Sometimes you get what you were hoping for. Everything turns out just as promised.
There may be a few small 'glitches' in the order, but for the most part, what you see is what you get. You look at the horse and size them up. You keep an open mind and try to stay objective and not be partial or barn blind. You consider their breeding and pedigree, sire & dams conformation and temperaments, performance records, all of the pertinent info... and hope for the best.
Then there's the unexpected things. Sometimes good, sometimes not quite so good. You learn to roll with it and take things as they come.
Sometimes they come nothing at all like what you expected. You may have hoped for one thing and gotten something far better instead. Is anyone going to complain about that?
When our farrier was out yesterday morning, he remarked about how nice Mondo is. He has grown since the photo shoot for the forum and is coming along quite nicely. No complaints from here! The farrier liked how quiet he is too. As we all age, we come to appreciate quiet horses. I know I do. My body just can't take the beating like it used to.
These flowers are supposed to be purple & white. Remember?
But they are beautiful just the same- even in pink & white.
And for those who doubted, questioned the methods and may have thought it couldn't be done...
Yep, those are potato's. May not be big, but they are there. These are not quite the size of a golf ball each, but it's a start.
There were 3 in the first 'harvest', 3 more in the house on the counter and these are still working on their size. The first ones were each pretty good sizes, not like you would see int he store, but still substantial enough. There's 4 plants in that post and another 4 in a different pot with a sweet potato in the center... We'll just have to wait and see how they turn out.
The tomatoes are doing well too, only lost 2 when we replanted them. Seven out of nine are going to make it form the looks of things. Hooray! The lemon tree is about 2 feet tall now too. The blackberry and blueberry bushes are doing well and the carrots seem to have faded out. The lettuce never made an appearance and I still have to get my pumpkin seeds in the ground so that when they bloom this year, HOPEFULLY! the bees are still around to pollenate them and we get at least ONE pumpkin out of the deal. Last years 5 plants and numerous blooms were a total bust. In that case, it was all for naught. Sometimes that how it goes with the horses too. You can't win them all.
**Edited to ad, I hope everyone out there has a Happy Fathers Day! To all the Dads! Those still with us and those who have passed, I toast you all.**
Whoo Hoo! New potatoes !!!! nothing better ! a little butter and dill and yummo!
ReplyDeleteWe tried growing pumpkins last year as well - we got a HUGE bloom on one plant, and NO blooms on any others.
ReplyDeleteTurns out after some reasearch, there are male and female blooms. We had a female bloom. Just like us - no pumpkins without the male.
Sometimes the little potatoes are yummier than the ginormous ones anyways!
Oh - also - we have TONS Of green peppers! Want a crop that won't stop? Green peppers. They are tiny, about the size of a large cherry tomato, but sweet and good. And out of only 2 plants in pots, we have harvested nearly 200 individual peppers. And they are still growing.....
And, for fun - It is entirely possible to take those little kitchen herbs you find at Home Depot and other places for cheap (when they are tiny) - and replant them.
sometimes they get HUGE.
Like the dill plant I bought at the dollar store that was about 2 inches high, and nearly dead. Before it hit the 70's during the day, that plant had grown in the back yard garden to over 6 feet tall. No KIDDIN'. Whole back yard smelled dilly from that plant.
but heat kills em. We soaked that ground and it still died - but I'm going to try it again this winter. HEHE.
I so wanted a full-blown garden this year. Ha! Who was I kidding? Myself apparently. I did buy some cucumber plants and will add some tomatoes. That will have to do for this year though.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of plans for future flower beds, more grass and that full-blown garden next year. I think things will be easier when we are actually living at our new place.
Amazing how similar growing anything is though. Gardens, horses, kids. We do the best we can and still end up with .... what we end up with. It's most enjoyable when it's done simply for the joy of doing it, not always for the benefits at the end.
No garden here. Weeds are the only things growing. I'm jealous of the other places in the country that are actually having a summer.
ReplyDeleteRR... would you like our splendiferous Hoosier summer?
ReplyDeleteIt started out AMAZING. Mid 70s, sunshine, no humidity.
This past couple of weeks has been MUGGY. Mid to high 80s, lows in the upper 60s - low 70s. It's like wearing a wet wool sweater right now. And breathing thru one.
Oh well, we always get a few weeks of that in the summer. I just wish it wasn't quite so RAINY this year.
The high here yesterday was 56° and it rained all day. A little warmer would be good. At least the flowers would grow. LOL
ReplyDeleteOK, how 'bout we mix it up:
ReplyDeleteHigh of 70º, low of 56º ?
About the rain.... does anybody need some?
U can has my rain.
And to be sort of on topic...
ReplyDeleteMy kid is 5.
It seems her favorite song is Juke Box Hero, by Foreigner.
When my husband took her for a drive around the car lot, she immediately gravitated to the new Camaro.
If she cuts her hair into a mullet, I will be Really Scared.
But I did seriously tell Jay that if she DOES get into fast cars when she's older, I will find her an instructor, so that she can at least drive them fairly safely. And of course beat the pants off the boys.
Just popped in to say...
ReplyDeletePumpkins - as long as you got female and male blooms, you can hand-pollinate them yourself. Just take the male ones and pull off the petals so all you got left is its "thingee" (pistil) and then rub that in the female plant "thingee" (stamens). Voila. Might be the most fun you ever had in the pumpkin patch!
Lettuce doesn't like to germinate in hot temps so...if you are anywhere above 75 degrees or so it might not have germinated. You might do better off to germinate in pots where you can control to a cooler temperature (60s are great) and then transplant. Or wait for your "winter." Lettuce grows great up to a hard freeze. Or you can try planting the seed and not covering it at all and keeping really wet and preferably covered with shade clothe. Actually, shade clothe for lettuce in your climate would probably be a good idea throughout it's growing life. Lettuce likes cool.
Gotta run! Congrats on the taters! Mine are just starting to bloom which means we can start "robbing" for those extra sweet new potatoes in a week or so. Can't wait!
Creamed new potatoes and peas, yum...
ReplyDeleteon the male and female pumkin blooms- had one female bloom all year. One of the last ones and of course by then all the male ones were dead or gone. Figures as much.
ReplyDeleteAnyone notice something? ALL of this stuff is in pots. All of it! Easiest way to control the soil, the weeds, amount of sunlight or shade and hopefully what comes up. Otherwise our soil can be tricky. Soft and sandy in one spot- three inches over calichy (sp?) Harder than concrete. Water won't soften or go through that- plants can't either.
The sweet potato is putting out a serious amount of folliage. This is my first time growing those. The other potatos are going wild too.
The lettuce seeds were from long ago. That may have been a problem at the start. It is a romaine type and grew pretty much crazy before. To the point of pulling it all out of the ground and taking it to work to give away.
And if anyone wants our weather- heat, Heat and more HEAT! It's yours. Send us the rain. We can always use it.