Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Company Is Gone - Life back to Normal

I can't believe I am beginning this post by saying we got more  rain!  2.75 inches overnight.  We got l.5 inches when our granddaughter was here.  This surely sets a July record.  The temperature is still cooler than normal too.

I haven't been in the garden for a week and noticed as I walked by that the tomatoes have reached past the top of the cattle panel and have fallen over.  They may just have to stay that way if I can't tie them up to the top of the panel again.  I see I have some ripe ones hanging.  I need to pull the rest of the onions before they begin rotting in the ground and I bet the summer squash  are as big as logs now.

For some strange reason the pole beans aren't looking good; even dying in places.  I will start with new seeds next  year and plant only one  kind.  I think these hybridized with Half Runners from last year....and it wasn't a good cross.

We  have trapped no more varmints...but the traps are still in place.

THE VISIT

We had our 18 year-old granddaughter and her almost 20-year old friend with us until Saturday morning around 9 AM.  They stayed over another day.  Registration was  completed and she has her classes all scheduled.  That took one full day and one half day.

We tried our best to get in all the foods she wanted and wanted her friend to taste.  I made pizza, home-made ice cream, cheesecake, home-made bread.  We couldn't squeeze in cinnamon rolls so maybe we will do that the next time.  Thankfully, all  recipes turned out well.  Usually when I am trying so hard, I have a flop or two.  She was disappointed we  were drinking store-bought milk.  I reminded her Willow is always dry this time of year.....and the Jersey heifer hasn't calved yet.  I am still not sure about her being pg  or when she is due.

They got to take the ATV and tour the farm for a couple of hours one evening after it cooled down.  Of course, she wants  us to get her a horse!  I didn't succumb to that one.  However,  they met our neighbor boy who told her  he has horses......



Sugar loved having  them!  I am posting this one because they aren't readily identified....not sure about showing pictures of family.  I forgot to say our girl is the one in the  back!

I have spent these last two days tidying up.  DH has laundered a lot of towels....and bedding.  I have yet to clean the guest bathroom and  then all will be back to normal except cleaner  than usual.  That won't last long......until the next guests arrive.

Having the girls brought back memories of when our two were that age....how did we ever live through it???? I wish I could bottle  their energy. 

8 comments:

  1. What a whirlwind of guests and cooking and some good rain to boot! Bet you are looking forward to some 'normal' schedule. Gosh, Sugar is getting big. You haven't posted a pic of her lately. Is she being a good dog?

    Did you ever get another llama to replace the one you lost (and which one WAS that, BTW)?

    Hope Jewel turns out to be a good milk cow for you. Enjoy your fresh tomatoes.

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    1. Kris, we are pretty happy with Sugar except when company comes and she goes berserk! We just have her loose when we go to the field or are working in the yard because she wanders. We are considering a radio collar with a large area to keep her confined.
      She goes back into her pen readily when we tell her to. That is a real plus.

      No other llama; not sure which one is left. Still waiting on Jewel to calve. I must say I miss having my raw milk. I am drinking very little 'store' milk these days.

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  2. Cute girls, fun dog. Dog days. When are they over? We are still having almost daily rain, sometimes only a shower, sometimes more. Every blessed drop is appreciated for the aquifer and farm ponds.

    Have you tried cutting back the tomato vines so they don't hang over? Tomatoes take well to pruning. I kind of learned that by accident, lol, when I grew in containers last year. Some of this year's experiments did not turn out well. The other thing that isn't turning out well is the yellow and 'black' tomatoes. I can't tell when they are ripe and sometimes they rot before I realize they aren't going to be red. Pale mahogony is as black as the dark ones get.

    Pears are ready to make preserves here, I think. Blueberries are gone. The peach crop was barely two pies.

    I understand about the horses. City people just don't 'get' that a horse doesn't just stand out there and eat grass. I expect that horse-quality hay is going to be dear this year. They can't get it baled after it's cut before more rain falls. Sometimes they have to tedder it several times.

    A covered wagon went by there on Saturday. I couldn't get in and get a camera and keep the dog from going out before they were too far down the road to see them for the trees.

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    1. I was able to tie the tomatoes up for the last time. I hesitate to prune the tops because the bottoms are already browning and I am desperate for a good crop this year. I got rained out before I finished.

      My pears are still hard as rocks; I am thinking fall here. Still not sure about my peaches and the local orchard seems to be closed. If I don't have any, I am going to be searching locally.

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  3. Glenda,

    I would love to have the energy of those young ones. It's so hard to believe we raised our kids and they had the same energy.

    I'm happy to hear you had a beautiful visit, now it's time to relax until the next visitor :-)

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  4. I enjoyed your post. We live in the Ozarks, too, and will be starting our first real garden this fall. I'll start with onions and garlic, since those are proven to do okay for me in my mini-gardens. What else do you plant for cooler weather after it sets in? I won't be able to get started until probably Oct or Nov. Maybe I should just focus on getting my beds ready for spring.

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  5. Welcome Madison. I don't do much fall gardening except for planting garlic. Here is a very good link for us Ozark inhabitants. They publish a gardening calendar each month. Be sure to find if you are considered north or south. Where I am (north of I-44) in Greene Co. I use the northern times.

    http://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2013/7/August-Gardening-Calendar/

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