It's been beautiful here the last couple of days. I love spring. With my son's help and company, I've been doing a lot of planting. I hand-tilled the bean patch, built a nice trellis and planted lots of pole beans. The kids love beans picked right off the vines. When they are swimming in the pool, I like to pelt them with ripe green beans, peppers, even cucumbers (of course I don't hit them with the heavier produce). They dive for the vegetables and eat them in the water. It cracks me up, too, watching them. I'm working on a theory about kids eating better in swimming pools.
I put in a crop of spinach also. This is the first I've planted spinach and I'm hoping it'll flourish. Me and the kids all like spinach in salads.
The ridiculous strawberries that I planted three years ago are putting out flowers. In all this time, they've only successfully produced seven berries. Quite delicious berries, actually. But only seven. Still, I don't quite have the heart to pull the silly things out. Maybe this will be the year that, against all odds, they surprise me.
Cruz came by yesterday to see the sheep and discuss my plans for putting up more fencing. Cruz is the guy from Mexico that I hired to repair my existing fence last fall. He is the one who suggested I raise sheep. As soon as he said this last autumn, it was like a light went off in my head. Sheep. For some reason I immediately had a very good feeling about this. This area has a high Hispanic population and Cruz said that I could sell as many lambs as I could produce to them, as Mexican people love lamb and mutton. Cruz is a serious man, and if he says it, it's true.
I've got two ram lambs nearly ready for sale. Cruz said I could get $60.00 each for them. I need to build up my flock to about 75, I figure, so that I'd be able to sell two or three lambs a week. I'd be doing well then, and financially secure enough to take more control of my life.
It always cheers me up, talking to Cruz. I feel more optimistic. It's also good to have another adult to discuss the gardens I'm growing, the livestock I'm working with.
Shoot, it's a full moon, obviously, and I'm ovulating. I should stop thinking and try to sleep. I'm wicked tired. Last night I tossed and turned pretty much all night. This morning I shaved my legs. I need to lose more weight. I need to sleep. I need to knock it off.
How much land does it take to raise 75 sheep? That sounds like a lot.
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