You Can Never Have Enough . . .

of . . .well, the list is here.

*Chickens.  They're cute, they cluck, they either lay eggs or make meat.  What else needs to be said?

photo from newpetzone.com

*Tomatoes.  Between eating fresh tomatoes straight off the vine, slicing them for sandwiches or salads, drying them for tomato chips, canning them for winter use, making fried green tomatoes or green tomato jam . . .30 tomato plants is STILL not enough.

photo from tomatoesweb.com

*Hoses.  Until you've slogged around 100 yards worth of hose all over your property, you don't know why you really need hoses in place for your gardens that you can simply hook up to the spigot with a shorter hose.

*Hay.  You'll run out of hay for your horses about a month before you can get your pasture baled.  Count on it.

*Onions and Garlic.  You'll always use them.  You think you don't, but you do.  They keep well--plant more!

*Spare fencing.  There's always a pinch for fencing.  Even if it's not quite what you had in mind, what you have will work.  KEEP THAT WIRE!

*Spare cages.  Rabbit cages, chicken tractors, even some chicken wire that you can put screens on top of.  If you're anything like me, you need more cages ALL THE TIME.

*Firewood.  Of course, we heat with a wood furnace, but I get a little antsy when we hit that last stack before winter is over.  I want a buffer zone!!

*Lumber.  You never know when you'll need to build something else, or fix something that's already standing.  Best have enough to at least patch it.  Plywood stockpiles are good too.

*Ideas.  Well, sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't.  You learn from them and go on.

*Friends.  True friends--not just the people that say they like you.  True friends are an amazing asset.  They can lean on you, you can lean on them.  They're there to pick you up, stand up for you, and help in any way they can . . .and you'd do the same for them without a second thought.  Family works this way too.  Sometimes family and friends are the same thing.

*Love.  Find it where you can, but treasure it when you do.  From my kids' kisses and hugs to my family's interaction (yep, more hugs there!), I've learned that everyone needs to remember this:  every second that you receive love, send it back and send it forward.  Sure, some won't return your love, but there just may be somebody out there that needs a kind word or a hug.  Maybe that lady on the street needs to hear that she's wearing a pretty shirt and her heart is warmed by your smile.  Maybe you can spend some time volunteering in your community to show love to those less fortunate than you.  Pass on some love wherever you go--plant that seed and the world will grow.