The Ugly

I said I would show all the facets of life on the farm.  Today I will show some uglies.

First the personal stuff for my own references.  I slept very well last nigh, a full 8 hours!  I am now starting the generic version of Zyrtec.  My allergies to pollen have me coughing a lot so I gave in.  Maybe that caused the sleep.  Who knows.
I will be taking it daily until this blasted hay is done.

Max took his mother shopping yesterday and did the major portion of mine.  I will do a little at  our local store for  items I thought would be more difficult for him to select.  He is a very great help to me!

Now for some uglies:

This is my work area right outside  the back porch door.  Here is where I leave everything I use for gardening, gloves, tools, plants, empty pots, watering cans, etc. 



More things are hidden behind the Korean Boxwood.

Aphids have found the nicotiana sylvestris (tobacco  plant)



I think the ground  hog found the broccoli plants.  I have never had large piece torn off before. (we put leaves in the trap and he ignored those, preferring the fresh ones!)



This was taken from the road looking north.  I don't like how the trimmed cheat grass looks but refuse to try to rake it though the vining vinca (that I hope takes over  the entire ditch!).

That is a rugosa rose, Therese Bugnet. It is  very fragrant and very disease resistant.  It  does spread via roots which is why I planted it in the ditch area.  I need to order more.  Surely something will beat out the cheat grass.



Now the good part:  It was cut to the ground a few years ago so doesn't have as much bloom but what it does it wonderful,



Note: some more ugly behind.  That is the uncut cellar!

I love the crinkly, crushed tissue paper look,



OK, now I have depressed myself.  Enough! 

Have a wonderful weekend.

A Little Bit of Everything --- Pie!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Mulched strawberries while waiting for DH to check cattle.

With his help set two cattle panels for the tomatoes....have 3 leftover that I will stake somehow. I don't want to wastes a 15 foot panel for them.

and the back side of the fence,

I hoed out most of east side of garden and harvested very nice broccoli. This was the first year ever in my gardening life that I had zero little green worms from the cabbage butterfly. In fact, I have only seen one of them and it was in the front yard!

I thinned the onions some and will probably have to chop and freeze them.

I chopped some low-hanging branches from the trees on the west side of the house and then,

we actually sat down in the shade and enjoyed our morning coffee break outside.

It is now too hot to do anything so I am in for the day.

I am making Spanish rice and new broccoli for lunch.....may go out and pick enough strawberries for dessert (or not)

June 11, 2012

This was my morning to milk. Willow is down quite a bit but she is getting along in her lactation so that is part of fit.

After milking, I tilled the garden, both sides. I also replanted the very spotty corn patch. I used a different variety, Bodacious. I always select varieties that don't have to be isolated so I am hoping this will work.

I tied up a few tomatoes that were large enough. I also picked the strawberries again. I won't get many more pickings from them and they will be smaller berries. I got another gallon container full.  I also did my last harvest of the two different rhubarb plants.  I know I am pushing the size on the red one but it is my Sis's  fault!  She has been talking all week about making a strawberry rhubarb pie.............I finally gave in and harvest the makings:

From June Blog 2013

I wasn't far from this since I keep Nathan's Never Fail pie crust in the freezer and it  thaws very quickly.

and the finished pie,

She makes hers using tapioca and strawberry jello and cooks filling on stove top first.  I used  my Joy of Cooking cookbook method which is just fruit tossed  with sugar and cornstarch and baked from scratch.

I should have used more  sugar!  But I love it.....DH, not so much.  He isn't a fan of rhubarb.

The first Asiatic hybrid lily opened.....I think  (stress think) this is a Brunello I rescued from the driveway border.

and more poppies,

I was happy to see  honey bees working the poppies this morning.  I think I just don't pay close enough attention  to see them all the time.

I checked out the garden too,  this is the strawberry row finally mulched,

and last,

Yes,Virginia, that is more cats(kittens) and these two aren't all,