Wednesday, 9 April - Spring business

OH my, I really haven't written in quite a while, have I? Well, we've been busy outside working, and by the time we come in after 8PM some nights, I'm just too pooped to write much. I need to get over that!

The back garden is in, but not much has come up. A few beets here and there, so far, but we're hoping for more. The strawberries are doing fine, as are the broccoli, lettuce, and cabbages we planted from seedlings. But most of the seeds aren't up yet. Maybe it's been too wet, or maybe it's the soil which, when it rains, becomes a brick-like cake. At least the onions have rooted and are sending up their green shoots. The birds didn't get any probably because the clay-muck solidified around them!

We had several breezy, dry, sunny days, so I was able to get out and sand and paint the rails on the side porch. The previous owner put a primer on but never got to the finishing coat, so I'm doing that. Next comes the deck itself, but I need some super-hardy deck paint for that, plus I'm out of the white exterior I used on the rails. The front porch is in pretty sad shape paint-wise, so that has a high priority as well. The carport needs touching up here and there too.

We've now mowed three times, and though we were wondering if we could continue to use the tractor here, it's a big help. We have an acre of lawn, roughly, and since it's flat, I don't feel like I need a seat belt on the mower!

Barry got in this afternoon from fertilizing most of the lawn and planting grass seed over the areas that were killed off by last year's drought. They have come back, but with light green weeds, so at least it's not brown, but a nice green lawn would look much better.

We've also researched black walnut trees -- seeing that we have two of them just over our property line. Any black walnuts that fall on our lawn are OURS! We'll need to husk, wash and dry them for several weeks, but next winter we two NUTS hould have all the walnuts we want!

I just wish I could name everything that Barry has planted here. No doubt, I have done so at one time or another in these blogs, but to remember everything all at once? Let's see -- peach tree (2), nectarine tree, blueberry bush (2), day lily (too many to count), lavender, chives, parsley, spearmint, oregano, rosemary(?), strawberries, spinach, lettuce, beets, swiss chard, white onions, yellow onions, garlic, asparagus, kiwi...and right now he's transplanting tomato seedlings into larger containers. Left to go are cantelope, watermelons, corn. There, I think I've named it all -- feel like Old Mother Hubbard who had so many plants she didn't know who they all were!

We're headed up to Keeneland (THE most beautiful race track in the world) Friday morning. In addition, we're going to the University of Kentucky Library, where they will download for me a copy of a map of Boyle and Mercer Counties done on 1876 that shows all the homeowners. That way I can tell who lived where here on our road, which in turn will help my genealogical research on all the inhabitants since the area was settled. Old genealogists never die, they just lose their relatives...

At Keeneland on Friday, we'll watch the Maker's Mile (sponsored by Maker's Mark Kentucky Bourbon. It's a G-1 horse race, which means it's in the same class as the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont and the Preakness. On Saturday comes the Bluegrass Stakes (CBS, 5:00 PM I think). Watch for us on TV! Some of the horses there will definitely be running in the Derby the first Saturday in May. We're staying over, partly because of the price of gas, but mostly because we'll be attending the Maker's Mark street party in downtown Lexington -- we're "official" Ambassadors - which simply means we spread the word about how good Maker's is!

Off topic -- did any of you catch the video of the two turkeys fighting on the Maine Turnpike exit at Biddeford? It was on Lexington news, and CNN of all places! Only in Maine, huh? Just "Google" "turkey" and "Maine Turnpike"!

There. That's about it -- except, Alison, what the heck is happening at Messalonskee HS? Please let me know but do NOT use school email!