Butterflies

I  am now spending part of the night in  my kitchen recliner. After about 3-5 hours, I  wake up and feel  stiff and sore and change to the chair and  it goes away.  Strange, but it works.  Usually I go back  to sleep very quickly but often read a while first.  It may not be the deep sleep the doctor says I must have but it is  working for me.  His muscle relaxants were useless.

For some reason yesterday I saw three varieties of butterflies on the zinnias.  I  tried my best to get some shots but they were almost too fast for me.

This is a Spicebush Swallowtail:

and this is only the second Monarch I have seen, missed getting the open wings,

and a Tiger Swallowtail:




and this morning was the real stunner.  I saw dozens of them.  I did my best but it was none too good.  I haven't mastered this new little Canon.

They made my day! 

I managed about an hour of outside work this morning.  I think I have finally finished the front ditch on both sides of the drive.  They are not photo worthy.  I have just trimmed/mowed/sprayed all weeds but some perennial and ground covers.  The goal is to have all good plants so that I can just let it go and do its thing!  I have enough plants that should do well in that environment (I hope).

I see out the window my poor Long Island Cheese plant is wilting in the hot sun and that is with a l inch rain two days ago.

The beetles seem to be fewer.....but I still find them on the roses and rose of sharon.  I am  at the squishing and drowning stage with them.

Well, we have had some early morning relief in the weather. Yesterday we got a little shower before daylight and it was overcast until noon; same today except we got 1/2 inch of rain! Sun is out now and it will be a hot one but not as bad as previous days.

I have had a busy few days.

Milking as usual each morning.

I made 14 oz. of butter from a quart of cream from two milkings,


I made mozzarella from l gallon of milk. I do the 30-minute microwave version.
It turned out great but next time I will let the milk age overnight or longer for a sharper flavor.


I made the two rustic shaped loaves of bread:



and canned 2 quarts of tomato juice.

The next day I decided to really clean the kitchen. Remember the sugar fiasco? I knew there would still be some behind things on the counter-top. First I took everything off the counter and cleaned it really good, even using a formica polish after. Then I swept and mopped the floor. I decided to remove the throw rugs and leave the wood floors bare. We both like it better that way. Maybe if I could find some bright kitchen rugs without rubber backing........I hate the backing. I was happy to find the ceiling fan was nice and clean. I am being much better with cleaning all of them on a regular basis and it wasn't due.



I skipped one day checking the garden and this morning found what I think are striped blister beetles all over two tomato plants and the peppers. I sprayed with Sevin. I wouldn't have known what they were if I hadn't seen them on a blog recently. Of course, it then rained right after I sprayed so I will hit them again this evening late. This is a first for me to have these beasties. I couldn't believe how much damage they had done overnight!

I picked the okra and enough tomatoes that I canned some. I have the rest in the barn to ripen a little more. They certainly aren't premium tomatoes but will be great this winter in soups, sauces and stews. I will freeze the okra. There were several that were too large and tough. I chopped them and tossed them in the food processor for the chickens.



That's a quart of milk that I have added some cultured store buttermilk to. I can now keep it going with just my milk for a starter.

In between some of that kitchen work, I also canned 5 pints of sauerkraut. I never did see it 'working' like they say it should, but it tasted sour so after three weeks I wanted it out of my way and canned it. It looks a little dark in the jars.

We got the tractor back from the shop and DH has mowed the east 20. The grass fires were worrying us; this morning he mowed the calf lot. They picked up the other tractor to work on the brakes.

All from my neck of the woods. We are looking forward to some cooler weather next week!

Yogurt - Our First taste of real milk and other things from the farm

Hot and dry; another 100° day predicted with 82% humidity.

I am milking each morning these days. DH is going to bring his fan from the garage over to the milk barn. The exhaust fan in the barn window isn't working. He will get another cheapie for him. This is a big floor fan that we used when we were operating the dairy.

Willow is slowly coming around. I suspect she is holding up her milk....I am not getting much.

I brought one half gallon down this morning and set yogurt. I never liked it much until I began making mine from my milk. I had to laugh.....I expected this. We have two gallons of store milk in the fridge but DH asked if I had any chilled from Willow....I did and we both had our first glass, nectar of the Gods. He is as bad as I am about it. We feel so fortunate that we can have our cow and I can milk and enjoy the bounty.

I am actually watering a young tree this morning. I could see heat stress on my Red Maple and I sure don't want to loose it. I am using my favorite little cast round sprinkler. I have two now and I use them more than the large one.

Butterflies

I saw this Pipe-vine Swallowtail on a rose bush (note how bad the rose looks; thank you Japanese Beetles). It was so still after taking the picture, I touched it and was happy to see it fly off. The host plant is, of course, the pipe-vine. I don't grow one but it is a native Missouri vine called Woolly Pipe-vine(aristolochia tomentosa) so I am assuming there are some in the fields around the house area.