I'm bigger also. I lose some, gain some, the more I excersize, the more I eat, I haven't been an American Size 12 for years, I think your UK sizes run smaller, so you must be very tiny maybe about a size 8 American, but just guessing. I'm not very tall also, so the weight is all that much more on me. When I was a size 5, people called me Ethiopian, they don't like skinny women in America, most don't anyways. The meat here is fed hormones to make the animals eat more, fatten them up for market, but it is transferred to people as well, they eat more because of the hormones. I can't blame my weight on eating meat because it's my least favorite part of the meal. I like the sugar and don't drink water, big part of calorie intake. It's the eating, lying down afterwards, staying up all night confusing your daily routine, making you eat more thinking it's time for dinner for the next day. Not getting any sleep will throw you off and get you eating in the middle of the night. Once you become bigger, you eat to supply the normal calorie count you are used to, and then you keep gaining. People eat a lot, no doubt, and if they made a concious effort, they could save at least 1/3 of their grocery bill each week if not half. Considering the global economic and supply issues, I wonder why no on in America really cares to make an attempt. I was impressed that Obama, not my favorite or unfavorite person, grew a Whitehouse Garden, Queen Elizabeth II has had one out for the past few years, so even the big wigs are publicly making attempts to encourage Victory type gardens. It would be wise to take a hint, if it's one at all. I researched Victory Gardens and basically they reclaimed unused property, the owners had no say so, for temporary gardens and supplied water at half price to anyone willing to pay for the lot for the year, the price then was something like 5 dollars. It must have been a nice effor though. I've never noticed what size tables though, I'll have to take a look. My dad stands about 6 foot 4 inches, so I see the tables usefull for taller people. Several of my cousins stand 6 foot 5 or more. I'm the runt of my siblings at only near 5 foot 4 inches. We might find research on why the tables are like that somewhere, a restaurant would definitely prefer the hungrier bigger man to a little 110 pound woman. I would imagine someone from Europe would not like American food. An American would feel the same, you guys over there just started to carry cookies and your peanut butter is different. Your pizza parlors sell quiche, I've never had quiche and I love eggs, but I would definitely prefer pizza. America wouldn't know what to do with a supermarket that sold rabbit or goat meat.

I'll bet you have a lot more free time on your hands now that the electricity is back on, huh Marian? In the brief time our's was out I found there was a lot of thinking and preparation involved to keep some hot water ready to go and to accomplish even the easiest chores. I knew you'd be fine because you're resourceful, but it's easier to have electricity! You're suffering from "Post Hookup Blues". :) Nice break in the cold weather yesterday. The helpmeet worked on gouging channels through the ice on the driveway so the melt water is directed to the sides of it. I was amazed at how quickly it melted from the area directly in front of the garage bays. And there is no ice left on the back deck for the first time in nearly 3wks.. Nice! cold again today, but another warm up for later in the week. I spent yesterday adding another dollop of phenoseal to the nail holes. The product is water-based and as it dries it contracts and the depressions left were deeper than I wanted. The key to a successful, strong, longer lasting painted floor is to minimize the places where the paint will be asked to flex as that causes cracking (learned that the hard way). I masked off the mopboard (until I ran out of tape) and have primed the perimeter of the room to about 12" out from the wall. That will make rolling the floor a lot easier and will minimize any roller spatter. The prime coat is always the worst one to apply as the substrate is thirsty and it's important to work the primer in. I used a 3" brush and by the time I was finished my hands and wrists were toast. They're still a trifle sore this morning, so I'll take it easy for a few days. Michelle, your new office area is terrific. So neat and clean, bet DH can't wait to start stuffing things into all those cabinets. I love the use of the fabric in the area over the desk top; it adds a nice, quiet bit of interest, one that won't be overwhelmed and look messy when things are tacked to the board it covers. Very clever, and for .50/yd. how could you go wrong?! Bella looks most industrious, Eden. Valentine's Day is serious business, clearly. ;) I love the floor you linked above, too. I have several excellent book on decorative painting techniques and there are a couple of floors pictured in it that have that same "frosty" feeling you get when you used diluted paints or stains. The first thing I thought when I looked at the intricacy of the central motif was, how many coats of protective clear coat did they lay down to ensure its long life??? I used 5 of oil-based polyurethane when I made the floorcloths I have here. I share your (and Michelle's it would seem) enthusiasm for "doing things around the house". I have learned to ignore the helpmeet when he questions my decisions to do things like squirting phenoseal into holes and cracks. I usually look at him, roll my eyes and say, "there's never time to do it right but there's always time to do it again, dear...". (and he goes back to whatever sporting event is on TV). 'bug, I'm thrilled that you've once more hauled out the "knatting noodles". I'm certain the emotions run the gammut these days. I looked out the window last night at the magnificently round moon and thought (as I always do now) of my Idyll friends and Reed. Since that full moon last Sep't. I now think of a full moon as a Reed Moon. I applaud the addition of booties, and can't wait to see them revealed. :) I'm out of juice right now but wanted to comment on more... have to get moving on this fresh new week, you know.

Ok, I wanta make clear, as I have stated on here before, this is going to be my first year selling at market. I have sold to individuals in the past, and have basically "hung around" farmers market's for some time. I have a close friend who is a market gardener for almost all his income and I do a lot of work for the biggest destination type farm around here. I have also been self employed for 20 years. I am not rich, but I have managed to stay off food stamps. I wanta say I see some of the worst business people in gardeners that I have ever seen, and I am not a business man, but I do know my weaknesses. Please, nobody take these statements personal, for I do not mean to offend, they are only observations. 1) Never lie to a customer. It WILL bite ya in your booty 2) Always listen to your customers,(even when it hurts). What doesn't make sense or work for you now, may at least explain something later 3) Always know what ya sell. I plan on specializing in heirloom tomatoes, and I will know what they are, how they taste and maybe even a little bit of history. If I can not be at the market, there will be a cheat sheet for whoever is there. 4) Market yourself, and your product. Even here, where there is not enough farmers to supply veggies to every one who wants them, there is always somewhere else for the customer to go. 5) If you are gonna charge a higher price then the stores, make sure you provide a higher quality product. I don't grow sweet corn, because I can not grow it better then the stores for close to the same price. 6) To the original poster- you might try baby steps instead of one big bite. If I was you, I would sew my hillside to a cover crop like white clover in the spring, and then plant pumpkins and maybe winter squash in late spring or early summer. I would also concentrate on succession planting, and making sure you have veggies when your customers want them. It's much better to do a few things well in this business, then to do a bunch terrible. Also, I get the impression that gardening is somewhat new to ya. There is nothing wrong with that, but take notes, read and learn. Gardening is the most simple yet complex hobby/business you can pursue. Make sure you don't make decisions today, that will handicap you tomorrow. Just my opinion, and a few observations. I am being a huge hypocrite giving advice to most of you, but maybe for the new guy it might help. It is only coming from a business point of view.

Good points, cold_weather_is_evil. Nevertheless, I will never understand organic growers who claim to be afraid of fertilizer chemicals in their food. Do they not realize that even organic fertilizers have to be broken down into inorganic ions to be absorbed by plants? Pesticide use - that's a valid concern. Excess chemical fertilizer use - that's also a valid concern from the view of soil health and local environmental health. I specify "local environment" because the industries that produce the organic gardener's favorite fertilizers - blood meal, bone meal, fish meal, soybean meal, etc. are major polluters of the environment on a national or global scale. I'm thinking of all the fertilizers and pesticides that went into producing grain to produce a factory-farmed cow, so its blood could be dried and packaged into cute little bags to make every organic gardener feel good about themselves. I'd rather just skip that whole process and use a small amount of fertilizer directly. Compost is a great soil amendment though. I just don't like black and white methods of thinking. This post was edited by Slimy_Okra on Wed, May 28, 14 at 15:06