Winter

Winter

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Seed Catalogs and Growing Things

My pantry is empty. No jars filled with goodness from the past summer. No relish, no jam, no pickles.
I have already put sweet potatoes in jars on my window sill in hopes that by spring time I will have slips to plant to grow for a bed of sweet potatoes. I plan on planting other potatoes, and beets and squash and on and on it goes. Last weekend we took out all of our berry vines so we can move them to another spot.

I couldn't believe how they had multiplied. I am sure more will come up and I will just move them over. These are thornless boysenberries. I have some thorn ones mixed in there because the ones with thorns really do produce the best flavored berry but they are miserable to pick. We will see if I keep them when it comes time to get them in the ground.


The poor abused artichoke continues to grow. If you want to grow artichokes, you can't be nice to them. Maybe water but nothing else, because once you begin taking care of it, it will just die. I ignore it most of the time and it is now about five years old and it comes back every year. It even had a baby but I think I forgot about it and Ron plowed it under. Oh well. This one grows more artichokes that we eat.

Its a chicky year. I need new hens and I am fighting it. But I would like to get fifty new hens. That number keeps going up. In December it was 15 new chicks. A couple weeks ago it was thirty. Now I am telling you that I need fifty. I need lots more chickens than I have now. I think I have 15 hens.

I let the chickens out where we were working so they could free range. Sasha went and got in the chicken pen. She just seemed so happy there in the pen. Silly dog.


Here we are mid January. I really did think I would write more than just a little bit for 2019. Life has a way of taking all of my attention. January 1st Ben and Megan announced they would be moving to North Carolina. That day I also found out we would be having our 11th grand baby. Our youngest son was in China amid state department warnings of traveling there. When he bought his plane ticket there wasn't drama with the U.S. and China. He made it home safely. Last weekend our number 11 grand baby went to heaven. Mom and Dad are doing okay this would have been their first.  So the first 19 days have been rather wild.
Gardening for me allows me to process and working with new plants and dreaming of spring and seeds and even chicks helps me to stay grounded and helps me to keep my head on straight. Plus like crying in the shower, crying in the garden is a good place to get over myself.

Now to grab the hula hoe and work on this giant bed of stinging nettle I have growing in the back yard. Amazing stuff stinging nettle. I should dry it all and use it for tea.

I wish you a wonderful day.

~Kim~

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isiah 55:8-9

13 comments:

Angela said...

Dear Kim,
I am so sorry about your grandbaby. That is hard- you love them right from the start.
Our daughter is due with her second any time now. I get to be in there if I can make the 2 hour trip in time. I am excited but she has had a difficult pregnancy. The cord is too near the edge of the placenta so there are some risks...
I do my best thinking in the garden. I would love to be outside but we have had SO much rain. More than I have ever known.
Where are Ben and Jen moving? My oldest son and family live in Asheville.
All the best to you this New Year.
Angela

Angela said...

Oh I meant to ask what kind of dog Sasha is- she is beautiful!

Kessie said...

Yeah, it's been a heck of a January already. You see why I've been playing a lot of video games. It's a nice escape.

Carol W. said...

Kim, so sorry about your dear grandbaby. Jesus is taking care of him or her now. I wish I could do some container gardening of veggies, but I live in an over-55 mobile home park in Phoenix and last year they said "No food gardens" because they attract critters. So, I live vicariously through others' posts about their gardens. Stinging nettles -- I've read about their healing properties. Hoping to try to grow herbs indoors soon. May you have a blessed day!

Susan Kane said...

I am so sorry about your gr-child. How are the parents? Grieving will seem to never end, because it doesn't. God has promised He would hold His children, and I know He is cradling that baby.

Lana Manis said...

Dear Kim, I am so sorry about your grandbaby. Praying for your family.
Working in the garden is good for the soul and spirit. Last year, we had so much going on, we let everything go. I'm hoping to have a garden again this year. :)

Rugs and Pugs said...

I am so sorry for the loss of your grandbaby. I feel so bad for mom and dad. That has to be heartbreaking.
Hugs,
Lauren

Julia said...

I'm am so sorry for the loss of the baby. Such a great loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and the parents. I'm glad that they are doing OK.

Gardening is the right place for you. It will be a while before we can plant outside. We are expecting a fierce winter storm with over 60 cm of snow. That about 2 feet of snow, some freezing rain, ice pellets and the possibility of blizzard conditions.

I hope that you're wearing some leather garden gloves to handle those thorny bushes. I would like to plant some blueberries in the spring. I wanted to plant some last spring but my plans went out with the flood.

I hope that you'll have a better rest of January.
Take care. Hugs, Julia

Debbie said...

oooooh kim, such devastating news about your grand baby, i don't know what to say except that i am thinking healing thoughts for you and the family...that is just so sad!!!

it is soothing to think about your garden, planning and planting. i remember your hula hoe video from way back when. it was a good one!! take care kim, i will be thinking of you!!!

Pom Pom said...

Prayers for you as you grieve, dear Kim.
I love hearing about your outdoorsy doings since all I've done is put on my rubber boots and tromp through the snow to fill the bird feeders. Woo. Woo.

Mugwump Woolies said...

So sorry for your loss. You know the saying about being "closer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth"...so true.
I never knew you had a blog!!!
Take care,
Robyn

TheCrankyCrow said...

Ok...I had to re-read that part about the stinging nettle...I thought you said you were taking a hula hoop to it LOL.... That I would love to see. ;-). They are pretty plants, though, aren’t they? So very sorry about the loss of your grand...Praying for comfort and healing for mom and dad.... I wish I could get over myself in my garden about now....but it’s 12 degrees outside and we are to get a nasty storm tomorrow (only 6” of snow, but lots of wind (again) and then even colder temps....not even above 0 for highs by week’s end. And your thought process about chicks sounds like mine when it comes to plants....I start out saying I am going to cut back on the flower containers this year, but then, somehow, they begin to multiply into more than ever LOL. And that’s just dang silly given that we only have about 3 growing months here... Smiles & Hugs ~ Robin

GretchenJoanna said...

Oh... that is hard. I'm so sorry. May the Lord soften the grief by bringing your young couple fruit of the womb soon! And knit their hearts together through the sorrow.

Why do you want 50 hens, Kim? Would you like to sell eggs? Or do you just like so many of the breeds that you "need" a couple of each...? I would feel the same way, btw.