Greenhouse update

It's looks pretty much like it did yesterday but - it's now firmly anchored to the ground, not so yesterday; both ends are framed out, the shade cloth is completely attached. I need to tweak a couple things and then tomorrow, weather permitting, I'll get Glynda to help put on the plastic film. Then the doors and the ground cover and we'll be ready to use it! I'm pretty excited about it! A few seedlings in the nook will be happy too.

It's a greenhouse - or will be

I've wanted a greenhouse but couldn't really justify the expense. When I saw this one a few weeks ago on a University of North Carolina web site I decided to try it. A greenhouse made of PVC pipes. It has a steel conduit through the ridge piece that solves the problem with the PVC concept. We got this much done today and might possibly finish tomorrow. The shade cloth is just sitting there for the picture and it's off again now. The next steps are to frame both ends, including doors, and then add the shade cloth and the plastic film. Then I'll put a plastic ground cover in and around it. Total cost <$300. Then I'll find out how much I really want/need a greenhouse!

Getting your picture in the paper is easy in a small town

. . . especially when you're involved with a group like the master gardeners. My picture has been in the paper four or five times in the last year or so but this one is a little special. One of the master gardener projects last year was the building of a greenhouse for the Wood County Special Education School and I spent a lot of hours working on it. The Quitman Pilot Club presented the Humanitarian of the Year Award to the Wood County Master Gardeners for the project at the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet and awards presentation to outstanding citizens. Bart Bartlett and I accepted the award for the group.

The chapel has a roof now

I opened my email this morning and there were a couple pictures from Daniel that he'd taken yesterday afternoon when we were putting the roof on the chapel. Daniel did the cutting, Alex did the high work, and I watched it all very carefully. The guy that planned the materials (me) missed it a bit. There are still two strips about four inches wide and four feet long that need to be covered - but it looks great! Now I need to finish the inside and treat the outside with some type of preservative - Thompsons Water Seal or??

OK - Here are the snow pictures!

I've got new software for videos and the snow pictures are going to be my first video using it. We had about six-and-a-half inches when these were done. A once in a generation, if not a once in a lifetime, event for Quitman!

OK - Another decision to make

Do I show you the snow pictures first or do I share our night out with you first. I think I 'll do the night out. We went to Crossroads in Winnsboro again last night and, as I said in the last post about Crossroads, I'm continually amazed at the variety and the quality of the talent that plays there. Last night it was Rhett Butler. In addition to being one of the nicest people you'd ever meet, he's an incredible guitarist. At least they look like guitars but the sounds that come out of them are like no sounds you've heard from a guitar before. You don't need two hands to play - one does fine. In fact, when the left hand is playing and the right has nothing to do, it can play a second guitar. Almost nowhere in the set is strumming involved. Why play only below the fret when you can play above it too. The music often sounds like it has to be coming from two different instruments. In the clip attached (which happened to be recorded at Crossroads), watch the hands and the sounds that come from each. Listen to the "picking" when the right isn't even on the guitar. Listen to the total change in the sound of the music when, about four minutes into it, he starts playing like any other great guitar player. Sometimes the hands look like there should be a piano under them. You really need to see this man play live in a small venue! (Just found this tour schedule.)

2/13/10 Crossroads Coffeehouse - Winnsboro, TX 7:00 PM
2/20/10 North Central Texas College - Gainesville, TX
2/28/10 Highland Park United Methodist Church - Dallas, TX 6:00 PM
3/19/10 South by Southwest - Austin, TX TBA
3/20/10 South by Southwest - Austin, TX TBA
3/23/10 Bass Hall - Fort Worth, TX - w/Joe Bonamassa
3/25/10 Hurst Public Library Artsnet - Hurst, TX 7:00 PM
4/1/10 Cactus Cafe - Austin, TX
4/2/10 Running Bird Studios - Waco, TX - TBA
4/3/10 Barking Rocks Winery - Granbury, TX 8:00 PM
4/10/10 Second Saturday Concerts - Houston, TX 7:30 PM
4/17/10 Dallas Guitar Show - Dallas, TX TBA
4/18/10 Dallas Guitar Show - Dallas, TX TBA

Right now I just want to say -

after over 30 hours without it, it's great having electricity again! I didn't know what to do first - shower or upload snow pictures. The pictures won. I'll upload some tomorrow. (In the last post we had had 4 inches of snow - by the next morning it was 6-1/2 inches and we did get some nice pictures!)


And for the record, you can do a decent job of heating one room with a dozen or so candles and three kerosene lamps.

Do you remember the Bert Kaempfert song?

Of course you don't! It was "Wonderland by Night"!

It's not the snow like that have in the north east - but it is OUR snow

This morning, it's just a slight accumulation - but it's the first we've seen like this since moving here. The flowers are the anniversary bouquet that we had retired to the deck for disposal. The snow perked them right up!

Wisdom of the ages - that our young President just fails to understand!

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

........Abraham Lincoln

I've seen the picture before -

and I really like it - but I like the new caption in the email I just got even more!


So I had said to him "Barak, I know Abe Lincoln and you ain't Abe Lincoln".

Sorry but I've got to change the comment screen!

It's too bad there are people out there that have to make things hard on others. Recently, there have been some spam comments appearing and some have been pretty bad. So I've changed some things that will make it harder to leave comments on the blog now - including those "type in the word you see here" things that I hate. Sorry!!

We've told you that the new zip line pulley is fast!

Daniel got it on video. The only way to be sure to stop in time is to get on the ground quick! Listen to the scream of the pulley on the line!