://www.countrysidemag.com/ and scroll down to Chicken Crimes listed and read. There are lots of other articles to read also.
On the home front here. My mesclun lettuces are up, and a few head lettuces. Out at Mernards ( a type of home depot for us), had seeds on sale, so I went out to get another cheap seed starting kit with a heat mat to start my tomatoes and peppers, my heat lovers, and get them going. It is supposed to warm up Monday and Tuesday, and I can move the pots from their icy spots and plan on moving a few pots around to the south side and cover them with plastic and get them ready. When I was in the check-out, quite a few people were questioning my purchases as to why I am doing this seed starting work and the old "its too early" my dear to be gardening. Being in tune with people's attitudes and just a general presence of people in general, I find that people are borderline demented, these people, were not nice in the approach of gardening, it was a sense of why you garden is just plain stupid, period. And if you garden, you are one of those "preppers", arent' you, which one person asked me directly. I figured since NatGeo started that series, there would be some issues, even here. I just calmly mentioned, I garden because I like to, and it is calming to me, and left it at that. After a few minutes in the line, the conversation was still uneasy, and very ill tempered about how stupid it is to garden, and a waste of time in these people's eyes, just on the simple fact I was buying a few seeds and a seed starting mat. When I got home, I was still reeling about the people at the store, and somehow that little trip was an eye opener as to people's attitudes of the going's on in our community and the country in general. People are angry, which they should be, but the anger is being directed to the wrong people, to innocent people who just like to do things and then someone comes along and makes a political statement out of it as to why I am doing something, and tries to get a fight out of you for doing it, or make you a criminal for what you do it for.
My trees are showing more budding out. I go out to tell them they had better keep their "pants" on, as its too early yet to show the world what you have. I am afraid, when we get those couple of days next week in the 60's and 70's, they will really try to pop out and then get frozen in a last of the season blizzard, which we usually get. But there is not much I can do about it except just let nature do its thing, Mother Nature knows her children well.
My sourdough batter is happy, and if I can get to it, I am going to try to make pancakes Sunday. I'm not going to get to it this morning. This batter seemed to work pretty good, not sure why, so I guess I am doing something right.
Well, I had better get off my duff and get to work. I have so much to do around the house, I just don't know even where to start, so I will just tackle the kitchen and work my way out.
I wish everyone a wonderful weekend, and peaceful weather hopefully to all.
PS:
I found that I was able to post the article from Countryside Magazine to my blog. So it is available to read.
I also found an article about sourdough from Countryside, so enjoy reading. I am currently stonewalled as to what to write about. Not much going on except the bills..... So enjoy the articles.
Hugs
I first want to say that I hope and pray that everyone who reads here, or visits and lives east of me, I hope that you are ok from the storms that have passed through. Tornadoes are a force that cannot be reasoned with or avoided, they are just here. We deal with them here and I will say, I have been through some that have made me quite paranoid, to say the least. I do hope that everyone is ok.
A few posts back, I talked about the article from the Countryside Magazine, about chicken crimes. Well, the March/April 2012 magazine is posted on the website to read. So if you want, please go to: http://www.countrysidemag.com/ and scroll down to Chicken Crimes listed and read. There are lots of other articles to read also.
On the home front here. My mesclun lettuces are up, and a few head lettuces. Out at Mernards ( a type of home depot for us), had seeds on sale, so I went out to get another cheap seed starting kit with a heat mat to start my tomatoes and peppers, my heat lovers, and get them going. It is supposed to warm up Monday and Tuesday, and I can move the pots from their icy spots and plan on moving a few pots around to the south side and cover them with plastic and get them ready. When I was in the check-out, quite a few people were questioning my purchases as to why I am doing this seed starting work and the old "its too early" my dear to be gardening. Being in tune with people's attitudes and just a general presence of people in general, I find that people are borderline demented, these people, were not nice in the approach of gardening, it was a sense of why you garden is just plain stupid, period. And if you garden, you are one of those "preppers", arent' you, which one person asked me directly. I figured since NatGeo started that series, there would be some issues, even here. I just calmly mentioned, I garden because I like to, and it is calming to me, and left it at that. After a few minutes in the line, the conversation was still uneasy, and very ill tempered about how stupid it is to garden, and a waste of time in these people's eyes, just on the simple fact I was buying a few seeds and a seed starting mat. When I got home, I was still reeling about the people at the store, and somehow that little trip was an eye opener as to people's attitudes of the going's on in our community and the country in general. People are angry, which they should be, but the anger is being directed to the wrong people, to innocent people who just like to do things and then someone comes along and makes a political statement out of it as to why I am doing something, and tries to get a fight out of you for doing it, or make you a criminal for what you do it for.
My trees are showing more budding out. I go out to tell them they had better keep their "pants" on, as its too early yet to show the world what you have. I am afraid, when we get those couple of days next week in the 60's and 70's, they will really try to pop out and then get frozen in a last of the season blizzard, which we usually get. But there is not much I can do about it except just let nature do its thing, Mother Nature knows her children well.
My sourdough batter is happy, and if I can get to it, I am going to try to make pancakes Sunday. I'm not going to get to it this morning. This batter seemed to work pretty good, not sure why, so I guess I am doing something right.
Well, I had better get off my duff and get to work. I have so much to do around the house, I just don't know even where to start, so I will just tackle the kitchen and work my way out.
I wish everyone a wonderful weekend, and peaceful weather hopefully to all.
PS:
I found that I was able to post the article from Countryside Magazine to my blog. So it is available to read.
I also found an article about sourdough from Countryside, so enjoy reading. I am currently stonewalled as to what to write about. Not much going on except the bills..... So enjoy the articles.
Hugs
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Some Hope
Good Afternoon, friends,
I have been working in the kitchen today. It is a true federal disaster with all that has been going on here and me not having time to tackle anything.
Personally for me, to try to de-stress myself, I have been playing around with starting some sourdough starter, just so I can let my mind just be a child again. I need to play. I have the kitchen windows open, it is very windy here, with a little bite in the air, but I am getting spring fever. As I was mixing my starter up, I heard the familiar calling of Sandhills cranes and they sounded very close, so I went outside for a little while to hear the heralding of spring to my ears, the cranes. The cranes have been here earlier than normal, some toward the end of January and the first week of February, but now they are landing by the North Platte river, which I am about a mile away from it. So the cranes are landing in the corn fields and stubble fields by good ol' Buffalo Bill's ranch house. For some reason, I had a smile on my face, a hope that spring and gardening is not too far off. Even though we have not had a bad winter here at all, it still seems long, and tiring, and just aching for a new start. I want to get outside so bad and try to work, but its still not quite there yet.
Like everyone else, and I'm sure all of my readers, money is so very tight, and it seems things are going up and getting even more money from you to even put meals on the table. I am so very glad, even elated, all of the hot, hard work of canning that I did, was so worth it. I am fixing chili for dinner and I just had to open jars, and place in the crock pot and then some corn bread, and ta-da, dinner. Most everything I used, except the hamburger and corn meal, was from my hands and my garden. My chili powder was from my pepper mixes I dried and ground myself. Some of it a little bitey, but good. It dawned on me, my efforts of canning and dehydrating and being somewhat more self sufficient has come about, even more so the last few years. I really didn't give it much thought, I was just putting things away and then I seen "what" I did, and it made sense.
I have been working on my seed list for this year. I now have a good idea what I use and how much. I am planning for more seeds, and a few more transplants grown as I will have failures like last year. I do not know what kind of a year we will have here, but I am expanding to include a few different peppers for drying and mixes, and a few beans to try, and something to just have some fun with. I am now a little more confident, even though I have gardened for a number of years, I am now gardening more and have goals and for a purpose of feeding myself and several other people and selling my herbs for some extra income. It is more of an urgent need now, and even so more as the grocery is getting beyond my costs now. Now its goals and needs instead of hobby and just for fun.
Well, I'd better scat into the kitchen and start my cornbread. And I may go outside for a little bit and take a cup of tea, and sit in the sun, just to enjoy the rest of the day. I wish a wonderful up coming week to all and hopes for more spring calling cards.
Hang on, Spring's almost here.
Hugs to All
I have been working in the kitchen today. It is a true federal disaster with all that has been going on here and me not having time to tackle anything.
Personally for me, to try to de-stress myself, I have been playing around with starting some sourdough starter, just so I can let my mind just be a child again. I need to play. I have the kitchen windows open, it is very windy here, with a little bite in the air, but I am getting spring fever. As I was mixing my starter up, I heard the familiar calling of Sandhills cranes and they sounded very close, so I went outside for a little while to hear the heralding of spring to my ears, the cranes. The cranes have been here earlier than normal, some toward the end of January and the first week of February, but now they are landing by the North Platte river, which I am about a mile away from it. So the cranes are landing in the corn fields and stubble fields by good ol' Buffalo Bill's ranch house. For some reason, I had a smile on my face, a hope that spring and gardening is not too far off. Even though we have not had a bad winter here at all, it still seems long, and tiring, and just aching for a new start. I want to get outside so bad and try to work, but its still not quite there yet.
Like everyone else, and I'm sure all of my readers, money is so very tight, and it seems things are going up and getting even more money from you to even put meals on the table. I am so very glad, even elated, all of the hot, hard work of canning that I did, was so worth it. I am fixing chili for dinner and I just had to open jars, and place in the crock pot and then some corn bread, and ta-da, dinner. Most everything I used, except the hamburger and corn meal, was from my hands and my garden. My chili powder was from my pepper mixes I dried and ground myself. Some of it a little bitey, but good. It dawned on me, my efforts of canning and dehydrating and being somewhat more self sufficient has come about, even more so the last few years. I really didn't give it much thought, I was just putting things away and then I seen "what" I did, and it made sense.
I have been working on my seed list for this year. I now have a good idea what I use and how much. I am planning for more seeds, and a few more transplants grown as I will have failures like last year. I do not know what kind of a year we will have here, but I am expanding to include a few different peppers for drying and mixes, and a few beans to try, and something to just have some fun with. I am now a little more confident, even though I have gardened for a number of years, I am now gardening more and have goals and for a purpose of feeding myself and several other people and selling my herbs for some extra income. It is more of an urgent need now, and even so more as the grocery is getting beyond my costs now. Now its goals and needs instead of hobby and just for fun.
Well, I'd better scat into the kitchen and start my cornbread. And I may go outside for a little bit and take a cup of tea, and sit in the sun, just to enjoy the rest of the day. I wish a wonderful up coming week to all and hopes for more spring calling cards.
Hang on, Spring's almost here.
Hugs to All
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)