Monday, July 29, 2013

R.I.P. My Darling Sugar 7-23-2013

“We who choose to surround ourselves
with lives even more temporary than our
own, live within a fragile circle;
easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps,
we would still live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only
certain immortality, never fully
understanding the necessary plan.”
Irving Townsend
 







 

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Skyline and Sunrises

The skies in the mornings here are so spectacular. You add the sounds of nature and the crowing of the neighbor's roosters and you have the makings of paradise.



 
 
I just can't photograph the mornings enough.

Garden 101


The weed block is turning out to be a bit of a bust. Not to mention a pain in the butt. However, we are finally getting somewhere with our garden. The transplants, not so good, but direct planting of the beans, carrots, cucumbers and squashes is turning out to be the way to go.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

A Lot Has Been Happening At the Vining Orchard

Dogs have gotten hair cuts. Well, Rascal and Rowe-Quinn have.
 
 
We've planted trees: 1 Santa Rosa plum, 1 Methley plum, 1 Meyer lemon, 1 Key Lime, 1 Haas avocado, 1 Red Delicious apple, 1 Golden Delicious apple, 1 Brown Turkey fig, 3 Native fig, 1 Washington Navel orange and 1 Sunburst tangerine.
 
All have been watered and mulched with tender loving care and are doing very well. There are blooms on the lemon, orange, plum and lime trees. This is so fun and it answers the question I had when we bought this property, "what are we going to do with all this space?".
 
The garden, well, that hasn't been going as well as we had hoped.  Transplanting from inside to outside has proven to be a bit of a waste of time. I've had to replant the seeds directly into the soil for lettuce, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. They just haven't done very well. It the GUMBO soil I TELL YOU!
 
I planted the majority of the asparagus outside directly into their own raised bed. But inside, I had extra seeds that I had soaked, I planted three others! Below are two coming up. I will check outside to tomorrow for those.
 


 
On a personal note, I've applied for two jobs in the last two weeks. I don't think the 1st company is going to call me. But, the I had the Texas Department of Public Safety~Drivers License Division in stitches today. As I was leaving the head of the board said "I haven't laughed like this all day!" I'm hoping that's a good sign.

Monday, March 11, 2013



Sookie

Sugar

Rowe-Quinn
 
Rascal

Sookie and Alissa

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Happy Birthday Rowe-Quinn


Rowe-Quinn came into my life at 4 months of age!
 
He is now 8 years old and just as cute. Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Planting Of The Fruit Trees

Another first on the Vining Plantation! We plan to add two apple (Gala, Red Delicious), another plum tree (for pollination purposes), and another avacodo. Avacodo trees are NOT cheap, approximately $50 each. We may even plant an Naval Orange tree too!
Lemon Tree
 Digging the hole for these trees wasn't easy! The gumbo soil (clay and black dirt) is so dense and sticky. It was quite a work out!

Tangerine Tree

Avacado Tree

Plum Tree