tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22997362377294949602024-02-07T21:20:47.721-08:00Rural LegacyJust a Farm Girl in Flip FlopsSarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.comBlogger294125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-49074635540228332212018-07-10T17:53:00.002-07:002018-07-10T17:55:33.024-07:00Wedding Flowers: Planning and Seeding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's time to get into the really nitty gritty! I'm about to seriously brain dump on you, so please fasten your seat belt. </div>
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The first step in planning your wedding flowers starts months before in advance. Most plants need to be started sometime before the last frost date if you want to get timely blooms. If you want them to flower before their normal time, you'll need a greenhouse or cold frame to start them, but I'm getting ahead of myself here. </div>
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Let's backpedal to step 1:You need to choose what you want, how many you'll need, order seeds, and figure out exactly when you need to start seeds. </div>
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This is a great project for those rainy winter months. You get to dream of the big day, the colors you want to work with, and just get everything planned out (because you're not going to have ANY time once things really get rolling - January is the time to do this). </div>
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You will want to choose flowers that are specific to cut flowers. These tend to be taller, sturdier, and longer lasting than their garden counterparts. </div>
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Some seed sources include, but are definitely not limited to:</div>
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<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers/?prefn1=prod_feature_use&prefv1=19" target="_blank">Johnny's</a></div>
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<a href="https://shop.floretflowers.com/shop" target="_blank">Floret Farm</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/category/flower_seed" target="_blank">Territorial</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.reneesgarden.com/collections/flowers" target="_blank">Renee's</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.botanicalinterests.com/category/view-all-flowers" target="_blank">Botanical Interests</a> </div>
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*Note* Do not go to the nursery or the store and just buy whatever annuals they have in six-packs. These will not be satisfactory for arranging at all. </div>
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When choosing what to grow make sure that you include the following:</div>
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- feature flowers (this would be your roses, peonies, dahlias, etc.)</div>
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- 2nd fiddle or background support (bachelor buttons, zinnias, calendula, carnations, cosmos)</div>
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- spires or spikes (lavender, stock, celosia, butterfly bush) </div>
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- spillers (amaranth, dusty miller, etc.)</div>
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- fillers (baby's breath, corn cockle, saponaria, ammi majus)</div>
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- whispies (grasses and seed heads)</div>
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- greens (bupleurum, bells of ireland, basil, scented geranium, oregano, lemon balm, grape vines, you name it!)</div>
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Now, understand that these are generalizations. You most definitely can have something that usually plays a supporting role be the main feature of your arrangement if you want. Also keep in mind that some things can play multiple roles in your arrangement. It just depends on how you use it and what it looks like. </div>
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It can be EXTREMELY tempting to buy ALL the seeds because this is a very exciting part of the process. Keep in mind, though, how much space you have. If you only have a small plot, maybe you only grow one kind of flower for your wedding. Because I live on 6 acres, I was able to go all out. Remember, the larger the scale, the more work you sign yourself up for. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXO54aNhyphenhyphenw-L8JuW1agyCdmNgDN9oThPZNyKnMqRsQEjsWP-CO6CSdtMAaJdC0gB5OMqRT3RA5_ExfYn7PCDex3aLwVmj8LAba0Q30ls3u2eoOYW4nGSuT6RxPmZIsU_pnca0DwXvWSL4/s1600/IMG_20180128_172742_454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1600" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXO54aNhyphenhyphenw-L8JuW1agyCdmNgDN9oThPZNyKnMqRsQEjsWP-CO6CSdtMAaJdC0gB5OMqRT3RA5_ExfYn7PCDex3aLwVmj8LAba0Q30ls3u2eoOYW4nGSuT6RxPmZIsU_pnca0DwXvWSL4/s320/IMG_20180128_172742_454.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Knowing exactly how many you need is kind of a guessing game because you don't really know what will cooperate with you and what won't. My advice would be to grow more than you think you need. Just to give you an idea of how many flowers I used for 25 table centerpieces, 6 bridesmaid bouquets, 1 bridal bouquet, 9 boutonnieres, 4-6 arrangements for buffet and drink tables, and using flowers wherever else I felt like (this doesn't include what's still in the field):</div>
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- 4 buckets of 80-100 stems that I grew or cut from shrubs around the house</div>
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- 5 buckets of 80-100 stems from a local flower farm</div>
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- 2 buckets of daisies, lavender, and hydrangea from my grandma's garden</div>
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This gave me a lot of creative space and allowed me to use nice blooms without settling on sad-looking ones. </div>
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Now we get to the brain-wracking part. Figuring out when to start seeding all this craziness. Look at the date you've selected (I'm going to use July 7 as an example since that is what I was working with). Make yourself an excel spreadsheet because things are going to get messy here and my excel skills are embarrassing, so please bear with me. Because I'm a plant nerd, I have scientific names in there as well. :P </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGomQxSLad9SDhKuMGvRceZRPjFCkbEj9EDf5gtTUietY2cV6lxTcpjy-yHxqQjfur9TCv9RJTLBH0HL2ZLf31xTyeeiHrIbIa3wOWAUX8M11X8uCJCKyKUX5CX2nzAjn7yqUHjuOb3qQ/s1600/gh_flower_list.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="1342" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGomQxSLad9SDhKuMGvRceZRPjFCkbEj9EDf5gtTUietY2cV6lxTcpjy-yHxqQjfur9TCv9RJTLBH0HL2ZLf31xTyeeiHrIbIa3wOWAUX8M11X8uCJCKyKUX5CX2nzAjn7yqUHjuOb3qQ/s400/gh_flower_list.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Disregard the sowing and germination columns (those are for my own personal curiosity); the important part here is the plant name, days to maturity, and when to plant. You need to know when you want the flowers, count back 1 week, then add on the days to maturity (DtM). The DtM lets you know approximately how long it takes for that particular plant to come into its own. To give yourself wiggle room, add the extra week. Because I have to have flowers on July 7, I planned on having blooms a week before, then started counting backwards to find when I needed to seed. The times that I have on here are the latest possible points that I would want to get those seeds going. Even with all this counting, weather is going to be a huge influence on the growth rate of your plants. My stock were ready 2 weeks before the wedding, but that was just in time for the bridal shower. The carnations were just in the early stages of bud break the day before the wedding, so we couldn't use any of them for their intended purpose. C'est la vie. It's how things go. That is exactly why I planted so many different kinds of flowers. </div>
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Also, because the wedding was in early July, I had to start everything from seed in the greenhouse to make sure that things were blooming when I wanted to. You don't want to seed directly into the ground unless the soil temps are around 80 which doesn't happen until May-ish in the Willamette Valley. You get to have some wiggle room when you have access to a greenhouse. Granted, a greenhouse is not without its problems. I had to deal with extreme temperature swings that either roasted tender starts or brought on damping off, and we had fungus gnats that liked to raise their root chomping brood in the potting soil. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEORWnUdXRodkrbzBmXpRR8DU5jEesF63rcaKLiupRHNhXJ7CEB__u7QpFVs_yZ7zCnhyphenhyphenpanLuTNvzdFWUUz2O3x8QREWzy4P8hU-Oe7i41SuKWucyDIjQi_1Hj4sFxZjvyLi72aPb7w/s1600/IMG_20180201_172706_301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEORWnUdXRodkrbzBmXpRR8DU5jEesF63rcaKLiupRHNhXJ7CEB__u7QpFVs_yZ7zCnhyphenhyphenpanLuTNvzdFWUUz2O3x8QREWzy4P8hU-Oe7i41SuKWucyDIjQi_1Hj4sFxZjvyLi72aPb7w/s320/IMG_20180201_172706_301.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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So, I printed out my spreadsheets and whipped out the highlighter because I'm extremely visual. I color coded the different times that I needed to start things (red = February, orange = March, pink = April, etc) so that I could quickly glance and know what needed seeding and when. Filled up flats with potting soil, made labels, and started seeding. I just make tiny trenches with a stick and seed inside that line. Mist the potting media, protect with a plastic cover and some shade, and then wait. Note: some things germinate much faster than others. Be patient. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpd2S6njGWYuboVCyGvz7KKgrgiVu4yFW_y29wICk9x9iFVIf8CR-jcoFca80fS6_ovfXym60N5OC9fFaJhE7MvVtAoZLDmfwOP4B92gCZq3cdAtBpWOj68esTBBknjOZ2SNHgDfPz-A4/s1600/IMG_20180203_093029225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpd2S6njGWYuboVCyGvz7KKgrgiVu4yFW_y29wICk9x9iFVIf8CR-jcoFca80fS6_ovfXym60N5OC9fFaJhE7MvVtAoZLDmfwOP4B92gCZq3cdAtBpWOj68esTBBknjOZ2SNHgDfPz-A4/s320/IMG_20180203_093029225.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
Your seedlings have multiple stages; the ones we want to focus on are the first obvious to the naked eye: cotyledon and first true leaves. The cotyledons are the leaves that were developing inside the seed to be the food source until the plant gets enough energy to create the first true leaves. These basically look like tiny versions of the mature size. You want to prick out the seedlings at this stage; if they get bigger than that, the transplanting process will be too stressful on the plant. I simply use a chopstick to gently dig around the babies to get them loosened from their media, and then, using the chopstick, poke a hole in a filled 6-pack to gently put the baby root into.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CHKaw0Zs2eXrQ3d0bomto83hmfPP9GiqLuUNCE-3SjJQADN07xa2EpQD80DG0pHWu75bMaELp3Esr9cziPaX1rnXEXPwT-SS3wnMQltnWwn3MSKu8Yt_t0abE-D1YWcZl-k3DRnpw_0/s1600/IMG_20180228_120857_271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CHKaw0Zs2eXrQ3d0bomto83hmfPP9GiqLuUNCE-3SjJQADN07xa2EpQD80DG0pHWu75bMaELp3Esr9cziPaX1rnXEXPwT-SS3wnMQltnWwn3MSKu8Yt_t0abE-D1YWcZl-k3DRnpw_0/s320/IMG_20180228_120857_271.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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And you just keep doing that until you've pricked out all the baby plants. This gives them room to grow and develop without stunting them, over crowding them, or making them compete for nutrients. Eventually, you look like you have an addiction.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprs1L8ljO8gQ3rESs1CK4Co_zgpM6jYALkbyXcQpoZR_D0Q7zA4472Z-cx-ufoZsVixkhpJVc37vVY33IqOjiV5ZZmfjX1eU2Nnu4u0uPQZuOsk2ifpSpjh6OZZ725FFzCXyj4Xh0xyk/s1600/IMG_20180320_134731607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprs1L8ljO8gQ3rESs1CK4Co_zgpM6jYALkbyXcQpoZR_D0Q7zA4472Z-cx-ufoZsVixkhpJVc37vVY33IqOjiV5ZZmfjX1eU2Nnu4u0uPQZuOsk2ifpSpjh6OZZ725FFzCXyj4Xh0xyk/s320/IMG_20180320_134731607.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="180" /></a></div>
As the plants grow, you need to check to make sure that they aren't getting root bound. This WILL stunt your plants and stress them causing them to be much shorter than desired. What you're looking for is how much root to potting soil there is, you don't want the segment to be solid roots, poor plant. Before letting them get to that stage, you need to up-pot them into 4" pots. Guess how I spent my afternoons and evenings in April. ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNSpp0Q8fZPUjuyD-Xo0UP5zTpxLjJTgJ2l7bgIQfNvivzwBJs-4XCksoDtf_Wi6xTeghozycb0PZ8-J4UbI5bDHkFAZ5fgbTncssbKrjyOyn8YhAHuKd6fVfTgGPXm5GYiVPscMMunE/s1600/IMG_20180419_075518320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNSpp0Q8fZPUjuyD-Xo0UP5zTpxLjJTgJ2l7bgIQfNvivzwBJs-4XCksoDtf_Wi6xTeghozycb0PZ8-J4UbI5bDHkFAZ5fgbTncssbKrjyOyn8YhAHuKd6fVfTgGPXm5GYiVPscMMunE/s320/IMG_20180419_075518320.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Give your babies a chance to acclimate to their roomier pots, and then start to transition them outside; this is called hardening off. You don't want to shock the babies with the harshness of the outdoors since they're used to the comfortable greenhouse space. Start them off in the shade, then I just leave them there until I put them in the ground. Not the most ideal, but they survive. </div>
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Next up will be all about the flower field!</div>
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Until next time! </div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-81334870909719889382018-07-08T14:52:00.000-07:002018-07-08T14:54:42.081-07:00So You Want to Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Let me just tell you - it's not the easiest of feats. </div>
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I wish I could just say that it was as easy as throwing some seed out and plunking starts in the ground. There is a lot of planning and work involved in order to pull it off on any scale. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPA4x7gAoLMpGoJDU-wtKxVnFJOU-E5CoAByN48npoQ3axOKeOYSDjkkAqPerBHYoJNEbWepEqAZ6bDgz6NnoKGj2XhPsWH8ONKhyphenhyphenAGijUL4StXJr0uP7sjtdz6XjLOP5p7jQbo5O2Ro/s1600/IMG_20180706_074800242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPA4x7gAoLMpGoJDU-wtKxVnFJOU-E5CoAByN48npoQ3axOKeOYSDjkkAqPerBHYoJNEbWepEqAZ6bDgz6NnoKGj2XhPsWH8ONKhyphenhyphenAGijUL4StXJr0uP7sjtdz6XjLOP5p7jQbo5O2Ro/s320/IMG_20180706_074800242.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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My sister's wedding was yesterday which is now leaving me breathing space to think and process everything after frantic pace and increasing pressure that has been building since the engagement was announced. I'm exhausted and sore, but I want to get these thoughts down while it's fresh in my mind (and I really don't want to do much of anything at the moment, so there's that too). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ACTUALLY DID IT!!! </td></tr>
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So without anymore ado: </div>
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"Observations and considerations from surviving the wedding flowers process </div>
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or</div>
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Things I wish I knew before jumping into this thing"</div>
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(I was going to make that the title of the post, but that seemed too long)</div>
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<b>1. Have some gardening/farming know-how and understand garden planning</b></div>
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Even if you just have a little bit of an idea of what you're signing up for is a huge help. ;) I'll do some how-to posts of what we did to maximize our chances of success in other posts. </div>
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As for the planning side of things - it's hard to plan to have flowers for a specific day. It's easy to plunk plants in the ground and harvest when they're ready. It's another matter entirely to have requirements for a certain day. To do this requires much planning and forethought and spreadsheets. </div>
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My recommendation? Know when local flowers are typically ready. Then plan your special day during the peak flower periods. You have the spring flush, mid-summer bounties, and early fall bloomers. Early July is the wonderful lull in flower times. You've missed the flowers of May/June, but the July/August bloomers haven't quite come into their own. Just another thing to consider for your big day.</div>
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<b>2. Understand the costs</b></div>
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Seeds, potting soil, pots, growing space, site prep, fertilizer, irrigation, netting, TIME. </div>
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Your time is money. Remember that. </div>
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<b>3. Have a back-up plan</b></div>
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I had several because I was scared that nothing would work - put more plants in the ground than you think you need, plant more varieties and species than you want or think you'll need, and know a cut flower source (be it Costco, a local farm, florist, or grocery store) just in case you need more flowers. Because I was so busy with other parts of the wedding, I missed the deadline to order flowers from Costco (2 weeks before pick up). It ended up being perfectly fine because I was able to get bulk flowers from a farm located an hour from the venue on a short notice for a much better price than Costco. :fist pump: </div>
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<b>4. Take some flower arranging classes</b></div>
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The more you know, the more you know, right? Then take what you learn and keep practicing! Give your neighbors bouquets, maybe your goat will appreciate a flower crown, fresh flowers on the kitchen window sill is always a bonus. </div>
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Honestly though, I was looking up Youtube tutorials on how to arrange boutonnieres the morning I was going to do all the arrangements because I had never done those before. :face palm:</div>
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<b>5. Be extremely flexible with the final product</b></div>
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Know the general look and colors that you're going for, but be okay if they aren't EXACTLY like those <i>gorgeous</i> pictures you adore on Instagram or Pinterest. The flowers coming in from your flower patch will not, I repeat, not be perfect. There will be bugs, discoloring, blooms with their own opinion on which way is up, and more. If you're one with perfectionist tendencies, growing your own might not be right for your big day. </div>
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Also, be flexible with the flowers and the length of flowers that come in. You don't know exactly when the plants are going to bloom. Those seed packets have a general range of when to expect flowers. There are a lot of factors that go into getting a plant to bloom: start day, day length, pest pressures, accumulated heat units, water accessibility, fertilizing schedule, etc, etc, etc... </div>
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<b>6. The flowers might be more fragile</b></div>
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By growing you're own, you get the opportunity to play with flowers that you might not ever see at a grocery store because some flowers just don't ship well or last that long in the vase after going through the process of getting hacked off a plant in South America, stripped of its leaves, put into a box, and shipped across continents. </div>
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So. All that said, understand that you will need to be careful with the flowers coming in from your patch. Keep them in water, use floral preservatives, storing them in a refrigerator would be ideal after you've made the arrangements, etc. </div>
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<b>7. Know how much time you need to dedicate to this</b></div>
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This was a huge thing for me. I spent most my April afternoons up-potting seedlings into 4" pots, and then in May, my brother and I spent most afternoons prepping the site and transplanting all those babies. Once that was done, we both had a huge sigh of relief. Come the preparations for the big day, you will need to be slowly harvesting to not damage the blooms, give them time to condition, etc. I spent the ENTIRE day before the wedding just arranging flowers. All. Day. Long.</div>
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<b>8. Never stop learning</b></div>
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There are so many resources out there for slow flowers, local flowers, growing cut flowers, and arranging your own masterpieces! Hit up Instagram to find designers and growers, pour over books, scour websites for hints, tips, tricks, tutorials, and how they do things! Why try to reinvent the wheel when there is so much information at your fingertips? Here's a few of my favorites</div>
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<a href="https://www.floretflowers.com/">https://www.floretflowers.com/</a></div>
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Floret Farm's Cut Flower Book</div>
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The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley</div>
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Debra Prinzing books </div>
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And this is just the tip of the ice burg. </div>
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And that's it for now! Like I said, I'll be posting more of the nitty-gritty how-to's to give you a better understanding of what you're considering jumping into. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_isgjUWLzu7lP91r8zsDNg4dilRS1uvEnYJ_7-nlhzePDeqjAQy1oRUgO5kZDFJG1xRbIAtvaTg-b-YJrvVLj5WEFVKHnJkSY0ayjZcvZjUY57ZNQiJWFc2k20d41XG-BBwndnLhcKU4/s1600/IMG_20180707_175504662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_isgjUWLzu7lP91r8zsDNg4dilRS1uvEnYJ_7-nlhzePDeqjAQy1oRUgO5kZDFJG1xRbIAtvaTg-b-YJrvVLj5WEFVKHnJkSY0ayjZcvZjUY57ZNQiJWFc2k20d41XG-BBwndnLhcKU4/s320/IMG_20180707_175504662.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently this smirk is exactly like my great-grandma's</td></tr>
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Yes, I did catch the bride's bouquet. </div>
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I had people ask me if I had planned that with my sister; no, I didn't. I just know how she throws. :P</div>
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I also had someone ask me if I had homing flowers. </div>
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Nope. If I knew how to do that, I would be making big bucks selling these flowers to all the brides wanting to set up their single friends.</div>
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Until next time!</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-38406065296473591582018-05-13T13:46:00.000-07:002018-07-09T09:59:35.304-07:00Greenhouse: Transplanting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last time I posted, I left you with all the panel problems we were trying to deal with. Well, I'm glad to report that we're (slowly) getting those kinks worked out. I'm hoping that we'll have them all worked out by the time the October storms start to settle in. :P </div>
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So when I'm not taping down greenhouse panels when it's windy, what have I been up to? Well, for a few weeks it was non-stop transplanting. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M0gqkQ_rwubayBnDhEExewdk6P_JuTltyg8SykUDuVFSb-Pzw6xjbvszy_NwyhWoeyw32rhAoTBB88-8Sdh285mBjafbyvHAJxbKDF-SYXrJchnck-6CN5DftDTYP7ixzLvm0Xk9d0w/s1600/IMG_20180408_193411048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M0gqkQ_rwubayBnDhEExewdk6P_JuTltyg8SykUDuVFSb-Pzw6xjbvszy_NwyhWoeyw32rhAoTBB88-8Sdh285mBjafbyvHAJxbKDF-SYXrJchnck-6CN5DftDTYP7ixzLvm0Xk9d0w/s320/IMG_20180408_193411048.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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I kid you not. I brought home 75% of the starts from work, and they all needed to be up-potted. They had outgrown their 6-packs and it was time for the 4" pots. Why did they have to all need it all at the same time though? </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvy2-nfcCPbNzDN7P-ubza0bqbW_WVML3p21Y8OZIg9haE3H-JLRExoykbsnxoiuRjJ7qgr4Pywg5FOY2OLY7WX5xEehYrim7IBcFsR8s9NHzB1u15GBmICmj0ZT0n5XTAU-sy6PzSw84/s1600/IMG_20180411_165245946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvy2-nfcCPbNzDN7P-ubza0bqbW_WVML3p21Y8OZIg9haE3H-JLRExoykbsnxoiuRjJ7qgr4Pywg5FOY2OLY7WX5xEehYrim7IBcFsR8s9NHzB1u15GBmICmj0ZT0n5XTAU-sy6PzSw84/s320/IMG_20180411_165245946.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My babies came home!</td></tr>
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So I would transplant all the babies at work (sometimes for most of the day) and then come home and transplant some more. I'm very grateful that the wi-fi reaches the garden because I could just turn on Pandora on my phone, plug it into the outdoor radio, and have my tunes while working and not be subjected to whatever was on the airwaves. I had enough of that while I was commuting to school. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAt40BtIDbtuIYXtNr5EZZ5JqjH0niFFUb6nzuPmABivfOQ6vG2NIet83T6MMDdMXagjspzln16sZHjvNepHTW1Qv0SSzunuHVvhIwhm5yITdUSqePuuyccR0tEx_qii4pj3BOaZ84Ea4/s1600/IMG_20180411_165333358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAt40BtIDbtuIYXtNr5EZZ5JqjH0niFFUb6nzuPmABivfOQ6vG2NIet83T6MMDdMXagjspzln16sZHjvNepHTW1Qv0SSzunuHVvhIwhm5yITdUSqePuuyccR0tEx_qii4pj3BOaZ84Ea4/s320/IMG_20180411_165333358.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completely in my element</td></tr>
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And just like that, the greenhouse was full. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndbCI-XvIkPkiT2Y3hlee9yZYtjGyI5KCGc6J08op5nwiTzXfAYJuvsFiqZ5QoNemrD7Z7aBMKeRbfZlMbAFmkRbXWLCnUNl81Qqx-iRX7RZkJZJrPrVVZtAmM9nJve1h_KVRJhD13bE/s1600/IMG_20180419_075507070_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndbCI-XvIkPkiT2Y3hlee9yZYtjGyI5KCGc6J08op5nwiTzXfAYJuvsFiqZ5QoNemrD7Z7aBMKeRbfZlMbAFmkRbXWLCnUNl81Qqx-iRX7RZkJZJrPrVVZtAmM9nJve1h_KVRJhD13bE/s320/IMG_20180419_075507070_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this isn't even all the flower I have. o.O</td></tr>
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Since then, I've moved most of the flowers outside to harden off so that we can get them in the ground as soon as it's ready so now there is more space inside. Just in time to start thinking about what I want to seed for the fall and winter garden! :P </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-37004850056435813252018-04-16T12:59:00.001-07:002018-04-16T12:59:17.623-07:00Greenhouse Adventures: Troubles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The greenhouse saga continues! </div>
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Ever since my brother and I put the roof panels into the greenhouse, there have been several that don't want to cooperate. </div>
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We first thought that everything needed to be cinched down. Nope. </div>
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Maybe a few caulking dots? Nope.</div>
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Caulking along the entire edge? Nope.</div>
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Just keep pushing them into place and pray that they stay put? Nope.</div>
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No matter what we did, those panels would always keep sliding down. </div>
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This has officially become a battle of wills. Who will win? </div>
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I came home from work, and my brother told me to go outside before I took my boots off. <i>Uh-oh...</i> </div>
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Those darn panels were so opinionated that a couple finally decided to wiggle out and find a new home on that blustery day. Thankfully, they didn't get far, and we were able to get them before they really went anywhere or got damaged. Thought you could run away, huh? </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iA_5pGi5It1e9DQSfOOyE4cE_LA95U-oYC1EKH8EBezfYRD8OTzgeJ0hjq3tZw5EytDJnCWxdbK_kb10seMb49dvcHxTBaR7Cg0XMAINK-wDM_byVocnqEo70YlsYO5o6KFIBWO_Eog/s1600/IMG_20180413_193605373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iA_5pGi5It1e9DQSfOOyE4cE_LA95U-oYC1EKH8EBezfYRD8OTzgeJ0hjq3tZw5EytDJnCWxdbK_kb10seMb49dvcHxTBaR7Cg0XMAINK-wDM_byVocnqEo70YlsYO5o6KFIBWO_Eog/s320/IMG_20180413_193605373.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you see a problem? Something missing perhaps? </td></tr>
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Thankfully, I didn't have any of the newly germinated plants in there yet. </div>
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So I turned to the all-knowing Google to see if it had any advice to dispense. </div>
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And it did. </div>
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I found a guy who grew in greenhouses, and he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO5ck3g17hQ" target="_blank">had an entire clip</a> on what he used to keep his panels in place. </div>
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SCORE!</div>
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His recommendation? This stuff. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm7ptdTD_m1nWlCQnZPYEatOjpBFNZPUIx1YPFRhtUIiA2n01e0JyIusYkB25k3XmwjigTStDKRhCO0d33ljt3s0NUzEB33HmXDqnEV7gKlz2h4vncgj5MgulCB_-BQGIXD6MhRsDmlk/s1600/IMG_20180413_193618421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm7ptdTD_m1nWlCQnZPYEatOjpBFNZPUIx1YPFRhtUIiA2n01e0JyIusYkB25k3XmwjigTStDKRhCO0d33ljt3s0NUzEB33HmXDqnEV7gKlz2h4vncgj5MgulCB_-BQGIXD6MhRsDmlk/s320/IMG_20180413_193618421.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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It can be applied wet, it sticks even when it gets wet, and (according to the You Tuber) lasted a long time. But it costs $10/roll. Valuable stuff this is. </div>
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So to the store we went. </div>
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Again. </div>
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We put the panels back into place, and secured the rebellious ones.</div>
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Fast forward a few days, and it was a dark and stormy night. Thankfully, my brother was outside the moment the front came through and immediately thought to check the greenhouse. One wall panel had completely come out and another one was seriously thinking about it. So there we were, putting panels in <i>again</i> and taping <i>more</i> all by flashlight this time around. It's a really good thing we had bought two rolls of tape. </div>
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Now no one is going ANYWHERE. </div>
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...At least, I hope... </div>
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Until next time! </div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-30243307745171406452018-04-14T14:10:00.000-07:002018-04-14T14:10:23.734-07:00Greenhouse Adventures: Tables<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The next step in this larger-than-anticipated project was tables because just putting flats of plants on the ground isn't exactly a good use of space and we'd be crawling over them trying to get everything else finished. :P </div>
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If I was in a pinch, I could have done that (okay, I was in a pinch, but I stubbornly ignored it).</div>
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I measured the interior dimensions of the space, drew up some designs, and handed them to my dad. He knows lumber math better than I do. Why do they say 2x4 when it's really smaller? This baffles my sewing brain. </div>
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And then it was table making time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBM8aTFrUdIpjUMn6UTQOGoJkw8cgmrAkFHx892zrAgmgmzo5ofSi6XOUmDOPpsx8lh7OKMs5vZEm5FnLUuIjkUNq1r37dFi4fSs991hQmYC17i5OjgnB_Ds-MiuHFu-3OhntUN3nJR40/s1600/IMG_20180408_192558795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBM8aTFrUdIpjUMn6UTQOGoJkw8cgmrAkFHx892zrAgmgmzo5ofSi6XOUmDOPpsx8lh7OKMs5vZEm5FnLUuIjkUNq1r37dFi4fSs991hQmYC17i5OjgnB_Ds-MiuHFu-3OhntUN3nJR40/s320/IMG_20180408_192558795.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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These things are built like tanks, and they're HEAVY. It's surprising how much weight wood can put on if it gets left in the rain. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglG2mive3Vvp-jY_nzLVibZxFA5YpwidXyRmeEv0iAYfzzl45VlWKw92dFvIjxjelS0dJW0_AVgNyha8XqDgIg5wTUir3EYauOru0rDoEvWOzOYFNU7Ixh-rWbmO2WjxPeJWA5cX7kZ0/s1600/IMG_20180408_193411048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglG2mive3Vvp-jY_nzLVibZxFA5YpwidXyRmeEv0iAYfzzl45VlWKw92dFvIjxjelS0dJW0_AVgNyha8XqDgIg5wTUir3EYauOru0rDoEvWOzOYFNU7Ixh-rWbmO2WjxPeJWA5cX7kZ0/s320/IMG_20180408_193411048.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't it purty!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1nuM_TgYOwWQqgDeSnCkYAx96eWTFxRGo4dSUSRLQOcwpJGVpX60wUJaYQU-IFLQ7qLltBjWJsOHedHY_Yc-8QK88eoKOpiOuwLDTMHLfY9bnQPmiK1EIR2qbGL5KydA3xnTgYqd-so/s1600/IMG_20180411_165245946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1nuM_TgYOwWQqgDeSnCkYAx96eWTFxRGo4dSUSRLQOcwpJGVpX60wUJaYQU-IFLQ7qLltBjWJsOHedHY_Yc-8QK88eoKOpiOuwLDTMHLfY9bnQPmiK1EIR2qbGL5KydA3xnTgYqd-so/s320/IMG_20180411_165245946.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They fit perfectly! Dad's lumber math was spot on. ;) </td></tr>
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Because the tables were so heavy, it was quite the back-breaker to get them into place. We had to take out the first table to get the back table in, remove a side wall panel, and we still had to use our backs as the lever. It was painful to go to work the next day... </div>
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But they're in, and I think that they'll last longer than the greenhouse. :P </div>
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And I don't know how many trips to the store the tables were. At least 2? </div>
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Until next time! </div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-1546027306039037012018-04-05T17:19:00.001-07:002018-04-05T22:02:06.777-07:00Greenhouse Adventures: Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
What does every grower dream of having? </div>
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Besides plants, silly. </div>
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A greenhouse. </div>
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A place to start ALL THE SEEDS, overwinter tender perennials, get a jump start on the growing season, and to be able to do grafts and cuttings. I could keep going, but you get the point. ;) </div>
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Well, I can officially tell you, THAT I NOW HAVE A GREENHOUSE!</div>
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I'm not excited at all. :P </div>
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For years, I've haunted the listings on Craigslist, poured over catalogs, and scoured stores looking for a greenhouse that was the right size and within my budget. Finding one the right size was no problem, but finding something that didn't cost a fortune? Next to impossible. Every time I found one that might be possible, there were some major no-go warning signs (like free, no paneling, or warped and twisted frames). So I kept haunting. </div>
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Then, last fall (yes, fall), I found a listing that grabbed me. It was for a 8x10 greenhouse for $750. <i>Ooh, that's tempting.</i> I contacted the seller. It was brand new, unopened in the box, for less than what I was seeing, but over an hour away. But w<i>hy are you selling it?</i> Apparently, her husband bought it for her, but she didn't want it. (??????) I was majorly confused but said that we'd take it after some bartering to bring the price down. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2PwGsZnnsjmE46J8_YZMyrNBdfMl8BXl9xG-3sbXEaliCoZ9fh23FMhe-7fwX7ViBVWfPXmMxPAY3gGFoUtoXzKsY-tAOyrcI3l5XgQi9NdZDQfzLbVblI4FgffYeqacR6luRdaG7J0/s1600/IMG_20180310_140932429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2PwGsZnnsjmE46J8_YZMyrNBdfMl8BXl9xG-3sbXEaliCoZ9fh23FMhe-7fwX7ViBVWfPXmMxPAY3gGFoUtoXzKsY-tAOyrcI3l5XgQi9NdZDQfzLbVblI4FgffYeqacR6luRdaG7J0/s320/IMG_20180310_140932429.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little did we realize that the label LIED to us. 2-3 hours? Only 2 people? Pshhh. </td></tr>
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We picked it up, brought it home, set it in the side shed, and there it sat. I knew that we couldn't even think of touching it with the holidays, Christmas trees, and inclement weather. This was a project that would need to wait until things cleared up a bit. </div>
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Fast forward to February, and I'm needing to get the flowers started for my sister's wedding. I didn't have a place to get them started, so my boss graciously let me use space in the greenhouse at work. That's been working fine. </div>
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Until now. </div>
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We're needing that space for the vegetable starts, and what's sitting there? Flowers. Their lease is officially up, and I needed a place to keep them until I can get them in the ground. That bumped the greenhouse project to the top of the priority list. </div>
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First up: getting the site prepped. </div>
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We did what we could during a dry spell in February. Then the 3-point hitch on the tractor broke. Then it rained and poured. Then it was muddy. Not just any mud - sticky, construction, compacted, clings-to-your-shoes-and-makes-you-taller nastiness. </div>
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But it was eventually finished. </div>
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Step 2: Building the Greenhouse</div>
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So last weekend, we had beautiful sunshine and a family crew (or pretty much family) that had an open day, and we set to work. Or at least, we tried to. The directions were less than helpful and rather vague. They were most likely directly translated from Chinese using Google translate. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoml67bDV2LfiZPyilVJE7okaGMZ8eFbGPN3t1E2W1lyn5h7W0eGSZq8BsnslkP5gKhvrtiYq25Tdg7jhFcBrOj2PBY07UKxy-AtLPoqHK48k4M1D8JlUBnqtTwqNtKezt2cq0bRfUlH8/s1600/IMG_20180331_171151335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoml67bDV2LfiZPyilVJE7okaGMZ8eFbGPN3t1E2W1lyn5h7W0eGSZq8BsnslkP5gKhvrtiYq25Tdg7jhFcBrOj2PBY07UKxy-AtLPoqHK48k4M1D8JlUBnqtTwqNtKezt2cq0bRfUlH8/s320/IMG_20180331_171151335.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Somewhere along the way, we realized that we were missing hardware. A lot of hardware. Like the kit was missing an entire bag of hardware. So a volunteer went to the store to pick up the needed parts. But the first store didn't have what we needed. So they hit up another store. It ended up having the wrong thread on the bolts. So another car full went back to the store, returned the wrong ones, picked up the right ones with the assistance of the the <u>really </u>helpful employee. Then it was soon apparent that we still didn't have enough of the bolts. So back to the store to pick up the parts with 7 minutes to go before they closed for the night and for Easter. Got back home, and apparently there were MORE parts that we needed to pick up. Thankfully, the first store did have them. </div>
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Day one: 4 trips to the store. </div>
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A new crew came back from their day trip and jumped into the project with a fervor that we never had. THANK YOU! I was about to have many not-very-nice words for this greenhouse. With their help, the front and back were finished, the side frame assemble, and the roof up. All that it needed would be the paneling. That would have to wait until after Easter, but that was no biggie. That went together quickly. But I still need to pick up 2 bolts from the store to get the last piece installed. :P </div>
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Next up on this bigger-than-expected project: floor. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtJmRX22pIf-BgGuC4Qgf_JIGIekgLRtZmiW0LSGiRBkCREoP2pHoEtFyWbwyC0JVFxemV5b2lOGWQTJh87uByJBzga6L7GRxC0n4Sp-YwsUXVgnDIKGFwQOgSdIaWs6hE3Ml8xDKUs8/s1600/IMG_20180402_143952560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtJmRX22pIf-BgGuC4Qgf_JIGIekgLRtZmiW0LSGiRBkCREoP2pHoEtFyWbwyC0JVFxemV5b2lOGWQTJh87uByJBzga6L7GRxC0n4Sp-YwsUXVgnDIKGFwQOgSdIaWs6hE3Ml8xDKUs8/s320/IMG_20180402_143952560.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and math don't get along</td></tr>
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I came up with a quick and dirty diagram, priced things out, did some math, grabbed help, and off to the store we went. First trip into town for the floor was for pavers, the next trip was for gravel. My brother and I were able to get the pavers in really fast, but I had done the math wrong. :face palm: So back to the store for more pavers. </div>
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Flooring project: 3 trips to the store</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAErs8DDmweiN75OW0wvyyrvWpcmSa_bgODmiTHQIAAbXSeSfKh7z_4Ps3n_1LowKN9AFXO3f5DYKhc97MNHfIC1dUn1nci1FF1J5pOa1FYWFpc9m6wXxi2lkyUaoZcYgMTUgJFXEZEo/s1600/IMG_20180402_183818022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAErs8DDmweiN75OW0wvyyrvWpcmSa_bgODmiTHQIAAbXSeSfKh7z_4Ps3n_1LowKN9AFXO3f5DYKhc97MNHfIC1dUn1nci1FF1J5pOa1FYWFpc9m6wXxi2lkyUaoZcYgMTUgJFXEZEo/s320/IMG_20180402_183818022.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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And here is the finished flooring! We'll be building the tables to go in a u-shape. Another project for another day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_qOgapV4mSxWBnMM0RwRfUnWBYpL4gSGOFi-SmtRt1xzLkFteEraqbEEf_zIpUmfT_HbYnlyH0P8u8swOP1hmsN90MMVsvy2JAKCyZ9PDBegB7-ZISCGyl8zInST3a7kO05n2SqcHiM/s1600/IMG_20180403_142926767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_qOgapV4mSxWBnMM0RwRfUnWBYpL4gSGOFi-SmtRt1xzLkFteEraqbEEf_zIpUmfT_HbYnlyH0P8u8swOP1hmsN90MMVsvy2JAKCyZ9PDBegB7-ZISCGyl8zInST3a7kO05n2SqcHiM/s320/IMG_20180403_142926767.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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And here it it! I feel like we need to name it with all the time that has gone into putting it together. Any ideas? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9xd9-kIPtS1SGSzPlm4GeSMgyctz31UaS1IjQrQwJIPmmi9LZNQlVFL6tIrZeMBYsJIdONn7n1fTLz1xUtHamNxhrsT7KrDQea_pNjv5sudML_GLRvxvWpNhgpbWifi-J9e_DCSlb54/s1600/IMG_20180403_142859147_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9xd9-kIPtS1SGSzPlm4GeSMgyctz31UaS1IjQrQwJIPmmi9LZNQlVFL6tIrZeMBYsJIdONn7n1fTLz1xUtHamNxhrsT7KrDQea_pNjv5sudML_GLRvxvWpNhgpbWifi-J9e_DCSlb54/s320/IMG_20180403_142859147_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTMb7-uBx-yK5thVer5DQbiXg67Be3_4dAo_XZXZrQmipjt2PM__0GtSZdIiUBo-AIGpgy4GRLslZ6YNfodfGtOGvK6LaLO4s8Ur1qp9raxHpBOWImGujujMAntIpY5Du3FErSK_r1rs/s1600/IMG_20180401_103016232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTMb7-uBx-yK5thVer5DQbiXg67Be3_4dAo_XZXZrQmipjt2PM__0GtSZdIiUBo-AIGpgy4GRLslZ6YNfodfGtOGvK6LaLO4s8Ur1qp9raxHpBOWImGujujMAntIpY5Du3FErSK_r1rs/s320/IMG_20180401_103016232.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy, rolling garden-buddy</td></tr>
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And now that it is all set up and looking pretty, we have a potentially big (for this time of year) wind storm this weekend. We've battened down the hatches as best as we can, but I'm praying that it will make it. I don't exactly trust Chinese manufacturing or materials.</div>
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This is going to be a huge learning curve for me - it's a new greenhouse, I don't know what it is capable of withstanding, how it handles various temperatures, what quirks and oddities this little structure has, but it's all part of the process. </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-31860258512543560672018-02-18T16:08:00.001-08:002018-04-05T21:59:43.184-07:00New Beginnings <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
For several years now, this yearning to be a flower farmer has slowly grown.</div>
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It started as an <i>I like flowers </i>to <i>Food for the pollinators! </i>to <i>Ohmygosh! Flower fields are the best!</i> to <i>Hey, look! A cut-flower class!</i> to <i>ALL THE CLASSES! ALL THE BOOKS! </i>to <i>I need a truck bed full of flowers! </i>to where I am now. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUe33qsdQsTVUyPEv6GOJOg8ZtkebEYKkULUDN5E4kOjD6jO5gn3nz5frgOZoKosun-4nsePcnDcpv50yu9yy9w3ROgjOL1ikcbx7hsDOPPivxGAktkO66S_CvyzjY-qGJ4hbnvwZQ_U8/s1600/flower_truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUe33qsdQsTVUyPEv6GOJOg8ZtkebEYKkULUDN5E4kOjD6jO5gn3nz5frgOZoKosun-4nsePcnDcpv50yu9yy9w3ROgjOL1ikcbx7hsDOPPivxGAktkO66S_CvyzjY-qGJ4hbnvwZQ_U8/s320/flower_truck.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.floretflowers.com/" target="_blank">Bam. Truck of dreams, right there. Floret Flowers is a huge inspiration for me.</a></td></tr>
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All this under my belt and buzzing around in my brain, and my sister and her boyfriend announce their engagement. </div>
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What does every wedding need? What costs an arm and a leg and your soul and your first born child and the tears of a crocodile? </div>
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Flowers.</div>
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YESSSS!!!!!!!! </div>
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I feel like Chekov running down the hallway of the Enterprise shouting, 'I CAN DO ZAT!' and then I whip out every seed catalog and cut flower book and resource that I have looking like an overeager puppy that found the best stick in the world. We most certainly can do this. </div>
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And then I started planning. </div>
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What did I get myself into? </div>
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It's one thing to put a seedling into the ground and cut the blooms whenever it's ready. </div>
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It's another matter entirely when you're trying to have all the blooms by a certain date. </div>
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So to the spread sheets I went, plugging in all the information I thought I needed to plan this whole thing out. That was a long, brain draining afternoon. But it's done, and now all I have to do is reference my handy dandy spreadsheet to know when I need to have things seeded and all the other information that I'll need to have for planting, growing, harvesting, and special treatment requirements. Just to name a few. :P </div>
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I'll try to figure out how to share it with you so you don't have to try to create your own from scratch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m5GlJPj7XSE57612EuOfFuy-_ViCElkok0AMKpKDYGGxSZFidKB8IazvsYtx-r9So0NL25OO6pBgB9lhnb8f9V3imgzeruJiPaCCxIOp0m6p6UKEkpoCVCcAZA3BtLeIhXv0bcueFCk/s1600/IMG_20180128_172252050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m5GlJPj7XSE57612EuOfFuy-_ViCElkok0AMKpKDYGGxSZFidKB8IazvsYtx-r9So0NL25OO6pBgB9lhnb8f9V3imgzeruJiPaCCxIOp0m6p6UKEkpoCVCcAZA3BtLeIhXv0bcueFCk/s320/IMG_20180128_172252050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I just had one problem. The greenhouse that I found (brand new, in the box) on Craigslist that I was able to find for quite the steal, is still in the box. Yeah, I jumped on that deal, but we haven't had the time, energy, or cooperative weather to get it up. So there it sits. Still in the box. We're starting to get the site prepped, but it will take time. But according to my master sheet, I needed to get some things started in early February. Did I mention that the greenhouse is still <u>in the box</u>? I don't have a good place to get things started. Thankfully, my boss is letting me use some space in the greenhouse at work until I get mine up and running. I'm up to 4 seed flats now. :P Just wait until I start up-potting them into larger containers. I will slowly take over! </div>
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One of the things that my sister :really: wanted was Bunny Tails grass. It looks really cool in arrangements, but do you know how weird it felt to be seeding grass? In a greenhouse? On purpose? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6B9dA62lhD6rVEDpjkJjNhyphenhyphen_LYN68mqm2tvfosZI0pBy4L7w9NEwt5xhNGv5AzYITUU8gZ5zwNfH_y0sfjDg7IIu_pud2_WUlgRaRiortZtYrZNdXQWzFfkRw0-2PN80PzAvkd2Exp68/s1600/IMG_20180201_172706_301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6B9dA62lhD6rVEDpjkJjNhyphenhyphen_LYN68mqm2tvfosZI0pBy4L7w9NEwt5xhNGv5AzYITUU8gZ5zwNfH_y0sfjDg7IIu_pud2_WUlgRaRiortZtYrZNdXQWzFfkRw0-2PN80PzAvkd2Exp68/s320/IMG_20180201_172706_301.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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And I'm just blown away at how tiny some of the seeds are. They're so itty-bitty that they are in tubes or teeny plastic bags INSIDE the seed packets. It's amazing how much growing power is contained in such a tiny vessel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddTRuhYAY5sfoHfQVmaAFnO8kL9C0l-M-aidqQMMCG8VopMFANmrS98x87nXIqC19XYOIp0pEZe47NQp9NhU8TMCXXberO6dT87C8U6dREGsggmQwWtM8tMm6tRoYxLMSYlZWyeVSD4Q/s1600/IMG_20180203_093029225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddTRuhYAY5sfoHfQVmaAFnO8kL9C0l-M-aidqQMMCG8VopMFANmrS98x87nXIqC19XYOIp0pEZe47NQp9NhU8TMCXXberO6dT87C8U6dREGsggmQwWtM8tMm6tRoYxLMSYlZWyeVSD4Q/s320/IMG_20180203_093029225.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
In spite of the hyperventilating that has happened, the seeds are in fact growing. Just like they should. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIC2bsYCfEUy2LDYhKd6BCSZnEuZqpIj9AXfc9oN_wK0joF3nwSGUWVroaR1da4Tv4ccLBvK-zYNzP88BVYj0pHr6rgcWMxT6LMKZgXjnY07HDCJZTmJi2VpWJ0sKGMRuu1n5ziqiSkQw/s1600/IMG_20180206_081344953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIC2bsYCfEUy2LDYhKd6BCSZnEuZqpIj9AXfc9oN_wK0joF3nwSGUWVroaR1da4Tv4ccLBvK-zYNzP88BVYj0pHr6rgcWMxT6LMKZgXjnY07HDCJZTmJi2VpWJ0sKGMRuu1n5ziqiSkQw/s320/IMG_20180206_081344953.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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When I finished my master list, I had to have some serious pep talks. </div>
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<i>Why do I have so many flowers on the list?!? </i></div>
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<i>Because you have no idea what you're doing, so you're covering your bases.</i></div>
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<i>Oh yeah... </i></div>
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<i>If something doesn't work, then something else will probably be available. </i></div>
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<i>:deep breath:</i></div>
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<i>You know, we're going to be drowning in flowers if all of these work.</i></div>
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<i>Oy vey...</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Seed Sources:</div>
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<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers/?prefn1=prod_feature_use&prefv1=19" target="_blank">Johnny's </a></div>
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<a href="https://shop.floretflowers.com/collections/seeds" target="_blank">Floret Flowers</a></div>
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<a href="https://parkseed.com/flowers/c/flowers/" target="_blank">Park Seed</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/category/flower_seed" target="_blank">Territorial</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.botanicalinterests.com/products/flowers/cut-flower" target="_blank">Botanical Interests</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.reneesgarden.com/collections/flowers" target="_blank">Renee's Garden</a></div>
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So this is me. Jumping in with both feet. </div>
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I'll keep you updated as things keep growing. Next up will hopefully be about either the greenhouse or flower field prep! </div>
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Until next time! </div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-21700762320014834012018-02-11T12:08:00.000-08:002018-02-11T12:08:05.618-08:00Sheltered or Hardened Off? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7RpkF2FH-lkF4QjNZUy8e6WWv2w9RZ38ZwordQnmAyyCeGNMoZO3_jkHa2aUAjH4RcwxcI7EeOFWkJo2sF-Z-ibkaO3P-tlnE943dFXGVZxZskJCR1F7IgjAVihVAfiQXkJDOHFce7Q/s1600/IMG_20171109_084318390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7RpkF2FH-lkF4QjNZUy8e6WWv2w9RZ38ZwordQnmAyyCeGNMoZO3_jkHa2aUAjH4RcwxcI7EeOFWkJo2sF-Z-ibkaO3P-tlnE943dFXGVZxZskJCR1F7IgjAVihVAfiQXkJDOHFce7Q/s320/IMG_20171109_084318390.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(I've had this in drafts for a while now. The idea was there, but the words weren't quite right. After sitting on it and eventually revising it, it was as ready as it would be for sharing with the world.)<br />
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As I was bundled up trying to stay warm at the chef's garden the other day by working with some baby greens in the hoop house, a thought came to me, and it was a rather profound one at that especially considering that it was coming from tending to little lettuces: Being overly sheltered while growing up is the same as not getting hardened off. I'll explain. </div>
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Plants that are started in a greenhouse absolutely need to be hardened off otherwise they fade and wilt when exposed to the full power of the sun, wind, and rain. They don't know how to stand on their own feet because they haven't had to. You give them the best opportunity to thrive by starting them indoors with climate control, mild temperatures, and (filtered) sunlight - all conducive to maximum growing potential. All too soon, they outgrow their pots and might even become gangly if kept inside for too long. It's high time for the baby plants to HARDEN OFF.<br />
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There are two options here: plunk 'em in the ground hoping for the best or prepare them for what the great outdoors have in store by acclimating them to those conditions instead of shocking them with everything all at once.<br />
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Seeing the same light bulb that I did? How many people just cannot handle what life throws at them, don't know what to do with themselves once on their own, or long for the childhood glory days?<br />
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Yes, we want to protect those in our care; we can give them the best start we possibly can. But will your children be ready to stand strong against the headwinds? How do you harden yourself off let alone teach someone else? How do you remain sensitive to others even when you find yourself too hardened? </div>
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Just a bunch of thoughts and questions from the chef's garden. I don't have answers (I'm as single as they come and the only littles I have to harden off are baby plants), and the plants I talk to certainly don't have anything to say. We would have a very different problem if they started talking back. :P </div>
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Until next time,</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-61851815894457925552018-01-01T20:49:00.004-08:002018-01-01T20:51:51.973-08:00The Gardener's Garden <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year!</div>
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And I can't think of a better time to dust off the old blog a bit. Actually, a lot. </div>
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Long time, no blog; and I have some updating to do. I'll give you the cliff notes version. </div>
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I finished school in June. Yay! </div>
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Started working full time at the chef's garden that I had my internship at. Yay!</div>
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My social life saw a revival. Yay!</div>
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Sewed like crazy because I had markets, bazaars, and fairs for my booth. :gasp: Yes, I was a vendor at multiple events this past season. Yay!</div>
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<i>Psst, you can keep up with those adventures on <a href="http://pintucksandpinafores.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">my sewing blog</a>.</i> ;) </div>
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And I have a legitimate excuse for ignoring this little digital space.</div>
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You know the saying, "The cobbler's children are barefoot"? </div>
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I'd like to add to it. "The gardener's garden is abandoned." </div>
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I went to school to learn how to farm and garden. My garden should be :amazing:</div>
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Well, the garden that I work at is well cared for.</div>
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Mine, on the other hand, gets very little time dedicated to it. It's weedy, in desperate need of regular watering, and in need of just getting actually finished. I know, a garden is never 'finished,' but I would like to have the basic design and parameters of the space established, and I could just put in plants and garden around it. That would be kind of nice. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-besUpMlsm8QyAOo8z62Eq1L4hpSZkHAn-ig6yJeujm0ID0vJDHSkJ2YyNnaVQJxPhJ0KD9Vtwgphou61mcjw8UA_aCWoPZqZxqpCfmSNepAK01zCWoyx5lUQ2gON_G1IUbyheabICE/s1600/IMG_20170319_170942726_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-besUpMlsm8QyAOo8z62Eq1L4hpSZkHAn-ig6yJeujm0ID0vJDHSkJ2YyNnaVQJxPhJ0KD9Vtwgphou61mcjw8UA_aCWoPZqZxqpCfmSNepAK01zCWoyx5lUQ2gON_G1IUbyheabICE/s320/IMG_20170319_170942726_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the summer of '16, we finally bit the dust and built raised beds. We put down weed block because we started finding baby MORNING GLORY. Not cool. At all. I was mad, and upset, and frustrated that I spend all my precious little time digging those things out. So we built the beds. </div>
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It wasn't in time for the summer garden that year, but it was just in time for the fall garden. We took some wire and cut it to the width of the beds, and bought some frost blanket. That was also just in time for one of our snowier, colder winters. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgh239lXhGVIEmfjQHD88xBgiOwyjTv7uagC8fIw78vek6EjBLd2BikRdaXBQL-w3FQOTfmhJu-ESpAyvImSCtlKYNqtTNfdBoqu9_Qpdd0SKlFjdV22H31POf3Wn63ZXDOOg_9rNc2o/s1600/IMG_20161215_101948662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgh239lXhGVIEmfjQHD88xBgiOwyjTv7uagC8fIw78vek6EjBLd2BikRdaXBQL-w3FQOTfmhJu-ESpAyvImSCtlKYNqtTNfdBoqu9_Qpdd0SKlFjdV22H31POf3Wn63ZXDOOg_9rNc2o/s320/IMG_20161215_101948662.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And that was the first time we had broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, carrots, parsnips, and garlic. Actually, it was my first overwintered garden at home. I call that a success. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjM-me2d4nFgn__UIjMq-d0GRTEoZTkf1wY5_RJYXXhdPyrE6CW7v4GRPYnZ_rw03NqpaqQRUwFJkF3JTt-72PRX6QmgqxUWnSpMyejCSZOMuWz7ihDiYPbeQjKo3m4ixPBLTBWZB1gs/s1600/IMG_20161129_161411632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjM-me2d4nFgn__UIjMq-d0GRTEoZTkf1wY5_RJYXXhdPyrE6CW7v4GRPYnZ_rw03NqpaqQRUwFJkF3JTt-72PRX6QmgqxUWnSpMyejCSZOMuWz7ihDiYPbeQjKo3m4ixPBLTBWZB1gs/s320/IMG_20161129_161411632.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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By next the next spring, the overwintered things were all done, and summer plants put in. I loved the minimal effort in getting the beds ready, and the timed drip irrigation, and the noticeable lack of weeding that needed to be done. Compared to everywhere else on the property, it was nice to not have to worry about the vegetable garden for once.<br />
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By the end of this summer, I quickly realized that the summer veggies weren't going to be done in time to get the fall/winter crops in, so we made a few more boxes to expand the area. Slowly we will build the full garden plan. Baby steps. :nods:<br />
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One of my goals for this year is to set up better infrastructure the areas that we've developed to make our daily routines easier. The blueberries, strawberries, herb garden, orchard, etc.. This year we could get a better handle on the weed pressure, be better about mulching and suppression, installing timed irrigation so we don't have to water everything by hand, etc... We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we'll just keep chipping away at it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnhQdiAY7MTVS_E9IhqtMETqdmroUTWMdPSIuZnDMp7tNbSSY8xIAn9a-R2RBZWyUIARBBq_RVh2_Y9bPoaa_8_eCw6FUmGVBSU7vUg_6zoh_55fNF5fPCaCM5MsFmu6vaL1USwHPlnA/s1600/IMG_20161022_084114756_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnhQdiAY7MTVS_E9IhqtMETqdmroUTWMdPSIuZnDMp7tNbSSY8xIAn9a-R2RBZWyUIARBBq_RVh2_Y9bPoaa_8_eCw6FUmGVBSU7vUg_6zoh_55fNF5fPCaCM5MsFmu6vaL1USwHPlnA/s320/IMG_20161022_084114756_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have some more fun and exciting things and developments to share with you this year, so hopefully I can get around to updating more often. :D </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-14549782368339006792017-03-28T14:05:00.001-07:002017-03-28T14:05:25.915-07:00Fire and Steel and Explosive Gases, Oh My! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This last term at school was a little different - my last required class was online (and boringly easy), and the other two classes had nothing to do with horticulture and were pretty much as opposite to each other as they could be: dancing and welding. </div>
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You already know how much I love dancing, so I don't need to go into detail about that (except to say that swing dancing is my favorite thing ever). But welding... That world was (and still is) completely foreign and unlike anything I had ever done before. </div>
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I picked up the textbook which reads more like a manual than anything else. If you want a dull horror story, you can read this. It will tell you everything that can go wrong while welding and say it in such a matter of fact way that you have to do a double-take to make sure that you read it right.</div>
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Between sparks, slag, extreme heat (to the tune of 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit), exploding concrete, scorching hot metal, equipment that costs more than my car is worth, gas that is highly combustible and at high pressures... it was all rather intense to say the least. My brain wasn't sure how to process all of that. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMOng1j25fG5Uq-coXDwoo81A_BXOurgQdGzE1MW4CHlBQjYP9E77EuzB8zWHVJV7ahE3YiN_mlAHpaqe4HygQV8SWFgfsbf_gQ6kKIr24gs0wWjdTYpsZWxYxfBvdoNJ4QlemAkCsOQ/s1600/IMG_20170121_125227096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMOng1j25fG5Uq-coXDwoo81A_BXOurgQdGzE1MW4CHlBQjYP9E77EuzB8zWHVJV7ahE3YiN_mlAHpaqe4HygQV8SWFgfsbf_gQ6kKIr24gs0wWjdTYpsZWxYxfBvdoNJ4QlemAkCsOQ/s320/IMG_20170121_125227096.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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This handy chart would have been useful for the first day of class. I had no idea what the instructor was talking about when he was throwing out all these acronyms in the lecture. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6m3mmIgRGUTuuKxe8McODRWGGPwWBbnWRuDzAMLoqdl6CPGZTMZAvHy9WZKk2pL6kSneMp1fwcU6OwSVG_FUtXxYToZ7UbpoQdyKJJEMhbT02HqVRLAz922TCCQsJros-InA3s0Vc6A/s1600/IMG_20170121_134613416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6m3mmIgRGUTuuKxe8McODRWGGPwWBbnWRuDzAMLoqdl6CPGZTMZAvHy9WZKk2pL6kSneMp1fwcU6OwSVG_FUtXxYToZ7UbpoQdyKJJEMhbT02HqVRLAz922TCCQsJros-InA3s0Vc6A/s320/IMG_20170121_134613416.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Exploding concrete? Oy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_tf6reETFQDZuRyKzo0CWVoqg3bWrK8OR6tUggOAiYKn0PbgTBrogpi7cPm8vo9C-Ur0M_YDqDj7385QFYgR6hz3y-zYcc9o65-vjlAmKHUf_jx0jU1ZW3puhblyam7UIy6fgOU_JAc/s1600/IMG_20170203_135824897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_tf6reETFQDZuRyKzo0CWVoqg3bWrK8OR6tUggOAiYKn0PbgTBrogpi7cPm8vo9C-Ur0M_YDqDj7385QFYgR6hz3y-zYcc9o65-vjlAmKHUf_jx0jU1ZW3puhblyam7UIy6fgOU_JAc/s320/IMG_20170203_135824897.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had to psych myself up for each class. I had already been up early for work, and then to drive across town to school for a late evening class was exhausting. Thankfully, my dad was taking the class with me. We'd stop for Chipotle on the way to class, eat dinner, then start welding. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBIHMkirBX8q1vyctR7m98wW149ZQyQhvXxhYNnBsRqyNrRmpyWUTcs5QE56ZJC6uF6aec-M7WRFcveRlN_BoRN_d7kvbHvdu4z4NN0zTAlmpmmGgyiRC8LJLhjeyzckzL3rRzwJzUdQ/s1600/IMG_20170217_200139928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBIHMkirBX8q1vyctR7m98wW149ZQyQhvXxhYNnBsRqyNrRmpyWUTcs5QE56ZJC6uF6aec-M7WRFcveRlN_BoRN_d7kvbHvdu4z4NN0zTAlmpmmGgyiRC8LJLhjeyzckzL3rRzwJzUdQ/s320/IMG_20170217_200139928.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The welding booths were hot (I couldn't imagine doing this class during warmer weather), sparks were flying everywhere, you can only see through the tiny window in your helmet, picking up welding sticks with bulky gloves took some serious patience with yourself. </div>
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At the beginning of the term, we were all handed a check-off list of the different welds that we were to work on during class. Once I got over my initial terror of holding the welding torch, things went rather smoothly, and, for me, quickly. I practically flew through the list while others were still trying to bead a straight line. My dad thinks that it's because of all my sewing that I have a steady hand. I have no idea why. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADkpZ9IgadssfdG-Mc3Bq15ysY9uFEbhNvrv8TEgKlKkmDJwSgsmJjCL1uUe36cZhC7VB0Q8Ir-t8rVAQmh43if9VTH1FugQBwgce7UmiVtkqdI19HUPMYktWIdXs1J6CUucjM3PAzlA/s1600/IMG_20170224_201235576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADkpZ9IgadssfdG-Mc3Bq15ysY9uFEbhNvrv8TEgKlKkmDJwSgsmJjCL1uUe36cZhC7VB0Q8Ir-t8rVAQmh43if9VTH1FugQBwgce7UmiVtkqdI19HUPMYktWIdXs1J6CUucjM3PAzlA/s320/IMG_20170224_201235576.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I just want to add this before going any further: welders have quite the fashion sense. :P Heavy, rough leather jackets, hats in the strangest fabric prints, stiff canvas pants, leather boots, and you can't forget the safety glasses and welding mask. Actually, you're not even allowed in the machine shop without safety glasses on - I'm sure it's an insurance thing, but seriously, there's the possibility for heavy flying things hitting you in the head. At least protect your eyes, kid. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7jnnW1MawWYs-JtbPas8THxFZhrmGAh86QJzcIiLkeUnZ9QiVg0eD0LISVO3UO5og0bkG86hLQ7c2qHLX8IMupWYX0UWPv9DfjYJxtHVEaWsAT3HFkhRW_XTwFdh55C4V-yyiz93DXg/s1600/IMG_20170224_201310611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7jnnW1MawWYs-JtbPas8THxFZhrmGAh86QJzcIiLkeUnZ9QiVg0eD0LISVO3UO5og0bkG86hLQ7c2qHLX8IMupWYX0UWPv9DfjYJxtHVEaWsAT3HFkhRW_XTwFdh55C4V-yyiz93DXg/s320/IMG_20170224_201310611.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We started with stick welding, then moved to wire feed, and the graduated to bigger wire feed. That's about as far as most the class got through their lists. Since I finished early, I got to play with oxyfuel welding (the chunkier cousin of TIG welding), oxyfuel torch, and a plasma torch (which was super cool because you can cut a lot of metal really fast and there's sparks everywhere, and I was covered in steel flecks). </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
We had the option to do a project in class if we so desired. I had no idea what to make. So to <a href="http://pinterest.com/sarahmon90/welding" target="_blank">pinterest </a>I went. I narrowed it down to two possibilities: a necklace hanging tree or cattails for the kidney bean of a pond in my herb garden. I headed to the repurposing store to see what I could find. I honestly had no idea what I was looking for, but the owner was super helpful, and I found some steel leaves that someone had hammered out. With that, I knew that I would be doing the tree. I then wandered through the aisles of Home Depot (now I know how my dad and brother feel in the craft store) until I found metal rods. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Because the metal rods were thin enough, I was able to cut and lay everything out at home with the tools that we have. This is what I came up with</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8RgoExNxFitxBKATcmkpjdXBVpExuPwgnpvcHxt79XN4p10I0gaKSdgP-UPHXiJtFfFD65SU5u8ayDBnuIYLS7hPXzp19gZlOcWnW6NK0428PW_Nsa7C36xtlHZF1ijhoK-spGEmf-w/s1600/IMG_20170303_143432604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8RgoExNxFitxBKATcmkpjdXBVpExuPwgnpvcHxt79XN4p10I0gaKSdgP-UPHXiJtFfFD65SU5u8ayDBnuIYLS7hPXzp19gZlOcWnW6NK0428PW_Nsa7C36xtlHZF1ijhoK-spGEmf-w/s320/IMG_20170303_143432604.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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And I used all the pieces within 45 minutes of starting. We had from 6:30-9:50 to weld. My tree looked rather poorly pruned, so the next week, I brought in more branches and leaves.</div>
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The finished result:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATp7yuwIdBZMAj7ssicdiExDVfARw5Su8VYJ1BOl0_IZt_0A4mcNVp7S9cBFm5U85ZsFzbj3dXsKon6OVOSUG1gn1AlGefnniDjtS_MHI_WLxc3zaetG-yBhxNHHsCNYAyD1Y4qXhvX8/s1600/IMG_20170312_142732273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATp7yuwIdBZMAj7ssicdiExDVfARw5Su8VYJ1BOl0_IZt_0A4mcNVp7S9cBFm5U85ZsFzbj3dXsKon6OVOSUG1gn1AlGefnniDjtS_MHI_WLxc3zaetG-yBhxNHHsCNYAyD1Y4qXhvX8/s320/IMG_20170312_142732273.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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The log round is from a maple tree that fell on the fence during one of the storms this winter. How nice of the tree to get to a level that we can reach it. :P </div>
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Because I finished the tree much faster than anticipated, I also figure out how to do the cattails since the instructor showed me how to use the cutting torch. My cutting lines are rather jagged, but I didn't feel inclined to smooth them out - it's just going out in the garden... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcB5xn5K_mh5t4De9nbVMLXD_hKWDV4m0oz1NcVLmEtYyN4Rf0ugNuPFfMCMxborX104S5AQhas-LIkcBChhkwr6JXx3GTMmdo1UffgTlYcr8Yxzr4S6WWm8wWBiGMubMU5OnBhBrbHtY/s1600/IMG_20170328_100305026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcB5xn5K_mh5t4De9nbVMLXD_hKWDV4m0oz1NcVLmEtYyN4Rf0ugNuPFfMCMxborX104S5AQhas-LIkcBChhkwr6JXx3GTMmdo1UffgTlYcr8Yxzr4S6WWm8wWBiGMubMU5OnBhBrbHtY/s320/IMG_20170328_100305026.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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They look like I stuck swords in the ground.Now to just figure out how to get in in a stone... Hmm... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-m_jKvZSFC1SvvDbyLd9Pt5xaxUJwXNFHaK5jwcgiz6T2rEZ0fLs6ZlgMGkFL6DFUGzHQPhYztYmu0H1Rja-EePU_PaZPwQVuxoq-HhpFjRDy-8EiDnHchzlPnRY-6Vz1KHIqtf-aW8/s1600/IMG_20170328_100315046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-m_jKvZSFC1SvvDbyLd9Pt5xaxUJwXNFHaK5jwcgiz6T2rEZ0fLs6ZlgMGkFL6DFUGzHQPhYztYmu0H1Rja-EePU_PaZPwQVuxoq-HhpFjRDy-8EiDnHchzlPnRY-6Vz1KHIqtf-aW8/s320/IMG_20170328_100315046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The class certainly felt over my head at the beginning, now I feel like I could pick up a welder and melt metal whenever I need to. I guess the class did what it was supposed to. ;) Do I feel inclined to pursue more classes in this field? Not really. It's not a world that I'm necessarily drawn to, but it is good to know how to wield a welder. </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-80152366975560151122017-01-24T19:21:00.001-08:002017-01-24T19:21:44.808-08:00January Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
January could be summed up with snow and cold. It really forced us to slow down, hunker down, and wait until things thawed. Actually, it was a much needed breather even if it all was quite the hassle to do anything in 12-18" of snow: barn chores, haul water out to the animals, and taking longer to bundle up to head outside. It was frigid, but it was gorgeous. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVmx8L8SUxbhuaHzH82ZUyrzcCa4kFe-JhEr7UPFo06q0iZ7nwNptALLSgsSiQXniW-I_iORcyaeAk4sS0NhIgdUEiwWcFZ49RFyo4bn3Qlyf0fiM89BMVpISvzjQAkFZTaHp_7kXxfQ/s1600/IMG_20170111_084849801_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVmx8L8SUxbhuaHzH82ZUyrzcCa4kFe-JhEr7UPFo06q0iZ7nwNptALLSgsSiQXniW-I_iORcyaeAk4sS0NhIgdUEiwWcFZ49RFyo4bn3Qlyf0fiM89BMVpISvzjQAkFZTaHp_7kXxfQ/s320/IMG_20170111_084849801_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Of course, Jubilee loved every moment of it. ;) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-85aVfrggr10zcUoPNp9tINU3EtqAsboGZNcrBjUTevPtJvYDCXIYcgSPO6BhV2R-Pe6ZUNp31qSA4GrWk5zvV1TvhFqrh2leSbBClNIgPc32PDeYyuP5W95w7c-821qN8t82CFxmBo/s1600/IMG_20170111_085626507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-85aVfrggr10zcUoPNp9tINU3EtqAsboGZNcrBjUTevPtJvYDCXIYcgSPO6BhV2R-Pe6ZUNp31qSA4GrWk5zvV1TvhFqrh2leSbBClNIgPc32PDeYyuP5W95w7c-821qN8t82CFxmBo/s320/IMG_20170111_085626507.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Through the years and as I've been outside more and more, I've found that I love all the seasons for different reasons and how they create a rhythm to life. Winter is a time of rest to brace for the hectic pace of spring, the dragging through summer, and a reprieve after the scurrying through autumn. There is always something to complain about with each season, but each season also has a beauty that the other seasons don't have. I recently discovered 'Winter Song' by Emily Smith, and the lyrics are rather fitting. It encompasses hygge (hue-gah) - embracing each season for what it is. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUCUdZyOV1WG01eVIyXyKqOz7TNEQMr3VkiQNEFf-10hV9mpqIshlQW5C5GV1EeVDEyIFcGMmEXqJzjCs0JW8UJuxp2-vKzT_u3VR0TC0RTg7W09W_yhIiiov5tu2Zpbp8rCHxFUeXu4/s1600/IMG_20170111_091054746_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUCUdZyOV1WG01eVIyXyKqOz7TNEQMr3VkiQNEFf-10hV9mpqIshlQW5C5GV1EeVDEyIFcGMmEXqJzjCs0JW8UJuxp2-vKzT_u3VR0TC0RTg7W09W_yhIiiov5tu2Zpbp8rCHxFUeXu4/s320/IMG_20170111_091054746_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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"<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">So we'll stoke the fire and light the lamp</span></div>
<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Turn our backs in from the damp</div>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">Settle down beneath the starry sky</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">Endure the winter passing by"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGyUG14sF6R3K_7IX0XNvcsSjoVz387zE4SvhUmZe0BOzFv0DQysDJRsTRDRVAQOjQyQ1D53-blnhmOwzGnCFlwF7yZNKuS2Z60uc42MCCp75dLhMTfCunlibY9J00n7taEvbx4zYWFg/s1600/IMG_20170112_095025073_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGyUG14sF6R3K_7IX0XNvcsSjoVz387zE4SvhUmZe0BOzFv0DQysDJRsTRDRVAQOjQyQ1D53-blnhmOwzGnCFlwF7yZNKuS2Z60uc42MCCp75dLhMTfCunlibY9J00n7taEvbx4zYWFg/s320/IMG_20170112_095025073_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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"<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">With carols sung, the trees been taken down</span></div>
<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
We've passed a dram and the bells no longer sound</div>
</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Snowdrops rise with promise of the spring</div>
</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
There's talk and wonder</div>
</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
At what the year might bring"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqK5EaDtFt5mkH_xG-8G0FKFLkxyTWWr6l65HycT1-O27Nmvk4g-gnHSVEPI-K5OzskS4hdASE49oDMqBElg_JaZQgFeu52ObdzJlN8PBOBsiEUf-5ft6cN52DgRjqWQMLR-ZXYYnAOc/s1600/IMG_20170112_095200642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqK5EaDtFt5mkH_xG-8G0FKFLkxyTWWr6l65HycT1-O27Nmvk4g-gnHSVEPI-K5OzskS4hdASE49oDMqBElg_JaZQgFeu52ObdzJlN8PBOBsiEUf-5ft6cN52DgRjqWQMLR-ZXYYnAOc/s320/IMG_20170112_095200642.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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"<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">The blackbird starts to thicken up her nest</span></div>
<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
While the early lamb, he takes a snowy step</div>
</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
But the north wind's grip it tightens with his chill</div>
</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
And holds the buds closed against their will"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSmncqs-zIYYw8Sc3cRkdfoiVODEjrLSv3JDjTk27XHFXiwWBFOZxUwot6zCZ6KZ4t92priVhqHIVLI4jl20x_30zytVuzolt7Sr2tQ-qSh3x3wIc_QYfCVV9CMsJO4yUhOQ69AQjQ5E/s1600/IMG_20170112_095947294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSmncqs-zIYYw8Sc3cRkdfoiVODEjrLSv3JDjTk27XHFXiwWBFOZxUwot6zCZ6KZ4t92priVhqHIVLI4jl20x_30zytVuzolt7Sr2tQ-qSh3x3wIc_QYfCVV9CMsJO4yUhOQ69AQjQ5E/s320/IMG_20170112_095947294.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: center;"> "</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;">So we'll stoke the fire and light the lamp</span></div>
<span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Turn our backs in from the damp</div>
</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Settle down beneath the starry sky</div>
</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Endure the winter passing by"</div>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqR4F55-nByRz-SREMuHgPFovlxmhT2NInXgVpLpHtvSizibSxDEHijTwUb20J3wVD3yJT55_97YRZb4AVmE3T-OrIWLGlj3jA6LUkCOISZh5-Ywrc_3cNEzEGV_CHjrIShyphenhyphenjeT1AmNzk/s1600/IMG_20170112_095819875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqR4F55-nByRz-SREMuHgPFovlxmhT2NInXgVpLpHtvSizibSxDEHijTwUb20J3wVD3yJT55_97YRZb4AVmE3T-OrIWLGlj3jA6LUkCOISZh5-Ywrc_3cNEzEGV_CHjrIShyphenhyphenjeT1AmNzk/s320/IMG_20170112_095819875.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Until next time!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-33515163740604137302017-01-24T16:09:00.000-08:002017-01-24T16:09:36.638-08:00Making Chevre <h1>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">This school term certainly got off to a rocky start, but now that I'm
getting into the swing of things, I wanted to share some of what I've been
working on. In my writing class, I've been trying to do papers on farm stuffs
so that I could share it with you as well! (and get double usage out of each
writing session :P). Last week's assignment was to guide someone through a
procedure. I scribbled out some ideas, but they were all much more involved
than a two page ordeal. Then, in the sanctum of idea generation - the
shower, I thought of cheese. One, because I'm totally addicted to cheese. Two,
because why not? So here you go. </span></h1>
<h1>
Making Your Own Cheese<o:p></o:p></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To some, the thought of fermenting and culturing dairy
products is daunting if not dangerous. While some cheeses are more difficult to
make, many simple ‘farm house’ cheese can be made at home with just a handful
of ingredients, some basic equipment, and patience. This is going to focus on
chevre: a soft, goat’s milk cheese. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To get started, you will need to gather the following:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoSubtitle">
Ingredients<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->1 gallon of goat milk <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->1 packet of chevre starter cultures (resources
listed below).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--> Note: If
you purchase more than you are going to use for just one recipe, then you will
need to put the extra packets in the freezer to put the cultures into a
cold-induced stasis. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Another note: Different cheeses are made from
different cultures, so you will want to make sure that the starter is for
chevre cheese specifically. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoSubtitle">
Equipment<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Stainless steel stockpot with lid<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->A non-reactive whisk (stainless steel or silicon
are fine, plastic is not recommended)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->A large towel<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Candy thermometer (make sure that it is
calibrated correctly!)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Plastic strainer large enough to hold a gallon
of milk<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Giant bowl<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Cheese cloth (can be purchased at most health
food stores, online, or homesteading stores)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
To get things started, you want to
make sure that your cooking equipment is sterilized. When culturing any food,
you only want the beneficial bacteria to be present in the product and not
harmful pathogens. You can do this by simply putting your stockpot and whisk in
the dishwasher and using the ‘sterilizing’ setting. After doing this, you can
put the towel into the dryer to warm it up if you want (this is not necessary
unless it is chilly in the house; you will see how the towel is used later). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once the dishes are retrieved
from the dishwasher, you put the milk into the stockpot and slowly warm it up
on the stove and slowly stir it constantly. If you raise the temperature too
fast, the milk will curdle. Use the thermometer to keep an eye on how warm the
milk is; the goal temperature is 85-86°F. After the milk reaches the desired
temperature, turn off the stove heat and add in the packet of starter cultures.
Whisk gently for approximately two minutes to allow the cultures to become
rehydrated and incorporated throughout the milk. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Next, place the lid on the
stockpot, wrap the entire thing with the towel, and place it on a quiet corner
of the counter where it will not be in the way of your other culinary
activities. By wrapping the stockpot with a towel, it will keep the milk at a
temperature where the cultures can be active and doing their job: fermenting
the milk. Let the milk sit in its miniature sauna for 12-18 hours. The next
day, you can tell if the cheese is ready by slightly tilting the stockpot to
reveal the solid, fatty mass of white (curds) and a yellow fluid (whey). The
longer you allow the cultures to do their work, the more strongly flavored the
cheese will be. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
You have almost accomplished your
cheese-making task! You just need to get the actual cheese out of its protein
whey bath. To separate the two parts of the cheese, you can do this in two
different ways. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->If you want to save the whey for another use
(chickens love whey), then you strain the whey into a very large bowl. To do
this, place an inverted Tupperware container inside the bowl, prop the colander
on top of the Tupperware, line the strainer with cheesecloth, and then gently
pour in the cheese (curds and whey). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->If whey is of no importance to you at the
moment, you can line your giant bowl with cheesecloth, gently dump the cheese
into it, pull up the sides of the cheesecloth and tie them into a knot, and
hang it bag over the sink to let the liquid separate. You can hang it over the
sink faucet if you would like. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Let the cheese strain for another
12 hours. The longer the cheese is allowed to hang, the drier the cheese will
be. Any longer than 12 hours, the cheese will be crumbly. You can experiment by
adding in different herbs and seasonings to flavor your creation if you so
desire (or if the cheese even lasts that long). You can also try milk from
different breeds of goats; the flavor and pungent qualities of the milk varies
from breed to breed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
You now have the tools to get you
started on cheese-making adventures. After getting comfortable with this
process, you just might become addicted to the process as this Amazon reviewer
discovered. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab63bP1_hwow8U91Nmscp1efrfi_e3qe__TNI_hgIXPEVSiWUihaeBvA8uNR7ydEzq_kO6NRt138hEx29nFAjrIQzVAEIwV-w99aDQ4ZAmJzCdxwAcDem-IYJVCGXOOPaKp2cH0fhGUs/s1600/chevreculture_amazonreview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab63bP1_hwow8U91Nmscp1efrfi_e3qe__TNI_hgIXPEVSiWUihaeBvA8uNR7ydEzq_kO6NRt138hEx29nFAjrIQzVAEIwV-w99aDQ4ZAmJzCdxwAcDem-IYJVCGXOOPaKp2cH0fhGUs/s400/chevreculture_amazonreview.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Heading2Char"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Resources</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoSubtitle">
Starter cultures:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Outdoor-Chevre-C20G-5-Packets/dp/B0064OLRH6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1484686169&sr=8-3&keywords=cheese+cultures<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/real-cheese-starter-culture-chevre/19938<o:p></o:p></div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-79345167569601073032016-08-15T17:10:00.000-07:002016-08-15T17:11:45.635-07:00Homesteading with Health IssuesWe all have our own reasons that drive our homesteading passion. Some to become self-sufficient. Some want to have that glorious moment of storing up their own bounty. Some want the higher quality product that can't be found in the store. Some seek the freedom (I use that term loosely) from society's daily grind. Some night have even just happened upon the lifestyle. Others do so because they have health issues.<br />
<br />
Many that I've talked to (or stalked on blogs) have used their land and garden as a place to grow their own food because it's the cheapest option. Food can be used to find health (or at least a lessening of symptoms). The problem, though, is that fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and herbs are not cheap, but if you have the space, you can do it yourself for less than it would cost at the store (in theory anyway). As someone with a chronic illness, the lure of being able to do something for yourself can be thrilling to say the least. There's <i>something </i>that's within your control, right? Wrong. Anyone that has spent any time on a farm or in a garden will tell you that there is always something running amok or it's one problem after another. But you really want to do this. And do it successfully. So here's a quick list of some suggestions that can help you when you're homesteading with health problems.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>1. Only take on as much as you can handle</b></h4>
I know that you feel like you want to do <i>everything</i>. I'm in the same boat. I want to have a lush garden, a productive orchard, prolific berries, buzzing honeybees, all the meat animals to supply us for all our meat-y needs, dairy goats, sheep for wool (and to be able to spin all that!), soap making, cheese making, meat processing, all the herbs I could ever need just outside the door, raising elk, a u-pick flower farm, and more. Hey, a girl can dream, right? Ooh, throw in a livestock guardian dog in there too!<br />
Please pace yourself (I'm preaching to myself here too).<br />
Whenever you add a new aspect to the farm, you inevitably have a learning curve to go with it. If you have a chronic illness, there's only so much your brain and body can handle. Instead of diving in full force, try just a trial run at a small scale. This way, you don't invest as much time, money, or energy into something that might not be for you. Another option would be to tag along and learn from a mentor who's entrenched in your interest. You can get a feel for what is to be expected and decide if it will fit with your limitations.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>2. Set yourself up for success</b></h4>
Learn as much as you can from other sources before throwing yourself into the fire. Make sure that you have all the supplies you need before you dive into the project (I guarantee you will need to make an emergency run to the farm store though - it's how life works). Or really think through the entire process and where the hangups might be.<br />
For our family garden, we've never been all that proficient. Yeah, we've had plants that survived in spite of our best attempts to kill them, but at the end of the year, you look at how much effort you put into something and see what you got out of it... Not the best use of energy, resources, or time. This year after spending hours pulling up the morning glory that appeared (that was a frustrating discovery), we finally threw in the towel, laid out weed block, made cedar raised beds, and installed drip irrigation with a timer. The summer garden was for naught this year, but the fall garden is right on schedule. With the raised beds, we have a limited space that requires weeding and can be weeded easily. The timer and drip means we don't have to spend all day watering (okay, I might be exaggerating the time requirements there just a little). It's taken us years to get to this point, but I'm really excited about what all we can do with the space now. <br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>3. Organize like your life depends on it</b></h4>
You might only have a certain amount of time before your body says, 'Enough for today.' Instead of running around getting all your materials assembled or animal feed pulled together or whatever you might have going on, set up systems that make everything easily accessible and found. Keep animal feed in bins or barrels. Have tools all lined up in the same spot nearby where you will be using them. Have files in your desk for each category that your farm needs be it equipment/tractor, veterinary contact info and notes, garden plans and resources, animal information, etc. It will take some time to get this all set up, but in the end, your brain and body will thank you. And you won't have to spend all the your time scrounging around looking for that <i>one</i> piece of paper. ;)<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>4. Many hands make light work</b></h4>
Do you have friends that want to experience the farm life but don't have the land? Bring 'em on board. You can host volunteer work days in exchange for some product or produce from your farm (many folks would be just fine with a hearty meal). Get the whole family involved in whatever capacity that they are capable. If chicken dander kick off asthma or allergies for some, they can be on the watering crew.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>5. </b><b>Make things easier for your body</b></h4>
Use those tools ergonomically correct. You don't have to prove to yourself that you can lift those heavy bags - let the wheel barrow do the work for you. Use a work bench. Make sure that you stay hydrated. Electrolytes are your friend. Keep your skin protected. Pace yourself and take breaks as needed. This ties into #2.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>6. </b><b>Do things at your own pace</b></h4>
Don't over do it. This speaks for itself, and I can't stress that enough. If your body is screaming at you to stop, then stop. You'll pay for it later if you push your body beyond the limits. If that means only getting a couple of trees pruned or only a single bed planted or only one goat's hooves trimmed, then so be it. You can just keep chipping away at things as you can.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>7. Don't kick yourself for not doing everything</b></h4>
As much as I wish I was Wonderwoman, I'm not. You might wish you could be doing more or think that you're not doing enough. Silence those negative thoughts right now; shove them out the door, and don't let them back in. I know that to-do list is every increasing and changing in priority, but you're doing the best you can with the time and energy that you have. You're juggling doctor appointments, family and social life, and all the crazy farm adventures. You've got a lot on your plate, and you're taking things as they come. Everyone is on their own unique path towards health and in their homesteading journey. <br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>8. Let something go</b></h4>
You have a very full plate on your hands, and something new comes up. Be it a new symptom, a new phase of life, a family emergency, you just can't handle juggle anything anymore and something's got to give. Now this one is super hard because it's so closely tied into #1 and #7. You want to do everything but you hold yourself back. When holding yourself back, you feel like you should be doing more. But there are times when even holding yourself back is still too much. Even maintaining the status quo might be too much and make you reach your breaking point. Some friends of mine just had to sell some of their dairy goats because the family's health was needing more attention than they could give. I hurts and it's hard to say goodbye to furry friends that you've bonded with for so long, but making sure that the new home is perfect and maybe nearby so you could pop in every now and again to say 'hi' could help ease some of the sadness. <br />
<br />
Do you have any other ideas to add to the list? If so, comment below! We all could use tips and tricks to help us along the road.<br />
<br />
Until next time!<br />
SGSarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-25639293275489879722016-06-19T20:48:00.003-07:002016-06-19T20:48:48.782-07:00Catching up from Spring Term <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Where to begin? It certainly has felt like another looong term, but I survived. ;) Here's some shots to get you up to speed. This is a text and picture heavy post, so here we go. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20SOiWWiq8MPMpQX7GNDQiw-S9cAJ7PATfiTMrWOoSHCX0XT8tgd3w7BsEmaLpLTF4T0EBZ5LtiU7nuwkvDcE6kwu9iuW5iRTvUmdLu-TJV8o42iDgDg3xlcm3PUx15JL9oHNGmY3bls/s1600/IMG_20160305_201823844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20SOiWWiq8MPMpQX7GNDQiw-S9cAJ7PATfiTMrWOoSHCX0XT8tgd3w7BsEmaLpLTF4T0EBZ5LtiU7nuwkvDcE6kwu9iuW5iRTvUmdLu-TJV8o42iDgDg3xlcm3PUx15JL9oHNGmY3bls/s320/IMG_20160305_201823844.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special dance for a guest caller that came to the area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGJKyrwqx_g4g4eU9Zhh1liDpscFJzJXdglfs9TgDlN4R2R95yPQYRIujidRHL2CRoH3zDszQpMQbB0OC0LvfLgwwEe847s-2FW4tTshynugHg4gTryY2T_E3oyQJhogXX9azphOyFhg/s1600/IMG_20160505_110439216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGJKyrwqx_g4g4eU9Zhh1liDpscFJzJXdglfs9TgDlN4R2R95yPQYRIujidRHL2CRoH3zDszQpMQbB0OC0LvfLgwwEe847s-2FW4tTshynugHg4gTryY2T_E3oyQJhogXX9azphOyFhg/s320/IMG_20160505_110439216.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicum harvest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yhTB1UOf6UKLqIaqf7rRa__PUT5B06rblPH5Zv1HQ9jCaznQoBIThjvx7favZQtxDGVQtMyhJ7gzHzNRFZdWUkzX9t-5IvCSiWsKJ9CTBd9bp9TPO8NepQnE7mWSiiWhOSLOve-6ipE/s1600/IMG_20160505_151036671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yhTB1UOf6UKLqIaqf7rRa__PUT5B06rblPH5Zv1HQ9jCaznQoBIThjvx7favZQtxDGVQtMyhJ7gzHzNRFZdWUkzX9t-5IvCSiWsKJ9CTBd9bp9TPO8NepQnE7mWSiiWhOSLOve-6ipE/s320/IMG_20160505_151036671.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey poult</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZkhzjjtqTT4F8bt9g2RjKmikKiH-i34T2hBCiIR0DEwtohZxp0-0XPTW_qWB6nCKF-RpRjNIDo34-c4vCN4a7U7DPSEmB_HDSZYhial2btuEIf21VEzehZIUpigq0kcy3StSKMxUK_8/s1600/IMG_20160511_154812083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZkhzjjtqTT4F8bt9g2RjKmikKiH-i34T2hBCiIR0DEwtohZxp0-0XPTW_qWB6nCKF-RpRjNIDo34-c4vCN4a7U7DPSEmB_HDSZYhial2btuEIf21VEzehZIUpigq0kcy3StSKMxUK_8/s320/IMG_20160511_154812083.jpg" width="180" /></a>This picture has a bit of a story with it... It all started with my car not starting when I was running late to class. Phooey. Thankfully, I had another car option to get to class. I didn't have time to deal with the problem until the next day after classes. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;">It took all afternoon, but I finally managed to orchestrate a tow truck that was 'approved' by the insurance company to get my car to the mechanic. They took one look at it, and said that the only problem was some corrosion on the battery terminal. Seriously?! I looked at that and didn't think that it was <i>that</i> bad. Apparently so. $40, a bunch of phone calls, and an afternoon later, my car was doing just fine. Thankfully, everything worked out well, but it was still a hassle. My classmate the next day asked what was wrong with my car, and after explaining my tale of woe, she said 'Well, was the mechanic cute at least?' 'Uh... yeah...' '!!! When's the next time you get to see him?' "I don't know; next oil change maybe?' The next week, apparently word got around about the 'cute mechanic' and some others were asking if I had asked him out yet. 'Nope.' 'Well, when's your next oil change?' 'A long while.' And this is after I was already convinced that my car was playing match maker because she kept coming up with all these random little things that needed to be checked. :face palm: </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KuBynKMKxVS6odtFB2iIWPqT4q9379PSTlf0MdDjzyrBVlguMjPHad1_5kIh4o7D1PCLsowP1ubOwwlTCEPMk7EsrCcko2FP_1Vbo9hKe10OeZfIZAFbPetwyxxSa2D77I8y60Zvs0o/s1600/IMG_20160511_160643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KuBynKMKxVS6odtFB2iIWPqT4q9379PSTlf0MdDjzyrBVlguMjPHad1_5kIh4o7D1PCLsowP1ubOwwlTCEPMk7EsrCcko2FP_1Vbo9hKe10OeZfIZAFbPetwyxxSa2D77I8y60Zvs0o/s320/IMG_20160511_160643.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"></span><br />
Anyway! Continuing on! My fun class for the term was kitchen herbs. I honestly didn't fully know what to expect from the class, but I knew I wanted to take it. I walk into class to find out that it was a cooking class! Booyah! We've been learning how to grow all this fantastic food, now it's time to learn how to use it! From mocktail sangria, branch dressing, melon mint salad, green bean radish and basil salad, warm maple rosemary sundaes, and much more. Can we have more classes where we eat our way through to earn credits? I guess that would involve going to cooking school. Never mind. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZPRl_X6r_0FO1NlTRgBgI1bgcCRzPg7rR3aZqi9aQ0cSWtJnYrDLm2FTF178QT2NOq_4mdK1iSWkJEl9vXgWejNTYZiRQ6xMk8R4RSgSd_JCXbLmO8RfpbQrdwrbOeZomqqH1PIUWGs/s1600/IMG_20160518_105418939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZPRl_X6r_0FO1NlTRgBgI1bgcCRzPg7rR3aZqi9aQ0cSWtJnYrDLm2FTF178QT2NOq_4mdK1iSWkJEl9vXgWejNTYZiRQ6xMk8R4RSgSd_JCXbLmO8RfpbQrdwrbOeZomqqH1PIUWGs/s320/IMG_20160518_105418939.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QgRgSiBuyDq430JE8lPd-9B6jsH9-82yl39j0OQw3MJcKHuK0MJ-3SZfEpK2ortx2TuUNBvib-vSL1O_a3GOOYqsXmntKxHlYyjvgJTW0AlfVJQy8xNgcnI8OI3YAsbz_8YV120KWM0/s1600/IMG_20160525_094232508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QgRgSiBuyDq430JE8lPd-9B6jsH9-82yl39j0OQw3MJcKHuK0MJ-3SZfEpK2ortx2TuUNBvib-vSL1O_a3GOOYqsXmntKxHlYyjvgJTW0AlfVJQy8xNgcnI8OI3YAsbz_8YV120KWM0/s320/IMG_20160525_094232508.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Even with work and classes, my sister, a friend, and I still managed to squeeze in a fun concert one evening. Djangophiles were fantastic, and they have my sister convinced that I need to learn to play the upright bass. To humor her, I looked up the prices for a bass... Yeah, not going to be doing that anytime soon. </span><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLt8Yjcvu8cyu5JGaNv7Y7Sisc5iQZso2eoG-iodCljByOW5WvnXl9e7I7oCz5VvcFtzEBkErGDgO-7whDESOu_c_3jw95RIMW2-FbBOyNR2IXc_lbcN9a7RrNcCl-y6FSguuG2bgsBI/s1600/IMG_20160514_193018339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLt8Yjcvu8cyu5JGaNv7Y7Sisc5iQZso2eoG-iodCljByOW5WvnXl9e7I7oCz5VvcFtzEBkErGDgO-7whDESOu_c_3jw95RIMW2-FbBOyNR2IXc_lbcN9a7RrNcCl-y6FSguuG2bgsBI/s320/IMG_20160514_193018339.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjrwXzgpVGLshhXw-ORdW7NvWcKnBejGrAU6OqYzvimBcuRIn_UcVGDoeA-7PVJ9-rvak6kD61xqCwQGjTH56KEqTYG1USwEDfav0rlXIlT4AkIgiP2TIT52C_Gs_4jiyRNDr8bogxpI/s1600/IMG_20160518_182751059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjrwXzgpVGLshhXw-ORdW7NvWcKnBejGrAU6OqYzvimBcuRIn_UcVGDoeA-7PVJ9-rvak6kD61xqCwQGjTH56KEqTYG1USwEDfav0rlXIlT4AkIgiP2TIT52C_Gs_4jiyRNDr8bogxpI/s320/IMG_20160518_182751059.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I brought in the peonies before it started raining. Love the giant, luscious blooms!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPWvb5pfglhv7bFZkzm7JCL2fK8kAGy34rwqtWtaEnoAveUOZW0YH-1XrulRo8eVp6FbMawPDg2kvVEShyGxQdEadVmSDInJM2OfjM2neeCBlfmrOBASg_TKM-0TzaebVww4wVKWDXQ8/s320/IMG_20160525_114330126_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't resist the words: free plants</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPWvb5pfglhv7bFZkzm7JCL2fK8kAGy34rwqtWtaEnoAveUOZW0YH-1XrulRo8eVp6FbMawPDg2kvVEShyGxQdEadVmSDInJM2OfjM2neeCBlfmrOBASg_TKM-0TzaebVww4wVKWDXQ8/s1600/IMG_20160525_114330126_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPWvb5pfglhv7bFZkzm7JCL2fK8kAGy34rwqtWtaEnoAveUOZW0YH-1XrulRo8eVp6FbMawPDg2kvVEShyGxQdEadVmSDInJM2OfjM2neeCBlfmrOBASg_TKM-0TzaebVww4wVKWDXQ8/s1600/IMG_20160525_114330126_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpP2f77t_PMJ7EJdsU3zJAhH9-ewX3LM0vbNifTSfPdhZ51M4aK8Q10UqqbH_eOCPnF_c8UsTM90qqu9ScxLA0KpywUN0D_m6lA2-88ShbsCQsGuOMBpYsM2VIDXIQHkX-iaYgeioZ8q0/s1600/IMG_20160529_123146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpP2f77t_PMJ7EJdsU3zJAhH9-ewX3LM0vbNifTSfPdhZ51M4aK8Q10UqqbH_eOCPnF_c8UsTM90qqu9ScxLA0KpywUN0D_m6lA2-88ShbsCQsGuOMBpYsM2VIDXIQHkX-iaYgeioZ8q0/s320/IMG_20160529_123146.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving meat chickens out to pasture</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCTIvWoI-3A0MWfPMoJ4qNtUBOiC6y96HD_gg4514GcS5cp6CxfJP0VltXn9_71HKuWsGg9Z-V604ovxOON2bbKk1ItlUhAxqyATMNkkM6da8g2mQUejgxh7AT9o5YPqmyRePtL3wcPU/s1600/IMG_20160530_164439628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCTIvWoI-3A0MWfPMoJ4qNtUBOiC6y96HD_gg4514GcS5cp6CxfJP0VltXn9_71HKuWsGg9Z-V604ovxOON2bbKk1ItlUhAxqyATMNkkM6da8g2mQUejgxh7AT9o5YPqmyRePtL3wcPU/s320/IMG_20160530_164439628.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Needless to say, these shoes look like something you would find in an archaeological dig after I was through with them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFSEU8djYFA-uV6ZqBHJbQwSCavI2Sxu-Hf3hE5sRiRtkcJiyvTrE_ccsv1OSmF4BJtjMmp8zrMx2itDbhqscgAEhaCh-EuEW0Em2C4dAYtxrBs3BL6AoZIFZ-GtYt0Ov3xlbs0QRj88/s1600/IMG_20160603_194128137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFSEU8djYFA-uV6ZqBHJbQwSCavI2Sxu-Hf3hE5sRiRtkcJiyvTrE_ccsv1OSmF4BJtjMmp8zrMx2itDbhqscgAEhaCh-EuEW0Em2C4dAYtxrBs3BL6AoZIFZ-GtYt0Ov3xlbs0QRj88/s320/IMG_20160603_194128137.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My red legion poppies started blooming on Memorial Day weekend. Rather fitting, I thought. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMldzFCquiUPAEMtPc2c67bmhAn5BCKciQ2sAXWaflASfWUrgnbfgEDAvHE7AaDb8oVLfLPg9l4gpPRHkHcFSIz82rFv-8sRTL8zho7xrTjq32abXefr4dapGt0bsvwDDEk9k_jHUYyeA/s1600/IMG_20160607_142228451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMldzFCquiUPAEMtPc2c67bmhAn5BCKciQ2sAXWaflASfWUrgnbfgEDAvHE7AaDb8oVLfLPg9l4gpPRHkHcFSIz82rFv-8sRTL8zho7xrTjq32abXefr4dapGt0bsvwDDEk9k_jHUYyeA/s320/IMG_20160607_142228451.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After her yearly adventure where we don't see her for a couple of weeks, she showed up at the back door, wanted food and water, and then curled up in the nearby basket and slept. You crazy kitty. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYcsZrDUvq8saDnaIFdFTKxnsw88wCf3tmtusjQaT0MJ4OWo35g8bxc98O3GnljPSZdAFAf6ZHQFKBoRKUfe5KIUqsaeG8GWV0lzjUrU__0H1Anu6o0qRL687zo1FQ071YXhJQtkw-z8/s320/IMG_20160608_174924762.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A local farm had early ripening blueberries. Nomnomnom! </td></tr>
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That's all for now! I'll post some pictures from work later.</div>
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Until next time! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
SG</div>
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SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-6899404248824588592016-05-30T20:09:00.002-07:002016-05-30T20:09:48.543-07:00Somber Thanks<div style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial; margin-bottom: 10px;">
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">In Flanders Fields </span></strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
<b>By Lietenant Colonel John McCrae</b></div>
<div style="font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
<b>May 3, 1915</b></div>
<div style="font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">In Flanders fields the poppies blow</strong></div>
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Between the crosses, row on row,</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">That mark our place: and in the sky</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The larks still bravely singing fly</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Scarce heard amid the guns below.</strong></div>
</strong><br />
<div style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">We are the dead: Short days ago,</strong></div>
<strong><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Loved and were loved: and now we lie</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">In Flanders fields!</strong></div>
</strong><br />
<div style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Take up our quarrel with the foe</strong></div>
<strong><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">To you, from failing hands, we throw</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The torch: be yours to hold it high</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">If ye break faith with us who die,</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">We shall not sleep, though poppies grow</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;">In Flanders fields</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><a href="http://www.flandersfieldsmusic.com/thepoem.html" target="_blank">Source</a></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnoBElfesG8KkdtKAIYOjfu32lti0MDktpHA18EDiz4vhlTolFiAEZz-WCvcobiVqwiZHMd-ASMK7oYDVA3sq-9_l_ooFzjQPYEIHZJB4nhuEwiUvBKi7ILZ-JL6mQaYaBmgKkbfXvCQ/s1600/IMG_20160529_095306991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnoBElfesG8KkdtKAIYOjfu32lti0MDktpHA18EDiz4vhlTolFiAEZz-WCvcobiVqwiZHMd-ASMK7oYDVA3sq-9_l_ooFzjQPYEIHZJB4nhuEwiUvBKi7ILZ-JL6mQaYaBmgKkbfXvCQ/s320/IMG_20160529_095306991.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12.8px;">Red Legion Poppies in the garden that started blooming on Memorial Day weekend</span></td></tr>
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</strong><br />
<div style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<strong></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Many thanks to those that gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Until next time, </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>SG</strong></div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-27032056459153082332016-04-17T17:06:00.002-07:002016-04-17T17:06:18.542-07:00Another Bee Swarm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Two weeks ago, I had my first experience with <a href="http://rural-legacy.blogspot.com/2016/04/honey-bee-adventures.html" target="_blank">catching a swarm</a>. </div>
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So we had Hive 1 (the original) and Hive 2 (the caught swarm). We were excited that our colony collection had doubled. Yay! </div>
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Then, 2 weeks later (to the day) Hive 1 swarmed (seriously?!). Apparently the new, virgin queen is rebellious because she promptly left home after she hatched with all her besties to go on a road trip. </div>
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Anna and I had just finished getting the shade cloth on the hoop house to protect the tender greens from the blazing sun that was going to make an appearance over the weekend, and I was getting things watered in and Anna got a text from the kitchen asking for more mustard greens stat. Friday afternoons in a kitchen with big events scheduled for the weekend needs a lot of produce, and they needed more than we had brought in earlier that morning. She headed off to fetch them their produce when she popped her head back in the greenhouse asking me for my opinion on the bees. </div>
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We walked up to Hive 1, and sure enough they were pouring out of every nook and cranny of the hive and circling around. Deja vu anyone? Granted, the swarm was significantly smaller this time because the previous swarm had taken over half of Hive 1 with them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxpE_a2uP5FmQ1J-9BBPGUO9tKpMJZ4qGSe9hPjKZSrChvQmIlzDmMcMSqlYf3HMEH0Zil9Dqsm7EqZ2KsLrTmDC1cVnNyirCEMs-UZtaX1XFGqVVOxOiMcQTR_H99ISAiTI1ZMAC7FM/s1600/IMG_2603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxpE_a2uP5FmQ1J-9BBPGUO9tKpMJZ4qGSe9hPjKZSrChvQmIlzDmMcMSqlYf3HMEH0Zil9Dqsm7EqZ2KsLrTmDC1cVnNyirCEMs-UZtaX1XFGqVVOxOiMcQTR_H99ISAiTI1ZMAC7FM/s320/IMG_2603.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This time, Anna watched the bees to see where they went while I quickly harvested mustard greens and ran them into the kitchen. On my way back, it must have been apparent that I was in a hurry because it felt like everyone wanted to talk (since when did anyone want to talk to <i>me</i>?) Once back in the garden, Anna had already pulled together the equipment, suited up, and had the swarm in the blue bin. All my rushing for naught. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlG2G5tLGxSHlEXvqSkVOKPAdPdh8CBopYMdUAfAnf7eHTkijrYiCeWFpCkX7zhNulBM9J4zWt9drBCBWJbQkn25feyUwrt7TC2Px3V-AeQ1nOUbBrgYxwsogjKz7UpbjkryJQBrzrxw/s1600/IMG_20160415_144044502.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlG2G5tLGxSHlEXvqSkVOKPAdPdh8CBopYMdUAfAnf7eHTkijrYiCeWFpCkX7zhNulBM9J4zWt9drBCBWJbQkn25feyUwrt7TC2Px3V-AeQ1nOUbBrgYxwsogjKz7UpbjkryJQBrzrxw/s320/IMG_20160415_144044502.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This time, the sillies alighted on a branch just out of reach. Thankfully they weren't 40 feet up in the Doug firs, just a ladder's height in a wild fruit tree. ;) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBz2YAX_fWY5e-_6kG8LdkaUba1uC3SqsL5p5BbIERjKe9vZp7vIhfeXXGgd-8O-IXNdyjfXd3b6t8Bi1d_75uyyxrMjpJOoetBBjbDbRlpwGfi8nDCMRKlMYBvW5S2SitCnXxiLiM74/s1600/IMG_20160415_144000704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBz2YAX_fWY5e-_6kG8LdkaUba1uC3SqsL5p5BbIERjKe9vZp7vIhfeXXGgd-8O-IXNdyjfXd3b6t8Bi1d_75uyyxrMjpJOoetBBjbDbRlpwGfi8nDCMRKlMYBvW5S2SitCnXxiLiM74/s320/IMG_20160415_144000704.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDY6mtP4Y_-pJxHla7jyN-K6lZex_eViznucn05Fzm83Yql_Ocys9-4ngWqIIFIeVxNB0es-5X8Hwo1Y7afTpO2gn37f72MoPskq23vT2F5sP1M6ID4vaX6eO-aRfNTwASTZIQfTFGuE/s1600/IMG_20160415_144504336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDY6mtP4Y_-pJxHla7jyN-K6lZex_eViznucn05Fzm83Yql_Ocys9-4ngWqIIFIeVxNB0es-5X8Hwo1Y7afTpO2gn37f72MoPskq23vT2F5sP1M6ID4vaX6eO-aRfNTwASTZIQfTFGuE/s320/IMG_20160415_144504336.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to your new home! :dump:</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM67mBh6A0ueqz2yfe3wCauBul2C5EGZH8NyqrEw2EGOHxIe4LTgZRokCwYzU0tQbixzfh_wc5PhHzfpHc_9uBDj2VxICCjxT7rNiaAOTd9C-e5-mlaFBL7ub34lQ1zyhkYPPkVRZ8NrQ/s1600/IMG_20160415_144737959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM67mBh6A0ueqz2yfe3wCauBul2C5EGZH8NyqrEw2EGOHxIe4LTgZRokCwYzU0tQbixzfh_wc5PhHzfpHc_9uBDj2VxICCjxT7rNiaAOTd9C-e5-mlaFBL7ub34lQ1zyhkYPPkVRZ8NrQ/s320/IMG_20160415_144737959.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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With how flighty this new queen is, we're going to commit regicide (gasp!) and bring in a new queen once one is available. Bee colony politics are certainly something else. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6AP8mkIpcaOdoJ2NFxHkWA3_b5NjnVCjbck6MVMwOAQv9TGGfjOQr9ZtOax3R2vtUz0YWRZGeWwvrrhcBDLKhP7y-1RCKLiAKz5q6f2LNUcV-CFJwaVAs1LwiodAHkihaJwajh75TdA/s1600/IMG_20160415_144745552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6AP8mkIpcaOdoJ2NFxHkWA3_b5NjnVCjbck6MVMwOAQv9TGGfjOQr9ZtOax3R2vtUz0YWRZGeWwvrrhcBDLKhP7y-1RCKLiAKz5q6f2LNUcV-CFJwaVAs1LwiodAHkihaJwajh75TdA/s320/IMG_20160415_144745552.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Now we have Hive 1, Hive 2, and Hive 3. </div>
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Little did I realize how much I'd be working with bees when I got the job. :P </div>
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Until next time! </div>
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And hopefully it won't be about catching :another: swarm. </div>
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Sarah G</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-68210053126379378152016-04-02T21:17:00.000-07:002016-04-03T09:51:40.870-07:00Honey Bee Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The day started off as any normal day. Except that the kitchen needed a lot of produce for an event over the weekend. But besides that, nothing new in the chef's garden on Friday. </div>
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(Isn't that how most adventures start? The protagonist is doing her own thing and something flanks her with a surprise?) </div>
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And so is the tale of Friday, April 1st. </div>
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We were pruning back the raspberries next to the hive. Now, mind you, the hive had been rather loud that morning, but I thought that it was all because it had been exceptionally warm and dry the past week and that the bees were just doing their normal thing. Well, it was and wasn't a normal thing. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ4GdtBo29tq0bmmUgHTGNOTvx8bpz4lJVHUmPEbNR26HolhxJCmAA9U7wGodhljifuwxjNdDeubc1p4IxYmdq6l4Xm93jQg5lvH65vjB4wck9qRRlmQ0uxdwJlvilXAshWktTPQmLI8/s1600/IMG_20160217_135933031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ4GdtBo29tq0bmmUgHTGNOTvx8bpz4lJVHUmPEbNR26HolhxJCmAA9U7wGodhljifuwxjNdDeubc1p4IxYmdq6l4Xm93jQg5lvH65vjB4wck9qRRlmQ0uxdwJlvilXAshWktTPQmLI8/s320/IMG_20160217_135933031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As we were working nearby, the buzzing got noticeably louder; we glanced over to the hive just as bees began pouring out of the entrance and any nook and cranny that they could fit through. That certainly isn't part of a bee's every day existence. <i>That </i>many bees making a mass exodus from their home? I guess they got tired of all the traffic, noise, and population density in town; it was time to move on to uncharted territory.</div>
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Soon enough, the entire area was abuzz (see what I did there?) with almost half of the hive's residents. It was quite like a Disney princess moment with all those small creatures swirling around you, except they were honey bees with a stinger on the other end that you don't want to mess with. (But apparently bees gorge themselves on honey before moving out and so taken with the scent of the queen leaving that they really don't care if you're standing right there.) 10-15,000 bees leaving home is quite the sight. </div>
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By this point, it was obvious to both of us that the bees were swarming, and neither of us had any experience catching a swarm. Anna, my coworker, has been working through the master beekeepers program, but everything she knew was book knowledge. Me? I've only donned the bee suit once and that was to observe a hive inspection. That is the extent of my beekeeping experience. </div>
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So we pulled out the books (because head knowledge suddenly disappears when you're actually in the heat of the moment - almost like helping with a goat kidding), zipped up the bee suits, set up the new hive with empty combs (sorry for my lack of a technical term there), grabbed a plastic bin (with a handy lid), and waited for the queen bee to alight on some spot and surround herself with her dedicated followers. </div>
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So we stood there and waited.</div>
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And waited.</div>
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And waited some more. </div>
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All the while, still very unsure of ourselves in what we were about to do. </div>
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I can only imagine what we looked like standing there in our bee suits looking into the Doug firs near the garden with our tote.</div>
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Those bees were not in a hurry to settle down around the queen, but we didn't want them to end up in some mystery location lost forever on Chehalem Mountain. </div>
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The swarm finally congregated on a branch that was within reach (Yay!), and we set to work getting the bees into the bin. One of us held the bin up to the branch while the other whacked the branch to knock the renegades into the tote. We had ourselves a box of bees. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUg3Z8aAVhCLFQWnINweqbJfhsvTy7IgDn8gkfT-YwZD_q8D9cbiHJIpf1PsTPcrSSgeXjN7t856wIpdDXyDu0R-gbydW3mpE_LrL39W5Exk8R17JMwu9pSkwXcaf8Ft7_g1X98T278js/s1600/IMG_2568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUg3Z8aAVhCLFQWnINweqbJfhsvTy7IgDn8gkfT-YwZD_q8D9cbiHJIpf1PsTPcrSSgeXjN7t856wIpdDXyDu0R-gbydW3mpE_LrL39W5Exk8R17JMwu9pSkwXcaf8Ft7_g1X98T278js/s320/IMG_2568.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So.many.bees.</td></tr>
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It was the strangest sensation to carry the box back into the garden; the whole thing was vibrating in my hands. We then emptied the bin into the new hive and repeated the process with the stragglers that hadn't yet figured out that their queen went somewhere else. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp8dC4-p2KXxi9dtW3RHZC564MlepVaoIsczJL_S-jrrFuvId3IJG50IQqCAPqU610XSyfNg2mWAv4BdhDwG93YJ3uZbe6JFZxbz2V4MQ9kjkFLmmddpb5ZNk1aZjkYiNJ2BT98BKJDU/s1600/IMG_2569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp8dC4-p2KXxi9dtW3RHZC564MlepVaoIsczJL_S-jrrFuvId3IJG50IQqCAPqU610XSyfNg2mWAv4BdhDwG93YJ3uZbe6JFZxbz2V4MQ9kjkFLmmddpb5ZNk1aZjkYiNJ2BT98BKJDU/s320/IMG_2569.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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With most everyone in the new hive, we then added a feeder to encourage them to stay in the new place. Who wants to leave a place with great food? ;) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcDwcRIasu-64Uzoqluj60AsWBThpAemng8l_qU_rOydXrGmpLVSsZhY-Gil5Bc4VbbNPWXcY0klf2SQentuiaaWEJtG5byAvXWZlHcbScOy13YXrzfUgPunN26_NuKG0weQNtO3gAPc/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcDwcRIasu-64Uzoqluj60AsWBThpAemng8l_qU_rOydXrGmpLVSsZhY-Gil5Bc4VbbNPWXcY0klf2SQentuiaaWEJtG5byAvXWZlHcbScOy13YXrzfUgPunN26_NuKG0weQNtO3gAPc/s320/IMG_2570.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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All in all, the process took several hours from the time they left the hive to when we got them settled into their new home. </div>
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And that is how we wrapped up our warm week in the garden. It was quite the change of pace from harvesting, watering, seeding, watering, transplanting, and harvesting some more. Usually days aren't this exciting. ;) </div>
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PS - God's timing in all of this was absolutely perfect. My coworker and I were both in that day, we 'happened' to be working next to the hive instead of transplanting and seeding in the greenhouse, and we weren't running back and forth to the kitchen. </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Sarah G. </div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-53805818620787307402016-03-09T15:02:00.001-08:002016-03-09T15:02:10.199-08:00Winter Term - A Much Needed Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This term at school has been a long-haul and a whirlwind. Even though I only signed up for 10 credits, the homework load seemed bigger, days longer, and <i>really</i> in depth projects. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrJvdJgZwfYS28-F02njGKQssqqNpb4jrMYPyZ1qtnIKQPMIUnpM3nkjaBNENaFAVBw5VuOGUEM7InXe4RnAi7TlS5aWJEQp4pDRSlCHtcZ4lVqU8Eq_EyLhteegO9iKq8BI20gYj40A/s1600/IMG_20160225_125623346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrJvdJgZwfYS28-F02njGKQssqqNpb4jrMYPyZ1qtnIKQPMIUnpM3nkjaBNENaFAVBw5VuOGUEM7InXe4RnAi7TlS5aWJEQp4pDRSlCHtcZ4lVqU8Eq_EyLhteegO9iKq8BI20gYj40A/s320/IMG_20160225_125623346.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a few of the resources that I listed for one of my projects</td></tr>
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It also didn't help that one of the classes, which was required for my certificate, had long-winded curriculum, an indifferent instructor, could have been entirely online without the unnecessary class lectures, and didn't have any material applicable to actually doing anything in horticulture or agriculture. (/rant) It's almost done, and I won't have it hanging over my head. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fdZrMsJifA-a21NMS3BDqz9O7b5GwOdsRQC47jfAXZ9n7Bi3HYDc93X3-Rx-CLCXsf0jZnP6b8OXvTFx-otCvLfZIWr0O-bMiE57TSu5T-3Ny3wnOwr3WFmGfv1QFMOiILVecMcbKDE/s1600/IMG_20160223_070610009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fdZrMsJifA-a21NMS3BDqz9O7b5GwOdsRQC47jfAXZ9n7Bi3HYDc93X3-Rx-CLCXsf0jZnP6b8OXvTFx-otCvLfZIWr0O-bMiE57TSu5T-3Ny3wnOwr3WFmGfv1QFMOiILVecMcbKDE/s320/IMG_20160223_070610009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise on my commute to class</td></tr>
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My fun class of the term was herbal products. The instructor sure packed in a lot of material in the three week span of the class! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpWcO9FmFWHvwTfXfSRJPDVPaM6KDQWRh0q43FEBjJE9MkmbwBmB-onwx0z6f9C4VbIsyGG-F0njhtmB3YaF4VO4EA79ANau31MJUx3sX7MhOc1NxM8bCifLvtfHWBAKr7RRdLas3WCk/s1600/IMG_20160219_094915135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpWcO9FmFWHvwTfXfSRJPDVPaM6KDQWRh0q43FEBjJE9MkmbwBmB-onwx0z6f9C4VbIsyGG-F0njhtmB3YaF4VO4EA79ANau31MJUx3sX7MhOc1NxM8bCifLvtfHWBAKr7RRdLas3WCk/s320/IMG_20160219_094915135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snippet of the syllabus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgF-wcsEI9UKvGcBpMeiYyICTlarUFsLsAkfHLOED4wNvYW39IGTIeYIcgurM5nY-3XabH42I-RlAJ4nVUzKzpWf5D2Aq1bd5u1-h2y_HncPYqpo3K7NOUnen5maulMrVkkIX7ikZtMs/s1600/IMG_20160226_093555442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgF-wcsEI9UKvGcBpMeiYyICTlarUFsLsAkfHLOED4wNvYW39IGTIeYIcgurM5nY-3XabH42I-RlAJ4nVUzKzpWf5D2Aq1bd5u1-h2y_HncPYqpo3K7NOUnen5maulMrVkkIX7ikZtMs/s320/IMG_20160226_093555442.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distillation and essential oil demo using Douglas Fir </td></tr>
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On top of classes, I started a new job. Yep. I'm crazy. The beginning of the year involved my last day of my job at the farm store (that I couldn't get to because we had freezing rain), training for the new job, and classes starting. That was quite the week. . </div>
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The new job is at a chef's garden, and I'm loving it. </div>
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Here's just a few of my pictures from the garden</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuryJQGNCNkhnxhI_xJJK4cAGSsnnFGVEfJy4b7LQFsAWIfRCcIFHx5lwopaOenjsnJscArhFP3HlNX7DdeivkZp6GJD37ydJrH2C3AxQH45LVlFjNN7u_rfB7bolrBWgatYCGToOMH-A/s1600/IMG_20160118_095708679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuryJQGNCNkhnxhI_xJJK4cAGSsnnFGVEfJy4b7LQFsAWIfRCcIFHx5lwopaOenjsnJscArhFP3HlNX7DdeivkZp6GJD37ydJrH2C3AxQH45LVlFjNN7u_rfB7bolrBWgatYCGToOMH-A/s320/IMG_20160118_095708679.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a lot of micros.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Jjh0JeNKfu78TY1ZU9_-R7DLoFUtYR1tjV54Tc5CGCNbUZusrhQsea1nAfhduK-tisebBSwenyLB0s11e-bGfnehJPaO16KyptAnZi-JmQP2qZpN5q4SWzOXe52OJrY871lNct8v7wk/s1600/IMG_20160120_095858807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Jjh0JeNKfu78TY1ZU9_-R7DLoFUtYR1tjV54Tc5CGCNbUZusrhQsea1nAfhduK-tisebBSwenyLB0s11e-bGfnehJPaO16KyptAnZi-JmQP2qZpN5q4SWzOXe52OJrY871lNct8v7wk/s320/IMG_20160120_095858807.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celeriac floats</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0u8m7-eWQrstZFvKSRACa7yXUSipFMSM2xibMTqNcuS5BtZo75GocPt1UK_qEnIGk-ua36KcnxUwSByRhHd3sHYplBU0aXFyLwGRW_3eGEXiiWjo92hAY8fryLcs5UaW05ub3zj5xxk/s1600/IMG_20160127_090947629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0u8m7-eWQrstZFvKSRACa7yXUSipFMSM2xibMTqNcuS5BtZo75GocPt1UK_qEnIGk-ua36KcnxUwSByRhHd3sHYplBU0aXFyLwGRW_3eGEXiiWjo92hAY8fryLcs5UaW05ub3zj5xxk/s320/IMG_20160127_090947629.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romanesco Cauliflower</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvVowrxmlqCgcMEfMLb-JW3JYq7bujmJkYWbnhqyBZCEiM6SPq42GpVP-4ysfN6SVwgWd_JE6-hIpPckWSJ_07g8NTGbFJx8PzuIhIL1nHXUv6JZqdRN-HMK7mglQheaM2nqolaRiHxM/s1600/IMG_20160129_104909376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvVowrxmlqCgcMEfMLb-JW3JYq7bujmJkYWbnhqyBZCEiM6SPq42GpVP-4ysfN6SVwgWd_JE6-hIpPckWSJ_07g8NTGbFJx8PzuIhIL1nHXUv6JZqdRN-HMK7mglQheaM2nqolaRiHxM/s320/IMG_20160129_104909376.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mustard Micros</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: center;">I only had about 4 days on the new job before I was left to fend for myself for a week and a half. My coworker/supervisor went on vacation while I held down the fort praying that nothing in the garden died on my watch. The kitchen would make requests, and I was supposed to get what they needed. My coworker also left a list of things to work on weather-permitting. Nothing out of the ordinary, just routine. But it was all new ground for me. I'm glad to report that everything survived (including yours truly). My coworker says that she left things in good hands, but I was feeling woefully awkward and unsure of myself. It took me longer than it should have to find that tatsoi to harvest the raabs. ;) In my defense, it was hiding in the tubs on the </span><i style="text-align: center;">other</i><span style="text-align: center;"> side of the greenhouse. </span></div>
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Even with all that going on, I was still able to get to the OSU small farm conference, a few concerts, a dance, and a soap making class. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAcskxBZxzfWDgTxhIQrxJELrPaCPkFmX2w1egZAjg9UMmxKa1haB2GjYZPIRuGqKUCTaj6_UMvM1w2IHWe0h_EdE9d8K03XtY_nPh5pT6uJh1JK7HUoVLMvsDZA4vWAnadtpfCmf41U/s1600/IMG_20160228_192540343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAcskxBZxzfWDgTxhIQrxJELrPaCPkFmX2w1egZAjg9UMmxKa1haB2GjYZPIRuGqKUCTaj6_UMvM1w2IHWe0h_EdE9d8K03XtY_nPh5pT6uJh1JK7HUoVLMvsDZA4vWAnadtpfCmf41U/s320/IMG_20160228_192540343.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey and goat milk soap! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: center;">Looking at all that, it's no wonder I'm so tired. </span></div>
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Until next time!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-17666855210470207632015-12-27T19:49:00.001-08:002015-12-27T19:49:29.622-08:00Snowy Surprise <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had a much needed, super low-key day that included naps. Ah yes, glorious napping. </div>
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Today we woke up to smooth gray skies and a chill in the air. The forecast called for snow, but they really down played the whole ordeal. Then, just before noon, it started snowing, and it didn't stop. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDUeo0UxDX1zNVVpPs0AMFbY5cs45kQzEjxXeVKT9bJWnCXuYzDiDdrTy-AuACkUerbJdUrmvjGcvvvPpE9sOuVyqFrwLUj8YjGL5hlNkERIZO-124RAcwIXi-6xXTcku4ipVnC1pCkU/s1600/IMG_20151227_123946472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDUeo0UxDX1zNVVpPs0AMFbY5cs45kQzEjxXeVKT9bJWnCXuYzDiDdrTy-AuACkUerbJdUrmvjGcvvvPpE9sOuVyqFrwLUj8YjGL5hlNkERIZO-124RAcwIXi-6xXTcku4ipVnC1pCkU/s320/IMG_20151227_123946472.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just as it started to stick</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1DG6OcZRgdu8qLVngAMY8mT8IDcAI3TQa7FbzBFs_kMtVoRhJpjFP4qdTY25DKwTfaGdQK-oAZOgE5AjYyYXlGs5yRLgoVNrP6qYNOu9MyxYIWSsCWW54hWOKePIHaIVF_xzwgWv5gk/s1600/IMG_20151227_134222003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1DG6OcZRgdu8qLVngAMY8mT8IDcAI3TQa7FbzBFs_kMtVoRhJpjFP4qdTY25DKwTfaGdQK-oAZOgE5AjYyYXlGs5yRLgoVNrP6qYNOu9MyxYIWSsCWW54hWOKePIHaIVF_xzwgWv5gk/s320/IMG_20151227_134222003.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And it kept snowing!</td></tr>
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All in all, we got, 2 inches tops. But it was enough to make everything pretty. </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy new year!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
SG</div>
<br />SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-29324686214563293102015-12-12T15:34:00.001-08:002015-12-12T15:37:05.706-08:00Lip Balm - Burt's Bees Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rainy days are perfect for working on those indoor projects that you've :really: wanted to do, but the great outdoors call. Today, this past week, actually, has dumped buckets with no break in sight. Things have been cleaned up inside leaving time for other things such as trying my hand at making my own lip balm. I've had the recipe pinned to one of my boards for a very long time, I've had the supplies in the cupboard... I just haven't had time to dedicate to figure out how to make it. </div>
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And now I'm wondering why I didn't try this sooner because it's a cinch to make. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmmohmN5lcPJ0p9dXJMEvbFUj9EnaqFTw11A5m9v7B5FyLLnDHSkgLRuSg161yzCKpW_MH8OQgjgtTiMxEWcvgRQNMNsuMXRAH6H_zl3OdxnBmcRMqS76r1FMBNZjJTvetK4d0CJXi6E/s1600/12321285_10207411750388444_2097905115917977635_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmmohmN5lcPJ0p9dXJMEvbFUj9EnaqFTw11A5m9v7B5FyLLnDHSkgLRuSg161yzCKpW_MH8OQgjgtTiMxEWcvgRQNMNsuMXRAH6H_zl3OdxnBmcRMqS76r1FMBNZjJTvetK4d0CJXi6E/s320/12321285_10207411750388444_2097905115917977635_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I followed this <a href="http://www.brokeandhealthy.com/diy-burts-bees-style-lip-balm-8%C2%A2-per-tube" target="_blank">recipe</a> and only changed out the shea butter for cocoa butter which is what I had on hand. My only regret is not having purchased more plastic tubes because I ended up using some tins as well. </div>
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Until next time!</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-61323994754098954872015-12-07T15:49:00.003-08:002015-12-07T15:49:42.145-08:00Fall Term <div style="text-align: center;">
Apparently it's been a long time since I last posted. 5 months to be exact. </div>
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School certainly has taken a lot of time and work fills in the other days, so between those two things and whatever moments I have to work on things around the farm, I don't have the mental or willpower to even think about writing a blog post. I was thinking that I could be posting all the papers that I've written for classes, but it would have to be a show-stopper and not some quickly thrown together excuse of an assignment that seemed to be the theme of this last term. I was ready for the term to be over before it even started because of how tired I was. Yeah, it certainly has been a long haul the last 10 weeks. But it is almost over! I have my last final tomorrow, and then I'm free until January. Well, free to catch up on all the things that I've put off. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxIqamiiSZuttwEMQrurR7VPf4wVlWgAeDWbYL-8VOahVlHiouXUywJARYD-AH4Nsn3kl9edUFZvBqt6hJ_xFnvZsencIhccb0wnaWvJ9yjll5rcjcdC3_1m3ySBM5a5Slh8kdPpR4C0/s1600/IMG_20151110_095133118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxIqamiiSZuttwEMQrurR7VPf4wVlWgAeDWbYL-8VOahVlHiouXUywJARYD-AH4Nsn3kl9edUFZvBqt6hJ_xFnvZsencIhccb0wnaWvJ9yjll5rcjcdC3_1m3ySBM5a5Slh8kdPpR4C0/s320/IMG_20151110_095133118.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My fun class this term was a fall flower arrangers garden. Just about every week we did some sort of an arrangement featuring different techniques used in the floral industry to bring home. My mom loved Tuesdays because she never knew exactly what sort of creation I would come home with. Because the class was smaller, we were also able to cover other topics that the instructor had researched such as the flowers of Jane Austen's world. I nearly died of happiness when my number wasn't called for jury duty, so I would be able to go to that class. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7AUqKWBzpHVARG7OV5GIAI66R1orvmUJHdHB14uJ0J2JG1vH6XA85IbxqzVHsf9LlzyfV19-6ITgb0fIrEIp7LT5dUE8YwsdAV3xSoWmQNMCeAQVMN0U8tQcVleO964Cif25y_Miv2s/s1600/IMG_20151117_151007571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7AUqKWBzpHVARG7OV5GIAI66R1orvmUJHdHB14uJ0J2JG1vH6XA85IbxqzVHsf9LlzyfV19-6ITgb0fIrEIp7LT5dUE8YwsdAV3xSoWmQNMCeAQVMN0U8tQcVleO964Cif25y_Miv2s/s320/IMG_20151117_151007571.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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One of my other classes (food harvest) did a farmer's market with produce harvested that very morning by the students in the class. The leftovers from the market were up for grabs for those that helped with the market clean-up. I was just hanging out at the college waiting for my next class, so those days I was able to bring home all sorts of vegetable goodness. Mom loved seeing what stocked the fridge after I came home from class. The day before Thanksgiving, the instructor essentially let the class loose on the farm site at the school and we divided the spoils between everyone to supplement <i>the</i> meal the next day. Fresh brussel sprouts, cabbage, salad mix, chard, butternut squash, cauliflower, bok choy and more were brought home that day. We pretty much didn't have to buy any vegetables for Thanksgiving because of all that I brought home. </div>
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This last Saturday, I had a workshop that featured different herbal products that you could make yourself and use as gifts. 12 ladies sat around the tables in the classroom, and we just had a blast. We made an herbal tea, spice blend, a fines herb mix, diffusers, sprays, wreaths, and more. I was in heaven, and I can't wait until the actual herbal products <u>class</u> that they'll be having next term.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoqoU7NRLYDW_7JQJTzXvOoerUn1cZm9Wq8cSOq8x9_pNiNPxUDNmztzl9DlP7UdJcATeMCkWWOBoAW6AWxCH8C0dKN_ikaGkQ4OQARJ80-zZSuJl2poUlc9vQgJKz6KWNE74irE2Thk/s1600/IMG_20151205_115236814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoqoU7NRLYDW_7JQJTzXvOoerUn1cZm9Wq8cSOq8x9_pNiNPxUDNmztzl9DlP7UdJcATeMCkWWOBoAW6AWxCH8C0dKN_ikaGkQ4OQARJ80-zZSuJl2poUlc9vQgJKz6KWNE74irE2Thk/s320/IMG_20151205_115236814.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An herb wreath on the left and a Christmas wreath on the right </td></tr>
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Until next time!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-51144255105649710592015-07-27T17:27:00.001-07:002015-07-27T17:27:13.604-07:00How Things Are Supposed to Be<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-keypnXr66oeExYieLK-tIFu3FkplQ1NfxTVSSCdFoRe-4gZXcbu8Ptzj-Wg0G-2j55oBzDuORhvx0ATrRB2NALS7FAdHyURXL5S_ReU2xgbeQ8DFq-fo75Cy8Lc2CVvXsy76UqOFDM/s1600/IMG_7152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-keypnXr66oeExYieLK-tIFu3FkplQ1NfxTVSSCdFoRe-4gZXcbu8Ptzj-Wg0G-2j55oBzDuORhvx0ATrRB2NALS7FAdHyURXL5S_ReU2xgbeQ8DFq-fo75Cy8Lc2CVvXsy76UqOFDM/s320/IMG_7152.JPG" width="240" /></a>Let me tell you the tale of the past weekend. Starting on Friday morning, Stella, one of my sister's very special goats, started baa-ing incessantly. Oh no... It was time for Stella to go into labor. <br />
<br />
After last year's horrible experience with kiddings, we were not looking forward to breeding any of our goats (Read <a href="http://rural-legacy.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-weekend-never-ended.html" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="http://rural-legacy.blogspot.com/2014/05/another-long-weekend.html" target="_blank">here</a>). In fact, we procrastinated in 'taking care of things' because we still were grappling with the emotional roller coaster it had been the previous year. But the bucks got out anyway (three separate times) and made the decision for us. :sigh: Billy goats...<br />
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So this would be Stella's first kidding. Ever. Her mom had never truly bonded with her, so we were wondering how she would do in bringing her own minions into the world. We anxiously counted the days and watched for the signs. And that day had come.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aKmtmn_U5VyHuK4EcfFREj4FgJmEN1y3-ELvTdg2IGhhPBrYi-lBV_qCKxjBzyjoaPeIJPF9Kvrl3mizkCgUKML-7mcEEzfY44m9MCCscbwZL2P27IMBk0oEbT0mZgsYxDAxGtcd61M/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aKmtmn_U5VyHuK4EcfFREj4FgJmEN1y3-ELvTdg2IGhhPBrYi-lBV_qCKxjBzyjoaPeIJPF9Kvrl3mizkCgUKML-7mcEEzfY44m9MCCscbwZL2P27IMBk0oEbT0mZgsYxDAxGtcd61M/s320/009.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little girl</td></tr>
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Emily had already cleaned out the kidding stall, but we didn't want to isolate poor Stella until we absolutely had to. We checked on her frequently all day Friday (actually, it was Mom and Emily because I was at work). Still nothing. We wrapped up chores that evening, checked on her again, and went to bed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJRjMPf6zMOotNqk6STFxFtK2wwp-cBm0CFYdaFzQ-NrQIkGL57h5n8bbihvKxBJOJflfFFollMndMiAqAPRzOxIpK7yRG6BhPKPsJFTYZz_ZdfZeOEI8vBY1J0UbBpISQst3JKVT0RQ/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJRjMPf6zMOotNqk6STFxFtK2wwp-cBm0CFYdaFzQ-NrQIkGL57h5n8bbihvKxBJOJflfFFollMndMiAqAPRzOxIpK7yRG6BhPKPsJFTYZz_ZdfZeOEI8vBY1J0UbBpISQst3JKVT0RQ/s320/017.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little boy</td></tr>
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The next morning, I headed out to the barn to get started on chores, and what did I hear coming from the far corner? A baby squeak! Excitement was surging as I peaked my head around the stall door to behold a sweet little one standing there, and she was already dry. <i>This is how things are supposed to go.</i> Mama takes care of everything, and we just get to bask in the cuteness of the little ones. Since there was a placenta (eww...) in a different corner, I thought that maybe Stella only had one baby. That's fine by me. Perfect for a first time mama. I ran into the house to tell Emily that her goat had a surprise for us that morning. She came rushing out to revel in the blessing, and then she ran back into the house to wake Mom up. The two of them standing there was quite entertaining - pj's, muck boots, and bed hair. I handed Mom the little one so that she could wake everyone else up with the sweetie. As she turned to leave the barn, I heard another little squeak coming from a different corner with all the tools in it. TWINS! The other was a little boy that looked just like his daddy, Sam, before he got bleached by the sun. So mom took the little girl into the house, and everyone groggily noted 'baby goat' except for Jacob, who without his glasses thought that it was a squirrel. (???)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskCDvYU9WF-C9t3hijHfdCEczxMz1fo6z_pHN225LwTvAHGV5IYtSE_WCsp_mZafCB0rf5umtF7ousmKlMXT-Hgk50aZCvExJxmWz0AxhQHw4fRCz5nEC-cK1Rt4q_BXbYa2I1C0H_dc/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskCDvYU9WF-C9t3hijHfdCEczxMz1fo6z_pHN225LwTvAHGV5IYtSE_WCsp_mZafCB0rf5umtF7ousmKlMXT-Hgk50aZCvExJxmWz0AxhQHw4fRCz5nEC-cK1Rt4q_BXbYa2I1C0H_dc/s320/019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The truly funny thing in all of this is how Stella's mom was behaving. From what we could tell, she helped to clean up the little girl and was standing protectively by her when I first came into the barn. At first, it was all, "Aww! She's helping her daughter with the grand kids!" That song quickly changed when we realized that grandma goat was trying to steal the little girl for herself while completely pushing away the little boy. "Dis one. It looks like me. I'm keeping it." She was trying to nudge the baby girl closer to her (and away from her real mom) and attempting to get her to nurse. Whaaat?! Stop that. Bad grandma. She's not yours. So we had to separate the babies and their real mom from the rest of the herd until Genievive chills out a little bit and the babies bond with Stella. Stella isn't too fond of the isolation, but what she doesn't realize is that it's for the better. ;)<br />
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Now... To figure out names for these two.<br />
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Until next time!<br />
SG<br />
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<br />SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-63527546967886660392015-07-03T14:41:00.000-07:002015-07-03T14:41:43.166-07:00Ode to the Rootstock of Apple<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Ode to the Roostock of Apple</h2>
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A Shakespearean Sonnet by Yours Truly</div>
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O apple growing in the sky so high,</div>
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Arduous and labored becomes the toil.</div>
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Remedy the problem, the best to buy;</div>
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A rooty solution: what grows through the soil.</div>
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M.106, of semi-standard size,</div>
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has an early crop yet gets collar rot.</div>
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Fire blight resistance becomes quite the prize,</div>
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M.7 suited also for cold or hot.</div>
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Wintry chills bother it not: M.26;</div>
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early fruit bearing yet falls eas'ly ill.</div>
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A Geneva 202 is the fix;</div>
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dwarf yet robust, it shall fit the bill.</div>
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The slightest of them all: G.65.</div>
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Shunning blight and cold, it then shall thrive. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZxHpF0R4HQh_gwVU1zZKjtQK9-9lz9a5x9tVNX8C8hOeS5Y1vHX_lATdzbDUTMHpVzgOkXsMmsrPMI0hREu3UXSAnEj7976aZA06tGep9kq5gYMd24hqSqpzO2aCNTNcVmPSG9W4Ey8/s1600/rootstock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZxHpF0R4HQh_gwVU1zZKjtQK9-9lz9a5x9tVNX8C8hOeS5Y1vHX_lATdzbDUTMHpVzgOkXsMmsrPMI0hREu3UXSAnEj7976aZA06tGep9kq5gYMd24hqSqpzO2aCNTNcVmPSG9W4Ey8/s320/rootstock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://waldenheightsnursery.com/store/rootstocks/malus-domestica-rootstock" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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This is so painfully plant-nerdy. At least that's what my sister said when she read it over. ;) This is part of an assignment for one of the classes that I'm taking over the summer. According to the worksheet, I can either write a poem or a rap 'proclaiming their virtues and limitations.' Homey don't rap, but a poem? I can fake my way through that. <div>
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Until next time!</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-15143329637507001032015-06-08T17:57:00.000-07:002015-06-08T17:57:10.295-07:00All in a Monday MorningHope you're enjoying your sunny (hot) Monday!<br />
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So far today, we've picked up the latest meat chick order from the post office (2 didn't make it) and got them situated in their brooder tank.</div>
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Last night, we moved the turkey poults from the brooder to the pasture to make room for the new arrivals. This morning, we found 4 dead and 1 missing which leaves 6 still derping and chirping. I guess someone gets to sit out with the turkeys tonight to take care of the skunk (at least, that's what we're assuming it was. Skunks leave tell-tale signs at the scene of the crime. They slaughter their prey which is usually a significant percentage of the flock (that's putting it nicely), let their kills ferment for a day, and then they'll return the next night to feast. Really disturbing. Really gross. But it means that we can deal with the perpetrator. </div>
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On top of turkey drama, we need to get the first batch of meat chickens out of their brooder tanks and onto pasture. They've put on enough weight and size to be moved out. Guess we'll have to do the great chicken shuffle this evening since it's going to be too warm to do anything productive this afternoon. </div>
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Today is a day for chocolate. And a lot of iced tea. Because it's too hot for a proper cup of tea. ;) </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299736237729494960.post-14823597494746204392015-06-08T12:18:00.002-07:002015-06-08T12:18:16.188-07:00The Great Llama Shearing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
With the impending first heat wave of summer, we decided that we needed to get the llama sheared before it became too miserable for the big guy. We didn't get around to shearing him last year (it costs a pretty penny to have the shearer to come out for 1 llama), so Zorro spent the hotter days under a sprinkler that we had set up in the pasture. With 2 years worth of a fur coat and not calling the shearer in a timely fashion, we had to get down to business and shear him ourselves. Thankfully, a friend of ours was more than willing to help. You see, back in high school, he did 4H llamas, and he :really: wanted some llama time. So we set aside a Saturday to tackle the project. Nathan came up wearing his 4H llama shirt from yonder llama days and armed with the biggest, baddest shears I ever did behold. After some llama wrangling, we set to work taking off the mat of a fur coat. </div>
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With Nathan working on one side of the llama with his shears, and Dad working on the other side with the clippers, we finished in a fairly decent amount of time. The impressive part was when the mat of fur came tumbling down the llama's side like a giant shag rug - one big, tangled mess. We really didn't care about saving the wool for spinning because we still have bins full of the wool from past shearings with all our other llamas. The sole purpose of this shearing session was to make the summer heat more bearable.</div>
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Before:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAzkQx9x5JZwOrOcBfH8kpzWOqdh-0Hlrmb9ZxcKwk0yFGXYuDxd_z3n-tW4GNOsri8sA1OMGYiz_KJff2LPJHJ61mu3oAxRZIAHH63vWSrM5XbUswUsI1oOP-yVHBnDUz4jDZszBXAo/s1600/11393117_875523632496640_4244943846997110162_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAzkQx9x5JZwOrOcBfH8kpzWOqdh-0Hlrmb9ZxcKwk0yFGXYuDxd_z3n-tW4GNOsri8sA1OMGYiz_KJff2LPJHJ61mu3oAxRZIAHH63vWSrM5XbUswUsI1oOP-yVHBnDUz4jDZszBXAo/s320/11393117_875523632496640_4244943846997110162_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the blurry picture... </td></tr>
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And after:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNW0DcLgGmVLupcMzCg6GZlCJemOUwfeeIwL0Hgi-PzCVjUKrui4g78XSiJWy9__x7xFxkNfU2kfonqn9O6Qf-CT1KKON8iTMTFmAXc5sHSLs9mh4D6aIT9MwuY0agS1Ub0jSrIlG0i4/s1600/1545193_10153909578714392_2857967926836002435_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNW0DcLgGmVLupcMzCg6GZlCJemOUwfeeIwL0Hgi-PzCVjUKrui4g78XSiJWy9__x7xFxkNfU2kfonqn9O6Qf-CT1KKON8iTMTFmAXc5sHSLs9mh4D6aIT9MwuY0agS1Ub0jSrIlG0i4/s320/1545193_10153909578714392_2857967926836002435_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Silly llama doesn't like any sort of drama, but he'll feel much better without that heavy coat. </div>
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Now if anyone would like to help give the billy goats a buzzcut... :P </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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SG</div>
SarahGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14141499488573299964noreply@blogger.com0