Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Monday, June 27, 2016

Random Tidbits ~ Homestead Happenings

We have nothing but thistle growing in one tomato patch.  We put down a heavy layer of straw this year to prevent weeds and grass, but the thistle is up everywhere. 

I, like the dummy I am, walked through to check on my butternut squash mounds, and to weed them out.  My feet were in flip flops of all things.  

Yes, the thistle gave me a rash, somewhat like the itchy burning rash you get from fire ants (only the blisters are filled with clear liquid).  Oh, did it itch.  To get rid of it I used what we typically use for poison ivy.  Our milkweed is not up or visible yet. 


That long moment in the heat turned out to be worthless.  "Biker Man" turned into "Till Man" and instantly, my 6 mounds of organic/non-gmo honey butternut squash, turned into 1 mound.  

Yes, I was mad the entire day.  I went back and and replanted, but not enough I think. I told him, over and over, how many mounds were out there, and they were visible with large plants.  It's getting too late, and lack of rain doesn't help. I planted two stakes at the edge of each mound this time.


Finger nail update:  


I found my "before" photo of my fingernails, way back when I tried that tea for additional calcium.
 
 2-7-2015
You can see the tips are split.  Dirt from gardening would get down in between the layers of my nail. The tips were very thin and would break often. Even my kin looked dry and wrinkled.
 

6-25-16

 7-19-16

Could this be just from adding the dandelion greens and adding more to my diet?  Or the brazil nuts?  Or a combination of those and natural Vitamin D?   They are growing like crazy right now, and they are strong and don't break when I scrub them six times a day.  They are getting so long typing on the keyboard is tough.  Guess it's time to trim.  I am super excited I found a "fix" for this.  I have never, in my entire life (even on prenatal vitamins), had strong and healthy nails.


On Sunday, on the hottest day, in the middle of the afternoon, this little guy showed up.   He is white with tan coloring.  A kitten.   He showed up on the front porch.  Directly at the door.  I'm pretty sure he found his way to our house vs. dropped off.  He was covered in burs and had 4-5 ticks on his head.  He was so weak he could not hold himself up.  He is very friendly, but he of course has fleas and whatnot, so he has to stay far from our house cats.  Hands must be washed every time he's handled as well.

He's in our garage, with food and water, litter box, and a comfy place to sleep. Oh, and a fan on him to keep the heat off of him so he can eat, gain energy and recover.  

He found the right house to  be fed and given another chance.  He won't be staying, but we are caring for him (or should I say our Vet-Tech in training is).  He'll be be getting care at a facility that is a no-kill shelter in a few days.  We were lucky to find one.  Most have 3-4 month waiting lists.

I made one awesome frittata on Sunday morning.  I'll share that another day.  I need to go water every single thing outside.  The thunderstorms skipped us.  Again.  We badly need rain.  Badly.  

I picked a small handful of wild black raspberries.  We may not be canning jam this year.   

   

4 comments:

Sam I Am...... said...

Look at your nails! Good job! Ouch about the thistles...I wear socks and shoes all day every day....it came from a long history of stubbing my toes and also when I got the RA...I needed shoes on. Lucky little kitten! We've been getting spotty showers but I still have to water. I finally finished planting the last of the herbs today. What is up with Biker Man? Maybe the vibrations rattled his brain! LOL! Stay cool!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Sam I am, I will be wearing shoes in the garden from now on, ha ha! yes, that kitty is lucky.

Kim said...

Kristina.... I use straw to mulch my garden and flower beds but never fresh straw, only last years that I have weathered all winter. I let it get rained/snowed on and when you take it off the bale it comes off in sheets. I apply it about 10-12 inches thick and I never have weeds. Nor do my tomatoes get that blight that causes the leaves to turn yellow from the bottom up. That is a soil borne disease, if you can keep the rain from splashing dirt onto the tomato then you are safe.

I wish I could send you some of our WV rain. We have more than enough!

RockWhisperer said...

Not sure what part of the country you live in, but we're in NE Oklahoma and seems like rain almost always goes around us. June set a new record for hot and dry here this year. When temps get in the upper 90's and above, the sun literally boils the tomatoes right on the vine. Today, July 3, we finally got more than just the obligatory "less than a tenth of an inch", and it was sure welcome. Nothing's ever perfect, and so I must say that the extra moisture will increase our already record numbers of chiggers. Mosquitoes haven't been too bad but they'll be on the increase, too. Since moving here six years ago I have not had garden such that I'd call success but if we get enough out of it to pay for our increased water bill (because the cistern that we intended to water out of leaks), and the cost of my seed, then I guess we can't call it a failure, either. Rock on, hope you've had a good rain by now. --Ilene