What to do...July 4th 2012

Happy Fourth!
boom! boom! boom!
What are we celebrating?
Feeling in-de-pendent or just depressed, depleted, dejected, deleted?

It does feel like the world is going to hell in a hand basket SLO-MO (until after the election) and we're all just watching.

What if we all start getting together routinely to have a good time?
(I haven't forgotten snow-shoeing fun) It is so hard to get together? WHY?

We did it when the kids were little...got together, at the local park, roller skating ring, library, town hall. We called it a play group. I've still got some pictures! (I think I'm talking mostly to the female-folk here)

I'd like us 'sand trapped sandgaters' to get together routinely (somewhere) without much expense (tea, garden salad), to do things (meet & talk at first) that will restore/revive our sense of our talents. Maybe help each other DO something like experiment w a new idea. Who knows? If we get together, no one will feel so computer-isolated.

Call it SISTER-RINGS - The Sandgate Chapter

Let's pick a regular day/time/place and whoever shows up is a member!

What do YOU think?

Home Grown Chickies

IT'S TUESDAY JUNE 5TH 2012

Tired of getting those chickies in the mail?  Get an incubator and hatch 'em yourself!

Here is a picture of our first chick!

OK, so you don't see the incubator...due to some equipment problems we had to do it the old fashioned way--the gooseneck lamp for heat, sponges for moisture and some good reading material like the UFT newspaper and VOILA!  A HATCHLING!

TO BE CONTINUED.............................

HEY it's MID MAY!

Just to say hello
and keep up with the pace of farm goings-on
The CHICKS HAVE ARRIVED--actually on Sunday May 6th!

Garden Ticks

Would you believe (and only in Sandgate)...

......the other evening, hubby asked me to look at a spot on his forearm that hurt him.  I obliged.  I'd had a few glasses of wine with dinner and my eyesight never was what it used to be...but HONEST, it looked like a scab.  Yesterday we worked all morning in the garden planting beets, onions, peas, and potatoes.  Since the day wasn't over we thought we'd do some more.  Hubby called the plumber and when Johnny the plumber came in, Joe asked him to look at the scab.  John is not so young anymore, but with the keen eyesight of the Sandgate hunter-plumbers, John discovered that the scab was no longer a scab--but a nasty engorging TICK.  I ran for the tick remover!  So out of breath was I, that John stepped in, waxing surgical.  Using a lime green tick remover with aplomb, removed the tick placing it on 2 inch wide clear transparent cellophane tape (which he had ordered me to fetch in his best plumb-surgical command voice).  There that lil' bugger was, all full of pincers with a fat swollen red belly--sealed in cello with just enough air space to remain alive. 

We drove over to New York State where there is an URGENT CARE facility.  We arrived.  The computers were down.  So after much time, hubby was ushered into a room.  After much more time he was allowed to see a doctor.  We live in East Sandgate.  The doctor was from the West Sandgate.  After a lot more time, we were allowed to purchase the pills that made hubby sick later that night. 

Planting-April ends but will the cold?

Even though the weather is not what we'd like, we've been busy planting. Hat & jacketed, we have managed to plant fava beans, beets, onions and potatoes. We have lots more started in cell trays.
That snap of early warm weather just ruined us for the return of the same ole' cold.

The INCUBATOR has arrived!

I just set the incubator up and will run it for awhile to set the thermostat and make sure it keeps a consistent temperature between 99 and 100 degrees F.  The humidity should be 57-60 %.  It will handle 41 eggs at once.  I have 43 to choose from.  Then in about 21 days...some chicks should hatch!

April 16 2012 - 90 WHAT?

        Yes Virginia, there is global warming. 

What are those lil' white flakey things falling from the sky?

On the way out to let the hens out of the coop I saw and felt these lil' white flakey things falling down from the sky...even the hens were hesitant upon stepping out of Castle Chic.  I wonder what's going on with the weather.
Last year, my friends and I enjoyed snow-shoeing all around town but this year has been stingy prompting one of the shoe-ers to ask whether or not the great creator wanted us to exercise?
And who could settle such a question?  

Making trays of veggie seeds Friday MARCH 23rd 2012

Today we made trays and planted seeds.  Red Cabbage, Green Cabbage, Kale, Broccoli, Red Boston, Green Boston, Iceberg, Escarole, Parsley, Onions (Cortland) which were beside the Pac Choi that had already sprouted in the greenhouse.

Looking Forward

We are astounded at the continuing warm weather.  Of course, we're doing our best to 'get ahead' of this weather curve--the grounds and gardens are cleaned up.  The autopsy on the bee hives is that they never got off the ground...poor queens.  No more nuks from the better bee place!
It's hard to hold back and not start planting but it is ONLY 3/21/2012.  We could get still get a snow storm or dip below freezing for a couple of nights.
We are debating the number and types of poultry for the coming season.
So what's happening where you are?   

Tuesday, November 29th 2011 - 60 Degrees!

We have been having unseasonably warm temperatures lately.  It just isn't becoming cold enough for long enough.  The bears are still out.  We planted some bulbs for next year...they're thinking of sprouting now.  not great... hope it cools off.


found this--must publish?

AHHHHHHH IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!

IT'S MONDAY  MARCH 18TH 2012

We've been having the most interesting weather.  Warm! 
We've put up MUNG and ALFALFA beans for sprouting and should have them for the weekend!
So much to write about--no more time.
back later.