Fond Memories and Chores with the Boys!

I could look up the date that I lost Nipper, my ND buck, but I have already been thinking of him a lot the last week. I'm thinking that it was a year ago that I lost him. He's not forgotten and sadly missed.

On days like today, I'm very thankful to have his twin sons. They are very different in their antics and yet have many similarities too. Wrapper, the boy who had broken his leg and spent a lot of time inside healing, often reminds me of Nipper. Today Wrapper was doing his daddy's (and his) thing while I did chores. He runs along with me, races past me, and when I get where we're going, he's off to where I'll be going next. Then he races back and forth while waiting for me, all the while, demonstrating his athletic ability with his side-winder running moves, boink-boinking along, and that flat out run with a leap into the air. What a hoot!

Meanwhile, Patches (Wrap's twin) and Kernals (the new buck) amble along with me, usually RIGHT BEHIND me! Yes, if I stop unexpectedly, I often get rear-ended and then given the innocent, "Why did you stop here?" look.

Wrapper has to jump up on an old steel garbage can (froze down and wish I could move it) and leans over the edge of the stock tank for a tepid drink. Patches and Kernals patiently wait for me to scoop a bucket of water and place it in front of them. ALL new water MUST be taste tested before it can be taken to the barn! it's a goat rule! Wrapper scares me that he may fall in the tank, which would mean I'll have to bring the stinky fella to the house to get dried and warmed. Then back to the barn we head with water for the does. All the while, Wrapper is still showing me his moves.

He sure reminds me of his daddy! Patches and Kernals remind me of a couple old souls who are just plain happy to be under my feet and waiting for their being loved on.

REALLY!

There just isn't much I can say about this!

Today is World Menopause Day.

REALLY! We need this day? How do we celebrate? With a cake or fancy dinner?

Please share with me how you would like to celebrate this day!

Sunday Silence - Missing

What Season is it?

It is Seed Catalog Season, of course!

There's nothing like reaching into the mail box and pulling out a sign that Spring is really coming! I think it's the best time of the year to collect my mail. I still get the bills, but the seed catalogs brighten it immensely!

I got the Baker Creek Catalog first so the photos here are pics I took of their catalog. I LOVE their catalog. The photos are just awesome. I think I should consider framing a couple of the pics to display.

Along with Baker Creek's catalog, I've also gotten the following:

RH Schumway

Jung Seeds & Plants

Gurneys

Gardens Alive

John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds

Territorial Seed Company

Miller Nurseries

And what a breath of Spring they are. It is also nice that we are having a VERY mild Winter so far. I can't believe how mild it is. I can deal with this! I wish it was like this most years instead of this being a totally unusual one! I regress....

I'm really enjoying the seed catalogs. I'm marking x's near the seeds I need and filling the pages with sticky notes to find those pages again. Next, I'll jot what the seeds on those pages are at the top of the sticky notes. I COULD do that at the same time that I stick them in, but I really enjoy a 2nd trip thru the catalogs to do this. It also makes the 2nd trip faster so if I missed anything I can catch it and it's a good prelim for the next thing I do. And, that is a list of what I want to get. Then I'll note the prices and catalog page for each item. After that I use my list to price compare and also to see if there are any catalogs that won't make the cut this year. If shipping and handling prices weren't so high, I'd order a few from each catalog. It won't work that way for me again this year.

I really do have fun doing this. I guess it's the "dream" and yet it's a necessity to plant a garden. And, I'm started with my reviews.

THEN, it happened! I had to make a trip to Dollar General yesterday, along with getting gas and goat and poultry feed. And what did Dollar General have? A nice, big see display, all nicely full and no empty spots! Yes, I did it. I bought a whole lot of packages of seeds. What was a gal to do? I need to garden! They are filling a need, and they sucked me right in with marketing! The majority of seeds are only 3 for $1. It's a far cry from the $3 seeds for 1 packet in my lovely catalogs! AND, NO shipping and handling charges! Granted the packets don't have as many seeds as the major seed companies do, but I don't always need 1,000 seeds, even for zucchinis!

Needless to say, I now need to make a list of what I have and then I can resume perusing the seed catalogs.

I even grabbed a few flower seeds! Nasturims are good bug deterrants and are fun to see down amongst the squash plants. Nasturim flowers are also edible, as are the squash blossoms! So, if I get hungry I can eat flowers!

I might not like normal winters, but I sure do enjoy Seed Catalog Season! I do enjoy a good deal too. I shouldn't look to see how much I spent on seeds. It might blow my mind and that would ruin the rest of my season!

Project Storage!

After years of desire.... and I DO mean YEARS....

I'm FINALLY getting some storage shelves that I've wanted sooooo badly! I was trying to figure out how to put them in myself, but hubby kept telling me I "can't do that".  Well, nephew Mick is going to put them in for me!

 

I'll FINALLY have a shelf the cream separator (it's a BEAST) can set on and not have to be moved, etc.! And milk jars will have a better place to set when not in use. And my small collection of pitchers and decorated jars I store goodies in will have a place to "pretty up" while being practical.

 

Also, my pressure canners, stock pots and such will have a "permanent" place to be instead of being toe stubbers.

 

AND, on the end will be floor to ceiling book shelves for all my cookbooks! They can be out of their boxes and better accessed! I'll be able to get to those with the little sticky tabs sticking up from something I want to make!

 

I'm also hoping for a floor-to-ceiling cupboard added on the edge of the kitchen. This house has ALWAYS been lacking storage space and over the years, my kitchen acquisitions and such have expanded.

 

The good news is, we have MOST of the materials needed and may only need some shelf wood and a door for the cupboard. YAH!!!!

 

I have soooo needed all this for sooooo long! Mick is off work for the Winter and was tickled to have something to do. He'll probably have BIL's help as they enjoy puttzin around together doing guy stuff. They came out the other day to help me with getting all the cut and split wood from the edge of the woods up here for our wood heat, and they cut some extra too. They also cut a couple trees off my fence that were in bad need of being done. I was trying to do them with a hand saw and getting no where fast other than the saw eventually broke.

 

Can you tell I'm excited about some storage space? REALLY EXCITED!