Just a note about my garden:

It's a third of the way through June and my tomatoes are huge and beginning to set fruit.

The basil and green peppers are coming along too.

I just wish the chiggers and deer ticks weren't so fierce this year.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi

2017 Christmas Letter

Happy New Year to you all and God’s best for your upcoming year.

I completed my last finish-before-Christmas project on Saturday. Phew!  I meant to get this out in time. I even bought the stamps three weeks ago.

Les is well and serving as a hospice chaplain among other ministering activities.

Angela visited us a couple of times this year and I got to talk with her boyfriend Cody for a bit. He seems like a wonderful young man. Thanksgiving is Angela’s usual time to visit and we played around with some vegetarian recipes for the holiday. Everything came out pretty tasty.

About a year and a half ago, I asked several people for their memories of the Great Depression and World War II. One lady started to give me her stories and decided that she was enjoying the process so much that she wanted to work up her own book. I helped her finish it and get it posted on Amazon.

Another lady handed me a box of letters that her father sent home from Italy during World War II. There were enough letters to create a book of her own too.  That one is called Dear Sis, Ans. Soon.

Finally, I was able to work on the book I’d started originally. It came out in print somewhere around Thanksgiving. I called it Uphill and Against the Wind Both Ways. It contains stories from Aunt Miriam, my mother, and Sarah’s uncle Dale Hitzeman among others. Les’ mom gave me a lot of stories that I had never heard before, like letters to the soldiers from “Jane Hathaway”.

I’ve also spent time crocheting for various people and organizations. My garden was somewhat smaller this year. I planted raspberries and something called a honeyberry. I put a small herb garden just outside my front door and the parsley has stayed fresh and good until this cold week. Because I like having fresh salad greens and herbs, I have planted a few pots indoors as my latest experiment.

That’s about as exciting as it gets in my house. Honestly, it’s been a good year and I’m grateful to God for His mercy and generosity.

I still work in the library. It’s still the best job I can think of for a teacher who isn’t in the classroom anymore.

Love to you all,

Kathi

This Year's Garden

I'm going for permanence this year with regards to my garden.

I planted three baby honeyberry bushes. I don't plan to see any fruit from them for at least a couple of years. Same thing with the raspberry canes that went in alongside one fence line.

Otherwise, I only have my asparagus patch and the two circle gardens. I'm growing tomatoes, green peppers and some spinach. They look so empty at the moment, but I know how everything will grow and fill it all in.

I don't need to can anything this year, but will probably put up some tomatoes - just plain for throwing in stews or tacos.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

Starting Early

We've had a warmish spring so far and I planted a few seeds early. In keeping with my recent determination not to do any more digging in order to garden, I am once again using my two keyhole gardens, some straw bales and also some bags of garden soil.

The straw is in preparation for  planting. I'm thinking that I will put in  root crops this year - say some carrots and beets. 

I opened three bags of soil and put in peas and spinach. Those seeds will stand up to some cooler weather. They've made a good start in spite of the little dog next door who thinks she should get to play in the dirt.

I covered the seedlings for a few nights when frost threatened. This is my first year with the "grow bags". I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Kathi

Transplanted Tomatoes

I'm happy to say that the tomatoes I transplanted a week and a half ago made the trip safely.  I can't say that they are thriving yet, but they don't look as sad and there are finally some small tomatoes on the vine.  Phew!  I wasn't sure that I would have any crop at all this year.

It does look like I'll have spaghetti squash to spare and the cucumbers are turning out plenty of little cukes.  I've already made a couple of jars of refrigerator pickles and given more away.

Short and sweet today.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi

Garden

About four years ago, my Kentucky sister Lori made a cutting from her own rose of Sharon bush and sent it to me for my yard.  I've seen them around here, so I knew the plant would be able to grow in my area.  Here it is this short time later, taller than I am by now and full of flowers for such a young thing.

Thanks again, Lori.  I love it!

I like spaghetti squash on occasion and one time I saved the seeds.  There are several squashes growing on my five vines.  I may have to share some squashes with my friends, as there looks to be an excellent crop.

The weed-inhibiting tarp (Weed-ex? Something like that) reduces weeding in the garden and keeps the ground-growing veggies clean.

Some old Wal-mart bags tied around the base and hung upside down make great scarecrows.  Once I watched an evil bird swoop down into my garden and pluck a baby cucumber plant right in front of me! 

I string yarn across the garden above the planting hills.  I hang a garden ghost above each hill.  The birds can't quite make out if the ghosts are dangerous or not, so they leave my plants alone.  If you try this, make sure you cut the handle loops.  If you don't they can catch on growing leaves and damage them on a windy day. Garden ghosts are much quieter than pie pans.  I'm not sure if they scare rabbits though.  Hence the fence.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi