Why I Love Thunderstorms...

Actually, I don't really like them all that much, personally. I'm not afraid of thunder though. There's something about the lightening that I just don't care for. I am getting better and don't quite have that 'hide your head under the covers' feeling anymore and can actually admire the beauty of a bolt of lightning as it zips from the clouds, but I still don't have to like them.

However, as a farmer's wife, I understand the necessity of thunderstorms. Ever notice why the leaves and the grass always look so much greener after a thunderstorm? They are getting a big boost of nitrogen, that's why. When the lightning burns the air, it is adding nitrogen to the air which is really good for plant growth.

The other thing I like about thunderstorms is the water. Everything smells so fresh and clean after a rainstorm. It also means I have to water my garden that much less. While I may not like thunderstorms, anything that gets me out of hauling bucket after bucket of water to my 45 foot long garden is okay with me.

Growing Pains

I wish my garden grew faster than the weeds. I was out there checking on the soil (hoping to plant potatoes today) but it was a bit too wet. I did notice, however, that bunches of clover and a renegade blade of grass here or there were already trying to sneak out of the soil. That clover is the worst. I know the cows like it and there is something magical about finding a four-leaf clover (I once found a five-leaf clover out in the pasture. Honestly!) but it's impossible to get rid of! Clover, picker plants, and pig weed are my gardening nightmares. All have extensive root systems that rival gopher and ant tunnels. All are invasive weeds that take over a garden at a moment's notice. And, two of those weeds are covered in the sharpest dagger-pointed sticker seeds possible. They are like spies-they sneak their way into the garden and hide until you least expect them to pop up. I can't count the number of times I have reached for a cucumber or carrot and grabbed a picker plant by mistake or found a clump of clover bullying my pitiful plants into submission. Hopefully, I will be able to keep my garden growing more than just weeds and rocks this year. I have good intentions so we'll see if I actually live up to my expectations.

Puppies and Plants

You would think I don't feed my puppies. I walk outside in the morning and they start trying to eat my toes because they are so hungry. They do this three time a day. So, I've asked before, I'll ask again. Who wants a puppy? I have three left. Price: FREE!!!

I am experimenting this year. I am direct seeding everything in the garden. Last year, I killed all of my starts. The tomatoes and green peppers started pretty good but died before I could replant them. My pumpkins survived until I transplanted them. A week after I put them in the garden, all were shriveled up little dead plants. So, pumpkins and watermelon are already planted and we'll see if they make it. It's my hope that I will get at least one of each.

Miscarriage and Me

I've wanted to write an entry about miscarriage for a while now. For some, miscarriage is a personal thing. It's something to deal with privately. I, however, find that I have this almost insatiable need to know more about them. I need to learn about miscarriage and what doctors think. I need to know other women have coped. It's as if, by knowing more, I can better come to terms with what happened. I have also found it therapeutic to talk about it. It's my 'vent', because if I don't get these feelings out in the open, I get overwhelmed. I also look at it as part of my healing. I am coming to terms with what has been happening over the last year and a half. I am seeing that I can move past this and I am a stronger woman for my experiences. I have had several questions in recent months on how I have handled my multiple miscarriages, possible signs of a miscarriage, the unknown cause of each one, and how I am approaching my fertility issues now. Most people who ask are curious. They don't know much about miscarriage as they've never had to deal with one. Others ask to see how their experiences line up with mine. Some ask simply to learn. I plan to write a few more entries on miscarriage answering the more common questions I have received. If you have a specific query, let me know via email, phone, or in person and I will try to address it as best I can.

Definition of a Farmer's Wife

10 Signs I Am Truly A Farmer's Wife:

1. I asked Lanny for a pair of vice grips or a garden spade for my birthday instead of a meal at a fancy restaurant.

2. I am able to talk about somatic cell counts, field work, gardening, and cows and actually (sound like I) know what I am saying.

3. The sight of cows contentedly grazing in a lush green pasture is wonderful not only because it's such an iconic country picture, but because it means the cows are happy and happy cows make more milk.

4. I find milking cows to be a (generally) relaxing time of day.

5. I wake up at the 'crack of dawn' whether I need to milk cows or not.

6. I am used to planning spur of the moment trips when the only notice we are going is Lanny telling me at 10pm that we are leaving after morning chores the very next morning.

7. I can finally tell the tractors apart (most of the time anyway).

8. Ask me about treating mastitis and I can give you at least five different treatment options off the top of my head.

9. I know what different kinds of manure mean for the cow's health and that a 'cowpie' can be a good thing.

10. Getting pooped on no longer phases me.

Spring Cleaning

It's that time of year again...The grasses (okay, weeds) are sprouting, the fields are being planted, Mindy's pups are growing. And it's time for the dreaded spring cleaning...Well, I dread it anyway. I don't dread it for the work though...I dread it because it aggravates my allergies. I am constantly amazed at how much dust and dirt accumulates during the winter months. Sweeping, vaccuuming, scrubbing...It doesn't matter, the dust is still disturbed enough to fly up my nose. This spring has been no different. I am currently battling the lasting dregs of a sinus infection that has stubbornly hung on for over a week. I wish I could spring clean my sinuses! And my ears... I haven't been able to hear out of my left ear since this snot bug took up residence in my apparently comfortably homelike sinuses. The same bug must have wanted a swimming pool as the fluid build-up in my ear was quite high. I tried everything I could think of to dislodge the little menace-two kinds of essential oils, a few drops of rubbing alcohol, ear candling, doing nothing, seeing the chiropractor (I had never heard of an ear adjustment before but I have had one now.), even breaking down and taking some Robitussin for cold relief. I had a lymphatic cleanse done yesterday and it seems to have worked a bit. When I blew my nose for the first time this morning, my ear finally POPPED (loudly) and my hearing seems to be a bit better since. Hopefully it will continue to improve. Now, I am off to go garage saleing. How ironic that I spend my week cleaning and downsizing my stuff only to add to it...