HIGH BUTTON SHOE

..okay, I know I am a day late. That would be consistent, with my Plan B,C, D, and E, when Plan A didn't work out. Seems to me I have had a lot of "plans" lately. I hope this isn't the path that the summer is going to take! May and June are my most favorite months of the year, with, as you know, the winter months only being tolerated as I have no other choice but to suffer through them. I have put away my red wool ski cap and my arctic packs..but in Michigan weather you never know when you might need them...any month! May and June however, brings a wealth of outside chores to do, and while I long for the gorgeous spring days, Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate, so some things have to wait until her timing, rather than mine. Patience is not one of my best virtues, along with many other "not" bests, so often things get bogged down. That would be my garden! Determined, ( I am always 'determined') to have a great flower/herb garden like you see in the magazines, that determination is already on the verge of killing me. I knew all those bags of licorice would catch up to me. We re-worked the existing beds with bags of manure, black dirt, and fertilizer to build it up more. Ron rotatiled it in. I have been plucking out weeds and somewhat planning where the new plants would go, all the time being careful to see what existing plants were coming up. Then we hit a major snag. Water. Or lack of it, more specifically. The old well just didn't want to work. We had work done on it in February at over $500. And found when we needed it to water the gardens, no water! Drats! So I was carrying the 5 gallon pails of water from our house to the garden on the truck tailgate and continuing to dole out small amounts to each plant. This is not a good gardening practice. Ron worked on it, as the old farmer he knows most of this kind of stuff. He came to one conclusion and the well people said No, that's not it. So the well guy just left, and it was what Ron thought, after all. So where it would have cost Ronnie $15.00 for the part at the hardware and he could have put it in himself, we paid $30 for the part from the well guy and $80.00 for the service fee, of which he was here less than one hour!! BUT we now have water again at the shop. I do believe in my next life time, I will take up well drilling and repair! Isn't that a hoot? Can't you just see me, with the challenge of anything mechanical to do. Maybe I will just be the well drillers secretary instead in the idea that they pay their secretaries well, and share that big money....

My garden, along with all the perennials and herbs, is going to house lumina (pale white) pumpkins, sunflowers and sweet annie. This is in the fenced in garden beds, so as to keep the varmits out. This appears to be a banner year for varmits! Accustomed to Michigan mosquitoes, which are normally large and voracious, they are really big this spring. I am going to try that theory of putting a Bounce dryer sheet in my pants loop or in my hair. That is supposed to keep them off you. Now isn't that just an attractive thought? Me in the garden, dirt from head to barefoot toe, with a dryer sheet hanging off me. If it works, I don't care.

My house cleaning has come to an abrupt halt with the nice weather. I am chained 2-3 days to the mower, trying to keep up with grass mowing. And of course, I have to visit with the turkey herd several times a day. The mama's will soon be bringing in their babies, which I wait for with great anticipation. I put live flowers on all the cemetery graves this year, and have to water them each day. I really love our old cemeteries though, so a daily visit isn't such an imposition. My grandma smiles on me each time I visit, and Ron's mom as well. I have some people whose graves I tend, that died in the late 1800's in the old section of the one cemetery. No family members have tended these graves for years. So they have become my family and I take them flowers...and wonder who they were and about their lives. We should be remembered with smiles, by someone, even if it is a total stranger 120 years after they died. They smile on me too. When I was there yesterday, Ron's cousin and his wife were there working on some flowers and cleaning up areas. They don't WORK at the cemetery, yet they spend a lot of time there just doing things others should be doing, but never come. What a lovely gift to give to somebody. My friend Angie who lives in Missouri does this. She take her girl scout troop and her daughters to the cemetery to do work, and instills in these kids the importance of this remembrance of the dead. Every time Angie tells me about this, I cry, as this is something that matters to me.

The garage sales and flea markets are in full swing, for which I am grateful...and addicted to. I have been coming home with some pretty good junk. Much of what we make, in the beginning was purposed to be something else. We have just rethought it. In the meantime, it is piled in the garage until I can get at it. That is the downside of garage sales. It moves from their garage to mine!

We are advertising in a new magazine called Mercantile Gatherings. This last issue featured friends' shop The Old Granary in Quincey Michigan. The shop is down by Coldwater by the state line, so if you are within a day trips drive, I highly recommend the shop. Goodest friends JoAnn and Robbi are multi talented gals. The pictures in the magazine don't begin to do the shop justice. The website is www.oldgranary.4t.com Two of the nicest gals you could meet! I have been so blessed in this business to meet so many warm and talented people and deep friendships have come about.

BrunieMae (www.saltboxfarm.com ) and me are making our plans for summer trips. A trip to GreenOak (www.greenoakantiques.com) in Indiana in August and then back up into Michigan to The Old Granary. Many of you like to hear of our travels, so I will keep you posted on that. We have the most wonderful trips, full of unexpected highlights, and fueled by several bags of red licorice. There it is again. That drated red licorice. We both however are working now on upcoming shows. Brun's is June 25th at her farm, details on her website. I will be there, of course. And I am doing that show on June 18th in Minster Ohio. Details of that on our website in the calendar of events.

AND don't forget July 9 & 10th here at our farm, the primitive antique and folk art market show. We are emptying the barns. AND, my plan is to also include some of my personal collections from my house on that sale. IF I can stand to let them go. Details on that show here is on the home page of the website, along with a list of things for sale. We will be adding to the list, as I get myself together...OR not. Together, that is. You, who have received this letter for long, already know I am rarely together! I could have a serious case of diarrhea thinking about all the work ahead of me for that. All events take planning and work! AND lists.

Ranting Raven came out yesterday on the 1st of the month like it always does, even IF I don't tell you about it, in letter form, on the right day. We can be found at http://www.rantingraven.com/Exhibit95.php We are showing pin cushions, which I am told is THE new hot = thing!! and a large birdhouse. I have several new birdhouses, that will be featured soon, on the website. Just have to get all the wording around for them. The look old and used, as they are made from old materials. AND I have to tell you, that I took the pictures! Ha. I know, you just don't believe it! This is with the new digital camera too. The old one and me had become somewhat friends. The new one, I didn't think there was ever hope for me and it. However, I have focused strict attention to the manual and left it out on the dining room table to refresh my memory (?) umpteen times and that combined with an occasional urge to throw the camera against a wall, has resulted in some pretty good pictures. I am so proud of myself. Both BrunieMae, Permelia, and Beulah have tried in vain to 'learn' me copy and paste, but I can only tax myself so much!

So check out the new stuff at Ranting Raven, and while there please also look at PineBerryLane. Friend Miss Elspeth (Wendy) is such a talented folk artist. Her website is www.pineberrylane.com to see more of her work.

Okay, I must get back to the garden. AND Ron just came in to tell me that the well is doing the exact same thing it did BEFORE it got FIXED by the well man and I wrote out that $110 check. Maybe I will find a FAR away section of the garden to work in. Or maybe even somebody else's garden down the road......

As always thanks for asking to be a part of our farm.

in fond regard, Clotilda