May 28 through June 4, 2014

 This is just a brief daily journal I keep:  May clean it up a bit....or not.

May 28 2014

Up at 3:30 AM

Surveyed my kingdom took pictures

Called to schedule bids on guttering (Lowes) finish painting job (Liberty Paint Co.)

Made bread: dough way too soft but afraid to keep adding flour. Made 2 loaves and one small one into sweet rolls.

May 29

Mowed. Got Echo going; trimmed around drive got wagon wheels back in place. Trimmed around the house.

May 31, 2014

Lowes bid almost $700 for the guttering project. Still haven't heard back from Jim at Liberty Painting.

June l.

Courtney and I went to Lowes. Got red paint and white and oil primer for smokehouse.

Monday June 2, 2014

Started Echo did a dab of trimming. Weeded HB bed by hand, edged with trimmer.

Sprayed a mix of Sevin and Dormant Oil all season on fruit trees. There are some peaches and plums. Already see damage on fruit. The daily rains kept me from doing a l0-day interval. This is the  first since the dormant oil. I guess I should just spray regularly regardless of small rains. Maybe if it just dries first it would do some good.

Need Doing: Plant more pole beans, cucumbers

Rest of Mowing and plant rest of bucket ghetto.

Courtney mowed the rest of the yard using the Cub. Did a great job.

Rain came during evening and morning....there goes the fruit tree spray.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

A very hot and humid day, 90°.

Courtney painted most of front of smokehouse (they gave us latex with primer so we just used it instead of oil base primer.

Pete the Painter called. Sending out men Friday, Sat and Sunday to paint and do yard work weather permitting.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Very humid, overcast and 73°. After breakfast we went to Willard park and did a l0-minute walk. I am so out of shape in all ways that I will have to build up my time slowly.

Came back planted hoop with Romano Pole and some Fortex seed I found. Did north side of short hoop with French Filet bean like the south side. Did a hill of Diva behind the clematis Harlow Carr by garden gate.

Need to hoe out corn and mulch tomatoes. Need a short row of okra somewhere.

Stopped at 8:40. Very fine mist going.

Meat loaf done  for dinner.

Whew!  Caught up for a while.

Random Pictures:

This is my sole remaining heirloom rose:

Poppies (papaver somniferum) by gas tank.  Mostly shades of pink....no doubles yet but lots more to go.

I spotted a very red one this morning.

 

These are by the pole light,

From June 2014

Mock orange is in full bloom.  alas, none are fragrant:

My unlovely west yard (I hope you can't see that it is mostly mowed weeds.  At least there are no plants or beds calling to me to spray, clip, or mulch!

Note to Milk Maid:  Jersey seemed to be in  heat 6/1/14!  Big surprise....no heat that I have seen up to now except a few very early ones.

We have been having some very nice spring-like weather.  We have had about 3/4 inches of rain over a couple of days and the temperatures are warming nicely.  We are in the 50's right now.  I haven't done anything outside because the rain, actually more of a heavy drizzle lasted off and on.

The seeds I put under the lights are coming along.  Broccoli is up, borage is up, and the rudbeckia is up.
I put the peppers on a warming pad to speed them up.  I  turn the lights off at night but will leave the warming pad on.  Note:  The peppers are now up.

The sun just popped out fully!   That should warm things up.

More bad on the farm.  One of the llamas died of natural causes we guess.   We are having spring calves born which is always fun.

I plan to start more seeds this weekend.

The weekend is here:  Saturday,March 30, 2013

It has been drizzling  all morning and the temperature is around 50°

This was my milking morning but that wasn't to be.....Willow pulled one of her old tricks.  She refused to let down her milk for me.  I struggled to get 1/2 gallon and then gave up and turned  her to her babies.  I could hear her softly mooing to them.  I guess that made her happy.

Since I was already in the Milk Barn/Potting Shed, I decided to plant my warm weather seeds.  I did a flat of various tomatoes, and one of some flowers:  'Horizon' ageratum, melampodium, Fall Color rudbeckia, Giant Exhibition Coleus, salvia spendens 'Flare' . 

Later this afternoon I will make a large batch of rolls for MIL's annual Easter dinner..............again.

Easter Sunday

Rolls are made.  I walked the yard hopingfor  some pictures.  I was surprised to see a lot of my daffodils aren't doing much and some are just gone.  Maybe two years of drought?   I will try to remember  to fertilize and  order new bulbs this fall.  Nothing else was worthy.....except a very lush stand of henbit.  The sun is shining and it looks to be a beautiful day.


It was until we came home and found the refrigerator had died.....freezer had defrosted and filled the bottom with strange orange liquid.

Monday, April, 2013

Well, Sunday was a beautiful day but this morning dawned very cool, 40° and that is the high for the day.  We will have three days of cool and then back to the 70's.  Three more chances of rain.

First thing was  off to Lowes to buy a refrigerator......did that and was very disappointed they couldn't deliver until the following Monday afternoon.  Of course we have the fridge in the Milk Parlor but running back and forth for milk was a nuisance so we filled the ice chest and are keeping it on the patio.  I do miss the refrigerator in the kitchen. We are both anxious to see how the SS looks vs. the white monster we now have.  I got the same style, French doors only this time we splurged and got ice and water in the door.  DH will love that.

I have to laugh at myself.  I have been tracking our rainfall for quite some time and all I could see was 1/4 to 1/2 inch in the gauge yet the west pond is so full we can see it from the house then I found a 5-gallon bucket near the chicken pen that had maybe 6-7 inches in it!  DH tells me that is the last several rainfalls.  I filled the gauge with a glass of water and in a couple of hours it was empty again.  I guess the dog mauling it caused a leak.  I need to find the glue........

West Pond



Tuesday and Wednesday

Ordinary cooler than normal days....no rain.  I am putting off mowing until it warms more.  The daffodils are a disappointment this year.  I don't know if it is the results of  two years of drought or what.

I made myself make two aprons.  I wanted to include one for my Sis when I send her the last jar of  mincemeat.  Then I finally made the ties for the last two covers for the dining room chair.  I have material to do more aprons but outside Spring chores keeps calling to me so I put the machine away and tidied up the sewing room /aka Dining Room; put away the iron and ironing board and my house is now back  to its normal life.





I used the internet to locate a light for my 1960 era Kenmore sewing  machine!  I  was just thrilled when I found it. It has been burnt out for a couple of years now and I couldn't locate one locally.  I have been dragging a floor lamp to the machine each time I have to use it for something.  What a joy to just push a button.  I  am not looking to buy a new machine.  This thing sews beautifully and does all I need it to do.....why change.
The only negative is it is all metal and very heavy.  I have some difficulty lifting and lowering the head out of the table.  I can see the time in the near future where it will just stay up.


Nothing exciting going on in the kitchen.....I did make FlowerLady's cookies again.... This time I only added l cup of dried cranberries and chocolate chips (nuts and coconut in outside fridge).  We are enjoying them as usual.

to be cont'd (maybe).

Farm Note:

Jewel in heat 4/3/13