Two Week update

Well, if I don't get this done, it will be a three week update.  Joanna and Norman are doing very well.  All good check-ups.  She's going through the nesting phase a little late..  I came home last night after work and she had the mattress off the bed and was condensing and storing winter stuff and putting things in order. Actually in a camper this needs to be done on a continual basis or there is no room for you to move. 

Mr. D was away for a couple days to the Middletown Bible Conf, in Middletown, CT.  I would have loved to go, but took two days off already for the birth of Norman.  It gave me some time to spend with Joanna so we went out to eat Monday.  We haven't been to a restaurant in a long time, so this was  a very special treat.  Then last night we had homemade bean/rice burritos together. 

The worst part of Mr. D being gone is of course I miss him.  The next worst thing is having to take care of the "stock" (chickens and ducks).  It's been raining for a few days and all around the coop is a greasy muddy mess.  I somehow avoided landing in it.  YEA!  Actually, taking care of the birds is not a bad thing, just getting up so early when I'd much rather be Z-z-z-z-z-z-z :)

from Google images... this is Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington State.
I've been to this park... when I was very young.  Scenes like this are common.  Isn't it beautiful with all the spring flower?

We are planning the garden.  I ordered a few seeds, but most likely we'll not plant too many new things this year.  Our garden is looking pretty good right now.  The chickens have been out there all fall/spring eating anything that's green and bugs and stuff.  It needs to be tilled, but otherwise the weeds are gone and it should be much easier to get ready.

Hmmmm... must have slept wrong on my wrist last night 'cause it's really achy this morning... hard to type.  Just took my watch off, maybe that will help.

Back to the garden.

I bought some different beans this year.  Mr. D loves the Romano pole beans, but they don't have fruit until late summer.  This year I want to supplement them with some "potash" to see if the vines will produce more and earlier.  We always add manure which is rich in nitrogen and the plants are lush and green usually, but the Romano beans don't produce a lot of fruit.  I think it'd be good to add some other nutrients to see if that will help.

So this year I'll plant Romano, asparagus beans, and Ruth Bible beans on the fencing and some half runner Amish Gnuddel beans.  I've heard good things about the Gnuddel and I'll grow them on the corn as the seller suggested.  I'm hoping they'll make good dry beans for winter soups.

We'll also have Jacob Cattle bush beans for shell type beans and dry.  I have eaten these as green beans, but they're sorta stringy. 

Other things we'll have are Lutz Winter Keeper beets, Amish Paste tomatoes, stakeless tomatoes, our own "Dan" squash which is a good hard winter variety, straight neck summer squash and zucchini.  There will also be spring peas, and parsnips that have overwintered.  The herb garden will have a few new things.  I'll try again to grow some lavender.  I'll also put in some Basil of a different variety. 
I think I bought some more strawberry chard seed too.

In the flower bed I hope to dig up and transplant a few items, making them more visable and improving the bed they are in.   Mr. D has put the chicken egg box right in front of the flower bed and I just think it needs some "shaping up".  I had originally just put that flower bed in quickly so that my flowers would survive when we moved.  Now it needs some help.

Gotta love spring.  It's been cold this week and rainy, but looks like the weekend will be glorious.  I'll post some pictures of the progress.

Happy Day to you!