Monday Garden Club

I feel like a broken record every Monday when I report that my plants are still in the greenhouse and the garden is still empty. Although I would really like to get going on planting, I'm glad I've waited so far. We had freeze warnings and overall cold and crappy weather all weekend. On Saturday the weather was so nasty that we didn't even wheel the greenhouse out of the shed. The Gardener started a fire in the wood furnace (I know, we totally baby our plants) and we flipped on the big overhead fluorescent lights to fake the sunshine. Not sure if the plants bought our little act, but they are alive and not frozen so I call it a win. We have a tentative planting date of May 21 and I can't wait! Still some work left to do in the garden before planting but it's getting there. I want to work in our almost finished compost and a few bales of peat moss and some composted manure into the new section, plus we still have to get all of the support structures out and assembled. We also have to come up with a way to keep this guy out of the garden. He seems to have a problem with boundaries.
Remember last week when I showed a photo of the very weedy asparagus? Apparently displaying embarrassing garden photos are the kick in the ass I need to get out there and pull weeds.
While I was out there with my weed bucket and hand held weeder, I hit the strawberry patch again and noticed that the strawberry plants are blooming!
Now for all you gardeners out there who wish to participate, either leave a comment on what's growing in your yard, or post a Monday Garden Club update on your blog. Don't forget to drop your link in the comments and I'll add it to this post.

Participating Bloggers:
Sheila
Out In Them Sticks
Raising 2 Boys 1 Day At A Time
Easy Eco To Go

Wardrobe Wednesday- Bike Helmets

We went for our first family bike ride of the year last weekend!

Mae has mastered the two-wheeler but Binny is still a little nervous about not having those dinky little training wheels attached to her bike.
While we were down at the bike trail (which runs right along the Railroad tracks) Mae wanted to try and climb the mountain giant pile of rocks
And me? I couldn't get enough of those big puffy clouds in the sky!

Random Tuesday

Real quick, while the Gardener is reading another chapter of Little House On The Prairie to the girls, I think I'll sneak in a couple random thoughts.

I spent the afternoon pulling 4 (5 gallon) buckets full of weeds from the asparagus, strawberries and the new flower bed we put in a few weeks ago. Weeding in between the tiny asparagus and strawberry plants is a total pain but I think it really makes a difference, plus it looks so good now!

Last night as the Gardener and I were getting ready for bed we somehow ended up in a conversation about ponies and then in what I can assume was a moment of brain deadness from being so exhausted (it must have been 8:30 or so... perhaps even 9:00) I convinced myself that ponies were just young horses. Then I tried to explain it all to the Gardener but I totally lost it and started laughing when the whole colt equals foal equals pony conversation came about. Then it was time for bed. I guess that's what fresh air and sunshine does to me...

There was more action in the Squeak last week but I didn't have a chance to blog about it. The local Christians took out a 3 page ad titled Stealth Jihad. It was an article that ran in American Legion magazine. Basically it was a scare tactic, full of false info (for the last time, we are not at war against Muslims!) and half truths and all kinds of criticism against our current president. There was also another ad that I thought was interesting as a follow up to the previous week's ad about Allah and Islam being the Anti-Christ. Let met be clear, I am not siding with Islam or do I think that religious based extremism is in any way acceptable by saying this local group should be able to worship wherever they please as long as they are within the limits of the law, nor am I trying to bash Christianity. I am happy being a skeptical heathen and think that if people want to practice Islam or Christianity or anything else, they should be able to do so as long as they aren't infringing on the rights of others while doing so. Scaring local residents with words like terrorism and Jihad in my mind isn't a very neighborly thing to do.

That's it for me. Be sure to stop by Keely's blog for the whole Random Tuesday line up.

Monday Garden Club

It was finally a beautiful weekend here! There were even big puffy clouds floating around in the sky. A downright rarity around here with the crazy winds we get. Needless to say, we tried to spend as much time outside as possible and of course my camera was in my hand as often as I could set down the shovel and garden claw. It's also dandelion season...
Just don't mistake us as Packer fans.
All of the plants are still hanging out in the greenhouse. Too early to plant most things outside yet. As of last Thursday morning (before this warm weather arrived) we were still getting a frost every night outside. As much as I would like to get started planting in the garden, and there are a few seeds that can be started this early (carrots, peas); I don't like to rush it.
Everything is now out of the basement and wedged in to the greenhouse. It's a tight fit, but it's all in there.
I stopped at one of my favorite greenhouses the other day just to check out their selection and I couldn't believe how many people were there buying all of their annual flowers and tomato plants. They will no doubt be back next week when the stuff they bought gets left outside on a cold night and shrivels up. I couldn't help myself and bought a parsley plant and a pot full of tiny leek plants, 2 things I didn't start myself. When I brought them home, I popped them in the greenhouse...
Oh and some asshole bird shit all over one side of my greenhouse and the entire front end of my car. The Gardener says I should get out the BB gun and start taking them out...

The peach tree we moved a few weeks ago is doing very well and is budding like crazy. We'll remove most of the blossoms this year to give the tree a chance to properly root itself before being forced to produce lots of fruit.
I went through my raspberry patch over the weekend and pulled all of the weeds and thinned out the plants. I dug up about 30 little raspberry plants (mix of red and gold) and offered them to everyone I came across over the weekend. I even ditched one at a friend's house when she wasn't home. I still have a few left if anyone wants one. Come and get 'em!
My next project will be weeding the asparagus. The grass and dandelions are definitely crowding them so I need to get on this soon.The rhubarb is now growing tall and full, if anyone wants any please come and get some. We have lots!

Now for all you gardeners out there who wish to participate, either leave a comment on what's growing in your yard, or post a Monday Garden Club update on your blog. Don't forget to drop your link in the comments and I'll add it to this post.

Participating Bloggers:
Out In Them Sticks

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Tuesday again, time to get all random with the Un-Mom...

Anyone participate in Boobquake yesterday? I wore a tank top in support of the silly day (which isn't much different than most days for me or is it very revealing anyway, but immodesty is immodesty right?) although I didn't leave the house except for when I ran out to get eggs but even then, I threw on a sweatshirt before leaving because it was cold and windy outside. (If you're scratching your head and didn't happen to see this on any blogs or on Facebook, it's worth a click here for an explanation and here for the results.)

Spring is being stubborn.

Yesterday I chased 2 loads of CLEAN laundry across our gravel driveway after they escaped the grip of the many carefully placed clothespins on the clothesline. Once, the basket full of clean clothes even blew away from at my feet. Ridiculous wind! At least it's not coming from the direction of the pig farm across the road.Tomorrow Mae has appointment with her immunologist (just a check up) down at Children's Hospital. We decided to make a day of it and go to the Art Museum while we're in the city since I recently won 2 tickets from the local public radio station! Mae also wants to use the book store gift card she won last week. Gift cards and free tickets are even more fun to use when money is tight!

Money may be tight but I seriously needed a haircut, so I finally gave in today and went in for a trim. It's not much different than before, just past my shoulders and a few layers but cleaned up and not so "fried" looking. That's at least how the hair stylist described my hair pre-cut.

I'm getting better at taking photos of myself in the mirror. At least they are pretty much in focus. I have a friend who can get a perfect shot every time by holding the camera out in front of herself. It's a talent really.

That's it for me today. Be sure to stop by Keely's blog for the whole Random Tuesday line up.

Monday Garden Club

Monday again, and after an entire weekend of rain, almost 3 inches to be exact, I was so happy to see the sun shining this morning. I'm sure my little greenhouse is loving it too. The poor thing didn't get above 50 degrees all weekend. This morning after we wheeled it out of the garage and uncovered it, the plants looked awfully droopy and sad but once I gave them all a big drink and the temperature and humidity started climbing because of the sunshine, they all started to perk up.




Only 2 flats left under the lights in the basement. So far this year I have been very careful about starting plants at the right times to make sure that they are just right when I plunk them into the garden about a month from now. Come to think of it, I could have even waited a little longer with some of the stuff I started last week because it's already getting huge. I'm pretty sure that the heat mats have shortened the germination times so the info on the seed packets is a little off. Not that I'm complaining, the heat mats have turned out to be the best investment so far this year and are great for a gardener like me that likes to see results every day.

Last week I started Cantaloupe, watermelon, honey dew, cucumbers, giant pumpkins (the girls are really excited about these!) and another batch of broccoli.
Almost time to find some room for these guys in the greenhouse and shut down the basement operation until next year.
I found these tall clear covers at Menard's of all places after searching for them at every garden center in the tri-county area. They are perfect for seedlings (or cuttings, if you're into that) that get tall right away but still need the protection and humidity that a cover provides. These even have sliding vents to control the temperature and were only about a dollar each!
Tulips are still blooming like crazy. The girls have been enjoying cutting some for their rooms and were astonished the other day when they noticed that their cut tulips had grown and were tipping over their little shot glasses vases. Did you know that tulip stems keep growing even after you cut them???


Now for all you gardeners out there who wish to participate, either leave a comment on what's growing in your basement yard, or post a Monday Garden Club update on your blog. Don't forget to drop your link in the comments and I'll add it to this post.

Participating Bloggers:

Sheila

Out In Them Sticks

More Controversy In The Squeak

Something from this week's issue of The Squeak (our local small town newspaper) has me all fired up, again.
Here's what's going on:

WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE - It is a hot topic in rural Sheboygan County near Oostburg. A Muslim doctor and several others are looking for a permanent place to worship. Some people in the area are not happy about having a Muslim Mosque in their community.

Manitowoc Dr. Mansoor Mirza and several others living in Sheboygan County have purchased a building off Sauk Trail Rd. near Oostburg in the Town of Wilson and want to turn it into a Muslim mosque. "The closest place to Appleton...We wanna place to teach out children for social gatherings, so it's important to us."

While Christian leaders FOX6 spoke with in Oostburg realize there is a freedom of religion in our country, they have safety concerns when it comes to the practicing Islam in rural Sheboygan County. Rev. Wayne Devrou said, "There's some people that are afraid and their afraid for a good reason, because Islamic philosophy and ideology starts in a mosque and throughout the world Islamic terrorism comes from its roots and worship in the mosque."

Muhammad Isa Sadlon is the CEO and Executive Director of the Islamic Center of Milwaukee. He says while this is a unique situation, patience and acceptance is needed. "Neighbors have questions. People in the community wanna know somethings about us. It will take a little bit of time. It will be a process, but god willing it will move forward."

FOX6 has been told small groups have been holding worship services in the building for about a month. Wilson town leaders decided to extend the conditional use permit time for another two months, a decision is expected then. The area is currently zoned highway commercial.

A former Muslim turned Christian is scheduled to speak at the First Reform Church about Islam in the coming weeks.

I figured there would be some people who don't understand and have a hard time recognizing that religions other than the many flavors of Christianity exist and are practiced right here in our community, but calling another religious group the Anti-Christ and carrying on about terrorism is completely over the top. This isn't some rogue Islamic group straight out of the Middle East looking to set up a tire and monkey bar obstacle course to carry out extremist views. No, this is a doctor trying to create a place of worship that is within a reasonable distance for his family and others in the community.

It wasn't even me that saw the ad and muttered "what the fuck?" The Gardener, a former Catholic and altar boy during High School turned agnostic in recent years was enraged to read such bigotry while scanning the pages looking for a deal on a used roto-tiller. Of course he handed me the paper and said "here's a number I think you should call." (The Squeak requires all people placing classified ads to include either their name or phone number.) I didn't call because I know I can't change the mind of someone so opposed to religious diversity. Just makes my skin crawl that in the US, a nation with religious freedom, people can be so disrespectful to their neighbors.

I know not all local Christians feel this way and I do not intend to irritate anyone by posting this. I just feel that we should be respectful to all religious beliefs as long as they aren't infringing on the rights of others.

What do you think about this?