Spring

While we are still very dry and days have been on the windy side, the weather has been very nice for working outside.  Unfortunately I had to dump all of my remaining maple sap because it spoiled in the recent warm spell before I could boil it down.  We only have 10 pints of syrup for this  year.  Oh well.  If I have time I'll try to build a good sugar shack for next year.

I have managed to gather most of my scrap lumber and build a "broody box" with two nests.  It is almost finished.  I have to put on the roof and build the nest doors.  I'll post a picture of it when it is finished.  Maybe I will paint the outside of it so the wood lasts a bit longer.  I have some left-over roofing shingles and felt from when Tom put the roof on the chicken coop, and I think I'll use some of those to cover the top of the box to keep the rain out.  All in all I think it looks pretty good. 

Got some more seeds started in the basement.  I planted a pot of cranberries, 10 each Wealthy, Chestnut Crab, and Braeburn apple seeds.  Joe Pye Weed and Purple Coneflowers will look nice.  I am looking forward to when I can get out into the field -- that's usually toward the end of April when I'll turn the ground over and get the grains planted.  This year I'll plant wheat, barley, Painted Mountain corn, and mangels.

I'm almost finished with Dad's birthday sweater.  I'm working on a couple of deep pockets for it.  Tomorrow we are all taking Lara for her neurologist appointment and we plan to stop at a restaurant and eat for a treat.  We almost never go out to eat so it really is a treat.  I will stop by Walmart, too, and hopefully I can find some buttons for Dad's sweater.  I will have to remember to call some of the Special Olympics parents and let them know that we won't be back in time to go bowling.

I got my fabric that I ordered from Hancock's of Paducah and it is lovely fabric.  I stay stitched each piece, washed and ironed them, then made a pattern from some packing paper (I always keep packing paper that comes in boxes of things we've ordered through the mail) and cut out all the kerchiefs.  When I have some time I'll prepare the seams for stitching.  I think they will make great kerchiefs.  I really would like to have a good supply of crafts to sell at the farmers market this year.

I also received the new egg cartons I ordered.  They are really cool.  They are similar to the egg boxes that were used during the Great Depression.  The eggs are set in the boxes 3 x 4, so I think they are more space friendly in the refrigerator.  We'll see how they sell.

I don't know what to make of my computer.  The Internet was not accessible for at least 2 hours today.  The DNS modem was not working.  I unplugged the modem and reset it, but it would not work and the diagnostic recommended we call our service provider.  Then, after sundown, I noticed that the modem was all green lit again and I decided to try to get back onto the Internet.  Everything is working great now; it's even pretty fast.  I haven't even had the blue screen of death show up either.  I don't know what's going on.  Maybe my installation of Max Secure Spyware Detector and Max Registry Cleaner fixed whatever was ailing the computer.  Only time will tell.  (I sort of had my heart set on buying a laptop and external hard drive.  Oh, well.)