rainy saturday and garden sale

All you had to do was tell me there was a plant sale, and I would be there. I love planting and watching things grow. So, I was up bright and early on this rainy Saturday morning. The boys asked last night to come as well, but only ND made it out of bed... 
I made us a quick breakfast, and with coffee and chocolate milk in hand we both headed out

It is an annual plant sale the first Saturday in April that is put on by the local high schools and "Future Farmers Club+. I really want to give it up to these kids, and all the hard work they do. I don't think I have ever been around a group of teenagers as polite as these were.  When so many are disengaged, sit on the video games or getting in to trouble, it was nice to see some doing a worth while thing and learning to be self sufficient. Their knowledge on gardening, what to plant and when to plant just amazed me. It was like picking the brain of the "Farmers Almanac" . Indeed I was truly impressed.

Then there were the girls,  and being all flirty and smiling at my little ND that he turned red.. LoL
  I was proud of him because he brought some of his own money and bought cantaloupe plants and Jalapenos..  Don't ask me why the peppers, but he did. I guess it was something to buy and he could plant. I think he has inherited moms love of gardening.

 This was my haul: Squash, pickle bush cucumbers, beef steak tomatoes, red and yellow peppers for Senior and the two things ND bought. The prices were so cheap that it was impossible not to go overboard, I think I paid no more then $10.00 for my load.

The rain here is now stopping,and the sun is starting to peek out,  but there is no way to get down in the garden, it is so muddy after the two days we have had that it will be either tomorrow or Monday before I can get this stuff in the ground without sinking down 2 feet and getting stuck.

Hope you all have a blessed Saturday...

-JUGM

Seeds and stuff

It's the last day of January and the weather has warmed so much that it feels like Spring. The seed and chicken catalogs have started to arrive. While I in no way need more chickens, I am in to getting seeds.
Senior and I have been looking to purchase large cypress trees to plant in order to create a natural fence. Quite a few people have done it around here and it looks really nice.

I've got quite a bit of seeds saved from last year so today I picked up some seed starters in anticipation of getting things in to the dirt. I don't know about you, but there is something intoxicating about digging in the dirt and watching things grow. This year I am going to pick up some seedless watermelons, last year the boys had fits spitting out seeds and also like last year ND is planting more pumpkins.

The past week was quite a whirlwind for us NW had basketball 4 out of 5 nights and a game yesterday. Two more and we are done with this season and probably with basketball forever. Lets just say he is ready for baseball season to start.

Went to the library this past week and checked this out, its about the task force of ships involved in the Battle of Samar during October 1944. I got it because the first of one of Seniors former ships was involved. I didn't think I would like it at first , but now that I have gotten deeper into it, I have gotten into the lives of the sailors involved and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Tomorrow is what I like to call the opening day of voting season- the Iowa Caucus. I am very excited, and I hope that this will be the year the voters get it right. I honestly like aspects of Trump, Cruz and Rubio. Not too keen on Bush but, lets face it even the worst republican is better then what the democrats are offering up.
Anyways, if you live in Iowa then get out and caucus. Because if you don't vote, and let your voice be heard, then you have no reason to complain.

Hope you all have a great week!
JUGM

what we have been doing....

 

We have been doing so darn much around the estate that its easier for me to show you in pictures instead of writing it all out....so here we go:

 

The cucumber seeds that my fellow Angel "Sandy" sent me, have exploded: 

 

 

Our first attempt at corn has been okay, and it has come in nicely

 



 

Until this past Tuesday night when we were hit with about 6 inches of rain in an hour and had some flash flooding through the garden. My Uncle is the oracle of gardening and said not to worry that it would stand back up on its own. It is to a point, but we do have some stalks that are just simply ruined:

 

 

Our neighbor let their cows out in this pasture behind our house, and they came up for a visit:

 

The boys baseball team won the "south division" and went to the championship game. but sad to say we lost. However, our coach is also the coach of the All-Star team and asked NW ( the oldest) to play on the team. We go to the All-Star tournament for 9-10 year olds in two weeks, and have been practicing 4 out of 7 days.

 

Between baseball and gardening, Senior built the Jersey Giants a new coop and we got it painted:

So thats been our week...just been busy, busy , busy because its that time of year for us around here. Hope you are all doing well....

-JUGM

garden and things.,..

Spring has kept us busy here at the ole estate. Now that it is in full swing everything is coming to life around here.

 

Garden is plowed and planted and seeds are starting to sprout. We have a pretty large deer population, so my Uncle told me to put soap on a rope around the garden perimeter, deer will catch the scent and think a human is nearby and stay out.....

 

I was a tad skeptical at first, but so far, the little soap on a rope trick seems to be working..This is a sunflower and corn popping up.



 

 My fellow Angel SANDY sent some heirloom cucumber seeds, boys planted them and now they have sprouted nicely. I also picked up some heirloom tomato seeds and got them started, few more days I will get them into the garden.

We went through a lengthy dry spell, but this past week Mother Nature as turned on her faucet, and everything is wet again..with more rain tonight and Sunday is supposed to be a complete wash out..then it looks like another stretch of nice weather for us.

My Seeds Have Sprouted...

Yea, Yea, Yea...okay so I have been MIA again. I am working my way around blogger to get caught up with what you have all been doing lately.
 Sunday was Easter and THANK YOU all for the wonderful Easter wishes..I hope you and your families had a fabulous and blessed day.

Last Friday Senior had to head up to the Carolina estate to check on some stuff...when he got there he sent me this pic:

That would be my rows of sunflowers and onions that we planted are coming up. We go up again next weekend and I can't wait to see it.

The nieces wedding shower is Saturday....*sigh*  Yes I am ready for it to come and go and be in the history book. We are now T-Minus 23 days until the happy couple says "I DO"  ND and NW are ring bearers, and we have bribed them with money, to say "EWWW Disgusting" when the kiss is done...

My wedding gift is the shower of course. But, I also went to the beach Tuesday morning and did this pic, I had it blown up and framed. A friend of mine has one similar on her wall and I have always liked it :

Let me tell you what a pain in the rear end it was to time the wave action before it washed over the lettering. I did one with our name on it too....

Wednesday night was turmoil in our house, the boys and I were out bike riding and little ND had a huge spill--the first of many I presume. Now he has a nice scraped up knee, and left elbow. My poor baby...so mommy and daddy patched him up and sat him on the couch with a orange popsicle.
Funny, how the next day he was all proud of his new "Boo-Boos" at school- kind of like bragging about battle wounds....lol  

-JUGM

There are Holes in my Cukes!

I hope by viewing this picture that some of my gardening blogging buddies can help me determine what is munching on my cucumbers. They are getting these tiny perfect little holes in them.
Google search does not come up with much, other then it possibly being a "pickleworm"

Some of my cucumbers have them. Then some I pull off don't.  Since I have no clue, if they are still edible or not, The few I have found them on, I have thrown out.

Any advice would be incredibly helpful. As this is my first successful year growing cucumbers, and my bushes have been doing extremely well. Now we are getting hit with these mysterious holy things.