It took them 3 days to install the floor, and it was exhausting!!!

It was only suspposed to take one or two days, and I was on pins and needles the entire time! I don't know why.

The floor was installed, the furniture moved in (After pads were attached to the bottom of the table and  chair legs), and the clutter is 80% gone. WHEW!

A problem has already show itself. A small spill of flour occured, and I was left with a thin white line where the boards joined. I was able to vaccum it up, but it is a warning that we will have to be VERY carefull when we cook, or there will be thin white lines all over the floor!

It looks wonderfull however!

DD graduated on Friday, and DS graduated on Saturday.

I need to totally rethink my life!!!!!!!

Raising 2 kids with health problems has been totally absorbing! First they get sick, which makes for school trouble, then they get caught up, then they get sick AGAIN which makes for more school problems, then they get burned out from school, then.....

You get the picture! Between getting them well again and getting them caught up in school again, I haven't been able to focus on much of anything else. Last months trip to Bennet Springs was a much welcome break from being on a get-them-well-then-help-them-with-school-repeat-as-needed treadmill!

Well, as of now they have both graduated from high school. Check.

Both are healthy. In fact, DD was taken off of her meds last week on a trial basis. So, possibly no more health problems (maybe, anyways) Check.

Both are of legal age. Check.

That means that if I dream a dream, that there might be no emergency to take me away from it. If I want to do something more for myself, I can.

Decisions, decisions!

I might try writing articles again. I haven't sent in a magazine article in years, and while I have a Squidoo account I have never published anything on it. Yet. (Squidoo publishes articles for folks to find on-line  during google searches.)

The house is in poor shape and I REALLY want to fix that! It was a lovely house when we bought it, and now it looks SO shabby! The kitchen floor was the most obvious thing, and once that is done perhaps I will find the ambition to put in more sweat equity.

Lastly, the finances need attention. We were actually in the black until 2 years ago, when everything broke at the same time and my BIL died and DS had his second surgery, and then my MIL died last June. The finances most CERTAINLY need more attention!!!!!! I have been neglecting them, and the credit card statements are showing it! Well, I am good at paying them off, but it DOES take time and attention!

So, I cannot throw very much money at the house. I *CAN* afford to pay the kids $5 an hour to help, buy paint, and.... I wonder if I can buy carpeting next winter? This carpeting came with the house, and it was new 25 years ago. It was GOOD carpeting, but now it looks old and, well, SHABBY!

That is all I am going to post today, as we are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate my youngest son's graduation.  We MEANT to go out last night after grduation, but ice cream was desired and nobody was very hungry. Also, I wa REALLY tired!!!!!!!!!!!! We ate at a place of DD's choosing on Friday, and now it is DS's turn. He wants to eat at a buffet, so off we will go!

Terri

My No-Weed Strawberry Bed.

Hey, this thing just might work!

I made a long, narrow bed (1 foot wide) by the East side of the greenhouse. There is weed barrier below and perlite as a filler. I lay strawberry plants flat on the bottom before the filler went in, and then I poked onion sets into the top of the filler. The bed is only 3-4 inches deeps.

It appears to be working! The onion sets are now tall and strong, and the strawberry plants are just starting to break the surface! The idea was for the onions to get the light that they needed by growing above the strawberries, which would spread and cover the perlite in a solid mass.

It ALMOST did not come off, as strawberry plants were hard to find! Everybody had individually potted plants at a few dollars each, instead of the bundles!

I eventually bought bare root plants off of the shelf in the hardware store right next to the gladioulus bulbs. They failed. I THEN was able to get real, live plants from The Grass Pad.... the day before we left for our trip!!!!! 

I thought that they would be fine in the fridge in their paper bag but they were not: they dried up something terrible!

I planted them anyways, and 3 plants have just broken the surface. I expect more in the next few days. Even if no more plants grow I can propagate these!

This success helps to balance out my no-dig spuds, which appear to be failing. In previous years the potatos would grow long sprouts while waiting to be planted, and I figured that I would throw woven weed barrior on top of them with just the tips poking out. I figured that potatos would form all along the sprouts.

Alas, the potatos have short, stubby sprouts this year and it is not working at ALL! I am going to plant them today as they are trying to spoil. I have no idea who will end up digging the spuds: probably whoever needs pocket money. More on that in another post.......

I have been playing hooky from the blog!!!!!!!!

I also  had a good bit of fun!

We started out by renting a cabin at Bennet Springs. And, for a REAL treat, we left the kids at home to take care of the critters. A good time was had by all!

Bennet Springs is noted for its trout fishing, but the trout did not bite. I got one and some pan fish. Mind, there is a trout hatchery there and they release trout daily, but fish are sensitive to weather and there were tornado warnings out south of us....... There were only a few showers during he day but the night time storms were wild!

We usually camp when we decide to enjoy the great outdoors, but since DH had wanted a cabin we ate hoot fod at a table while it stormed outside. It had been a very long time since we took a weekend just for fun, and I feel SO much better! I hadn't realized how discouraged I was getting.

Both of my kids will have their graduation ceremonies in the next couple of weeks. DD actually finished school almost a year ago but because of healh issues she finished late (and at another school, one with on-line high school classes)and so she did not walk down with her class.

One will graduate on the 18th and one on the 19th. I am terrified that I will somehow blow it! Arrive late, or spill something all across my front, or miss something......

I am nervous as a cat. So is DH, and for the same reason. The kids are nervous also. Oh, joy!!!!!!!

On a more homesteady tack, my kitchen floor is still plywood and the kitchen furniture is still in the living rom. See, first they did not order enough flooring and it also took 2 weeks to arrive. Then when they realized that it was short they ordered more and that took 2 weeks to arrive. Then there was minor damage done to two boxes (and also minor damage on the flooring inside the boxes) and so they are ordering more flooring. Which will arrive in.....

I am not holding my breath, here. I try not to let it get me down but I was so looking forward to hving a really good floor............

Those are the highlights, I will write more soon. I promise!