PROGRESS!!!

When life can get difficult, you have to learn to really celebrate the small victories. I have some small victories to celebrate, most definitely! I feel like things are really going to fall into place this year.... not everything, of course. But enough for me to feel like I am getting started.

I continue to cling to a little money that I have squirreled away to start my chickens. That is a huge success! so the chickens are still a go. I still have sufficient scrap lumber to get a coop built and a chicken tractor as well. the chicken tractor is so important because I need to get the chickens out where their manure can do the most good. the manure needs to be in the hay field where my poor tired soil can get enriched. That's important as I still will have a hay agreement with Arlan this year. Hay and chickens are a definite go this year.

While Mac was in the hospital with the heart attack, I ran into an old friend. We took a little time to do some catching up. We talked about things I wanted to do on the farm and mushrooms came up, as usual. He gave me some good advice. Which got me looking in different directions for information. Then Kate came down to visit and we cleared a large enough section in the woods to start two mushroom beds. Two is probably all I can manage financially anyway. It costs approximately $36.00 to get enough spawn for one bed. I will try for the two this year and hopefully four or more next year. Right now I need to get manure over from the neighbors and get it started composting. This is also a definite go this year.

Then yesterday an amazing thing happened, but I have to go back a bit to explain it. A week or so ago we were with out oldest daughter and her husband and they said they had heard about beekeeping classes on the public radio station. It took a bit of searching and I wasn't making any headway. Finally, I contacted the public radio station and asked where to look. Didn't hear back for several days and I thought that perhaps I once again had hit a wall. Then I received an e-mail. I was told where to research the information. Most of the classes had already been held. But there was one class that hadn't taken place yet and it was within driving distance. I contacted the instructor. I've gotten in under the wire and the first class is to be held tonight. My neighbor has built hives before and he has said he would help me. I just have to buy the lumber. It has been awhile since I checked but if memory serves correctly starter bees were running around $70.-$90. Beekeeping just might become a reality this year as well.

If I can get three small quilts sold then I will have enough cash to make a start. Suddenly it feels like it is all starting to work. It feels real. I've pushed on this huge boulder for so long and it is finally starting to roll. We are making progress!

Louie

www.buzzaboutbees.com