Up at 3 AM. Nothing to read so I caught up with all my Blog reading.
The last few days have been filled with normal life on the farm.
I milked a couple of times, made peanut butter cookies, ran errands and did the normal things I do each day,
Did I mention we got rain, glorious ran, a total of 4 inches, so I am feeling much more optimistic about gardening and farming. I might even have to mow again. It is funny how the yard can green up almost overnight after a soaking rain.
We have water standing in the lane that runs through the farm again! Haven't seen that in a long time, plus it has been much cooler. The cows are enjoying it as much as we are.
It has been too wet outside to do any work, but I can now begin to clean up the kitchen garden.
I will leave the tomatoes and peppers. Ilene's cheese peppers are hanging full and I have picked several beautiful deep red ones and a few yellow. My other peppers seem to be at a standstill. I am anxious to do a walk-about and check on everything. I did notice another first; the miscanthus grass didn't make the plumes this year, not a single one.
I have a good friend from high school who retired to Panama and she was in this week. Her schedule didn't allow for a visit but we did have a nice phone visit. She was an oceanographer and explained to me our weather as related to La Nina and El Nino. She said her experience over the years led to a simple description of how they affect our weather:
La Nina (last longer) Cause hot weather to be hotter and cold weather to be colder. I have already heard people predicting a bad winter.
El Nino cause the reverse: Colds warmer and hots cooler.
Next year may be another bad one; let's hope not quite so bad.
The other exciting news for me is we finally had new carpet installed in the living room and our bedroom. It is the new shag that they are calling frieze. The fibers are twisted. It is a tweedy carpet in brown tones. It doesn't photograph well. I was so worried that my flowery furniture would be horrible next to it, but I can live with the look for a while. It feels so spongy that I almost loose my balance on it. The other one had been down since 1973 and had flattened just a tad!
I will have to take off about ½ inch from the bottom of three doors this morning so they will not graze the carpet. I am not looking forward to that but I have done it before.
I may even drag my financier out to look at furniture soon... You may hear loud screaming from the farm if I do.
I remind him often that we are raising the cattle for this very reason!
I did do a walk-about this morning. It is just a perfect, cool and sunny day.
When the weather starts cooling off I notice the things that are still blooming get a more vibrant color, the roses perk up again. Here is Yvonne's Salvia and salvia farinacea (self-seeded),
and this is a lavender and an unknown variety of sedum,
I could hear the calves DH has up to wean for sale so I wandered back there to take a look, but the babies caught my eye instead,
They are to the point that we just turn the cow in to her grain and don't have to tie her up for the babies to nurse.
Last, I made one of our favorite 'down-home' meals, Mom's goulash, salad and cornbread (the sweet kind).
So glad you've gotten more rain and that your temps are cooler.
ReplyDeleteThose babies are sweet.
Love your lavender and sedum, very pretty together.
Your dinner looks scrumptious. I haven't made sweet cornbread in ages. You're making my mouth water.
FlowerLady
We're having chicken and noodles tonight!
ReplyDeleteCooler here than it has been last couple of days. Haven't had as much rain as you. I need to go outside and work on the hole I'm trying to dig. OMG, it's the worst one yet.
The chicks are still doing good. Got pretty loud this morning, I found out they were low in food. They've calmed down now.
The sedum you sent me is blooming pink. So pretty. My lilac ones have flower heads on them but no color other than green yet. And June's Autumn Joy is blooming pink, too. Some things I grew this year never bloomed. Okra, Jerusalem artichoke. I don't know if the Roselle will bloom or not, it's almost time, but the plants did not get tall this year. I sure dread having to go through another year of this. And I for sure do not want another winter like last winter! But I guess Mother Nature will do what she wants, regardless. We are just along for the ride, however bumpy. Hugs, have a great day...
Your post makes me crave Fall in the Ozarks~ K
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. I had a similar supper last night except spaghetti instead of goulash. I love goulash, too, but hubby prefers spaghetti. Isn't this weather wonderful? I'm just enjoying sitting by the open window right now while on the computer listening to the birds and the leaves rustling on the trees. I wish it would stay this way until spring and skip over the cold winter that I know must be coming.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh when I saw "Mom's Goulash!" It's my mom's goulash too -- except these days I use the multi-colored spiral pasta and add a few green beans to the final mix.
ReplyDeleteThose calves are sure looking good!