Thankful for the Little Things

Did I ever mention how much I love the tractor? I give Phil a hard time about running out and hopping on it as soon as he gets home (which he does...really). However, I can't help but be thankful after this past week for all of the things that tractor has done for us.

You know, I really think I am learning a lesson in patience, perseverence, and thankfulness. It starts with not having an oven...did I mention I love mine? Then no hot water for a week...gotta love those showers! And on and on. Each step, I become more and more thankful for simple things that I had always taken for granted before.

About two weeks ago, Phil noticed the lawnmower blades were leaving a "less than desired" cutting effect behind - tattered blade tops and all. Being the wonderful perfectionist he can be, he took the mower deck off the tractor, and then the blades off the mower. He went into town and ordered blades from a local dealer. "A couple of days" he was told. Well...a couple of days came and went. He visited the dealer...a few more days. When the blades finally came in, they were the wrong size. "A few more days."

Now, you have to understand something about Iowa grass. We did not mow all winter. The grass stayed the perfect length, snow or not. Each spring, however, there is a certain point where the warmth and the humidity kick off the reaction, and you had best keep up on that grass or you will be in sorry shape. We know people who mow part of their yard each day to keep up with it all. Once a week is about right, but don't go pushing it farther than that, we are told.

So here we sit, day 9, looking at the lengthening grass. Phli is getting nervous.

The right blades finally come in. Phil sets out to install them. Well, in all of the jumbling around, a bolt/nut/ some important piece either came loose, got lost, something. (I am still unsure of the actual circumstances, seems a bit shady looking back). The mower won't work. There are three blades on the mower, two work, one is acting up. Phil needed some real time to tackle it before he could use it on the yard. With it being Sunday night, and a looming workweek ahead, he hauled out the push lawnmower, and set before his loving wife a daunting task.

He explained that if we didn't start to tackle the lawn now, it might be unmanageable to the point of having to weedwack the entire 4 acres of grass. Hmm...spending a day lawnmowing didn't sound so bad.

Four hours into my first day, I had finished one third of the FRONT yard. Hmm...spending a month lawnmowing didn't sound so great after all. In the picture below, Ryan is sitting in front of my grass pile. This came from half of the front yard - one of the biggest time consumers was carting bags of grass back and forth.

After two days of doing nothing except for mowing the lawn, Phil went out to see if he could fix the tractor Tuesday night. Within 15 minutes, he had taken off the "bad blade" and set out to see if it still worked if only two were attached.

Within 20 minutes, he had doubled my two days worth of progress. I could have been frustrated with this, but I just fell in love with that rickety old tractor all over again. It was as I felt when the plow worked and I was freed from the prospect of hand turning the entire garden. Oh, wonderful tractor...without you what long grass we would have!

I am sure everyone is concerned about our asparagus. I have cleared out the patch, and planted tomato plants around it (not only to hide it from curious Asparagus hunters, but they are "companion plants" and are supposed to help each other grow). I go out every two days or so, and each time get a basketful of spears. We counted thirty three this past time. I cannot believe how fast it grows! Phil just told me he bartered with a neighbor he just met - asparagus spears for rhubarb. Wonderful!

We had a great rainbow show up as Phil was mowing- there was a storm closing in and I stood out and watched the clouds while he mowed. In the picture below, you can see the closest "hog sheds" if you look closely. I don't know how many pigs they have in there, but I am sure quite a few. These are all over Iowa, and it is most likely where your pork comes from. Most of the commercial buildings you see out there are the same size, with two buildings next to each other like this. (Phil says it's probably state regulations or they would be even bigger). There are pig farmers who own a few thousand hogs, but split them up between multiple locations. Our owner lives in New Providence (15 miles away) and is a second cousin to another neighbor. He also owns 4 other locations. He comes down and plants trees around the sheds, sprays weed killer, etc. I think they have to be "extra good" neighbors when they run an operation in such a small community like this. We can actually hear (faintly) the pigs from that far away on a clear night.



I got these shoes for my birthday...they are about the size of the tip of your thumb. It's good, because I was wondering what would happen in a tornado. So, I can keep these in my pocket, and when that storm hits, you know, I will be safe. The question is, would they bring me back to Iowa or Washington? Phil says he is going to start inspecting my mail before it's opened. Ha, Contraban!

Birthday Blessings

We have been busy planting and weeding these past few weeks. This is a picture of the "little strawberries that could," and have been aptly named because they survived the clutches of black-thumbed Tracy, and are not only living, but thriving to tell the tale! They were delivered as live plants, and I was expecting a big box, so just waited and waited on them. Well, one day I happened to go out and check the mail box (only about once a week, since we don't usually get that much mail) and lo and behold, there were the strawberries, cooking away in that little metal heater. So, I brought them in. Not knowing what needs to be done with live plants when I don't have a yard tilled for them yet, I put them in the basement. A few days passed, and Phil asked if any plants had ocme in recently - I explained about the strawberries, and his face fell. Apparently we should have been working on their plot of land...and planting them...long before. SO, I took them out of the box they were in, and actually read the directions on what to do if I can't plant them right away. The directions said they can last awhile in the fridge, if wrapped in something moist, like wood shavings. I had no wood shavings, so I tried paper towels. A few weeks go by, and we spend time getting the garden tilled, working, etc. We forget about the little brown box in the back of the fridge. One day, Phil says "I bet those strawberries are pretty much dead by now". And, I agreed with his assumption, being that they had been "resting" in the fridge for about two weeks. Another few days goes by (you might think I am exagerating on this story, but unfortunately, I am not) and our raspberry plants come. Phil once again mentions the strawberries, and I decide that I had better get them out, you know, they can't sit in that fridge forever even if they won't be planted.

Much to my (and Phil's) surprise, when I pulled them out of the package, they were not only alive, but sprouting! Half of hem had two inch shoots on them (a certain variety liked the cold weather better). So, figuring they were quite the little surviving bunch, I planted them that day. All 100 of them looked to be healthy. Amazing! So now, I am beginning to be very protective of them.

We have these cute little bunnies hopping around, Ryan and I have admired them often, as we see them nearly every morning. While I am normally not in favor of hunting, I do have small strawberries to think of here. Old tales of Peter Rabbit and Bugs Bunny haunt me as I go inside...are they out eating my precious plants? I feel like a modern day Elmer Fud (Hewo mista wabbit...weyre aw you?).



We have also been trying our hands at making soap. Yes, actually from scratch with Lye and everything! It has been really fun. We have only made two batches. The one on the left is a batch of "almond oatmeal". We are still working on the recipe, and looking for good additives and smells. It has been really fun to be creative together. You should see us try the soap, though. ("Oh, look how this one suds up, and don't your hands feel clean?") We are quite the personal infomercials!




The most exciting surprise (after the strawberries, of course) came the day before my birthday. Phil was out tracking rabbits, and noticed some asparagas around the fencerow between our yard and the neighbors field. When he told me there were stalks as tall as my waist, I got my knife ready and headed out with him. He laughed even as we walked to them, saying that maybe I should wait to cut them down until I at least see them.

For those of you who don't know, asparagas grows wild, but finding it is like finding wild mushrooms - you can't show people you know where they are or you won't see any all season. (This news from one of the women at church, who said "don't breathe a word about those!") They take three YEARS to grow when planted in the garden from sprouts, so you can imagine my thrill when I heard there was some in my own back yard that would not take a third of a decade to grow befroe I could enjoy them!

Well, the plants along the fencerow were indeed too big, and on the other side of the barbed wire. Lest I try to scale the prickly wall and hunt for smaller skewers, I was at a loss for what to do. Phil suggested moving the plants once the season was over, so we could have some next year. I reluctantly agreed.

So, we decided to walk around the property, searcing for other stray batches of asparagas. When we had almost made the full loop, we came within about 50 yards of a brush pile that has been an eyesore all winter a ways from the side of our house. Phil started running toward it, saying "NO way!" Curious, I started running as well. We found what must ave been this woman's asparagas patch. There must be 50 plants over there. Little asparagas everywhere, and some tall ones, too. Starting to clean up the patch, we were very excited to find so many, and on OUR side of the barbed wire! You can see that a few of them were very tall, and some crooked, but all in all, quite the little patch! My knife came in handy at this patch, and we cut some down for a late night snack.

So, now I have two little patches to worry about- my peter rabbits and my asparagas hunters. It's funny how, even though we had no idea we would have either patch a few days ago, now I feel so protective of the produce! Anyway, it was a wonderful surprise! The 8 little plants I put in my garden just don't seem so important anymore...we will get to wait a few years for those...




















This little guy is getting bigger each day! He is cutting new teeth...he has had the same 8 since we moved here, and just these past few days has started getting more teeth on the bottom, and even some molars! It has made for quite a cranky couple of days, poor kid, but I know he will enjoy having them when they get here! He has also started saying "hello", although it comes out more like "ellough", or if you think of someone british saying it, you will get close. It is darling. He is talking up a storm, though, now that he has found his voice. He strings them all together ("elloelloello") and is experimenting with new sounds, too. Quite the entertainer!

Here Piggy Piggy

Spring means baby everything! It's really been neat to see small calves, baby pigs, and even lambs out in the fields. I actually saw the first perfect little rows of leaves in one farmers field yesterday- corn is on it's way!

We had the privilege of visiting one pig farm in Zearing - the woman who owns the farm goes to our church, and let us take a tour. They had probably five different areas where they held pigs- each for different purposes. The fields are for birthing and raising the pigs for the first few days. The pig shown here was three days old. You can see in the background all the tiny little "houses" on the field. Each one will hold a mamma and her litter until they are ready to go into the "finishing shed". Anyway, this family has three feilds of these little houses- must be 200 or so on each field. It looks like a million, though! They also grow beans and corn - a true Iowan family if I do say so myself!

These are what the piglets look like (these ones are about two days old) next to their moms. Those pigs get huge!





We decided we had better get started on our own garden, and well, the whole hand-spading thing just didn't cut it. One of the "guys" Phil works with, Rob, was extremely generous and brought over this plow as well as a disc that works on Phil's tractor. They are old, but they still work! He just had them in his side yard, and said we could keep them! So nice!

Let me tell you, after spading, Phil and I were both thrilled to see this thing move dirt! We had tried to rototill it up, and being such hard dirt back here, that was nearly impossible. The plow just cut through and turned it over right quick. It took Phil about a day to get his plot turned over, and then ran the disc over it a bunch of times. We ended up with dirt that has a bit of grass still in it (you just can't tear up that much sod and expect it to disappear, although one could wish!) but very workable. Our tilled up space equals 110X111 feet, or a little less than a third of an acre. Some would say we are a bit optimistic on our gardening expectations. =)





















The picture below is tough to see, but I wanted to give you an idea for the feel of the size. Phil is that tiny white speck in the middle of the picture - he is planting pea stakes in one corner of the garden. I am taking the picture from the other corner of the garden. Needless to say, we have peas, potatoes, asparagas, watermelon, and little else in the garden just yet. It's a bit overwhelming!
Also, it is important to note that Ryan has been a huge help with the garden. Being the best "resident weeder" and "wheelbarrow holder-downer", well, who could ask for better help?