Day 104 - Misc.

Today was truly a miscellaneous conglomerate of activities and ideas.  Due to Grant's early morning surgery our schedule was completely off for the day.  Hopefully we get back on track tomorrow.  Grant is doing just fine!  He slept for 3 hours when we got home and then, of course, no afternoon nap.

Clark and I built a cold frame in the garden to house all of our tomatoes (and next week the peppers should join them).  Basically I took an old raised bed I no longer use, dug it out, found a couple of old window panes that were stored in the barn and some old screens, laid everything out and voila - nearly instant cold frame!  Now as long as I don't cook the plants we should be good!  That is why I used the screens along with the windows.  The wind was so horrible I worried about carrying all the tomatoes out to the garden.  We loaded them into a laundry basket and covered it with an old worn out quilt.  It took us a few loads but they all made it to the cold frame without getting wind whipped.  Watered them well and hope they thrive in the outdoor conditions.  Time for our little plants to leave the sheltered indoor life they once enjoyed (just not enough window space).

After supper we ran out to check the mailbox.  It was stuffed full of packages!  Hooray - a couple of patterns I ordered and my cake tiers that I need for next weekend all arrived on the same day.  Good thing for large rural mailboxes!  After Grant went to bed I sorted through fabrics and think I have plenty of the right materials to make two of the items without having to purchase anything except some interfacing.  Trust me - I never have to buy thread, buttons, zippers, or bias tape EVER!  Between what I inherited from my grandma and from some items in sewing boxes I have picked up at auctions or garage sales if I don't already have the size and/or color needed I would be amazed!

That's about it for today!  It's time to go lock up my little hens so no prowlers (a.k.a. Mr. or Ms. Bobcat) can get to them and since there is a possibility of rain can now pull the glass over the cold frame to give the plants some added protection for the night.  Ha! I just realized other than my family and home the most protected things around here are my hens and tomatoes - sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era.