Yesterday we went to the local theatre in the small town we live in and saw a movie that was called "The Farmer's Daughter." It isn't the old movie, but a recently made one about a young woman who was once on the local TV station as a reporter, but after her brother died, she gave up her career and came home to work for her father on the farm. Fast forward a few years and her dad became very ill, and she's now running the family farm. It was a good movie and if you are interested in this sort of thing, it is on Amazon and costs $2.99 to rent. It was a movie that showed the moxie of the gal, but also how hard it is for family farm. The two directors were at the movie (it was free for the public) as well as the female farmer. It had a feel good ending so if you like this sort of thing, I encourage you to watch. 

Farmers are planners. They have to plan what they are going to plant and when and how and what can make them money. I think gardeners are as well. I'm not going to claim the title as gardener because I'm still working on it, but I do have plans. I recently planted some potatoes. I've never tried potatoes before, but I had some potatoes that sprouted "eyes" so I figured other than my labor, I'm not out a whole lot, but I am hopeful. I bought some onion sets so I hope to get some of them in the ground soon too. My radishes in the tin tray are starting to come up. I planted some lavender seeds the other day and so far, no sprouts. I'm hoping I get some started. I planted some more in egg cartons this afternoon. I'd like to start a small area of lavender because both bees and butterflies are attracted to lavender. I hope to plant some other plants that are bee and butterfly friendly as well as another small garden of wildflowers that are hummingbird friendly. I know, big plans!

Part of our plan it to plant a small vegetable garden at the back of the property. Here in Central Illinois we usually have a wet spring and then as the summer goes by, it often gets very hot and very dry. DH and I spent some time the other day making a rain barrel. We used a plastic trash can for the rain barrel itself, but built a small wooden platform for it. We finished it Friday afternoon and set it out. It rained some yesterday and then a whole bunch today so hopefully we have a good start on rain for our rain barrel. We need to till the land for the garden and I'm working on planning it. I want enough to get some good eats, but not so big that I'm married to it that I have no time to do anything but weed. I like fresh vegetables and I'd like to have enough cucumbers to make pickles and hopefully enough tomatoes to can a few. We both like green onions so I hope to do quite a few different plantings so we have plenty for the table, not to mention more radishes and hopefully a decent amount of carrots. 

Groceries continue to rise in price. I'm wondering if more people will be planning a garden of some sort to help offset the cost of eating. Although we have enough property we could raise chickens, when I was a kid we had them. People act like they aren't a lot of work, but they are. If you let them run free, you have to make sure they are roosting for the night and locked up so some predator doesn't get into the hen house and kill them and eat them. They only lay so long so it isn't like you are going to get ten years of laying from chickens. And although I helped with the butchering as a kid, I didn't do that much and I don't want to take that on now. Call me squeamish I guess. With the good, there's the bad and unless things change drastically, I'm not ready to be a chicken farmer.