Gardening

Anyways back to the garden, planted most of it May 11, potatoes, corn, peas, beans, carrots, onions, lettuce.  Maybe a bit early for the corn specially but it was so nice out and so I took a chance.  Just started to sprout when we had a bunch of cold weather and rain this weekend. So no need to water I guess and now some sun and they should really grow.  As soon as it dries up a bit I will plant all my stuff I grew and I still have a few to buy mostly flowers and I was gonna go see Janice and her greenhouse but was planning to go with a friend and now shes there with her daughter instead, grrr, shoulda just went on my own.

(whole garden view, I just mowed before the rain 

probly needs to be done again already)

(peony that just grows)

(crab tree I trimmed)

(climbing red rose in garden)

(plants I grew)

(pretty bush rose)

(random maple tree that no one planted)

(ornamental crab, I don't prune this 

I don't even know where to start as it is almost a bush)

(love the blooms on the crab)

I had a bunch of tree trimming to do, the crabapple tree especially as it had a branch that was over the garden that wouldn't let the sprinkler get to the one corner of the garden.  I was gonna do it last fall but I read that fruit trees should be trimmed early spring well I was a bit late on that one so I only did one tree if no fruit on it I will still have the other tree.  I also trimmed up all the lilacs and the almost dead honeysuckle and the thorn tree.  Would like to do the bigger trees but I need a ladder and help and that's not as easy to do.

(yellow climbing rose in garden)

(more plants I grew they are getting so big, need the garden)

(plants from Cessford)

Today was the plant sale in Cessford that I always go to and I bought a random number of plants I'm sure there will be enough with mine to fill all my planters I just need a nice day and can get them all in.  We got 2 inches of rain over the weekend so it is soggy around here. Not that I am complaining we needed it but I want sun now. And a week ago started some pumpkins cantelope and squash and they are huge already, specially the pumpkins, I forgot how fast they grow

My Week

So last show of the year and I am at home :(  Seems odd but the next show is April 9th near Olds and I guess we will go to that.  Not really sad as there is always lots of shows and I still got to practice.  We worked cows yesterday and it was really a fun day, lots of people there and so got to watch lots too.  Then a storm cloud blew through as we were just finishing and so we put the horses away and went and had coffee.  Was good to visit with some of them as I hadn't seen them in a year and one lady not since a clinic a couple years ago (shes from Sask and has a horse at Doug's he's training)

(the grass is starting to come in, Easy isn't very good about grazing on the lead 

he probly has done it very little but I thought was a nice change for him)

(the goofy peacock was sitting on the truck when I went to leave,

 just watching whats going on)

Today not much going on, we have 4 calves so far, all bulls.  I gotta get a horse in so I can go ride out there and see them, could take Bob but that's not near as fun.  On Monday I plan on bringing in a few, Bailey is going to the vet and so her and Pally will stay in the corral.  And then Thursday I think Easy is coming home :)  That will be lots of fun.  Ill still go over couple times a week for lessons on show weeks and maybe once a week on non show weeks?  I dunno have to decide how its gonna work yet.

I hate to say something too soon, but looks like I sold Bailey if all goes well, they came out Monday and tried her and just loved her, she was really good for not being rode since last August.  her feet are long of course but not chipped off or anything and we just rode her in the arena and down the road, she was so perfect for them.  Id like to get her feet done but depends on when they are coming, waiting on a coggins test takes forever but the farrier is coming between 10-15 of April, whatever day my neighbor tests bull cause he comes to help.

I also planted seeds this week, some have come up, others not quite yet but I'm hopeful.  Got 25 beefsteak tomatoes, 19 watermelon, 6 spearmint, 17 basil, 30 marigolds, 12 jalepeno, 12 Aneheim pepper, 12 Poblano pepper, 6 Serano pepper and 30 poppies.  The poppies must be at leat 20 years old they were my great grampa's and I just found them, but they were dry and so either I get way too many or non we will see.  Got a few more to start but not for another couple weeks, pumpkins, butternut squash and cantelope.  They grow really fast so no more than 3 weeks early for them or they will take over my house.

(tomatoes)

(marigold, watermelon, herbs)

(Poppies and peppers, they aren't up yet)

Neil's dad came out this week as well, hes working on turning an old tent trailer into a trailer he can use at the museum to haul pumps around on in the Canada Day parade.  It looks a lot better already, this week he got all the lights working and the frame on the sides.  Needs boards yet but almost done.  He only comes out on warm days and the cats pester him haha its so funny.

(oh Ziggy)

(lays down when no one pays him attention, 

he did climb all over Neil but I was laughing to hard to get a picture.  

Neil was laying under the truck and the cat 

comes and lays on him with his butt in Neil's face)

(there's the trailer, 

the other cat was out hunting,

 I wish Ziggy would go to)

Today Neil is curling and I will go to the banquet, if he wins his game at 1 he will be in the finals at 7 and I may stay to watch.

Gardening

This summer I really wanted to do a vegetable garden since I hadn't the last couple years and I missed those fresh veggies.  I love love love lettuce from the garden.  But I hate our rototiller and was trying to find a nice way to tell Neil that we need a new one and over the winter I just mentioned a new one would be nice (just to plant the idea in his mind, sometimes that works best gives him time to think about it a while) and he said ya I think that's a good idea that one is old and hard to start and shakes you all over a new one is a good idea.  Well I was shocked!  I kinda wish I said it 5 years ago, lol.  But anyways come spring and he was sick and I was busy and we didn't know what we wanted so we never ended up buying one and gardening time was coming.  We didn't wanna just randomly buy one without knowledge of what works and what doesn't, and one day was lookin in the popular mechanics and they said the mantis was best then the troybilts.  Gave us some idea but I dunno where to get a mantis and the troybilt lawnmower we had we both hated.  Well Neil's dad has a one he uses in town and offered to bring it out and use it for a few times and see if we like it.  So he did it was a little small but we don't have a very big garden anymore and so it was fine.  It was an MTD and it run super great.  I didn't realize it at the time but its the same as our gas mower and I love that one too so maybe that will be what we end up with.  I had dug out a bunch of grass last summer and so chunks of that were in there and so I rototilled it twice and then put a bunch of peat moss and done it again in a couple days.  It was pretty nice after that and so I planted my potatoes (and so far that's still all that's planted)  I now mow the grass around the garden area and have a cute bench out there that is super heavy and I wanna paint it white this summer.

I went down to my Neighbors basket stuffing on Monday and filled my baskets and got enough for all my planters except for a couple climbers cause she didn't have any.  So yesterday I mowed and today I planted all my flowers and I found a couple climbers at the IGA after I went to the Chiro and so they are in as well.  Sure looks pretty around here now, better when they are a little bigger and more filled out.  Now onto the vegetable which I got 10 giant tomato plants from a different neighbor and so those are next to go in.

(4 Square planters for the deck corners, filled with white petunia and shades of pink waves

2 of these by the deck door with white petunias

the whole deck 

2 baskets and 2 round planters

5 of theses hanging with pink million bells and some white flower plant

By Front door, a basket and a round planter and a tricycle planter

My donkey planter and another round planter

Climber with petunias around it and hanging baskets

And the cute climbing plant, hope its tough enough to survive in the wind we get

Leaving Arizona

Sadly on Thursday I had to leave the warmth and come back to winter here in Alberta that is supposed to be spring according to the calendar, but outside not so much.  But before we left, on the Wed  we all headed down to a local barrel racing jackpot.  We were there much early so they could get some practice in (LaTonne was helping another girl get started) and so me and Megan headed out to the wildlife park down the road.  The animal part was closed but the aquarium was open so we looked through there for a while.

After their runs we headed back and then I had to leave the next day cause I had entered in a clinic on the weekend.  My plane got in to Calgary at midnight and it sure is fast when travelling alone, I was out of the airport in less than 20 minutes, through customs and everything!  Then I stayed overnight at my sisters and stopped to ride Jessie on the way home.  We had a good ride but I was exhausted to just brushed Razz and went home.

Sure was a lot of snow at home, I remembered Neil had said there was a few blizzards, but never expected this much.  And then he said on Wed our grader man spent 5 hours on our driveway to clear it off!  I am sure glad he did since Neil got his tractor stuck trying to plow the road and he was stuck at home for a couple days, if he hadn't I wouldn't have been able to get home.  And a pleasant surpeise of my Christmas Cactus was blooming.  I have had it a year and a half and this is the first time I had seen blooms on it, wasnt even sure what color it was, but I like it :)

Another Rainy Day

So today there was a couple sales I wanted to go to.  But one is in Olds and is the Draft Horse Sale I usually go to and the other is a neighbors farm auction with lots of wagons and driving stuff.  I stayed away cause even though I really do enjoy driving I know right now I don't need anymore stuff and am busy enough as it is this year.  And I had planned on riding and stuff, but of course it rained and so am inside.

And yesterday I was in town and got a bunch of plants that I am gonna plant this year if it ever turns into summer.  I got a couple climbing roses to put on the sides of the arbour I dont have built yet.  I guess I should get on that.  They are a pretty pink color and should look nice, I really wanted yellow, but finding a yellow climbing rose that is hardy for here.

I also ended up with a couple pots of strawberries and a blueberry and a blackberry and a raspberry.  I love the little flowers on the blueberry plant they look like little bells.  I have always wanted to grow both blueberries and blackberries but am not sure how they will overwinter so I got only one and if they survive I will get more next year.

I think I mentioned this last year and never did anything about it, but I got a corner of my garden shed that is kinda icky to mow and so am thinking I will end up planting some perrrenials, tall ones in the back and then shorter as they get closer to the lawn.

Oh and on the north side of the greenhouse is my lillies and they are slowly coming out of the ground, always nice to see they survived the winter.

And I got looking out and we almost have leaves on the lilacs, hard to imagine in a month they will be blooming like crazy.

Also watched the Kentucky Derby and I am not a very good guesser at the winner, cause my two ended up 9th and 16th.  Oops good thing I wasn't there to bet in real, although I mighta been tempted to bet on Bodemeister who ended up second too.  Sure would like to go there one day too.