Yawn

Still sleepy in Alabama.

I had a pretty nice harvest last autumn. Lots of lovely tomatoes and basil. The kids and I were cooking up a storm. It was nice to have tomatoes right off the vine. We enjoyed it all immensely.

We were looking forward to planting this spring, but as the wind blows, we won't be able to do so. Sadly, we're just not going to make it here. Like so many others, we're displaced and unable to find work. Even knowing people isn't helping me get anywhere. It is just so frustrating.

I do have a job, just not a well paying one. I know, I know, I should be thankful and I am. I still have a car. However, I can't do anything but pay for the car. I don't work full time. After months of struggling and trying not to get so far behind my credit is damaged, it appears we're looking at another move.

Several friends of mine are going through this very thing. Moving from one place to another where you know someone and maybe, just maybe, you'll get something. The temp agencies here are actually closing. It is kinda bad.

I do so hope that perhaps I can get a work at home gig. I know a couple of folks that are doing it and they love it. With another impending move to where my family is located in Louisiana, I will give it a try. I just can't work from home where I am, a three year old prevents it. So I'm going to try again.

Near my dad, gardening won't even be a problem. He lives on five acres and has a garden every year and he is very much looking forward to us coming because he wants a garden buddy. And he is dying to work out an aquaculture system with me. We've talked about it before and if I end up moving down there (I've set a March deadline, no full time job by then, we're moving to another area to try again), we're going to do it.

Not to mention, I inadvertently set my deadline to parallel the serious garden starting down there. I'll be moving from zone 7b to 6b. Not too much of a difference, only a slight difference in first and last frost, but those couple of weeks can make all the difference.

With luck, after we're settled, I'll be able to blog regularly again. I do so miss it.

Whew!

Did I mention being unemployed can really give you a lot of time to work on those projects you didn't have time for before? I have been working on my garden, disheartening as it may be that I don't have a job at the moment, but I've been working on it. We put up the gazebo, built a raised bed, I've done a lot of container gardening, too. I've done a lot of herbs and they are doing so well. My main problem has been pest management because, again, it rains for three days and then we have three days of nice skies, then it rains for three days again. I've been really on top of getting the DE on the plants and keeping it on them. But I'm still seeing the signs of my leaves being eaten. Worse, slugs and snails have moved in. I've been battling that.

But we're counter balancing. I put the bird feeders near the garden and I'm seeing a sharp decrease in insects. The ground squirrels are entertaining as they forage through the little existing bed the bird feeder sits in. The bed is very old but the soil in it is actually pretty good.  I've got some things planted but I don't think they are going to do anything. There is a huge tree shading that spot so I'm going to be getting some shade loving flowers instead.

I've been doing a lot of research into aquaculture the past three weeks and this guy:



is amazing.  He has built a system in a greenhouse, wrote software to monitor it and has it almost completely automated.  Wow.

I'd love to build one.  But for now, I'm going to keep on with my cucumbers and onions with broccoli and herbs.  My cat is evil as she destroyed the okra, cauliflower, and tomato.  Ahh well, there is always next year and indoor gardening.