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I used to love yard work back when we rented and had a small yard. A few acres, not so fun. I kept it lawn looking for several years until I got the goats. Now I clip it down to 6-8 inches a couple of times a year and just mow around the buildings and my paths between them.

Got all my peppers in the ground. Only thing left is 5 tomato plants which will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon because we had 3/4” of rain dumped on us in one hour yesterday afternoon. Will set up the second line of drip today and fertilize tomorrow. I’ve got the micro-sprinklers but I don’t want to spray the leaves with fish emulsion. Some of the Bok Choy is big enough to pick and who wants fishy smelling bok choy?

Picked up the rest of the chain link top rail to finish the main tunnel frame(minus sides and ends). Four lengths for two purlins. Gonna get those put on plus put the truss braces up today/tomorrow.

Got the bills all paid for the month. That and buying top rail broke me badly, as in break out the saved change, but it gives me the next two paychecks to spend on wiggle wire, track and plastic right in time for a three day weekend for Memorial Day.

The big dead hickory out past the tunnel area fell down the other day. Come to find out, it was hollow. Glad it fell down because I wasn’t looking forward to cutting it down and since it was hollow, that might have been dangerous. Could have suddenly split and knocked me up side the head.

I’ll still get plenty of smoking wood out of it that’s ready to use so I guess I’ll bring the smoker back there and cook while working on the tunnel starting next weekend. I’ll run a good hot fire in it this weekend to prep for use. Need to set up racks in the vertical smoke chamber too but that won’t take but an hour. That’s where a pot o beans, veggies and salmon will go. It runs about 180-200 degrees when the horizontal chamber is running 220-230.

They’ve had all grilling/smoking meats on sale and probably still will for Memorial Day. Ribs, pork butt, salmon.

Might be able to afford shade cloth too. How nice would it be to run the smoker under the shade of the tunnel on Memorial Day and not worry about a little rain? I was planning/thinking plastic in July so I’m ahead of the game.

I’ll be able to harvest baby greens and Salanova lettuce for a salad. Little wasabi radish and arugula for kick. Plenty of Bok Choy I could wrap in a foil boat with a little beer, touch of cayenne and some butter. Need to hit the Amish store for some raw butter. This will be the year to develop that smoked/bbq beans recipe that I’ve been putting off. Haven’t done a whole smoked chicken in years. Gonna have to. Little grocery store has Springer Mountain for $1.79/lb and baby back for $2.99/lb this week.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I need a three sided shed down by the tunnel to put my smoker under. The smoker is made from pretty thin metal so a breeze cools it down easily. A three sided shed aimed North will help.

I’ll be able to spend my weekends working on the tunnel and later, tending the garden in the tunnel, while tending the smoker. And with internet down there, I’ll still be able to write my long rambling posts here, bwa haa haa. Need some good PC speakers so I can have tunes and listen to podcasts. With $100 of goat fence, I could start growing in a few weeks. Might do that and put off the shade cloth and start planting on Memorial Day weekend.

The frame drudgery part is almost over. I’m starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.[/s]

I’m getting excited. After a year(years really), it’s looking like I’ll be planting a little something in/under the tunnel in a couple of weeks. I’ve got 16 Salanova seeds. Plenty of greens to go with smoked meats. Southern seasoned greens, another recipe to develop. I’m loaded up with direct sow warm weather, grow on a trellis/pole, type seeds. Beans, cucumbers, yellow summer squash, even baby watermelons.