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So I started a blog. I'm a planner. I like to organize and prioritize. Sounds kind of weird for a gardener, but hey, its who I am. I like dirt. I like starting things from seeds and help them become the greatness that is veggie! I spent countless hours/days/weeks/months preparing for my garden adventure. I read. I read seed catalogs, old books of my mother's, other gardeners' blogs, random websites about gardening basics, and magazines. With that said, I will forever be a beginner gardener/farmer. So, again, I started a blog. I'm going to share my gardening ups and downs, what worked for me and, of course, my epic failures. I love to share tricks and knowledge and experiences with people that I've learned over time. So please, read my blog and come over to my garden, and mostly, enjoy!



Tuesday, June 22, 2010

A drive to remember


With "Z" by MMJ as my soundtrack, I hopped in the car, did my farmer's market circuit, bought some plants, and chatted with a few folks. I've been asking around the farmers' markets about people who would be willing to show me the ways of a beekeeper. Lots of people have given my info and resources to check out. This weekend was no exception. Except, this weekend I met John Duncan. You can really see when some people are doing something that they love to the core of their being. He pulled me around to the inside of his modest booth of honey, eggs, veggies, and a few jars of salsa, sat me down on a stool, and literally gave me the history of bees with such gusto that it got me more excited than I have ever been about beekeeping. He is bringing me a video to watch next Saturday at the market, and he even offered to let me come out to his farm to SEE THE BEES--as in suiting up and checking out what is so great about their knees!!!! Enthusiasm from another person could inspire me to do just about anything. John definitely had enthusiasm and knowledge and I am a cell-o sponge just waiting for the spill. (as I write this I'm indulging on some of that bread and John's honey)


After the market, I set out on another journey. To Taylorsville, KY, to meet Jim Price for the first time on his farm. I wanted to add a few more worms to my worm-poo-crew and possibly another chicken or two. And I did. The drive was peaceful and surprisingly short. I drove down a curvy road to a gravel driveway. As I drove, I passed a beehive and pulled up to an old farm cottage complete with old rocking chairs on the front porch. There were chickens in the front yard. There were chickens in the backyard. There were cows in the pasture. And, there was a garden behind the house. I kicked myself several times for not bringing my camera. I'm planning another trip out there and won't make that mistake again. I can hardly call myself a blogger if I don't provide visuals!


The new girls are settled in and seem to be getting along with the original bunch. New names are Bessy, a Golden Comet who looks like a little cow, and Lily, possibly a Salmon Faverolle that's shy and sweet. The more are let myself sink into the simple life, like an overstuffed chair at your grandma's house, the harder it is to get out. It happy and safe and warm and fulfilling here. This past weekend was so good. The rugrat wasn't feeling all that great on Sunday, so I stayed home from work with her. Since we were confined to the house, I decided to make a good day of it. For four hours, I paced around the stove watching strawberries turn into jam and tomatoes turn into a hearty pasta sauce with basil from my yard and tomatoes & onions from the farmers' market. The strawberry jam was just sweet and tart enough to inspire me to make bread. Luckily, I had enough jam leftover, not enough to fill a jar, but enough to engage in some necessary quality control. I must say, one of my favorite guilty pleasures is freshly baked warm bread with honey, butter, or now, homemade strawberry jam. My favorite part was when the lids started popping on the jars and I knew that I was successful. After Hubby woke up, he took a shift with Sophia and let me go play outside. I let the girls out of the coop and started the endless process of weeding. They had a blast and almost didn't want to go back inside. The coop is finished--at least the building part of it. Its too hot and humid here to paint, so I'll wait a bit before I tackle that project.

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