Lettuce,Turnip & Pea

It's been another busy weekend on the ranch. The Bag Lady wanted to plant her garden, and her sister-in-law and her sister-in-law's sister decided they had to help because they didn't have room in their yards in town for a garden, and wanted some veggies, too.

The Bag Lady asked the Rancher if he would help get the garden ready for planting. He decided that it was time to fix some of the landscaping that had been ignored over the years. When he first cleared the land for the Bag Lady's garden, he pushed the trees down and piled them against the bush behind the garden. Over the years, the weeds and brush had grown up and looked untidy, and the garden got a little smaller every year.

He decided to fix that. Of course, it also gave him an excuse to play work with his Cat.... (and we all know how boys love their toys!)

First, he dug a hole:


A fairly big hole, actually:

Then he pushed the brush pile into the hole:


He drove over it with the Cat, using the weight of the machine to crush the logs and brush into the hole:


Then he pushed the dirt back into the hole:


And smoothed it out:

Then he used the disk to smooth it some more:


Here it is, nice and smooth:



But it wasn't quite done, because the Bag Lady wanted to add some manure. So off to the manure pile went the Rancher, much to the consternation of the heifers, who use it for sun-bathing, playing King (Queen?) of the Castle, and just generally surveying the world.

After many trips back and forth and lots of manure, the Rancher smoothed it out one last time:


On Sunday, the Bag Lady, her sister-in-law and her SIL's sister spent a very long, hot day planting:


The Bag Lady knows that it doesn't look like much right now, but with a little rain and a little time, she is hoping for a wonderful harvest of home-grown goodness!

Can You Spot the Bunny?

There really is a wild bunny in this picture, but he was a little camera shy and took off just as the Bag Lady snapped his picture.

I Has a Sad.

It has been a sad weekend around the ranch.

The Bag Lady received a phone call on Friday telling her that one of her favourite relatives (her dad's cousin) passed away. Granted, it was not totally unexpected -- he was, after all, 95 years old, but it still makes her sad to think he is no longer with us.

As if that wasn't enough, on Saturday morning, the Bag Lady received a phone call from her mother-in-law, telling her that one of the Rancher's uncles had passed away early that morning! This was a bit of a surprise because, although he was not a young man, he seemed to be in good health.

The Bag Lady is hoping that the old adage about bad things coming in threes is not true and that this will be all the bad news for quite some time. And if anyone wants to get in touch with her, use email, or smoke signals or pony express, 'cause she is not answering the phone anymore!

Rest in Peace, Denny and Walter.

Spice Rack

The Bag Lady has been keeping herself busy with household chores and all manner of little tasks. One of the tasks she tackled yesterday was rebuilding the spice rack she made for the inside of her pantry door. She has a lot of spices, and likes to have them organized and easy to find, and has had her spice rack for many years. When the new floor was put in, it turned out to be the perfect time to rebuild and enlarge the spice rack.

Here is what she ended up with:


She thought she had a 'before' picture, but can't find it. The original had five shelves - she added two more on the bottom, which meant moving the rack up almost to the top of the door. She is not much of a carpenter, so the rack isn't very attractive, but it's functional and no-one sees it when the door is shut! (And yes, her spices are organized alphabetically.... she's sick that way!)

Have a great weekend!

Hanging Out

The Bag Lady and the Rancher went to town for supper at the Rancher's brother's house on the weekend. The Rancher's sister-in-law's sister's grand-daughter (how's that for convoluted?) wanted to climb the tree in the back yard and Unka Wicker had to climb it, too.



It is a perfect climbing tree, if you are 4 years old and have an unka willing to climb it with you!

Purple Finch

Lost

This cat:

seems to think he lives at the Bag Lady's house.
Sadly, the Bag Lady knows this is not true.
And so do the Bag Lady's critters! This poor guy hangs around on the deck and wants to be let into the house, in spite of the unfriendly response from the cats. He has also been chased away several times by the Princess, but he persists in coming back.

The Bag Lady is going to have to try to find out where he really lives, because she is sure he is someone's pet. He is very friendly, and the Bag Lady thinks someone must be missing him!