A Little Light Reading

With SM gone this weekend, my time is best spent doing the little things.  In other words...I'm the brains, he's the brawn.

I am mostly a wimp, physically speaking I mean.  Not much upper body strength.  Never had it, never will.  Oh...I can muscle around a lot of stuff but it's like asking a Shetland pony to plow the field.  Why bother when you've got the big ol' draft horse hanging out looking at you with his big ole brown eyes.  It's a "snap" for him.

So when it comes to making raised beds and hauling around dirt, I like to have me a big strong handsome man around to help with the heavy lifting.  If he can't be around...Well, that just means I get to do more of a "cerebral heavy lifting".

"Whenever I give you to much time to think about things, it always means more work for me!"  SM has noted this countless times.  (Sorry Honey!)

I just picked up 2 new books yesterday. These have been on my "hit list" for awhile now and I thought I'd best get moving in the "Education of Tami" department.

John Jeavons How to Grow More Vegetables* (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible On Less Land Than You Can Imagine

I found out about this book from Mr H and his video link to Marjorie Wildcraft at his blog Subsistence Pattern 

The video didn't really offer up all that much new information for me...(I'm already sold on the idea of the "Homesteading" idea).  When Marjorie suggested this book as the "Bible" for beginning gardeners, I took note.  Hey, I need all the help I can get.  Why do you think I'm pestering all of YOUR blogs.  (grin)

And if I'm going to do more than "fresh eating" than I'd better learn how to preserve all this goodness.  So I went ahead and also bought Putting Food By (5th Edition)

Last week I also got my catalog from Gardens Alive  They have a really good catalog.  I don't have a "pest and disease" reference guide yet but this has a nice section on it.  It's a keeper until I have this stuff down pat.

Have any of you used their products? Lots of preventative products and fertilizer options.  They even offer a soil sampling service called Perfect Balance where they custom make fertilizer based on your soils deficiencies.  Intriguing.  But very expensive.  Holy Cow!

(*Well, maybe if I had a "holy cow" I'd have me some "holy manure" and this might not be a topic of conversation.)

Last but not least I thought I'd annoy ya'll a bit more.  It's supposed to be 81 degress here today and tomorrow.  I ants are marching across my floor (always a sure sign of Spring) and the dogs are doing the "puppy run" thing. 

Yep, it's Spring!