Miscellaneous News from the Farm

The weather here today is just perfect.  Sunny, and  was 58° this morning and the high will be mid-80's.  This is the cool snap  that followed a glorious 2.5 inch  rain a  couple of days ago.  We were very dry before that.

I finally have my screened porch back!  We moved the two kittens outside to join the other outdoor kitties.  The are loving it.  They about destroyed my porch, tore loose a corner of the screening, left hair all over the cushions....to say nothing of the daily litter pan chore.  I enjoyed my morning coffee there for the first time in a long while.

I can't remember where I left off last so will  just tell you what comes to mind.

First of all, I was very pleased with myself  that I was able to  go out  each morning and begin trying to get the weeds under control.  Max and I both had 2 week summer colds that really hit us hard.  I only did what was absolutely required (none of it outside).  The strawberry bed and  the compost area were wall to wall (or fence to fence) with 4 foot tall crabgrass and  lamb's quarter and the odd red-root pigweed.  It required a grubbing hoe and then yanking out the huge clumps.  I got it done after about three days.

This is the compost area before weeding:

and after:

The small hoop is covered with another favorite pole bean, Trail of Tears.

The east end where I planted eggplant was almost as bad.  I hadn't seen the eggplants in days.....got them  cleaned up.  I have tiny fruit setting.  Every bug in the universe seems  to love  the foliage of  them.

Tied up the very promising row of tomatoes.  Varmints (ground hog) got all the pears again.  Next will be the  apple tree as soon as it reaches their peak of sweetness.  I didn't plant sweet corn this year but finally caught the nearby truck farm for their harvest and got 4  dozen beautiful, delicious ears for the freezer.

I finally got the blasted Stihl trimmer going and did the east front ditch and the area abound the well house.

Max is still on a soft  foods diet which means no bread unless it is softened with
broth or a gravy of some  sort.  After trying 'store' bread again, I decided I would still make my own even if it just for me.

This one is whole wheat (actually half and half).

Some flowers are still blooming well:  zinnias (all self-seeded), garden phlox and old fashioned petunias. These petunias are my favorites.  I hope they will re-seed and stay with me for several years as they usually do.

There were lots of butterflies on the flowers this  morning.  I was really happy to see that.  So far, the only bees are the carpenter bees.

And one last cow picture (they were in the lot west of the house laying in the early morning shade:

Another Rainy Day

We are over l0 inches and  counting.  It is raining very steadily now and is supposed to all day long.  We aren't  in a flood zone but so many in the southern Ozarks are.   My heart goes out to them.

I am still feeding kittens  and teaching them to use the litter pan.....I never knew what I was getting into with these little beasties.  They are doing well and still sleeping most of the time.  They will be traveling with us to KC this weekend.  What fun!  We are going to our granddaughter's high school graduation. Fortunately they are a 'cat' family and welcome them.

I am having a good time  baking and cooking for the pre-grad party.  I have missed baking.....yesterday I did our normal honey, oatmeal bread.  This time I made 4 loaves instead of 3 that the recipe calls for.

This is just for family use.  I am taking a double batch of my standard refrigerator rolls, two batches of cookies (maybe more), and a large batch of barbecued meatball (small size  for hors d'oeuvres).  It is good weather for cooking inside.

Yesterday was a lovely, sunny day. We took the opportunity to mow and didn't bury the wheels in the soft grass. I have seen more butterflies in the last sunny days than I saw most of last year and a better variety.
So  far,  We are hoping that is a good sign for the rest of the year.

 I hope I am right on these, if not, please tell  me.  A Red Admiral

  A Giant Swallowtail

The rains have not improved my poor blooming things.

The Native tradescantia has held up well.  It is a ditch plant here so I guess it has to be tough.

We spotted a Rose Breasted Grosbeak a few days ago.  We haven't seen one here in years.  Also the hummers  are back for a week now.  So far, just counted 3, but hoping for more as the weather warms.  I have a honeysuckle in bloom so they can supplement their liquid diet.

More in bloom:

The first is a red peony in  the Well House Bed.  It is gorgeous, but no fragrance at all.

This is iris Swingtown near the almost bloomed clematis Hagley Hybrid

This is my lost red iris among the weeds in the cellar bed....I need to rescue it!

I need to  go start cooking.

More Catching Up

Yesterday was another perfect day weather-wise.

The meter was replaced on the generator so we should be set in case of another outage.

I did not go back outside to work after lunch.

I was ordered not to overdo by my husband and my Sis. It didn't take much persuasion!

We have had some interesting things happen very close together. First the storm, then the generator troubles, AC failed completely and all the storm debris down.  Some very nice  things happened also.

First they resurfaced our county road; all that is lacking is the painting of the edges and the center line.

It looks very good. I had just commented that it was getting pretty sad looking.

Next they replaced our utility pole and worked on the transformer out by the road.

I guess this was just routine maintenance. Our hookup wasn't quite as direct as the new poles on the side of the road. We had lines going to three sets of sheds, the pole light and then the box that controls the automatic generator, It took 5 men three hours. It is a much cleaner look. They said the generator man should have done a more direct route with just one box; we had two. Also said the transformer wasn't facing the right direction. We think it was replaced back during the ll day outage of our ice storm and was handled by a lovely group from the state of Louisiana. I did enjoy hearing them talk. They mentioned that their rules and setups were not the same as ours in Missouri.

I snuck a few shots of the men at work:

They had 3 big trucks here and drove where ere they pleased! I didn't really care.

Kitchen

Coffee Press coffee. I have always been curious about this method of making  coffee, so I bit the dust and spent a little money.

I used Honduran beans (SIL's influence) and a French press from Amazon (of course).

It is a bit messy but does make very good coffee with no bitter taste at all. I don't make it often.  This was one of my little unnecessary sidelines in the kitchen.  I am still pondering the grinding of wheat berries.  What is stopping me there is where on earth would I store things.  I have become a little 'gadget' oriented in my old age.......I must begin to  control that or we may have to build a new kitchen!  (just kidding about the kitchen).

From 2015-08-29

You will note it also required (I thought) an electric tea kettle......O K it wasn't required but I have read so many English novels and watched their movies and televisions series and they always make tea by plugging in the kettle. It is a bit faster than my gas range, but not a lot. None of the items were terribly expensive so I didn't feel too guilty and Max always says if you want it, get it!  He hasn't  always been this generous about my buying things............he never tells me no but makes me aware of the necessity of the item.

Outside Pictures

I haven't been paying  much attention to things for quite a while.  While I was harvesting the peppers, Max was right across from the drive from me gassing up the tractor.  I stood  up and looked around at the lush greenery and felt a slight cool breeze.  I told him it was the first time in a very long  time that I just felt good being outside (or anywhere, for that matter). Thank God for my doctor and Prednisone.

Zinnias and  Cosmos

This is the  first time that I have managed to plant both these beloved annuals.  I hope can do it again next year.

 

The store blew them about half way down and they haven't straightened up so I just let them be.  By now the leaves are turning bad but the blooms are still brilliant.

This is iris 'Immortality'  a very dependable rebloomer  for me.  This year it has been outstanding.  I have lost lots of blooms and buds to the blasted Japanese Beetles.  This must be their No. l favorite in my garden .  So  much that I just leave  my sprayer of Sevin sitting outside the kitchen door so I can spritz them regularly.



It still has several buds.

For some reason they don't like vincas!  Love my white Diana rose of sharon, but have never been on the vinca.  I  must remember this and plant more next year.



The cosmos have finally begun to bloom; they were  blown over too.



This is a  mix  of blooms just east of the previous picture.



This is my accidental perilla  border along the edge of the new bed where the Long Island Cheese is planted.
I finally just gave up on it and let it hide the ugliness of the row of iris there.



I took a picture of the squash that some varmint thinks is tasty.




Chickens
  
We are now  getting eggs from the new Dominecker chickens.  We just have 5 and some  days get 5 and some days just three.
They are a happy bunch and sing whenever you go into the pen with them.

I took these pictures this morning and found two of the girls on the nest.
 
 




The Dominecker is an American Heritage breed.  They are one of the oldest breeds.  I am interested in comparing the hybrids we have had the last two times with them.  The hybrids are great; lay early and large eggs but are not long-lived.  I hope these girls are!

That green plant on the left is native green perilla and smells eactly like the dark purple one.  Indians used this as an herb. It has a  licorice smell when  handled.

Our Kudzu and other Tidbits

The cold front arrived yesterday bringing a little rain.  I haven't checked the gauge yet.  It is cooler; 56° this morning.  We do enjoy this fall weather.

I have accomplished very little beyond daily routine these last two days.  I did have to get more "kitty"
 supplies.  He refused to use the litter box!  Then I tried a larger box and Tidy Cat litter and so far he has used it......now I know why I do not have house pets.  I am not geared toward the care and cleaning they require..........only for a granddaughter would I do this!  I just have this week to be sure he is trained to it.  She plans to get him next weekend.

We did go to the local orchard for apples before the kitty errands.  I bought a half bushel of Jonathon and Grimes Golden. I did a taste test and the Grimes was much more flavorful than the Golden.  I will order a tree for spring planting.  The rains did not hurt the flavor of the apples.  I will be making  sauce, jelly and use some for mincemeat. Surprising because of all our summer rains, but the apples were smaller than usual.


I wanted to show the vinca major that has taken over several areas here.  This is the holding pen area where I just sprayed.  The vines are so tough they can trip you and never break.

If glyphosphate doesn't work I will resort to something stronger.

This is the path I have to walk to go into the holding pen to get Willow.  She does not walk up the ramp into the barn without a little 'persuasion'.

The cats love this water because it drips out of the hose.



and this is inside the pen.  See what I mean?



The yard is definitely not at its peak, but some spots are still nice.  I told you once I couldn't take a picture without catching either the cats or DH.  Well here he is again and, no, that is not a purse he is carrying, that is a plastic bag with a bottle of milk that he is bringing from the barn for me.

 

I am trying to save seeds from this salvia, it is a favorite. (the red one).  The blue is a victoria and it returns each year here, not the red.

'Immortality' iris is having a good re bloom;



and this is a gaillardia from Ilene,



Roses always improve with the cooler weather.  This is Paul McCartney rose.  So far it has lasted longer than any rose I have had and  has resisted RRD.



I wish I had pruned the clematis vine behind the rose, but I wanted to show why I let the native aster grow here.  I reminds me of gypsophila (baby's breath) which doesn't last long for me.  I have to cut it back before it sets seeds or will be take over the entire yard.....ask me how I know.



Random Farm Picture

Cow enjoying lunch.



PS.  Plans for today:  Bake bread again using triple raise method.

Grunt Work - Test Picture

Well the beetles were alive and well this morning after spraying yesterday with Sevin and a Bayer 3inl product. The roses look so sad; completely disfigured; same with a Rose of Sharon shrub by the garden gate.

Serious measures were called for so I broke out the battery powered sprayers. One is just a 15 gallon one I use for pesticides and diseases and the other is a 25 gallon one for herbicides.....yes, Virginia, I do resort to these things were push comes to shove!

I read the malathion label and it listed Japanese Beetles so I mixed up 5 gallons of it and sprayed most things. I need to pick the pole beans before I hit them again.

Went back to the orchard and sprayed those trees. The beetles don't seem to care about the peaches.....sprayed them anyway. I also took time to water all the trees again.

Back to the barn and mixed up 5 gallons of glyphosphate to spray some areas that I can't trim. Ran out of spray before I really got finished but I stopped anyway.

I noticed that the beetles are dropping off the roses by the back door either dying or dead. At last something that works. It may be the hose-end products are too weak a solution. I never trust that kind of spraying.

One of the glads was covered with the darned things.

Thursday Morning, July 7, 2011

Up at 3 AM again. It is overcast today so I plan to try to trim the front ditch with the string trimmer.

By 6 AM, I rev it up and begin. I was able to do both sides of the drive. I should have taken before and after pictures, but I didn't so I won't take one now.
It is not a thing of gardening beauty! It began a light shower when I was about half finished but I was determined to get it done.....so I wouldn't have to 'look forward' to it again.

I came in changed clothes (I blow grass all over me when I trim...maybe because I am left handed?)and made a new pot of coffee. DH is out on the porch swing right next to my desk. I cracked open the window so we could chat if need be. It is still showering but very, very lightly.

I will have to re-spray.........I don't really mind because the malathion seemed to give a very good kill. I did pick up two traps yesterday afternoon when we went to the feed store for salt blocks for the cows. I will put them up some time today.

We stopped by the library yesterday before the feed store. Our location is perfect for us: 20 miles from Springfield, 5 miles from a new library and wonderful local super market and maybe 7 miles from a hardware and the feedstore.

What more could a country gal want!

I am thinking about make bread again today. I haven't decided exactly what kind yet.

Summer Flowers

This is a test.

The same daylily growing in diferent locations. Can you see a difference?

More rain - new stringtrimmer

We have been having rain daily since I posted last. I think about three inches total.
Nothing has been done outside lately. I still have plants on the patio but it is way too wet. It looks like next week is going to be dry.....and hot, 80's and 90's.

We have both been having trouble with equipment. DH with his chain saw and me with my Stihl trimmer. We have lost confidence in the local repair center so went back to Bolivar with both of them. The serviceman started both of them pretty easily!
We were embarrassed! I owe an apology to our local service center. He did think I was having to pull too hard on the Stihl and suggested I try the E-Z pull Echo...did and was sold! We bought it and will have the old one as a backup. I hate getting all set to do a job and the equipment fails me (or I fail it!). Because of the wet, I haven't tried it out yet.

The yard is beginning to look like a jungle. I have let weeds overtake some beds that I will now just mow the centers down.

I got a real surprise on one of my morning walks around the house. This azalea has been planted for years and has never bloomed or grown. It must be a dwarf of some kind. I bought it at Lowe's on sale. It how has a few very large apple-blossom pink blossoms!. Of course it is pretty much hidden by other plants now since I didn't think it would ever do anything.

From gardening Spring 2011

My first early daylily is in bloom. I bought it unnamed but think it is Buckeye.
I need to relocate it to another spot. I don't like it with the baby pink rose behind.


The cistern planter on the patio was in full glory.....until a heavy rain and some hail.

I think this rose is Marie Daly. It is a polyantha, has few thorns , is fragrant, and is disease resistant, all I ask for in a rose. It is one of Chamblees Roses in Tyler, Texas' Earthkind roses (they have been tested for several features above). Most of my roses came from them.



The blue flax was a gift from a passing bird! The sedum was a piece I accidentally broke off the mother plant. Coming up around the rose will be some bulbs I bought from the neighbor boy and a lavender I had left in a flat. This is my normal way to plant!

I save the biggest for last. This is a great shrub rose, William Baffin. I believe it is a Canadian rose. It has one heavy spring bloom and then blooms sporadically for me. Unfortunately, no scent, but a very large and healthy shrub.