Seriously Springtime

We made it through the bath and the Expo. Not as bad as I had feared. I think S. had decided to do the freestyle and the agility for 4-H. I hope she is planning to work, because she has a lot to do to get ready for either of them.

Calvin and I had a "discussion" regarding the size of the garden this year. I always want a big one and he always wants a small one. His main complaint is that I usually can't keep up with it in the late summer and then it becomes an overgrown, tangled mess. My thinking is usually that I have to grow a lot because it is not worth trying to can only a little. I suppose there is truth on both sides.

I am undecided though. With the economy the way it is currently and gas prices now predicted to go to $10 per gallon, we might need to have a backup food supply. Currently and in the recent past, to be honest, it was much cheaper and certainly easier to just go buy canned vegetables at Aldi's. But since the gas prices will translate into increased prices at the stores, it may become more cost effective to start canning again. And if that's the case, then I need lots more jars and the flats and lids to seal them.

Plus, I need to place a hefty seed order. I prefer to use only the open pollinated varieties so that after buying once, I can then save my own seeds for future use. I'd better go through my seed stock and determine what I need more of or don't have any of at all. Or I could just hope for the best and buy as much as I can store from Aldi's. Who knows which course of action would be best.

S. has had a couple of low level medical problems recently--both of which I noticed she tried to solve with veterinary products. First, she skinned her knee riding her bike too fast (which C. had warned her against). I caught her sneaking into the house planning to put some QuickStop powder on it to stop the bleeding, just like we do with the rams' horns. Over the weekend she poked a sharp stick into her foot just above the top of her shoe. I cleaned it out and put a neat and orderly bandage on it. She asked me if I could make it look fancy for when she went to church. How to do that? She begged for a swath of VetWrap to go over it. So with a bright blue foot and ankle, she hobbled off to church, with stories to tell...

So...we are about done with school. We are planting and trimming trees. We are cutting firewood for next winter and the one after that. We are in the throes of dog training. I am hopefully within 48 hours of being out of the sheep business. S. is preparing her 4-H demonstration speech about archery and planning to make some primitive bows. I am just trying to keep up with the house work and keep the peace.

Things are never dull in spring.
Lori