Rain, rain, go away......

I find it hard to believe that here it is the middle of May and the only thing growing in my garden is last fall's garlic sets and weeds! It just has been inpossible with all the rain to be able to plant, and my neighbor tells me her plants have about drowned anyway. The way it is going, the scare-crow may be in the garden before the plants are :/

Meanwhile here are a couple pictures of our garden last year, just to keep me encouraged ......

I had ordered sweet potato plants this year because I like the compact bush variety, which I hope to save some over winter and grow my own slips next spring ..... but I am getting way ahead of myself. The plants came on Monday and the ground was barely dry enough last night to get them in the ground. We had heavy thunderstorm rains this morning so I hope they will survive. So now there are 3 things in my garden

Plans are to plant when possible, and I am hoping for another shot at cool weather crops in the fall. The areas that don't get planted will be broadcast with buckwheat seed to grow and be tilled in to feed the soil.

We humans like to think we are in control of our lives, and until a little thing like rain lets us know better. We may as well choose to be happy :) and just do the best we can. I am going to!

I choose to be happy with whatever I can get in my garden and not worry about the rest.

Future site of .......

...... the Green Potter's Shed. Once I get the left over kennel wire stashed away for the turkey yard (shhhh!) ... ahem ..... the plans are to make, from scratch, a small green-house attached to the hen-house on the 12' x 6' cement slab, same size as my hen house. It would make a wonderful green-house, don't you think??

I intend to use it to to 'winter-garden' lettuce and other salad things. (I get sick easily on the store stuff with all the chemicals ) and to start herbs in the late winter that I can sell in the spring time. It will be a hoop type structure using flexible pvc and heavy plastic. I plan on at least one roof vent, and a door at the 6' end. I figure it will have about 72' of usable shelf space with a 3' isle, and room underneath the bottom shelf for potting soil and such.

Now I want to ask, if any of you have ever made your own green-house, and can you give me some pointers? I would appreciate all the helpful suggestions you would care to send my way.

Hen House Extreme Make-over - part 2

"What is all that ruckus out there?!" demanded Ms Frizz. "Thumping .... banging ... shaking our house! I declare!"

"Well, my dear", said Agatha, "I can see that the sky looks clear, now that we have a window to see out of, so it's probably not a tornado coming. I did overhear the missus say, if mister would do anything to please her, she would have him build a yard for us to get outside. You know, something like the one built for cousins Gertrude and Maude and Clara.

"Of course it won't be that fancy, cuz mister will use some material on hand. (I heard it being said he is so tight he squeaks, but missus says he is very frugal and wise) Look thru the crack and see if you can tell what is going on out there behind us", suggested Lila.

"Why, I do think we are going to have a yard!" cackled Agatha.

As usual, Agatha was right. And we are making as safe a yard as possible with wire buried a foot deep.....

....and netting over the top so no critters can get in .....

Don't they look happy? I know they are.

My husband deserves a special thank you for his hard work! I will be planting comfrey along the pen for them to pic at and eat. They love it and it is full of vitamins. There are a couple more things to be done to complete the "make-over" so watch for the follow-up. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheese, if you please (aka; Lazy Housewife Cheese)

Now that the Amish neighbors have enough extra milk to spare I get to make cheese again! This one is a simple, quick cheese that I just love!

Heat 5 qts milk to 185*and hold there while you add a coagulant such as lemon juice or vinegar ( 1/2 cup) and stir in. Let set for 10 min. pour into cheese-cloth lined colander. I do this allowing the whey to drain into a bucket so I can feed it to my chickens. Some people like to drink the whey. It is rich in Vit B

I allow the curds to drain an hour or so , just till it quits dripping. Then I put it into a bowl and add fresh chopped chives from my herb garden, some garlic granules or fresh minced garlic (mine isn't quite ready yet) about 1 tsp sea salt and some coarse-ground pepper.Mix this all in good. At this point you can either put it into a covered plastic keeper for spreading, or , as I like to do, put it into molds. As an added plus, this cheese freezes well for later use.

I have some pretty molds I like to use for at least part of the cheese. These have drain holes in the sides and bottoms. I let it drain further in the molds, set in a pan in the fridge for a few hours till chilled.

The end product... what do you think? Would you like to try some?

Flower Art

Last Saturday's creations......

These look a little drab to me against the block wall, so I will be adding something to "spruce it up" a bit.

This week-end's project

Can you guess what these are for?

I really like using what is at hand, or what I can get for "cheap".

Have a great week-end everyone!

And may all your gardening efforts flourish!

My oh My! yummy Rabbit Pie!

Click here to get the "whole scoop" on this delicious dish!

Cattle working day - not the best pics

Twice a year we "round up the cattle" in order to give them their booster vaccines and to de-worm them and check them over for any problems (teeth, feet, udder problems, tail clipping) and just a general check-up. (Fall photo)

We were a little late this year as we had taken the cattle-working chute out of the barn to rennovate for the rabbits. (Plans are in place for a simple machinery shed with a section of the back being for the cattle-working facility) So we temporarily set up the chute and corral panels a week ago to get this work done. Here they come .....

#39 .... that's my cow, born and raised here

Okay, no crowding .....

Some fall calves ...

Opps! wrong way, baby....

Working the head-catch ...

applying pour-on de-wormer ...

Acouple "cow-hands" in the back corral making sure the cattle keep moving through.. . wasn't able to get their picture in action. I manned the injections and record keeping and stayed put out of the way.
The "crew", dirty and tired, but happy to have the job done.

Cow herd early in the fall....

We enjoy the beauty of the Hereford breed, and their gentle temperament.We usually have calves born twice a year, spring and fall, and usually from an Angus bull. It is not a large herd but a small venture which my husband especially enjoys. ..... and it is a joy to raise and consume beef that has not been hormone-injected.