PUPPY SHOPPING

I was awake very early again, but came to my nest in the kitchen and fell asleep while reading and slept another hour.

It seems we spent the week running back and forth to various stores; I kept forgetting things I wanted for Thanksgiving and then there was the bird seed I wanted....I think we are finally in good shape and stocked up.

I hope the bird seed will last all winter. I got 50lbs of black oil sunflower seeds and 40 lbs of wild bird seed. We got out three feeders,  cleaned them and filled them with a mix of seeds. So far, no one has showed up.  I wish I had them out when the first birds came back a few days ago.  Hopefully, they will return. 

Food

I needed sage a week or  so ago to make dressing and was out of ground sage.  I have a very old sage bush in the garden and harvest two branches (note to self:  I need to prune it severely in the spring).  I dried them in the microwave, starting with one minute and had to do it  a little longer.  I was very pleased with the results. It stayed a very bright sage green and stripped off the stem and crumbled in my hand nicely.  I think it was better than just drying the normal way.



I want to have a real herb garden next year.  I have already started by planting my rhubarb and some chives by the back door.  I have several lavenders and the sage and a few others that slip my mind.  I don't think it will be dry enough or large enough where they are now, but think I can use my landscape timbers and extend and raise the level that should make it work.  Something to ponder this winter.

Farm Life

DH has moved  the cows to the  east side of the farm to the 'new 40'.  This would be the top  right of  the t-shape of the farm.  He said there was lots of grass for them for now.  We have discussed renting the water from the new Texas neighbors for next year; not a critical factor since one of the fields has a pond, but makes it nice to use the three fields separately for grazing. He said no problem. When the previous owners of both places lived here,they had put in a water line to the back of that field with an in-ground concrete stock tank and we have always rented it from them. 

We are going to look  at some puppies today.  We miss having a dog. These will be large dogs; both parents are part Boxer and part Great Pyrenees.  The mother is short haired but the puppies could go either way.  We will keep it in the house this winter and then it will probably be an indoor/outdoor dog.We will have to figure that out.  I don't want to loose another one to the front road!  This little project should keep us both busy this winter.  He DH wants a male; I want a female. We will  probably just choose the friendliest puppy.  I think this mix  would make a  very good farm dog.

If I complain down the road about it digging in my garden and flower beds, feel free to remind me that I  did this free choice!

This is a recent picture of my future milk cow, Jewel: (I hope I haven't already shown it)



She is still such a sweetheart of a cow; so different from Willow.  She will  come right up to you for scratches under her chin or to chew on you.  I do hope she stays that way.

Yard

Surprise!  The Kumson forsythia is blooming a little bit-----again.


The foliage of this one is very nice,



These are two garden plants that just don't do well for me here,

I have mentioned geraniums (the potted kind)before and the other is  forsythia!  I see forsythia everywhere in the spring that are such a solid mass of yellow blooms and mine have a scant few.  I even cut the huge one in the east yard  down to the ground one year and waited almost three years for it to bloom again.....still very unimpressive.  I have two more including the Kumson and don't get lots of blooms on either.  My soil may be missing something???