Roses, Dirt and Gloves

Yeah, I know it's smack in the middle of February. Yeah, I know we could still get the snowstorms. And after that, we could get ice storms. Spring is still SEVERAL weeks away, officially. But ... after these last two rounds with snow and bitter cold, we're back to a week of BE-AU-TI-FUL sunny, mild weather. Very nice indeed! So, realizing that spring isn't "that far away," we're getting our garden plans in gear. Right now, that means digging up the garden plot, and planning out seeds. We'll be starting a few indoors, especially tomatoes.


As a part of all this activity, we've also been tidying up around the house. We chopped down and hauled off a bunch of scraggly "sucker" trees that were growing around our back porch steps. We're working on the west edge of our property to get all the scraggly weeds out and get that more "open." Also, we have this rose bush on the east side of our house. It's gaining a slight "history" since we've been here. Today, I went out and trimmed it back pretty harshly, so when things really warm up, maybe it'll go to town.




To start this little story, here's how this rose ... uh, "vine?" ... looked two years ago the spring after we moved in the previous fall. I didn't think it would do anything, and I didn't pay any attention to it at all. Lo and behold, it put out some pretty rose blooms, even though it looked awfully scraggly! The first picture is the rose "vine," and the second picture shows the blooms it put out without any help from anyone.






Then, that next fall, in the course of trimming stuff around the house, our older Son really whacked it back with the weed eater. I think he wasn't paying attention, and thought it was just some viney thing that needed gotten rid of! BUT ... last year in the spring, look what happened!


First, this showed up:




Then a week later, it was REALLY showing off!






So I'm not too worried about whacking it back, we'll just have to wait and see what happens this time around. :)


And wow, are those rose stems thorny! I used my cowhide cowgirl work gloves just to be on the safe side. They worked excellently. That's not the first time I've used leather gloves for an unusual purpose. One time when I was a teenager, we had some kittens to deliver to new owners. They were pretty young yet, but they ate regular food out of a scrap pan. Most of them were tame enough we could catch them to put them in the box. But one was still this wild thing, he wouldn't let you near him! Well, I got the idea to put on leather gloves, and somehow sneak up on him and catch him. I got the gloves on, put some food in the pan, and he went up to eat. (The others were in the box already, I was saving him for LAST!) So, verrrrry carefully, I snuck up, and GRABBED him. He promptly sunk his sharp little kitten teeth in the area between my thumb and hand! I mean he bit down like he meant it! But his teeth didn't touch me, thanks to those thick leather gloves! He got put in the box, and all the way out to the farm they were going to, we thought the box would explode for all his tearing around in there. So I really had to hold those flaps down!


Yesterday was a beautiful day, mild, and with high clouds in the sky, which I LOVE. A perfect day (and a normal Monday) to have a lot of laundry on the line.



I love it when the sky looks like this. I hate blaring sun.



So with the beautiful day we had, the boys and I worked on our garden project. We're having to spade up a brand-new plot in our back yard. We spent the last two years getting the stickers eradicated. Now it's TIME to do something fun and useful. I was ecstatic to be able to be out working in the dirt, imagining what we'll be planting, resting on a straw bale ... loved every bit of it!


Younger Son helping.



Both boys working.




I had the spade, doing some digging. Older Son helps me with this, too.




Older Son had the new garden tool, a "twisting"-type of cultivator. I'd been wanting one for a long time, and it works great. First, you stick it in the dirt.




Then you give it a twist as you pull up.




It loosens the dirt beautifully! We're using this, plus the 4-pronged thingy younger Son has to sift through and get the CRAB GRASS ROOTS OUT.




Younger Son picking out grass roots.




"The Garden Lady." This Cowgirl got told by the Dr. who did her surgery to have a HAT and a LONG-SLEEVED SHIRT when she went out in the sun. So ... she is keeping that in mind.




Three rows dug! Plus the wheat in the foreground after a couple of good drinks from the recent snows. Won't be long before it starts getting thicker and taller.




After awhile, the boys played football this time, tearing around the yard, screeching, laughing and tackling each other. While I sat on a straw bale and drank water and laughed at them.


While we were working in the garden, we had a visitor. He came from the yard to the south, ambling around their outbuilding, sniffing around for things. So we got the camera real fast, and older Son went and took pictures of him. And NO, we did NOT touch him! Even though older Son wanted to borrow my gloves and go catch him! I THINK NOT! But we did get a few photos, even though the critter did NOT want to hang around us.


Looking for stuff to eat, looks like the "headless armadillo."




YOU CALLIN' ME NAMES?



I'M OUTTA HERE! Y'ALL ARE RUDE! WON'T EVEN LET A GUY EAT!



And ... this makes me think that I'll have to get some kind of garden fence, or he may make a mess of our garden!