Annual sunburn!

So much to do, that I have to remind myself I have all summer to do it!
Last year this time I had Lymes Disease and was very sick, taking 6 weeks to feel real well, making it difficult to do gardening. Plants are all ready to go in the garden and holding well till I have time to get them in the garden. The soil is ready for them.
We have lettuce and spinach ready to eat but the peas grown on the outside garden fence got eaten by the ducks. Duh. No more growing them there.
Planting seeds in the coldframe to start worked very well. I transfered cole crop seedlings to cells to hold and they are doing well except for the slugholes. I had to put pellets (organic of course) out to kill the slugs. I have to stay on the ball and check on all the babies. I was on my way to Master Gardener (MG) job last week and remembered I had left the window down on the coldframe. I was worried but everything was fine, the frame did not get more thatn 80 degrees.
Cleaning up the potting table from the Down to Earth garden club plant sale is taking a little longer than wanted, plants and pots everywhere. We made about $1400 in a day and a half. Hard work last weekend, loading trucks, setting up tables, selling plants, giving advice, packing up and putting everything away. Whew.
I went to the Jefferson Fairgrounds to work on a MG project. We got a nice job on the first flower bed, ready to plant and several tubs planted and ready for our demonstration in July. We worked four hours there is more work there in the weeks to come. Then it was off to the City building, two hours there working on two of the beds. Hence the sunburn. Too much time in the sun.

The Family Life I Never Had

Howard and I went to Fort Erie to celebrate my dad's 80th birthday with him this past weekend, May 11th is the actual birthday. It is first time that I remember ever making a fuss over his birthday, going to dinner, making a cake, giving gifts, etc. It was a look into my family dynamics I never had before.
Paul, my youngest brother drove up from Texas and his son drove down from Cambridge, Ontario to spend the weekend. I have never been there at the same time as one of my brothers, yes and Dad is 80. Over the years, I have been the only one to consistently visit my father, wherever he lived. I don't think Jay or Dona have been to my father's house in the last 20 years, it's probably been longer than that if ever for Jay.
You are probably wondering why. It is as simple as brain disorders and alcoholism running rampant in a family and no outside the family support for a military family. Dad was very abusive, emotionally and physically for any number of reasons, to my mother and us kids. My mother left him when I was 13 years old, driving from Mobile, Alabama to Lebanon, New Hampshire in three days with four kids. We got back together within six months but a final break was established within another year.
There was a lot of pain and anger in there for all of us. Some have managed to get over it and some not. Paul has been sober 16 years today. I found a good drug for the bipolar disorder about that time also and was able to recover my life.
Paul and I have been able to express our wills to Dad because of an interesting incident that happened Sunday before noon. Dad said "I think I'll have a shot of brandy". Paul said "I'd rather you didn't". I said " I'd rather you didn't either, Dad. I love you dearly but I don't like you when you drink". So bless him, he skipped the shot of brandy and we had a great afternoon.
I do grieve the family life I might have had but will cherish all the more the times like this past weekend.

What a life!

I was not up long when the phone was ringing concerning a problem with the job in the wood shop supporting the floor of the apartment.
My intentions were to work on prom gowns (8 to be altered) when Paul (my brother visiting from Texas) left for NY and visit our brother living there.
Debbie Renner stopped to see about us planting some corn in the newly worked up garden that was Bill and Mildred's old garden 20 yrs ago. So I got the tiller running after I pulled a mouse nest made of duck down out from around the motor. We got rows set up and while Debbie planted five rows of corn I went out to the shop to see how the job was coming along. Ron had jacked up the floor 2 3/4 inches, making progress but what a mess! LOL.
Well I was dirty now and there was no going in to work on gowns so I spent the next hour or so pulling dandelions out of the new garden over at the pond. If I were to let all those seed spread I would really have a mess to deal with later. I rationalized the gardening by telling myself I needed the exersize. Yep.
I finished up in time to go in to the library to be part of an "expert" panel in a gardening program Friends of the Library was putting on at 1 pm. I wore my Master Gardener name tag. Woo Hoo! I was there mostly for moral support to Jan.
I made a mad dash for home thinking I would get some serious sewing done. Not! There was a young woman here that God had sent to me for help with depression. I had a talk with God. "You know I have all this work to do sewing and I know you want me to talk to this woman and help her. So You have to help me get this work done so I don't get stress and sick myself".I think I gave her the support she needs. I sent her home with Bcomplex, Omega three capsules and an audio on fighting negative thinking.
We ate supper and it was still crazy here. I decided to pay a couple bills and balance the checking account when Fred and Linda stopped in, then my 7 oclock appointment got here and left satisfied. Whew.
Well, what do you know. I finally got to working on a couple gowns at 8pm, got two done around 1am.
Now my head is swimming with what I need to do tomarrow.
Praise God for another day!

Glorious weather.

It is actually hot in the house tonight. I was the only person that knew that windows had to be opened and fans turned on. Two hours later it is getting bearable in the beadrooms.
There was lots to do outside so I did a lot of messing around in the gardens. I worked on potting plants for the garden club sale May 22nd and 23rd.