Homesteading Notes

06-06-05

Ever have "one of those days" when it was a struggle just to get beyond the headache? This is our season for thunderstorms to pop up and brew to the point of vengeance producing hail, winds and tornadoes. I turned the computer and TV off at midnight and the line of storms looked to be breaking apart and that we probably wouldn't have any rain at all. Wrong. By 1 a.m. the rain had started. By 2, the power went out and didn't come back on until 5. We are used to having a fan going for the breeze and for the noise to cover other noises. The puppies barked constantly wanting their light back on. Max stayed under the table by the front door. He won't go inside his house when his light is off. We have a rechargeable flashlight but it had not even fully recharged before we needed to use it. It was dead long before the power came back on. I haven't bought candles in years and had a lousy supply on hand. By 5 a.m. I was ready only for some sleep. Poor Randy had a few hours of sleep before 2 but had to get on to work in the concrete city. Hope tonight will be a good sleeping night with no storms.

The above photo is from last year but the trumpet vines are loaded with new blooms just starting to open. The garden is slowly growing but I have become afraid to mention anything lest it disappear in an instant. I was delighted to find a volunteer tomato plant in the area the tomato plants were in last year. A very nice surprise in the middle of the onion bed. Four little tomatoes each about an inch in diameter. The grasshoppers are also growing nicely and thick as little thieves.

I have been able to keep the rabbits out of the garden and the cucumbers and tomatoes are growing nicely now. Every time I thought I had all the little entrances fixed, I'd find fresh damage and more points of entry. So disappointing to find so much damage.

While Hamilton Supply says they are getting us a new brush cutter, we are still not certain if it will actually happen. They are asking that we pay their repair person for some of the work he has done to not fix the unit. Okay. But we will still have a unit that when it breaks, cannot be repaired. How's that for a Troy Bilt? It used to be a top name brand. Not anymore! So Randy hopes to start looking for something better.