PhancyPharm Homesteading

by Nita Holstine 01-16-04

Top left is the Shop; storage and grow lights for spring seedlings. It has been many months now that Randy has been working on it as often and as much as possible. Right now, photos show it complete on the outside except for the door. I am eager for completed shelves to set up growing space for seedlings needing warmth and light to be ready to go out into the garden come spring time.

I have Spring Fever and am so very ready to be getting the garden beds ready for plants. I have yet to even clean last year's one garden but I will need fresh garden space for the next cucumber bed. Randy has several new items he is wanting to grow, I tell him sure- he just has to help with everything. The fence, the digging, the compost hauling and the soaker hoses. Perhaps sniffing out the moles who would chew into the hoses and eliminating them. I know the silly moles eat the grub worms but they can sure destroy hoses; perhaps a way of providing water for them so they won't need my hoses.

 As I look around the house, I am picking out all the stored boxes that can move out to the Shop. We received a grinder/sander about 4 years ago and it has never been out of the box, just sitting in the hallway, neglected. I am ready to give it a permanent spot where it can be used as needed. I am saving all the scraps from building just hoping I can make a bird feeder or two. Randy just needs more tools so I can use them.

Top right is clouds over our place. I have enjoyed the little camera beyond belief. When I was a kid, we had a photography studio in our home. The kitchen was the developing lab and would be closed to traffic, window sealed and the magic done. Taking a roll of film and developing it in the chemicals; using the enlarger to make the print on whatever paper I could scrounge. I was allowed scraps but anything of substance was kept for the business. I had a little box Brownie and loved to take snapshots of my mother. I had to practice a lot before I got very good and we are talking black and white.

Right now, I am sharing camera and scanner space on the computer but sure enjoy having the camera ready to run out and take a few photos of a beautiful sky. Leonie mentioned about her love of a beautiful sunset and how the red and pinks were caused by dust in the air. I've never heard that story. We were taught as kids that it was a horrible thing. The colors we see as beautiful were caused by the bad stuff in the heavens, the leftovers of radiation and bombs. A sure sign of death to come; time to run and hide. Well that just wasn't so. 

Stacy Artis had sent in her diary of an exciting week in her world. Brr, makes me glad we are not having that cold a weather. Part of her notes were about duct tape, prom wardrobe and contest for a scholarship. I even found several interesting sites for readers to visit. Not 5 minutes later, I go to start washing dishes and my duct tape plumbing has let go and was leaking all over the floor below the sink. All my efforts at cleaning the pipe and making things fit, only 5 fittings and a lot of tape could make the sink drain fit downsized to a garden hose. Hey, it works and a good fresh coating will last about 3 weeks. I am a happy plumber. I do believe the a P trap was invented for the sole purpose of getting clogged and needing a plumber to clean it out.

I have lots of sky pictures now but want a lot more to complete a "collection" where I can take only the best and arrange them for display. The notion actually came from wondering if my brother, Alan, would like a glimpse of Texas Skies. Like Leonie, I have always had a fondness for the colorful rises and sets. Every click of the shutter is a unique one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

I tried to get a picture the other day of the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I knew that the blur in the photo was a tufted tit-mouse. Yes, that's the little bird's real name. We shorten it and call them Tufties but this one was pecking like crazy on the rear view mirror to the pickup truck. He was seeing his own reflection and taking the challenge, he would do battle. The noise sounded like a woodpecker doing a much bigger bird job. Little kitten stayed at my feet so I couldn't get very close before the little bird would fly away. Now, if I hear the frantic noise, I go and catch a glimpse of the little fellow and enjoy. Moments like that are why I so want the digital cam corder so I will have the wonderful super zoom and with motion shots, I can have the best shot possible.