Visiting Kentucky

Fiance's parents live in southeast rural Kentucky now. It's a big change from the metropolitan area they left, but it's on his mother's childhood homestead.


This is the view from their front window (sorry about the screen, I am writing in iPhone mode and am using iPhone pics for now). The snow blanketed everything on the first day - gorgeous and ephemeral.

We brought them three of our hens. We love these girls, but we know they'll have a good him here, and we need room for the new ones coming this year.


They didn't seem to mind the fourteen hour car ride too much, but they did stage a breakout of their box from time to time.





Malai loves car rides and laps, so this was heaven for her.

The hens laid two eggs in the box on the way down, and a third egg once we arrived. Productive girls!


We checked out the local feed store to see if they had any prefabricated coops for sale, and I discovered seeds come in huge bags for cheap prices!!




The only problem is that you have to be careful of which kind are genetically modified. But I did pick up a bunch of peas, peanuts, onions, and rapini.

We celebrated Passover with Fiance's parents, and his uncle and grandmother who live on the homestead. Malai took to Grandma Hazel immediately!


There was matzoh brei the next morning for breakfast - egg made with matzoh and sugar. Next time, I'll take mine without the sugar!


While there a thousand and one Walmarts and fast food places and dollar stores in these rural counties (bleh), we were starved for coffee shops.


When we saw this in a town 45 minutes from his parents' house, much excitement ensued. We're happily/sadly addicted.

There's a lot of poverty and crime in the area of the homestead. Fiance's grandmother owns 400 acres of farm and woodland. Trailer parks border all around the edges, several decorated with confederate flags. It's a different sort of life, here. Very different from our coastal CT lifestyle. But I enjoyed driving around looking at everything and observing people.

I especially enjoyed the miles and miles of rolling hills.


One day, we drove to Mammoth Cave National Park.








That is a Kentucky cave cricket. We also saw a bat!

Overall, it was a scenic and southern experience, mixed with a Jewish holiday and a national park.

I have some wonderful friends watching over my plants and animals at home, and this morning one of them sent me this photo:


These are my crocus babies I planted last fall. What a welcome sight! We'll be home to see them tomorrow. Can't wait!

Happy Spring!

For the Nephew

Fiance's sister is having her second baby boy in two or three weeks.


I made this hat using the Bulky Baby Hat pattern, and then appliqued the chick.


Here it is with the Done in a Jiffy baby blanket I whipped up for the new arrival. While the hat was simple to make, I did have to unravel the first hat I made as it was too big. The recommended size crochet hook in the pattern contributed to the size, so I went a full mm down in crochet hooks. This hat is perfect for a newborn.



The blanket was a really simple pattern, but the yarn I used, Lion Brand's "Baby's First Yarn" (in honeybee, which is NOT showing its real color here - it's a warm and buttery yellow), has a tendency to fray. I'm going to go over the frays with Alene's, but I'll test it in the washing machine before I give it to mom.


And here's the stitch up close - I think it's really lovely.


So, that's one for the nephew, and one for the niece! The next blanket coming up is for a cousin's baby. So many babies this year!

Feed Store Fluffies

At the feed store this past weekend, there was the most adorable sight!


Ducklings!! I begged Fiance to let me take home two of them - but a sign there said it was a minimum of 6 to purchase. I couldn't take 6. Even I know that. :(



There were also chicks!! And I can't wait to get our fluffy butts in the first week of May!


I spent a good five minutes leaning on the fence they've erected around these tubs of cuteness, watching them longingly. But ours will come soon enough!

Starting Seeds and Transferring Seedlings

I've started thirty tomato varieties, twenty something pepper varieties, two tomatillo varieties, and several cole crops. Some of the tomatoes, peppers, and cole crops have grown a second set of true leaves and are ready for transplanting.




Sometimes people get confused by the term "true leaves". When seeds germinate, the two green leaves that unfurl directly from the seed are called cotyledons. The next set of leaves to grow will be more distinctive to that species of plant, and are the first set of "true leaves." This year, I have decided to transplant my seedlings from the tiny cell trays to 4" peat pots once they have developed a second set of true leaves. The second set often indicates a healthily developing root system, and though many people prefer to wait until the plant is root bound, I prefer to not have to harm the roots during transplant.







The brandywine tomato seedling is already becoming rootbound. The orange bell pepper seedling was just starting to grow the second set of true leaves, and already has a good root system.



At this point, Quadrapus is all sorts of curious about what I'm doing. And, she's not crouching in the photo. She's really that high...or low. She's a munchkin breed, which have genetically short legs.




I'm not sure she approves of the peat pots. I fill the 4" peat pot with more sterile seedling mix, but I add a spoonful of compost from the pile in the backyard. I poke a hole in the middle of the dirt for the waiting seedling.




Q is all like, "Mmmmmm, dirt..."

I use a spoon to pop the seedling from the tray, letting the dirt stay with the seedling's roots. At this point, I have thinned out any competing seedlings to ensure the healthy growth of a single plant. (I pinch the less robust seedlings with my nails below the cotyledons.) Some people like to tease out seedlings from each other and pot all the plants. I prefer not to damage any root systems that can be especially sensitive at this time of growth, and I get enough plants. But, it's up to you.




Quadrapus thinks I should plant this pepper next.

With tomato plants (and with tomatillos), you can place them into the soil all the way up to the bottom leaves. Roots will form all along the stem below the surface.
With other plants, place in the soil above the crown of the roots.




Once all the seedlings have been planted, I water using a weak organic fertilizer solution. I place them back beneath the grow lights, and in another week, they'll wow me with size and luster.

The leftover seed cells I will use for more planting. I often don't even sterilize them (I know, blasphemous!). I fill them with a sterile seed mix, plant my seeds according to package directions, and place them beneath the grow light.




I keep the soil moist at all times, and I find that beneath the warm glow of T5 HO bulbs, I don't have a problem with damping off fungus killing the little guys.

Here are some more photos of Quadrapus "helping". Apologies for the blurriness.












Happy Planting!

Mindful - a poem

Cucumber plant growing in the tree.

Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for -
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world -
to instruct myself
over and over

in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant -
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

- Mary Oliver

Spring Crochet

Oh my gosh! Spring is almost here! I am so excited!

I've also been working on three different crochet projects between work, class, homework, and garden prep. Here's a sneak peek:







A new baby blanket! Don't you love these colors? It's Martha Stewart Extra Soft Wool Blend in Buttermilk, Lemon Chiffon, Gray Pearl, and Gerbera Daisy. Choosing the right colors took three weeks of hemming and hawing - I was originally stuck on shades of blue, and while they were beautiful, I wanted something brighter!

I also am crocheting a pair of baby converse, and another hat. I expect to be done with it all by the end of the month! Then I will move on to a light, spring scarf. Can't wait!

Any creative projects that you're working on?

Hardening Off

It's that time of year!



I have started putting the cole crops and onions into this nifty greenhouse thing I picked up at Home Depot for 25 bucks. It heats up nicely during the day and protects the young plants from the wind and biting cold during the night. I will put these guys into the soil next weekend, but for this week, they will enjoy the safety of the greenhouse while they acclimate to the chilly temperatures. This is a process known as "hardening off", and it's an important to-do step for your seedlings that you've sowed indoors.




Some people use cold frames to harden off their seedlings. Unfortunately, between a full time job and full grad coursework, I haven't had enough time to build frames (you can make some nice ones while upcycling old windows). Or, you can buy already made cold frames.

I am cool with this for now. I will begin loading more cole crops into it this week, and then put them into the ground. When it comes to the tomatoes and peppers, it'll be full up!

How about you? What kind of garden chores are you up to?