April 17, 2017

 

Customers are coming in to buy garden seeds and bedding plants and some are already harvesting the fruits of their labor. One customer came in and said, “57 pounds of potatoes came from a 60 foot row of potato ‘eyes’ he planted. He was going home that night to eat fresh potatoes and yellow squash for supper. Earl Hudson reported he should have fresh tomatoes in about 30 more days. It’s always exciting to talk with gardeners about what they’ve planted and how their garden is doing. We still have bulk seeds and bedding plants and it’s never too late to plant vegetable or flowers.

Sue Baker, Wanda Fuller and Dianne Gibson all bought beautiful hanging baskets before we had time to display them. Marie Dear was happy to find moss rose plants. Charlotte Carter was in buying caladium bulbs as well as Lucille Weeks. Roy Lee Lyles bought three pounds of purple hull pea seeds. Peggy Burt and Bettye Greer both bought flower plants and Nikki Miller purchased one of our tiny fairy terrariums. Bobby Colbert shared that he and Patsy had about 30 guests in their home for Easter when he came in to buy plants. Jay Roach bought a few plants while waiting to get his new tires mounted.

Dianne Gibson, Sue Baker and Betty Capps stopped by after have brunch at the new Charlie’s located at the truck stop at the intersection of Hwy 69 and the Loop in Lufkin. They were bragging that the food is as good as they remembered it being at their old location. It’s been crowded but folks don’t seem to mind waiting. Peggy Burt and Nancy Sloan had lunch at Newk’s the same day.

You would be surprised at how many folks have chickens in their backyards. We are selling lots of chick starter which means there are baby chicks that have hatched (or given away during Easter). I am one of those who have baby chicks and there is nothing cuter. My Silvering Bantam has 8 chicks that are three weeks old and she is very proud and protective of them. Greg Ashabranner once told me when we were discussing chickens that Silkie hens would set on a rock. He was right. I have a beautiful Silkie and found her sitting on a very small clay pot. I removed the pot and put several bantam eggs under her and she is now the proud momma of 5 babies about the size of a golf ball.  My friendliest bantam named “Princess” is also due in a few days to hatch several chicks. Hens are devoted mothers sitting the majority of the day and night on their eggs for 21 days. Did you know chickens do cluck socially, but are relatively quiet for the most part. Hens will become slightly more vocal for a few minutes after laying an egg (who wouldn’t?), but even then it is no louder than a normal conversation between a bunch of guys sitting at the round table. Now roosters can be real noisemakers but even their early morning crowing doesn’t bother me.

If you are in the market for foul that make wonderful watchdogs, you need guineas. One of our customers from Polk County, Ann O’Rourke, has guineas for sale, or eggs to hatch.  You can contact her at 936-685-7259.

Bee Keeping is also becoming more popular in our area. The Pineywoods Bee Keepers’ Association is having a “Hands On Management” skills course at the Angelina County Extension office April 22, April 29 and May 6 starting at 9:30AM until 4:30PM. For more information, call 632-2272.

If raising fish sounds interesting to you, The Fish Truck from Arkansas that has been coming to Poulands for years and has lots of satisfied customers, will be parked in our driveway on Wednesday, April 26th from 12:15 until 1PM. He has a wide selection of fish and will be selling 4-6” channel catfish for $40 per hundred. Don’t be late!

A father-daughter turkey hunt is what Andy Parish and his daughter, Emily Hale, had planned for last weekend. They were leaving for a lease near Comanche hoping to have the same luck they had two years ago when Emily got a nice trophy. Brian Wilson is another one who truly enjoys hunting turkeys.

11-year-old Cooper Horton is a veteran hunter. He was excited when he came in with his dad, Rayburn, telling me about of the nice 8 –point buck he found in the Poor Boy Hunting Club in Polk County. This trophy was definitely not his first but maybe the best so far. He was using a 7mm.08 rifle.

The Diboll Business Association selected the Diboll Housing Authority as its “Business of the Month”. The Diboll Housing Authority has been a member since the association was organized five years ago. This non-profit organization is always available to do anything when it comes to promoting Diboll and reminding people to shop locally. Congratulations!

Another member of the Diboll Business Association, Building Blocks Academy on Morris Road in Burke is super excited to announce that the summer of 2017 will be a “Summer of Science”. All ages will be exploring outer space, learning all about the weather and studying the life cycles of plants and animals. The children will be growing and harvesting a garden so that they can see firsthand how a tiny seed turns into food on our tables. They will be using their new outdoor classroom to have tons of fun painting and exploring the great outdoors. To wrap up the summer they will be constructing their very own totem pole and making an active volcano that they will show off at a Hawaiian Luau Bash. Summer enrollment has begun and if you enroll your child by May 15th you will received the 3rd week FREE. Contact the day care for more information 829-2933.

Tina Jowell was in buying a hanging basket and flowers to plant what time she isn’t in the kitchen baking cookies for her business, Desserts First. She was busy baking cookies for Easter and has plans for a gift idea; Mother’s Day Cookie Bucket. Call Tina at 512-963-2600 to place an order.

We welcome you to come in and look around at our wind chimes, tiny terrariums, hummingbird feeders and all kinds of general farm supplies and weird stuff!

See you…’round the table.