It's a beautiful Saturday on the farm. We have been getting lots of rain, almost daily. Another 5 inches this past week. Everything is green and growing....including the weeds.
I have been trying to get out each morning and work an hour or 3 but some days it was raining and others it was just too wet to even pull weeds.
This morning I did get some things accomplished. I started getting the hummingbird bed outside the kitchen weeded and cleaned. Several zinnias and nicotiana were finished and needed to be pulled. I am rethinking the bark mulch. My vigorous weeds come right through it and it will need replacing yearly....very labor intensive and costly. If I just had a few simple beds near the house, it might be workable but for cottage-style or country gardening I don't think so. Of course, I still have 30 or so bags that I will use but mostly at the base of specific plants like roses or clematis. The rest will be used in the narrow garden fence border.
The garden is almost finished. The determinate tomatoes are done and I have very few of the other kind.
Still waiting on the late pole beans. I have canned a few pints of tomatoes.
We have been having fun capturing the beast menagerie on the game cam. That seems to be the only way we can capture them.
Here was a surprise: An armadillo
Of course, we knew there would be possums:
This is our least favorite rascal, the groundhog enjoying one of my apples.
Mama raccoon with two young.
These were all taken out back in my garden behind the house.
It is now August 21, Monday. The eclipse is over. We never got the full whammy but about 97%. It stayed much lighter out than I thought it would.
We got another 3 inch rain overnight. We are beginning to smell swamp-like outside. I seem to be very susceptible to mold and have been coughing and wheezing like crazy. Today I decided to stay inside.
Cooking
I made another batch of peach jam. This is the second batch and they look completely different. The first were made from very small dark peaches and I used some old pectin that had darkened with age. Made for a very dark jar of jam. It tastes fine but not so pretty to look at.
The one this morning was made from a very large pale peach that was still a bit tart. I also had some newer pectin and it looks like peach jam should.
The tomatoes are about finished. I have a couple of plants that should hold us for fresh tomatoes until frost.
The determinate ones and done. I have canned a few pints and have two trays (l0x21) yet to do.
I have been trying to get out each morning and work an hour or 3 but some days it was raining and others it was just too wet to even pull weeds.
This morning I did get some things accomplished. I started getting the hummingbird bed outside the kitchen weeded and cleaned. Several zinnias and nicotiana were finished and needed to be pulled. I am rethinking the bark mulch. My vigorous weeds come right through it and it will need replacing yearly....very labor intensive and costly. If I just had a few simple beds near the house, it might be workable but for cottage-style or country gardening I don't think so. Of course, I still have 30 or so bags that I will use but mostly at the base of specific plants like roses or clematis. The rest will be used in the narrow garden fence border.
The garden is almost finished. The determinate tomatoes are done and I have very few of the other kind.
Still waiting on the late pole beans. I have canned a few pints of tomatoes.
We have been having fun capturing the beast menagerie on the game cam. That seems to be the only way we can capture them.
Here was a surprise: An armadillo
Of course, we knew there would be possums:
This is our least favorite rascal, the groundhog enjoying one of my apples.
Mama raccoon with two young.
It is now August 21, Monday. The eclipse is over. We never got the full whammy but about 97%. It stayed much lighter out than I thought it would.
We got another 3 inch rain overnight. We are beginning to smell swamp-like outside. I seem to be very susceptible to mold and have been coughing and wheezing like crazy. Today I decided to stay inside.
Cooking
I made another batch of peach jam. This is the second batch and they look completely different. The first were made from very small dark peaches and I used some old pectin that had darkened with age. Made for a very dark jar of jam. It tastes fine but not so pretty to look at.
The one this morning was made from a very large pale peach that was still a bit tart. I also had some newer pectin and it looks like peach jam should.
The tomatoes are about finished. I have a couple of plants that should hold us for fresh tomatoes until frost.
The determinate ones and done. I have canned a few pints and have two trays (l0x21) yet to do.
Good golly, you've had a lot of rain! We could still use some as the garden soil is very dry.
ReplyDeleteWe have a chipper/shredder and a year or so past hubby made some bark mulch for the blueberries. I hated it! It made kneeling in the bed to pull weeds or pick berries painful and, as you say, the weeds came right up through it. And they were harder to dig out because of the bark. Don't like bark mulch!
It's always interesting to see what you can capture on a trail camera. I wouldn't want to encourage them, but those ground hogs are rolly-polly cute little guys.
The eclipse here was nuthin' at all. It was a gray, cloudy day and we couldn't notice any "darkening" at all during the time of the eclipse.
That first batch of dark peach jam looks more like apricot jam. I'd still eat it and be happy to have it!
I think when I am done with the chips I have already purchased, that will be the last. My Sis uses them and she has to replace them annually, a lot of work and money.
DeleteYou can have my roly poly critters!
I loved your trail camera pictures. I would love to get one and see what comes to visit our yard when the persimmon trees start dropping persimmons. Since we live in the near- city suburbs, we might see some weird human wildlife too, though I'd prefer to just stick with the cute furry animals, or even an armadillo, but they aren't this far north yet. I don't know if you are in the Missouri Ozarks or not, but are armadillos becoming more common where you are?
ReplyDeleteYes, we are in the heart of the Ozarks, about an hour north of Branson, Mo.
DeleteWE are starting to see lots more armadillos, usually as road kill along our roads. I remember the first one I saw in our yard coming back from the mail box. It was standing on its hind feet and it took me a minute to realize what it was. They must be mostly nocturnal because I don't the see this out and about during the day.
Boy, you've been certainly having a lot of rain. We had a thunderstorm with heavy rains on Sunday morning. More rain is predicted over the next few days.
ReplyDeleteWhat neat pictures of your nighttime critters.
Your peach jam makes my mouth water. :-)
Enjoy the rest of your week ~ FlowerLady
We are getting more rain this morning! I had mulching plans but doubt that will be happening.
ReplyDeleteYou have a good week!
What neat pictures of your nighttime critters.
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