Rain, Rain, go away but do please come another day.  This week has been one of farming between rain showers.  We have not had any hard rains or any constant rain but every day has been rain off and on, so we have had to do our gardening and planting in-between rain showers.  I hate to tell the rain to go away for fear it will listen to me, then I will be crying for rain again but we do need a little sun now.  Monday the forecast was for rain and Norman could not go for his walk because we were in the middle of a cloud and as soon as he started to go for his walk he collected more water on himself than he would have in a light shower.  But by the time breakfast was done the cloud had lifted and it looked like it might clear up so we went to the garden and Norman made the crowbar holes for me and then tilled two more rows for planting.  I filled each hole with finely sifted soil and planted two parsnip seeds in each hole.  These were between the cauliflower plants and between each cabbage plant.  I got 24 more holes planted.  Then I weeded a little in the potato aisles.  When Norman finished the tilling it was time for break and I had to get dinner ready.  After dinner Norman laid out the two rows and hilled them up ready to plant and the rain finally came, not hard but enough to drive him in.  Tuesday it was raining in the morning so we went to McMinnville to Lowes and got broccoli seeds and some more beet seeds.  We also got 6 tomato plants instead of more peppers and then 6 sweet potato plants.  Each year we do something more to keep the deer out of the garden and it works for a year and then we have to do something more.  This year we put a second fence all around the garden about 3 feet beyond the first one.  We also noticed on the side where the tomatoes were planted the deer never jumped in and we guessed it was because there were 6 foot posts at each tomato plant and it acted as another fence so this year we are putting the pepper plants at the ends of the regular rows and will put rope or lace between the posts so it looks like a third fence.  I got five peppers in at the end of every other row and decided that is all the pepper plants we needed.  The only thing we use peppers for is salsa and with those five we have 2 green bell, banana and and 2 Italian peppers.  So I decided to put some extra tomatoes at the end of the other rows I need.  Yesterday between rain showers Norman planted 2/3 of a row of beets and 1/3 row of Swiss Chard, I side dressed my plants and filled in the holes that the skunks dug.  They do love coming in and digging for grubs.  They don’t seem to bother the plants but they don’t know where I have planted parsnips so I had to replant some of those holes.  Today it was the same story, once the showers passed we went to the garden and Norman planted a row of 1/3 carrots and 2/3 broccoli seeds while I planted the tomato plants.  When we set out tomatoes I dig a hole twice as deep as I need for the plant, put a handful of lime and a small handful of fertilizer at the bottom of the hole and mix that with soil then fill the hole up half way and put the plant in.  That way we don’t have as much trouble with blossom end rot.  Now tomorrow if we can get in-between showers Norman will till the last two regular rows and I will weed the tomato row.  Tuesday and Wednesday I made my brown and serve pulled pork rolls and yesterday I made two loaves of banana bread.  Tomorrow I need to make the basting sauce for the pulled pork and some whole wheat bread.  Saturday I will slow cook the pulled pork and we will be all ready for Joe and family on Sunday.  If it doesn’t rain on Sunday as forecasted, we can till the corn garden and start planting the corn.  We plant one corn seed and then one bean seed and so forth down the row.  We have seven rows to do that in and then just odds and ends of things to plant such as the sweet potatoes, cucumbers and zucchini.  Oh, yes Norman also planted the butter nut squash this week also.  They are in their own bed so they can run all over the yard without interfering with the other plant.  The fruit trees are setting their fruit nicely and the apple blossoms are almost gone.  As soon as they are all gone Norman will do the first spraying of the trees.  If we don’t spray them every two weeks all summer all we get is worms and no good fruit.

April marches on and things are moving along well.  When the plants start to grow I’ll take some more pictures and keep you posted.  Have a great day.