Alaskan,

I hear you have IM now, How can I get you loaded? Which email finally worked? Bread: Cheap kind off the rack 89cents. Milk, $3.65

We do NOT have such cheap bread here. Maybe $3:20

Saw a sign for diesel at $4 / gallon today. I don't use it, but that's what the farmers will be planting and harvesting the wheat with that goes into that pricey loaf of bread. (Of course they get an off-road discount, but still they use a lot!) When I buy bread, I usually get it at the second day bakery for $1.29 -- for a "premium" loaf. Preferably if I'm driving past anyway, b/c if I went out of my way to go there it wouldn't be much of a savings, would it?

Some years ago, I watched a friend turn back the keys to her house to the bank because she couldn't make the mortgage payments and couldn't sell it for enough to satisfy the loan. Made mental note to self at the time: make substantial downpayment. Fortunately I listened to myself. Fortunately (and I knock wood while saying this) real estate values here are actually going up. Maybe this wasn't such a dumb move to North Dakota after all, huh?

An ack day today. #2 says he is sick. Woke up "shaking, like I am cold, but I am not cold Mama."

#3 has a runny nose...just a bit fussy.

#4 is F-u-s-s-y!! But, I don't think he is sick. I went to a homeschool mother's meeting last night...came back at almost 10......and yep, DH was watching movies with him.

Other than that....it is very cloudy and the ground is covered in 4 feet of snow! Yeah! it is winter!

My good news for the day is that yesterday the garlics started spiking thru the mulch.

Bad news for the day is that the frost hasn't gone out yet and the garlics are sitting in a couple inches of water over most of the field.

While helping move the cousin's cattle today I see the geese are making a more dedicated effort to move northward, and the Robin's have come back to the Land-Between-Two-Rivers.

Other than that.....it's partually cloudy, hope to reach 60*, and my gravel road is so soft and muddy that it's belly-deep on a short-legged pony.

The second week of May can't get here soon enough for me.

MHG is the second week of may your plant out date?

The second week of May is a *relatively* safe plant date, but this year I am going to make sure it is warm enough on the 7th!

I watched two plantings of sweet corn get killed last year by those that thought they could jump the gun, then Mother N. came back around and frosted them off. There was no sweet corn around here except for the stuff trucked in from farther south until the end of July. Had the local growers waited a couple more weeks before planting, we would have had it for the 4th.

If you watch the commercial plant/seedling retailers, you'll notice that they start selling really early; it's to sell to the same folks twice. If I was under hoops, I'd start earlier, but I'm not ( there's a reason I'm right in the middle of a new wind farm being built).

When you make a financial investment in "gardening" at my level, you don't bet against Mother N., you just have to bide your time and twittle your thumbs until she's thru tossing frosty night-time temp.s at you.

I like your new avitar, btw.

Also, I wanna add; when you look at Frost-Free charts, keep in mind that those are "averages" (middle-ground), not finite dates. My "average" here runs anywhere from 30 March to 30 April.

Our official frost-free (average) date is May 21. There's a reason I'm learning to work with hoops, even though I could start my own wind farm next door! Ha ha.

Poking through the mulch? What mulch? Mine is still buried under a layer of snow. Although a lot of the ground around the garden is now clear.

I don't think we quite dropped below freezing last night. Morning was cloudy, but we've got wind, sun, and 46 degrees right now. May melt off a bit more this afternoon ... just in time for flurries predicted overnight, followed by cooler, more seasonal temps.

Oh well. We're headed in the right direction. Sun feels warm when you stand in it, and that's a real plus! My neighbor said she saw geese flying over yesterday, but nobody's seen any robins yet that I've heard.

Kinda glad right now I started some seeds off a little early. I seem to have a few moisture -related germination issues. Popped in a few more tomato seeds. Still holding out on the peppers & eggplants.

but then, I am not planning on planting any corn outside. I usually direct seed the peas, greens, and carrots as soon as can be. A light frost won't hurt them.

I have a mess of Robbins, and geese were flying this morning on my way to work! and in reality, My dad always said, don't plant tomatoes here before the 10th of May tops! I have never followed that advce at my house, because I can afford protection, but at Granny's, yep, that was sound advice! Country living does get frost Longer. Not tha FARout of town, but, yep! Micro climates. Woo hoo!

Now about the latest freese you ever had and shouldn't have had in your climate: May 22nd, 2002! Had hard frost at 37º PROTECTION! WOO WOO on that too!

Reading my old calandars Do you guys read your old notes?

Some things I make note of crack me up, when I reread them, but my goodness, they are helpful now!

Hope you are all well!

Might bore ya with a pic tonight, or not! Comptuter is stupid , Like ME!

.........wait a minute...........your daddy taught you and you've totally disregarded his passing of knowledge and you still kill tomatoes indescriminetly...????!!


LOL

She's definitely a blue meanie

I have put that 2/2 planting of tomatoes right out of my mind! Please do the same!

What tomatoes?