Yes, I did mow the yard. It was the first time I mowed, but the second time for the yard. Great grandson Jordan (10) mowed it the first time. He was here over a week ago and after looking at the yard, he said, “Grandma, your yard is really getting tall. You probably need to mow the front yard first, then the back yard.”
I said, “Do you want to mow it?” He said YES and was out the door in a flash. He mowed as often as he could last year, and knows the routine of checking the oil, be sure it’s full of gas, and don’t mow over big branches or big sticks in the yard. I appreciate the help, and he appreciates the money...it’s a business deal!
Then, because I did not plant potatoes on Good Friday like everyone talks about, I dug out my ‘26 almanac and found these tidbits. The last frost for the area could be April 20. Planting by the moon’s phase, you should plant potatoes between April 2 and the 16th or when you see the first dandelion. Peas should be planted when the forsythia blooms, cucumbers when the lilacs are in full bloom, and beets and carrots when lilacs are in first leaf or dandelions are in full bloom.
Now that I’ve taken care of that, I will throw my radish seed on now and stir the ground and hope for the best! Yesterday was cold and windy with a temperature in the 40’s. Today it’s to be 77!
There have been some land sales in this area recently, and another auction coming up on May 5. Illinois Farm Week’s Shannon Branch wrote an article stating that a survey showed 61% of the respondents expected farmland prices to decline this year, but increase in the next 5 years. Class A land decreased 3% last year, but other classes were up.
I think I need a lot of fresh air for my brain. The other day I was unwinding cords to the computer, and somehow when I sat the mouse down I had it turned around. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong because the arrow was completely lost. So, I turned the “mouse” around to what I thought was an awkward position, and the arrow reappeared. Hooray! I realized then that I had the crazy thing turned backwards. As friend Lawrence Patrick used to say, “Look for the obvious!”
My other “look for the obvious” experience was when I went to Wal Mart after Easter and found most of the shelves empty of after-Easter things. However, I found one rack that had the cutest bunny ears with a velcro closure at the neck, and the price was only 50 cents. I found 4 of them, and thought my two girls and their two cousins would be silly enough to enjoy wearing them at some time. So, I had four of them in my hand. UNTIL I turned them over and on the back it listed the size you should buy for your DOG! I did keep one in the cart after reading the back, and even enticed another gal standing there that they were a great find...until I saw they were for a dog. She had already put some in her cart, and it was too late to catch her. Her family may shake their heads at her like mine did. Oh, well, I can use my birthday as an excuse!
As soon as the weather lets those planters and tractors towing machinery go, they will be on the roads! Please slow down, and if it’s possible on a country road pull into a driveway to let them pass. It’s safer for both and appreciated so much by the farmers.
Sharon Chenoweth is a resident and farmer of McDonough County. Her column focuses on rural life and will be featured every other week in the Community News Brief Friday Edition.
