Haying at Last

The weather is still very hot and humid.  The rains have let up somewhat.

The cut about 15 acres of hay yesterday and it is now waiting to be raked.  The showered on it very briefly yesterday evening.  We still have a chance of getting it wet, but it was past time to get it put down.  Max is making all the decisions regarding the hay.......I get  torn  between wanting  it  cut and afraid it will get rained on.....I am not good at making decisions whether they are large or small.

I haven't done much outside the last two days  for one reason or the other.  I did finally get 4 bales of straw mulched on the garden fence border and the sweet potatoes.  I hated to do it but I resorted to herbicide for some weed control.

We put the trail camera out to see what was happening around the compound during the night.  First night in the chicken yard we caught zip until we turned the girls out the next morning.   Then we did another night and I put  the memory card in backwards................no excuse for that dumb thing.

We  put it out around the feed room last night and just caught ghost figures of light colored cats moving about.  We did get
some nice shots of some of the  cows (Jersey and friends) when we moved it the the gate in front of the garage.

From night camera

Varmint No.l before he took the memory card out.



We have been enjoying our morning coffee on the new porch.  This morning it was just 72° which was perfect.

When the sun came up I took a picture or two:


This is the seedling peach right outside the kitchen window.  I didn't  realize it had peaches until they turned color.



This is the hill of Long Island Cheese Squash (pumpkin) that I planted in the new bed in front of the gas tank.  I thought I would use it as ground cover so I wouldn't have to cut  the crab grass.  It  worked!  I am guessing it is at least 15x20 feet.  I still need to wade in and pull some taller lamb's quarter.



and another gift from the birds:



This is a perennial rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' that has been growing here for several years now.  I should figure a way to stake it because it gets 6 feet tall in really good years and tends to lean or fall.


The only productive thing I have done is make a  batch of Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies.

This recipe is from Bonnie Plants:

If time is short, you can bake the cookies immediately. However, placing the cookies in the freezer to firm before baking helps the cookies maintain a perfect shape as they bake. You can substitute chopped fresh rosemary or lavender for the lemon thyme.

Servings: 2 dozen
Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Instructions
Combine flour, thyme leaves, and salt in a small bowl, and set aside.
Process butter and sugar in a food processor until smooth and well combined, stopping to scrape down sides. Add vanilla; process 15 seconds.
Add flour mixture; pulse 10 to 12 times until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a ball.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Cut with a 2-inch cookie cutter, and place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Place cookie sheets in freezer for 20 minutes or until cookies are firm to the touch.
Bake at 275 for 30 minutes or just until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Chickens at Last!

We are still in the cool front mode.  Temperature is around 35 this morning but will drop at sunrise.
I see another hard freeze is predicted in the midst of a very warm week next week!  Drat and drat!

I finally gave up on finding Sex Link chickens and bought 4 Buff Orpingtons that are just 7 months old.  A woman at Bolivar had them.  She also had some Light Brahmas that were just beautiful but don't lay as well as the Buffs.  It does have me wanting to get some variety just for fun.......DH will not be pleased if I do this.

I will take a picture when daylight hits.
Here they are.  They seem to be settling in.



Cooking

I went back to the Bonnie Plants website to find the cookie recipes using lemon thyme.  I made them and clipped my new plant to get the l tablespoon.  We think they are super!

 

If time is short, you can bake the cookies immediately. However, placing the cookies in the freezer to firm before baking helps the cookies maintain a perfect shape as they bake. You can substitute chopped fresh rosemary or lavender for the lemon thyme.

Servings: 2 dozen
Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Instructions
Combine flour, thyme leaves, and salt in a small bowl, and set aside.
Process butter and sugar in a food processor until smooth and well combined, stopping to scrape down sides. Add vanilla; process 15 seconds.
Add flour mixture; pulse 10 to 12 times until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a ball.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Cut with a 2-inch cookie cutter, and place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Place cookie sheets in freezer for 20 minutes or until cookies are firm to the touch.
Bake at 275 for 30 minutes or just until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

And I made my two loaves of honey whole wheat bread.

This time I remembered to seal them up while still slightly warm.  That is supposed to keep the bread more moist.....we will see.



I am cleaning the back porch today....planning to move the plant light stand out to the Milk Parlor for when they work on the bathroom (no sign of them yet).