The Self Isolated Birthday

Today is my birthday and I turned 72.  How did I ever get to be so old?  It seems like only yesterday when I was a young mother running after my twin sons and hanging diapers on the line (yes, I used cloth diapers!).  Today was a very quiet day because of all the corona virus craziness.   We are all told to stay home and not go anywhere, and everything is closed anyway!  In all my life I've never experienced anything like this.  In many ways, this is worse than during the war years because back then stores were open and people weren't told to stay home.
     So I'm having a nice quiet day at home with plenty of time to think about all that I have lived through in my 72 years!   And how things have changed from 1948!  I was thinking about the 1950's and how I remember my first transistor radio and how I loved that thing and listened to the top 10 tunes all day long.   I remembered playing "travel bingo" in the back seat of our car with my sister while we were on a family vacation.  And back then cars were so lovely with bright colors and white wall tires and tail fins and curb feelers!  I remember the 1960's and my college years during the Hippie days.   I remember when computers took up half a room and spit out cards with little holes that we were told not to "bend, fold, spindle, or mutilate"!  And computer print outs came on green and white lined  huge sheets of paper connected with perforations.   And every kid from back then could remember getting our homework or test papers printed on mimeograph papers that smelled weird, but all of us kids loved the smell.
     Oh, how times have changed!  Computers have changed the world, cars all look the same now, and the world has gotten smaller and crazier.   No longer does a kid have to "go to the library" for a school project and thumb through the card catalog file to find just the right reference book.    Even toys and games have changed - our old toys from back when never had batteries and never had all the bells and whistles of today's video games.   And just think of how telephones have changed!  From rotary phones with dials and a party line to cordless hand held tiny things we carry around all day long in a pocket!
     I could go on and on about all the changes I have seen in my 72 years.   But I am grateful for the years I have lived and I am still very blessed.   Many people never get the chance to live as long as I have.   So in spite of being isolated at home during this corona virus thing, it is a GOOD day!

My 72 year photo.  I am working a crossword puzzle, my favorite thing to do.  You might say I'm a crossword puzzle addict (or maybe aficionado or fanatic would be better terms?).  I work several puzzles a day to keep my old brain sharp!

    

Crazy World

I don't usually comment on politics, but I must say the past few weeks have been absolutely crazy!  The hype, hysteria and panic over the corona virus has been nothing short of insane!  I understand taking precautions, and I understand concerns.  But the hoarding of supplies that is going on is close to ridiculous.  Yes, I am talking about the toilet paper hoarding that's going on!  I keep seeing news reports of this happening, but didn't think it was hitting close to home.  Well, yesterday we were in Fargo for a doctor's appointment and at every store we were at that sold toilet paper, people were coming out of the doors with carts piled high with toilet paper! I'm not talking just a few rolls - but carts loaded with perhaps 100 rolls!  And right behind someone coming out the door, was another one also piled high with dozens of packages of the paper.   We went to a grocery store in another town, and every cart had rolls of toilet paper in it!  The shelves of paper products were indeed almost empty.   I don't know what this says about human nature except that there must be some sort of psychological thing going on.   I didn't see much in the way of FOOD in those carts, so I have to wonder what everyone thinks they will be eating in the next few weeks?  I wonder if the next panic buying will be cans of food or frozen foods? 
     Fortunately most people in my neck of the woods are always prepared!  Up here in the cold north country we always prepare for winter, for storms, and for the "mud season" (which is already here).   We are usually stocked with a great many essentials, and plenty of food supplies in our freezers and pantries because we often get snowed in, or the roads are impassable.  A good homemaker always makes sure to keep the family well stocked.    For those who are panic buying right now - I wonder if they are never prepared for more than just a few days?    Maybe that's the difference between city folks and country folks - I don't know.  But this whole toilet paper thing is getting almost too funny.
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While the rest of the world is in a panic, we are doing well.  The seeds I started a few weeks ago and up and growing nicely!   Every morning it's fun to see how the plants have grown, and reassuring to see the seeds sprouting.   I will be starting many more this weekend.  I like to stagger plantings so that we always have fresh veggies for our market booth, and fresh flowers to replace ones that get gangly or die from summer heat.

Some of the pepper and flower seedlings growing nicely. 

More of veggie and flowers growing nicely.  Soon I will transplant the seedlings into individual containers so that they can grow even better. 

This tray of Candy Sweet onions is doing very well!  The onions are about 4 to 5 inches high already.

Here is my basic set-up for growing.  As the plants get bigger, I move the grow lights up higher.   I leave the grow lights on all night long.  When daylight comes I unplug the grow lights and let natural lighting take over.   Then in the evening the grow lights are turned back on.  We still have plenty of snow on the ground.  I keep a couple buckets of melted snow water, to water the plants with, as it is better for them than regular tap water.  Soon the whole area will have lots of trays of small pots after I transplant seedlings.   Then I add a center board and have about 20 trays to water.   Sometimes I fit some on top of the lights and add extra boards there, too.  This set-up stays in my living room until late April.  Then I start moving plants outside for a short time, and then they go into the greenhouse to really take off and grow!   Most plants are set out into the garden by the third weekend of May or sometimes a little later, depending on the weather up here in the north country.

To ease my stress over the craziness of the world lately, I baked some bread this afternoon!   It's a cold day, it has been snowing all day long, and now the house smells wonderful!  I baked Potato Wheat Bran bread, one of our favorites for toasting.

Three loaves of Potato Wheat Bran bread fresh from the oven.

The world may be going nuts right now, but things are very calm and happy at Honey B Farm.   The Good Lord continues to bless us greatly!