An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Suzie Homemaker? *snicker* Riiiiiiiiiiiight!
So, I had this bright idea the last couple of days…..I’m gonna do a bit of gardening, put some flowers in post,and brighten up the outside a bit. Yup…REAL bright idea! I’ve got at least two more pots to fill, and not sure if that’s even gonna happen!
I cleaned up the white wrought iron table and chairs that haven’t been cleaned since they landed on the porch 5 years ago. Oh yeah…they were pretty nasty. Had to use a bloomin’ scrub brush! I was none too thrilled when I looked down, and saw a fat, hairy, black spider crawling across my foot either!
I really….REALLY…don’t like spiders! Almost as much as I totally dislike snakes and scorpions!
That scrub brush did a real good job on him though.
And I didn’t even puncture my foot!
Then, I continued with my ‘project’. Yep, I can make a pretty big mess when the opportunity occurs.





I learned a couple of very important lessons during this process:
1- There are things called ‘gardening muscles’ and I think I’ve found every single one of them. Ache is an understatement! Even my hair hurts, and I don’t have enough of it to spare to aches! I’m moving a wee bit better today, but not by much! How did I manage to do all the athletic stuff I did in my younger years? Sheesh! Ok, so I’m no spring chicken, but still……
2- Apparently, I’m quite allergic to Red Rock Lava. Seriously? A person can be allergic to lava? I had to look it up! Seems there is some sort of mold that can grow in it, and it looks like I’m allergic to that! I guess. BIG sneezes, which the Mr says he’s never heard me have. I couldn’t breathe, I sounded like a frog, and the nose was running a marathon!
Now, since I spend the majority of the night getting about 5 hours of totally interrupted sleep….moving during sleep can cause many groans….I’m going to go take a nap! Perhaps, if I’m able to move and function after I wake up, I think I’ll tackle the big flower bed. What a mess! Ok…we have a REAL good excuse. Between the two of us, the last couple of years have been, well, less than healthy ones.
Hmmm… Then again, I might just close my eyes each time I walk by it! That way, the mess doesn’t exist, right?












Yesterday we cought a baby tarantula in the computer room, probably reading your blog over my shoulder.
I carefully trapped it in a plastic container and set it free outside in the overgrown part of the garden.
Should have taken a picture of it but there’s so many big hairy black spiders around here that I didn’t think of it.
Good to hear about your foray into gardening! Just got my garden plowed last week, about 1/9 of an acre. Going to be a busy year. . .
Should you start some vegetables, canning is fairly easy. Survivalblog.com has a lot of good articles on it, too, as well as pickyourown.org.
Good luck!
@Matt – I might like ti try some vegetables too, but the red clay around here is daunting. We’d need a rototiller made by General Dynamics or Halliburton. Yes, there is the container method. I will investigate further.
Shoot Larry…I didn’t let that sucker live long enough to take a picture of it. LOL That puppy was ventilating right quick. Heh.
Matt, I have a LOT of stuff from that blog bookmarked! LOL I’m thinking container might work best for us, until we get a mule. LMBO Hey….’horse power’, AND fertilizer…all in one! And oh yeah… still really wanna look into the chicken thing. Just so much going on…. UGH!
I most certainly understand having a lot going on.
Raised beds can be wonderful in the clay around here. My front yard is clay, back is soil. Not sure how that works, but anyway. . .I have some raised beds in front of the house, and they work wonders for some crops, especially root crops. You will want to look into square foot gardening for raised beds to maximize their potential.
Last summer, Grandpa had a little 4ft x 4ft bed on the deck so he could tend it from his wheelchair. In that little space, he grew peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, lettuce, and one or two more things. Definitely a good option to look at.
4×4? Dang! That’s quite a bit for what seems so small. Will be checking it out though. Never can tell when we might need our own munchies.