I'll plant tomatoes, but I refuse to war with ants.

It all started out so pleasant. I was sitting on our back porch, potting the flower and herb seedlings I've grown. The cool dirt, the smell of spring, and the sight of bright green baby plants were all relaxing and invigorating at the same time. One by one, the row of potted balsam rose plants grew, and I looked proudly at the line.

Dad asked me to re-pot some of the tomato plants when I'd finished with my flowers and sweet basil. I was happy to help, hopeful that we will soon find good homes for each of the tall Italian trees. With over 2 thousand plants at our home, we are eager to get rid of some, much as we like them.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term "re-pot," it means to take plants growing in small containers out of their current containers and put them in bigger ones, so their roots have more space to grow.

I finished my flowers soon after that, and I moved across the porch to where the Italian Tree tray sat waiting for me. I pulled the container of potting soil after me, and settled down in a camp chair to do my work. The tray of plants sat in a plastic holder, and I removed the tray to where I could reach it easier. I put each finished plant in the empty plastic holder. I had potted three plants when it happened.

I noticed that several tiny ants were crawling over my box of potting soil. They seemed to be coming from the tomatoes. I wondered why they where there, but didn't give it further thought until I set my third tomato plant down in the tray.

The tray was moving. I looked closer and saw that it wasn't the black tray that was moving; it was the surface of the tray that was moving.

Ants.

Everywhere.

I saw that almost all of them were carrying eggs, and I immediately knew an ant colony had been disturbed. A moment later I realized that they had built their home between the tomato tray and the plastic holder.

"Daaaaaddy!" I shrieked, but he was out of hearing. I'm not afraid of an ant, but I do have a problem with 6 thousand ants.

I shivered, moved the three pots out of the tray, and stood up to shake the ants out of the tray, hitting it against the deck railing. Ants went flying.

Whoops. I backed into one of my pots. Dirt spilled onto the porch boards, and the proud tomato plant flopped sideways. I tossed the tray aside, and moved to pick up the pot. Whoops. There went my other two plants. More dirt spilled on the porch floor.

I was standing where the tray had been sitting. I looked down, and couldn't help myself; I began to stomp madly everywhere. They were so tiny....I didn't know if I was actually squishing them or not.

I guess not; they crawled up my feet. I was only wearing flip flops, and I could feel their tiny legs on me. I slapped at the tiny creatures madly, but as fast as I got rid of them, more climbed on.

I must have been a sight; stomping, slapping, dancing, and stopping every now and then for a squeal of disgust.

When the torrent finally slowed to a trickle, I took a deep breath, double-check my seat for critters, and sat down to do some more potting. I reached for the tray of plants and picked up a pot. I squeezed the bottom of one of the cells, to loosen the plant inside.

A handful of eggs and ants fell into my palm.

I shrieked, brushed them off in a hurry, and ran inside the house. I love tomato plants, but don't ask me to fight World War III with ants.

A Guest Post

I've had the honor of being able to write a guest post for keeperofthehome.org. It was published today. If you feel like it, please go check out my post and let me know what you think! I encourage you to check out the rest of Keeper of the Home, too. It's a lovely site that I read all the time. All sorts of goodies on there!

The Biggest Yet:

I don't remember if this guy came in right under or right over 2 pounds...but somewhere around there. Yes, Dad has been weighing our harvest. :) This fella is a Big Zac, and that's a quarter next to him for scale.

We've been saving seeds from all the best produce, and hope to have lots of plants to sell in our new family gardening business next spring. If all goes as planned, we'll have several thousand seedlings. (Hey - if you live near us, be sure to check us out next spring! Trust me, we don't have space to plant all those in our garden!)

A few days ago, Dad and I were sitting at the kitchen table, sorting seeds as Mom worked on supper. He was getting seeds from one of our Big Zacs, making a lovely soupy red puddle - dotted with small plump seeds - on a plate, and I was counting seeds from a yellow squash that I had raided earlier. The seeds were pale and smooth under my fingers, like pearls.

"Daddy... are you really going to try to have at least a thousand tomato seedlings next spring?"

"Yup - and, well, you know how many I already have."

I glanced at the seed-filled cup next to him and nodded. "We already have plenty. They're such a beautiful sight! ...And you're gonna let me try yellow squash, and zucchini, and maybe flowers... Dad...what are we going to plant them in?"

"We'll start them in dixie cups. You can't get much cheaper than that, unless you make your own. We can transplant them to bigger containers as they grow."

I smiled, picturing our little work shop in the basement this past spring - how it was loaded with tiny green seedlings, and how fun it had been to tend to them, and see them grow. Then I imagined that on a grander scale, with a thousand or more seedlings. How fun it would be! Plants everywhere...

Then I paused.

"...Dad...where are we going to fit a thousand seedlings?"

Dad chuckled. I'm sure he has plans, but all he said was "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Reflections on the VA 2009 Homeschool Convention, Part 1

I've decided that every day is busy, so I might as well get on with that blog post I keep putting off until "things quiet down a little"...so here I am!

On Saturday my brother Curtis graduated from high school. My grandparents were in town, and we celebrated Father's Day together. Tomorrow is my father's birthday, and in this "in between" day we have green beans to can, sewing to do, and all the little things that make up a busy household. Life is life!

But that isn't the blog post I keep planning. Today I want to share some of my notes from the VA homeschool convention we had the pleasure of attending last week.

When I hear people talk about "sharing their notes" I often prepare myself to be bored, but I hope that these fragments of what struck me during the workshops will be of some help, amusement, profit, or encouragement to you. I don't take notes like most normal people - I don't really write down the main points of the speaker (usually). Instead, I write down things that I want to research when I get home, interesting trivia tidbits, and the like. So please bear with me, and just take whatever bits of this interest you.

We were blessed to be able to spend two days at the convention, and there were three workshops each day, plus a keynote session which everyone attended. I volunteered during one workshop, so I listened to five speakers plus the keynote speaker. To avoid hard choices, I'll simply share my notes in the order I attended the sessions:

Workshop #1: "Finding Hope in the Valleys of Life," by Mr. Steve Demme

My brother Curtis and I attended this workshop because it was our first chance to hear Mr. Demme in person. I wasn't sure what exactly he'd be speaking about, but the title sounded good, and I knew I wanted to hear him speak. For those of you unfamiliar with his name, this is the founder of the math curriculum, Math-U-See - a program I only used my last two years of high school, but which I fell in love with and plan to use with my own children some day. I knew Mr. Demme was an excellent math teacher, but through this session I got a glimpse into his personal life. He has a special-needs son, and this session focused on what to do when life gets tough. I had been having a very hectic and emotional week, and this was a breath of fresh air. You can see from my notes that I did a lot more listening than I did writing.

Notes:
~ The wise man and the foolish man both got rain. (This may seem simple, but it was the first time this thought had presented itself to my brain. Profound!)
~ "God does not exempt us from suffering - He transforms us in it."
~ Learn how to breathe! Just let go and let it out. Psalm 55:22
~ When in the valley, we need three things: we need the body of Christ, we need to pray, and we need to read God's Word.
~ Note to self: check out thefamilythatstaystogether.org, joniandfriends.org. and "When Robin Prays."

Workshop #2: "Building a Family Based Business"

This workshop was geared more towards the business man or engineer who wants to work from home, as opposed to the cottage industry family, but we still were able to take some nuggets of profit away. You'll notice I have more of an "outline" in these notes, because I was basically just copying things off the screen instead of writing my own thoughts down.

Notes:
~ To build a business, you must UNDERSTAND the customer
~ Entrepreneur Guidelines/Steps:
* Define your business views, principles, values, etc.
* Define your own skills, gifts, passions, experiences. List them.
* Evaluate your resources; money, time, physical, family
* Know what you're aiming for - think about the future, how the business might grow, and what that will mean for you.
* Analyse the following: Industry, Financial, Operation, Product/Service, Customer
~ Identify unmet needs, services to meet those needs, and resources to help you.
~ Are you going to buy a business, build a business, or franchise?
~ DO IT! Try, adjust aim, try, adjust aim, and try again. Don't spend all your time aiming and never firing!
~ Write a financial model. Talk to experts in your field.
~ Write market strategy.
~ Check out NewVentureLab.com

Workshop #3: Days of Old Herb Farm

This was a lot of fun. The speaker is a fairly new business gardener; a man who lost his job and turned to his hobby (gardening) to make a living. He now sells books he's written and travels to a few places to speak. I was impressed by his combination of knowledge and humbleness and eagerness to learn and try new things. I loved looking at the photos of his backyard in the presentation.

Notes:
~ A website about a family who produces a $2,000 worth of food on 1/10 acre: pathtofreedom.com
~ If I plant pea seeds and get only 2 or 3 pods, I'm dissatisfied - what about spiritual seeds? Am I happy with low production?
~ Compare prices; grow the most expensive stuff, buy the cheap stuff.
~ Check out Bill Mollison
~ Raise In-Demand Dogs for money
~ Plant corn in circular heaps - the way Indians did
~ Check out John Jeavons "How to Grow More Vegetables."
~ Hexagon planting spacing
~ Have 2-4 hens in a "chicken tractor."
~ Check out "Victory Egg Garden" by George Lansing
~ Use "water glass" for preserving eggs. (This point really fascinates me. Anybody have experience with using water glass? I'm all ears.)

Keynote Session to end Day#1: by Voddie Baucham

Our favorite sessions were those by Mr. Voddie Baucham. Being encouraged academically is great, but being lifted spiritually is so much better. God's hand was on these sessions. My notes don't do it justice; I was too busy listening. This was our first time to hear Voddie Bachaum in person, and we loved it. We even got to speak very briefly with him afterwards.

Notes:
~ Luke 6:40. The disciple will be like his master. (This thought, this promise, holds so much thought packed into one phrase. I will be like my master. This is good if my master is Jesus; it's an encouragement to not give up, and to remind me that He is faithful to complete what He starts. But this is also a warning; those whom I treat like my masters I will become like. It's also a sobering thought as I look ahead to being a parent someday. My children are going to be like me. Whoa! I'd better be following Christ!)
~ People make the right moral choices "not because they heard sermons on this topic, but because they have a biblical worldview."
~ The three foundational skills in education: Read! Write! Reason!
~ Worldviews are formed:
* Informed
*Uncritically
*Inter-generationally
*Intra-generationally
*Over time
~ Elements of a worldview:
* View of God
*View of man
*View of truth
*View of knowledge
*View of Ethics

That sums up my notes from day 1 at the VA 2009 Homeschool Convention. I wanted to share both days in one post, but it's getting late, and I don't have the time to do day 2. I'll have to try again later. I guess you have plenty to digest in this post for awhile. Hope you enjoy at least a little of this!

Beans, Herbs, and Pea Pods

I'm back from the Homeschool Convention! ...Sore body and all. (I guess my tumble was harder than I thought - I had an extremely sore body over the weekend. :):) )

The convention was absolutely marvelous. I know I said before we left that I was hoping to meet some homeschool graduates - I didn't, but I met several very nice other people, and was blessed very much by the speakers I heard. And it was lovely to be able to just spend some time with my family.

There's something odd about me; I have a terrible time taking notes. Perhaps it's because, as a homeschooler, I didn't grow up listening to a teacher talk all day while I took notes, or perhaps it's just my personality, but when I hear someone speaking and know I'm supposed to take notes, I get overwhelmed. I want to write down everything they say. Then, of course, I can't even focus on what they're saying! It took me until I was well into my late teens before I got the hang of note-taking. But even now I don't usually take notes. I prefer to cram it in my head.

But at this convention, I took notes.

That's how good it was.

I hope to share my notes with you over the next few days. I'd like to share some tonight, but I also want to tell you what I did today, since that's freshest in my mind. (I have to organize my notes anyway.)

I canned green beans!

Four quarts, to be exact. All by my lonesome, too! Mom usually does the canning here, but she had something she had to do today and, as any gardener knows, beans don't wait for anyone.

So out I went, around 10:00, to sit in the bean patch and pick. I was thrilled by how heavily the beans have come on - in the two days we were gone, they went from pale purple blossoms to plump green beans. The picking was very easy. I was using a 5-quart ice cream bucket, and I filled it twice. Lezley had gone out and picked before me, and she filled a 4-quart bucket. I was very pleased with my little sister's determination and hard work!

Then I sat and snapped all those beans. Is there anything quite like the smell of fresh raw green beans, the fuzzy rough feeling of the beans snapping between your fingers, and the taste of beans in your mouth, to tell you that summer is on its way? Snapping beans always brings back so many memories for me. It's almost as good as looking through an old photo album.

Mom was out of the house, and as I snapped, a plan formed; what if I was to finish these beans before she got back? What if I was to can them all alone? The adventure attracted me...and so the challenge began. I poured over Mom's trusty Ball canning book as I finished the beans, and then headed out to the kitchen to try my hand at canning. I've watched Mom do it so many times....

I won't bore you with all the details, but I actually canned my first 4 quarts of beans! Mom got home before I had the jars in the canner, but she let me finish them. ..Except I had to run out, so she watched them while they cooked. And Dad helped me fix the canner just right before I started the jars in it, so I guess I didn't do everything. :) But it was still fun.

I also dehydrated my first herbs today. My basil plants have grown like crazy, and I picked a whole colander-full of sweet basil leaves. They filled the dehydrator to bursting. After supper, the leaves were dry and I started crumbling them into a glass jar. The pungent smell of basil hung in the air, and the leaves were sharp against my fingers.

You know what? Not only had the leaves shrunk as they dried, but they continued to decrease in volume as I crumbled them. By the time I was done, the green pile didn't even rise an entire inch above the bottom of the mason jar.

I stared at the little heap. So much work. So much fragrance. And my fingers condensed it all to this little pile. All the moisture removed; only the body of the leaves remain.

What an illustration, I thought to myself. How many people go through life piling up pleasant things, working hard for things they see as huge and important? And how much of what they pile will last through eternity? Will it crumble away? When their life is sifted through at the judgement seat, what will be left? A little pile? What will be left of my life? How much time do I spend on things that don't matter? What will be the size of my pile? When the moisture of worthless things has been dried away, what will be left?

That reminds me of something I heard at a gardening workshop at the convention. I'll leave you with this one thought from my notes:

"You plant seeds expecting to get more in return. If you planted peas and only got one or two pods back, you would be very upset. You expect a big yield; lots of peas! So why are you content with such small yield spiritually? Why is it okay to grow only a few spiritual pea pods on your plant? You would be upset if your garden plant did that poorly. Why aren't you upset about your lack of spiritual pods?"

I cannot answer this question to my own satisfaction.

Virginia Homeschool Conference

Are any of my Virginia-resident readers planning on going to the annual Virginia Homeschool Convention in Richmond? We'll be there, Lord willing!

Yes - the day after I finish farm-sitting we'll be heading off to Richmond. This year we'll actually be spending the night and staying for both days of the convention - something we've only done once before.

To tell the truth, my family has only been to the convention twice in past years. I find it amusing that I've lived all my life in Virginia, been homeschooled through all 12 grades in Virginia, and only went to Virginia's homeschool convention once while actually in school. After this weekend, I will have gone twice while out of school.

Many of the families who go to the convention are younger, just starting out on their homeschooling journey, but there are some families there who, like my own family, have members who are out of school and yet come with their family because they have younger siblings who are still in school. Though I love meeting people of all ages, I have to admit I'm hoping to get to meet some other homeschool graduates at the convention - and isn't making new friends one of the best parts of travel?

And of course it will be delightful just to spend time with my own family as we travel together - 'specially after such a busy two weeks. I've had moments in the past few days when I felt as though I hadn't said "hello" or "good morning" to half my family before it was time to say "goodnight!"

The speakers at the convention this year (Vodie Baucham will be there!) and the topics of the sessions all seem to promise a time that is not only fun but also spiritually-lifting and educational - many of the sessions are focused on entreprenurialism and family-run agricultural home businesses, which I am really excited about. My parents are excited about those sessions, too. :)

I wish I had time to update you on our garden; the tomatoes are around 5 feet high, the corn is almost waist-high, (except for the plants we had to replant), the squash bores seem to be visiting again this year, the beans are loaded with blossoms, the brocolli is almost finished, the peas are yeilding better than we thought they would after collapsing the trellis under their own weight...lots of stuff going on.

But I really don't have time to go into all that. In a little while I need to go finish spray-painting another layer of paint on a trashcan I'm dressing up. I've been cleaning my sewing area and I wanted a brightly-colored trash can to match my red-and-white theme. My sewing area sure needs the makeover! I considered taking before and after pictures to share with you, but truly didn't have the nerve to share "before" pictures. It was that bad.

But it's starting to look good now! Maybe I'll have it done before the convention.

Maybe.

Making Strawberry Jam

I know y'all haven't heard much from me in the past few days. I'm sorry about that but, to tell the truth, I haven't had much time to even think about my absence here. I've been happy when I got time to sit - and since it takes even more energy to think than it does to sit, thinking really wasn't on the to-do list! (I'm joking, of course.)

Not that being busy is bad - it's life. I love the times during spring and summer when I feel like I'm outdoors all day every day. It sure beats cabin fever!

I've been sunburned twice in the past two weeks, and May isn't even over yet! Some years I can go all summer without a burn, so if this is a sign of things to come "our light little Amber will be a brownie by the end of summer," as Mom says.

My brother Curtis and I have been asked to work at a farm a handful of days every month through the summer - that is where the sunburns have been coming from. The lady who owns the farm opens it up to field trips, and our job is to help with some of the different activities. I help the children plant flower seeds, while Curtis gives pony rides. (I like to help with the pony rides when I can. Much more fun! :)

But I've also been in the garden quite a bit - another good place to get sun! Our tomatoes have gotten tall enough to tie to their stakes, and the peas are blossoming like crazy. I expect to be freezing them anytime now - after we eat our fill of fresh ones, of course.

I looked back through some of my records, and realized that last year on May 23rd I was freezing strawberries and making strawberry jam. This year I'm ahead of myself, for that's what I've been doing the past two days, and that is one reason I haven't touched this blog. Twenty-four pounds of strawberries takes awhile to put up!

I wish it were FORTY-four pounds of berries, since they are my favorite berry....but I don't think I'd have the energy to deal with them. I'm just glad I finished twenty-four pounds! Mom, Heather, and my three youngest siblings did all the picking yesterday morning while Curtis and I were working at the farm, and I volunteered to do all the preserving when we got home.

Going from the hot sun all morning to the hot kitchen all afternoon, and then mid-week church service at night, is a great way to fall asleep fast at night. Yesterday was packed with activity! Today hasn't been exactly slow, either. *grin* But all the berries are finished! I made about 6 quarts of jam and froze the rest of the berries whole. I wish I had pictures, but....you know...too busy to find the camera. I tried 3 different recipes, and I guess we'll see which one will set the best.

Strawberries are almost always the first crop we preserve. This year we grew some strawberries in our garden, but we only picked about 15 so far, so I'm glad we have other places to go picking. Broccoli, lettuce, and spinach has come in from our garden as well, but none of that has been enough to preserve. Now that we've actually frozen some food I feel like summer has begun!

Okay - strawberries are done. That leaves:

~ Blueberries (go picking in June? Or do those come in during July?)
~ Beets (Canned)
~ Carrots (Frozen - if we don't eat them all fresh)
~ Potatoes (No need to touch these - just dig them up and put them in crates!)
~ Peas (Coming soon!)
~ Tomatoes (Lots of sauce!!!)
~ Corn (I can almost promise you that none of this is making it to the freezer!)
~ Cucumbers (pickles!)
~ Squash and Zucchini (I think we're dehydrating it this year, except maybe freezing some shredded zucchini.)
~ Beans (Canned)


Nope - I don't think there's any danger of my becoming bored this spring and summer.

Thank you, Lord, for such bountiful, beautiful, blessings!

Two Heads are Better than One

We have finally started harvesting something besides lettuce and spinach from our garden. Today we split 6 strawberries between the 8 of us... SO sweet they are! One bite was simply not enough - but it will have to be until more ripen. We hope to go berry picking at an actual strawberry farm this week and get enough to preserve. That will be fun!

We also picked our first broccoli today. We probably could have let it go a bit longer, but we were so eager to pick it! We've never had such big heads, and we all agree that the fermented compost tea we've been feeding the garden gets the credit for such lovely yields:

Mom and I showing off the two broccoli heads Dad harvested today.

If you'd like to see more pictures, check my Dad's blog.

A Walk Through the Garden

God has blessed us with downpour after downpour this week. Today was the first time I could be out in the sunshine, and it was so good to feel the warmth of the sun on my face! ...Even if the air still is humid.

Of course I went straight to the garden. I've been making short trips out in the fog or drizzle to see how the plants are doing, and have been amazed at the way they're shooting up in such a short time, but seeing them in the sunshine they look all the more taller.

How good God is, to bless us with land to work! Today is a national day of prayer, and though this day causes me to ponder much, and though I grieve for the way my country has for te most part forsaken the Lord, I can still go out in the bird-filled quiet and peace of my backyard and see beauty made by His hand. It reminds me that there is still a God on the throne, and that He is completely sovereign. Life will go on, no matter what each day brings forth. Not only that, but life will be continued to be filled with good, because He is working out His sovereign will.

Anyway...let me show you some of the fruit of our hands;

My herb garden. Such little things, my basil plants are right now! Chives are in the upper right corner, and oregano off to the left. I have two kinds of oregano - the darker green is Greek, and the lighter green Italian. This year is my first time growing Italian, and I love it. Such a scent! Rosemary is growing above the oregano, and on the far left asparagus goes to seed amongst elephant garlic leaves.

Here is my favorite bed - isn't it beautiful? This is how all garden beds should look; orderly and in rows. :) Broccoli, carrots, and beets grow here. I wish I had something in the picture for scale, to show you how big everything is, but just know that this bed is 12 feet long, and 4 feet wide....so those broccoli plants you're looking at are nearly 2 feet wide.


Here is a tomato plant, with nourishing clover growing beneath it. All our tomatoes were grown from seed this year.


Here are the bean plants, newest addition to the garden, but doggedly growing fast! Don't they even look energetic?


And last but not least - "my" lettuce. We've been eating from this bucket for weeks now, thanks to the greenhouse it started in. This variety is called Buttercrunch.

I'd love to chat more, but the sunshine calls, and I think I shall go for a walk with my sweet older sister!

Our Beans Are Up, and An Announcement

Yes sir, our beans popped their round frisky selves out of the ground several days ago, each bright green head struggling to toss off her shriveled brown bonnet. I love the suddenness of bean seedlings. One afternoon the soil is brown and bare - the next morning tiny green bumps are everywhere.

The garden sure is coming along well. We have something in every bed now, and we've been eating lettuce and spinach for weeks. The potatoes are easily a foot and a half high, the broccoli looks to be forming heads any day now, and we just ate our first sweet basil and oregano yesterday. (Fresh herbs on pizza is totally off the taste scale!) I could go on to tell about the tomatoes, corn, beets, carrots, garlic, cucumbers, squash, and such, but I don't want to make those of you north of me too jealous.

If you are, like me, love dirt between your fingers, the smell of tomato plants in your nose, the touch of breeze on your face, and the all around charm of gardening, I think you'll be interested in a bit of news I have for you.

If you in any way have enjoyed getting to know me through The Fruit of Her Hands, and have wondered what the rest of my family is like, you might also want to hear this bit of news.

The announcement will also be of interest to you if you like frugality, and are always looking for ways to save money. Or if you like free resources. Or if you're interested in homeschooling.

All this can found at one place: Growing It Organically. From children to plants, if you want to raise it naturally, check this place out!

Please be aware that the site is fairly new, and much info is still to be added. But several blog entries are there, and check out the cool header on that site - see the man on the right? That's my Daddy!

That's right - I and my sister are no loner the only folks of our family in Blog Land. My Dad has entered the blogging world! I'm so excited to announce his blog to you. We've always told him that he knows so much about so many different things - particularity gardening - that he ought to write a book, or start a website, or teach a class, or some such thing. Sharing knowledge is so much in his blood that if he's talking you can be pretty sure he's teaching something. I love living under his roof!

Sharing knowledge - that's what Growing It Organically is all about. Its focus is primarily gardening but, Dad being who he is, side topics are unlimited.

Please, jump over to Growing It Organically and take a look. I think you'll be glad you did. And let us know what you think - that's the cool thing about seeing a site when it's brand new and you know the owners; you can make suggestions and tell us what sort of info you'd like to see on a site like that. Feel free to ask any gardening question you like - my Dad thrives on questions! Or just leave a comment to let him know you stopped by - it'll please him immensely, I know.

Hope to see you there.
Amber

Rosemary

I planted the first of my herbs today! Rosemary.

Though it is the first herb I've planted so far, I didn't think I would actually plant this herb this year. It was on my wish list, but I intended to start with oregano and sweet basil, since I've grown them before, and get to rosemary, chives, and dill if I had time and money. But a kind new friend gave me a cutting of rosemary today, and I've just planted it out in our garden! Incidentally, the Internet says April is the best time for planting rosemary. Perfect.

So....now I need advice! Any care suggestions, or - more exciting - suggestions for how to harvest and use this lovely-smelling plant?

Oh yes - the scent. I'd heard great things about the fragrance of rosemary, but couldn't imagine what it smelled like. Today I got my first whiff, and I'm hooked. What a wild, tangy smell! I like it!

Love

The smell of freshly-made bread fills the house, along with that thick quiet that settles over rooms at night. My brother Curtis has made rolls.

The gentle voices of my Mom and Heather murmur in the living room like water trickling over pebbles. The day dies a quiet death.

I spent my morning outdoors. First, I went walking with my older sister, Heather. She's doing more walking as a kind of therapy for her hips. We had a lovely chat, and the weather was simply gorgeous.

Then I went indoors and painted a little project I'm working on while I also taught a nutrition class to my three youngest siblings. I hadn't helped Mom with teaching in awhile, and this morning was a fun change.

Then I spent the rest of the morning in the garden. Sunlight poured down on my neck, but the air was crisp and cool. The dirt was black and rich, like brownies. We're ready to plant tomatoes, corn, beans, and squash before the week is over. Yeah!

This afternoon was full of errands and computer work (check out my new Amazon bookstore!!!!!!).

Now the house is quiet, and I'm sitting here thinking about the Song of Solomon. Have you read that book lately?

Read it as a love letter. A personal love letter to you. This is Christ speaking to His chosen one; His church.

The language is so descriptive. The feelings are so passionate. The bride is not so eloquent at first, but the groom is enraptured by His dear one. He loves her every feature. He loves everything about her.

The bride loves Him too, but she takes His love for granted.

Until the day He disappears. Listen:

(Chapter 5)
2. I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
3(Then she says:) I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. (Oh what language this is!)
5 I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

She resisted His spirit calling to her, and now she must go find Him. The people of the city ask whom she is seeking, and then how her descriptions flow!

(Also from chapter 5)
10My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

"This is my friend." Don't you love that? Our friend. He is altogether lovely.

Theology is nice. Step-by-step documentation of Biblical truths is nice. Fancy words and head knowledge is all very well and good.

But being in love is something that cannot be put in a test tube. One cannot explain it. One just knows it.

That's why I like the book of Song of Solomon. If I am down and feeling alone, I read it. (Or should read it!) Then I start to weep, when I see this passionate affection and love my Saviour has for me. He really feels this way toward me. Even though I don't deserve it. What I deserve is not part of the equation - He loves me anyway. What a marvelous thing!

Ahh...Curtis has brought me a roll, fresh from the oven, with butter on top. What a kind thing love is.

Spring, Spring, Spring!

These are the pictures I was complaining about losing the other day. They were taken on one of the first nice days of the year. Can't you smell the pollen and feel the sunshine and dew on your bare feet?

Heather's pansies waiting to be planted. She's the "flower pot" girl in the family, while I take care of the stuff in beds. These beauties are now in pots outside our front door - all except one of the boxes, which went to a family at our church.
Don't you like the brick background in this picture?

I was walking from the garden toward the house, ready to go inside, when I happened to look up.
I just had to run inside for the camera, and that's when I took all these pictures. This was what made me want to; just look at that blue! Can you imagine if you were standing at the base of this almond tree, as I was, a faint breeze kissing your cheeks, pink and white petals littering the ground around your feet, sun pouring down on your lifted face, and this blue, blue, blue sea of blue creating a gigantic dome over your head. The vastness and the deepness of the sky simply blew me away.

Here are my "babies." First lettuce of the season. They are planted in a tub - NOT a pot. :) - in our green house. They have almost doubled in size since this picture was taken.

Oh yes, our greenhouse!!!!! Here it is, completed except for trimming off the extra plastic hanging down on the sides. (But you can ignore that, right?) It is so nice and warm in there on brisk mornings. Behind the greenhouse, you can see the layout of our garden this year.

We are so happy to have all the beds built. Dad has been making a few beds each year for three years, and they are finally all done. Now we can set up a rotation system. We are really looking forward to this gardening season!

Here is the garden from the opposite side (The edge of the greenhouse is at the far left of the picture - or, it would be, if the picture were over a few inches.) Our compost bin is against the shed on the right in the foreground.

I've written the names of the crops we'll be planting in each bed directly on the picture, but you'll probably have to click on it and enlarge it to be able to read the words. So far, we just have potatoes, broccoli, beets, carrots, spinach, and strawberries in the ground - and we've put peas in all the other beds, to fertilize the ground until the weather warms up. Maybe we'll get a pea harvest too!

Has spring moved into any of y'all's areas yet? Any gardening going on?

Thoughts

I've been thinking a lot lately about a certain characteristic of God. I'm not sure what to call it, because I don't know all the right theological terms. In my mind, I call it the complete-in-control-ness of God.

When I stop to think about it, I really get overwhelmed.

Some of you may remember me referring to the book "Mountain Rain," a biography of missionary James O. Fraser. I am still reading the book, and am becoming more impressed with every page turn.

It is a well-written book. As a writer, I appreciate and notice that. But the topic of the writing jerks my attention away from the way it is written. Is that not the sign of a good writer, anyway?

This book oozes the "in-control-ness" of our God. I had never heard of James Fraser prior to reading this book, and now I wonder why. His life is amazing. Or, rather, the way he was used is amazing.

He let God use him.

That's it. He labored for several years in tucked-away corners of China, casting seed on dry cracked ground. Nothing happened. The tribal people could have been modern-day Americans for all the way they received the gospel. Whoever said the ignorant savages are hungry for truth and light was just plain mistaken. Satan loves his high places too well to give them up, and mankind loves his sin too well to accept the gospel.

But then James Fraser got a prayer group laboring for him back in England. He wrote each member of the prayer group separately, and they wrote to him. Listen to what he says to them. This blows me away; please read all of it:

"...I really believe that if every particle of prayer put up by the home churches in behalf of the infant churches of the mission field were removed, the latter would be swamped by an incoming flood of the powers of darkness. ...Just as a plant may die for lack of watering, so may a genuine work of God die and rot for lack of prayer.

"One might compare heathenism with a great mountain, threatening to crush the infant church, or a great pool of stagnant water always threatening to quench the flames of Holy Ghost life and power in the native churches, and only kept dammed up by the power of God. God is able to do this much and more, but He will not do it, if all we out here and you at home sit in our easy chairs with our arms folded. Why prayer is so indispensable we cannot just say, but we had better recognize the fact even if we cannot explain it. Do you believe that the church of God would be alive today but for the high-priestly intersession of the Lord Jesus Christ on the throne? I do not.

"...I will not labor the point: you will see from what I am saying that I am not asking you just to give "help" in prayer as a sort of side-line, but I am trying to roll the main responsibility of this prayer warfare on you. I want you to take the BURDEN of these people on your shoulders, I want you to wrestle with God for them. I do not so much want to be a regimental commander in these things as an intelligence officer. I shall feel more and more that a big responsibility rests on me to keep you well informed...

"...Anything must be done rather than let this prayer service be dropped or even allowed to stagnate. We often speak of intercessory work as of being vital importance. I want to prove that this is an actual fact, by giving my best energies to it, as God may lead."

And he did. This man spent hours in prayer, asking God to move among the Lisu people. He went among them, preaching the gospel, then would return to prayer. Out he would go, then return to prayer. Still nothing.

Finally, he went to spent some time in a Chinese city. While he was there, away from the mountains, God did His work.

On Jame's return to the mountains, the people sought out him, asking how to be saved. Family after family, village after village, came to him begging for preaching. He would enter a village where before was only hostility, and find that half the families had already torn down their idol shelves, and "decided to become Christians." They only waited on him to tell them how to do it. God brought them to birth - James Fraser was, as he put it "only the midwife."
I wish I could give each one of you the book to read. The details really explain everything. This historical account sends shivers down my spine. Look at what God can do without help!

That sound terrible, doesn't it? Of all the audacity! Of COURSE God can do things without our help! But do we really act that way?

I don't mean we aren't to witness and testify and work for the Master. That is only rightful obedience. What I mean is that we often forget our place. We often think we must produce the results. We think we must change a person's mind, by arguing, by different approaches, by anything we can use to change their mind. We wear ourselves out doing work we were never assigned!

Another thought that has been impressed on my heart is the willingness James Fraser had to wait for a harvest. During that long time of preparation - years of work - he would have times of discouragement, but always returned to this hope: he had sought the will of God, and prayer confidently that the Lisu people would come to Christ.

God would not disappoint.

Of this James was sure. So he labored on, confident that things were happening under the soil, where he could not see.

Any gardener knows that a plant sprung suddenly up will have no strong root system and will wither away at the first blast of trouble. A plant that spends a long time "doing things" below the soil will be strong and healthy when it sticks its head into the sunlight. Do we think God didn't do this on purpose? Did not the same God make the human heart and the green plant?

Through this book, I have been encouraged to have patience. I laugh at little people who dig up their seeds in an effort to hurry things along. How I should laugh at myself now! Did I think I could hurry God?

Well, these are things that have been going on in my mind. Perhaps they will comfort and inspire your heart as they have mine.

God bless,
Amber

Firsts and Bests

One of the best sounds in the world:
Hinges creaking, screen doors slamming.

Some of the best smells in the world:
Open windows, breezes carrying spring indoors.
Warm earth, wet dirt.
Sweaty bodies, kneeling side by side, planting seeds. (This only smells good outdoors.)
Fresh laundry.
Line-dried bed linen.

One of the best feelings in the world:
Being tired out from digging, digging, digging, planting, planting, planting, under a new spring sun...then going into the shade of a large tree and crashing on the blanket spread there. ...Trying to make every square inch of you come in contact with the ground, soaking up the feeling of the world beneath that blanket. ...Thinking "this is what I am." Dirt. Made flesh. From dust we truly are. The 14 elements found in dirt are exactly the same as the 14 elements found in mankind. ...Feeling the sun on one side your face, and cool shade on the other. ...The breeze kissing your hot cheeks, making a loose curl tickle you. ...The soft cotton of the blanket.


One of the things you always make note of:

The season's first sunburn.

Yup. You definitely notice that.

Oh MUST I?

Dad goes in to his workplace in the early morning hours. Sometimes I feel a little jealous of families who get to have their father at home for breakfast, but because of Dad we have a special tradition that those other families can't have.

For as long as I can remember, Dad has called us at home around breakfast time to say good morning. It is a lovely habit. When we were little, we learned how to answer the phone politely by practicing on Daddy. Even before we could talk, we heard Dad's voice on the phone in the morning. We know he will always ask us about our day; what we have planned, how we've done so far, etc.

Quite awhile ago, I decided to make a point of asking Dad every morning if there is anything special he wants me to do that day. At first he would say "just obey Mom," but as time went by he added to that; he would sometimes give me special assignments to carry out. I'm sad to say that I don't always complete them before he gets home that afternoon, but I sure try! It thrills me to do something Dad specifically asked me to do.

Most of the time.

Not this morning.

This morning, ....

...I'm not thrilled.

Phone Conversation:

Dad: "...you can go ahead and set those seed potatoes out in the sun."
Amber: "Okay."
Dad: "Oh - and that alpaca manure we got yesterday..."

At this point I gulped mentally. Alpaca poop...It's great for the garden...but we discovered that the batch we got is full of white grubs. Those are not great for the garden. Dad says the one thing to do is go through and pick them out.

Dad: "...I dumped some of it into your garden bed before we saw the grubs. You can go ahead and go through it."
Amber: *makes funny noises*


I am hoping something really important happens, so I have an honest reason to delay going out into the garden until Dad gets home. Then maybe he'll show me a easier way to kill those...things...without going through the soil with my gloved hands.

Grubs.

Yuck.

In which I talk about a lot of different things before I finally get down to the point

For those of you who were feeling jealous that I'm already talking about gardening in February:

It snowed here on Wednesday.

Really hard.

For about 20 minutes.

*grin*

Actually, it's been....well, like winter here lately. (Surprise!) I did do some garden work yesterday without a coat on, but this morning the temperature was below 20 degrees again.

Ahhh, yesterday....

...Yesterday was lovely. You know those perfect days you dream about? I had one yesterday.

It all started when I actually woke up early enough to pray, read, and study my Bible for over an hour. I aim for that every day, but lately I've been hitting the snooze so many times that I might as well have not set my alarm.

So I had a lovely devotion time. I was wrapped in my red bathrobe, cozily snuggled on the couch with my Bible, my journal, and the concordance spread out beside me. The house was quiet with dark corners, and I had time to pull myself together for the day. That quiet hour helps so much. I don't know why I hit my snooze button.

Breakfast was beautiful. Like out of a magazine. Blueberry Baked French toast, with whipped cream on top. A tall glass of orange juice. A cup of hot tea, sipped from my delicate blue and white teacup (gift from Heather last Christmas). I wanted so much to take a picture. It was all so perfectly arranged; from the blue and white teacup and shiny silverware, to the vibrant colors of the food. I enjoyed every bite and sip.

I started the day dressed to my shoes, with hair fixed pretty but practical, and clothes that made me feel "nice," but ready for work. Nothing like feeling prepared to give one energy!

I had made out a "To Do" list the night before, and I felt so ready to cross things off. First I tidied my bedroom. I dusted my precious bookshelf and the photo frames on top of it. So nice to have things clean! The glass in my picture frames now shines.

I paused to spend some time with my little sister. I combed Lezley's hair for her, listened to her practice piano, and just enjoyed being with her.

Then I spent the rest of the morning in the kitchen having fun. I made up a batch of bread dough, in preparation for supper, and then had the delight of creating a new recipe. This time it was for coleslaw. I'd been craving that for a long time. I'd never made it before, so I just put whatever smelled good into the bowl, tasted, and added some more. I love that kind of freedom! It makes me feel so rich.

After lunch, (yummy coleslaw!) I spent some quiet time in my room doing computer work. I've volunteered to help a homeschooling-family-run business that's based here in our town, and I had some research to do in relation to that. I felt like quite the secretary.

Then I livened up and cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom; toilet, tub, sink, floor. Sparkle!

Then I could no longer resist the call of the garden. Dad was already out there working, and I just had to join him. We spent an hour out there digging. We're preparing the soil for when our transplants are big enough and the weather is warm enough. The soil is so rich and black this year! The green manure crops that have been growing all winter are now ready to be turned under. What hard work that is! But so satisfying, too.

I turned under the soil of my little herb bed, then moved to a larger one; 16'x4'.

Put the spade's blade on the earth; stomp on it! Lean onto the handle; lift it! Turn the spadeful over; smell the richness of the dirt! Repeat 20 times. Pause. Put a hand over your heart and feel the powerful thumping. Lift your face and see two hawks flying between you and the vast blue expanse above. Notice the lazy clouds drifting by. Watch Dad shoveling near by. Take deep breaths of crisp air. Bend over the spade again. See God's hand everywhere.

The hours spent in the garden are the loveliest of my day. I take great satisfaction in them.

But I came inside at 4:00 to get some sewing done. I was feeling very inspired. I have 2 projects going already, and I had just had ideas for 4 more! I searched my stash and found cloth for my new projects, fingered it longingly, and turned to work diligently on my current project; a white dress for spring. The design is my own, and it was giving me a lot of trouble. I gathered up all the wit and skill I have to throw at it, and rejoiced in the effort.

At 5:00 I went back to the kitchen to make supper. I love it when Mom lets me take over a meal on short notice. I made what we call perogies; golden brown bread filled with sauce, sausage, and cheese. I made them look like little tarts this time, baked in muffin tins. We had peas, too, and of course that got us starting talking around the supper table about the time - fast approaching - when we will be eating our own peas.

Garden-planning on paper after supper with Dad....Family Bible Time in the book of John...chit chat in the living room...a warm shower...soft pajamas...cozy bed...turning through the pages of Psalms for one last thing to think on as I go to sleep...being blessed by Psalm 65...reading it again...and again...flipping off the lamp...a dark bedroom...whispers with a sister...drifting off to sleep. The perfect end to a perfect day.

Oh well. Enough about yesterday. Let me get to the point of this post. (You thought I was just giving a history-in-the-life-of-Amber-lesson, didn't you?) :)

For those of you who live in the cooler regions of this planet, and aren't able to get out in your dirt yet. :( Poor you! ) Here is something you can do; plan crop rotations!

Planting the same crop in the same place year after year can be very harmful to your plants. Diseases will build up, pests will always know where to look for their snack, and the plants will miss out on the benefits they could have had from things that are left behind in the soil when other plants grow there. Any old farmer will tell you that you need to switch your crops around; crop rotation. Here are some tips I found in "The New Organic Grower" by Eliot Coleman: (if my explanations seem redundant and annoying, please forgive me. I'm talking to myself.)

Crop Rotation

~ Legumes are generally beneficial preceding crops (They will help whatever you plant in that soil next year.)
~ Onion, lettuce, and squash are generally beneficial preceding crops.
~ Potatoes yield best after corn. (Plant them where you had corn last year.)
~ For potatoes; peas, oats, and barely as preceding crops increase scab. (DON'T plant potatoes where you had peas, oats, or barely last year.)
~ Corns and beans are generally not greatly influenced in any bad way by the preceding crop. (Plant them wherever the "dangerous" crops were last year.)
~ Liming and manuring help, but do not totally overcome the negative effects of the preceding crops.
~ Carrots, beets, and cabbage are generally detrimental to subsequent crops. (These are the "dangerous" crops.)
~ Sweet corn is one of the most beneficial preceding crops for potato.
~ Tomatoes and potatoes are close cousins and should not follow one another. (Don't plant tomatoes where you had potatoes last year, or visa-versa.)
~ Beans are a good choice to follow root crops, such as carrots and beets, because the are apparently unaffected by them. (Plant beans where you had "dangerous" crops last year.)
~ Squash is a good predecessor for root crops. (Plant squash where you plan to put "dangerous" crops next year.)
~ Growing potatoes one year, then squash the next, us even more beneficial for a planting of root crops planted the third year .

What! Planning three years ahead? Sure! That's what a gardening notebook is for! If you aren't able to get your fingers in the dirt (or clay) yet, why not sit down and at least plan where you'll put everything when the weather warms up enough? It's quite challenging, but loads of fun! It will probably increase your crops, too.

Hurray!

Gardening time is here!

Yesterday Dad, my brothers Justin and Curtis, and I were out together in the garden, working. That wasn't the first time Dad's been in the garden this year, but it was my first time getting out there. It felt soooo good!

60-degree weather, ...no coat, ...the scent of moist dirt, ...the sound of shovel load after shovel load of dirt being turned, ...the sight of dozens of fat worms wriggling as they are exposed to the air, ...discussions about where to plant what, ...I love all of it.

Yesterday I was turning under the green manure that's been growing all winter in the beds. Then I helped Justin move the compost pile. It's coming along nicely! We haven't turned it very often all winter, but there's a layer of rich black earth on the bottom. ....Well, it's all churned up now, so it's not on the bottom any more.

We hope to get some alpaca manure to put in our garden soon. Did you know that alpacas are some of the most efficient digesters there are? Their manure doesn't even need to compost - you can put it right in the soil. And it's rich in nutrients, too. If you are blessed, like we are, to have an alpaca farm in town, go beg some manure from them! ...If you have a garden, that is. :)

I can't explain the way gardening thrills my soul. I delight in being surrounded by growing things. I love being independent, growing our own life-sustaining food. I like the competition; always trying to do better than last year. I love cooking with fresh foods.

I only ever completely relax when I'm outdoors. I often think that if I ever have to talk with someone about anything really important, I'd best do it outside, because it's there that I think clearly and calmly. Being outdoors does something for my spirit. And one of my favorite outdoor places is our garden.

Depending on where you live, you may think it's a little early to be talking about gardening. I'm so glad to be living in Virginia! ...Yet even here some folks think this is way too early.

Not Dad. He's always planning how we can start earlier and earlier every year, and grow longer, too. He and I start drooling over seed catalogs right after Christmas. :)

Actually, we're a little late this year. I looked back on my gardening journal and found out that last year my first day in the garden was Feb. 8th, not 11th. *grin*

Today I planted 20 broccoli seeds, and 72 marigolds. The broccoli is downstairs on our gardening hot plate, and the marigolds are out in the greenhouse we built for Dad this Christmas.

If any of you remember my marigold plants from last year, you might be interested to know that - for the first time in my life - I saved seeds from a plant I grew, and planted them! Yup, the seeds I planted today were my own!

I keep track of these dates and such in my gardening notebook. I love this thing:


Contained in this notebook are layout plans, notes from gardening books I've read, my garden journal, and recipes for preserving the harvest. I started my gardening notebook this year, and it's already come in handy.

Are any of the rest of you starting on your gardening plans for this year? Want to share details? I'd love to hear!

Another plea for help

All you gardeners out there, let's have a cheer for the time of year when we're all choppin' at the bits, wishing we could toss aside the seed catalogs and go out and scoop up a handful of moist warm dirt!

I like winter. I'm glad for changing seasons. I like cozy sweaters and crackling fires. (Though we don't have a fireplace, so a crackling heater will have to do!)

I enjoy winter.

Until the end of January.

After January, I'm done with cold weather, thank you very much. I'm quite prepared to usher winter out the back door and welcome spring through the front.

This year is no different. Well, in small ways it is, because we're always planning new things for our garden. This year it's 15' high tomato plants and compost tea. (I hope to write in detail about those plans sometime soon!)

Also, Dad's given me a 4'x5' space to experiment with on my own this year. I think he wants me to try out mostly herbs, though I'm free to do whatever. Since this past year was the first time we've tried herbs (and we only grew oregano and sweet basil), I'm really starting off ignorant.

Tomatoes? I've helped grow those since the time I could walk out to the garden with Daddy. Cucumbers? Yup. Green beans? I've had those coming out my ears. Lettuce? Beets? Squash? Fine, fine, fine. Been there, grown those.

Herbs?

Uh....no. Don't know a thing about those. I don't even know a thing about cooking with those!
But I want to learn.

I'm thinking about planting rosemary, dill, lavender (is that an herb or flower? TOLD you I was ignorant!), oregano (I'll be transplanting that from last year), sweet basil, and anything else that sounds good and useful.

So those of you out there who know anything more than I do about herbs... (and that would be any of you that have grown them or cooked with them!)... Are there any things I should avoid? Any plants that cannot be grown together? Special ways to use the herbs? A very useful herb I've forgotten to mention? Special soil likes or dislikes? Importantly - how do you harvest? Do you pick the top leaves or the lower ones? Pick heavily or lightly?

ANY help would be very much appreciated.

On an aside; have y'all started praying even now for the Lord to bless your gardening efforts this year? Knowing that He controls the rain and sun and wind is such a restful thought, but it also motivates me to pray that He would see fit to bless us with an abundant harvest and good weather ...and a will to work! I know that the best climate in the world won't yield a thing to a sluggard! I'm awfully good at getting excited in the spring, but I know I'll need God's grace to get out in 90* weather to turn compost in the middle of summer!

Making Progress

Yesterday was my turn to work out in the cold wind. Curtis finished all the framework on Dad's greenhouse and, according to the unspoken bargain between us, whenever we two do a project together, Curt does the woodwork - which I'm not good at in the slightest - and I do the sanding and staining, which Curt doesn't like doing.

I finished staining just the roof yesterday. It took me 2 hours, and that was cold enough for me. I was going to do more today. But I think the wood is frozen.

I downloaded 69 pictures from our camera to my computer today. It's been so long since I've shared pictures on here, but hopefully my computer will behave for awhile, and I can share those 69 pictures a little at a time.

For now:

Celebrating the completion of the framing. Dimensions: 6'x6'x6'sloped to 8'. Didn't Curt do a great job? I drafted the "blueprint," showed it to him, and he made it come true. I love the door.

That's Curt on top of the greenhouse, acting a little goofy in his excitement and relief at finishing. It was a cold job. Justin, who helped Curtis quite a bit that last day, is doing the jumping. What a monkey. :) When I was staining, he kept swinging around and over the structure. I was waiting for him to get stain on himself, and he did eventually, but he just laughed.

I'm standing on the right side of the greenhouse, and Tiffany is standing on the left part of the greenhouse. She was quite a trooper; braving the cold to help Curt even more than me. She handed him nails, fetched things, held things, and kept him company. Way to go, Tiffy!

Here's Curt working on the greenhouse earlier. See the garden behind him?:) All that green is winter wheat. It will be tilled into the soil this spring.

And here I am holding the sides while Curt attaches them.

That's all for now, folks!