Monday, November 30, 2009

Winter.....Time for hunkering down

Well the garden has been put to bed for the season.  The gourds, loofah and zuchinni did well I did get enough of the black beans to use for next year.  I was disappointed this year in the garden.  It wasn't a complete failure but I did not have any to put over for the year. I am more than willing to say goodbye to this year and move on to the next. Next year we are going back down to the original size of the garden and I am either doing a series of raised, dedicated beds that I can rotate or I will go back to making my rows as running north south (this year we did east west running rows and I believe it contributed to poor drainage).Also here is to hoping we won't have any more "derechos"  The Seed Savers Exchange has already sent out their new book and I am extremely hopeful looking at it.  My mother asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told her I really needed wasnt extravagant.  I'd like to get some new bras, underwear and socks etc and I told her I would really like gardening supplies or gift certificates to things like Seed Savers Exchange.

  Bill was laid off again as of last Monday. He's trying to stay upbeat but he only has about 10 weeks left of unemployment.  He hasn't gotten call backs or he's been told he is overqualified because of his management experience.  I just try to do what I can here to make it work. What else can I do?   I am not as worried as I would have been as we now have a girlfriend, Helen, living here too which helps out with the bills.  She is awesome, a photographer (as in went to school and does it for a living) and she is also a crafty person she is going to teach me more with crocheting and photography.  She has family that has some homesteading type roots to them but she is more of a city girl, she can appreciate the rewards of homemade/homegrown but it's just not her thing.

Like I said the loofahs did pretty well this year and got quite a few of them to fully dry status and then processed, a first for us.  Then we have about 20 or so more in various stages drying in the garage.






2 comments:

Ruth Trowbridge said...

I don't know anything about loofas, the ones that worked make me want to grow my own. Glad to see you are staying positive, its the only way to go. Peace for all

The Unusual Farmchick said...

Wow! those look awesome chick! I have bushel basket gourds in the basement "curing" which upon seeing the discoloration in your gourds reassures me it is normal. Hopefully all 3 cure and harden so I can do a giveaway with one next growing season- after I make it into the basket they are meant to be. How long do you think your loofah gourds were curing? this is a first for us to have any succesfully mature. If your interested in trying some Bushel gourds, I will send you out some- (very long vines but the big size for a basket is well worth finding the space). as always, just remind me next summer. I am infamous for a bad memory on these things.
Chin up! Every one in a while, take a step outside the box and look back in to see the good you do have. It seems to help keep me focused when I acyually listen to that advice :)