Big Red..........

well we have a new arrival on the farm... she joins Randy the backhoe, Oily the delimber, Lulu the pressure washing truck ... Big Red..... she's a beautiful buxom babe with flashing red lights and a horn that would drive a fireman to his hoses.... poor Big Red was sitting out in some farmer's field waiting for just the right owner..... my son in law... she was cheap and he's got some pretty good ideas what to do with her after he does a few major fixes... apparently she was left outside with water in her pump, it froze... well u can imagine the rest!!!  he's a heavy duty mechanic and figures that it shouldn't cost too much and for the price was well worth the purchase.... so Big Red... welcome!!!   everyone was having a great deal of fun on her, especially the 'boys' big and little.. varoomm varoom... woo woo.... you name the noises and they were made by the boys umm men that is... a little boy's dream.. having a REAL firetruck some day..... ahhhhhhh for childhood!!! my youngest daughter is planning on taking an airbrake course... hmmmmm

they even gave me a ride in the back... from their house to mine!!!

Ommmmmmm.......

is a bit what i feel when i'm in my greenhouse... it's now getting fuller and fuller with tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, zucchini, okra and a few other things which at the moment i can't remember what they are!! such bliss transplanting wee tomatoes and cilantros, tucking their little roots in warm home mixed potting soil.... the only thing wrong with this picture is my greenhouse is already too small!!! ahhhh next year perhaps an addition is required ;)   .... i just looked at the date of my last posting, i'm a slow poke... it's not that i'm not doing anything, or much to busy to post... it's just well... i think i'm boring!   i've done no quilting lately but was asked to take some photos of my friend's quilts, she's entering a local quilt show and needed photos for the entries... we discussed the fact that hand quilting is a dying art... more and more quilters are doing wall quilts, like i do, which i suppose is my reluctance to do more of them.. just not 'feeling it' ya know... how many wall arts can you produce and shove in a closet or chest.... but to be snuggled under a warm, soft cuddly quilt is just the best!  All her quilts are made with soft batting, no spray glue or any other foreign objects, just cotton and softness... ahhhh zzzzzzzzz....

yesterday i had grandbaby here... and of course she was off bug hunting... observing 'scientifically' the mosquito, ants and woodbugs.. seems to be her favorites lately....
the mosquito was under the microscope (figuratively speaking) and i was been thrown all sorts of questions about the life cycle of mosquitoes... i answered as many questions as i knew and later Googled 'what do mosquito larvae eat' and found this very cool Youtube video...   i believe it's going to be a bumper year for insects... mild damp winter, mild damp spring... mmmm the stuff of giant mosquitoes!!!  if you watched the video and have children who might be interested in other insects there is a Backyardbugs 'channel' on youtube.. its very good, simple, great photograpy and perfect for kids!
yesterday we did a bit of foraging in the garden and she was quite delighted that brussel sprout greens and flowers are yummy... and Sampson is so not 'doggish' since he was enjoying them as much as we were... we checked out the garden variety of asparagus which is now almost a foot tall.. it's amazing... i looked a few days ago, didn't see any up, in the same bed arestrawberries which are just beginning to flower... i'm sure she'll be keeping an eye out for those fresh ripened strawberries... if i don't eat them first!!!

Once upon a time.....

i had a greenhouse.... for about 3 months....then we moved..... sigh!!!!  that was about 30 yrs ago.... i'd always wanted a greenhouse, finally got it, then poof, we moved about a 1000 miles away... so for another 30 yrs ago i wanted a greenhouse..... and finally......

i can't tell you how excited i am!!! the total cost of the project was about $350.00 for the materials.. and $600.00 for the labour.... the windows were my Freecycle score... i have to thank my neighbour/handydude for building it for me... now i have to get the materials for the shelving... ahhhhhh a trip to Home Depot and the Restore store.... that will be later today... can't wait!!!  
somewhere inbetween the new greenhouse and the building of the deck, i decided i wasn't getting any younger, veggies aren't getting any cheaper and materials aren't getting any cheaper either!! sooooo bite the bullet, cough up the dough and tada..... a new greenhouse is sitting next to my house.... when i get more of a cash flow, the 6mm plastic will be replaced by a twin wall polycarbonate sheeting... not looking forward to that bill!!!

my little seedlings are doing well, but need to be transfered as soon as possible... as soon as i have some sort of shelving in there, maybe later today, if i get cracking!!!

i had planned on posting this yesterday, but we had a wicked storm, a lot of rain, high winds and a 12 hr power outage... what a reminder of how attached we are to power.... my daughter and son in law have a generator, so they had heat for their lizards, power for the coffee maker and microwave and even a heater!!  such luxuries!!! as for me... i had a very quiet day, watching the trees whipping around in the wind, the rain beating on my windows and me snuggled under a blanket, sitting on my chaise lounge, with 2 dogs sitting on my feet... a good book and a thermos of tea... was very pleasant.... even had an afternoon nap... now we're talking luxuries :D