Reznjun

we haven’t gotten the rain that was predicted. my ground has dried out enough for me to till up my other field. i plan to plant two fields of indian corn this year. i saved enough seed corn for both fields. i will have other things in the fields as well. i want a supply of corn that will last thru any lean years like the past two.

i had an appointment to have my eyes checked. at first i didnt want to because some over zealous clerk threatened to take me to court over a $20 bill that was paid. it was their mistake but i got no i’m sorry it was our mistake. i scheduled an appointment there because they have all my records there.

they dilated my pupils for a test. they do that with all diabetics. i was told that my eyesight has changed a little but my diabetes didnt get any worse. that’s good news. if i had gone to a new place they wouldn’t have any records to compare. that’s why i stayed with the place. the rest of the staff treats me alright. if they didnt i wouldn’t go back.

i ordered a new pair of eye glasses. my old glasses will serve as a back up pair. they had new lenses that are good for people who do a lot of work on computers. i ordered them. i spend time on the computer often. i will get the new glasses in a week to 10 days.

i got the outside antenna i ordered. next i have to put it together then climb on the roof and secure it there. i am anxious to see how it works. if i get any number of channels i will end my cable service. i have a number of chores to do before i get to putting up the antenna.

i moved the chicks to my back screened in porch. they will be there until they get a little bigger. i will move them to the chicken house then. i dont want the hens to be pecking them while they are small. the chicken house is like the tribal structure. it has a pecking order. gotta see where everyone stands in the little coop.

i dug up a few wild strawberry plants. i transplanted them into the beds where my straw berries are. it is suppose to make them sweeter. i haven’t tried that before. i will see if it actually works. i have more plants this year. this is the second year i have them. i should get more berries this year. or the grand kids will.

i plan to go to the farmers market in Kansas City this week end. i will be looking for some heirloom tomato plants, pepper plants and cucumber plants. i will take a chance that we wont have a killing frost. i want to get these plants off to a good start.

i will try to grow tomatoes again this year. it was too hot last year. tomatoes ripen when the temperatures are between 80 and 90. when mine were ready to ripen we had temps in the 100s. i didnt get too many tomatoes but the ones i did get tasted great.

i have wild onions growing every where next to my grow boxes and in the yard. i transplanted them from the timber years ago and they took over. i was adding mulch around the boxes to keep the weeds out. i had to pull the wild onions first.

i already had them dug up so mary and i washed the onions and diced them up. that is after cutting off the roots. i filled three quart bags with the diced up onions. i put two of the bags into the freezer for later. i cook turtle with them and use them in soups or stews.

i put one quart bag in the frig so we can have some wild onion gravy. we had it last night and it was good. it reminded me of my mother. she used to like wild onions. she is the one that made me pick them for her. she would make gravy with them. that’s how i developed a taste for them. i still pick them years later.

while out and about on the rez, a few asked me if i had anything planted. i said a few things. some one said the garden positions are still being advertised. they closed at the end of the month. i dont know how long it takes to interview applicants then hire two. i wondered if they will be on the job when it is time to plant indian corn. i planned on them tilling up my garden.

i didnt want to take the chance of not having corn. indian corn means so much to me. it was such a nice day yesterday i decided to fire up the used tiller i bought. it is a 208 cc which is about 5 horse power. i dont think it is built to till as much as i need but it worked. i didnt intend to till the whole field. it is about 8000 square feet. i got on a roll and kept going. now one field is tilled.

i know it will rain maybe a few times before the first week of May. i did turn the ground over though. i probably can till it again when it is time to plant. its best not to over till though. some say no till is better because it dont break up all the living organisms in the soil that are beneficial.

i will be able to plant at least one field with corn, squash and indian beans. i will also make an area for cantaloupes and water melons. i might still till the other field. i dont think it would hurt to have two fields of corn and squash.

when i till i walk on the untilled ground. i dont walk on the tilled part because that packs the ground. that is counter productive to tilling it. after planting it is okay to walk down the aisles. it dont matter if the ground there packs down.

i was pleased with my tiller. i paid $150 for it. it needed work done like putting on a new carburetor. repairs cost me another $216. So i got a 7 hundred dollar tiller for $366. it was only used 4 years. that aint even broke in yet. i will get my moneys worth out of this tiller.

i will move my trellises in front of my tool shed and chicken house. i will add compost to those areas before tilling. i plan to plant indian beans in front of the chicken house. i will plant cucumbers and sun flowers in front of the tool shed.

no doubt spring is a busy time for me.

i added some more plants to what i already had in. i added kale plants to one box. i planted more radishes in the same box. they are companion plants. i added borage to the strawberry beds. it brings out better flavor in the strawberries.

i added two cilantro plants to the box where i planted spinach. i use fresh cilantro in soups we make. i like the taste it adds to the soup. i have one more bunch of onion sets to plant. we go thru lotsa onions. now i have 12 different veggies growing.

all i have left to plant is warm weather crops. indian corn, indian beans, squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, hot peppers, cantaloupe and watermelon. i have plenty of time for them. i will plant heirloom varieties.

i had an encounter with the cable people. i got my bill and it is the exact same price as it was last month. i dropped my package down two levels. that should be a 20 dollar savings. i also dropped the service to my bed room. that should save $27.

i asked the cable guys why i am paying the same for less service. i could have kept my previous package and service for an extra tv for that money. they said there was an increase of $7. i replied that only accounts for a $7 difference.

i ordered an outside tv antenna from on line. it advertised having a 150 mile range. it can be pointed to different directions. that might give me the option of getting Topeka and Kansas City. i get free shipping on it. it should be here any day. i am now committed to dumping cable.

soon as i get my outside antenna i will put it up. i will see how many channels i get. `i only watch news, jeopardy and Colbert on a regular basis. i can watch them on local television. if i want to watch a movie i have Netflix and amazon prime. the grand kids only watch cartoon shows on Netflix.

once the antenna is hooked up i am ready to cut cable. that will save me about a hundred a month. half of that is charges for using their equipment. its not included as part of the service. all the added fees is what makes the bill so high.

i was heading to Oklahoma to play bingo tonight. that plan is put on hold. i will do it another day. sometimes people think because i am retired i have nothing to do. that is far from the truth. i have lotsa things to do. i just dont know when something will come up. i try to be flexible so i can help out when i can.

the general council meeting is tomorrow. i have been toying with the idea of going to it. i haven’t been to one in awhile. sometimes they can prove to be entertaining. the johnny come latelys are all about saving ‘dem indians’.

i have been busy working in the yard. now that it is spring i have to do spring chores. i raked up the bark and wood chips where my wood pile was. i wheeled away two wheel barrows full. i will be able to mow with out hitting anything.

the wheel barrow came in handy. i used it to carry compost to my grow boxes. i added it to the boxes where i planted cabbage plants and onions together. the onions are a companion plant to cabbage. they keep the bugs away. i also added the end of a celery stalk for the same reason. it will grow celery if i have enough time before it gets hot.

i transplanted strawberries too. they were bunched together. they came from runners. i spaced them out evenly and added compost. i added onion to the boxes with the strawberries too. they keep the bugs out. they are companion plants too.

i planted three kinds of onions. red, yellow and white. i bought them as sets. before planting i soak them. then i cut off the top third of the green stalks. this is supposed to encourage root growth.

i also got my potatoes in the ground. i have a 75 foot row of them planted. i planted a red, early maturing potato. nothing tastes like new potatoes. i like the reds fried or boiled. they taste good either way. they are good for roasting too.

i fixed and repaired grow boxes that needed it. i added compost to each one. i planted lettuce and radishes in one box. i planted spinach in another. i planted leeks and carrots to a third box.

counting the strawberries which i transplanted, i have nine things planted in the ground. no maybe, might, gonna stuff. i have them in the ground. i will add more things later. i wanted things planted before the expected rain. one of the local tv channels predicts a 50% chance of rain. i hope we get it.

i was trying to string the new fishing pole i won last year. i was doing that with the intent of going fishing sometime soon. i couldn’t figure out how to do it. some guy came by and said give it here. he strung the line onto the reel. i laughed and told him i cant catch any fish if i cant string the line. i was all happy the pole is ready to go.

i was working outside and i noticed my grand son playing with the newly strung fishing pole. he had a lot of line twisted around the handle. i took it away from him. i may be able to just cut the excess off and i am still good to go. when i turn over the dirt in my grow boxes i seen some big fat worms. my soil is healthy. i thought there’s my bait.

to get in the mood for fishing i went to town for supper last night. i ordered the fried whole catfish. it was good. i think if i dont catch a damn thing i can head there for a fish dinner.

i had to take advantage of a good day yesterday. i wanted to make sure all my toys would start. i am counting on all of my equipment to serve me well this season.

i started with the riding mower. i pushed it out of the tool shed. i drained the old gas. shoulda done that last fall before parking. leaving gas in the machines can gum up the carburetor. then you might new a new carb.

after draining the gas, i added a new fuel filter. it came with a kit i ordered including a spark plug, a new oil filter and air filter. it didnt need the filters yet. i will use the oil filter when it is time to change the oil. i will add the new air filter when it is needed.

i went to nation station to get gas. i gassed up the riding mower and push mower and my tiller. i fired up the riding and push mower. both started easily. i thought since i have the riding mower fired up i might as well mow. so i did. good thing the grand sons were here. i had them pick up things so i wouldn’t have to stop mowing. i finished the yard in about an hour. i have a big yard. i paid my grandsons a few bucks cuz they helped.

i then fired up the tiller. i had to see how it worked. my son’s pickup bout got stuck in the yard when it was muddy. he made it out with 4 wheel drive but left deep ruts. while he was smiling his 4 wheel worked, i was cussing him for tearing up my yard. i ran the tiller thru the places the ruts were. it evened them out. glad that was done before the spring rains. that will level it further.

while i had the tiller running i decided to till up one row for potatoes. after tilling i rowed up the dirt into hills. potatoes grow better in hills. now i have one row ready to plant. i am waiting for the seed potatoes i cut up to heal over. then i just put them into the ground.

while i was mowing a coupla home boys stopped by. they had poles for a fire place. i put in a work order two years ago. didnt get it. this past year one of my home boys was gonna do that for me. but one of the tribal guys got mad. because he was pouting around i didnt get my fire place.

that’s why i asked these other guys to get me one. i take my fireplace serious even if the fort injuns dont. i was happy i got my fire place. i told the guys i appreciated what they did and gave them a few bucks for gas. i dont expect anything done for free. i make it worth while if someone helps me.

today i plan to fix my grow boxes that need it. in the mean while i will plant the cabbage plants and onions. i will put them in the boxes that are still good.

the grand kids were over a few times this week end. i cherish the time i spend with them. it always makes my day when i can see four of them in one day. thing is i didnt work on any roaches.

i bought a wagon a few years back off craigslist. i didnt pay much for it. new ones cost twice what i paid. i bought it as something i can use around the house and garden to haul things. the grand kids also make me pull them in it.

i aired the tires up when the young guys came over to do chores. they used it to move my wood pile. when i aired it up the inner tube broke thru the wall of the tire. it was so weather worn the rubber was cracked. might have been why i got the wagon cheap.

i decided i would check out tires. i priced them at around $20 each at the cheapest. some cost more. i thought there was no sense in buying 4 new ones. only two needed replacing. i could almost buy a new wagon at the price of what 4 tires cost.

i found some tires and wheels at harbor freight for 12 bucks apiece. i bought two of them. the thing is the wheel didnt fit. i took the new tires off the wheels and put them on the old wheels. problem solved. the grand daughters were watching me work. soon as it was done they jumped into the wagon. i had to take them for a ride.

we dont buy meat from grocery stores that much. we bought a pork bundle from the meat processing place. we do business with the same place every time. we seen plaques on their wall where they won awards for their bacon etc. we like their bacon. it is the best. it goes good with our fresh eggs.

the grandsons wont be coming this next Friday. that means we might ease on down to Oklahoma to play bingo. i have only played bingo once in the past few months. i think they invented bingo to keep old people off the streets. we can play for $800 a game. that will cost $22. not a bad deal. that’s why we drive down there.

now and then people ask me where i am going to on my next trip. i say for now probably state side. recently i seen a big pow wow in North Dakota i wouldn’t mind going to. what caught my attention was the prize money for the singing contest. it totals over $200,000. first place is $50,000. that is sure to draw some of the top singing groups.

i haven’t been to many pow wows lately. i use to drive all over the country to see the big ones. the past few years i have only gone to local ones. i am tentatively planning on going to this one. the stand price is $1000. i probably will pass on that. i am hoping they have camping available. i will pack my tent. will see if this happens.

today i will work outside. maybe put my cabbage plants and onions in. i will also try to till up a row to plant my potatoes in. i want to have potatoes this year. i may also sow some seeds in my grow boxes. kale and carrot. etc it wont grow if you dont plant it.

i bought onion sets and cabbage plants the other day. i plant the onions next to my strawberry plants. it keeps bugs out of them. i grow cabbages to make the best fresh cole slaw around. what cabbage i have left is diced up and froze for vegetable stew in the winter.

i also bought some seed potatoes. i will plant a row of potatoes this year. i already cut the potatoes up so they heal over. i might have enough for a hundred foot row. maybe more. i usually plant red potatoes. i like their taste.

i am talking bout planting and the temps were in the low 30s last night. they will be the same tonight. i had to get a fire going because the chicks are in the basement. i will move them outside soon. looks like they are getting their pin feathers. the grand kids have to go check them out every time they are here.

my laying hens are producing more eggs now. they musta got over the trauma of me catching the roosters for butchering. they have more feed now. thus more eggs. i finally have an extra dozen eggs. first time since last fall. i texted my sister in law and told her. she and my niece like fresh eggs too.

i stopped by the health center. i had to put my name in for garden tilling. i can wait on my warm weather veggies. the only things i plant in the field gardens are indian corn, squash and indian beans. the rest i plant in grow boxes.

i may still till up one row for my potatoes .i have to see how my tiller works. i will have to till up the ground in front of my tool shed and chicken house. i plant vine crops there on the trellises i made. i may plant cucumbers and indian beans there again.

i kinda hinted that i might apply for the seasonal garden helper. i will pass on that. i am retired and enjoy it. i remember when i worked as gardener sometimes after a long day i wouldn’t feel like doing my own garden.

right now my own garden is the priority. i am not a hobby gardener. i put away a freezer full of food for the whole year. that’s besides what we can and dry. that is more important that a part time job.

i am wondering if my favorite team, the jayhawks will field a team next year. we have one senior, two declared for the nba draft and two transfers so far. two more will make a decision to stay or go. aint worried we are already ranked in top 25 for next year. the worst teams we have can still beat 90% of the teams in the country. we probably will pick up more players before the season starts.

i started sorting porcupine hair again. gotta get busy trying to make some roaches before our pow wow. my sister and i will have a stand. our prize money usually draws some real good dancers and singing groups. i figure if some see my work, they will want one of my roaches sooner or later.

spring is my busiest time of the year. that’s okay. it keeps me going.

yesterday a couple of young indian brothers came to my house. they said they were looking for work to do. i asked how much they were looking to make. they gave me a price for both. i said i couldnt think of anything right off hand. i would text them if i thought of something.

i kicked back and thought what the hell do i need done that a couple of laborers can do to save me work. i came up with a few chores. i text the guys and said i had some work. they said they would come right back.

i have a pile of wood left from this winter. it was piled next to my house. i needed it out of the way so i can mow. i told them that was one chore. they agreed. i had chain link sections of a dog enclosure that needed to be moved. someone gave me that dog pen but it was in the way. they agreed to do that.

i had 4 big, heavy long pieces of treated wood that also needed to be moved. they were laying where my grow boxes will be built. i wont use them for grow boxes cuz they are treated. i said i needed the corn stalks in my field pulled and piled up to be burned. that had to be done before it can be tilled.

i asked if doing those chores were worth the price they asked for. they said yeah. so we had a deal. they used my wagon and wheel barrow to move the wood pile. they had a pick up to move the big treated boards. they were too heavy for me to move by myself.

after they were done with those chores they started pulling the corn stalks. i burned some off when i burned off that garden plot. they finished that and came to the house. i had a couple of dr. peppers that weren’t cold but were wet. i gave the pop to them. i said would throw in another twenty if they would help me burn off my other garden plot. i said that wont take but ten minutes.

they agreed. i would need help if i burned it off earlier to make sure it wouldn’t get away. every thing was dry. now the hayfield has greened up. they asked if i wanted the pile of corn stalks burnt too. i said might as well. now both fields are ready to till up. i paid them and they thanked me and shook my hand. i said thank you guys i needed that stuff done. i appreciate the help.

it would have been hard work for this old guy but i would have done it. those were spring chores on the top of the to do list. now i can mow and build my grow boxes. i dont have to worry bout how am i gonna move this stuff.

i thought these young guys musta wanted something and were willing to work for it. i was more than willing to help them achieve that. they in turn helped me. we all benefited from our deal. i am glad those guys came by.

our spring dance is over. so now it is officially spring for me. i will soon start planting. i have to go to town today because i have things i need to do. i have been busy the past few days.

i will buy onion plants. they grow bigger bulbs than starting from onion sets. (the little bulb things) i soak the plants a while before planting them. then i cut off the top third of the stems. that encourages good root growth. i will see what kinds of other plants i will buy.

i have the tv receiver box from my cable. they sent me a shipping box to send the box back in. if i dont send it back in 21 days they will charge me three times what it is worth. i better get to town or else. i had service disconnected in my bed room. that will save me $27 a month.

i will watch tv in the living room from now on. that is until i can figure out what the best antenna to buy. i am hoping someone will tell me what they use to get off cable service. if i can get enough channels i will drop cable all together. when i was growing up all we got was three channels. and they were in black and white.

i had to fill up the feed trough for the chicks again. they jumped all over it. must be hungry. i didnt fill it yesterday. i had to leave early. Andrew told me chicks needed feed and water. he always makes sure the animals are fed and watered. he takes good care of the animals.

i need more feed for my laying hens too. i will get some while in topeekie. i will buy some oyster shells too. it is grit so the hens lay better. the egg shells get stronger too. that stuff is pricey but i want good eggs. i am getting more eggs now. especially since we butchered the six white roosters. there is more fed to go around now.

some time this spring i will make the time to go fishing. i won a new fishing pole last year and got a fishing license. didnt use either. Andrew told me he wanted to go fishing too. i have to get out there for sure this year. i never was much on fishing. lets see if i got this. put the worm on the hook, toss it in the water and wait for the fish to bite it then pull it in. hmmm. sounds like some thing i can handle.

i finally posted a picture of my new t shirt. i like the caption ‘thousand miles from nowhere’. i keep saying i have been there. back in my alky and drug daze i was a thousand miles from nowhere. i bummed around all over this country. i had nowhere to go and all day to get there.

time is getting closer to start gardening for me. i am anxious to get something in the ground. i am not just a hobby gardener. i put enough away that i can eat something i grew or picked year around. i like the feeling of eating something that was a result of my efforts. but i do also buy things i dont grow from farmers markets.

i am waiting for our spring dance to be over. i will head to the nursery where i buy my plants or seeds. i also have some heirloom seeds i saved from favorite veggies i like. i will put in cool weather plants like onions, leeks, radishes, cabbages, carrots, spinach and lettuce. its way too early for warm weather crops. i will put them in later.

i will plant a lot of onions. i put them in my strawberry beds. i notice that the straw berry plants are greening up. they had runners last fall. i transplanted many of the runners. now i will have more straw berries. or the grand kids will. they were picking any berries as soon as they were ripe. i didnt get many after they got first picks.

i am kinda planning on turning over the ground with my new tiller. gotta put it to the test. my ground has been broken already so it shouldn’t be too much to till it. its new ground that has to be worked.

i have plenty of chores that need to be done. gotta finish pulling up the corn stalks in last years garden. most of them burned off but some remain. i will pile them up and burn them off. after that i have to burn off the other field i plan on growing more corn in.

i have some trash to haul off. it is junk like old golf clubs from garage sales, a few pallets, etc. i have to mow around them. the grass gets tall in those spots. i want the yard to be all tidy. i try to keep it kid safe. nothing that will hurt the kids that play out there.

one of my nephews sent me his new cell telephone number. i thanked him. usually some of the ones in my contact list dont say they changed their number. then if i call or text it goes nowhere. i thanked my nephew. i told him i entered it into my contacts. i dont answer numbers i dont know. i tell people to text me first so i know who it is.

i had to fill up the chicks watering can. it holds a gallon of water. i had to fill up their feeder too. they are going thru both at a fast rate. that’s good. they are getting bigger too. i still have all 18 chicks. my sister said she has lost some of hers.

talking about chicks reminds me of my young days. we had to walk to the neighbors houses to buy eggs. me, gary and larry would walk barefoot there and back. this was before gravel or paved roads. it would be about a two mile walk. we played along the way. other times we got to go along for the ride to other farmers’ that raised chickens for egg production. those days are long ago.