Dry Days ~ More Rain

We finally had a few dry days, which for me meant weeding.  Lots of weeding and a garden hoe.  Although not completely weeded out, I dropped my zinnia seeds into the flower beds, as rain is coming back today.  I also planted my rosemary, lavender, and dropped some miner's lettuce seeds.  I also got my lavender and rosemary planted.

Asparagus is still coming up too.

I brought in the smallest egg ever the other night.  I was surprised it had a yolk, ha ha!

In Motion

I went to the barn early yesterday to fetch the hoe before the bumble bees woke up (terrible again this year). 

(steps I got on my fitbit yesterday)

The hoe and I had a date.  I got the beets in finally, and started weeding some of the flower beds.  I had a ton of laundry, and ran out of clothespins.  The day went way too fast, but work was done.  It was a nice 60-some degree day, so it wasn't sweltering either.

I found one of my rain barrels completely drained. Hubby and I will have to put a clamp on the hose.  It's a different set up than my barrel looking ones.

Flower Bed Resident (s)

In between all my other work, I am reclaiming the flower beds, and each time I make my weed piles a bit higher (or more of them).

One day I decided to go rake them into one large pile and guess who greeted me under one of them?

Bits of Barn Wood and other random tales

Happy 4th of July!
 
We stayed around the homestead for the holiday weekend.  Well, most of it.  We visited family and friends at the Lake, and stole off on a few motorcycle rides.  But.  We started on the big barn.

We've managed to move one barn door from the ruble.  It wasn't moved very far, and is now waiting it's next move. They are heavy by the way.  It'll take more than two of us to get it up and on the other barn.  Hubby and I dug through the debris and started pulling out barn siding.  We took the saw to a few, made them look nice, and delivered them to the folks who knocked the barn down.  They loved the "samples" and we'll be back to this mess.

All that siding laying down is weighed down by beams, so we have to get equipment to take care of that to free up the siding.

See that siding up on the old straw?  Well, I removed the fungus covered wood, and crawled up there.

I got what I could without putting myself in danger, and my legs got stung by stinging nettle.  It hurt the entire time we were out there, and my legs were red.  However, by the the time we retired that day, the rash was completely gone.  Seriously.  Could I be immune to it now due to drinking nettle all the time?  I know my hands broke out with a rash before, but my legs seem to have a reverse situation.


I planted zinnia seeds 3 times this year.  The first planting, 3 places popped up.  And a pot of them.  However, all the remaining plantings did not.  I replanted.  Nothing.  I bought seeds and replanted.  Nothing.

Then I saw them.

Birds.  They have multiplied this season. 

The robins and chickadees in the exact locations of the plantings (I put markers so I knew where to water).  Grr.  They were eating them so no flowers.  I will have to start seeds indoors next year, or if you have a tip to keep birds out of the flower beds (without looking gaudy) please share.

We may be eating ground hog as well as rabbit for dinner this summer.  I now have a ground hog issue. I've seen him before, and thought he was just passing through, but no....

June bearing strawberry season is over, and it's the end of our radishes too.  The radishes left in the ground, are already going to seed.

This is the last of the harvest.  I won't be getting another batch of radish relish, but I will be roasting these.

The peas are still rolling in thankfully.  Both snap and shell peas.

Bread was baked again over the weekend.  Just our regular 'ol every day stuff going on here.  Nothing spectacular, nor exciting.  Other than I lost 4.2 of the 10 lbs. I gained since the stint in the hospital last winter.  Proof if you lose weight fast, you'll gain back over what you lost, and it is very (very) difficult to get it back off.  The scale has moved and I am very (very) happy about it.  Only 5.8 more to go, and I'm down to my lowest weight of last year, then it's onto a new goal.  

Pie Pan Bangers ~ Sugar Snap Peas ~ Puttin' Up Radishes ~ Plantain Poultice

Mom gifted me some pie pans when she came to the grad party. 

They are now attached to the pea fence for another rabbit deterrent.  I just hope with "Biker Sally" up, the glass bottles in place, and now the pie pan bangers, the garden will thrive.

Our sugar snap peas are on, and growing quickly.  I can't wait to harvest that first bite.  Yum.

Carpenter Bee Traps

As promised, here is a photo of the carpenter bee traps I use.  They work if your mount them in a place where they do not move (swing in the wind on a hook etc).  It's the only thing I can come up with to cut the bee infestation down.  They 

There is a hole on 3 sides of the wooden box, and the clear container on the side screws to the 4th side.  The bees go into the holes, crawl through tunnels, and then end up into the container.  They can't get out once they get in.  No chemicals involved.

Random Tidbits

I finally finished this book.  I have started another one.  Surprisingly.  Photos to come soon when I remember to take them.

We have a bee infestation.  Not honey bees.  Carpenter bees.  I had to order a few more bee traps.  The two we have in one barn is catching them, so I'll just mount them in the other barns next.  Photos to come soon on those too.  No chemicals involved.

Garden Beauty

Although I already posted this photo, here are just a few more....some of these were taken last week or so.

Bug Catcher ~ Tidbits

We have had an ample amount of tomatoes in the house lately, and the gnats are horrible.  One daughter found this idea on the internet and it works.  Simply put fruit in the jar and add a piece of paper.  They can get in, but not back out.  I added a drop of dawn soap down the center to kill them.  Today the jar has twice as many in it.  Best thing that has worked so far.  We even caught a fly in it.

Unwanted Guests

Sometimes walking a dog (or two, or three) can take me to areas of the property I haven't been to for a few days. 

I was out walking King yesterday, and he kept pulling me (bad habit of his) to the walnut tree.  I thought, "okay, maybe your scent will keep the squirrel out of my fruit trees."

So we walked directly over to the black walnut tree.

Herbal Journey ~ Catnip Tincture ~ Bug Spray

The mosquitoes are terribly thick this year, and we are seeing swarms of them in areas we never saw before.

So......

I decided to dig a bit deeper and found a recipe on Mountain Rose Herb's blog.  Less messy, and easier to tote along for possible camping trips. They posted one using catnip, other essential oils, and witch hazel extract.

I had all of the ingredients but a few, and even found catnip to make the tincture for it. 

Coffee Hour ~ July 4th Weeked ~ Bittersweet Sunday

Grab a cup, it's a long update.  Enjoy!

The weekend brought us some time to get some work done.  As well as a little rest time.  And even a quick visit from my younger brother, his wife and that cutie-patootie nephew of mine.  Oh my gosh, is he growing fast!  Our oldest daughter even stopped in for a quick visit.

Just another work day. . .

 

I overslept this morning, but water is heating now to brew my nettle/oatstraw tea infusion.  Coffee is brewing to wake up my sleepy overworked body.

Another batch of cheese is draining this morning too - Fromage Blanc made with goat's milk.  We are enjoying it while we have it.
 
We continue to get more rain, thunderstorms, and wind here.  In between, we get spurts of sunshine too.

Homemade Organic Insect Spray for the Vegetable Garden ~ Random Tidbits

Now that I have many plants in the garden, I have mixed up my first homemade organic bug spray for my vegetable garden.

I found one recipe online.

I've had terrible times with leaf eating bugs, eating away at my collard greens, and other greens.  This year I'm giving them dose of bug protection. 

Natural Insect Repellent Oil for People ~ Pet Flea Protection?

Now I'm taking the herbs to a different level.  There are so many uses for herbs (and oils) it's so much fun to research and try them.

To make the insect oil, I used a 1/4 cup to measure my "parts."  You can see in this quart jar, how much it fills the jar.  We've have good luck with homemade basil mosquito spray, but so far nothing has worked for flies or gnats (or fleas on our dogs and cats).

New Sign ~ Chickens, Herbs and Rodents

Hubby bought a new sign for the front porch.  I thought you could use a short post to read today, since a wrote such a long one yesterday.  Ha ha!  

After weeding the herb garden (or rather part of it), I tossed some lemon balm  I thinned out, into the chicken's nesting boxes.  I read that some herbs are great pest controls in the coop (Backyard Poultry Magazine, 2011, June/July issue).  

By the way, the author of that article, Susan Burek (Herbalist), also has an article you can read online. It's for making a natural  citrus disinfectant.  And it's for the chicken coop of course.  I found her article very interesting, because we do have a natural branch ladder in the coop, and I never thought once about the cracks and the possibility for mites to live and breed.  We don't have an infestation, but this is a nice preventative.  And it's natural.  

I have also found that my chickens don't eat my herbs.  They would rather have grass and bugs.  So for now, it will just make their nesting box smell good, and keep the rodents out.

If you don't like to see dead animals, don't click on the "read more" today.  

Broody Hen ~ Pie Pan "Bird Bangers" ~ Canned Tuna

We have one hen that refuses to get off the eggs.  The problem?  Well, Sparta is in the dog kennel, so the eggs have zero chance of fertilization.  Go figure.  It's the perfect time to let her sit on some, but we can't.  Sparta has a lot of healing to do first.

Homestead Tidbits ~ Baby Booties

Saturday it rained heavily the entire day.  It was a very gloomy, get-in-your-jammies-early day.  We still made a trip to the gym for a must needed workout.  According to my fitbit (tracks my steps etc) I am short about 3,000 steps per day this winter.  Yikes!

Back to the weather. . . .

Peppers, Bats and Rats

I just had to share this.  We got three habanero peppers from the garden this year.  That's all.  I think we planted 4 habanero pepper plants among our 50-some pepper plants this season.

Check out how small they are too.  Hubby had to laugh when he saw them.  I'm not sure what I will make with them yet. Possibly a second trial run on a hot pepper jelly.

I got three cayenne peppers too.  Those went in the salsa I recently canned.  I think we got one very small green pepper and some super chili peppers.

I'm praying that next year's investments will be producing more bounty overall. 

Only in our house.....will you watch the sunrise, sip coffee, and chat with your kids about what bat and rat poop looks like.  

We have a rat and a bat living in the upper loft of our goat/chicken barn and rat traps are being set.  However, my 16 year-old was attacked early morning by a bat, while tending to her goats.  She laughed, and said she used her goat's mineral feeder to cover her head and run.  Bats are great, but not when then they take over the barn.  I am thinking we really do need to build a bat house.

From the Homesteading Journal . . .

(all the old roofing loaded up by my son and Hubby's brother-in-law)

. . . it took two days, but the leftover roofing was removed, and half of the new roofing was put on. Hubby miscalculated on his measurements and we need to do an exchange for longer roofing. 

. . .we were blessed with enough cucumbers for me to can 7 more pints of bread and butter pickles. I purchased another bushel of corn and stocked that up in the freezer.  I also purchased 5 lbs. of beets, and added 1 pound from our own garden, and canned one batch of spiced beets.  And I purchased local peaches and canned 15 - 1/2 pints of peach jam. And that's not all.  I purchased 36 hot banana peppers and canned 4 quarts of Hot Pepper Mustard Sauce. I also canned 5 - 1/2 pints of Ruby-Red Grapefruit Jelly (another new recipe I wanted to try).