Extra Shots and Ending the Week

The weather this week has been fantastic! 70's every day. Stacia found some time to "write" outside...

And this looks to be a great spot for a study break.  

I'm not sure where Danny expected to end up - but stuck was probably not his original goal. LOL 

I thought the chickens would like this tray of left over Brussel plant seedlings. No, they did not. Bertha was the first to try (as she often is) and somehow communicated to the others that it wasn't worth their time. 

I had my A1C on Friday. I grabbed these in celebration. It turns out neither really tempt me...but the family is enjoying them. LOL

Driving our local roads never gets old with views like this. 

Stacia - still driving - not the same day as the 1st photo

It happens seemingly overnight. The trees are filled with leaves, the devil's club and stinging nettle are out. The woods are magical. 

Unfortunately, this means it's ALSO time to start mowing....once again I am wondering if we could hire a team to  take care of the yard....it takes us so long.  Stacia and I spent a couple of hours working on the small bits of the yard. We ran out of gas so I'll continue later....If we hired someone it would be all DONE at once....and we'd have those 10 - 15 hours back in the week to work on other projects such as staining the house, building a retaining wall, terracing the garden....hmmm.....

Michael had sermon prep. The older 3 "kids"  put in 8 - 10 hour work days. Stacia and I worked in the yard. Grandpa is sleeping more than I've ever seen him sleep.  This evening the kids stayed home with Grandpa, who doesn't feel strong enough to get up, let alone go out. 

Michael and I drove into Eagle River and had dinner with JaRissa and Jamin. It was quite fun. 

Another week is in the bags. 

Friday's Progress

Friday morning Breakfast & Bible with Stacia. We left a bit early so I could try to get labs drawn. I knew I didn't have an appointment, but I didn't remember I needed labs until late yesterday...and my appointment is Tuesday. Monday is a holiday. The 7:30 appt CANCELLED and I was able to walk right in. The gal was giving me a mini lecture about making an appointment and not walking in, when I told her I knew it was a risk, but decided to just pray and try it as I hadn't known early enough to make an appointment and the site showed no appointments. She agreed with me that God had blessed me. LOL

GG went down for a nap and Allie was home...she joined us out in the garden for today's hour of fun. The girls brought dirt from the pile in the driveway. We filled the five beds we worked on yesterday with dirt. While they hauled dirt I got the space around three beds weeded and I leveled dirt in beds. 

LOOK! More life. I hope this bodes well for this year's garden. 

The girls put in our agreed upon hour. I spent an extra 1/2 hour puttering around and up-planting these tomato plants. I'm sorely tempted to go buy a plant...but these are doing well. 

Artichokes - a long shot but fun to try. 

It can get discouraging to look at this mess!!!! This is the side of the garden I've not touched yet this year. The part without beds. We add a few new beds each year. 

If I train my eyes to look at THIS part of the garden I feel like progress is being made. LOL 

The older girls enjoyed their bug ball treat. 

The chicks have been moved to their new home. I think they'll be comfortable and I'm happy to have a quieter kitchen back.  We laughed as they began running and flying in their new space. 

Allie met with a friend this afternoon/evening. Stacia and I drove her to town and decided to stay to enjoy the Friday Fling. This is a small open air vendor market. Sadly, there are more food trucks than vendors or Farmer's Market type offerings...but it was a beautiful day and this was the first time we made it out this year. The fling runs from mid May - mid August. 

Nolan, Alex, Stacia and Michael moved the re-purposed hoop house to the top of  two of the beds. The other 1/2 of the hoop house can be made into another small covering or we may join them together some day for the big hoop house we originally envisioned. For now, we needed this space back. LOL 

A Great Thursday

 Allie and I have been having a weekly Bible study at 0900. We made plans to sneak out at 0715 today. The thought was this would begin easing Allie into her earlier work routine...and get us home earlier which would help with Michael's routine. He'd be able to tackle a project, rather than wait inside for us to get home.  This will be our last Thursday morning study - we're looking for a new time now that her mornings will be filled with employment. 

GG changed our plans by waking up at 0400 and insisting on breakfast. We begin to think he wakes up early if he knows I am going to be out in the morning to ensure I fix him breakfast rather than Michael. Michael fixes him oatmeal. With me his standard breakfast is fried potatoes, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, bacon, fruit and COFFEE. ::snort:: We are going to check out our theory. GG was sleepy and went back to sleep which allowed Michael to get a few things done, it all works. LOL 

In any event, Allie needs a few things as she begins her new job. We decided a trip to Wasilla was in order and Michael agreed a good time to do it was after breakfast/study as we were already out. Allie drove to Wasilla - and around Wasilla! Woot! 

Stacia and I were eager to spend our hour together in the garden. Allie got GG lunch and stayed inside with him.  She sliced up a watermelon and made fruit salad for us to take to Lifegroup this evening. I think she also swept the upstairs. 

Our goal today was to get these two beds ready for the renovated hoop house to be moved over them. This will give me extra space for warmer weather crops.  The bed on the right was our lasagna bed over the fall/winter. When the greenhouse arrived Alex had taken apart the old compost bed and piled it all in this bed. It was three times that high...we began spreading the compost in that bed amongst the other beds. The goal is to take it down to about 1/2 and then fill it the rest of the way with the topsoil/compost we purchased last year. 

After filling the bed on the left to 1/2 way....we took the plastic off the next bed. Putting black plastic over the beds last fall has paid off huge now. The beds are usually as full of weeds as the space around the beds. 

We weeded and then noted fine roots running through this bed....I suspect chickweed. I decided the best bet was to lay newsprint down from our handy dandy end of newsprint roll from a local paper.  We layered interlocking strips of paper over the bed and watered it.  Then we topped it with the compost from the bed in the first picture. 

 

We repeated this process in five beds. The hour was up and Stacia was ready to be done. I spent another 30 minutes pulling weeds, watering and such. My goal is to have all the beds planted by the end of Memorial Day.  We may make it. 

One new thing this year is LIFE. The first year NOTHING grew in our garden. The last three years we have worked with the soil, built beds etc...and this year our fifth garden year here...I am excited to see life in the garden...caterpillars, spiders...not sure it's good life but it's life. I thought caterpillars were bad news and then googled and they said they become butterflies which help pollinate plants. What do you think? Move the critters or let them thrive in the garden? 

Five beds - weeded, weed barrier, watered, filled with compost. Ready to add more topsoil/older compost tomorrow. 

The chickens love a treat of watermelon. We bought a LOT of watermelon from co-op on Tuesday. The co-op purchased a bin. I believe I got 50 - 60 lbs of melons.  We are LOVING it. 

Wait...he is heading away from the garden with my new garden bed! Yes, it didn't take long for others to weigh in with their thoughts on how to use the new bed. We talked, compromised and I think it will work.  The chicks are load, boisterous and stinky. I want them out of the kitchen.  They aren't full feathered yet and we can't move them to the chicken yard.  This will make a nice home for them for a couple of weeks in the garage. When they are done with the home, we'll move it to the garden plot. 

My sadness at not having the bed in the garden is tempered by having the chicks OUT of the house. 

We had just enough time for Michael and I to shower and leave for Lifegroup.  Oh! Allie drove us to Lifegroup with Michael in the car. 

It was a great day....one on one time with both girls...at breakfast/study and in the garden, progress on projects, and friends in the evening. 

New Summer Routine

 We are working into a new summer routine. It goes a bit like this. 

Allie and the boys go off to their workplaces most mornings. WHUT? Didn't I blog about that? Yes, Allie has been busy: applications, interviews, orientation and wala...a job that will work great with college. Summer is the perfect time to get lots of hours in before the fall semester. 

I get grandpa up and we accomplish all the morning things...then Stacia and I go for a walk. NOW....this has been working as Allie has been home this week. She stays up with GG.  Our goal is for us to get a walk in and then Stacia has told me she'll spend an hour a day in the garden with me while GG naps. She sets a timer and we go for it. We  love spending  time together and we enjoy doing a bit each day rather than 8 hours in the garden once a week.  I'm sure Stacia and Allie would alternate days in the garden and days watching GG, but Allie found a job very quickly.  The garden is a MESS out there...but bit by bit it will get there.  There is more and more in the greenhouse that needs to find a new home....and soon the melons will be ready to be planted in the beds. 

I am seeing a few sprouts from the seeds we planted last week. Obviously, I still  cannot plant in a straight line. LOL Look at the little lettuce...the spinach can't be far behind. 

And the asparagus has doubled in height overnight.  

We have one lone bed in the midst of the jungle planted. Today, we prepped one more bed, added old organic compost to it and planted it.  I can't get over what a difference it's made putting black plastic over the beds in the fall.  The beds used to be as bad as the ground around them.  Now there were just a few weeds to get out of this bed, and lots of weeds to pull from around the bed. 

Yes, we're still working on storm damage. 

We got cauliflower and green onions situated before Stacia went in. I continued and planted 16 Red Brussel Sprouts and 8 Brussel Sprouts as well.  Bed number 2 is fully planted. 

I am a bit worried those tiny sprouts won't make it...so I pulled pieces of scrap from the jungle and made a make-shift row cover for them. 

Two beds done....eight to go. 

Everything we planted last week has survived. 

I have come up with a garden uniform. Who knew how handy an apron would be in the garden? I can put my phone, clippers, markers etc.in the pockets...and I can clip the THERMACELL on it. When I have that running the mosquitos are tolerable.  The mosquito magnet quit working last year, Michael plans to look at it and see if he can get it up and running. It did a great job the one year it worked. ::sigh::  The mosquitoes don't seem to attack Michael as they do Stacia and I. I was driven to distraction last year until I bought one. LOL 

One last garden photo! LOOK AT MY NEW GARDEN BED!!! I love it. It was free. I love the backstory. It has been the baptistry at the church where CoRielle are on staff.  It sprung leaks and they are building a new one....Cory and Arielle knew just what to do with this....I've always thought a garden is a sacred spot...I'm thrilled. Not sure what I'll plant in it.  Hmmm.... Ideas? 

While we were all busy with "things" Michael repaired the mower blade and started mowing. 

All the garden stuff filled the morning. In the afternoon Stacia and I took Allie to her job orientation. We took advantage of the time to explore Wasilla a bit more. We visited the library and a shopping center. Allie was done with just enough time for the three of us to grab a yummy meal and head to church for youth and women's groups. 

GG is still "off."  He has various complaints, but they are fleeting. I've taken him to the doc and it seems to be just general malaise.  They DID call to schedule two iron infusions. That will help with his energy and shortness of breath. I'm not sure it will help with the others....

Simple "Summer" Pleasures

 

First peach of the season! Gotta love summer.
Taken tomorrow morning @ breakfast

I thought it might be a bit too early for peaches. The first order they didn't come in. This time I ordered a 1/4 case of peaches and a 1/4 case of nectarines....hoping....but not wanting to commit to a 1/2 case. The nectarines didn't come in, but the peaches were good!  The first peach signals summer is here....though we won't count it until Memorial Day. Peaches, cherries and nectarines are some of the simple pleasures of summer to which we look forward. 

Today was co-op day. Three pallets of fresh, organic produce directly from Organically Grown Company in Eugene, OR, along with another pallet or two from Azure and Frontier. It was a big order and took longer than usual...but it was worth the wait when dinner looked like THIS. Huge thanks to Stacia - the chef of dinner's Salmon dish, and Allie - sous-chef extraordinaire.  To spread the cheer we made a couple of quick boxes for BreZaak and CoRielle and delivered them.   Everyone loves co-op day! 

blueberries, watermelon, asparagus, raspberries, 
strawberries, cherries, oranges, bananas, apples
 and, oh yeah - Salmon Wellington

After

Cory gave us two bags of raspberry starts/canes/ whatever they are called. We are going to try to get that patch started again....maybe we'll put an electric fence around the patch this time. Those moose. 

BTW temps in the high 60's - even reaching a bit into the low 70's....maybe it will be a HOT summer this year. 

Moose Woes

We only have one bed planted and they found it! 

They were not deterred by the windchimes and pallets - at all. 

They tromped across the asparagus bed.  Adding insult to injury, they had the audacity to bite the tops off and leave them lying beside the stalks. 

...and so, Michael strung up the electric fence again. 

Gardening in Alaska.