Fresh Island Eggs and Gardening
Greetings from the island everyone. I hope that all of you are doing well, and had a lovely Valentines Day with your sweetheart and ate a few chocolates. Corky and I stayed on the island and celebrated birthday #58 for me the day prior to V-Day, and we took a nice golf cart ride on the beach. I had a supper of fresh fried San Antonio Bay oysters that night, and enjoyed all of the Happy BD wishes on Facebook, thank you everyone. At this stage in life, I’m just wishing for the next four years to pass quickly so I can start drawing social security! I hope it still exists by that time.
For the most part, we have experienced a very mild winter thus far, and with the last few northers having a slight westward wind in them, my dad says this is an indication that winter is soon drawing to an end. That’s ok by me because Spring is my favorite time of the year. When I retired and moved to the island full time, 14 years ago next month, I made sure to do it during the Spring months so I could enjoy getting settled in during pleasant weather.
Spring time brings Island gardening time, so last week I started all of my tomato seeds. I began enough seeds for 18 plants total, and 7 different varieties, with two of those being new varieties I wanted to try, Mountain Pride and Atomic Grape. I’m hoping that two of my yearly large varieties, Big Zac and Steakhouse, do well so that I can share some fried green tomatoes with friends. To me, there is nothing much better than fresh grown garden tomatoes ripened on the vine. And of course I’m always hopeful to grow one of those mega sized bragging tomatoes, but since that 2.74 pound one about five years ago, I haven’t come close to one that size. Not yet anyway.
Well my chickens have finally ended their molting and are laying a few eggs now. It’s nice being able to enjoy fresh yard eggs for breakfast whenever I like. For the past few months I have had to buy eggs, thankfully they were fresh yard eggs (thank you, Jennifer), but now I am once again able to just walk out to the back yard and gather my own. And just last week my one female Indian Runner duck started laying eggs as well. They are beautiful large eggs with a light greenish tint to them. I was hoping that she would sit on them to hatch, but it appears that she has no desire to do that. The guineas should start laying pretty soon as well.
It makes me so happy to see that the POC School has implemented a student gardening program, where they grow and then sell their own produce. A great big kudos to whomever had the foresight and determination to begin such a program, and to the kids themselves for the desire and work ethic to make it succeed. Thank you POC School!
Well that’s it from the island for now. Everyone take care and have a most wonderful day.
