Buddy Dates and Predators

Mr. Blueberry Eyes and I went on a Buddy Date today. Uncle #1 was at therapy for his arm, so we had about an hour to spend. We went to our favorite coffee shop and ordered Chai Latte's. He got a Danish. Now you have to understand that our life has been crazy lately. With Uncle convalescing in Mr. Blueberry Eyes' room, the latter has been relegated to the couch. In the end, the poor little guy has not had much in the way of sweet bonding time with Mommy. Tensions have mounted and behavior has gone South. So, I thought a special time was in order. As we sat there, sumptuously sipping, I could see his tension ebbing away. We giggled together. He chided me for letting him eat sugar - all the while grinning from ear to ear. I considered the option of imparting some great wisdom, but in the end, opted to just enjoy the sweetness together. I want to be the kind of mother that imparts wisdom in meaningful ways, but I don't want my children to think that I only give them treats as an opportunity to lecture.
After that we walked along the street, peeping into windows and oohing and ahing over the beautiful things for sale. Sweet memories! Wonderful world sometimes!
The downer of the day came when our landlady came to inform us that there is a predator driving up and down our road trying to coax children into his car by asking them to help him find his dog. Fortunately, we live at the back of a long driveway and know everyone between us and the road. Still, I've shrunk the !kids' boundaries as a precaution. Horrible world, sometimes.
Nanette

Spring Day

Our landlady's chickens and ducks are out today. I love to see them pecking and strutting. It is supposed to be in the 70s today, but right now it is cloudy. I've definitely got spring fever - a little grouchy and a lot restless! I'd rather be anywhere right now than correcting math and reading comprehension, but since my business is tutoring and I've chosen to homeschool my children, I have to be consistent - even if the chickens are running free and my hoop house is calling my name urgently. For me, April and May are the worst months of the school year. Gardenlust is intoxicating.
Lastnight I helped my Dad do his food dehydrating seminar and I shared for an hour about my garden adventures. (A special welcome to all my new garden friends! I'll soon post the recipes you asked for.)
My peppers and tomatoes are growing strong. I don't know why my basil isn't doing well. I think I used some bad potting soil. But, I've heard from two different sources that basil is easily started outside and catches up to the starts, so I will try that this year.
I intended to plant kale and peas a couple of weeks ago,
but life has taken me by storm and it hasn't gotton done. Hopefully today!
I hope your day is lovely. Tell me what your day is going like! - Nanette

As American As Baseball

Mr. Blueberry Eyes started baseball this month. So, it followed quite naturally that he would get a mitt for his birthday. As you can see by the look on his face, it was a home run! While he is well-coordintated and quick, he knew nothing of baseball. Fortunately, he is not the only one on his team in that place, so he is learning the basics. He plays his first game next week.
In other news, this has been a week of mixed blessings and tired eyes. Saturday, I got a call that my brother had been injured at his home about 2 1/2 hours from here. I drove with my parents to

get him and drove back to the E.R. in my town. (It was the closest E.R. that we knew could treat him without air-lifting him out.) We arrived around 11:30 p.m. Fortunately, one of our friends was the doctor there and gave him first class treatment. It turned out to be a dislocated elbow. Very painful, much swelling, massive bruising. The up side is that he is staying with us while he heals. So our busy life has included helping him dress, eat, take his meds, and getting him to therapy. It has been fun for me to mother him a bit. The children are having a wonderful time playing table games with Uncle!

We finished our third birthday party in three weeks. Now Mommy needs to be sent away for recovery! :) Truly, I can't believe my "babies" are 7 and 10 years old!
We've had another cold spell, but today, the sun is breaking out and it is starting to warm. I'm told we can expect 70s by the beginning of next week. TTFN - Nanette

Oops!

I'm sorry about the last seemingly disjointed post. I somehow deleted part of the story and published it without realizing. I've fixed it now. - Nanette

Happy Birthday, Laughing Water, Happy Birthday To You!

It hardly seems possible that that wide-eyed little bundle they put in my arms is 10 years old today. They weren't kidding when they said time flies!
It was Laughing Water's desire to have an old-fashioned tea with her friends. And so it came about that several little lovely ladies arrived in style complete with hoops, shawls, and hats.
They played old-fashioned games, like blind-man's bluff. We hid heart and flower shaped buttons for them to find.
They sat down to a pretty table and took tea and lemonade and little sandwiches and salads. Then they ate chocolate cake.
We closed it all with a pinata. It was just some great old-fashioned fun!
The Wood Artist made Laughing Water a wooden garden bench with her name engraved in it.
We will have Mr. Blueberry Eye's birthday celebration next weekend - with considerably less foofoo! - Nanettte

And the Green Grass Grows All Around

I'm interested in growning wheat and barley for juicing. I've heard so many good things about drinking "green" juice. It is supposed to help all kinds of health issues. A few days ago, I went to a little class on how to plant and grow the grass for the purpose of juicing. Here are the pictures of my first journey into it. It really isn't hard at all. I'm so impressed with the root systems! Too bad I don't have a special grass juicer yet. I don't know what I'll do with this batch. Maybe I'll just hide Easter eggs in it! :)
Really, it is so fresh and cheerful that I think it makes a lovely center piece for a table when one is longing for spring, but it just keeps snowing!

In other news, Mr. Blueberry Eyes had his first baseball practice lastnight. He enjoyed it so much! We had just givin him his new mitt at lunch yesterday, so it was a bit stiff. But he really liked his coach and had fun playing and learning.

We live in an exasperatingly small home and I am constantly trying to redo things to work smoothly. My pet project for this month is my closet. I was delighted to find some bark-stripped baskets in town for 70% off today! I can't wait to re-work it.
It snowed heavily this morning for several hours, but now the sun is gleaming through! I hope we have a spring-like weekend! - Nanette

Seeds - The Promise of Life

I'm feeling lazy today. I have only 45 tomatoes and 6 trays of sweet and hot peppers started. I really need to start 2-3 more varieties of tomatoes and 2 varieties of peppers soon! But it is snowing and I'm feeling like reading a book instead of tromping out to my greenhouse to get more pots.
I like to start my seeds in pots that I've placed on a heat mat. The heat gives the little seedlings a boost. They can be purchased in gardening catalogs, and, I'm sure, nurseries.

After the seedlings appear I take them off of the heat mats and put them about 2 inches from grow lights that I've suspended from a metal shelf (purchased at Costco). As they grow, I lower them down so that they are always about 2-6 inches below the lights.

I learned the hard way that starts don't like to be in a warm room. They get leggy really fast. So I keep my operation in my garage that is about 50-60 degrees.

I also learned that if you put kelp in the water or soil, the seedlings grow stronger root systems and therefore the plant is healthier, stronger.

I put a picture here of my newest "toy". It is a pesticide sprayer. Of course, I avoid all pesticides, but have just been introduced to this handy-dandy tool as a great watering system. You can purchase them at Walmart for $9-$15. I've been delighted with the ease this allows my watering time. It is gentle on the little seedlings and is tidier than a water can or dipping system.

Let me know what you are starting and how! - Nanette