Potato update~~

I wrote an entry in my blog a few weeks ago and told you about our  4 by 4 potato garden that will yield a 100lbs. or more of potatoes from this small space.  Well…we were very skeptical of this idea but after hours of research---yeah…I know!!! Rob not me~~I never read the directions nor listen to the rules!!! I am a rebel like that~~not really!!! I may drink a diet soda before I go to bed knowing full well that I am gonna have to get up thru the night and pee ooo…about 3 times because of that!!!! Sooo~~I really wouldn’t call that a rebel…more like someone who just hates to read and follow directions because I am a hands on learner~~you know a kinesthetic –oh forget it!!! Now back to the potato box~~just wait till you see the pics.  Those little buuugers are grown’ like weeds…well…not really weeds~~oh I am sorry back on point.  Sorry bout all this—have not taken my meds yet!!!LOL!!  Ok…on to the pics~~~



Poor Rob~~~this is his work truck!!! Oh well…at least he has good ol’ Betsy!!!


Now there are 2 rows high of the boards and the top-soil has been added.  Then we sit and wait for the plants to grow a few more feet and then slap on another board.  Not me now—it was a little tooooo hot for me out there!!!

See—here I am in good ol’ Betsy taking a pic of Rob thru the rearview mirror.  Hey…that’s another good thing about Betsy…she has A/C!!

So that is it for now folks~~I know you will be waiting with anticipation for the next potato box update!!!

American??

I am not sure if you can call black-berry crisp as American as apple pie but I think it is a pretty darn close runner-up!!?? What do you think?? Well…I just wanted to show you all the pic of the crisp because here in oh-I’d-say a good half-hour or so there will nothing left of it. We will all be in a sugar coma with vanilla ice-cream dripping from our chins. 

I do think that the flags in the back ground help your mind go to the American theme that I was trying to paint in your head!!?? I thought that was pretty darn clever of me!!!!

4X4 box will produce a 100lbs of potatoes

Earlier in the year I found a blog that had written about building a 4X4 box and just a few seed potatoes would produce 100 lbs. of potatoes.  I never really thought that we would attempt this little tale but on the off chance that Rob might be interested I forwarded it on to him at work??  Well…it struck a nerve or something because we are doing this little project.  I will have to say that it is working like a charm~~not that we are all that far into the project.  I am just sayin’ just in case it’s a flop and I will not have any potatoes that actually come out of these 4X4 box. 

These first few pictures are of Rob working on the beginning stages of the potato box.

Now…rob will put another board around each side of the box~~then he will pour top-soil over the sprouts that you see here.

Here is a close-up of the potato plant just in case you might want to see it~~not that you don’t already know what a potato plant looks like..but I took the darn picture so I am showing you.  Hope you don’t mind.  I will continue to write updates on the potato box and explain each step as we go.  Fun huh~~yeah I know!!!

New “TOY”~~or money pit??

Matthew and JR have decided to go into the fishing business~~hence the boat!!! They have already pulled things our welded holes and purchased wood and seats for this flat-bottom boat.  I do think that they are enjoying the process of making this old boat into a better looking…floating boat!! Floating is one important necessity for the 2 bass fisherman?? I think so anyway~~I really have never been out on a boat fishing—do you think I am missing anything??? I really don’t think so~~worms~~ bus~~ hot~~ smelleeee fish..I think I will pass.

They tell me that this is a boat that was well worth their hard workin’ money.  What do you think?? Looks like a rip off to me…but then again~what do I know???

NO…seriously!!! I am very proud of my boys!! They took off on their own—with the GPS in hand to pick up their new treasure.  The drive was a little over an hour away.  I think that is pretty darn good for 2 boys that just graduated from High School.  The contraption that the boat is sitting on also came with it!! I am told that this part of the deal was really worth it. 

They had “BIG” daddy come and and give his seal of approval.  I think that Rob and I are most proud of the work ethic that these 2 young men possess.  They paid for the gas to get the boat and the food to fill their starving bellies and the boat…every little item that has been purchased for this grand flat-bottom boat.  I think that is pretty darn impressive!!! Wootwoot!!!

Well—now…how did that little bugggger get into this post?? Oh yeah I remember—he was helping the boys out!! He was driving to get the parts for the grand flat-bottom boat!!! Love it~~summer…family!!

he caught the "BIG ONE"

Need I say anything??? Nah~~~

Few and Far Between~

The title is referring to my blog entries as of late!! Since we live in the land of the damp and dark and dreary and cold beyond belief I have not really had that much to write about!! However…since summer is fast approaching we had to start a few things in our containers~~some containers weirder than others~~ ~~however…it will all do just fine.  I will be writing a few more entries since there has actually been just a bit of the good ol’ sunshine from the blue skies to help things a long just a bit?? Listen her folks~~we have not one thing in the garden…NO lie!! This is a first for my father!! He lives and dies by the straightest garden rows for miles around.  This has us all in a state of shock and is really gonna’ hit us in the pocket book because we simply will not be much canning or freezing to be heard of.  Which means no speedee quick supper of “FANCEEEE HAMBURGER HELPER” as Zo likes to call all of my pasta dishes…then running back to the freezer/canning or canning/freezer room—I am not sure of the proper way of stating that room?? If you can help me with that issue you will be one of the 2 people that reads my blog and you will in fact know how to get a hold of me so you know the deal.  OK—OK—back to the running back to the freezer/canning room or canning/freezer room to grab a bag of frozen at the sweetest moment honey select corn to be had or a couple quarts of half runners on the shelves to throw together a half-way-decent-meal.  That is not gonna’ be happening in the Biggs/Riffe house come this loooong cold winter. I did get to plant my carrots this last weekend and I think that those “GREENER” folks are really gonna give me a “BIG” shout out for recycling.  Yes…it is a fish tank.  Yes…they usually have fish in them~~but not this fish tank honeeee!! We have had a salt water tank since Matthew started 2nd grade.  He loved the fish and we hated all the money it cost us but loved to look at the bright salt water fish.  Very calming~~and anyone that knows me and knew me back then knows full well I could use anything that would calm me down.  Well—getting back to the fish and carrot story I have to say that we lost the last of our salt water fish only a few short weeks ago.  I will admit I was a little sad when King passed on but it also helped to de-clutter the bedroom a great deal—so it was a win…win… her on my home front.
 
Don’t you just love Rob’s Amish hat~~he says it keeps the sun off and I say its pretty darn hot…if your askin’ me?? Not that anyone was asking me but I was just sayin’. 

Good thing Rob works out on his total gym~~I knew that money would pay off eventually.  Those total gyms are very expensive but well worth the cost~~just look what I am getting.  Fresh organic carrots and just...right outside my door. 

Can you tell that Rob is a type A personality~~he is even measuring the depth of the soil!! He read on the back of the package how many inches you will need and he by dang is gonna’ make sure he getser’ as close to that measurement as humanly possible. 

If I were still teaching I would have had to do this in my classroom because this would have been a great jumping off point for many of my standards in science.  Oh…and yes~~Rob would have used those muscles again to carry everything to the school for me!!! He is good to me~~like that!! 

Here are those seeds now…just look how tiny they are?? Hard to believe that a lanky carrot will be produced from this tiny little seed.

If you look very…very…very close you can see the seeds in that very…very…very straight line.  Need I tell you who made that line??  I didn’t really think so!! LOL!! 
Thanks honeee~~I love you!!
So~~if the sun will come back out and stay a little while I think we might just have us a darn good recycling carrot container.  Pretty cool—huh??

“PREP” time!!

Well~~as many of you know I am now spending my time cooking and learning how food works and how it doesn’t.  Poor family…you have to be the guinea pigs!! You should also be aware of the things that Rob has been getting me and making me~~just for this special event in my life. LOL…like I am freeeeeking “ROYALTTTEEE”!!! If you didn’t already know about these little goodies go to some of my previous posts and you will see things like peg-boards and cutting boards and nik-naks and such!!! I am soooo excited to welcome my newest addition to my cooking repertoire!! 

Look at her rich…thick…smooth butcher block top~~she's a beeeuuuut isn't she??

 

Take a look at those big rolling casters~~this gives her a good smooth ride.  Rob had those puppies special ordered~~reason being…the rubber will grip the floor and make for and easy transition from one spot to another!! You know I could be creating a 6 tier wedding cake on this sucker and I could roll it to the car without even as much as a wiggle!! HEHEHE!!!

Safety is her number one concern~~so she has several little “L” brackets hitched up to her underbelly!!  These are for when I am using my deadly weapon—Wustof…I can chop at record speed without any concern that the butcher block top will fall and hit my lil’ toe.

I will have to say my dear~~you did one fine job.  Thanks…I know that she will be put to good use.