8:30 pm

So.
Very.
Tired.


Here's a list of what I did today:

1. Transferred half the soil from the first raised bed to the other.
2. Added spanghum peat moss to each bed.
3. Added topsoil to each bed.
4. Added composted manure (thanks to the donkey and horse duo) to each bed.
5. Destroyed the giant nest in the grill, and cleaned/sanitized the grill.
6. Loaded a truck full of junk (including the old dryer) and took it to the landfill.
7. Collected three wheelbarrow loads (about 12 cubic feet) of new manure for the compost pile.
8. Emptied the front half of the goat shed; reorganized it; restocked it.
9. Hung all the yard tools in the goat shed.
10. Cut a huge pile of brush.
11. Burned the brush and the Christmas tree (which was still green, incidentally).
12. Cut down half the blackberry bushes; pruned the other half.
13. Pruned the hawthorn bushes adjacent to the fenceline on the north side.
14. Partially hung a door on the goat shed (ran out of screws; too lazy to go to town for more).
15. Cleaned and filled all bird feeders.
16. Sharpened the shovels, the hoe, and my pocket knife.
17. Built a new, small bed for MeeMaw right next to the deck (possible herb garden site).
18. Patched some of the goat shed walls.

One thing's for certain: I'll be paying for today for the next few days.

We were up fairly early. We might have slept in just a tiny bit, except for the yaller cat who was jamming her paw under the bedroom door and yowling for some attention. So we got up and MeeMaw fixed a nice country breakfast (including biscuits from scratch, made in Mother's cast iron skillet). We ate and then turned to the day's chores.


MeeMaw cleaned house and redecorated a bit while I worked outside.


She caught a shot of me daydreaming and watching the cows stroll past while I was supposed to be shoveling manure.


MeeMaw sorted seeds and made ID markers and planter flats, and started some of the seeds going.

It won't be long before the seedlings will be up, and then it'll be time to transplant them into the raised beds. Don't the beds look great, all full of rich material? I used all the manure Jason and I harvested back around Christmastime, then partially filled the bin again with three loads I scooped up in the woods this morning. I added some leftover cabbage, potato skins, banana skins, and assorted peelings. It'll make a good batch. The batch I put into the beds this morning was a good batch, believe me. It was so loamy and crumbly and sweet smelling. All the manurelike smells, etc. are gone and it's just rich humus.

I did see something interesting when I was replenishing the compost pile. A brick. I thought to myself, "Hmmm...the cattle in Scott County are a nervous bunch, as evidenced by this object."

Some of you may remember last year, how the blackberry bushes got out of control. The entire east side of the house on the other side of the fence was one big blackberry bramble patch, and we couldn't go in there for fear of stickers or thorn-dwelling varmints. I cut down a ton of them today and cleared a good path behind the yard barn. This will make navigating the property a bit easier, I think.

Near the end of my chores, I found something that would make local epicureans jealous. A very nice-looking Morel mushroom. MeeMaw found a couple of them last year. They love the pine straw beneath the big tree up front. I think we'll let this one grow for a while, and we may venture to cook and eat it. Neither of us has ever had one, but they are reputed to be delicious if pan fried in butter. There are groups of people who go morel-hunting on a regular basis. They're quite a big deal in gourmet circles.

Okay...I can't type anymore. I'm going to go sit down and coma for a while with MeeMaw. I'll leave y'all with a shot of what I fixed for supper on our newly-refurbished (and reclaimed) grill. Evicting birds is demanding work.


Rest well, loved ones.