Saturday again

And of course, that means many more errands that have to be run (grocery staples, laundry, other odds and ends down in Harrison), plus we had a scrap run to make to get a trailer load of junk metal from a friend who was moving. The stuff was nasty, to the point that after we loaded up and got up the road a tiny bit to a nearby gas station, we pulled in to go wash our hands. I kid you not, it took soaping up three times to get all that yuck off my hands. I am not one to cringe at dirt, but this was not dirt, it was nasty, stinky filth. Yeah, it was just that bad.

But while doing errands, I did something that will highly encourage me to get the bailer bucket pieces I need bought and to get the thing built, because while at Wally World and the dollar store next to the laundromat, I ummm ... well, I got some seeds. Ok, so the packets are really not that big, and likely some of it I will have to get MORE packets, but I've got enough odds and ends for planters around here, or I can get some 5-gallon buckets from Home Depot for more, that I have plenty of places to grow things. I want to get some beefsteak tomato seeds and some bell pepper seeds too, but I can't find any, which means if I want more maters or any peppers, I will have to buy plants. Ugh. Oh well. That just means a trip to Home Depot tomorrow so I can look for pepper plants and some more good compost, and maybe a few more tomato plants, if I can't find seeds I want for both. It's a bit late to get a garden going from seed, but spring was pretty off and on chilly for the last few weeks.

So what all did I get? I got Blue Lake 274 green beans (need more), Sweet Spanish Utah Strain onions, Black Seeded Simpson lettuce, Alaska pea (need more), Dark Green zucchini, Waltham Butternut squash, Giant Noble spinach (may need more), Straightneck Early Yellow squash, Marketmore cucumber (I want to make bread and butter pickles with Great-Grandma Myrtle's recipe), and Danvers 126 carrots (need more). Quentin saw cantaloupe, and picked out a packet of Hale's Best. He likes melons, so I'll grow him some. I never developed a taste for them, but I will happily grow him some. Any extras can be sold at the local swap meet, though I'd have to get up super early, because they only run 8AM to noon twice a month. Whew. I think more beans, peas, greens, and carrots will go over well.

Of course, not only does this mean I have GOT to get the bailer bucket done so I can fish water out of the well to at least water the garden, but I will also have to spend some time on a couple of weekends this summer building a solar dehydrator to dry and store some of the veggies for winter soups. Cukes means buying pint jars for pickles and quart jars for storing the dried stuff. Also means cardboard boxes for stuff like the carrots, potatoes if I can get any in, etc., so they will stay dry and cool in the front bedroom off the kitchen, and not be exposed to light. Quentin thought we'd have to spend a chunk of change on getting some poles to use for giving things like the beans and peas something to climb, or building trellises for the cukes and squash and melons, or staking up the maters ... but I pointed out all the saplings around here that are in the 5-10 foot tall range that just need cutting down and debudding so they can be used at least for this year. Just keep picking the buds off so they can't sprout and grow into bigger trees, and voila - free stakes barring the time on them. I'm all for cheap or free, lol.

And the clothesline is getting a workout. The dryer apparently didn't want to work quite right and we had to get stuff going to finish errands in some kind of reasonable time, so some stuff was still a bit damp when the dryer was done. I wish I had a better place to put a clothesline here, but right now, I don't. So all the stuff has to get done at the laundromat. But the damp stuff came home and got hung out ... should be dry by morning, easily. Goodness knows it's warm enough! But right now, Smudge just snuggled up to me and wants attention and I have to edit photos for today to show you stuff, and I need to find you some books before it gets too late tonight!

KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST


Cooking in a Cup: Easy recipes for muffin tin meals (Cooking with Kids Series)
Even More Make and Freeze Recipes (Eat Better For Less Guides)
Tried and True All Natural Cleaning Hints
Cheap & Best Chicken Coop Plan Guidance: Chicken Coop Plan Guidance
Boxed Set 2 Gift Ideas and Gift Baskets
Backyard Chickens for Beginners: Getting the Best Chickens, Choosing Coops, Feeding and Care, and Beating City Chicken Laws (Booklet)
20 Delicious Homemade Sausage Recipes for Your Backyard Grilling
Boxed Set 5 How to Make Natural Skin Care Products (How To Make Natural Skin Care Products Series)
At Grandma's Stove
Scoodie Hooded Scarf Crochet Pattern