fresh black dirt

i have a problem...

you see the gentleman who does my tilling came today! now this lovely vegetable garden of warm black iowa dirt is calling to my bare feet! it is probably the one thing i love most about spring!!! and there is some stiff competition out there! sink my toes into a freshly tilled piece of earth!

my problem??? i need to be sewing!!! i am doing 2 shows next week - the living room coffeehouse on april 10th and prairieland herbs on april 11th! oh, i have quite a good inventory but i have some new ideas i would like to get finished before i go! ya know, new excitements to show off! but rain is coming...so maybe i should take one more day - sink the toes and rejuvinate myself to get the work done that pays for the seeds that grows the garden!!!

had myself talked into it...

then i found this little yellow joy growing so happily along the south side of one of the front gardens....

i buy johnney jump-ups in the spring because they just make me happy...i plant them...and now i have them growing everywhere! their little seeds scatter and come up along edgings, in the cracks of the sidewalk, along trees...wherever! such a pleasant surprise!

now....sewing!!!

'hen haven' progress...

whewww...we (mostly my brother, mike) have been working dilegently on 'hen haven'....up to myself & brad to finish it up! i can't wait! maybe next week little peeps can be ordered!!! :)we now have: a new "old" door, new windows that OPEN!!!, a recycled latch off of the origional chicken house, a partial wall inside waiting for that roll of chicken wire!, a new 'old' screen door inside and posts set for the run. still need to: wire the run, wire the inside room, mix up some new cement for the girls and MOVE IN! will keep you updated!!!

...hen haven...

for almost 2 years now i have begged and pleaded with brad to help me get this little building out by our barn converted to house 10 hens....i promised him he would love the fresh eggs! and for 2 years now he has put me off....

until now....
we are finally working on the building! and i am beyond excited! see even the kitties love the new windows! the view is supurb.....won't these be happy girls???

it is taking some work,but fortunately i have an extremely talented brother who is assisting with the carpentry work...what would i do without mike??? i really do not know.


i see the potential in this little abode...new windows, a new door, some work inside and a run for them to get some fresh air and we are set!!!






the bulk of the hard work should be finished tomorrow...i will post you new pictures! perhaps by the end of the week we will be the proud adoptive parents to about 10 little pullets...those pictures will follow also! there is nothing more satisfying than growing our own vegetables in our back garden...i think fresh eggs will be the same feeling. plus we get the added bonus of 10 new friends & a great learning experiece for our daughters, melanie & amanda.