Zick Dough, Starting Seeds and Geese!

It is a beautiful spring day with the sun shinning and the promise of temps near 60. I have concocted a double batch of Zick dough for the birds and am letting it cool before putting it outside. Seeing this dough mentioned on several blogs peaked my curiosity and finally Beth had a link to the recipe. She promises my camera and I will be very busy taking pictures of all the birds coming to dine!
I have all the essentials gathered to start my seeds indoors. I have the Jiffy instant peat pellets, and will admit it's been years since I have tried these. Actually, it's been years since I've attempted to grow my own seedlings. But as there have been many of you posting on the how's, I am feeling fairly confident. I am also using the plastic trays with individual cups that you fill with seed starting soil. Both of these trays have clear tops to keep in the moisture. I even bought a grow light, something I have never used. In past attempts, I placed the newly sown seeds in a west facing window and assumed nature would do her thing! Last, but certainly not least, I have a new pair of gardening gloves. Any gardener, novice or experienced, knows gloves are part of the ensemble. Usually the more tattered and threadbare, the more one is perceived as a 'green thumb' gardener. In my case, I have no such illusions and besides my old ones were last used pulling wild berry briers out of the wisteria.

So the problem now becomes what to plant. I have really let my eyes overload my plate so to speak. My enthusiasm is greater than space or my purse allows, and I will have to give careful consideration to my choices. If, in a few days, I post pictures of tiny seedlings growing, you will know I have had success. If no photos show up... well, let's just hope for a bumper crop.

I did find a new garden marker that pretty well sums up my gardens!While I was is town doing my many but necessary (ugh!) errands, I decided to take a few moments for me. Along one of our newly developed business areas are several water retention ponds. They are populated mostly with Canadian geese who have multiplied by scores in the last few years. And they are almost tame now, with people feeding them year round. They are so funny to watch as they turn en masse on the water and swim toward the new source of food. The braver ones come bounding up the bank as fast as their gated wobble will let them. They hiss and honk, flap their wings, and charge at the more timid ones sneaking in on their booty of bread crumbs. Some are even bold enough to take morsels from your hand. It is pure joy to be among them.

Refreshed, I went back to doing errands!

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

Here is my little corner of the world. Royal, Illinois.
the original town was founded in 1882 by immigrants from Germany. The ground was flat for miles and miles. There was one small problem. It was under water. But being industrious and familiar with drainage problems, they brought in steam shovels on barges and dug drainage ditches. Soon the water drained and they had wonderful fertile black dirt to raise crops in. They built a Lutheran Church and had a few houses. No name yet. And then in 1887 the railroad came through the area. But not thru the settlement. Again, being industrious , they moved the church and the few houses a mile and a half and situated them next to the tracks. Being by the railroad and hoping to get a station, they had to have a name. Some of the founding fathers were trying to decide what to call the town as a train was going by. One of the rail cars carried an advertisement for "Royal" baking powder and the name was born!




This our church as it stands today. We have built on to it a couple of times as they congregation has grown. But the original building is still in there!

Our main industry is agriculture. We grow lots and lots of corn and soybeans. To get all those crops to the market, we have a huge elevator (located next to the tracks!) During harvest season in the fall, truck after truck lines up waiting their turn to dump and head back out for the next load. The elevator ships out the crops in 100 car trains. For months we can hear the banging of train cars as they move in the next one to fill. The downside to this is that we have red snow. Not actually, but that is what we call it. The chaff from the corn cobs settles on to everything in town during harvest.

We have a lovely small town of about 350 people. Of course our community is much bigger as families from all the farms consider Royal their town too. I guess that is one of small town life's most rewarding characteristics. Everyone is family!

This is the original site. During our centennial celebration, we erected this marker. You can see the flat fields behind it.

We have lived in this town for 37 years and I truly love it. We raised our kids here and as the saying goes " it takes a village.." so it did. Small town life can gives you such a solid feeling of belonging. It teaches you sharing and caring, and ultimately, that is what it is all about.

If you are ever in our area, look for us. We will be here.