Winter Rains

We've had two days of rain, and expect at least one more wave of weather before this is over.
It has been a steady drizzle of rain which is soaking in and there is very little runoff.
The Green House is keeping warm even though the lows have been in the low 40's. I have put the twin 500 watt Halogen light stand in there just in case there is a very cold snap. That should keep it nice and toasty in there over night.
There was a lull in the storm this afternoon so I opened things up, but I have already closed everything to hold in the warmth for the night.
It is so exciting around here, Becky is graduating on Friday from ASU and begins her job in the Micro Biology Lab almost immediately. So, we are quite excited to see her on her way to becoming one of the huddled masses like the rest of us....
All is well here, the critters are enjoying the weather, they are playing, and laying about in the sun basking in the warmth (instead of killer heat) and running for cover when the rain is more than a light drippy drop..... Ben has taken to sleeping in his Doghouse now that I have put his Pad back in there for him to sleep on. So, all there is now to do is await the Christmas excitement..... This will be a leaner year than ever before as all have tightened their belts in response to the downturn in the economy. Although we have not been directly affected by the situation, the increase in prices of everything has attacked our budget.
Oh well, I only hope that this finds you'all well and carrying on...... Bob

December ramblings

So it's December and I've just come in from sweating out digging 50 feet of trench around the new Garden. It will be 25' by 30', so I'm half done trenching the perimeter for the buried chicken wire barrier to keep out the burrowing critters. I have four 20' long rows about 4 feet wide, all done in the lasagna style of preparation. There are layers of compost and straw, and Alpaca Poo, and more straw that I have been keeping wet for a few weeks so they are cooking well. I had to dig into one and found that the insides are the most rich and dark mulch I've ever seen here in Arizona.... This making your own planting mix is very satisfying.

I opened the Green House this morning after the Sun had been out a while and found that it was still 70 degrees in there after a night in the mid 40's. Jeanne has a seedling tray with a warming pad that probably contributes to the warmth in there. The plants are doing so well, there are tomatoes on the vines and peppers too. The Cucumbers are growing up the teepee of sticks and have buds of new cukes all over them... The Peas are climbing the trellis's' and have blossoms all over them too... The Garlic are prolific, and the lettuce and spinach are doing very well.
The outside raised beds are still doing well and have plenty of lettuce and Chard, and the Broccoli have little heads coming out too..... The carrots are getting bigger and the scallions are keeping up with the thinning as Jeanne picks over everything for her daily salads.
This Gardening thing has been very satisfying, and after the start up costs, have been a real savings in the weekly grocery bill..... Not-to-mention the wonderful fresh flavor of home grown veggies every day.
The Critters are doing very well, the Alpacas are growing in their fleeces nicely in these cooler nights and I expect we'll have some fine fiber at shearing time..... Jeanne has gone through most of this years fiber in projects for gifts for family members, there are some really nice garments for the lucky recipients. It should be a nice Christmas for all....