It can only get better!

The phone was ringing as we dragged our rain soaked bodies back to the house mid-afternoon yesterday. We had been at the Stella Spring Fling - our first market selling opportunity. (See yesterday's post for more information about our preparation and sale items.)  Our sympathetic caller was friend, Christie, an experienced market gardener who had been out of town and did not participate in this event. Our first market day was disappointing to say the least.  It was raining when we left the house and continued steadily all morning. Over an inch of rain fell during the time that we were selling our plants and sharing information about our local master gardeners program. After 5 hours of being wet and cold, we gave up and left by early afternoon.   In spite of the weather, we did generate some interest in our plants and sold a few.   While it did not meet our expectations, we are thankful that some diehard shoppers were out on such a nasty day.  The best thing that we can say is -  it was our first day of business and we took in more money than we spent.

What did Christie have to say about it?  Her comment went something like this - "Gwen, you have been through the worst; it can only get better!"  I sure hope she is right.

The Birth of a Nursery!

When I started this blog, I planned to share our progress as we develop our native plant nursery and organic produce business.  After many months of planning, talking, and spending money, it is finally time to begin bringing in some income.   The plan is to sell at local farmer's markets until we can build enough clientele to sell from our farm. 

It is 6 am and we are packed up for our first market day.  For the sale today, we have 150 native perennials in quart size pots and 100 organic tomato plants in 3" pots along with some of Jerry's wood products.  Yesterday, we practiced putting up our little 10' x 10' tent and spent all day trying to note everything that we would need today.  The event today is the Stella Spring Fling - a local music celebration with vendors selling crafts and garden plants.  There will be gospel, country, and folk music and who knows what kind of crafts.  Of course, as luck would have it, it is scheduled to rain all morning.  I guess that will not hurt us or the plants. 

Beginning May 1st, we will be at the Neosho farmers market every Saturday with plants, produce, and Jerry's wooden bowls and spoons. 

Jerry is taking care of the rabbits and I will get the chickens fed for the day so that we can leave soon.   Wish us luck!

Spring Shopping Habit - Sugar!

We do not normally consume much sugar so it is usually not on the grocery list.  I am not talking about the sugar that sneaks into nearly every item of packaged or processed food that we purchase.  We try to avoid that but it is difficult.  I am talking about that crystally white stuff that comes in small boxes, paper packages or, for us this time of year, 25 pound bags from Sam's Club.   Boiling 2 quarts of water and mixing it with 2 cups of sugar becomes a part of my daily routine from now through September.  Sound like a drag?  Not at all.  The annual return of our birds is one of the greatest pleasures of living in the country.  Feeding them is a small price to pay for the entertainment they provide.

Our purple martins came back last month right on time.  But they are easy.  All we have to do for them is clean out the house that they vacated last fall.  Purple martins need open space around their house and access to water and nesting materials.  They are very loyal and return to the same house each year unless it is damaged or invaded by other birds. We had so many last year that we feared their 24 room house was too small and added another 12 room house "next door".  We have birds in both houses this year; they were singing happily to us yesterday as we planted cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, corn and carrots. Whew!

What does all this have to do with sugar?  The first of our favorite migratory birds returned yesterday - hummingbirds!  We were sitting on our front porch celebrating a good planting day and watching a rain storm make its way through our little valley.   One of our faithful migratory hummingbirds suddenly appeared in the exact place where a feeder has hung each summer for the last four years.   The feeder was not there yet!  I leaped out of my chair and put on the water to begin my summer routine.  Two feeders went out last night and there are at least a couple of birds here.  Within a couple of weeks, we will have as many as 5 feeders hanging just outside our living room windows and near our deck.  It is impossible to count them as they move so quickly.  But we must have 50 or more that stay around all summer.  We love to watch them fly from feeder to flower and back.  They are amazing little creatures.

So for the next several months, sugar will be on the grocery list and the tea kettle will be whistling - not for us, but for our faithful little hummingbird friends.

Latest Country Surprise! Texting on Horseback?

Late Sunday afternoon, we arranged an impromptu neighborly get together for dinner to wind up our Easter Sunday.  In preparation, I drove the 10 miles to the nearest convenience store in order to purchase some beer and wine to enjoy with our meal.  

It was a beautiful day although windy.  Along the way, I came upon a young woman riding her horse in the ditch next to the road.  It was a majestic looking horse.  She was obviously comfortable with the animal and appeared to be enjoying a leisurely ride.  I was appreciating these thoughts and thinking that I could not have seen this anywhere else that I have lived in this country. 

As they came closer and I was about to pass them, all of my peaceful thoughts vanished!  She was not enjoying the view or talking to her horse.  She was busily texting away on her cell phone! 

Texting on horseback?  I never expected that.