Summertime Garden

Well, the garden is off and running. We kinda coordinate with our neighbor - Joe - about what we plant. He plants corn, taters, maters, cabbage, beans, cucumbers, squash and some okra. These are the things his family eats in quantity. We plant maters, okra, radish, beets, squash, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, herbs, and this year, asparagras. We swap back and forth with Joe and his family and store all his taters under our house for the winter. We usually wind up with about 40 bushels of potatoes in storage and they last all winter.

How does your garden Grow?

The garden is doing pretty well considering most everything is from seed. The white and read radishes are growing well. The lettuce is up. We have been eating the onions in salads. We planted about 23 different tomato plants including heirloom, cherry and plum tomatoes. Also green and orange peppers. The cucumber, yellow and green squash started from seed is doing very well. Chuck planted some okra seed today and 5 more tomato plants, 4 asparagus plants and my herb plants. I have Italian and curly parsley, basil and a couple others that I can't remember. Chuck was over in the other small garden area today and found curly parsley growing apparently its a perennial and not annual. Since we haven't had any rain in a couple of days Chuck was out there watering tonight. Rain is predicted for Friday. Most of the long weekend will be nice. We are staying home and will have company coming on Friday and Sunday. Hope to have a cookout on Saturday the usual hot dogs and hamburgers and maybe some brots.

Company

Last week we had the pleasure of having some old friends from our Navy days visit for a couple of days. They were on their way back from Vt and MD visiting family. Unfortunately, they could only stay from Wednesday - Thursday. They had a 16 hour drive to get back to the Austin, TX area where they live. They loved our mountain home and would love to buy a place nearby. We took them down to Dale Hollow Lake about 12 miles from our mountain home in Byrdstown. The lake is high after all that rain 2 weeks ago and was overflowing into the parking lot. There is a restaurant on a floating dock there and a large marina and also a state park to camp the other side of the marina. Anyway, Bob and Kathy will be making the trip again next year and plan on stopping through on the way to and back from MD.

Mothers Day I got breakfast in bed compliments of my husband. Late afternoon we went to the lake and had a steak dinner. Son Stephen always sends money evry year for birthdays and mothers and fathers day so dinner was on him. It was a great day although a little cool had to wear a light jacket. The weather has since warmed up. We are looking forward to the day when we can purchase a used pontoon boat and be out on the lake.

Been busy planting in the garden we still have seeds to plant and I want to plant my herb garden. I hope we get alot more tomatoes this year than last. Our neighbors let us pick tomatoes from their garden as well as pole beans, greens, cabbage and okra. We hope to put up more peaches this year peaches should be ready next month.

Short Shopping/Vacation to Ft Campbell Ky

We went to Ft Campbell, Kentucky on the wednesday the 28th of April and stayed until friday the 30th. It was a short getaway and a shopping trip all in one. We stayed at the Post Guest House (Turner) which was very close to the Commissary and PX.

Garden Time

One of the neighbors came over and spread the top soil last week then Chuck borrowed a tiller from the other neighbor and the garden is ready to be planted. Yesterday, we went out and planted red, yellow and white onion bulbs, white radish seeds, cucumbers, crook neck squash,eggplant, beets and zucchini. Now its raining today so will have to finish planting seeds another day. When we get back from out trip to KY this week, will go to the nursery for tomato plants, pepper plants, lettuce and herbs. I decided to plant my herbs in planters and keep them on the back deck. Not sure if it this will work with the 4 stray cats running around! They may try to use the planters as a litter box!! I hope the seeds come up we usually buy plants but thought that we would try seed this year. Our neighbor does seeds and seems to have a lot of luck with them. Speaking of the neighbor, Chuck went over and helped him plant potatoes again this year. Chuck built a double bin under the house for red and white potatoes. We never have had to buy potatoes all year! He usually gives us veggies when he found out I wanted to start canning. His wife and her mother do the canning. Joe built a wood fire outside and got a big metal tub filled it with water and filled canning jars its much faster than doing them on the stove. So Chuck decided that we will try that this year.

Joe gave us two jars of what I call Italian green beans, he had another name for them. I have had the canned ones from the store but these are much better. I guess they have an excess left over. Their kids usually come and help pick the veggies and then they get jars of stuff and potatoes all winter. I filled my freezer up plus a whole shelf of jars. Gave some to the kids when they were here and friends. We planted stuff that the neighbor doesn't plant so we can share with them. He also plants greens in the fall those also freeze nicely. I just have one bag of greens in the freezer to finish up. I will can more of them this year as my daughter and granddaughters like them.

Well its time to sign off till next time.

Spring

Well here it is almost the end of April and I am finally finding time to write a few lines. The weather has been perfect here lately in the upper 70's. The rest of the week rain is predicted.

Got the garden plowed up and a delivery of top soil today. This clay soil is very hard root veggies don't grow very well in it so Chuck decided we needed top soil. Waiting for the neighbor to come over and spread the soil then Chuck can till the garden. Luckily, our neighbor lets us borrow his tillar. Guess we will have to invest in one if we are going to have a garden every year. Now we have to decide what to plant and lay the garden out.

I cooked up a big batch of spagetti sauce this week and canned it. I did put one container of the sauce in the freezer for another time. I got 3 quarts and 2 pints canned. Also had some frozen tomatoes from the garden last summer and made up 4 pints of medium salsa. Can't wait till the peaches are out so can freeze some and also can some. The neighbor asked us if we wanted some canned green beans so will take a jar of spagetti sauce over tomorrow and get a couple jars of beans. I gave the ones I did up to my youngest daughter when she and the girls were here at Christmas. She took more pickles home to.

We spent a couple of days in IL with Chucks sister Easter weekend. I brought a ham and a bag of frozen greens and some other stuff. We had a turkey breast along with the ham and all the trimmings. Diane cooked more than needed for five people. We hope to take a trip back later on the summer.

Planning a trip to Fort Campbell, KY next week. Its been a long while since we have been to a military base. Love to shop in the commissary and exchange. I am waiting to hear if they have a room available on base. Active duty have priority so it may be hard for us to get a room. There are hotels and motels in the area as well.

Finally finished the renovation to the main bathroom last month. Still have to get new fixtures for the shower and some new rugs. Will do the master bath early fall. Thats a job and the bathroom was out of commission for over a week! It took 2 days just to do the tiling! In the master bath we plan to put in radiant floor heat before we tile. That should warm it up in the winter.

Well not alot going on here this week. So I will sign off.

More Snow!

Just when we thought Spring was just around the corner the cold and snow is back. Not going to get the 3 inches they first predicted this am. I canceled my hair cut appointment for tomorrow thinking that the roads would be bad up here on the mountain (the county doesn' plow or salt our country road) it looks like it will be ok tomorrow. Its still cold here in the 30's during the day. By sunday it will be in the low 50's.

We are planning our garden but don't want to plant to soon. I am thinking of doing container garden for my herbs and plant the tomatoes where I normally plant herbs. Last year the tomatoe plants burned up and we didn't get many tomatoes. That one side of the house doesn't get the sun all day like the back yard. Chuck is planning on getting a load of top soil for the garden as the root vegetables didn't do well in the clay soil. Still have frozen corn, greens, tomatoes, green peppers and green beans, yellow squash and peaches in the freezer to use up and jars of pickles, spagetti sauce, peaches green tomatoe relish and tomatoes to use up. I gave a bunch to our daughter to take home at Christmas time. Have to see what the neighbor is planting this year they always give us some veggies especially potatoes, so we can give some stuff to them. They put up alot of jar stuff and give to their 3 grown children and grandchildren. Sure saved us some money this winter.

We are planning a trip to IL at Easter time just a weekend with Chucks sisters and nephrew. Its hard to get away when we still have the old horse and the cats.

My sister and brother-in-law's house caught on fire in January they are now living in a temp house paid for by the insurance company. Thank God they weren't in the house nor was the other sister. They are being told it may take up to a year to redo the inside. I don't think they were able to salvage much.

Daughter and grandaughters are planning a trip up this summer after school is out. We hope to take them to the Smokey Mtns and maybe Dollywood. Checking into renting a cabin for a couple of days. The middle grandaughter wants to visist an aquarium there is suppose to be one in the area.

Well not alot of anything going on here. I really need to try and keep up with this blog.