News Flash--More Signs of Spring

This just in:

In the semi-sheltered world of the hoop house there is green grass growing!

The garlic has also poked its head above the mulch and one lone onion (which I obviously missed harvesting last year) is bravely daring Spring's sometimes wild and wacky weather.

Now back to studying... :-(

Matthew

A Short Post (there's a first time for everything!)

Well, just have time and energy for a short post tonight...if I try really hard maybe I can actually keep it short!

The weather has been pretty typical for April in this neck of the woods: a mix of sun and rain, and temps pretty steady in the mid 50's (12-13 C) although one day when the sun was out it got up to nearly 70! (21 C) They say it's supposed to get cooler this weekend and possibly snow...but y'all know the weather service....

There are more and more signs of spring all the time. The crocuses (spring flowers--not sure if that's the proper spelling) are finally blooming, and the daffodils are growing quite a bit too--no flowers yet though. Also the 'spring peepers' (little frogs that have really big voices!) have been singing away merrily for a week or so, probably once the water in the swamps warmed up.

The chicks are still doing fine and growing to beat the band...hard to believe they're only 2 1/2 weeks old. Most of them now have all their little wing feathers and quite a start on their tails. Fluttering to the top of the brooder no longer poses any problem--I'm glad I got the chicken wire on when I did!

The tomatoes are flourishing upstairs...I've had to raise the lights several times the past week. I could probably move them out to the hoop-house, only it's not dug up. And before I can dig it up I have to move the chicks out. And before I can move the chicks out it has to warm up enough....So for now the plants are still upstairs. The lettuce is also doing well. I actually planted some leaf lettuce and radishes out side last Saturday--pretty exciting ;-) I should get another picture of the rhubarb, its really taking off.

And finally, you may have noticed that we have different music at different times....That's because Jonathan made some random number generator that picks what music player comes up--so if you don't like the music just refresh the page and it will probably be different. (although I can never seem to get the one that has the bluegrass music that I like pretty well) He also found some new songs to put on the one player....the one song entitled "city on a hill" (or something like that) has pretty good lyrics but I wish it was something different that a "City!" Make me a lamp on a stand, or maybe a barn on a hill, but I think that the agrarian consensus is that cities are the antithesis of the ideal lifestyle. Oh, well quite good other than that. He also found some other neat ones.... so come by and take a listen...


I think that (had better be) is all for tonight,

Matthew

P.S. Not to bad for a "Short Post," at least for me! :-)

A Nice Fall Day (Oh, It's Spring?!?)

It was a cold, gray, windy day. Quite a nip in the air. And boy, was it windy. Really, really windy. Like 40 or 50 mile an hour gusts windy. (you get the idea?)

Well this morning I awakened to my dear Mother telling me that the plastic was loose on the hoop-house. (for the umpteenth, no gazillionth, time) Did I mention that the chicks are out there?!? And did I say that there is (or rather used to be) probably half a ton of rocks holding the plastic down?!? And did I tell y'all that it was rather windy?!? It was almost a disaster. Thankfully, the chicks didn't seem to suffer too much under their brooder in the hoop-coop (which is inside of the hoop-house) PTL!!) So I dashed out there (after throwing on some clothes and dragging myself out of bed (Umm, better reverse the order on that :-) ) --I did mention that somehow I stayed up till mid-night last night? And this was shortly after seven?--I dashed out and assessed the damage. A lot of damage. Almost enough to collect the wind damage insurance we don't have on the thing.

Well, it was way too windy to do much other than pull down the first layer of plastic and batten it down as well as we could and go back in and wait. And did I mention that it was quite cloudy and depressing? (and very windy!) And that the weather last night called for Sun to day?? Anyway, not the best start to the day! This afternoon the wind finally died down to a gentle breeze of about 15 or 20 mile an hour gusts, and Jonathan helped me get the second layer of plastic back over the hoops (several of which are now displaced and/or broken) and weighted down with about six or eight 150+ pound blocks of wood per side. (those hard maple blocks that I didn't get split yet sure came in handy to day) So now we have the blocks of wood and all of the rocks we started with on there. Now I think (hope/pray) that anything shy of a tornado can't do much more damage. We definitely need some design improvements--more metal to start! (we don't have any in the current flawed design)

(With all of these *great* things happening to our version of a hoop-house, y'all probably can't wait 'till I tell y'all how to make your own! It would work great someplace that never gets over a 2mph breeze. Seriously though, maybe you can learn with us from our mistakes, and not make as many yourself! When the plastic stays on it seems to work well--our rhubarb has leaves about 5 or 6 inches across and the really greening up. )


The chicks are doing well (getting quite big, and growing lots of feathers), I really do want to get some pictures posted of them out--they're really a riot. Our new entertainment is to dig up a few worms and dangle them by the brooder 'till one of the chicks grabs it and runs off. Then all the rest will chase after the one with the worm. Kinda like football or something. It's really great if you get about 6 or 8 chicks with worms and the others chasing. In and out of the brooder, into the corners, (there are a few that are really good at stealing the "ball,") and ever out of the coop into the general hoop-house! Maybe I can even figure out (read get Jonathan to figure out) how to post a video of them--no promises though. I just ordered a batch of meat birds too, should arrive May 19th. Now I need to think about getting more feed...

Tonight, after supper, Dad went out to watch the show. And then we played Frisbee (using ice cream pail covers) with the dog. Kinda hard in gale force wind. It was just like a day in late October or early November. Felt just about like time for deer season ;-)

That's all for now,

Matthew

Laundry Day!

The sun has finally decided to shine, the clouds have all but disappeared and the wind is blowing. What a beautiful day to do the laundry. I like doing the laundry; actually what I really enjoy is hanging it out. I don't mind throwing the clothes in the washer, but I hate using the dryer. Especially on a day like today.There is just something so satisfying about full lines of clothes hanging out in the sun and gently blowing breezes. What is there not to like? Going out in the fresh air with baskets of heavy wet clothes, and coming in with baskets mounded high with sweet smelling dry laundry? The birds cheerfully serenading you as you go about your work? Or perhaps the feeling of pride in a job well done, as you survey the full lines swaying gently in the breeze? I even enjoy the stiffness of hung-out clothes over the limp, wet-noodle like state in which they emerge from the dryer. [and if you stay tuned in to this "limited time offer" I'll even tell you the *best* way to hang various items up :) ]

Even in the dead of winter I like hanging the clothes out. It's called "freeze drying." (it might be considered a disease by some people) Basically that means if you don't freeze before you get the stuff up on the lines, the laundry will eventually freeze, ridding it of excess moisture. (Just a note: ALWAYS wear a coat when hanging out laundry to freeze. The goal is for the clothes to freeze not you! Gloves are also nice, but the pins are hard to handle with gloves on.) You can tell when the items are dry by if they are soft. They will still be a little stiff, but after a few experiments you'll be able to tell when things are dry. (Oh, and if you stay tunned, I'll describe the *best * way to hang various items up, but first....)

This method works best on *cold* and windy but sunny days. It really doesn't work as well if it is not *cold*. I mean like at least below 20 degrees. The colder it is the better it works. And did I mention it needs to be *cold*? [Just checking :-) ] Also, it absolutely does not work if it is snowing. I have tried this. Believe me, if it's snowing just give up and try again a different day. The snow accumulates in the pockets and folds, or just plain sticks all over and when you bring the clothes in they are wetter than when you started. Like I said I tried that. It doesn't work. Not at all. I don't think it would work very well in a blizzard either, since then it is just snowing really hard, but I haven't had a chance to test that theory--we don't get many blizzards in mid-Michigan. (But if you stay tunned, I'll show y'all the very *best* way to hang out various items!) [and I didn't even watch any "infomercials" when I was sick the last few days! :-) ]

Now when you finally bring the frozen (but now soft) laundry in, they may be slightly damp, but either ironing or an hour or so of inside drying (provided you are using hot wood heat and the inside temperature is at least 75 degrees) should finish up the drying process until the clothes are bone dry. (Next! The very *best* way to hang out clothes!)

And now...(drum roll please) The absolute *best* way to hang up big bath towels, long sleeve shirts and...the favorite of men, women and children, the can't be without item, the most dearly beloved piece of work wear ever... Jeans! This is the (almost) guaranteed method for clothes that dry the fastest outside, need the least ironing, and smell better than any other way of doing laundry (that I know of)!

First those big fluffy bath towels: with the basket directly underneath the spot on the line where you wish to hang the towel (preferable at least two to three inches away from the nearest item), grab (don't be shy and delicately pick it up--grab it! Remember it's windy, and you don't want to be chasing bath towels in the neighbors yard a half a mile down the road.) grab, one corner of the towel and pin it to the line. Next, grab the middle of the towel (the goal is to hang the whole thing with the long side on the line) and stretch it taught against the clothesline away from the first corner. Finally, grab the last corner, and pulling it tight, pin it to the line. The finished product should look similar to this: This is the best way, because the water in the towel has a shorter distance to travel as gravity pulls in downward. Unfortunately, this method takes up more line space, but it is still the *best* way to go.

Now for long-sleeve shirts: this is really simple, just grab the side seems and pin them to the line. Also make sure the the shirt is opening towards the breeze to facilitate quick drying. (I know for sure that this the the very *best* way to hang shirts because my Grama said so!)

And on to the jeans: "The Three Pin Method for Properly Line Drying Jeans." This is a bit more complicated, but I'm sure y'all will try it because it is the *best* way around. First pick out one pair of jeans that you want to hang up. Then wear them out in the mud to play and rough-house with the dog. Next put them in the washer, and wash them. [Oops! This was only supposed to be about how to hang them up, not how to get them dirty! Slight memory lapse there...sorry :) ] That is to say, um, oh yes, hanging up jeans....Pick up the pair of jeans by the and make sure that they are buttoned and the front and back of the waist band are lined up properly. Next grab the side seam and pin the waistband to the line. Then pin the middle of the waistband (right next to the button). Using a third pin, attach the far end of the waistband to the clothesline. Last, but not least, make sure that the legs are straight, and the cuffs (if there are any) are properly aligned. (that last step is the secret to success, don't skip it!) So in the end, you should end up with rows of neatly hung jeans looking like this:While it is best to hang them on a level portion of the line, they have a tendency (at least at our house) to drag the line down until there dragging in the dirt. So unfortunately, we must hang them next to the post.

Also please note: When hanging up clean clothes, make sure your hands are clean prior to handling them. No coming directly from the garden to hang up clothes without washing your hands. Especially white clothes. It doesn't work well. (Just trust me on that one)

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Stay tunned for "How to make your own low-cost, easily disassembled, effective (once you figure out how to keep the plastic from blowing off) growing season extending, hoop house"

Until next time,
Matthew