"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Asparagus ~ Garlic....where did it go?!

It's going to be a warm, gorgeous day today.  We'll hit the 80's.

I picked more asparagus, so I roasted some last night with rosemary.  Oh my gosh!  Delicious!  So much more flavor than from the store.  It's been a year waiting for this bounty.


My favorite garlic to plant in our area is Music garlic.  The first year we spring planted, and every year after that we fall planted.

I'm so depressed.  I went out to the garden to start prepping for the year, and found all of my garlic eaten but 3.  My guess, from research, is that a squirrel (or more than one) was the culprit.  Never in all the years here has this happened. Rabbits, deer and ground hogs do not like garlic, so I am just guessing.  They have plenty of black walnuts to provide, so I am stumped as to why it happened, other than the smell of the dogs is not out there anymore (guess I'm gettin' a dog).

I want to now spring plant my garlic, so it cost me an arm and a leg to order some to plant.  I didn't record how many I planted last year for some reason.  I think it was a crazy fall due to my husband's sister passing away from covid, and Mom's health declining. 

I typically plant 80-100 cloves, so this is a tremendous loss with organic garlic.  It's just such a shock, because nothing likes the smell of garlic.  We toyed with the idea that I forgot to plant them.  I did not.  I remember planting.

We toyed with the idea that someone stole them.  Ha ha!  Actually, it's not such a crazy idea.  Every day for the last two weeks a car has been stolen in the city about 12 miles from us, and now they are breaking into chicken coops.  Seriously.  Stealing kids bicycles, and more.

I plan to pull the pea fence.  We didn't get any planted with this crazy kitchen floor repair, and we need to till that area as well.

I finally got the carpet spot cleaned from Daughter K's dogs being here, and laundry put on the line, but got zero painting done.

I believe it's finally time to call an exterminator, unless someone has a sure fire way to trap those big bumblebees (a LOT of them).  I've tried every year, and they get worse every year.  Yesterday they were swarming the doors of the house and porch.  I cannot for the life of me find the nests, but I'm guessing they are by one of the barns, by they way they swarm over there.

Monday, May 9, 2022

Happy Homemaker Monday

Mother's Day this year was a bit on the rough side, but my wonderful family got me thru it.

First, we talked about my husband booking an appointment with Daughter E for a much needed haircut.  She was booked solid, so I texted and asked if she could make a special house call, considering Sunday is his only (and only) day off.

Second, we needed to be home at noon.  A lady was coming with her Dad to look at the pie safe, and she was out the door with it in minutes.  She loved it.  One piece of furniture sold and two more to go now.

My husband cleaned up the front porch, Daughter K helped put furniture on it, and the burn pile was finally burned down.

My husband, myself, and Daughter K drove to the cemetery to visit Mom.  I wasn't surprised to see that my previous flowers were gone (that was a terrible wind storm in March).  I will need to buy more for Grandma and Grandpa's now.

I have to say, I think this year was the best Mother's Day I've had in a long, long time.



Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

The weather . . .
We are finally getting a week of warmer weather.  I'll be putting the plants out to harden (although we expect more rain).  We are starting to pull last year's carpets and plastic and get the tilling rolling.


As I look outside my window. . .
My porch needs hanging baskets.  It's on the shopping list.


Right now I am . . .
Finally washing a bed quilt to hang on the clothesline.


Thinking and pondering . . . 
We are still looking to hire help for the front room, but until then, I need to go upstairs and make a space for the treadmill, so that can be moved out of the way next weekend.

Oddly, my kids did not get me any flowers for Mother's Day, so I plan to make a trip to town and buy myself flowers for my birthday.


How I am feeling . . .
Good.  It took a few weeks, but I am finally on my husband's 12 hour work schedule and was up to enjoy coffee with him.



On the breakfast plate . . .
Broccoli/bacon breakfast casserole, coffee


On my reading pile . . .
I finally finished my current book!  I got reading time on the porch, while my husband replaced both window motors for Daughter K.  Both of her windows were not working.


On my TV . . .
Last movie was All Together Now.


On the menu . . .
-Lasagna stuffed chicken, home grown asparagus and steamed broccoli
-breakfast for dinner
-something with stew beef, veggie
-flounder and a veggie
-try a new peanut butter pie recipe
-leftovers

Looking around the house . . .
It's getting there, but the kitchen is still not put back together.  I am doing my best, but this week will be garden work split up with kitchen work.  I need to paint more floor trim, so we can put it back in it's rightful place.


The to-do list . . .
-bake a breakfast
-check asparagus
-laundry
-pay a few bills
-buy chicken food
-paint in kitchen, paint floor trim
-shampoo living room (I'll have to do this for Mom's furniture until we start tearing out the carpet)
-put sticky paper down on my kitchen keyboard tray
-clean old bike trunk with leather cleaner and put it up for sale
-make more homemade taco mix
-vacuum carpets
-

From the camera . . .
So happy to have grandkids for the day yesterday.



Prayers . . .
Our biker friend Aaron, who had hernia surgery, and had complications and was back in the hospital. Last I heard, he was still in the hospital.