Here are a few pics of Spring springing here at Catlin Farms!
As you look through the pics, here are few things to keep your eye on:
1. Sam is a very good helper in the gardens!
2. You'll notice that some of the oak leaf hydrangeas have large, full leaves, while others do not. These pictures are not from different points in the growing season this Spring. Rather, the ones that look like they are barely budding are under the upper end of the deck, positioned under a pecan tree. Apparently, the pecan tree's leaves and nuts contain tannin, an acid that hinders the growth of plants underneath the tree (perhaps because it keeps the plants from absorbing iron?). BTW, I learned all this from local experts that I have come to survey our property every now and then.
3. We've added strawberries to our perennial garden. We will also add a few blueberry plants this year. This is all part of an evil plan to turn our house into the Brick Street Farmer's Market.
4. The peas are growing extremely well, but need a trellis soon. I've got the posts in the ground, but need to put up the rest of the structure. Hopefully, I will be able to finish the trellis this weekend. Well, if it stops raining.
5. You won't notice anything yet, but keep your eyes on the broccoli and cauliflower plot. I'm conducting an experiment, testing Miracle-Gro against fish emulsion, an organic fertilizer. I will fertilize half with Miracle-Gro and the other half with fish emulsion to see what differences emerge, if any. I will then publish my findings and make millions!
In another news, Kimberly and I are another year closer to . . . 30! Whaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttt?!?!?!?!?!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Paid Child Star!
Sam has made his breakthrough in the entertainment industry! Below is a promotional video for Kimberly's company, InSite Solutions, posted on youtube.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Preparing the Gardens (pics included!)
Just to keep you interested, I'll go ahead and let you know that there are pics of Sam at the end! Now, on to the boring stuff. . .
This year, we will let you in on more of the details concerning our planting, growing, and harvesting the vegetables. I can tell that you can barely hold back your excitement! Me too! So far, we've planted seeds for peas and onions. The peas have begun to sprout, but we don't have a camera that will focus on something that small. However, the pics below do include the first signs of Spring springing as our phlox is starting to come up! Tomorrow I will build a trellis for the peas (which should be a very interesting endeavor for me). I'll try to document as much of the action as I can. Last year, we didn't build a trellis because we grew a dwarf variety. This year, we are growing Early Alaska pea that grows taller and has bigger pods with more peas; thus the need for the trellis. The great news is that even though this year's variety is bigger, the time from planting to harvest is actually shorter (56 days).
A wave of thunderstorms put a hold on planting the spinach and lettuce, though. After we wait for the ground to dry out, we will plant the spinach and lettuce. Next up are carrots (3/5), cauliflower, cabbage, swiss chard (3/10), and broccoli (3/15).
By the way, I'd love to hear if any of you have gardens, have had gardens, know any "tricks of the trade," or have any ideas for plants/vegetables we could grow. Please share!
Below are some pics of us getting the gardens ready, including many pics of Sam!
This year, we will let you in on more of the details concerning our planting, growing, and harvesting the vegetables. I can tell that you can barely hold back your excitement! Me too! So far, we've planted seeds for peas and onions. The peas have begun to sprout, but we don't have a camera that will focus on something that small. However, the pics below do include the first signs of Spring springing as our phlox is starting to come up! Tomorrow I will build a trellis for the peas (which should be a very interesting endeavor for me). I'll try to document as much of the action as I can. Last year, we didn't build a trellis because we grew a dwarf variety. This year, we are growing Early Alaska pea that grows taller and has bigger pods with more peas; thus the need for the trellis. The great news is that even though this year's variety is bigger, the time from planting to harvest is actually shorter (56 days).
A wave of thunderstorms put a hold on planting the spinach and lettuce, though. After we wait for the ground to dry out, we will plant the spinach and lettuce. Next up are carrots (3/5), cauliflower, cabbage, swiss chard (3/10), and broccoli (3/15).
By the way, I'd love to hear if any of you have gardens, have had gardens, know any "tricks of the trade," or have any ideas for plants/vegetables we could grow. Please share!
Below are some pics of us getting the gardens ready, including many pics of Sam!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A time to plant . . .
Yes, you're right. It has been more than two weeks since I last posted. I'll say that I've got a good excuse, though. If everybody were to be honest, you'd all admit that you follow the blog to see pictures of Sam. Well, the camera's connection to the computer still isn't working, so we haven't posted anything. But, I think there is something exciting enough to post--even without pictures! No, we're not having another baby. Do you really think I'd announce something like that through the blog?
It's time to plant the vegetable garden again! I know you are just as excited as I am. Technically, today is the first day we can plant our Spring garden, but I will start planting tomorrow. Here's our planting schedule:
2/16: English Peas, Onion seeds
2/28: Spinach
3/1: Leaf Lettuce
3/5: Carrots
3/10: Cauliflower, Cabbage, Swiss Chard
3/15: Broccoli
It's time to get my double diggin' on!
And, yes, I'll keep trying to get some more pictures on here.
It's time to plant the vegetable garden again! I know you are just as excited as I am. Technically, today is the first day we can plant our Spring garden, but I will start planting tomorrow. Here's our planting schedule:
2/16: English Peas, Onion seeds
2/28: Spinach
3/1: Leaf Lettuce
3/5: Carrots
3/10: Cauliflower, Cabbage, Swiss Chard
3/15: Broccoli
It's time to get my double diggin' on!
And, yes, I'll keep trying to get some more pictures on here.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Growing Like a Weed: 15 Months
Sam is 15 months! We went to the doctor for a checkup and here are his measurements:
Head: Ginormous! (85th percentile)
Height: 32.5 inches (67th percentile)
Weight: 23.5 lbs. (33rd percentile)
The doctor said that these measurements were great because he is keeping on the same growth curve according to her chart. It's nice to see his weight jump a bit because he eats more than me! I'm not sure we could feed him any more than we do now!
One of the fascinating things about kids is how they learn. It has been a lot of fun to watch Sam learn as he gets older. For example, he has somehow learned that keys open doors. He loves to take mine or Kimberly's keys, walk to the different doors in our house and see if he can open them. So, we made him his own set of keys. If you ask him to get his keys and unlock the door, he will find his keys and try to open a door in the house. Amazing! Of course, this makes me wonder what else we're teaching him that we're not even aware of!
Sam apparently also has a very active imagination. He is the new chef in the house. My neighbor recently gave me a toolbox that sort of looks like a rolling suitcase. I brought it inside and put it just inside the back door in the kitchen. Before too long, Sam began to use it as his own personal stove. He went to the tupperware drawer and put some "pots and pans" on top of Sam's Stove. Then, he went to the pantry and pulled out the Rice-A-Roni and pretended to pour it out into the "pots and pans." He even went so far as to get a spoon out to stir it all up! I have to say that it wouldn't be a bad deal to have a chef for a son! [For some reason our camera connection is not working, so we'll have to post pictures later. Sorry.]
He is learning all the time. Sometimes I find myself sitting back and watching him, just wondering what he'll do and learn next.
Head: Ginormous! (85th percentile)
Height: 32.5 inches (67th percentile)
Weight: 23.5 lbs. (33rd percentile)
The doctor said that these measurements were great because he is keeping on the same growth curve according to her chart. It's nice to see his weight jump a bit because he eats more than me! I'm not sure we could feed him any more than we do now!
One of the fascinating things about kids is how they learn. It has been a lot of fun to watch Sam learn as he gets older. For example, he has somehow learned that keys open doors. He loves to take mine or Kimberly's keys, walk to the different doors in our house and see if he can open them. So, we made him his own set of keys. If you ask him to get his keys and unlock the door, he will find his keys and try to open a door in the house. Amazing! Of course, this makes me wonder what else we're teaching him that we're not even aware of!
Sam apparently also has a very active imagination. He is the new chef in the house. My neighbor recently gave me a toolbox that sort of looks like a rolling suitcase. I brought it inside and put it just inside the back door in the kitchen. Before too long, Sam began to use it as his own personal stove. He went to the tupperware drawer and put some "pots and pans" on top of Sam's Stove. Then, he went to the pantry and pulled out the Rice-A-Roni and pretended to pour it out into the "pots and pans." He even went so far as to get a spoon out to stir it all up! I have to say that it wouldn't be a bad deal to have a chef for a son! [For some reason our camera connection is not working, so we'll have to post pictures later. Sorry.]
He is learning all the time. Sometimes I find myself sitting back and watching him, just wondering what he'll do and learn next.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Showing Some Resolve
This year I've made three New Year's resolutions.
Happy New Year!
1. Run another half marathon
I ran the Wicked Half Marathon in Salem, MA in September of 2009, although using the word "ran" may be stretching the term a bit. I lost 40 lbs. training for that half marathon, going from 235 lbs. to 195 lbs. I have gained back 25 lbs, weighing in at 220. It's time to start training again! Below are a few pics from the first half-marathon.
2. Be more organinzed
This one sounds a little vague, but I need to be more organized with every area of my life (including the covers, according to Kimberly!). So, I am making a concerted effort to structure my schedule very carefully, mainly so I can be a better husband and father. One of the projects we have been working on around the house will help with structure and organization. We own a small building that used to be a store, which is on our property. We have been working to make this building into usable space for an office/craft room/play room/man cave. Below are some pics of the remodeling.
3. Communicate more with friends and family who do not live nearby
I could always do a better job of staying in touch with friends and family who do live near us. I think many of you could provide ample evidence of my lack of communication. Part of the solution will be posting on this blog once every two weeks. I haven't posted anything to the blog since July 27! You'll notice that it's January 13th, which means two things. First, I'm cutting it close on breaking this New Year's resolution. Second, it's Granny and Mom's birthday today! Happy birthday Granny! Happy birthday mom! To catch you up on just a bit of what's been going on at Catlin Farms, I've provided some pics below.
Happy New Year!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
4th of July Extravaganza
It's a little late, but must be noted. We had an excellent 4th of July celebration with our awesome neighbors, Jane and Daniel (I just realized we don't have any pictures of them!). First, we went by Daniel's farm that he grew up on, and then went to Jane's family's lake house for the rest of the weekend. It was a really rough weekend of eating food fresh off the farm, riding jet skis (as well as a Super Mable), and soaking in the rays by the lake. Below are some pics from the extravaganza.
I have to admit that I was tempted to post the pics of Daniel's farm to pretend that they were new developments to Catlin Farms. On second (or maybe third) thought, however, I voted against it for one main reason: Forcing Daniel's farm to pose as Catlin Farms would be a grievous insult to Daniel's farm. Their farm is actually a farm and needs to be honored as such. Well, that and the fact that you would see about three pictures and figure out that we did not suddenly jump into cattle farming (or suddenly buy several hundred acres of land)!
I have to admit that I was tempted to post the pics of Daniel's farm to pretend that they were new developments to Catlin Farms. On second (or maybe third) thought, however, I voted against it for one main reason: Forcing Daniel's farm to pose as Catlin Farms would be a grievous insult to Daniel's farm. Their farm is actually a farm and needs to be honored as such. Well, that and the fact that you would see about three pictures and figure out that we did not suddenly jump into cattle farming (or suddenly buy several hundred acres of land)!
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