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~

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Heat Wave ~ Storm

The heat wave has arrived.  We hit a high of 93°F and yet another day of no garden work done.  Weeds prevail.  It would have been a good year to invest in a solar oven (in my best sarcastic but realistic voice, lol!)

Too hot to enjoy one bit of porch time, but we all knew it was coming with the massive spring rains we got.  



Hubby sleeps all day, so indoor work has to be at a minimum as to where it won't wake him up - no vacuuming, loud anything.  I managed to wash 3 blankets and got them on the clothesline early.  I also made a cold healthy treat for him in case he didn't feel like eating dinner on during this very hot week - homemade hummus and organic celery sticks.

I went outside very early to tend the chickens, pick plantain, picked radishes, water the half dead flowers (veggie garden looked okay), in preparations for possible afternoon/evening thunderstorms.   

We got a downpour about 3pm.  Thankful for that.  Except that I forgot I had blankets drying on the clothesline at the time.  Ugh.  A horrible storm went through my hometown and took down trees and power lines.  Thankful all is okay and thankful it wasn't that bad out here.

A second storm came through and took down trees south of us about 4 hours later.

Was disappointed to find out I cannot harvest my feverfew until the 2nd year of of growth.  Sigh.  As for Arnica?  It's my 3rd attempt at growing it from seed, and it just doesn't like our weather.  Double sigh. 


Although I didn't want to cook, I put chicken in the crock pot, and made radish hashbrowns

Although I'm tired of weeding, milkweed randomly growing in the flower bed has killed off my poison ivy.

4 comments:

Lisa B said...

Milkweed kills poison ivy? I have never heard that. Please explain if you know more about it. I have poison on mature trees in my pasture with milkweed growing 20 ft away. Does it need to be closer? I do not want to roundup the poison or get a goat but it is taking over the trees. i pull out milkweed by the hundreds from flower beds but alot still grows.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Lisa, what I meant is the milk from milkweed can be applied to poison ivy on your skin. It burns a bit, but dries it up.

Donna OShaughnessy said...

Yes, the heat has kept us from gardening much as well. I find after I milk our cow, between 8 and 8: 30 pm is a good time. I have to work fast though, before the dark drops!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Donna, it's crazy weather this year for sure. I can't work outside today due to last night's rain now.