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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Plop, splat, plop…plop….splat

That was the sound of our wet clothes as they hit the laundry room floor at 9:30 Tuesday evening.  

It’s been so blasted hot we’re outside early morning and again after supper till dark.

Monday night we lost light at 9:30 along with all our energy…..it was still 85 degrees with 65% humidity. My hair was so wet I looked like I’d just stepped out of the shower. 

Last night wasn’t much different other than it was still 88 at 11 pm UGH!  But, It’s so worth it as Mr.Fixit is totally on board now with composting.

Don’t get me wrong, he was before but didn’t understand the amount we really needed for the garden. We do have a compost bin…but it is 1 bin & we keep adding to it….so its never done. I’ve tried shifting some to the side but it ends up mixed back in.

  So far this summer I’ve bought 4 yards of compost and could use 4 more .  1yard = a front end loader scoop.  Granted 1 yard was only $5.00 but, it was the time/gas/quality and yes money I had a problem with when, with better resource management we could do it ourselves.  So, after much discussion, I’m getting 3 large compost bins.  At the shop he receives shipments weekly on pallets & will be bringing them home to reuse.  I’m hoping we have enough to get 1-2 built this coming week and will add other sections as he receives more pallets. 

The other change is to put the plans for a pool on hold till next year.

Our pool became Fred and Ethel. 

Yes, that’s right I named them

A friend of ours retired & moved from a large land holding into a smaller home in town.  He sold us Fred and Ethel for less than 1/3 the cost of a new mower and trailer. Its half the size of the tractor and cuts the same width making it much easier for me to use.  Less than 3 years old and has just over 100 hours on the motor….to good of a deal to pass up!

IMG_2743

Mr. Fix-It on Fred….

.Ethel was off to the side half loaded with grass clippings

With over 5 acres there is a LOT of grass to mow.  A lot of grass to mow = a wonderful base for compost~! Monday evening he mowed the 2 acres in front of the house blowing the clippings in deep rake easy rows.  When I finished yesterday afternoon (with help from my SIL Jessie and the kids), I ended up with 8 (1 yard) trailer loads of clippings!  That’s not counting all the clippings I used to mulch the pathways in the garden (1-2 more loads)    Talk about a work out LOL! 

We’ve plenty of carbon to blend in with the grass clippings & intend to do this again 2-3 more times this summer.  A neighbor on the other end of the field has horses and cattle and are more than happy to let me fill a few buckets of manure to mix in the piles. WOOT! So excited I was doing a happy dance.

10 years ago If you told me I’d be dancing over compost I would have asked what time you were due for your meds!

The garden is going crazy, beans are nearly ready, squash and pumpkin are growing like gang busters…updates later I think I’ve rambled enough for now

Ah, I’m a happy girl!

Katie

6 comments:

  1. I feel your pain of the sweat and wet clothes. Its been in the 90s here..ick.

    your raised beds are looking awesome. We just inherited 5 acres from my father in law, and I know what that is like mowing it..

    Every thing looks good though ...enjoy!

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  2. JUGM, sorry to hear your FIL passed. Not sure if I commented on the post but, please know you've all been in my thoughts and prayers.....
    The raised beds have been wonderful. I credit the rabbit poo. Everything I've mulched with it has grown like crazy!

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  3. Katie,

    I would love to have a Fred and Ethel lawn mower, ours is a push with self propelled and it still a lot of work to push around. Granted I don't have 5 acres and only cut 1/2 but still it's a lot of work in the heat.

    It's terrible feeling hot and soaking wet all day when trying to work, our temperatures are running 100+, I'll trade you!

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  4. When I read the title I thought you;d got some cows, when they 'manure' it sounds a lot like that! hahah! 5 acres? Enough to fence and raise some sheep fer the freezer :D We bought a wormery a few months back and that's been great for producing worm tea for fertiliser for the garden, and makes for some nice worm castings too, not enough for what you need of course. We can't produce enough compost for our needs either, that would be a really major operation so generally buy it in by the trailer load. The veggies are looking great.

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  5. I just came in from a day of mulching with grass clippings! Now I feel underprivileged 'cause I don't have a Fred and Ethel!! Hubby and I have actually discussed a riding mower, but the cost keeps us from looking into an actual purchase. We keep telling ourselves walking behind a self-propelled is good exercise, right? The way I feel right now, more exercise is not what I need!

    I actually felt excited hearing about your series of compost bins to be built from the pallets. Yep, gardening is about a lot more than just sticking seeds in some dirt, isn't it? I look forward to seeing pictures of your bins when you get them set up.

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  6. So glad you are such a happy girl and you have every right to be! Congrats on Fred!

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Katie