Welcome to my brain dump!

So I have been thinking about doing a blog for a while.  Mostly to share everything that runs through my brain - my brain dump, if you want to call it that - it seems most appropriate. 

I am working on an awesome garden this year with the help of my wonderful dad, incredible grandmother, and awesome son. 

I am also starting the process of having weight loss surgery. 

Between these things, having a husband and six year old son, a full time job, and all the other little life things that pop up, sometimes I forget what I just thought 5 minutes ago.  I try keeping journals and lists, but sometimes, my little brain just needs to wander. 

I've been trying for a few weeks to come up with a blog name.  Nothing seemed right.  This morning on the way into work, I was listening to one of my fav's - Miranda Lambert.  Everybody Dies Famous In A Small Town...isn't that the truth!  Part of the chorus is "Every last one, route one, rural heart's got a story to tell" and it hit me - that's it!  So here it is, my rural heart's story to tell. 

First off - weight loss surgery.

I have been overweight my entire life.  Well, let me take that back.  When I was four, I started clogging in a group and I did that for six years until I was 10.  When I was 10, I decided I would rather be in girl scouts than clogging.  I clogged twice a week for a couple of hours each time.  I stayed thin.  Well, no more clogging and I started gaining weight.  I am 34 years old and at my highest weight of about 335, give or take a few pounds. 

A few years ago, my sister L had gastric by-pass surgery.  She had some minor complications with it, and seems to be doing great with it now.  She looks AWESOME!  My best friend, TK, had LapBand 2 years ago.  She looks incredible also.  I have tried Weight Watchers, the Duke Diet, and several other "I'll eat better and exercise" tries.  I don't have the self-control to not scarf everything in sight.  So, I believe weight loss surgery could be the tool I need.

I have my initial consultation Friday, June 29 at 1:30...woot woot!

Second - my garden.

This has quickly become my sanity check.  I forgot how relaxing weeding can be!  We have 5 rows at my grandmother's house.  In past years, there hasn't been much serious gardening going on.  Someone else did the garden one year, then last year I decided I wanted to do it and learn to can.  My dad had his tomatoes in one and a half of the rows.  This year, I kept coming up with new things I wanted to try.  So, he started a new tomato garden behind the house.  So technically, we have four "gardens" there.  One is the five-row garden, then there's the green bean arch, the tomato garden, and the watermelon patch. 

In the "garden" I have them planted:

Row 1 - Silver Queen Corn in the middle and Contender Bush beans on either side

Row 2 - Clemson Spineless Okra in the middle and California Black Eyed Peas on either side

Row 3 - same as row 1 in first half - Silver Queen Corn in the middle and Condender Bush beans on either side.  We also have a couple of Crookneck Squash plants on the end of this row

Row 4 - Russian Mammoth Sunflowers in the middle with Henderson's Bush Baby Lima Beans on either side.  There are also Crookneck Squash plants on the end of this row

Row 5 is truly my experiment row - the only thing in this row that I have ever grown before are the cucumbers and the squash...everything else is my first time growing.
3 zucchini plants
1 bush burpless cucumber hybrid
9 sweet potato plants
2 green striped squash (I have never seen these before.  Apparently they grow HUGE so I'm excited to see what they become) - if anyone has any great recipes, please let me know!
1 butternut squash
3 cantaloupe
2 bush pickling cucumbers
1 bottle gord
1 Black Beauty eggplant
1 Crookneck Squash

Watermelon patch currently has 6 hills - 3 each of Georgia Rattlesnake and Jubliee watermelons. 

At the green bean arch, this year we have only planted Cherokee Trail of Tears beans.  We had a few plants last year on this arch as an experiment, and my grandmother loved them so much she asked we do the whole thing in them this year. 

I will have to find my list of what kind of tomatoes Daddy has planted.  I know there are a lot of them though.  We do have a whole row of Celebrities.  They seem to have less acid in them and do really well in vegetable soup.

I know this has been a long post, and if you've hung in, I appreciate it.  I am really looking forward to posting and updating everything!

Kelly