Bright Meadow Farms

The air smells like a storm is coming tonight. It was actually almost muggy when I left work, coming out of the air-conditioning.

I made my rounds after work, visited my 96-year-old grandma, then visited my brother's neighbor who was rumored to have robin's egg-blue Aracuana eggs for sale. She's been giving them to my brother as a "new neighbor" gift. I've been looking for a regular supplier of farm-fresh eggs since the lady I was buying eggs from gave it up, so I was delighted to make her acquaintance. She also raises Komondor puppies and is evidently one of the top breeders of this rare breed.

So, then had to stop by my brother's and admire the new shower stall he and DH are installing in his new house. Drove home and on the way couldn't resist going down the country road a few miles from home to check out how the strawberry U-pick operation there is doing, since my strawberry plants are in bloom. I think the couple who owns the farm are fairly elderly, and I am always afraid some day they are going to give it up. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to be this year! They had irrigation going all over, there were sprays of water all over several acres.

So, turned around and came on home. After checking emails, went out and moved around about 20 things in the garage to get out the push-mower to do some trimming. It is old, old, old, and tired. My father made me mow the lawn 40 years ago with the very same model of Craftsman mower - It's red, and has a row of white "teeth" at the front. DH retrieved ours from someone throwing it away, gave it some TLC, and so now that is our push-mower. It hasn't been used yet this year. It only took about 35 pulls on the rope for me to get it started. I mowed a few places I missed last night on the riding mower, but when I got into the heavy lawn near the road (hasn't been trimmed yet this year) the mower stalled and I could not start it again for anything.

So pushed it back up the hill and moved a few more things in the garage around and got out the tiller, to give the garden a good going-over before planting. The weeds are sprouting. It must really be comical to see me operating this tiller. It is a Troy-Built Junior, and it is just a little bit too much for me. It is fine on soil that is loose and already worked up, but when the tines hit some compacted soil, that tiller just yanks me along like a rag doll, hanging on for dear life.

If I have a choice, I use my Mantis for tilling. It just takes a lot longer because the tines are so much narrower, and it works differently, and I have to make a lot more passes to get as much acreage covered.

My optimum choice is to have DH do the tilling!

I did manage to get 3/4 of the garden tilled before it got too dark to see. Luckily the rain held off. Put the tiller back in the garage and locked everything. There's a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms every day through Friday. If it rains it might be hard to plant on May 15, our official frost date.

Tomorrow MUST follow up on the Propex, I received a call that they did have some remnants after all.