Monday Message

"Follow the prophet. He has counseled us to plant a garden and fruit trees. This year don’t just think about it—do it. Grow all the food you possibly can. Also remember to buy a year’s supply of garden seeds so that, in case of a shortage, you will have them for the following spring." (Vaughn J. Featherstone)

It is time to put that garden in.

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/how-much-you-need-to-plant-to-feed-a-family.html - I love her site.

Our frost date is the tenth but I have had an eye on the weather and we have warm weather so I went ahead and planted. It was a hard and very painful job for me but it is tended. Hoping that is the worst of it. It took two days and lots of pain. I have fibromyalgia and so it is very painful to do it. But you hopefully won't have it so hard. I gather grass clippings to put on to keep the weeds at bay.

This year we put in two apple trees and two plum trees, some grapes, asparagus, another rhubarb because mine wasn't doing well and I think it was offended so it started to improve?? :p

We put in a strawberry bed and for Mother's Day my husband got this flexible tubing and screen material to make a cover for the strawberries. I will pull up each side to work in there. This was my request for Mother's Day.

I watch a YouTube channel where the gal is a knitter and spinner - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv312NpaAm8 I loved the sweater she designed and knit, it is the one she is wearing. She called for test knitters and I signed up to be one. It was a frugal thing to do as you get the pattern free to knit and find any errors before she releases the pattern for everyone else. Since we are watching our budget like all of you are, I thought even though I would be busy with the garden I would do it as I like the sweater. This is a stretch my skill thing as well.

I am using what yarn I already have on hand from that famous yarn haul years ago. After doing the swatches, I finally decided to pick the yarn on the right in the picture.  

This project bag is one I made last year...if you look closely at the picture you will see my supervisor Gus who was thoroughly bored to sleep.

Now that the garden is in I will be working hard on this knitting project.

I was amazed to see my parsley was still alive and growing after the hard winter we had.

We ordered a package of socks for my husband from Walmart  and this is the second sock I have had to fix. I expect I will have to do them all. The hole is in the exact same spot as other one was, it just separates from the heel, there's no wear. It's like they used some lesser yarn to attach the heel. Plus, if you notice in the first picture, that light gray yarn is pilling really badly, not like the rest of the sock, so I suspect it to be the culprit.  

So if you were unlucky enough to have gotten these socks, time to work on your darning skill. My tip is to mend whatever needs it right away. It is easier to take fifteen minutes now rather than spend hours mending a stack of things later and you won't be behind as well. It makes you appreciate a stitch in time saves nine, doesn't it?

It is the frugal thing to do and we are all going to have to be more frugal as time wears on.

I am reminded over and over of Noah's ark and what preps they must have had to do. We don't have it as hard because we don't have to clean up all that animal poo :p

Gus says be working on your storage. The wheat shortage will effect most things we eat so be sure you have what you need on hand. And if you don't eat wheat, store what you can have as people will probably turn to that if they can't get the other.

Missy says keep wearing masks, Covid is rising again. She also wonders how one grows cat food in the garden??