Sunday, April 13, 2014

Win a Few/ Loose a Few or Life on the Farm

Today is a warmish but very windy day.  Storms are supposed to move in bringing rain and some very cold weather for a couple of days. 

Willow has outsmarted me again.  I milked this morning and she did not let down.  I got l gallon instead of three.  I did not let her have the calves either!  I will show her.  I will probably milk again this evening late.

Perseverance pays off!  My Echo trimmer wouldn't start.  I replace the plug, put new gas in and then loaded the string.....nada.  I decided I had not used the proper gas/oil mix.  So this morning, I drained all gas out; mixed a new gallon with only a little over 2 oz. of oil (50:1).  Refilled tank, shot a squirt of starter fluid on the breather.  Pulled about l0 times and at last it fired up.  I trimmed  about an hour; killed it and it restarted beautifully.  I hope that issue is behind me.

I trimmed a couple of clematis and put fresh straw in the chicken nests.  They were singing happily.  I found a bed of chickweed and pulled a 5-gallon bucket for them.  They seemed to enjoy that; I already had 4 eggs in one nest but I just left them.  Maybe it will encourage the other girls to lay.

Last fall I ordered The Works daffodils from White Flower Farm and they are finally blooming.  I seem to have an over balance of small and exotics rather than the large flowered ones.  Next year I will just order individual varieties that I want.

I was going to take pictures in situ but the winds made it impossible so I picked a bouquet and brought in.




One of the  lilacs, Isabella, is in bloom next to a seedling redbud I planted a few years ago.

They are not fully open, but the lilac is scenting the front yard,



8 comments:

  1. What a nice selection of daffs. I have maybe 6 types here and like yours are being well-tested in high and persistent winds. That Willow is a challenge, isn't she? Who knows what goes on in the mind of a cow. Bet those lilacs smell heavenly. We had a patch of beautiful weather. This morning it's 33F and sleeting with snow in the forecast. *grumble*

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  2. It is 25° here this morning!

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    1. Temps have tumbled since I commented. We're about 26F and falling fast. Snow piling up too.

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  3. What sweet daffs! I saw some in the grocery store in the produce dept. yesterday. :-) I'd love to be able to smell lilacs, I don't think I ever have.

    I mowed this morning after washing and hanging out a load of laundry, now I'm pooped.

    Have a nice Easter ~ FlowerLady

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  4. Boy, that Willow! I think you should let DH handle her. Maybe she just doesn't like female humans. It looks like the two of you are in a battle of wills and since she's the one that controls the milk flow, she's going to see to it she wins, regardless. I know what my mother would do. She would take Willow to the sale and get rid of her. But my mother, when she got hacked off, would do things that were not so wise to do, in the long run, and since Willow gives such wonderful milk and cream, it might be best to tolerate her obstinance and bow to the queen. Heh.

    You have quite a nice selection of daffs. They are a joy to see in the spring, aren't they? I have what was here when we moved in, they were all in one little clump, I dug them up, separated and replanted and was surprised how many there were. Then I got some more at a plant swap and they turned out to be the very same thing as what I had. Don't that beat all. I also have Grape Hyacinths and I like them too. I moved them to along the border of the front flowerbed. No Crocus, though.

    You will probably have company for Easter, I hope you have a nice one. I remember so many Easter Sundays in Oklahoma in the past, where we had to wear coats over our new Easter dresses and our new white shoes seemed so out of place under a winter coat.

    I didn't get my tile layed yet, need spacers and haven't gotten them. By the time I'm ready the floor'll need cleaning again before I can even start. Hubs is using an extension cord for electricity in his Workshop. He hopes to have Joe, our good neighbor who is an electrician, help him figure out a way to get it wired. Joe doesn't want to go underground as it's very rocky out there. But our shed at The Ponca House just had a line in PVC pipe, running from the house. I don't know what he'll figure out, but it's his baby and I probably will not go inside it much since he plans to be able to smoke in there. I'm really liking how "my" garage is emptying out....

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    1. Yep, our daughter from KC is coming in just for day and for fried chicken dinner. GD has requested an apple pie....also having MIL out.

      I hadn't realized it but Max could milk her now we are using the milker! He certainly did when we had the dairy....I bet that has slipped his mind.........

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  5. I saw yesterday that a blogger I read who is from Atlanta has beautiful lilac blooms this year after all the cold. Lilacs were my father's favorite and we had huge bushes when I was a child. I can remember how good they smell.

    Your daffodils are beautiful. The smaller cultivars seem to persist well, which is probably why you got so many -- besides the cost. It's good that they are blooming together. Mine usually spread themselves thin, one or two kinds at a time.

    We are having an 'Easter Cold Spell' and Blackberry Winter this week. It seems colder than it really is and today we're having rain and flash flood watches. DH cancelled his doctor appointment in a town 60 miles away.

    I hope we all get better weather soon. Happy Easter.

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  6. Hi Linda, thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope you are not subject to the horrific storms that are hitting all over the South. Daffodils and lilacs are my favorite flowers, those and yellow roses. Yours look lovely.

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