I went to a Garden Party...

We're seriously excited that in just three days we expect to begin the big window replacement/siding project on the house that will make it so much more presentable to the community and make it just a whole lot more attractive.  While we appreciate the sturdiness of the block construction, the new look will be the most visible exterior change.

This week's weather has been amazing and yet so busy with an annual physical, 2 Bible Studies, several meetings and appointments as well as other assorted activities, there's been very little opportunity to work outside.

Finally today, I was able to get the tractor out and get the spring clean up done.  It included my own little "garden party" (cue Ricky Nelson).

A friend and neighbor came up last fall to plow up the ground and it was a massive task since the ground had perhaps never been tilled or at least not in the last hundred years or so.  We only opened up an area about 30'x50' for the first year.  We're still not sure what the deer will do but we have some plans to deal with that.

So today was the first garden "harvest" and I estimate I harvested easily a ton of stone from the 1500 sq foot area.  (All in that tiny little trailer I call Mighty Mo - pictured below.) If you look closely (or click on the picture of the rocks to enlarge) you'll see my foot at the bottom.  The pile is easily 6 feet x 8 feet and 3 feet high in the middle. Some of the stones were well over 100lbs. You can imagine this old man's back may be stiff in the morning!  But it's done.  The garden is clear of 95%+ of all rocks bigger than 1 inch.

It's times like this I greatly miss that Prairie soil in Illinois.  The Silty Loam here in Tioga county can run up to 35% rock/stone.

Be that as it may we're on our way.  We'll need to disc it before I'm able to use the rototiller but we're moving in the right direction.  And our second set of seeds have been started indoors (April 1 and April 15) since we don't plant much before mid May here, but we'll be ready.

It's a good feeling to go to bed exhausted.  There's incredible comfort in having put in a good day's labor.  I wish more folks understood that.

Stay tuned for another posting coming soon, when the supplies start arriving!