Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Looking Back


When you blog you have a great record of the seasons through the years. This was March 20th 2010. This was a year of record snowfalls too. A late spring followed a beautiful summer with wonderful weather and rainfall every week. We had a heavy fruit harvest and the gardens were prolific that year. Especially those summer crops of beans and corn.  


March 28, 2010


March 21, 2011 

This year we were plagued with late frosts that wreaked havoc on the fruit harvests. There was some fruit but not as heavy as other years.  By march of this year we were already raising baby pigs and hatching chicks. 


March 26, 2012


This year started out really early with a drier than normal and early spring. The trees bloomed out early and were covered with blossoms only to lose all their set fruit in the following summer drought. Cool weather crops were planted before St. Patricks Day and produced well. About the end of spring it stopped raining and it was down hill from there as the state of Missouri was in the grips of one of the worst droughts in their history.



March 24, 2013


We have to wonder if this is one of those years where we will go straight from winter weather into summer heat without a spring. When you garden and try to raise much of your own food the weather becomes so important. Want to talk to a farmer bring up the weather. Walk into the town cafe and what are they discussing... the weather. We are praying that all this snow will help to end our drought. With lots of spring rainfall and all this snow together it will only help to replenish all that lost moisture from last year. 

Gardening is always a gamble. Some years you win and some years you just depend on a different crop. On years that the spring crops don't make as much the summer crops usually make more in my experience. So instead of lots of cabbage and broccoli we will  eat more beans, corn and squash.  Our areas is normally frost free by April 15th so I guess only time will tell. 

Somehow we have not had daffodils yet this year and it is almost Easter. The crocus were buried under almost 18 inches of snow. With Easter around the corner and we still huddle in our homes and look out the window at a snow covered landscape. We dream of warm summer breezes and opening up the windows, hanging laundry on the line and again burying our hands in the soil. For now we settle with spring cleaning and catching up on indoor chores. Sharpening kitchen knives, cleaning light fixtures and various things often put aside for times such as these.

I continue to quilt and sew mixing cleaning chores and cooking in with it. But mostly we wait. 

Unfortunately waiting doesn't make for a whole lot to write on this blog so please bear with me after all winter can't last forever. Can it?

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter    

5 comments:

  1. I always enjoy your posts. We're waiting in my neck of the woods as well - for spring and warmer weather, even days above freezing with good sunshine will prompt a few loads of laundry on the clothesline. I'm like you - I was raised in the south (Florida for me) so this long stretch of winter, waiting on spring, is just plain ole' painful! I am really tired of snow but do love the moisture that it is bringing to the parched ground in our area.

    Thanks again for awesome posts and good thoughts.

    Gina

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  2. This winter has been long. We haven't had the snow like in the winter of 2010/2011 but it still has been too long. I am so ready to hang laundry on the line and put my hands in the dirt :).

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  3. I simply cut my shirts into 1/2 inch strips and tie the strips together and roll them into balls like yarn.

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  4. I dont know.. you do a great job of coming up with posts.. Im certainly amused/enthused.. but maybe Im easily amused. Not really, trust me. ;)

    Its crazy how different the years weather is.. I guess there is variety in sameness after all..

    As per the readers question above.. have you done a tutorial on how to make one of those rugs? I'd love to learn how myself. One of these days.. ;)

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  5. aha, and when I want to recall what year we had a particular weather event I too go back to my stash of blog photos ..love that statement "a garden is a gamble" but whatever comes I still say "A farmer's life is THE BEST way of life." It offers at least the opportunity to depend on God and to continually draw close to Him knowing we cannot control the weather and other challenges...even machinery. There are always "molding and shaping" lessons to be learned as 'a farmer' deals with the difficulties, the setbacks. It's A Good Life.

    Jonell

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Feel free to challenge me, disagree with me, or tell me I’m completely nuts in the comments section of each blog entry, but I reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever (abusive, profane, rude, or anonymous comments) – so keep it polite, please. Also I am not a free advertisement board if you want to push a product on my comments I will delete you fast !!!

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