Planting Cutting Flower Gardens; Great Great Rag Rug Class

This week has been a very productive Windmill Farm week.  We have been laying down landscaping fabric as I mentioned before this year.  That in itself, is a great task considering it is just ME and sometimes Frank to help.  

It wasn't until I was almost on my last big, long run did I get a scare.  Do you remember that I mentioned I purchased it used from a nursery who wasn't going to raise potted plants any longer?  It was already down so they had their workers roll it up in whatever widths and lengths that were already down for them.  

fellow farmer photo

So some were extremely heavy which turned out to be the widest and longest pieces, like maybe 100 feet long!!! Well this one was long and wide so I pulled it to one end of my row and started to open up the 4 folded widths.  I got to about the middle and there was a big pile of dirt on the top side.  I went over to brush it off and out coiled a rattlesnake!!!  It was a young one, but a rattlesnake nevertheless.  The dogs are programmed to know when I scream like a crazy woman, it means something for them to chase or see for themselves.  Frank is also trained, he heard the scream and said "What is it now?"  A SNAKE!!!

Needless to say, after that, I gingerly unrolled the rest of the panels and only thing I found was a couple crickets and a red racer which doesn't freighted me a bit. So 90% of the drip tape is laid under the panels, 10% to go and 95% of the landscaping fabric is done.  The last 2 rows are short rows and I was waiting to use just the short or cut off pieces used on all the rest so I don't have to waste cutting up a really long section.

Floret Flowers photo-my mentor

I torched my holes with my portable hand propane tank on the 1 section of the annual cut flower sections.  And the seeds are in the ground ready for the big rain we got yesterday.  Not to say I don't have a zillion more seeds and plants to put into the ground but the groundwork is done; the base is done; I keep telling myself this extra work now will be saving me hours and hours of weeding work all summer long.

Frank put up the panels for all the tomato plants, pole beans and Asian yard long beans.  I have the tomato plants but the drip system isn't installed yet so that means I will have to hand water if they are planted.  In a couple days, Frank will have that done and in they will go.

My Learn To Crochet a Rag Rug was a wonderful class.

 Sometimes the combination of people just make it special and that is what happened this week.  

I had a couple cancellations, which always disappoints me because my expenses for supplies, printing materials, food, time and fabrics was high on this class.

 But I think everyone learned a great deal, most went home with a very good start on their rugs.  I received some photos of a couple people showing me their progress so I am sure I will be getting more photos of completed rugs very soon.  

My grand door prize were these flower motifs I made from jute I made into a swag.

I will have to come up with some ideas for the next classes.  Right now I am obsessive in making jute, string, hemp, sisal baskets and flower motif swags.  

Each night I try and make a different sized basket using a different natural material.  

Maybe my next class will be how to make a basket!!

The kids and grand kids made a surprise weekend visit which was a wonderful surprise.  With the rain, it was really fun to be able to stay inside and visit, talk, cook and have fun together.  I even showed Collin and Carli how to crochet.  

Until next time from Windmill Farm.