All In A Day's Work

Yesterday, while planting, watering and weeding, this little guy came to visit me.  There is a small hole in my garden hose, and he came to get a drink.  I do have a bird bath filled with water, but he chose the hose.  I'll have to do some research to find out if this is a he or a she.  I'm still not getting a pristine photo, but working on it.


Some things, like this bird visiting me, make all the all the hard work of self-sufficiency and good living hard labor worth it. 
 
Speaking of birds, a vulture came to visit us.  This time, he/she was right behind the goat barn munching away.  I was just zoaming my lens, and then "SLAM" went the side door on the house.  Off went the vulture.  Hmpf.  Anyway, when the pasture was mowed, he ran over a large black water snake, and that was the vulture's meal.  He never did fly back for the rest.

Yesterday, I managed to get 40 roma tomato plants in the ground, along with 8 more peppers.  Rain never did arrive, but we had strong winds.  Cucumbers and squash are up now.  Even though it seems like a lot of tomatoes, we had enough home canned taco sauce all winter, that we didn't have to buy any, and I still have 2 more jars.  And we have 2 more jars of home canned ketchup too.

I planted flower seeds in this new planter, but went ahead and added a few flowers yesterday.  My comfrey is doing better now that the cats are not using it for a bed too.

Days are long still, but I continue to stop garden work by noon to exercise.  My 16 year-old continues to add up her driving hours.  I had her drive me to town for some needed yarn, and goat feed, and back again - logging in just short of an hour of driving.  She needs a total of 50.  

Somewhere in those hours, I made another large salad.  We've gone through 7 bags of organic romaine in a week.  I top it with organic carrots, celery, red bell pepper and green onion from my herb garden.   Then the kids and I either put tuna or organic chicken in it, topped with pecans or/and dried cranberries.  I can't wait for my lettuce to be ready for harvest.

I never did get time to work on my short story.  Today, I plan to take paper and pen to the porch.  Some times writing by hand is more productive than using the computer.

It's dark and dreary out this morning, and they are still forecasting very strong storms later today.  I am heading back out to plant more tomatoes.  Hubby couldn't help me again last night, as he was asked to stay over at work again.  This time getting home about midnight, and back up at 6:30am.  We are both very tired.

Rue and Heat ~ Hubby's Long Work Days

Rue, short for Rudy, does not like the early heat we are getting.  I took some scraps out to my daughter, to feed her goats, and saw her giving Rue a hair cut with her trimmers.  He was panting miserably.

The lamancha goats handle the heat better, unless they are babies, but generally their breed can handle heat better.  Poor guy.

Here is an updated photo of Primrose.  I had trouble getting a good photo, as she thought my camera was food.  When I went into her stall to get the water bucket, that little stinker got out twice.  Good thing she has a collar on her.

Well, the joke is still on us.  No rain as of this morning.  Hmpf.  The weather continues to forecast thunderstorms, yet we get nothing.  I did read that tornado type weather was coming our way around Tuesday.  They are forecasting storms around 2pm today.  Should I believe them? 

Hubby was so happy that he was not working over 8 hours yesterday, and could come home to help plant tomatoes.  However, 15 minutes prior to quit time, they told them to stay until a job was finished.  He got home around 1:00am, and was back up at 6:30am this morning.  

The heat is making us miserable.  The house cats are laying around on the floor, which is not normal early in the morning. The typically rub all over us, try to trip us, and meow for their breakfast. Today, they could care less.   One of the dogs, enjoys cooling off with ice cubes, and the other has her own pool.    

I guess I'm going out in this humidity and planting more tomato plants.  Then I am coming in to work on my short story.  I promised myself to make more time for my writing, so I better get crackin' at my chores.  Plus, Martha (the scarecrow) was blown down by wind yesterday.  I better get her back up too.

Enjoy your day!

From the Homesteading Journal . . . Homemade Goat - Milk Lotion

....all within the last few days

 

 . . . Hubby and son rigged up the dog kennel for the meat chicks, and the layer chicks are outside now (we got the kennel for free, covered the top, and sides with chicken wire).  The barred rock layers are finally outside.

. . . unloaded a second truck load of mulch into the front flower beds.

 . . . planted flower seeds - nasturtium, zinnia, poppy, wildflower, marigold, and snapdragon.


. . . my son mowed down the garden patch out near the barn and it's ready to till again.

. . . my 16 year-old daughter made a homemade lotion with goat's milk.  It's not your thick creamy lotion, and must be refrigerated, but it works well so far. 

Goat - Milk Lotion
1 cup of goat milk, room temperature
1/8 cup mild olive oil
1/8 tsp white vinegar
Add 4 drops of essential oil

Put goat milk and olive oil in a glass bowl, and mix thoroughly.  An old-style rotary egg beater is good for this task.  When well blended, add the essential oil, and blend it in.  A pump-style container makes a good dispenser for this type of lotion.  Shake before using; then refrigerate.  Try spearmint essential oil for a summer refresher.

(From The Whole Goat Handbook, by Janet Hurst)
If you have dairy goats, this book contains lots of recipes for milk, body care and meat.  There is even a recipe for honey ice cream!  Yum!      

 . . .  planted 28 pepper plants (chili, banana and green), and have another 20 to plant today.  Today, I start planting 158 tomato plants.  Pototoes, peas, lettuce, arugula, and  cabbage are up.  Spinach is not.  I think I planted it too late. 

. . . Hubby hired a guy to mow the pasture with a tractor.  It looks so much better, and now we can start the goat fencing.  

. . . the raccoon made another appearance. Hmpf.  I guess I'm gardening today with a hoe in hand.  A baseball bat is just too short for this gal.

~~~

Mom asked me how I do it all.

I sweat through 3 pairs of underwear, and chant "I can do it" over and over.   

 

From the Gratitude Journal. . .

Today, I am thankful for:

~for the wonderful lilac aroma wafting throughout the outdoors (and which I brought indoors too).

~for God's guidance, and giving me the knowledge to know how to cut back on my stress with gardening by doing a little every day vs. all of it in one long day, and leaving the dirty dishes for the kids and looking the other way....giving me the strength to get up extra early to avoid the heat...giving me a bountiful garden...

~for the colors that are reappearing on the front porch.  

~for the spearmint in my garden and iced tea made with it.

~for the pounds I'll lose this summer with all this garden/yard work to do.

~for our dogs, who alerted us of a group of people on the highway (at 2:30am), who had some sort of driving mishap.  

~for Timmy, the barn cat who showed up on our porch a year or so ago.  And who always makes me smile.  He plops wherever he wants, as if he has had the most grusome work day and is needing a nap.

~for the water in our well.  I've drained the rain barrel, and have been watering the garden, due to the lack of rain here.  Thankful for that rain barrel too.

~for my hubby being home today, and giving me a hand with garden work/yard work today, and for getting my breakfast. 

 

Random Writing

5 Random Things

1. I Got "Notered" 

My 11 year-old often leaves me notes that are special.   We call it getting "notered." She left me this one recently, in my inbox:

"i love you mommy. anyway, you should take the day off and go return your shirt,wear it with your new skirt  and wear some new mother's day jewelry, the ones i bought you. by the way... I Love You!

and just so you dont forget about me... i throw it on thee grownd!!!"

It made me laugh.  You see, when she went to camp, she told me how the "mailman" came to visit them and deliver letters we wrote.  Prior to camp, the teachers allowed us to write our kids letters, and they would be delivered.  Anyway, the mailman would come in and do a funny act while delivering the mail.  He'd throw it on the ground and say "I throw it on theeee groouuunnnnd!" enunciating it in a hilarious fashion.  When she got home from camp, she re-enacted it for days.  She'd run to the mailbox, and re-enact the "mailman" from camp each time.  And of course, it was funny.

2. With my new fitbit, I joined a community group, and pledged to try to loose 16 pounds by July 4th.

3.  My 13-year old is at an all weekend sleep over.  However, she's my "chick" keeper, so I now have "chick" duty (watering, feeding, and cleaning their boxes).  My goal is to get them outside next week.

4.  My allergies are in an uproar, due to farmer's out in their fields.  The dirt is flying, and my nose is finding it.  Thankfully, I stocked up on nettle tea.

5.  Sapphire has been sleeping in my herb garden.  The other day, when I leaned over to cut some chives, she stood up and scared the livin' poo out of me.  After my run-in with the raccoon, I am on edge every time I am outside.  She blended in with the dirt so well, I didn't even see her.  She was all cozied up between the chives and green onions.

Linking up with Nancy at:  A Rural Journal

Snapshots Gone Cynical ~ Having a "Martha" Day

I intended to take "happy" snapshots of my day, but as work proceeded, I became cynical.  Maybe I already was.  I spent the early hours planting a half-flat of purple salvias, watering everything from vegetable garden, to flower garden, herb garden and then pots.  I got more items out of the garden barn and so forth.  I had to drag about 300 feet of garden hose from one end of the property to the other.  I know it's good exercise, but blah, blah, blah.  This may be where my cynicism started. 

I continued to dig out flower pots and put them in the places, all ready for more planting.

Put another one up and filled it with soil and flower seeds, and had a few happy thoughts pop in my head (pretty flowers make me happy).

But then I looked at the one end of my herb garden - weeds.  They are all over the herb garden.

More weeds.  This time it's grass in the raised strawberry beds.  This is what happens when your Hubby tells your kids to blow the grass into the flower beds when they mow - "Blow it into the garden, it's great for it!"  Sure doesn't look "great" to me.

And the mower can't fit through all the raised beds, so I have to get out the trimmer and cut it all down that way.  

Martha isn't looking so well this season.  She needs a re-do.  She was barely standing up when I found her.  She was left out all winter.  Her clothes are tattered and sun bleached, her shirt is not tucked in, one sleeve is up and one is down, her wood is splitting, birds have pooped on her, her head is smooshed down, and her hat is looking worn out and torn up. 

Ever feel like you are having a "Martha" day?

Got Tea?

My kids (and I) love to drink tea and coffee both.  But lately, they have gotten funky with both.  Mom sent over some vanilla chocolate truffle teabags, and guess what my 16 year-old did?


She put that very same teabag into the coffee maker, along with the coffee grounds, and brewed it.  Not bad too.

I wonder what else they will come up with, now that most of my tea is restocked.

What would you call that anyway (brewing coffee with tea)? Coff-tea?  Tea-Fee?  Ha ha ha!