FRUSTRATING FEBRUARY

As February comes to a close, I can’t help but think of all the things that I should have done but didn’t. There have been several setbacks and health complications that added up to one big frustrating month. So, I need to recount the few things I did get done just to show myself that the month wasn’t a complete loss.

I’ve had trouble with seed starting. I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve always struggled with it. It’s just that I’m really counting on it this year to have enough plants for my expanded garden. Started plants are going to be too expensive to buy this year. I’ve tried starting the broccoli and cabbage twice now. I’ve continued researching the problem and might try planting one more time but, now that the plants for the spring garden are way behind schedule, I’m waffling about wasting my time and seeds.

The boysenberries and apple trees received their February feeding of fertilizer. One of the boysenberries already has green leaves on it! This year I need to do a better job watching for pests and diseases on the apple trees. There should be more growth on the boysenberry bushes in this second year, so I need to keep ahead of that and attach the vines to the fence for support. I ordered two more boysenberry bushes and they should arrive sometime in March.

I created my list of equipment and projects for this year. That will help me plan for the expense and to let Oscar know what I need him to do and when it needs to be done. This will, hopefully, teach him to plan his own time more efficiently to allow him to have fun away from the homestead on the weekends.

We started cutting out some of the scrub trees and bushes along the driveway. We were supposed to do a little every weekend but that didn’t happen – we only got one session done. It’s easier to park my car now so I’m sure glad we got that first little bit done.

Yesterday, we acquired and picked up a used 330-gallon water tank. After cleaning it out, I will use it to capture rainwater for irrigating my Three Sister’s Garden. This is the kind of tank I got:

I got a good start on Swedish Death Cleaning in my back bedroom. Not only did I identify a lot of items to get rid of, I also actually did get rid of them! Some went to the garbage, some to a charity shop and some to another person. This is one of those on-going projects, so I am by no means finished. Getting started is always the biggest step though, so I have done that.

Also in February, I’ve worked on updating my Important Documents Binder and filling holes in my food supply this month, too. I had participated in the #ThreeRiversChallenge (on Instagram) in January which has you eating out of your pantry for a month (some people did two months). This really helped me see where my food supply needed to be improved.

The chickens are healthy and happy and laying lots of eggs. I even have a paying customer now. A few more of those and the chickens will be earning their keep by covering their own food costs.

One bright spot of the month is that the daffodils along the sides of the roads have started blooming. I love seeing their cheery flowers!

Marching forward into March …