Monday, April 13, 2009

Recent Occupations

With springs much anticipated arrival, comes many wonderful new tasks; many of them being of the outdoor and sprucing up nature! I love this time not only because it means being outdoors, but because it has a refreshing and clean feel to it. One comes in, or accomplishes something, with such a feeling of satisfaction and delight, knowing that whatever has been finished is a job well done!
So what exactly have the Castlebury's been up to this spring???

'Emptying the Freezer'
Collin spent two day grinding up the freezer full of deer meat he had accumulated. He ground most of it up for use in spaghetti sauce or casseroles as well as packaging the 'younger' deer into roasts or saving pieces to make jerky out of.
At one point he had some much meat coming out of the grinder that he needed help packaging it all up, which is what I am doing in the picture.

'Enjoying a romp in the 'burb'
Cleaning out vehicles is another task on these beautiful sunny days! With all the rain that we had received right at the time of the wedding, it made for a vehicle that desperately needed its' interior vacuumed! It's amazing how much dirt seven or eight pairs of feet can track into a vehicle, even when people are trying to be neat!

'Main occupation at this time of year!'
Two Saturday's ago Daddy, Momma, and Sayre got the garden plot measured out and marked. Daddy and his 'math mind' had figured out a way to get the corners 'just right', so they spent a wonderful afternoon marking everything! Daddy knew exactly what he was doing for it looks really nice out there!

'Getting things ready'
Momma and Sayre have started working on one portion of the garden; Momma has peas growing with onions planted just on the outside of the 'pea plot'. Sayre has been building the trellis out of smaller sized logs from the woods.
We haven't planted anything other than peas and onions yet. We're still waiting on the seeds to arrive, so Momma has been marking rows and getting things 'ship shape' for when they arrive.

'The protectors of the garden'
Well, maybe not as they have a tendency to walk over everything (has anyone figured out how to keep dogs from running helter skelter through out the garden? Short of putting up a fence that is!). As you can see, the strawberry plants are doing just great! They are in bloom and have green berries on them! I can almost taste fresh from the vine strawberries!

'Company'
This past Saturday we had Trevor and Thelma over for breakfast. It was good to see them again and hear what they are up to these days! After breakfast, Momma and Thelma talked over different ideas that they had... They are amazing and willing to tackle anything!

'The joy of childhood'
In my subconsciousness I knew that the pecan tree by my garden was missing something, but I never gave much thought to it. Then one day, Sayre rigged up a tire swing for anyone adventurous enough to swing on it; instead of rope, he used a discarded hose and it works just great!!! Sawyer, and I, are loving it! :o)

'In our free time'
We have received quite a bit of rain since Trevor and Thelma's wedding, which is something that we are very thankful for! We are still quite a bit behind in our year to date rainfall, but if it keeps raining like it has been we should be almost back to 'normal' sometime soon.
The pond is full... perfect for canoes ride AND for inspecting the 'pollen swirls' on the water. It's very relaxing to get out there a paddle around, and around, and around...

What is your favorite thing that you have done so far this spring?

5 comments:

Rebekah said...

Hey Ashley,
We are getting our garden ready, too. I can't wait for some fresh vegetables!
Sawyer looks so cute on the tire swing~Oh to be little again.

Just to let you know I always love to visit your blog, it's always so pleasant and encouraging!

Katrina said...

OHH!!! I wish we could garden! Our land is filled with sand and surrounded by oak trees. We can barely keep annuals alive in our meager attempts at flower beds. Oh well.
I love reading your blog, Ashley. It's so fun and encouraging. :)

Sarah said...

What a fun post! I love these "every day life" ones. :)

How sweet of you to help Collin package up the ground 'deer burger' - it probably feels nice to have that job finished!

How exciting that your family's vegetable garden is beginning to be planted! I enjoyed the photos of your parents and Sayre working on it . . . it is coming along nicely! I hope all the plants are doing well. :)

Your strawberry plants sure look nice! When will you be able to start harvesting fruit off of them?

Unfortunately, I do not have any ideas for how to keep dogs from running through ones' garden. Thankfully, my dog, Lassie, dislikes walking on bare dirt so she generally stays out of our garden which is appreciated! :)

I am sure it was very enjoyable having Trevor and Thelma over! Isn't it nice that they are just up the road from you?!

Sawyer looks like he has been enjoying the tire swing! Sayre sure has a creative imagination . . . I would never have thought to use an old hose!

I am glad that you all have been receiving rain as that should really help your gardens and your pasture grow well. It sounds like you have been enjoying the canoe rides! Sawyer certainly looks like he has been enjoying them. :)

Ashley said...

Katrina- It's sad to hear that your soil isn't conducive to gardening, but it sure sounds like you make an effort at making your flower beds attractive!
Thank you for your kind comment about my blog; it was encouraging to hear.
~Ashely

Sarah- What a comment!! Thank you! :D
~Ashley

Sarah said...

Sorry the comment was a little long, Ashley! :) All the photos (and your descriptions) were just so nice that I could not help but comment on them! :)