Sweet potato slips

If you open your pantry door and see your sweet potato putting out magenta sprouts, then you have the beginnings of your very own sweet potato bed.

Start by placing your sweet potato sproutside up into a wide mouth jar filled with water.

Within a few weeks, you will see your potato putting down roots and the sprouts will turn into healthy leafy vines.

When each vine gets to be about 6 inches twist them off and place them into a cup of water.

The vines will quickly root in just a plain cup of water. I think a cup full of sprouting vines is very attractive on the window sill.

Vines over 12" can be cut in half and the new cutting will also take root.

One sweet potato has given me 24 slips between January and March.

How to transition these rooted cuttings to outdoor plants next post!

10 things about me

I love lists don't you? I wanted to write a simple post so here's a very quick post 10 things about Provident momma.

1. I am very well read. I enjoy informational books and fantasy. I read almost every day.

2. I would rather spend time at home then go out on the town for a night.

3. I plan more than I do. Doing is hard work! But I'm not all talk. A lot of my plans come to fruition just not always in the same year and shape that they originate.

4. I love flowers. I love growing, collecting specimens, tending, cutting, arranging, and looking at them!

5. I have attention deficit disorder. This makes me horrible at everyday tasks like answering emails, returning phone calls or establishing new habits.

I tried being a regular coffee drinker for about 7 months but kept forgetting to make my coffee and gave up after deciding I enjoyed my daily coffee less than I enjoyed not worrying about caffeine withdrawal headaches.

6. I'm a really good listener. (Provided my ADD let's me focus.)

7. I have very eclectic music tastes. I can listen and enjoy almost anything.

My top five artists:
Ella Fitzgerald
Queen
Savage Garden
George Strait
Ac/Dc

8. I don't like to brag but I am an awesome Mother. My kids will back me up on this.

9. My family is blended. My husband has three children from a previous marriage. I was also married before but no children until now. We currently have 7 people in our family and we hope to make it 8.

10. I am not religious but I try to start every morning with an affirmation. We say it like a prayer holding hands at breakfast every morning.

We are grateful for this day,
This chance to be together,
And all that we have before us.
May we always have each other and the love that we share.

Thinking Spring

The beginning of March has come and gone. The weather outside is still frigid and blustery but just knowing its March and winter is in its death throes makes the below 0 temps much easier to bear.

This year I have in mind to replace my fruit trees. Last year's attempts at starting my own fruit orchard failed miserably. I planted 6 different trees and at the end of fall all but one was dead. And there's no way of knowing if that one has survived winter. Fortunately, they are all under warranty and I can exchange them for fresh stock this spring.

If I'm dreaming big, I also want put in whole bunch of nut trees. I have my eye on stock from Badgersett (www.Badgersett.com). These folks have put many years and a lot of effort into breeding superior hazelnut stock.

Of course I would need to order those immediately if I was going to. I really want at least hazelnuts & Badgersett has bred theirs to be resistant to Eastern filbert blight.

They also offer chestnuts and hickory pecan hybrids that I wouldn't turn my nose up at. To me the more varieties in my field the better off I am.

Last year I dug up two small shagbark Hickory saplings and place them along the fence line. I believe one survived summer and i'm hopeful to see it leafing out this spring.

Finally on this years list of permaculture additions are service berries also known as June berry and Saskatoon berries. I would like to put a row of them out in the front yard because they are beautiful as well as useful.

Joy and Providence

Why Joy and Providence?

What does the name of this blog actually mean?

Joy is a fairly well known word. It implies exuberance and happiness. I am writing because writing brings me joy. I include it in the title to remind me why I am here. If writing this blog stops making me happy I need to change something.

This is not a religious blog although I am aware that "providence" is generally a religious term. To keep it simple, I like the word providence because it implies that planning, frugality, and foresight will provide.

joy

[ joi ]

NOUN

1. a feeling of great pleasure and happiness

providence

/ˈprɒvɪdəns/

3. the foresight or care exercised by a person in the management of his affairs or resources

So in summary, this is a blog to write about what makes me happy and what I am thinking about or planning. This is a personal diary made public. I am going to talk about my life and all it entails. I am not limiting myself to any central theme or topic. Nor am I going to consciously exclude any topics. I plan to do some posts on cooking, gardening, financial planning, but also marriage, sex, fetishes, and the truths of life even the ugly ones. This is my life and a window into it. You're welcome to look in or pass by.