Piling Up!

Things are definitely piling up around here! The snow really put a dent in my work time! It is a bit hard getting work done with three caged animals going stir crazy! teehee! I am slowly catching up, but would most definitely would love it if I was all caught up ; ) But are we really ever? hmm?

The conference was amazing! Heard from Joel Salatin himself! What a rebel he is! He was the key-note speaker on saturday and didn't even know it until I ran into some long lost friends. Great food! Great information! Awesome child care! I feel so at home at places like that! It is garden geekdom at it's best!

I ended up letting my children talk me into bringing home three chicks. They were irresistible! So I need to get out in the back yard and finish my coop and build a fence my darn dog won't jump! I really didn't think all these pets through! I need a fence! Then I can get my dwarf ewes haha!

On the business front, not much has happened. I am still trying to gather people to build my board and review the business plan. I must admit with the delay of the meeting I found myself procrastinating on the paperwork! I really need to get busy on this! I lose my babysitter in about a month and my time to work on this will be limited to early mornings only, which I would really like to start getting away from!

I have started taking pictures while I do stuff for the garden. One reason is for my presentation for class and the other is for tutorials. I have decided to start posting tutorials on either here or my website. I need to figure out how to do all that. It has been awhile since I have worked with HTML and it was very little that I could do! I go to a power point class today to learn how to jazz up my power point. I have 20 slides so far. So I am on track with that!

Not much else to report. I feel the need to hop over to business work now!

Catching up!

I know I know, more than a week passed this time! I am going to blame it on the OEFFA (Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association) conference this past weekend! Still trying to catch up and manage three kids while being snowed in for the second week!!! It cleared up long enough to go to the conference and then another storm hit!

What an amazing weekend! Daycare was provided so we all went! The daycare was run by a woman who runs The Waldorf Center in Columbus! The girls had an amazing time and actually cried when we left! Kolby had his own conference and activities to participate in! He made a solar oven, his own compost, and even toured the planetarium! Great weekend! As for myself, I could go on and on about the amazing people, incredible food, and fantastic workshops! Joel Salatin himself was the key note speaker on saturday. I didn't even know he was speaking and ironically just this past week watched Food Inc. (that is another post in itself). What an inspiration he is! Wow! Still haven't fully processed everything! I can't wait to get ahold of his books!!

I feel so at home at garden or farming conferences! I feel like everyone speaks my language! I could honestly stay there full time! But I guess that wouldn't leave me much time to play in the dirt and feed people ; ) There was a display for a hatchery there. They had day old ducks and chicks. They were incredibly adorable! The kids were drawn to them like magnets! Every time we walked past the display hall they made a b-line straight to that table. Well, by the end of the weekend they had convinced me........we came home with three chicks. Pancake, Sunflower Seed, and Birdie! They are quite cute! Cheep cheep! I made a brooder for them and they seem to be happy! They are downstairs with all my starts in my grow room! cheep cheep! Guess I have to hurry and finish the coop!

As far as the non-profit goes. Things are still coming along slowly but surely. Still trying to find a day where everyone can meet and we can go over the business plan. Would like to have that in order before I file. More updates to come! Must sign off and work on business ; )

Seeds!!!!

At least a full week hasn't passed since the last post ; ) In the last week I have gotten most of my seeds, with the exception of the ones that are on back order. I ordered from a couple different places this year and am keeping track of every detail. I will be doing starts for both gardens (mine and the church's), so the greenhouse better go up soon. Actually it goes up next weekend! I just couldn't wait though! I did starts two days ago! I got my blueberry bushes in the mail the other day and had to transplant them and it felt so good I couldn't stop! I have five flats of starts now ; ) I spent the entire day playing in the dirt and planting seeds! I cannot wait until spring and I can feel the dirt in my toes! Then I will truly be happy!!!

So I want to talk about the blueberries. I have never seen bare root bushes before. I just recently found out crowns would be a bare root as well. After I placed my order the company called to verify shipping since some came straight from the grower. They were calling about the potato seeds, not the blueberry bushes. I wondered about that! Then tuesday night I am almost in bed and someone knocks on my door......scares the crap out of me!!!! I go to the door and there is my box from Peaceful Valley Farms. I open the box and there is a bag with sticks. These are my blueberry bushes?!?! They are bare roots! I transplanted them in temporary homes in milk jugs and have them in the basement now. I also found out that blueberries need more than one variety so they can cross pollinate! So of course last night I ordered two more bushes (sticks) and while I was on the site ordered some grapes too!

I am going to be so busy with gardens! I cannot wait! The conference is next weekend and I am so excited for that! I can't wait to meet all my fellow garden geeks! I truly feel like a family at these conventions!

I know I know......

I know I am not doing very well on this blogging. Have I happened to mention how busy I am starting a non-profit, going to school, and raising three children! Whew! So I have excellent news!!!!! My plot went from a 30 x 30 to .......drum roll please........ 200 x 500!!!!!! Haha! My first response to that was "wow! that much land can produce a lot of produce!" haha! I almost can't believe it! Does anyone remember that song from the seventies for the tootsie roll commercial? Where the little boy is skipping and he is singing and the words go something like......and everything I turn to see becomes a tootsie roll to me......... i can't find the lyrics, but anyone remember? That is me! Skipping along looking at open space and it morphs into a garden and I am singing some little song about "open fields turning into gardens"......haven't figured out a cute jingle yet! Hey! That is a great idea!! I could have a contest and have the Feral Farmer's fans write my song!!!! I will organize that! First I need to find that commercial!

So other than that, nothing huge and exciting has happened! But that is pretty huge to stand on its own i think! I am going to cut this one short......I have sooooo much to do! I have a deadline set for myself for next friday. I have to get busy to meet it!



...................I found it!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaXk6PVXqJE

I am ashamed. Almost a week went by since my last entry. I have been busy!! My sitter was off for most of the week last week and then when she returned I had to fit a week's worth of work into two days.......and my shoulder is killing me! I haven't mentioned it before, but I have a pinched nerve in my back at my shoulders and it is causing me a GREAT deal of pain. My frustration is that it limits me. It is driving me insane I can't be out there moving stuff around. I sit and stare through my sliding glass doors and wonder how I am going to get this project off the ground when I can't even tend to my own yard and garden. It has been raining all week so my level of excitement has been dampened. Even though I am injured, I push through. Which that in itself isn't good because then you don't heal. Oh well, what am I supposed to do? Sit around and whine while people are hungry? I think not. Not much keeps me down.

So there are a TON of updates!!! I met with Ken, the practicum advisor, and my project is approved!!! Have some finishing touches to do on the paperwork and that is finished and I can move on! The little stuff is what takes me FOREVER to do ; ) Then I met with Rob, who has experience opening a non-profit. This meeting was by far the most encouraging!!! We reviewed everything and I am right on target! In fact he was so impressed with what I have done so far that he wants help with the techie side of things! That meeting had me on cloud 9!! Really tough part is only my federal tax exemption. I have a lot of "busy" paperwork to draft up! Five River (where I am taking the master gardening course) likes my idea as well for the donation garden and talked about a pilot program possibility!!!! YIPPIE!!! All these things are coming together!!!!! And tomorrow I have a meeting with a church who wants to set up a donation garden on their property and turned the project into a "chain of gardens" through out the faith based community!!!!

This is all so exciting! I have ordered my greenhouse and it should be here soon. I have mapped out my garden and ready for spring! The weekend of February 12-14th me and the kiddos are going to the OEFFA (Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association) conference! I am sooooo excited about that! Kolby even gets to take the workshops with me! I have really turned into a garden geek!

More gardens!!!!

I have not been good at maintaining the daily entry ; ) I will work on that! Good news over the weekend! I have two churches that are interested in gardens. I have yet to work out the details with them, but that is really exciting! My chiropractor has also started to spread the word! Not sure if I mentioned this in a prior blog, but he has offered to volunteer and also volunteered necessary farming equipment as well!!! Amazing how some people just want to help!

I am waiting to hear back from Five River. I sent an email to the teacher of my class asking about the donation garden also being part of my class project that I have to complete as well! That would be so cool if all these projects can come together not only to complete my project, but to feed people!! I have more places on my list to contact. I am hoping for gardens all over Dayton! Every church, every parking lot converted to food production!

I am not good at waiting. While I wait, I tend to put too much on my plate. I like to keep busy so I keep adding stuff........when I am about to topple over with stuff to do is when I will hear back from all these emails...haha! That is ok! Seriously! If I could stay busy from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed tending to gardens I would be happy!! I need to stay organized and stay on a schedule. Give every garden at least one day a week. Doing all this while maintaining my own garden will be the challenge.

I am so grateful I am only going part time to school! Only four more classes though! YIPPIE!

So Much To Do!

I have so much to do! My sitter is gone for a week starting tomorrow so I have been getting all my running and such done before she leaves. I can have the next week sitting at my computer working on business stuff. Really, I am sitting waiting to hear back from people. I have a couple emails out about fiscal sponsorships. If not my backyard become my "pilot project"!

This coming week my goals are to write a newsletter, get more people to follow the blog or facebook, find a place to have a gathering (and later on a seed swap)........I would like to tentatively set up a meeting in three weeks and then have one monthly until April. I need to contact someone at school and see if I can use one of their spaces to gather people!! Shouldn't be a problem. I would also like to have my 501 (c) 3 paperwork finished by the end of next week. I need to meet up with Rob on that.....probably should email him when I am done with this post ; )

I can see the gardens! I have beautiful visions of them as a matter of fact. I know this will happen. My patience of the timeliness of it all is what will be tested! I would love to snap my fingers and have food everywhere! I see a garden everywhere I see a vacant lot! And thanks to Bobby Wilson, president of the American Community Garden Association, I see gardens in barrels where dirt is non-existent! Gardens Gardens Gardens!

I have my first Master Gardener class tonight! I am looking forward to that. I have to put in 50 volunteer hours with the parks and I want to do with the Grow With Your Neighbors program. They said too in the interview for the class that most people end up with employment within the parks or city after they finish the class. We shall see! Should would be fun to make all my donation gardens through the parks and rec. and leave all the business stuff to them, while earning a paycheck and benefits! Haha!