Forget the Blonde Hair - I Am Indian!

TORTUGA THURSDAY

 2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Have you ever had a doctor ask why are you here with emphasis on the you? Every doctor I've seen at the Indian Medical Center has been anything but Native American, and they didn't give a hoot the mixture of my blood. I had an appointment with my first doctor that was actually Native American, and she didn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy. In her defense, once we got past my explaining why I had the right to be there, she was quite thorough. Maybe I read her wrong. I thank my great grand parents every time I need to see a doctor. I don't know what I'd do without the care I am entitled to at IMC. Certainly this primary care doctor will show her friendly side next time. Or maybe I'll find a way to bond?

Potato Rows

The potato rows are ready. We are a potato family, both Idaho's and sweet. Actually, I think the sweets have it in this household, 6-4. The dogs get sweet potatoes in their daily meals but Frank won't touch them. Potatoes freeze and can well. Our crop last year was less than hoped for thanks to a late freeze and blister bugs. This year, the plants will go in the ground a little later, and we know when to be on blister bug alert. Should be a good potato year.

The drip system arrived and Lance got the major lines run. We'll run

Drip System

the row lines as we plant. We have high hopes for this system. If we aren't flooding in between the rows we shouldn't have near the weed problem we had last year. The water will be more direct on the crop. Yea! I really hate weeds.

Drip System Line

I managed to clear half the tree wells in the orchard on Wednesday. Wild grass had claimed a lot of territory since the warmer weather moved in. I had less trouble with weeds than grass. The fruit trees are popping earlier than last year. Scares me. We could have a couple of more freezes before June. There isn't much we can do so we've had to adopt the attitude that we're lucky to get whatever fruit we get each year.


The people who lived here before us must not have ever flushed the hot water heater. For the third time in a year, our bottom heating element went

Frank and Lance work on rows

out. We finally got a technician that would talk long enough to tell us why. Well water is great but there is sediment that will collect at the bottom of a hot water heater. If you flush the unit a few times a year, you wash that out. If not, it becomes so clogged it fries the heating element. Frank tried to get out as much as he could but it's pretty solid. We'll see how long this one lasts but it's inevitable. I'm seeing dollar signs.

Tulips have bloomed

Flowers from our Austrian friends, Harte and Uli are coming up.

Flowers are blooming. Days are getting warmer. Tumble weeds are getting burned weekly. Won't be long before we have gorgeous sunsets over green fields of vegetables!