Garden Pics 5/29/16

We had several hours of a very light sprinkle of rain.  I wanted to see how the older tomatoes and peppers and zucchini plants were reacting to it.

Baby jalapenos

Green peppers being dwarfed by maters

and zukes

Zucchini plants seem happy

Time to add a higher twine to secure them

Goat barn refuse to be spread

Bunnies waiting to be moved to better grass

Did I mention impatiently waiting...

Our younger chickens playing in the rain

Heading back to the coop, just in case

Hol(e)y Cabbage!!

On Lost Arrow Acres we strive to be the most natural and organic we can.  I am very picky about what I might use on our veggies.  Well, this is the first year that I have grown cabbage and they are not faring well.  Someone is enjoying them before we can. 

 So my first line of defense is a) DE (diatomaceous earth) and b) beer.  No, I am not going to drink it and hope I forget all about the cabbages; it's not even 9 AM yet!  

 I sprinkled the DE on and around the cabbages.  This is supposed to be sharp to any sluggy, wormy, grubby thing that tries to eat it. 

The Dollar Tree container lids will hold the sugary, yeasty beer, which is supposed to attract bugs before they hit the cabbages.  It makes sense right?  If your mother hadn't made you, would you have eaten the vegetables before the dessert?  No, I don't think so.

Well, there is my 2-punch for right now.  If that doesn't work, we will add more strategies.  Fingers crossed this does the trick.  I guess it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and weed the bed too. 

This Week's To-Do List

It's getting crazy around here.  There seems to be so much to do and I am having trouble keeping track.  So, to help me focus I am getting back to my to lists, even though it is not Tuesday.
This is one of those payweeks that falls right when everything seems to be due.  When you live on one income and have bills from the two income days, it can be a bit challenging.  I am even running low in my pantry on essentials.  Ahhh!  Luckily we have a good supply of eggs and milk from the farm, so no worries about starving to death. 

This week's inside chores:  Wipe out fridge.  This is easy with lack of groceries.  I need to go through the office and sort through papers: mail, recipes, receipts, scrap paper.  I also need to clean the forever remodeling dining room: pick up the tools and painting supplies awaiting their use again.  I am waiting for my snap tool and snaps to arrive still, but I have my material for my unpaper towels.  I hope to at least get those cut out and ready for sewing.  I think I have enough freezer fodder to make pimento cheese (without jalapeno).  I will need to bake some bread with my last bag of flour.  I also need to get the menu honed after taking a good inventory of the pantry and freezer list and see what I can make for lunch boxes and then hit the grocery store.

This week's outside chores:  This is where the majority of my time will be.  I still have several vegetable plants in the shade house that need to be in the ground so as to make room for fall vegetable sowing to commence soon.  I have tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos and even some watermelon I think.  I need to weed the cucumber bed that has morning glory seedlings starting to come up-oh I dislike those things!  The baby baby rabbits are big enough now to go into their tractor/cage and give mom a break. I will need to make sure we have one available, if not, hubby will have an evening chore to do.  I need to clean out the garden coop and throw that refuse on the compost pile.  The bees need a honey super added and both hives checked.  I need to cut back some of the shrubs around the front steps and deck.  I also am moving the adult chickens closer to the garden and this involves a new fence as well as converting old dilapidated rabbit hutches into chicken coops.  I will be tearing those down to build them back up-one at a time. 

Other than that, I think I am free.  Heehee. Wish me luck!

I will also try to be getting my blogging back on track.  It really keeps me motivated when I can see what I have done.  Sometimes it's hard to think you are doing okay when you look too far ahead at what has to be done rather than what you have done.  Balance, right?

Back in the Saddle Again

You may be humming Gene Autry or singing Aerosmith.  Actually, it is my first saddle...chicken saddle.  Buffy, my buff orpington (not very original, I know), has been Rusty's flavor of the month-or two.  She has been becoming more and more defeathered and had dirt stuck to her back where it looked like she had possibly bled.  Even her wings are becoming affected. 

I am not a sewist.  I doubt that I ever will be.  But I did drag my machine out and tried to make a chicken saddle to help protect her. 

So, lessons learned.  Shorten the top of the saddle by about an inch.  It bunches.  Round the bottom edges, or at least sew it right (inside out and then turn it right side out).  Nonetheless, I think it will protect her before hubby and I do some spur trimming in the very near future, and it didn't seem to bother her much.  When I have a free minute (ha!) I will go ahead and make some more and have on hand.

Garden Update 5/11/16

Things are growing, weeds included.  How did I get so behind on weeding?  I officially have to MOW the garden.  Nonetheless, things are progressing for the most part.

Meanwhile, at the watering hole.

And the babies in the playpen...

Duck Dinner **graphic**

**Please note there are graphic pictures depicting duck butchering.

It has taken some time, many months really, to feel that our little homestead/tiny farm is providing benefit for us.  Initially there is cost without much reward.  I can't say there is work in the beginning because there is work every day.  Other than the occasional, did I shut the chickens in?, the work is satisfying and not stressful in a modern business sense.  The body and soul is content and rest comes fairly easily most of the time, even before the sun is completely gone.  Yes, I am saying that I went to bed last night before 8:30.  (Thankfully, daughter took care of the baby goats for the final feeding and hubby closed in all the birds for the night.)  I do, however, arise before the sun, and often before anyone else has gotten out of bed.  It gives me a few moments to gather my thoughts and say my prayers.

Last year was mostly about bringing what we wanted TO the homestead, whether we were ready or not.  This year is about using what we now have and being productive.

When we bought those 4 little ducklings late last winter, I was hoping for some eggs and to keep them on the pond. One duck (female), three drakes.  On the pond-once! 
 " He that lives upon hope will die fasting."- Benjamin Franklin.

With Daisy's injury, which is a broken leg, probably due to a goat stomp (there's another lesson I learned), Bo, Luke and Cooter were on her causing her even more injury, including feathers being pulled out. 

We opted to permanently fix the problem and give Daisy a fighting chance.  Luke and Daisy were moved into the garden coop with the other duck and the three older chickens and five newest chickens.  There were no goats, more grass and bugs near the garden and another possible love interest for Luke.  Bo and Cooter, not so lucky.  It was actually a little more emotionally challenging than I thought.  I guess because I had spent time and money on Cooter's eye issues that fully healed and they were my first duckies.  But, I am becoming a realist more and more, and do what has to be done.

Bye Bo!

We tried the killing cone (NOT GOOD)

Cooter had a cleaner kill

We were just keeping the breast this time

Dinner was bacon-wrapped duck breast, baked potato,

and homemade honey wheat oat bread

Yes, a veggie would have been good, but...

Daisy and Luke hang by the pond;

the young duck getting used to them

Not today, Benjamin Franklin, no fasting today!

April 19, 2016

The last month has been quite busy.  New baby goats.  Bottle feeding.  Dam-raised kids.  Greenhouse kept up.  And the rest of it.  There has been so much and so much more to do that I am starting to get a bit overwhelmed  and anxious that something important is going to be forgotten.  The family has really been pitching in when they are able. 

Big Plans for the day were strawberry picking and get those in the freezer, check the bees, especially for American Foul Brood (AFB) after finding a frame of dead bees in all stages of life.  We had put the frame in from another hive in the hopes of them making a queen and reviving; instead we killed a whole frame of bees.  I did a ropey test that was negative, so hopefully there isn't a problem, but I am burning the hive regardless.  There are only 3 bees I found in the hive. 

I awoke before dawn and prepared the kids milk.  The girl we named Tulip (yes, there is story and I shall explain someday) but the boy has yet to be named.  We were going to choose something regarding his black heart shaped nose.  Now we have learned that he has no voice, except for a high-pitched squeal when he is very, very unhappy.  I fed them.  Finally, they are both able to take a bottle while I stand there and hold it.  Only took two weeks of short naps and long settings in the goat stall. 

After the babies were fed, it was time to prepare for milking Mollie and going ahead and feeding the animals.  I grabbed the washing water (Epsom salt and warm water), a clean mason jar with a plastic lid and some goat feed. 

When I entered the goat yard, I noticed that Daisy Mae was limping.  I easily caught her and checked her feet.  Bumblefoot?  There were larger nodes on her feet.   It could be something with her leg.  I really am not sure.

I carried on with milking Mollie, while daughter helped water and feed other things.  She even took the pint of milk in to be strained and chilled immediately.  We finished feeding and watering all of the animals and prepared for a trip to Tractor Supply to get some Coban/Vet bandage to help Daisy's foot. 

We got back home and I had to check the other hive for any signs of disease.  It looked good to me so far.  Lots of angry, honey-making bees.  I will check again next week for good measure. 

I brought Daisy in, soaked her foot in Espom salt water for about 15 minutes.  She was scared, but very calm.  I put some Vetericyn spray on it, but decided to go ahead and put some antibiotic ointment on it anyway.  Daughter and I bandaged her up and took her back outside.  She was still dragging her foot, making me again wonder if it was more of a leg issue than the foot issue.  Could be she needs to get used to the bandage.  Nonetheless, we are going to bandage her for the next couple of days and see if the foot improves.

We got some garden work done.  I planted some green beans.  We did get a few more tomatoes and jalapenos in yesterday along with the soaker hose system (LOVE it!). 

Just the basic watering of potatoes, onions and cabbage.  It is finally in the mid 80s here and so I am keeping a shade cloth over my cabbage in the heat of the day.  I don't know if that's the right thing to do or not, but I am. 






I had kept the plants outside all night, no moving back into the greenhouse.  The newly transplanted zucchini did not do so well, but I have so many more to sow.  I will direct sow in the garden and finish transplanting  some
maybe to sell at Market?  Regardless, I am SO glad I had nothing to do in the greenhouse!  Just a wee bit too warm for me!


I guess my cheese quesadilla for lunch was a bit on the heavy side because my energy plummeted and other than feeding the babies, checking on the status of Daisy Mae, and folding laundry that is being put in the DRYER!! I haven't seemed to accomplish much more. 

I still have a good deal to do.  The yard is in dire need of mowing.  I still have some things to water around the yard and house, supper to cook, babies to bottle feed and eggs to gather, Mollie to milk and of course the general nightly cleanup.  I am thinking the mowing is going to wait until tomorrow.  It can't get too much worse and I hate to get rid of anything that chickens, rabbits or bees might be using.  Yea, that's the reason...