Garden Visitor ~ Glorious Rain ~ Canning Begins and other Tidbits

My garden visitor the other day, and oddly, orange and blue.  Those are the favorite colors of daughter's deceased boyfriend.

Monday we got a glorious pour down from the Rain Gods!  So happy to have that happen.  We were getting worried about the well and no rain lately.  However, in the morning, you could never tell it had rained (it's been that dry here).  Youngest was gifted a butterfly bush and a rose bush.  She planted both just before it rained.

I canned.  It was a half batch of hot pepper mustard sauce.  A success, even though splitting all the ingredients in half taxed my brain.  Thank goodness for google to make sure I was accurate.

In total, I have now lost 3 hens and 2 roosters.  Trap has been re-set, and only time will tell.

Somehow I scratched up two of my pairs of readers.  I ended up ordering some on Amazon.  I didn't want to go to the store and most likely I wouldn't find them.  The last trip to town I noticed (one store) they were all removed from the stand.  

My hair dryer blew up on me.  Not exciting news there, lol!  I most likely will order a new one online as well.  

It's a beautiful 68°F this morning, but will heat up to 90°F, so watering resumes.  I spent about 5 hours in the garden yesterday and brought in another 2.5# of green and wax beans.  I also had to tie up the tomato plants (thrilled they are looking great so far).

Chicken Coop Massacre

A raccoon (or two) got 2 more of my hens.  I had a total melt down in the barn.  Followed by that?  Thoughts in my head "I'm never doing this again!"  "I'm done with this homesteading life"  and on and on.

I put an SOS out on social media asking for friends and family to come help build a coop.  One person answered.  My best friend from high school, who was also kind enough to come to our daughter's grad gift drop off.

She sent photos and offered a price of $75.00 for her chicken coop.  Getting it here and off the trailer will be a job though.  We have a trailer and we also now have a person with a skid steer to load and unload.

It will take a few tweeks to ready it before moving them into their new home.  It needs windows or a fan.  It has no ventilation.  They have to unhook their electric to it.  They had a fan system, so we'll have to either put it near the barn or house to hook up electric, or invest in solar operated fans, but windows for sure (of course covered with wire and 2 x 4's to keep the critters out).

As for the coons, let just say we fed a few to the vultures.  There are more.  I saw a very large one out about 4pm, but couldn't get it before it ran into the pasture.  

Happy Homemaker Monday

What happens when your husband takes the laundry down, lol!  Sort of made me chuckle.  He had told me "I probably didn't do it right."  Ha ha!

I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom today, although it's not been happy around here for a very long week. 

The weather . . . 

Well, it's supposed to thunderstorm this afternoon.  We'll see if it actually happens.

How I am feeling this morning . . .

Frustrated, mad, sad....

On my mind . . .

A lot.  I may be canning for the first time this garden season.  We shall see.

On the breakfast plate . . .

(I'll add a picture later)

Sausage, egg and cheese muffins.

On my reading pile . . .

Nothing right now.

On the TV . . .

Anything interesting.

On the menu . . .

I'm going to cook for the first time since last Friday - crock pot sloppy joes and oven baked sweet potato fries.

- have no idea otherwise

From the camera . . .

Nothing.  I would have taken a photo of the green beans I picked yesterday - put up another 3#.

Looking around the house . . .

It's still a hot mess, and the dogs destroyed some dog toys and there is now fluff all over the living room. Sigh....

Chore I am not looking forward to  . . .

Canning.  I am just lacking the motivation to get anything done right now.

To relax this week I will . . .

Work on crocheting more jar openers.  I will put them up for sale once I have some done.

Something I want to share . . .

I have nothing.

On my prayer list . . .

Our country, my youngest daughter and her boyfriend's family, his best friend's family.  Us and to catch these dang raccoons.  More on the coons later....

Random Tidbits

Morning sunrise this morning.  We are up early.  Can't sleep.  So emotionally exhausted and just trying to get through minute by minute.  Garden sprinkler is going strong, as it will reach the 90's today and again no rain.

I'm looking for a free pattern (crochet) for this.  I haven't had the ambition to search much online, but if you see one, please let me know.  I have a request for one.  I found a pattern on Etsy for $6, and haven't yet checked Ravelry.

Update on the drive thru we held for our daughter:  It was a fail.  Although 7 of the 87 people drove thru, the ones that did made a difference in her day.  She was so sad and depressed that not one of her classmates came.  About 3 hours later after the set time, 2 girls pulled in and they talked for almost a half hour.  These 2 were not even girls she hung out with, and we were so happy they came.  We were trying to help her have something for a graduation, but it didn't work out so well.

I need to pick green beans and try and make some sort of order in my kitchen today.  The dishes never did get done completely, and they are piling up even though I have not cooked or baked since last Friday.

There is yet another raccoon.  This time it killed one of the extra roosters I have.  Trap will be re-set.  Again.  There is no chance for getting help from Hubby's family to help build the new coop either.  Not even one of them showed up for the drive thru grad gift drop off.  One said she was coming and never showed up.  Well, I take that back.  One son of a nephew came for a brief time.  That was it.

I had been very good about doing "happy" baskets to make others happy prior to the death of the boys, and now I have zero ambition.  Zero.  If I didn't have the garden or the animals, I would probably not be out of bed, so I can't imagine what our daughter's pain is like.  It's gonna be a long road for her and their families.

I hope your Sunday finds you well.

Rough Week ~ Drive Thru Grad Gift Drop ~ Other ramblings

Well, we made it through the funeral for the best friend.  Rough, rough week I tell ya'.  

We have arranged a drive thru graduation gift drop off for our youngest (since we canceled her grad/prom party).  We asked her first and she loved the idea.

My new project!  Jar Gripper/Jar Opener.  I'll be making more and getting them up for sale soon.  It's about 6 x 7 inches.

I caught the raccoon.  I have a bad feeling there are more so the trap is re-set.  Sigh.

Our favorite organic coffee beans have been swapped with something else.  We just brewed a bag and it tastes horrible. I guess we switch coffee now (after years of buying it).  Blech.

It's back to watering the garden again.  No news there.

I have been trying to catch up on laundry, but I keep forgetting I have it in the washer.  My mind is just all over the place lately.

It Rained! At war with a raccoon!

It's been a very rough week.  Some days are just trying to do something to stay busy, others are tough as h-e-double hockey sticks.

I hadn't washed dishes since last Friday, so we are taking turns on the rounds to catch up.  Movement helps.

Project supplies arrived, so there is more that can keep me occupied, other than the garden.  The chicken coop needs mucked as well.

Picked another round of beans - almost 2#

Black beans are finally climbing and the blossoms are on.  We got rain, but not enough.  Just enough to give them a dose of goodness.  Many people who are watering with city water are losing their gardens in this drought.

On another note, I have been trying to order a replacement part for my sauce maker since last fall.  I pulled up their site, and it's still out of stock.  I emailed them, and guess what?  They asked for my address and shipped me one FREE!  How awesome is that?


My side bar bible verse has been changed.  It's our daughter's boyfriend's favorite verse.  

Despite the drought, and with diligent watering, my tomatoes look good.  So good, we needed to buy more tomato stakes, as some stakes were broken and shorter.  I needed 25 new stakes and could only find 17, so we'll just do with what we have and deal with it.

It's everything under the ground I'm worried about right now.

Another raccoon tore another hole in my coop and this time killed a hen.  I'm so mad right now.  I re-set the trap.  Please pray I can summon the energy and time to build my new coop and right away.  I wish I could have a coop building party and feed the crew, but family hasn't been around at all.  The boys are adding an addition to one of their houses too, and are pretty busy.

Green Beans ~ House is a Hot Mess and other Ramblings

This was supposed to be last Saturday's post....

Yesterday's pickings.  The beans are from the first planting, second planting are loaded with blossoms.  Praying for more rain.  I only picked one hot banana pepper.  There are more on the plants but need to plump up before I pick them.

What is your preferred way to can green beans?  Raw pack or hot pack?  I think I will can the next picking to save room in the freezer.

I watered and watered, and then went back to weed.  The garden is full of weeds, but plants look great so far.  We need a good soaking rain to get things flowing out there.

Speaking of a hot mess, my house is a hot mess.  That happens when garden work takes over. I'm not stressing over it, and I'm putting the girls to work when they can.  One daughter works a lot, so that leaves one.

What's your favorite way to use turnips?  How do you store them as well (I don't have a root cellar nor basement)?


I have some Kamut flakes I need to use up.  What's your favorite way to use them (other than granola)?

Well, it was a raccoon in the coop this time.  I caught it.  Lets hope that was the end of that.  So tired of re-wiring the coop.  Pray we get the time to build a new coop and soon.  All chickens are accounted for.  He must have been after the eggs.  Urgh. I sort of had a feeling it was a raccoon, based on how things were knocked all over in my barn the last few days.  Now to go hunt for some spare chicken wire.  There will be zero chicken wire on my new coop.  I have found two locations nearby that have free sheds or small shed like buildings.  Not sure what route we'll take yet.  We have some things to get done this weekend and next.