We are resting from a wild day yesterday. I have ask Madge if she would like to go out to eat, I think we both would rather stay home and eat leftovers. Her family came for Thanksgiving yesterday, but I was gone most of the day. my friend and ex-neighbor called and ask for a favor. I could not understand him, nor could Madge, so I started looking for him, his hearing is worse than mine, plus he has a shaky voice and no teeth. I found him at his assisted living home and brought him to our house to share our Thanksgiving meal, then took him the places he wanted to go. By the time I got back home it was almost time for everyone to leave, but I did get to visit with most, but they said that they were coming back Christmas.

We are planning a chili contest for Christmas. I expect that Madge will make bread and some dessert, I don't think she will be able to not cook at all. I expect she will rack her brain for gag gifts and prizes.

It is afternoon already, and we did stay home and eat leftovers, which was still a fine meal.

I am going to have to go cut a switch to use in the deer I have been feeding. The bucks seem to be chasing the doe off. I started putting feed out in different places when I started feeding them, that seemed to work better because the buck and doe seem to be running more in the same sex groups now. I expect that when they start mating, the bucks will have other things on their minds.

I have ground ready for planting, but it is too wet. I may wait till onion and potato planting time before I do much. I do have a lot of repair and maintenance to do before ground working time.

If I can afford the cost of diesel, seed, and fertilizer, I want to start to work on the pastures. Some of the ground on this place has not been worked in 70 years, the rest of the ground has not been worked in a much longer time than that. Armadillos and other digging critters have the ground so rough that you can hardly stay on a tractor when you are driving over the ground.

I’m not busy but I sometimes can’t think of anything to post. Especially lately. Laser focused on staying well. I need to grow more greens. I have been craving salads again lately. I talked to my niece about tearing my yard apart and minimizing my garden to only giant mineral tubs. The rest is headed to the dumpster or freebie alert. She said she would help me with the big stuff. We had 3” week before last and 2” thanksgiving week. I had to put dog in the van to keep her dry. Y’all stay warm.

I think we had almost an inch and a half.

Such a blessing for sure.

Simple is good, Amy. Simple holidays, simple decorating, simple gardens, simple home.

Maybe simple posting....?

I had a busy few days, but I'm pretty sure no one wants to hear about it.

I am happy that I've reduced winter decorations to half. I know what I like, and I know what works in this house....and it's....simple. Battery candles and little strings of lights in my apothecary jars with seasonal things that change from season to season. Currently it's pinecones.

I get the thought and idea of hoarding/storing stuff. I get the reason for it, but it feels so much easier and nicer when things are organized and tidy. Restful.

I haven't done any gardening. In fact, I may not talk much about gardening until February or so.

It's only 9 and I'm considering going to bed. It's been a long day and I haven't sat down until now.

It's been a great Thanksgiving break. I'm sorta tired just thinking about going back to work tomorrow. haha!

Usually the first thing we plant is onions. What is everyone doing for onions in 2023? I remember back in the day, we would always have an onion thread going in January. The good ol days, right?

I like long rambling posting! Onions. I am going to winter sow a few jugs. I want lots of onions next year. Since I am refreshing all of the trees soil I will plant those pots as well saving space.

I have never been a "Potter", but I am trying to learn. I have walking onions and bunching onions growing in pots now. The hardest things for me is to learn is to feed and water the plants. I had tomatoes and peppers in pots last summer, but when our outside watering was stopped, the plants suffered.

We have bulbing onions that need to be placed in the freezer, they are putting out green shoots and need to be used or frozen.

I collect too much junk. I grew up in an environment that saved everything to be used again, to repair, or make something else, that does not work as well in todays world because it is so easy to find what you need online, but old habits are hard to break.

It is so cold and dreary here today.

Its a little cool here also. 49 degrees now. Madge and I just walked down to the creek and tossed out some corn and cattle cubes. I need to get my rtv back together, this old man does not walk very well.

I have not done anything today. I took my friend to the Dr. yesterday, he does not walk well either, and by the days end I was worn out.

I have not even been out to the garden, but most of the onions and garlic was up a couple of days ago. None of my food plots are doing well either, they were planted too late, but I think they will be looking good to the deer by the end of January.

Hello Friends.

I haven't been out to the garden much. I covered things a couple of days ago and Rick uncovered them tonight. I was able to grab some bunching turnips and radishes for my salads too. Rick harvested a few heads of broccoli, and I took one of them. They are as pretty as any store-bought broccoli and tastes much better. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture.

Other than watering the hoop house tomorrow, I don't plan on doing any gardening any time soon.

The few pansies I started from seed back in July were planted a few weeks ago and they are finally blooming. So weird that it took so long. Obviously the heat had a hand in that.

Our house is mostly ready for the holidays. It's glowy and cozy. I need to deep clean the kitchen next week and do something to our front porch. It's time to get out jigsaw puzzles and drink hot tea and/or wine.

Back to the garden. I guess at this point, I'll just wait until January and February to finish the clean up. Normally I've pulled all the old plants and cut back the asparagus.

I have several plants that I wanted to plant/relocate this fall. It just didn't happen. It was such a strange year. Everyone says the same.

I'll have an occasional passing thought about next year and next year's fall garden. Unless we go into the fall with plenty of rain and better temperatures, I just don't see myself doing too much in the fall. IF I can afford to get the Vego beds, I'll do some stuff in those...and the hinged hoop and hoop house. That will be it. Rick can decide about the Survivalist Garden.

I will need to get some chicks in 2023. I didn't this year. I have no new layers as a result. Tom is going to try to do a "bump out" nesting box situation on our coop so we can add a roost bar with the current nest boxes are. I know that most people cull old hens and add fresh ones each year. I keep them all, whether laying well or not. There was so much drama in 2021 regarding chicks, that I sort of dread it. I do love it at the same time, though. My flock is aging for sure. The oldest girls were hatched in 2015. They'll be 8 this March. If I have several deaths, then we won't need to add a roost bar.

Some of them are having horrible molts this year. I'm sure they feel tender from regrowing feathers. I try not to touch them too much.

Covid life is over now. All parties and get-togethers are back on. It's keeping us busy.

Any thoughts on onion varieties yet?

I'm just going with my usual list of what's available at the feed store.

Candy

Red Candy

Yellow granex

10 15 Y Texas Sweet

White Bermuda

Yellow Bermuda

SuperStar

Sweet Red

Red Creole

and all the other usuals....

This is a tentative list for now. it's still a little early for an onion thread.

you all have a happy holiday season.

Rick

My onion list will be just what ever I can pick up locally, it has gotten to where it is Bonnie or else, sometimes I can pick up Dixondale at Atwoods. I don't have a lot choice on anything without going online.

I will try harder this year at having a decoy garden for the wildlife since I no longer have the place leased out, of course this is a land improvement project also. I will work the land to make it smoother, while tilling in organic matter, then planting some kind of small grain and legume plants. I am thinking about planting some hairy vetch and clover, and maybe some peas, but I am afraid the deer will eat the peas before they can get 3 inches tall. I think I can mix the other seeds in with things the deer don't like as well, and maybe get them established.

I am so happy working the place to try to improve it, I wish that I had been able to start it when I was much younger. I hope my daughter and grand daughters will continue the project.

I've had a busy week. Babysat my grandson Mon and Tues. Closed on the sale of the rental house Wednesday. Discovered there that Ron's drivers license expired in JULY! This required me to fight with the scanner and desktop to send copies of his state ID. Yesterday I scoured Amazon for Christmas stuff. Today? There's a number of things to deal with, and tomorrow we babysit again. I had started going through seeds and planning purchases, but other things had priority.

If we plant onions it will be Atwoods onions. Garlic never got planted.

It looks like Larry can expect significant rain next week (2 to 4 inches). Nancy might get in on it. The rest of us will be more on the edge I think. Of course, as days go by, forecasts change.

Have a good weekend.

I had planned on big seed inventory with all the lovely packets all around but Dr wants me back in for more tests on the 14th with at least one overnight so I am trying to ready for that. Seeds planting and gardening will have to wait. I am going to fill the freezer with meals so I don’t have to cook when I get home from that adventure. I will pack a seed catalog.

I'm so sorry Kim, feel better.

That is the goal. I have eliminated all grains, sugar and even veg high in carbs. That is one reason I wanted to grow lots of greens but I just can’t right now. I need a helper person.

Kim, I hope you get to feeling better. You may have to pace yourself, I can no longer do the things I want to do either, but I am able to eat about anything I want.

I just went out to the south garden to check on the stuff I have planted. I have a huge crop of henbit coming on ( I hate that stuff ). The only thing I was really proud of was the Siberian garlic that grand daughter and her boyfriend planted. I had ask them to order something that they would like, I suggested garlic because it is so easy to grow. They picked out Siberian garlic, and I prepped the soil and showed them how to plant. All 36 cloves came up, they have not seen them yet, but I know they will be pleased. I will fertilize the garlic, and prep a spot for them to plant onions later. I will also get both of them into making sweet potato slips for summer planting.

I planted sweet potatoes for grand daughter this past summer, and had her and boyfriend dig all the sweet potatoes, they took all of the purple potatoes and plenty of the others, they also took a lot of my onions ( which is fine with me ) but I plan on showing them how to grow their own. Grand daughter is growing veggies in my soil, but my plan is to show them how to prep and amend soil also.

Well, it is up to 50 degrees now, and I had better get out and put my rtv back together. It is so hard for me to get down and scoot under something like that and work on it, but it was in need of service and the dealership said it would cost $250.00, and I would have to haul it to Ft. Smith and leave it for about 3 weeks. So far it looks like it will cost me less than $50.00 and a lot of grunting and griping. Next I need to start on the tractors. I can only work on these projects for a short period of time, so it takes me for ever to get anything done.