March! Buckle up and kiss your asters goodbye.......

 Happy Pi Day! 

March 14th and it's a blizzard out so eat more pie! 

Snow is coming down at a pretty good clip and the wind is howling.  

Wind chill is 19 F.  Put those flip flops back in the closet.

The March shoe collection continues to grow by the back door.  

No Manolo Blahniks at the back door but we do have teal Sasquatch boots or yak trax that will get you to the van and keep you vertical also a pair of sandals just in case.

I am ready to garden!  I have plants ready to go in the ground with frost cloth and plastic protective layers.  If they don't go in soon we are just going to start eating them off the shelf. 

Those 70 degree temps in February had me fooled.  I thought we would get a winter blast here or there but not the extended "Arctic Clipper" we are currently enduring followed by a left hit "N'or Easter".  Tomorrow is supposed to be better but then I've been telling that to myself for a week.  If we do hit 44 tomorrow I am hoping it melts all the white stuff and warms a wee patch of ground so I can get the turnips, radishes, kale and lettuce under cover, along with the onions.  The onions have had their bangs trimmed three times, hoping to make stronger roots.  Thursday we hit 60 degrees and by the weekend we are back in the deep freeze.  Fingers crossed these will do OK. 

 

While I wait out Jack Frost I've had time for that annual festivity; 

CAULK THE TUB 💪🎉🥳

You would think I could do this in my sleep by now ........ nope!  I manage to caulk my fingers together, my tools to the tub, the shower head to the wall and myself to the floor.  My family went off on holiday to Florida and left me, two dogs and three chickens to 10 glorious days of solitude.  They called and said; Mom, do you have cold?  You sound funny.  I haven't talked to anyone for 6 days, if you don't use your voice you loose it.  I had big reno plans but I needed to cut wood in the driveway and make big messes.  The weather did not cooperate so I pared down those grandiose ideas; cleaned out the house, cupboards and caulked the dreaded tub.  I have a deep and abiding hatred for this chore and put it off as long as possible.  The dogs slept peacefully along side the sink and toilet, I caulked them to the floor too, accidentally of course!  I freed one and now have a patch of hairy caulk.  I was so close to getting the sledgehammer and just demo-ing the whole mess but I stopped myself as I know what lies behind that plastic insert and it ain't pretty.  I'd be down to studs and no running water in no time while the dogs snored.  Perfect because the new washer and dryer still have not shown up so when I'm down at the river beating my clothes on a rock I can just jump in and take a cold bath.  I feel like I'm headed back in time and not forward; the house is winning....... again.   Just when I was hitting my stride the oldest called from Florida and requested a pick up at the airport.  She was bailing on the Florida trip and coming back to base camp.  Nooooooo......  so I finished up a few death cleaning projects and set my alarm to head to the airport at 11:30 pm 

But wait...... flight delayed it will be more like 12:30 am.  The night bus arrived at Platform 9 3/4 right on schedule at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Picking up the stranded witch or wizard for 11 sickles and returning her to the Leaky Cauldron.  There were angry muggles everywhere!  People, it's 12:30 am be nice or eat a donut!  Carnage...... Cleveland we can do better!  be nice! 

Then the other kid texted, Frontier had just up and cancelled her flight back to Fort Collins.  OK airlines WTF?  I don't fly.  I don't like going through security because I am a smart ass and say things like: don't forget to check for the bomb in my thong, asshole.  Nobody has a sense of humor anymore.  Honestly having your flight completely cancelled thousands of miles from home would have me postal and nobody would be laughing. Free flight points or trips to the lounge revoked and you ma'am are on the "Do Not Fly List".  and I would say thank you!  Drinking would be happening.  Hey and what about this guy Pete Buttigieg?  You know the director of transportation for the entire country, that guy?  I live in OHIO, he finally showed up for the February 3rd train derailment in Palestine on February 23rd, probably too many toxic chemicals.   

How would I fix all these broken systems?  What broken systems you might ask?   Pick one!  Transportation, Schools, Healthcare, Toxic Waste, THE FED, etc  Get a few Mom's on these boards who wrangle a couple kids on fixed income everyday! We are talking peanut butter sandwich and white bread Moms who work for a living.  Better have a coupon or a BOGO when you show up for the that board meeting.  Whaaaat, you left 152 people stranded in Arizona?  I revoke all your gold stars and flight hubs and give them to the neighbor kid until you get your ass back in the saddle and say you're sorry.  Hey and toss in a free drink or massage on your next flight ...... like if you're ever flying again.  I like the reward system.  If you screw over 100 people there should be ramifications!  If you sit in an airport or hospital emergency room more than an hour there should be penalties.  If you put trusting peoples money in junk bonds but give all your employees bonuses before your bank goes bust, your big ass bonus is revoked and given to the guy who couldn't make payroll, you know the people he employees, I think they are called the "little people" or collateral damage.  Ask Putin for tips on collateral damage and there is a vile human out of control who seriously needs a trip to the woodshed.  

The schools?  We are fucked if we can't fund education.  End of story, end of democracy.  Our democracy is looking more like democrazy these days.  

Yes, I'm on a rant but the lunatics are running the asylum again, it's happened before in history and it never turns out well. 

 

This month of March, show fees are due, the National Clay Conference is in full swing tomorrow, and I'm trying to work stuff out in the studio and life in general.  What does one make during these uncertain times?  I will barter fermenting jars for grass fed milk; goat, cow or other cloven hoofed animals.  I look at the headlines every morning and every morning it's another train wreck, stock crash, bank failure, climate change or mass shooting.  I go to the grocery store and have sticker shock.  I am trying to look at the big picture.  Are we feeling good about any of it?  And it's blizzard out and I have daylight savings time adjustment issues.  Crank up the violins I'm having a day here........  

I'm running down to Cinncinati in the morning for the opening at the Clay Conference and meet up with a few friends then back home by Wed. night.  My attention this year is more garden and food related.  I am sick of the grocery store madness and maybe just maybe, home cooked and grown food will be cheaper than government subsidized crap wrapped in plastic and then double wrapped again.  

A lot happens in 10 days ......... 

in other news the chickens are laying and apparently the 17% protein in the feed is working on the chipmunks, I think they finally started laying.

otherwise known as a fairy egg :) 

CSA's and other community related things.......

 

So what's a CSA?  

Community Supported Agriculture...

We decided to sign up for a winter CSA, lasting for 9 weeks (2nd week of January - mid March)  The fee was $207 and seemed very fair, also supported a local farmer.  Will we do it again?  Probably not but glad we did it as it was a great lesson. 

I drove out to the farm every Wednesday by 11 am to pick up our weekly share.  There were times I got home and scratched my head or looked up recipes for unknown squash varieties.  I'm pretty much an acorn or butternut squash gal.  There were varieties we received I have pondered over growing and it took those things right off my "To-Grow" list.   The other, don't bother growing were sweet potatoes.  Sorry but I like the store bought organic ones better.  We received sweet potatoes 2 or 3 times and each time was a bit of a let down; although Kirby and chickens loved every tender morsel!  

I learned I'm a better gardener than I thought because we received a lot of carrots, onions and potatoes.  All, I had in abundance in the ground or basement.  Things going in that basement next year: cabbage and winter squash, maybe a few apples.  (my basement where we don't have a bar or theater or you can play ping pong but you can have a good game of whack a mole!)  We got small bags of parsley (also still picking in the garden), dill (my freezer is full of fresh dill), garlic shoots (I have so much garlic) and so it went.  

I was hoping for way more green stuff.  Like kale, lettuce and bok choi etc.  We would get a small plastic sleeve of one of those greens but it was not enough for even one salad.  We eat quite a few greens.  I know the farm has high tunnels and other winter growing setups and knowing the turn around time on greens is pretty fast I was surprised there were not more greens.  I was also surprised at the shelf life of the lettuce.  Yes, it's a tender green but if I didn't eat it in the van on the way home it was wilted.  Not even an ice cold water bath raised the dead.  The hydroponic lettuce I buy from another farmer in Oberlin will last two weeks (saving time & gas).  Not sure why but this is very curious.  

Also a surprise!

Items not grown and pre-packaged.  Mrs Millers cherry jam, ya not this Mrs Miller!  We don't eat sugar or use jams and jellies.  It's sitting in the fridge because I don't know what to do with it but cannot bring myself to chuck it.  Potatoes in those damn plastic netted bags!  In fact so much of what we received was in a plastic bag, and put in another plastic bag to get it home it's a biggest reason I will not participate again. Even the "Garlic Expressions" bottle is plastic and full of canola oil.  Ya, no canola oil in this house either as it is inflammatory.  I'm already inflamed daily just picking up all the plastic on the beach and in the parks.  Ya, what about that community mindfulness?  We also got a jar of salsa.  I am a home canner, I have salsa in the basement.  

Ok am I being a little harsh?  For us as a family trying to eat as close to the earth as possible; I don't think so. We did enjoy the pea shoots, swiss chard and other greens.  However if you're the "average" American buying food from the local Piggly Wiggly or Costco you probably think this is a great CSA and that is fine and I am truly happy for you and your support of a local farm family!  

The biggest goal for 2023 is to grow greens through the winter.  Whether that will be a hydroponic set up or grow tunnel I'm not sure yet.  But after 9 weeks that was the biggest take away; we want greens and no plastic. 

Meanwhile green is happening here! 

they won't go outside next week but the following week for sure!  The seedlings are strong!  I left them outside yesterday during a wind, snow and pelting rain day.  By the time I arrived back at happy acres I cringed to even see how much damage Mother Nature had inflicted on these little seedlings.  They had been subjected to high wind, rain and ice for over 4 hours.  The pictures above were taken this morning.  Everything looks great, indeed thriving.  So they will go out, covered with a frost cloth and stern talking to about bucking up to March gales, although on second thought maybe they should give me a stern lecture on bucking up. 

And here we go again........ caught red handed in the chicken coop.  

The trash bandit was young and immediately relocated to distant land. 

He didn't try to tear my hands or face off and was relatively docile compared to past masked marauders.

I have been watching the mother of all raccoons make a nightly raid in the coop.  If I caught this thing it would be like a hooking a marlin on worm. Forget the Old Man and the Sea, more like the Old Woman in the Coop.  I am not sure it even fits in the Hav-a Heart trap.  I have baited the trap with sardines and dog food, tuna fish and dog kibble, the smeller the better and nothing.  Thought I'd give it one more try and trapped Petunia.  I felt so bad!  I stay up all night checking the trap because I don't want anything traumatized more than me.   I apologized profusely, opened the door and she scurried away, grumbling.  I shook out the tuna and shrimp tails but they were still there in the morning.  The chickens were so happy for the leftovers. 

I walk around the garden making arm long lists of chores, it's daunting.  Then the wind blows I get a snowflake up my nose and retreat to the studio.  Argh the studio....... time for a change!  

I was sitting here cutting out decal after decal and decided to watch a documentary on Joe Humpherys, the god father of fly fishing.  If you don't know who he is you need to know!  The man is a legend.  He is still alive and still fishing the streams of Pennsylvania and or anywhere the trout are running at the age of 93.  I've watched the documentary on his life three times now.  It occurred to me, we all need be this happy living!  The documentary was not a movie about fly fishing but more a wonderful lesson on how to truly live and be joyful in what you do.  He moves constantly!  He doesn't garden but the man fishes.   I am sitting here cutting out these fucking decals and hating this.  I love throwing, gardening, fishing, paddling etc but this sitting on my ass cutting out decals and then sitting on my ass applying the stupid things is killing me.  It's gonna upset a whole bunch of people and I've already applied to a bunch of shows; paid the jury fees but thankfully not the booth fees.  Not sure where I'm headed but it's going to be very different.  I have given these pots the death stare.  I will finish out what I have and be done!  The financial part is still a quandary but I just cannot make these pots much longer.   Feeling a bit lost in the studio for the first in a very long time. 

Make a bowl of popcorn, put your feet up and treat yourself to a wonderful movie: 

Live the Stream,