. . . and it came to pass, after weeks of hoeing, weed pulling, fertilizing and waiting, the garden brought forth green string beans, squash, beets and lettuce and the family ate heartily giving thanks to God for the provisions of FRESH vegetables.

YES! I have fresh vegies with more on the way!  Tomatoes are growing plump and juicy while the eggplant is slowly putting on growth.  The zucchini and cucumber are spreading out and putting on blooms as are the bell peppers.  I haven't grown broccoli before, but my plants are beautiful, but oh how I wish I had put in onions.

My World in April

Only a few days left before we see whether or not or diligence has paid off and we are blessed with new chicks.  The process hasn't really been that bad, but has been a little inconvenient having to turn the eggs three times a day. 

Wouldn't you know it, one of our hens has gone back to brooding (sitting) on her eggs.  It would have been nice if she had decided to do this 20 days ago.  Anyway, that means I will be doing without her eggs for a few weeks, but I have two more hens that have started laying regularly.

Plan on getting some tomatoes and pepper plants in this weekend in between yard selling and visiting with my grandchildren.  My potaoes are growing profusely and the beets, beans, squash, and lettuce are all showing their little heads and the rain scheduled for tomorrow will not only provided relief from the pollen, but also give these little guys a much needed drink.  After the weekend I will put the okra in as the ground will not only be moist but warm enough for the temperamental okra seeds to sprout.  I do believe those little okra seeds have a thermometer stuck in them and they refuse to take action until it reaches the ideal temperature - maybe I should put them in the incubator.

My hostas and canna lillies have started poking their beautiful green foliage through the ground and I am anxious to see how well they multiplied in their first year.  I will dig them up and separate in the fall, but I usually let them rest in the first year.  I do believe I managed to kill my asparagus fern by dividing this spring.  Usually, an asparagus fern needs to be divided each spring by removing from the pot and cutting into four equal pie shaped and then replanting in fresh potting soil.  I noticed when I divided my two pots, the roots were extremely spongy so I was unsure whether they would make it or not.  I should have seen some new growth by now as it has been almost two weeks since I divided and re-potted.  I may need to start over with the ferns.

In all my 50 years in dealing with plants, I have never been able to grow Aloe.  I know, everyone says it is the easiest thing in the world to grow, but up until this year I could kill it by thinking about it.  My dear sister gave me several plants when I requested some droppings from her Chandelier cactus (fern).  A story in itself as to how she came about having this unusual, but beautiful plant, but I seemed to have left mine exposed during an early cold snap year before and wanted to start some more.  Not only did sis bless me with many baby cactus, but gifted me with many, many Aloe. 

I tried something different and am well pleased with the results.  I took a couple of fish bowls, poured sand in the bottom to about 2 inches, adding 3-4 inches of potting soil, then watering until the potting soil is damp (not wet) once a week.  The aloe has flourished in these bowls and they make a beautiful centerpiece.  The fronds lift out of the bowl and spread.  I added a few small animals to the bowls which has become a favorite topic of conversation. 

Time for me to get a move on it.  I am making some pretty halter tops and vests to go in my online shop (http://www.clairescollections.etsy.com/), but that will have to wait until after my yard sale this weekend.  Keep your eyes open I may have something just for you listed soon.  I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping in!

Happy reading!
Belle

Grandpa, a tall, slender man, couldn't stay in the house for any length of time.  He enjoyed cooking and didn't mind cleaning the kitchen, but that was the extent of his household chores.  He was an outdoor man.  Piddling in his barn, cutting the grass or working his garden was where you could always find Grandpa.  A quiet, gentle man, he was always a pleasure to be around.  Some may have called Grandpa a simple man, but he was far from simple minded.  Sharp as a tack with patience to spare, he could design and build anything from a piece of furniture to a house - he designed and built his own home, but he knew how to make do with what he had. 

In the winter, I would follow him to the barn and watch as he worked on tools, repaired chairs or tables, or built some piece of furniture for the house.  He was a fine carpenter and seem to be able to build a beautiful piece of furniture out of scaps.  He used hand tools - no, not the power tools of today - to slowly plane the wood to the perfect size.  He used a brace and bit when holes needed to be bored and made his own sand blocks for achieving the smooth beautiful finish on his furniture.  He carved his own dowels and biscuits to ensure a good tight fit to each piece of furniture he made.  I could sit idly by and watch him for hours, but when I "got on his nerves" he would tell me to go check on Grandma and make sure she was alright. 

In the spring, Grandpa would get his mule out and plow the garden.  Poor old mule, that was the only time Grandpa put him to use.  Grandpa felt that if you wanted to eat you had to plant and Grandma's freezer was always full.  He had a huge field that he planted each and every year.  From the road to the barn, about 300 feet, he turned the ground and layed out the rows.  I would go with Grandpa to the seed store and we would come out with bags of limas, string beans, corn, okra, squash, cucumbers, crowder peas, watermelons, cantelopes and of course tomato plants.  Grandpa didn't waste garden space on vegetables he didn't like, but he was known to plant a few gourds for his bird houses and scoops. 

I wasn't allowed in the garden until it was time to put the seed in the rows, but I sat at the edge of the yard and watched as he turned the ground.  I had the job of dropping the seed, but Grandpa was awfully finicky about dopping the seed.  I would scoot down the row on my bottom putting the seed in the row.  Grandpa would place the first few seeds and tell me to space the rest of the row just like he had done.  He would follow me covering the seeds and if I didn't have them spaced right he would tell me "too close together" or "too far apart."  I loved scooting down the row in the freshly turned dirt curling my toes in as I scooted along, but man those rows were long.  When the planting was done, we waited on the rain and watched for the little shoots to poke through.

My work was done until picking time, Granpa didn't trust anybody with a hoe in his garden but him.  I would sit at the edge of the yard and watch him hoe up and down those long rows.  Sometimes he would take a break and send me for a glass of water while he rolled him a Prince Albert.  Grandpa didn't smoke much, but he enjoyed his cigarette after eating, midmorning, right before bed and those breaks after hoeing the garden.

I think of Grandpa often, but this time of year when I turn my garden, lay out the rows, and place my seeds, he is very close to me.  Grandpa always had enough garden for the whole family.  Maybe I will make my garden bigger this year.  

I have been looking for those same Alabama Black pole beans that were so good tasting and had little or no strings, but I have not found the first one.  One of these days I will find someone that has a stash and maybe they will share.  For now, I am off to my garden for more planting.  The ground has warmed and tomorrow is Good Friday!  Thank you all for visiting and come back soon!

Happy reading!
Belle

My Favorite Change of Weather Dish

This week ushered in cooler temperatures and no sunshine. The leaves began to turn and the smell of fall was in the air. I hunger for something warm and comforting.


Hubby and I enjoy chicken and white beans (navy beans) over corn bread. It brings a smile to my face and a tightening my tummy just thinking about it. After cleaning the chicken and placing whole into the crock pot with enough water to come to about two inches of the top I let it cook for about 2 hours with 3 cloves of fresh crushed garlic, a teaspoon of salt, 3 stalks of celery and a large onions. This really gets the juices going. Then I add a bag of navy beans. Let it slow cook for another 2 hours and lift out the chicken and de-bone replacing the juicy meat back into the beans and broth. Add 1 cup of rice and let simmer until the rice is done. Bake a large pan of cornbread and enjoy.

For those on a salt free or low salt diet, use a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash's original blend in place of salt. The garlic melds the flavors without the use of salt, but being from the old south it is hard for me to cook with no salt at all.

This sure makes the transition into cooler weather easier to bear.