April 7th

It has been a little while. Things have been happening.

We got the additional 3 beds filled and planted most of everything out. Hoping we don't get another summer like we did last year. We'd like some green beans this year!

Thinking of planting the green beans between the new and old beds. I held them back to have enough room to get to the watering house. Still have to run the new water lines and install all of the drip emitters.

Potatoes have finally decided to make an appearance.

We had some more 50/50 mix brought in as well as a truckload of mulch to do everything we needed done; front, side flower beds and between the garden beds. The Wife did most if not all of this work. She did a great job. And we still have some left after doing the new herb bed too. 

While said Wife worked on mulching around the gardens Saturday, The Boy and myself played in a big paintball game we've been planning on for a few months. 

Didn't play Sunday as we had a busy day planned doing other things. The Oldest Boy went on his next deployment, leaving at (finally) 4:30 am. Needless to say when we got home it was straight to bed. Not sure how long this one will last. 

One with the family taken by his wife. 

We know this wasn't easy on her. 

That's what I got for now. 

Temptations

Well it is that particular time of year that makes me want to start putting seeds into dirt and under lights. The temptation is there to see something grow beyond my waistline (which is actually going down some lately.) Packets and packets call my name throughout the evening. Celery seedlings taunt the others. The glow of light through the windows makes the neighbors suspicious. Temptations. It's there and hard to overcome but I will prevail. I will be starting the eggplants this weekend but everything else will be according to schedule. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............... Well, I may 'try' a few of my saved pepper seeds to see if I knew what I was doing. No sense in taking chances.:) Oh, and I killed all of the onion seedlings. I apparently can't grow the damn things.

Other nonsense.
Played some paintball with my boys this past weekend. Note to self, don't park next to a field where there are private parties going on.

I did knock something else off of my list; I built our paintball marker holders. All said and done cost me about $12.00 each. 

And last but not least our first snowfall of the year. 

People here really panic when it snows Took me an hour and a half to get home last night. They delayed all of the schools by two hours this morning for really nothing. There was enough at the homestead to make a foot print but nothing on any of the roads. It has turned colder and it seems to be here for a little while. Our average high in January is about 51 but we are running at about upper 30s and lower 40s for a while. Definitely colder this year from last. 

I am going to do a little more work on my 'list' and keep it in the side bar so you know what I have done and what I need to do. Signing off for now. Hope you have enough for a snowman kids. 

New Post

Well, that's what button says at the top? :)
Winter is coming and Mr. Frost has been the half acre. Lost all of the cucumbers which really didn't bother me too much. The Wife and I covered the lettuce and spinach and left everything else alone. She did a few harvests that I will be adding to next week's Harvest Monday. That along with  the last batch of peppers, etc that I keep forgetting about.

In other news The Wife lost her job, which she really didn't care about anyway so it wasn't a total bummer, but our insurance was with her job. And the following day Squeak and I go paintballing with his High School group and on the very first match, he steps in a hole and more that likely tore his ACL. Talk about a bad weekend. We'll see what the MRI says tomorrow and take it from there. So The Wife is home for a little while (severance package) so she can dream the life of a 'stay at home wife' and Squeak will be on crutches and therapy for a long time now. Guess that's the way it rolls sometimes. I have been talking to her more abut moving to Alaska, even going so far as looking for jobs but I don't think she is convinced yet. Maybe Asheville.

WOF of the Week. Pretty much how I feel lately.

More this weekend. Stay warm kids.

Finally Home for a Weekend

To start off with this is a picture of my boys fishing weekend before last over at Topsail Island. We did a quick weekend with family from WV.

Last weekend it was a two day paintball tourney from daylight to dark. 

So this weekend I got some work done around the homestead. Weeded the fall crops good. Now just sitting on my butt doing nothing. 

Looks 10 times better now.

I did plant some more cucumbers to see if we could actually get more than a few for the year and it looks like we are. 

I didn't take any photos of the lettuce but it is moving along slowly in spots. And apparently if you just randomly spill seeds it will grow. 

Year of the pepper. The Wife picked these earlier in the week so needless to say we put a lot up this weekend and also tried our hands at home made salsa. Waiting for it to cool down now but I'd say so-so on taste. We usually use the mix you buy in the stores and that always turns out great. 

Another things about all of the peppers is the abundance of seeds I saved. This is just from the green bell peppers this weekend. 

Sorry I haven't been around much but really not too much to blog about but I will try harder. 

WOF of the Week. Pretty much how I feel. 

Lounge around on your day off kids!

I'm Here

Yes I am still around so you can stop breathing a sigh of relief. Just been really busy these last few weeks. Weekend before last we headed back to WV to get Squeak and attend the Wife's High School reunion. Sadly not too many people showed up for the formal event and much less showed up for the Saturday morning golf match. Myself and a friend of mine actually joined this group and in total we had 7. Pretty bad but with today's social media and the like it is easy to keep in touch with people nowadays. Miss WV. Funny thing is Amy and I were talking on the way back Sunday, spending the $400 million lottery that we were going to win, and I told her that I'd just go buy a farm over in Pocahontas County, next to the mountains. 200 acres with a house in the middle or towards the back of the property where no one from the road could see it. Just hide away and putter around my days. Well, I am still here so that means I didn't win.

Well I finally broke down and submitted my plans to the Harnett County planning department so I could get my building permit for the storage building I need to build. First thing I had to do is show the location of the building, the property lines, then dig up the lid on the septic tank so they could inspect it. Yes you heard right (saw right.) A nice little BS trip they do here. Septic tank inspection before anything can be done on your property. Another $100.00 wasted. 

Squeak and I played paintball this past Saturday as he was having withdrawals but we only made it for about 2 hours or so. Man it was hot and humid. So we spent the rest of the day on the couch watching movies and eating stuff. Wifey was at the beach.

Sunday I got pissed off and ripped out the green beans and tilled everything up. I planted turnips and cabbages that I had started. Still have some more items to get going but I need to get my hands on a ow cover to help the seeds start on the carrots, etc. Anyone know where to get one that would be local? This coming weekend most of the remaining tomato plants are coming out, water lines plugged off and beds turned over. I am pretty much had it with this growing year for summer crops. 

There's a new show to us that we have started watching and I find that it has a lot of good information in it. It's called Growing a Greener World and it is on Saturday mornings where I'm at. We DVR it to watch early Sunday morning. The last episode I saw was about controlling pests organically in the garden. I am seriously considering this next year. Anything to help. Here's a link to that episode. 

We had a good picking of peppers this week but I never weighed them out for Harvest Monday so I'll put them in next week's. 

That's it except ole TD has some news of a different nature (no I didn't win the lottery, seriously.) I am still putting some things together and I hope to get everything done for this coming Saturday. Let's just say that I am adopted. 

Until next time Grow a Greener World kids.

Spring Is 'Achoo, Cough, Cough' Here

Yes, it has finally arrived in my little part of the world. 70 degree days (80s coming soon) and pollen everywhere. And the Lob Lolly pine tree hasn't started it's work yet. We are all coughing, hacking, and just miserable at times.

The remainder of last week went by way too fast. Got the rest of the garden started so hopefully they will grow. A few minor things I need to get done, but the main one is that I have to rig up a hose near the watering system. I got the parts today and will hopefully get them installed later this week. No pictures from there as nothing is really happening. But I do have a few to share...

Daylilies are blooming.

Cauliflower is flowering

Me and the Boys spent the entire weekend playing a big paintball game. Nuketown 2013. 

Feeling it today though. Not as young as the kids but I act like it. A lot of players and fun was had by all. 

This got a question out of my youngest; Dad, why don't we open a store and I could work there! Sure, that's what I really need to do. But it did get me thinking; we live near a course and there are four more within an hours drive, there's only one store in town that I can find and they don't really have a good reputation with the people I've talked to, and the sport seems to be growing. Maybe some research is in order. When I had my remodeling business I really did enjoy it, especially being the boss. A lot of freedom in being your own boss but it is a lot of work too. We'll see.

Off to bed as we didn't hit the lottery this weekend and work today was longer than I wanted. 

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Not really I guess but I think there may be Irish somewhere in my family. Never really understood that phrase anyway.

Well it was a beautiful Saturday here in the Sandhills and I took full advantage of it. The boys and I went paintballing all day. To heck with the garden. I did everything I needed to do last weekend and there's nothing too pressing until our stay at home vacation in a few weeks so we went out, enjoyed the weather, shot people and they shot us, and overall had a good time. While doing this Amy and the Oldest boy's fiance' went shopping for things. She was invited to go with us but opted for the less painful route. No pictures from either event but we did get together after supper to mess around in the yard some.

The boys trying out their golf swings. The Oldest Boy (aka Bubby) was a good player in high school before he went into the service but had a hard time hitting them this night. The Youngest Boy (aka Squeak) is playing on his middle school team this year and wants to play through high school too. One's right handed and the other is left handed. 

But before the golf swings it was 'drag the markers out for some more shooting.'

Even Bubby's fiance' got in on the action! She loves to shoot but not get shot! That's what I try to do too. 

At the end all that was left was an orange board and overspray down the side of my truck. High tech huh? A shovel and a board. That's how we roll in the south. 

Today was clean the garage and dogs day. Sort through crap and more crap everywhere. Hardening off the plants good, and with this weekends' weather thought about sneaking a few in the ground but of course the forecast is going to shit so that's off. Maybe next weekend....... if we don't play paintball, or go golfing, or shopping for crap, or anything else. 

Off to do a few more things then crappy week ahead. I can see it now. 2 weeks. 2 weeks. 2 weeks. I'll keep chanting that.

 Have a pint on me kids!

Busy Day

Since I took the day off yesterday and played paintball with The Boy, today is all work plus some practicing for him with his golf.

Got the new wind chime up this morning. Our JR's find a while ago. On to more work as the garage is a wreck. See you tonight.