Spring is in the air, in my nose and all over Lenny

Its finally spring time which hopefully means more camping expeditions in the near future! The pollen here is incredible~ when it rains there are highly visible swirls of yellow in the puddles. We've been laying low, working a lot and saving money- so I haven't had much to blog about. Lenny just hangs out in the driveway, waiting for another camp out. We drive him around a little but we still have yet to replace the caliper. We can't figure out if one is not engaging or one is not dis-engaging, so we are going to replace them both. We did get one of our starters re-built so we have a good spare, considering we won't know how long the one we replaced it with will last. Look how new & shiny!
Other than working, and painting I started some seedlings that are now sprouting~ we planted the beans last and they were second to sprout (cucumbers were the first to go) and they grow quick! Here's a picture I took Sunday~ (the smaller ones are tomatoes)

and here's what they look like today (Monday)~


Cucumbers~

from left~ 1 row Jalapeno, 2 rows spinach, 2 rows Bell pepper.
We will be container gardening and we've been scouring the thrift stores for random buckets, baskets, anything that is big enough to be re-purposed as planters. The large rubbermaid tub will have holes drilled in the bottom (like the other two plastic pots) and either a tomato plant, cucumber, or both will go in it. We just want to make sure our plants have enough space, which is where I failed last year. I am going to try to companion garden as well, if I find big enough buckets. Apparently 5 gallon buckets are large enough for tomatoes, peppers, etc but I am still a little weary about it, I feel like I should give them more space. What do you think? Has anyone grown peppers in containers? How large should they really be?
We also mixed our own potting mix with perilite, top soil and peat moss in equal parts. We saved a lot of money that way~ I wish I had done that before instead of buying pre-mixed soil. Oh well, live and learn, right? I am going to plant some herbs in a strawberry pot to keep inside, but I think I am going to buy already grown plants, instead of starting from seed. Although you save a lot of money starting from seed. Also the spinach will probably stay inside or at least come inside once summer hits because it will definitely not stand the heat, being a cold weather plant and all. I just hope the house will be cool enough for it, I eat so much spinach and when I heard it is one of the highest pesticide laden foods I really wanted to grow my own, and save money that way too.
As far as pesticides go, I am planning on making some mulch out of cedar and soaking it in Soap Nut water because soap nuts help repel bugs and isn't dangerous on plants. you can actually take your dish water after washing with soap nuts and water your plants. Now that's conservation if I've heard it!
Enough about plants~ this blog is supposed to be about Lenny~ so I must say good bye for now and hopefully I will have some Bus blogging to do soon!

The Rides Of March

We attended TROM~ The Rides Of March~ Friday through Sunday in Atkinson NC, close to Wilmington. It was a small event with 25 Buses but it was nice because we got to get to know people better. The weather was nice for us with highs in the 60s and lows in the upper 40s/low 50s. It did sprinkle a tiny bit Saturday evening and Sunday morning, but the brunt of the storms held off until we were driving back. Lenny ran great as usual, and people really enjoyed looking at his interior. I think we inspired a few people, hopefully!

Engine Bonfire

Next weekend we may try to attend Paddy's Wagens in Columbia SC if we have the days off. Gotta love those Bus festivals!

Crafts~ for your health!

We're gearing up for TROM~ The Rides of March in Atkinson NC. It should be a lot of fun as it is a smaller gathering than the ones we have been too~ so we'll get to know people better. I've been doing a lot of crafting since we've been back and I've gotten into jewelery making a little bit~ here's some of the stuff I've made:

Needle Booklets to sell at TROM

OPEN~to hold your sewing needles/pins

Petrified Wood I found in AZ~not at the forest tho its a $350 fine for removing park items

Skull Bead Necklace

I did some paintings for our new friends who we stayed with many times in Arizona and New Mexico as a Thank You. Even as new friends, they were so hospitable and made us feel like we were at home. We miss them very much! But luckily with Facebook (except Laura who needs to get on facebook!) & E-mail we are able to keep in touch with them regularly. Hopefully they won't read my blog before I put these babies in the mail tomorrow!

For Laura~

for Peter~

For Slavio~

Also have a few other paintings I am working on, put a few up at a local coffee shop (my new job) for sale as well. Our next Bus festival I plan to make rear hatch screens as I didn't get a chance to make any this time around. I'll post pictures of TROM next week!