This summer has been a roller coaster and I am not too sad to see it winding down, but it is not quite ready to be done yet. We have had cloudy, rainy, cool weather lately but next week is threatening to be in the 80s again. Plus, there are increasing talk of an early frost and another challenging winter. We are in that schizophrenic time when it is fall one day and summer the next.
This has kind of been a year of 'the good, the bad and the ugly'. It has been pretty overwhelming and I am kind of tired of bad and ugly but I am excited to share the good. So here is my list:
I had a milestone birthday. That in itself is not a big deal, those happen all of the time but we did take a day this summer acknowledging that milestone by spending the day touring gardens. In July, my kids and friends and family took part in the Hennepin County Master Gardeners home garden tour. We were able to visit 10 of the 11 featured gardens. Most were flower gardens or landscaping but there was one community vegetable garden. It was educational so we saw rain gardens and pollinator gardens and one garden that was reclaiming land taken over by invasive species. So inspirational.
My dad is feeling better than he has in several years. I have older parents, both 81 this year on their birthdays and my dad's health is challenging and complex. In February we nearly lost him. He had a lengthy hospitalization that began with a near respiratory arrest and code followed by a couple of days in the ICU, a thoracentesis, 10 more days on the regular hospital unit, some medication changes and eventually discharge to home. He lost a lot of extra fluid and has continued to lose weight. His many medical conditions have not gone away but the symptoms are so much better and his quality of life is better. He actually felt good enough to dance at the weddings of two granddaughters.
The wedding season was great. My daughter, Caitlin, and niece, Ashley, were both married this late summer. My daughter at the end of August and my niece two weeks later at the beginning of September. Of course the shower season preceded the wedding season and that was fun too.
The shower for my daughter in June allowed me to bring out my vintage china and glassware. I have a fairly extensive collection and rarely have an excuse to use them so it was fun to haul them to the park and set them up in the log cabin shelterhouse. It was a fun look. We did not use the plain white or mostly white china. I have another niece, Kaylee, who is also planning a wedding and she is thinking that she would like white china for her reception so we have kept them in reserve for her. But the china with colored or patterned rims were used. I had purchased a bolt of gray/white ticking and there was enough to make tablecloths for all of the tables. Flowers and the bride's brass collection and her other vintage treasures served as centerpieces. We had a fun lunch. I didn't do any of the food, but it was beautiful and tasty. Caitlin spent a semester in Italy so a couple of Italian favorites, caprese skewers and prosciutto and melon were on the menu. There was also sandwiches and cheesecake in mason jars and other sweets for dessert. It was a group effort and so much fun.
A month later in July Ashley's shower was held. It was a brunch and the location was a church basement. Very traditional Minnesota event. Another group effort. Her maternal aunts did the decorating framed photos and lanterns on the table. Her fiance's aunts helped with food. We even played a bridal shower game. This menu was juice and coffee, assorted huge muffins, a fruit bowl and a yogurt parfait bar. Again, great food.
In August Caitlin and Robb were married. They had a ceremony in the church that Robb and his family attended. The wedding party wore navy, both ladies and the gentlemen. The ladies wore different styles of dresses made from the same fabric. The men, wore matching tuxes. The reception was held in a venue that was originally a vintage movie theater. It was the theater that my siblings and I attended movies at when we were children so it is old! It has the marquee on the outside and the buffet was set up in the lobby. The head table was set up on the stage in the front where the movie screen had been at one time and long tables were set up on the gently sloping floor. The back part of the theater where the projection booth was and the steeper sloped seating that was up the steps held narrow tables at a railing and chairs facing the front in rows like the old seating would have been. The meal was a served lettuce salad followed by a buffet pasta bar, with both Alfredo and Bolognase sauces and breadsticks. The cake was a centerpiece cake displayed on an antique mirror cake stand and featured a handcrafted version of Willow, their dog. The guests served themselves mini cupcakes, doughnuts made by my dad and Scandinavian almond cake slices from the dessert table. They had a bar set up and served two classic signature cocktails, the manhattan and the old fashioned, in addition to beer, wine and other cocktails. Delivery pizza was a late night snack. Three sizes of glass cylinders with floating candles decorated the tables.
Ashley and Jeff were married at a lake. The ceremony was outdoors with white chairs set up on grass just off of the beach. It was cloudy and unseasonably cold even for northern Minnesota with a cool breeze blowing in off of the lake but at least the rain held off. The ladies of the wedding party wore a steel blue dress, again, different styles of dresses made from the same fabric. The men wore white shirts and leather vests, blue jeans and boots. Between the ceremony and the reception the wedding party went for a pontoon ride, wrapped in coats and blankets. The ceremony was beautiful but bittersweet. Ashley's dad was my brother and he died in 2011 from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). His absence was very poignant. There was an empty chair where he would have sat after walking her down the aisle. It held a picture and his leather hat and a framed message in memorial. Her brother walked her down the aisle and both cried as did most of the guests on the 'bride's side'. At the dance in place of the traditional father daughter dance Ashley danced with her brother, both of her grandfathers and one uncle. She had asked these four special men in her life to participate and all were honored to do so. There were tears. And when her brand new father-in-law cut in to dance with her I doubt there were many dry eyes in the room. She had round tables with white tablecloths and white coverings for the chairs. There were three different centerpiece designs, more cylinders with candles, very tall vases with flowers and wood boxes with flowers and candles. There were lots of large wooden spools for displays and rustic boards held up by pairs of whole wine barrels to serve the cupcakes and collect the gifts. Their menu was a served lettuce salad and a two meat buffet with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.
Lots of good stuff this summer.
Lorri
Friday, September 13, 2019
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Good morning!
Blogging has been on the back burner lately. To be honest it has been on the back burner for at least the past crazy, challenging year. Time to get a little caught up on what has been going on.
The farm
It was a snowy winter and one of the wettest springs I can recall. I know that some places set records and if we didn't here we must have come close. Everything went in late. Some farm fields in the area didn't get planted and I doubt that many of those that did will have good crop yields. My garden went in late and I still have a few things in pots yet that I might still try to get in the ground. I had a nice amount of asparagus that I was able to harvest this spring. I have had a few green peppers and am still waiting on tomatoes. Something ate my beans and edamame so I will try replanting them. It is raining today so that may be a Friday project. I am working on adding some flowers to attract pollinators. I have expanded the flower bed near the gate and added a few new things to the hitching post garden. Last fall I had some arborist wood chips delivered and I am in the process of mulching with them. My birthday hydrangeas from last year came back and are doing well. I am growing wedding flowers for my daughter's late August wedding. I am growing two varieties of eucalyptus and two red flowers, an amaranth and a celosa. It is a fun project.
The orchard
I planted two new peach trees last year and they did not survive the winter. The new apple tree is doing well and the older apple trees have some fruit coming. Something is eating the leaves. I have never done a spray program but may have to start. The pears and plums are not getting any fruit. They are young trees and the pears have not had a fruit crop previously. One of the plums had fruit last year but none this year. My elderberry bushes did not leaf out on the established parts but there is new growth surrounding the dead looking parts. They are currently flowering so I am hoping to get berries. Although not a part of the orchard the other tree that is struggling is my river birch. It barely got any leaves. In researching why this 25 year old tree would all of a sudden struggle it sounds like the wet spring might be the culprit. I am hoping that it will come back next year.
The vineyard
Last year I planted 12 grape vines. I have four grape vines on an arbor but they are hard to manage so I decided to add some more and grow them like a traditional vineyard. This year I need to install the posts and wires and start training them. The three rows flank my second driveway with two rows on one side and one on the other. They look a little silly right now, three very short rows but I am planning to add to them next year. I want to add a pollinator garden near the new grapes as well. I am thinking at the corner of the pasture where the corner fence bracing is falling down.
The herd
This year in late winter/early spring we lost two goats and our one sheep. The goats were pretty young and I am not sure what happened to them, they died only about a week apart. The sheep was very old so not a surprise. Our two Great Pyrenees, Elke and Libby remain. Libby is the new puppy that was added last spring. When she came to live at the farm we had Codie and Elke. Codie was an old dog and Elke was a young adult. We lost Codie in the summer and I think that she was a stabilizing influence as after her death the two young dogs started to leave the yard and run. Efforts to keep them home were not successful and although Elke always came home Libby did not and after the third (and scariest) episode she spent a few months with my daughter and son-in-law in the Twin Cities where they have a fenced yard. She is back at the farm where she is a house dog that is only outside when supervised. My daughter and son-in-law did a fantastic job training her but she cannot be trusted yet to stay home. She is all grown up, 97 pounds worth, but still has a lot of puppy in her.
The farmers market
Our small local farmers market is open on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Last year I went nearly every Thursday and every Saturday. It was a tremendous amount of work. I didn't have a lot of garden produce so I sold baked goods and jellies. Each market day required a good part of a day of baking in preparation and the market schedule meant that four days in a row each week my time was occupied with the market and other things like mowing and gardening and sleeping were tough to fit in. This year I am only doing the markets on Thursday afternoons. I am hoping that is a better fit. We will see. I will have to get a few pictures and post about how it is going.
The garden tour
This year I had a milestone birthday. Since I am not really the surprise birthday type my kids wanted to do something together as a group to celebrate so what we decided to do was a garden tour. The Hennepin County Extension/Master Gardeners do a garden tour every year and last weekend we did the tour. Nine of us toured 10 gardens. They were generally flower gardens although one was a community garden and a couple incorporated some vegetables. I came home inspired and hauling a few new plants. It was a good time. I didn't take as many photos as I should have and I have yet to sort them. Perhaps they will get their own blog post at some point.
The weddings
My daughter and a niece both have late summer weddings this year so we are in bridal shower mode. The end of June we had a shower for my daughter and the end of July we are having a shower for my niece. In both cases they are showers put on by a group so the work is shared by many. The showers will be different. The first one at a log cabin shelter house in a park. The second one in a church. To be totally honest, I didn't take a single picture at my daughter's shower but others in our group did and I will try to post some of their pictures in a later post. Caitlin's shower gave me a chance to use my vintage china, which was fun. And since I have the dinner plates for five different patterns out of the dish pantry it seems like a good time to dust the shelves before I put it back so I have stacks of clean dishes that I need to put away yet but I am going to empty off the rest of the dishes and clean and then put them back. We hauled a lot of stuff to the park but it was so nice. We didn't use any disposables. Cloth tablecloths and napkins, stainless silverware, glass punch cups. We used the bride's vintage decor to decorate the tables.
Hope all are having a good summer. It is Wednesday and tomorrow is the market. I better get to my baking.
The farm
It was a snowy winter and one of the wettest springs I can recall. I know that some places set records and if we didn't here we must have come close. Everything went in late. Some farm fields in the area didn't get planted and I doubt that many of those that did will have good crop yields. My garden went in late and I still have a few things in pots yet that I might still try to get in the ground. I had a nice amount of asparagus that I was able to harvest this spring. I have had a few green peppers and am still waiting on tomatoes. Something ate my beans and edamame so I will try replanting them. It is raining today so that may be a Friday project. I am working on adding some flowers to attract pollinators. I have expanded the flower bed near the gate and added a few new things to the hitching post garden. Last fall I had some arborist wood chips delivered and I am in the process of mulching with them. My birthday hydrangeas from last year came back and are doing well. I am growing wedding flowers for my daughter's late August wedding. I am growing two varieties of eucalyptus and two red flowers, an amaranth and a celosa. It is a fun project.
The orchard
I planted two new peach trees last year and they did not survive the winter. The new apple tree is doing well and the older apple trees have some fruit coming. Something is eating the leaves. I have never done a spray program but may have to start. The pears and plums are not getting any fruit. They are young trees and the pears have not had a fruit crop previously. One of the plums had fruit last year but none this year. My elderberry bushes did not leaf out on the established parts but there is new growth surrounding the dead looking parts. They are currently flowering so I am hoping to get berries. Although not a part of the orchard the other tree that is struggling is my river birch. It barely got any leaves. In researching why this 25 year old tree would all of a sudden struggle it sounds like the wet spring might be the culprit. I am hoping that it will come back next year.
The vineyard
Last year I planted 12 grape vines. I have four grape vines on an arbor but they are hard to manage so I decided to add some more and grow them like a traditional vineyard. This year I need to install the posts and wires and start training them. The three rows flank my second driveway with two rows on one side and one on the other. They look a little silly right now, three very short rows but I am planning to add to them next year. I want to add a pollinator garden near the new grapes as well. I am thinking at the corner of the pasture where the corner fence bracing is falling down.
The herd
This year in late winter/early spring we lost two goats and our one sheep. The goats were pretty young and I am not sure what happened to them, they died only about a week apart. The sheep was very old so not a surprise. Our two Great Pyrenees, Elke and Libby remain. Libby is the new puppy that was added last spring. When she came to live at the farm we had Codie and Elke. Codie was an old dog and Elke was a young adult. We lost Codie in the summer and I think that she was a stabilizing influence as after her death the two young dogs started to leave the yard and run. Efforts to keep them home were not successful and although Elke always came home Libby did not and after the third (and scariest) episode she spent a few months with my daughter and son-in-law in the Twin Cities where they have a fenced yard. She is back at the farm where she is a house dog that is only outside when supervised. My daughter and son-in-law did a fantastic job training her but she cannot be trusted yet to stay home. She is all grown up, 97 pounds worth, but still has a lot of puppy in her.
The farmers market
Our small local farmers market is open on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Last year I went nearly every Thursday and every Saturday. It was a tremendous amount of work. I didn't have a lot of garden produce so I sold baked goods and jellies. Each market day required a good part of a day of baking in preparation and the market schedule meant that four days in a row each week my time was occupied with the market and other things like mowing and gardening and sleeping were tough to fit in. This year I am only doing the markets on Thursday afternoons. I am hoping that is a better fit. We will see. I will have to get a few pictures and post about how it is going.
The garden tour
This year I had a milestone birthday. Since I am not really the surprise birthday type my kids wanted to do something together as a group to celebrate so what we decided to do was a garden tour. The Hennepin County Extension/Master Gardeners do a garden tour every year and last weekend we did the tour. Nine of us toured 10 gardens. They were generally flower gardens although one was a community garden and a couple incorporated some vegetables. I came home inspired and hauling a few new plants. It was a good time. I didn't take as many photos as I should have and I have yet to sort them. Perhaps they will get their own blog post at some point.
The weddings
My daughter and a niece both have late summer weddings this year so we are in bridal shower mode. The end of June we had a shower for my daughter and the end of July we are having a shower for my niece. In both cases they are showers put on by a group so the work is shared by many. The showers will be different. The first one at a log cabin shelter house in a park. The second one in a church. To be totally honest, I didn't take a single picture at my daughter's shower but others in our group did and I will try to post some of their pictures in a later post. Caitlin's shower gave me a chance to use my vintage china, which was fun. And since I have the dinner plates for five different patterns out of the dish pantry it seems like a good time to dust the shelves before I put it back so I have stacks of clean dishes that I need to put away yet but I am going to empty off the rest of the dishes and clean and then put them back. We hauled a lot of stuff to the park but it was so nice. We didn't use any disposables. Cloth tablecloths and napkins, stainless silverware, glass punch cups. We used the bride's vintage decor to decorate the tables.
Hope all are having a good summer. It is Wednesday and tomorrow is the market. I better get to my baking.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Here we go again
After a teaser of some springlike weather and most of our snow melting Mother Nature decides that she is not quite finished with winter after all. We are predicted to get a potentially historic blizzard with expected snowfalls of 16-24 inches and 50mph winds. We were predicted to start with rain today and turning to snow tonight and continuing tomorrow and tomorrow night, ending on Friday morning but we missed the rain and are already getting heavy snow with schools closed, plows out and the ground is again covered. So those hardy Minnesotans who were riding motorcycles and wearing shorts and flipflops on Monday when it was 50 will be back in their winter gear for a couple more days.
I thought I better water the plants in the greenhouse in case I can't get there for a couple of days so I took a couple of pictures of the tomatoes while I was there. We are still 5-6 weeks away from our last frost date for our zone 4 area so they have some time to grow yet. The top picture are brandywine tomatoes and the bottom picture are Siberian tomatoes. You can see the snow collecting on the plexiglass.
I thought I better water the plants in the greenhouse in case I can't get there for a couple of days so I took a couple of pictures of the tomatoes while I was there. We are still 5-6 weeks away from our last frost date for our zone 4 area so they have some time to grow yet. The top picture are brandywine tomatoes and the bottom picture are Siberian tomatoes. You can see the snow collecting on the plexiglass.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
The sap season is winding down
The weather is warming up. The nights are not getting below freezing and the days are too warm also. My sap buckets have been empty since I took the last of the sap and filled the two electric roasters that I have been using to evaporate the sap outside. The sap cooked through the night and early this morning while it was still dark I combined the contents of the two roasters into one and it cooked some more. Late in the afternoon the sap was cooked down enough for its final boiling which is done in the house. I just put in jars the last of the finished syrup.
I have 17 pints of amber colored syrup. The season started for me on March 21 and lasted about two weeks. I will leave my taps and buckets for a little while yet in case the weather changes enough to move the sap. Next week there are some nights predicted to be 30 or high 20s with daytime 40s.
I am still a relative newbie at syrup making. My first year I hung two buckets on taps on one tree. The second year friends with way more experience than me brought me a little different system. The new system has tubing attached to the taps and the tubing from several taps can drain into the same bucket which sits on the ground. I went from two taps on one tree to twelve taps on two trees. I only have two maples but they are massive. There is a formula that uses the diameter of the tree to determine the number of taps that can be used. My trees are much bigger than the largest diameter in the formula and my experienced friends helped me determine the correct number.
In year two I struggled with inaccurate thermometers. Sap turns to syrup at 7 degrees above the boiling point of water. So 219-220 degrees is what I was shooting for. Too low and the syrup is thin and watery. If it is bottled at a temperature less than 180 then it could mold. I had three thermometers and none of them read the same. This year I upped my game and bought a new thermometer at the place where I buy maple syrup supplies. I also bought a hydrometer which measures the sugar concentration of the syrup. It is an interesting process. There is a metal cup, kind of a tube that is filled with syrup and the hydrometer, a glass instrument is placed in the cup and allowed to displace syrup until it floats, measuring the density of the fluid.
I am pleased with my 17 pints since the season was so short, only two weeks long. Until next year.
I have 17 pints of amber colored syrup. The season started for me on March 21 and lasted about two weeks. I will leave my taps and buckets for a little while yet in case the weather changes enough to move the sap. Next week there are some nights predicted to be 30 or high 20s with daytime 40s.
I am still a relative newbie at syrup making. My first year I hung two buckets on taps on one tree. The second year friends with way more experience than me brought me a little different system. The new system has tubing attached to the taps and the tubing from several taps can drain into the same bucket which sits on the ground. I went from two taps on one tree to twelve taps on two trees. I only have two maples but they are massive. There is a formula that uses the diameter of the tree to determine the number of taps that can be used. My trees are much bigger than the largest diameter in the formula and my experienced friends helped me determine the correct number.
In year two I struggled with inaccurate thermometers. Sap turns to syrup at 7 degrees above the boiling point of water. So 219-220 degrees is what I was shooting for. Too low and the syrup is thin and watery. If it is bottled at a temperature less than 180 then it could mold. I had three thermometers and none of them read the same. This year I upped my game and bought a new thermometer at the place where I buy maple syrup supplies. I also bought a hydrometer which measures the sugar concentration of the syrup. It is an interesting process. There is a metal cup, kind of a tube that is filled with syrup and the hydrometer, a glass instrument is placed in the cup and allowed to displace syrup until it floats, measuring the density of the fluid.
I am pleased with my 17 pints since the season was so short, only two weeks long. Until next year.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
maple syrup season is started
Wednesday I started collecting sap for making syrup. I have two very large maple trees and I drilled the holes for the spikes and the sap was running. Sap is moving in the trees when the right weather conditions are present, usually when it is still below freezing at night but above freezing during the day. This morning I had a couple of inches of sap in my buckets and by early afternoon my buckets were nearly full so I am starting to boil my sap to evaporate the water out of it and concentrate the sugars.
People who make a lot of sap into syrup often use a large container and a wood fire to cook their sap. I don't have a wood fired evaporator so I am using my electric roaster. The initial cooking is done outside so that the humidity created is outside instead of in the house. Usually it takes 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. The last little bit of cooking will be done in the house on the stove where it can be better monitored and bottled at exactly the right temperature.
Last year I had a lot of difficulty. My thermometers were not accurate. I had a couple of them and they did not read the same but I didn't know which one, if either, was accurate and some of my sap was under cooked and some was over cooked. This year I am better prepared. I will be testing my new thermometer bought at a place that sells maple sugaring supplies and made for making syrup as well as candy. I will measure the temperature that reads in boiling water. Maple syrup needs to be 7.5 degrees higher than the temperature at which water boils.
I also bought a hydrometer. A hydrometer is a device that measures the sugar content of a liquid by floating the device in a sample and the height that it floats at gives a Brix score.
Above is the maple tree closest to the house. There are two buckets each with three taps and tubing that carry the sap to the buckets. I have a second tree with the same set up. The first couple of years I used a bucket that hung on the tree on the tap and the sap dripped right into the bucket. That causes some issues with the heavy buckets pulling the taps out of the tree and the empty buckets blowing off the tree on windy days. This set up seems like it is going to work a lot better.
This little wood table holds my electric roaster and my new thermometer. I have the lid ajar so that the contents will heat faster but the steam can escape. The roaster holds one bucket of sap. So far mine has been cooking for a couple of hours and the level of the sap is down about an inch. Long way to go yet.
The two covered buckets are full of sap that is waiting to be cooked. My four buckets collected a total of three buckets of sap so far and are filling up again. I don't have a lot of room to refrigerate the sap so I am hoping that I can keep up. My plan is to try to cook it down until close and then refrigerate the almost syrup until I have enough to finish and bottle several bottles at a time.
People who make a lot of sap into syrup often use a large container and a wood fire to cook their sap. I don't have a wood fired evaporator so I am using my electric roaster. The initial cooking is done outside so that the humidity created is outside instead of in the house. Usually it takes 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. The last little bit of cooking will be done in the house on the stove where it can be better monitored and bottled at exactly the right temperature.
Last year I had a lot of difficulty. My thermometers were not accurate. I had a couple of them and they did not read the same but I didn't know which one, if either, was accurate and some of my sap was under cooked and some was over cooked. This year I am better prepared. I will be testing my new thermometer bought at a place that sells maple sugaring supplies and made for making syrup as well as candy. I will measure the temperature that reads in boiling water. Maple syrup needs to be 7.5 degrees higher than the temperature at which water boils.
I also bought a hydrometer. A hydrometer is a device that measures the sugar content of a liquid by floating the device in a sample and the height that it floats at gives a Brix score.
Monday, March 18, 2019
Made it to the greenhouse.
We have had a lot of snow where I live. It has been a crazy winter. Lots of weather stuff and lots of other stuff. One of the results of all of the 'stuff' is that I haven't been able to get to the greenhouse for several weeks. There has been a thick blanket of snow covering most of the farm, thicker in places where it drifted, a little less deep where the wind blew it away. Near the greenhouse it was quite a bit deeper than the snowblower could manage. I was able to get about halfway there and then no further. Now that the weather is a little warmer I have been shoveling my way over there and today I got the last of the path done. I had been dreading what I would find. The heater had been on when the greenhouse got snowed in but nothing had been watered. And on sunny days it has been hot in there. Yesterday, the remote thermometer that reads in the house said 130 degrees. This year I didn't get many greens started but I was trying to overwinter some pots of herbs and strawberries. I pretty much assumed that they would be dead. I also had some onions and pie pumpkins that I had put there after harvest. Soon I will be needing the space for my summer garden seedlings which I start in the house but when they get a little bigger and the weather moderates a bit they will go out to the greenhouse.
The path will come in handy as it will soon be maple syrup season and I will be making trips back and forth to that tree and the other nearer the house.
We have had some warmer weather and a little sun so some of our snow has melted. This picture was taken today of the waist high birdbath under the grape arbor.
Same birdbath a couple of days ago. The snow is probably six inches deeper and you can see the snow on the grape vines on top of the pergola.
In this picture the black horizontal line in front of the garage door is the top of the flatbed trailer that is parked there. A couple of days ago it was completely covered.
This is a picture of the front of my house with all of the snow and icicles.
All of that snow has now melted off of the roof and the icicles are gone. We would hear them crash to the ground. Amazing what a little sun can do. As I shoveled the path there was a couple inches of slush under the snow. All of our buildings have steeply pitched roofs so we didn't have any roofs that caved in due to the weight of the snow but it was a worry for some.
Sharing with Metamorphosis Monday at BNOTP here.
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| This is the start of the path, from the driveway to the second maple tree. |
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| This is the second leg, where the path turns at the maple and heads toward the greenhouse. |
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| This is the worst part where the snow was the deepest. |
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| The greenhouse is in the upper right corner of this picture. |
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| This is the snow in front of the greenhouse. |
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| Last little stretch left to shovel. |
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| Looking back down the path from the greenhouse door. |
Sharing with Metamorphosis Monday at BNOTP here.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Next up?
Now that the peppers and tomatoes have been sown, next up is the pollinator friendly flowers. After reading a couple of articles and hearing what other people are using to attract pollinators to their garden I started a list and ordered seeds for some of the plants that were recommended.
To be honest, I had never given a lot of thought to flowers. I have a few herbs in pots and an ignored flower bed of perennials that is not anywhere close to my vegetable gardens. My time is limited and my focus has been on the vegetables and the mowing. But two summers ago I had a large patch of my garden that didn't get planted and it grew up in thistles and milkweed and some other weed with yellow flowers. It was amazing. It was like a little patch of meadow. I have never seen so many bees and butterflies. They were loving it. Actually thistles have a pretty purple flower and milkweed has a beautiful scent.
Over the last several years I have been adding more fruit to my yard. I have a small orchard started that now has three apple trees, two pears, two plums and two peaches. I have a little blueberry patch and a strawberry patch and some black raspberries. I have two elderberry bushes, a gooseberry bush some type of a bush cherry. I have an established grape arbor that is hard to harvest so I planted more grapes that will grow along wires, like a traditional vineyard. Not all are producing fruit yet but all of those fruits will benefit from a bigger pollinator presence.
So here is my plan.
Near the orchard is a cute gate that my daughter built as a 4H woodworking project. It ended up being too heavy for the potager so it is installed at an angle on one edge of the lawn near the orchard. I have often hung something on it, a wreath in the summer made from a garden hose or a snowflake made with lights in the winter. I have tried to get some flowers started around there. I will plan to expand that area using some in ground perennials and some potted annuals and/or herbs. This area is our pet burial ground. Last year I found a cute post that will serve as a reminder/memorial of our beloved pets and livestock that is buried there. I think I will incorporate a source for drinking water and maybe a native bee 'hotel' for the pollinators and some yard art for curb appeal.
The new vineyard is planted on each side of the second driveway. So far it is just the first few plants with plans to expand. Right now I have three short rows of four plants each. None of the posts or wires have been installed yet. Two rows flank the driveway on the east and one row is between the driveway and the pasture on the west. The fence along the pasture needs to be replaced and the corner posts are deteriorating. I am considering changing the fence line at that corner, perhaps cutting off the corner and putting in some plants there. I think it would be cute and bring some pollinator activity to the vineyard.
Here is what I am starting early although I will probably add more later. A lot of these have flowers in shades of purple.
Jacob's Ladder (Blue Pearl)
Anise Hyssop (licorice Mint)
Eryngium (Blue Glitter)
Phocelia (Bee's Friend)
Salvia (Transylvanian Sage)
Cilantro (Pokey Joe)
Marigold (Queen Sophia)
Sweet Alyssium
Nasturtium
Last year I tried a cutting garden but my plantings did really poorly along with the vegetables. Maybe this year will be better and I can try again.
The ignored perennial bed is only a few feet away from a massive maple tree and has been taken over by saplings that grew out of the helicopter seeds released every year. This year I will be trying to rescue the perennials and relocate them in order to work to remove the saplings.
In all likelihood I will be putting up some fencing in my front yard. I would like to put wood chips and plantings on the outside and wood chips for sure along it on the inside. Some of the perennials will be relocated there. My sister has an amazing flower border in her yard and I will have to try and get some suggestions from her.
To be honest, I had never given a lot of thought to flowers. I have a few herbs in pots and an ignored flower bed of perennials that is not anywhere close to my vegetable gardens. My time is limited and my focus has been on the vegetables and the mowing. But two summers ago I had a large patch of my garden that didn't get planted and it grew up in thistles and milkweed and some other weed with yellow flowers. It was amazing. It was like a little patch of meadow. I have never seen so many bees and butterflies. They were loving it. Actually thistles have a pretty purple flower and milkweed has a beautiful scent.
Over the last several years I have been adding more fruit to my yard. I have a small orchard started that now has three apple trees, two pears, two plums and two peaches. I have a little blueberry patch and a strawberry patch and some black raspberries. I have two elderberry bushes, a gooseberry bush some type of a bush cherry. I have an established grape arbor that is hard to harvest so I planted more grapes that will grow along wires, like a traditional vineyard. Not all are producing fruit yet but all of those fruits will benefit from a bigger pollinator presence.
So here is my plan.
Near the orchard is a cute gate that my daughter built as a 4H woodworking project. It ended up being too heavy for the potager so it is installed at an angle on one edge of the lawn near the orchard. I have often hung something on it, a wreath in the summer made from a garden hose or a snowflake made with lights in the winter. I have tried to get some flowers started around there. I will plan to expand that area using some in ground perennials and some potted annuals and/or herbs. This area is our pet burial ground. Last year I found a cute post that will serve as a reminder/memorial of our beloved pets and livestock that is buried there. I think I will incorporate a source for drinking water and maybe a native bee 'hotel' for the pollinators and some yard art for curb appeal.
The new vineyard is planted on each side of the second driveway. So far it is just the first few plants with plans to expand. Right now I have three short rows of four plants each. None of the posts or wires have been installed yet. Two rows flank the driveway on the east and one row is between the driveway and the pasture on the west. The fence along the pasture needs to be replaced and the corner posts are deteriorating. I am considering changing the fence line at that corner, perhaps cutting off the corner and putting in some plants there. I think it would be cute and bring some pollinator activity to the vineyard.
Here is what I am starting early although I will probably add more later. A lot of these have flowers in shades of purple.
Jacob's Ladder (Blue Pearl)
Anise Hyssop (licorice Mint)
Eryngium (Blue Glitter)
Phocelia (Bee's Friend)
Salvia (Transylvanian Sage)
Cilantro (Pokey Joe)
Marigold (Queen Sophia)
Sweet Alyssium
Nasturtium
Last year I tried a cutting garden but my plantings did really poorly along with the vegetables. Maybe this year will be better and I can try again.
The ignored perennial bed is only a few feet away from a massive maple tree and has been taken over by saplings that grew out of the helicopter seeds released every year. This year I will be trying to rescue the perennials and relocate them in order to work to remove the saplings.
In all likelihood I will be putting up some fencing in my front yard. I would like to put wood chips and plantings on the outside and wood chips for sure along it on the inside. Some of the perennials will be relocated there. My sister has an amazing flower border in her yard and I will have to try and get some suggestions from her.
Friday, March 8, 2019
Peppers are up, time for tomatoes
Last weekend I started my pepper plants. They are starting to germinate so as they do so I am moving them under the lights which frees up space on the germination mat. This year we are growing some old favorites and some new varieties. Last year we grew a tomato called Siberian. It was a tomato found by my friend Bobbie. It is bred for growing in the north and it sets fruit at colder temperatures than many of the other tomato varieties, making it extra early. It worked out pretty well so I am trying it again along with a couple of other early tomatoes.
We usually grow a combination of slicers, pastes, and cherry types. Most of our choices are heirlooms or open pollinated. We do grow one or two hybrids. These are the varieties I am starting from seed this year:
Big Beef
Brandywine
Tigerella
Siberian
Moskvich
Speckled Roman
San Marzano II
Sunrise Bumble Bee
Costoluto Genovese
White Cherry
BHN 968
Black Vernissage
Matt's Wild Cherry
Next will be to start the flower plants to attract pollinators.
Spring seems so far away. Snow is predicted again this weekend. Supposed to start during the early morning. We are in the 7-12 inch range. At least the temperatures are mild. I think we might hit 40 one day next week.
We usually grow a combination of slicers, pastes, and cherry types. Most of our choices are heirlooms or open pollinated. We do grow one or two hybrids. These are the varieties I am starting from seed this year:
Big Beef
Brandywine
Tigerella
Siberian
Moskvich
Speckled Roman
San Marzano II
Sunrise Bumble Bee
Costoluto Genovese
White Cherry
BHN 968
Black Vernissage
Matt's Wild Cherry
Next will be to start the flower plants to attract pollinators.
Spring seems so far away. Snow is predicted again this weekend. Supposed to start during the early morning. We are in the 7-12 inch range. At least the temperatures are mild. I think we might hit 40 one day next week.
Saturday, March 2, 2019
March came in like a...
So hoping that this is a lion so that we can have the lamb at the end of the month. So tired of winter. Had a bunch of snow yesterday. Light, fluffy, pretty snow. Lots of inches of pretty snow.
But spring must be right around the corner. So I am starting plants for the garden.
Last week I started some celosa and amaranth. The week before I started eucalyptus. Those, if they do well, will be for the wedding at summer's end. I also started some onions, kohlrabi and asparagus and filled out the trays with some marigolds, greens and basil. As they sprout I move them from the germination heat mats to under the lights. That frees up space on the mats for the next round.
So today I am starting peppers. For the last several years I have started bell peppers and jalapenos from seed. Last year I added another hot pepper called Lemon drop, a favorite of my kids. This year we are trying several new hot varieties, a couple of new bells and some for paprika. Most were ones that I purchased but we did get one as a free sample that looks fun too. Some were requests, my sister wanted to try a hot banana, My future son in law wanted to try habaneros and a Carolina Reaper. My son wanted to try a mini bell for snacking. There were a couple that were recommended by bloggers I follow and a couple that just looked interesting on the websites. We ordered from four companies. Should make for an interesting harvest. I do not eat really hot peppers but some of my bunch are 'the hotter the better' types. I am hoping that there will be interest in both the plants and the fruits at the farmers market. The fruits will different shapes and very colorful. Should make for a nice display. I will have to be on the lookout for fun baskets when thrifting. And jars for pepper jelly.
So here are my 21 peppers:
Tennessee Cheese
Hungarian spice
Mini Bell Mix
Red Belgian Bell
Olympus Bell
Gourmet Bell
Sweet Yellow Stuffing
Ace Bell
Horizon Bell
Shishito Japanese Peppers
El Jefe Jalapeno
Peach Habanero
Chocolate Habanero
Fish
Chinese Five Color
Lemon Spice Jalapeno
Mustard Habanero
Carolina Reaper
Lemon Drop
Lipstick
Hot Banana
Tomatoes are next and then some flowers for pollinators. Can't wait. So fun to be getting my hands in the dirt.
Each of these pots has a dozen or more pepper seeds planted. When they are germinated and have a little size on them they will be repotted into their own pots. It is a type of seed starting that saves space on the heat mat but also allows for a greater separation of similar seeds. When seeding different types of seeds into the same tray the potential is there for seeds to fall into the wrong row and then confusion as to the variety is possible. It is a method that I have not used before but I may continue to use when I start less than a whole flat of the same variety. These will be covered with a plastic dome until they germinate and then they will be moved under lights. When they have a couple of sets of true leaves they will each get their own pot.
Shared with BNOTP here.
But spring must be right around the corner. So I am starting plants for the garden.
Last week I started some celosa and amaranth. The week before I started eucalyptus. Those, if they do well, will be for the wedding at summer's end. I also started some onions, kohlrabi and asparagus and filled out the trays with some marigolds, greens and basil. As they sprout I move them from the germination heat mats to under the lights. That frees up space on the mats for the next round.
So today I am starting peppers. For the last several years I have started bell peppers and jalapenos from seed. Last year I added another hot pepper called Lemon drop, a favorite of my kids. This year we are trying several new hot varieties, a couple of new bells and some for paprika. Most were ones that I purchased but we did get one as a free sample that looks fun too. Some were requests, my sister wanted to try a hot banana, My future son in law wanted to try habaneros and a Carolina Reaper. My son wanted to try a mini bell for snacking. There were a couple that were recommended by bloggers I follow and a couple that just looked interesting on the websites. We ordered from four companies. Should make for an interesting harvest. I do not eat really hot peppers but some of my bunch are 'the hotter the better' types. I am hoping that there will be interest in both the plants and the fruits at the farmers market. The fruits will different shapes and very colorful. Should make for a nice display. I will have to be on the lookout for fun baskets when thrifting. And jars for pepper jelly.
So here are my 21 peppers:
Tennessee Cheese
Hungarian spice
Mini Bell Mix
Red Belgian Bell
Olympus Bell
Gourmet Bell
Sweet Yellow Stuffing
Ace Bell
Horizon Bell
Shishito Japanese Peppers
El Jefe Jalapeno
Peach Habanero
Chocolate Habanero
Fish
Chinese Five Color
Lemon Spice Jalapeno
Mustard Habanero
Carolina Reaper
Lemon Drop
Lipstick
Hot Banana
Tomatoes are next and then some flowers for pollinators. Can't wait. So fun to be getting my hands in the dirt.
Shared with BNOTP here.
Monday, February 4, 2019
Hello February
Is it possible that February has me turning a corner? Is this the day that I start to move forward with renewed vigor? I certainly hope so. 2018 was a challenging year and there was a lot of disappointment. The garden was a disappointment. The market was disappointing. Oh, it was fun but the last minute chaos twice a week was so exhausting. The weather refused to cooperate. The unfinished projects glared at me as I walked past them all summer long with little progress. Sweet little Libby was a challenge. Each year I plan to accomplish so much during the winter when I have more time. I will plan to sew for the market and try new recipes and organize my supplies for my labels. Figure out my pricing strategy. Plan my summer garden.
January came and went. After finishing my Christmas gift sewing my sewing machine has been idle. I have watched a bunch of sewing videos on you tube but actual sewing, not so much. I started watching Netflix. I am new to Netflix but I binge watched a couple of seasons of a gardening show. And I played some solitaire on the computer. I think I needed to recharge. I am starting to feel a little motivated. Yesterday I got some good things done. Today promises some more. After I get groceries and check in on my folks. I have not been off of my yard for a week and now that my driveway is cleared, not by me but by my neighbor, and my car starts, it is time.
The polar vortex is done. I know that most of the country seemed to have a few days of colder than normal weather. In Minnesota where I live it was no different. I don't think that I heard that we set any new records. Our coldest night got to -30 as the air temperature and much colder wind chills. During the worst of it the wind was from the north so my yard was protected and it was sunny during the day. We didn't get above zero for several days in a row. The coldest two nights I was setting my alarm and getting up every couple of hours to run water. I did a couple loads of laundry in the middle of the night. Wash, rinse and extra rinse kept the water moving. Luckily the well kept working and the pipes didn't freeze. I did carry water in pails from the house to the barn for my little herd. All of the animals survived. The last day the air temperature was higher, above zero but not above freezing. Single digits maybe. It was cloudy and the wind was now blowing from the south so it felt worse than when it was much colder the day before. Saturday and Sunday it was +30 for highs. Yay! I did finally venture out to the greenhouse. This year I am not growing much for greens. Did I mention that 2018 was full of disappointments? Self inflicted seed failure was one of them. I am overwintering some herbs and strawberries in addition to a couple of tubs of greens. During the cold days I watched from the house as the temperature in the greenhouse dropped to 10 degrees during the night. I was running my two milk house heaters and usually it will keep it close to 30-32 degrees overnight even when below zero outside. Saturday I trudged through the thigh high drifts to check on the greenhouse for the first time. I expected to find everything dead but so far it looks like everything made it. I know that the fact that it was sunny and the temps would climb during the day must have helped. I am not sure if the wild temperature swings over a few hours will stress the plants. I suppose we will see. I withheld watering a bit before the cold hit so that the dry soil in the pots would be less likely to freeze.
I took my Christmas trees down this weekend. I live in a small house and my trees are all smallish and up on tables. It has been several years since I had a full sized tree. When my crew is all home for Christmas we have six, sometimes seven, mostly big dogs in the house. Any tree on the ground would be in danger of being tipped over. I needed the space for my seed germination mat. I have shelving with lights in the basement where I usually have my seed trays but this time I decided to do the germination on the main floor. So far I have only started a couple of trays of eucalyptus. I have not ever grown eucalyptus before. We have purchased seeds of two varieties. My daughter wants to use eucalyptus for her wedding at the end of the summer so we are going to see if we can grow our own.
I finally got my garden seeds ordered. I am not done. I haven't ordered the seeds that will be directly sown into the ground yet and I am sure there will be some remembered ones but I got the tomato and pepper seeds ordered so I can get those germinating. It seems like each year we try a few new things. This year I ordered a couple more early tomatoes, ones that are touted to set fruit in cooler weather. There is a definite advantage to being the first one to the market with tomatoes. I am also trying some new peppers. I ordered two varieties for drying and making into paprika. We will see how that goes. This year I also ordered flower seeds that are good companion plants for an edible garden. They are plants that attract pollinators but also plants that discourage garden pests or attract beneficial insects that feed on garden pests. Some are perennials and some are annuals. I intend to plant some near the big garden and near the orchard and near the grapes.
This is Ellie sleeping on the seed mat. I had to put an empty cell liner on top of the clear covers to keep her from sleeping on top of the trays.
Part of the germination process is getting my seed trays sanitized. I wash them and then sanitize them in a bleach/water solution. Because it is cold when I need to do use them I always end up doing it in the kitchen. If I would think to sanitize them as I empty them so they are ready for the next round it could probably be done outside and save some clutter in the kitchen. When I got the first of the trays done I decided to do some of the pots that they will go into for their first round of potting up. My daughter's mother-in-law is now my good friend. She is a volunteer at an arboretum and last fall they did a big planting and she helped with that and rescued the pots and the matching trays that they were going to throw away. I guesstimate that there are 250 round 4 inch pots with matching trays and 150 slightly taller square 4 inch pots with matching trays. These will work so much nicer than my old system of red solo cups that tip over. So excited to get these and put them to use. Thanks Bobbie!!! Each of the pots is washed and then soaked in a container of bleach water for 20 minutes and then air dried. My container holds three trays at a time, and maybe 20-25 small pots, so I work in batches. They are then set individually to dry. Takes up a lot of room during the process. I have the round pots done and before I put away the mess I will do the square pots too. It will be nice having them ready to go.
Not quite a before and after but sharing with Susan at BNOTP here.
January came and went. After finishing my Christmas gift sewing my sewing machine has been idle. I have watched a bunch of sewing videos on you tube but actual sewing, not so much. I started watching Netflix. I am new to Netflix but I binge watched a couple of seasons of a gardening show. And I played some solitaire on the computer. I think I needed to recharge. I am starting to feel a little motivated. Yesterday I got some good things done. Today promises some more. After I get groceries and check in on my folks. I have not been off of my yard for a week and now that my driveway is cleared, not by me but by my neighbor, and my car starts, it is time.
Just Getting Done
Just Getting Started
Eucalyptus
I took my Christmas trees down this weekend. I live in a small house and my trees are all smallish and up on tables. It has been several years since I had a full sized tree. When my crew is all home for Christmas we have six, sometimes seven, mostly big dogs in the house. Any tree on the ground would be in danger of being tipped over. I needed the space for my seed germination mat. I have shelving with lights in the basement where I usually have my seed trays but this time I decided to do the germination on the main floor. So far I have only started a couple of trays of eucalyptus. I have not ever grown eucalyptus before. We have purchased seeds of two varieties. My daughter wants to use eucalyptus for her wedding at the end of the summer so we are going to see if we can grow our own.
First Seed Order
I finally got my garden seeds ordered. I am not done. I haven't ordered the seeds that will be directly sown into the ground yet and I am sure there will be some remembered ones but I got the tomato and pepper seeds ordered so I can get those germinating. It seems like each year we try a few new things. This year I ordered a couple more early tomatoes, ones that are touted to set fruit in cooler weather. There is a definite advantage to being the first one to the market with tomatoes. I am also trying some new peppers. I ordered two varieties for drying and making into paprika. We will see how that goes. This year I also ordered flower seeds that are good companion plants for an edible garden. They are plants that attract pollinators but also plants that discourage garden pests or attract beneficial insects that feed on garden pests. Some are perennials and some are annuals. I intend to plant some near the big garden and near the orchard and near the grapes.
Seed Starting Equipment Sanitation
Part of the germination process is getting my seed trays sanitized. I wash them and then sanitize them in a bleach/water solution. Because it is cold when I need to do use them I always end up doing it in the kitchen. If I would think to sanitize them as I empty them so they are ready for the next round it could probably be done outside and save some clutter in the kitchen. When I got the first of the trays done I decided to do some of the pots that they will go into for their first round of potting up. My daughter's mother-in-law is now my good friend. She is a volunteer at an arboretum and last fall they did a big planting and she helped with that and rescued the pots and the matching trays that they were going to throw away. I guesstimate that there are 250 round 4 inch pots with matching trays and 150 slightly taller square 4 inch pots with matching trays. These will work so much nicer than my old system of red solo cups that tip over. So excited to get these and put them to use. Thanks Bobbie!!! Each of the pots is washed and then soaked in a container of bleach water for 20 minutes and then air dried. My container holds three trays at a time, and maybe 20-25 small pots, so I work in batches. They are then set individually to dry. Takes up a lot of room during the process. I have the round pots done and before I put away the mess I will do the square pots too. It will be nice having them ready to go.
 |
| lots of round and square pots! |
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Hello 2019
Happy New Year. We are, here at the farm, in the middle of a cold snap. Today it is -12 with wind chills of -25 to -35. The high is expected to stay below zero today but warm overnight. Tomorrow should be better. It sounds like a good day to stay in and catch up on some blogging.
The beginning of a new year is often associated with new starts and resolutions. I have never been successful with resolutions but I am going to use today for some reflection and goal setting.
2018 was a very challenging and discouraging year. A lot of the challenges were out of my control but finding a better way to manage them is something that I need to learn to keep them from overwhelming me. Last year I found myself running like a chicken with it's head cut off (is that a regional saying?) from one unfinished project to the next and one near disaster (okay that might be a little dramatic) to the next. Though I felt busy I sure didn't get stuff crossed of my list.
So here are a few thoughts on 2019. I started following a blog a few years ago. I found them by accident. I saw a pin on Pinterest that was about dismantling a pallet. I followed the link and found this garden/lifestyle blog. The couple lived in town, but had a small acreage in the country and they were building, from scratch, a hobby farm. I started using some of their garden ideas. One of the things they have done every year since I started following them is to make a list of goals for the year. I think every year that is their first post of the new year. I tried one year to do the same and it was halfhearted at best--way too comprehensive and not realistic at all. It was more like a brainstorming session where you list every single thing that comes to mind. Here is a link to their blog
In the time that I have been following them they have built a house and moved to the farm, written two books, quit their day jobs and are about to embark on a year-long trip to visit each of the United States in a camper. Well, maybe not Hawaii or Alaska in the camper. I am going to create a list of goals for the year.
I tend to be a list maker but I don't always make good use of my lists. Often it is a way to organize my thoughts, but once finished, never to be referred to again. I recently read again about bullet journals. I am going to give it a try. All my stuff (goals and to-do lists) together in one place! The idea of a portable collection of all my lists is enticing but not very practical for me, who sees small print poorly. I am starting my journal on the computer. I can print individual pages if I should need portability. I am going to take a week to gather my ideas and needs and then prioritize those into a hopefully achievable list of 12 goals. One for each month. Maybe the blog needs a bullet journal of its own.
Thanks for visiting,
Lorri
The beginning of a new year is often associated with new starts and resolutions. I have never been successful with resolutions but I am going to use today for some reflection and goal setting.
2018 was a very challenging and discouraging year. A lot of the challenges were out of my control but finding a better way to manage them is something that I need to learn to keep them from overwhelming me. Last year I found myself running like a chicken with it's head cut off (is that a regional saying?) from one unfinished project to the next and one near disaster (okay that might be a little dramatic) to the next. Though I felt busy I sure didn't get stuff crossed of my list.
So here are a few thoughts on 2019. I started following a blog a few years ago. I found them by accident. I saw a pin on Pinterest that was about dismantling a pallet. I followed the link and found this garden/lifestyle blog. The couple lived in town, but had a small acreage in the country and they were building, from scratch, a hobby farm. I started using some of their garden ideas. One of the things they have done every year since I started following them is to make a list of goals for the year. I think every year that is their first post of the new year. I tried one year to do the same and it was halfhearted at best--way too comprehensive and not realistic at all. It was more like a brainstorming session where you list every single thing that comes to mind. Here is a link to their blog
In the time that I have been following them they have built a house and moved to the farm, written two books, quit their day jobs and are about to embark on a year-long trip to visit each of the United States in a camper. Well, maybe not Hawaii or Alaska in the camper. I am going to create a list of goals for the year.
I tend to be a list maker but I don't always make good use of my lists. Often it is a way to organize my thoughts, but once finished, never to be referred to again. I recently read again about bullet journals. I am going to give it a try. All my stuff (goals and to-do lists) together in one place! The idea of a portable collection of all my lists is enticing but not very practical for me, who sees small print poorly. I am starting my journal on the computer. I can print individual pages if I should need portability. I am going to take a week to gather my ideas and needs and then prioritize those into a hopefully achievable list of 12 goals. One for each month. Maybe the blog needs a bullet journal of its own.
Thanks for visiting,
Lorri
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