Plus: A DIY Gate Of The Recycled Frugal Awesome Kind!
The sun was out today. Of course that means, with it being spring and all, that all manner of work had to be achieved. Yesterday, I plunked 100 strawberry plants and 4 blueberry bushes into the ground before a spring deluge hit. The subsequent Saturday dampening of my farm gave yours truly a bit of a reprieve, but I knew that I would pay the following day for my sloth that included languishing on the couch, noshing on General Tso's Chicken, and reading British cozy mysteries all afternoon and evening.
Of course, since I indulged in laziness I ended up slapped with a bout of insomnia last night and spent the hours of one to four A.M. reading The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and perusing some essays written on Stoicism and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I find that light reading helps dispel or inflame insomnia. Can I get Inflame for 500 Alex? Well, at least the subject matter was interesting.
Anyway, I woke up early, and instead of lamenting my lack of slumber, I popped out of bed and tormented myself with a blistering HIIT and Pilates workout to start my day. By the time I had fed all the animals, did the dishes, made coffee, showered, and collected the children, it was noon. Then the fun began.
With it being spring, we have a nice crop of cold weather grass sprouting up everywhere, so my daughter and I moved the horses out to the north pasture for some fresh grass indulgence. I'm pretty sure they are appreciative, and I am also pretty sure the cattle are plotting a rebellion. If looks could kill then my daughter's show steer Uno assassinated me as I walked by to collect the spoiled horses. I told him that we were going to tighten up his pasture and set his spoiled self free soon enough. Strangely, I don't think he gave a patty.
After pony relocation, I got busy with some plant re-homing. I had already moved my tomatoes to the greenhouse last week, but sitting on my grow shelf in the bathroom was another batch of tomatoes I started for friends and family members and a whole selection of flower starts that I had seeded. I am seriously thrown into flower power delight mode every time I look at the little delphinum, marigold, cosmos and aster seedlings. My world is shades of green and brown most of the time, so hello little blast of color!
The pig pen got cleaned and then some weed-block was placed on half of my front yard. Over the next month of so I am going to turn half of my yard into a graveled yard with a rose and herb garden, flower boxes with posts and lights, a fountain, the list goes on. It should be a delight. Well maybe not for my back, but once it's done it will be delightful.
As I walked out to collect my hubs for dinner, I got distracted by a couple of daffodils that had bloomed in my yard. I love daffodils. I probably mention that in a post every year, but seriously, how can you not love the things?! I just wish they lasted longer.
However, it was after daffodil distraction that I got to the biggest source of my delight on this day, my gates!! Last year our well pump went kaput. When the well company replaced our dead pump they also had to replace four sections of pipe. Well my most amazing husband kept those twenty foot sections of mildly rusting galvanized pipe and welded me the most amazing gates for my garden! Do you all know how much steel gates are? Like a lot! Like as much as some people's grocery budgets! Namely mine!
Just look at these two gates! My hubs spent a bit of time cutting, welding, and grinding these two doors to my garden area into existence, and aside from a little Rustoleum paint, these two gates are finished and installed as the non large animal entrance sentries to my garden realm.
Did I mention that these gates were homemade and free? I'm having a frugal spasm!!!
And on that happy, penny pinching note, I am now going to go throw my sore carcass into an Epsom salt enriched bath tub. With all the work I am getting accomplished. I'm kinda feeling a bit sassy, think I will read another British cozy murder mystery, maybe I'll even watch some tv. Ya right, I am probably going to fall asleep....
And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's really rather tired of riding around in her back jean pocket like a digital hitchhiker of limited importance iPhone.