Finally Starting My Seedlings For My Fall Garden

Sunday:

I've been trying for a few days now, and seemed to run out of time (or oomph) to actually get it done. We'd brought the soil and seed starter, and my peat pots, over to the house last week, but I just hadn't made time until today. I now have Iceberg Lettuce and 2 different types of Cucumber seeds potted and watered in with banana peel water ... they should be ok to plant out in 3-4 weeks. I'm thankful we have "comfortable" Autumns here in SC.

I have to get some broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage started over the next few days as well, and get some potatoes in the ground.

We had rain today, and it's promised again for tomorrow, but I'm hoping that next weekend I can get the "veggie patch" over at the property, ploughed. It'll only be maybe 30' x 15' but that'll be good enough for us this year. We can make a bigger one next year.  Hubby just has so many ther things to do over there at the mo.

Monday:

Disappointed today, hubby went into Tractor Supply in Williamston and they had NO SEEDS. Apparently "they are seasonal and we had to throw them out". What? I've had to go online and order direct from Ferry Morse for my greens, but I also remembered to order Marigolds as well, to help keep down the pests naturally. 

On a good note, we retried Lady outside without a leash and she stayed close. She and I had our usual time in the car, with her lounging across the passenger seat

and her head on my thigh (me being in the driver's seat) and then I let her out to go in by herself, with Mark calling her. He has to walk her on a leash for potty breaks though as she justs sits by me and won't go do her business.

She just loves to be loved. She is such a good girl, and has come so far but still a long way to go. She gets nervous sometimes around Mama, and bares her teeth, and does the same when she is in her pen eating her food if she sees them. Not with us, but def with Mama and Sonny.

Mama and Sonny, on the other hand, are quite happy being free to roam around when we are there, and come into the barn to check on me all the time. Plus they know where the ice water, food and treats are! They've also started playing with each other a lot more, almost puppy like, which is lovely to watch.

At home, wow, Little Bit is now allowed outside to play with her brothers, and she and Brunel have a def connection. She is a total pain, skedaddles around him, nips at his ankles like she does ours, and has him chase her and chases him. She even lays like he does (as my granddaughter once said about Bru "your dog's broke"). He will have his legs up in the air, and his body twisted to the other side, with his head on the ground FAST ASLEEP ... and now she does it too. She seems to get bigger every day. Lightning just looks at them both, like "really???" and the expression on his face is hilarious. Rover tolerates her, but I think he's afraid to play with her after what happened between them before. He just walks away when she tries to play with him.

Hubby has been working on adapting an exhaust fan, to be a stand up fan for the barn, and has made a pretty neat encasement, and it's looking good! One of many projects. Still working on the fencing too, it's just so hot. Too hot to be doing it for too long.

Exhausted!

Sometimes you have to realise your frailties more than usual. Running back and forth, between home and our property in Belton, is tiring us out! But we have obligations, and so there's no rest for the wicked, as they say. 

At home, we have Brunel and Lightning (currently on daddy's bed)

and Rover (the great-grand-puppy, on nanny's bed), plus Little Bit
who gets her own special time on the bed. I am (sadly) very much a helicopter parent with her so still treat her more warily than the boys.

I worry they may play too rough with her, or get jealous, so I give her her own time. Plus there really isn't room for 4 dogs on 2 beds when a human wants their spot too. Then we have the cat, Madam,

fixed in her ways and deserving of a peaceful older age (she's 13) so there have to be times when there are NO DOGS in the bedroom, to give her some space, and quiet.

On the other hand, down in Belton, we have Sonny, Mama

and Lady kenneled in the barn with ice water, food and 5 fans blowing, and an outdoor run,

plus Solomon, Max, Sunshine and Maisie our goats, and our one solitary surviving chicken. We go down there to let the goats out of their shelters to graze, and the dogs to hang out with us on the porch and get lovings, and go walkies.

We're down there a few hours, and Mark gets on with different chores while we're down there.

Today, we had a scare. Lady, who has been nothing but clingy with us, went off the porch and into the barn (she does this when she feels stressed and usually goes back in her kennel and lays down on her bed). What we didn't realise was that she didn't do that today. Instead, she went out the tractor door and absconded.

We hunted all over the property. Nothing. I drove over to where they had been trapped by animal control. Nothing. I was getting very panicked. Mark drove back over again, and she was just coming out of the woods on Carroll, and he called her and she looked at him and tried to lope away. He told her not to, and she started acting silly and submissive and lay down for him, belly up. He had to carry her back to my car. Unfortunately, this means she will have to only be on a leash when outside again because we can't have her disappearing any time she wants to. Of the 3, I would have expected Sonny to have been the one to try, not her. She is the most clingy, sits between my legs, or snuggles against my chest like she's afraid of the world. Mark thinks it may have been a test - "do they really care? ; will they come looking for me?" Maybe so. Who knows. But, yes we do and yes we did.

I actually did much better in the heat, today, than I had expected to. There was a very slight breeze on the front porch and it def made it more comfortable, breathing wise. And while driving, since my AC went out the other week. 

Little Bit had her 3rd shots yesterday, and goes back September 23rd (my daughter, Tzena's, birthday) for her final set and her rabies. They (as always) followed up with an email today asking if she'd had any issues. She has them fooled. We go in there and she's so quiet and just wants to stay on daddy's lap ... then comes home and acts like a Tasmanian Devil. Zoomies around the bed, tags our feet with either a nose or a paw, totally crazy like the rest of the household. I messaged them back and let them know she was fine. I swear, nothing stops that puppy! 

Tonight I'm hoping for a good night's sleep! My body needs rest!