News from the homestead

• Our garden is half-planted (we are 18 days ahead of last year): peas, kale, cabbage, spinach, leeks, lettuce, two rows of potatoes, a new asparagus bed, etc.
• We have been harvesting parsnips and salsify that we wintered over in the ground - perfect timing, because just ran out of root-cellared carrots last month.
• We are getting around 18 eggs a day.
• The chickens are running free again, which cuts down on feed costs; and this year, Squeeze put up 3 foot chicken wire around the perimeter of our flower/herb gardens to keep them from digging (and destruction). Amazingly, this is working.
• We are going to have a "West Garden" in addition to our existing garden, now known as the "East Garden".
• West Garden = sweet corn, pumpkins, squash, watermelon, musk melon, potatoes, pole beans
• East Garden = carrots, radish, cabbage, broccoli, kale, chard, potatoes, parsnips, salsify, peppers, tomatoes, peas, bush beans, lettuce, horseradish, sunflowers, celery, okra, decorative corn, tomatillos, eggplant, leeks, onions
• We are taking back the perimeter of our property from the corn/soybean commodity crop rotation and plant it with native grasses and flowers. We took back the "Front Four" acres last growing season, which our neighbor planted with alfalfa - a three year commitment.
• Those pesky rabbits killed more of our fruit trees - a couple of apples and a plum. The snow was so high that they were able to get over the barrier and chew almost all the bark off around several saplings. Squeeze is going to encase them in chicken wire to their very tips this year: evidently, 4 feet wasn't high enough in an extra-snowy winter. Doh!

A Special Truen Update:

• He is scooting, rolling around, getting up and off of furniture, climbing stairs, crawling, doing somersaults, and going down the slide - I would say it is safe to conclude that his pain has desisted. Thankfully.
• We go into the Orthopedic Surgeon again this Thursday afternoon for a check-up. I'm sure they will do another x-ray and assess the situation. At the last check-up, they cut his cast on the side and put in a wedge to move the break to a 4 degree angle (previously healing at a 9 degree angle).
• If all goes according to the forecasted plan, Tru-babes should have his cast off in a week or so. I can. not. wait.
• Based off the stories from my 5 yo nephew, who broke his leg in the same spot in January, it may take awhile for him to ease back into walking. They said there was a lot of cramping at first and it took awhile for him to gain the strength and courage to try walking again. It makes sense . . . those muscles aren't getting used inside the cast. Our nephew is still limping in April - not because it hurts, but because his leg is weak. He was in his cast for 7 weeks, though, and his break was worse; I'm really hoping we can drop Truen's cast like a hot rock at 4 weeks. Maybe our transition will be easier? I can only hope. I want this over with.