...a needle pulling thread

So this year, knowing we had a baby on the way, I didn't figure on much of a garden. Oh, I hoped for a garden. I pined for a garden. But realistically, I couldn't be sure I'd be able to pull off a full-blown garden.

So we decided to join our local CSA. We didn't actually know this existed last year, but we eventually found it. So it should be interesting, especially since this year they've added strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and peaches. So we are ensured a steady supply of fresh fruits and veggies from June to October. (Meanwhile, I'm hitting our favorite farm market to feed my local cider addiction, local meats, and for whatever else they might have.)

So I guess I'm going to start every paragraph with the word "so" today.

So anyway, due to some creative scheduling, it looks like I'll have my produce and eat it too. I managed to plant the garden anyway. So far I've got garlic I planted last fall, along with onions, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, chard, bell peppers, jalapenos, a couple cauliflower, a few cabbages, popcorn, pole beans, winter squash, and carrots planted. Still to go in the ground are a variety of bush beans, some summer squash, cucumbers, melons, herbs and flowers. And maybe some other stuff that I forgot about.

So I also think I may actually get to try my grand field corn experiment, planting up to a half acre of it depending on how far my seed corn goes. I'll probably fill the rest of the tilled area with sunflowers. Assuming I get the tractor running long enough to turn over the soil.

So if that's not enough, I've also got a whole mess of nut trees and a few cherry trees that I'm going to plant over the next several days or weeks. So that'll be fun.

So in case you are wondering, it's amazing how much you can accomplish with one hour first thing in the morning before the kids are up, and one hour after dinner in the evening.

So... I can't decide whether to reveal the big surprise project yet or not. But I will tell you that my muscles are sore, my hands are somewhere between leather and sandpaper, my tools are scattered, and I have to be on the road at 4:30 tomorrow morning. I guess you'll have to wait for my next post.

So I'd better get to bed.

--