Day 9 of 31 Days of A Farm Family's Life

 

Day 9 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

 

Welcome to Day 9.  We got some rain here last night, and the temperature is fallish today.  I got up a little later than usual today.  I was up about 6:15.  I put up the dishes that were washed the night before.  I browned some ground beef, and went through our home gathering the ingredients for chili.  We have food and books in most every room in our home.  So I quickly got the ingredients together, and started the chili in a crockpot in our kitchen.  After getting GrandBoy's clothes and things ready, I had about 10 minutes to get dressed and out the door.  I was about 5 minutes late leaving, but I felt like I had accomplished a lot.

 

I went to my office in town for the first part of my day.  That went pretty well.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I work in the afternoons for a different client.  So after I finished all my work day, I hurried home.  For dinner we had chili with grated cheese and sour cream, crackers, and milk.  The chili was good.  I had bought cornbread crackers to try, but I didn't like them in the chili.  The chili tasted sweet.  I read the ingredients on the cracker box, and sugar was the second ingredient listed, before corn meal!  I don't think I will do that again.  But it was nice to have dinner taken care of.

 

Pappy and middle daughter traveled around checking rental houses that should be empty or hadn't paid. They cleaned out one house so we can put it on the internet now.  They also texted me to tell me that utilities were off at another home, and had been about two weeks.  I'll call them this evening.  A relative called to say that a health department worker was trying to get in touch with us.  I called their office, and someone in our trailer park put "household" garbage in the ditch with rubbish and large items.  So we need to educate our tenants and issue letters explaining the difference.  We can do that!

 

When I got home, GrandBoy and Middle daughter were laying on the carpot on blankets, having a coloring book picnic.  They had snacks, and stickers, and were coloring pictures in their favorite books.

 

Our First daughter made more jelly today.  About 12 jars.  She made apple cranberry, I believe.  She has about used all the home canned juice in our cabinets.  But that is fine, because it needed to be used.  She also made pink cupcakes for a bake sale at her work, to benefit breast cancer.

A neighbor shared a grocery bag of peppers with us tonight.  All different kinds.  So I guess I will make some pepper sauce this weekend.  I would like to have some chow chow, but I've never made that before.

Well, I guess that is it for now.  Hope you have a wonderful day.  Come back tomorrow.  Honey!

 

 

 



Day 6 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

Days 6 through 9 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 



Welcome back1  I have been missing for a couple of days.  Sometimes things get crazy around here.

 

On Friday, Pappy and middle daughter worked the hay some more.  I checked to see if any of the rental houses that hadn't paid, were vacant.  That night the twin daughters, and Grandboy and I went to a spaghetti dinner and bingo at our local school.  There we sat with some friends and had a great time. 

 

On Saturday, Pappy went to another town about an hour from here and worked on fencing the pasture so we can put cows there in the spring.  He also met with the deer hunters who have hunted there in the past, and gave them permits for our property.

 

GrandBoy and I went to a Kid Consignment Sale and bought some things for him for the winter.  He got 10 pair of new underwear, 14 undershirts, and 18 pairs of socks.  That will help stretch our laundry days a bit.  We also went to the Farmers' Market.  There, we bought muscadines, yellow squash, apples, and sweet potatoes.  We had a nice time.  After that, we went to Aldi's.

 

Once home, I did laundry and dishes all day long.  I planned our menu for the week, and planned our calendar.

 

Sunday we visited a new church.  We had a nice time.  Spent time cleaning house.  Checked a house that is suppose to be empty, and checked our post office boxes. 

 

 So now we are caught up to today.  Today is Day 9.  When I got home from picking up GrandBoy, I went into the house to pay some bills.  GrandBoy came inside to tell me the cows were out.  I went out to see what was going on.  The cows on the other side of the pond, had crossed the fence, and were in the neighbor's soybeans!  I tried to call Pappy.  I had called several times today, but he was not where he got a phone signal.  He did pick up this time though, So Glad!  I told him the cows were out an I was on my way across the pond to see what to do.  He told me he was almost home, so he would take care of them.  I kept an eye on them, and waited for Pappy to get home.  I worked on some paperwork for our bank.  And cleaned the kitchen.  We had pork chops for dinner.  Love pork chops. 

 

Well, that about covers our weekend.  Hope you have a wonderful week!  Honey

 

 



Day 5 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

Day 5 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

Hi!  Welcome back to our farm.  We are so glad to see you!  Today I got up late, and hurried to make coffee.  I would have logged in to my Hello Mornings Twitter group to check in, but someone hacked my account, so twitter changed my password.  I don't have time to deal with that this morning, so it will have to wait. 

I got the GrandBoy's stuff ready, and threw on some clothes.  Not any time for anything else.  On my way to work, I checked my phone.  One of our new tenants left a message that they had their money due today.  I made an appoint to meet them this afternoon between jobs. 

After my morning job is through, I head to the rental house to collect their rent.   I stop at one house, then met another tenant further down the highway  at a tattoo shop parking lot.  Then I went  to the bank to make a deposit, and started to my second client's home.

When my second job was finished, I posted an eviction at a home where the people are behind.  Then I stopped and paid our daughter's lot rent.  Then I came home.  Didn't make it to the Post office today.

When I got home, Pappy and GrandBoy were napping.  GrandBoy got up when I came in, and we let Pappy sleep.  I started out doing the things I didn't do last night, because I was tired and went to bed.   I picked up a trail of dirty clothes.  I washed dishes, made coffee and iced tea, and fed the chickens. 

My oldest daughter keeps telling me she is out of jelly jars, and I go dig around, and pull out another box or so.  I told her I have jars hidden all over the farm!  She was very impressed.  She made more jelly today, not sure of the kind.  I believe Apple and Peach.  The latest jars were pulled out of the chicken coop.  I remember that I need to look for the "wedding " Bible that the twins were given at birth.  It may take me a year to find it, so oldest daughter can use it in her wedding. 

GrandBoy kept telling me he was hungry.  He wanted a "cheese sammich", in his own words.  So I made him a toasted cheese sandwich.  I had toast and coffee.  He watched TV while I caught up on computer work.

Today Pappy worked around the farm.  His farm chores started at about 8:30 when he found the goats out, again!  It is rut season.  He moved them to a new pasture, and walked the fence to find out where they are getting out.  He thinks that problem is solved. 

Next he fed the small animals, and watered the chickens.  He filled the cows' water tanks.  GrandBoy lost his kitten, so Pappy found it and put in away.  He took GrandBoy to school. 

Pappy watered and checked on the bamboo shoots we are trying to get started on the farm.  Everyone says we will be sorry we tried this, but we want to use it as an alternative food source for the animals.  So we will see.  The desk will also use this area as a shelter when the have ducklings.

Pappy picked up our middle daughter and they went to one of the hay fields that will be cut this weekend, to work on the gates so the hay cutter can get inside.  After he picked up GrandBoy this afternoon, he went to the Co-op to buy more fence posts, weed killer, and an excavator.

Pappy went to the trailer park to pick up some rent.  This was a good rent day!  While there, he counted the goats up there, and we were missing two.  Pappy walked the pasture and found them.  Some little girls were feeding them, so they didn't want to go with the heard, or come when called!

Now it is 11:30 at night, and Pappy has gone to the water turn off valve to be sure he cut if off.  Then he plans to take a shower and go to bed.

I am finishing up here.  I just wrote the grocery list for this weekend.  We are very lucky that we don't have to buy much.  We raise all our own meat, and most of our fruit and vegetables.  We can even produce some of our own dairy.  So our grocery bill is usually between $60 - 90 a week.  That is high to us, but then I hear what others pay.  I can't believe it.  I'm so thankful that we don't have to depend on a store for our food.  Tomorrow our list is:  3 gallons milk, cranberry juice, tea bags, stevia, 10 pounds sugar, biscuits, 4 miniature pumpkins, tortillas, 2 dozen eggs, sour cream, fruit, salad vegetables, microwavable macaroni and cheese, dish soap, and peroxide. 

Well, I guess that is enough here today.  Hope you all have a blessed and we will talk to you tomorrow.  Honey

Day 4 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

Day 4 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

So sorry I missed you earlier today.  First, at about 9 pm last night.  Pappy went to bed.  I went chasing him down the hall, saying, "You didn't tell me what all you did today so I can blog about it!".  He told me to listen close, because he was already in the bed.  I listened, and then let him and the GrandBoy go to sleep.  I came back to my desk, and started to write, but for some reason, I couldn't keep my eyes open.  The night before that, I started having kidney pain.  So much so that Pappy asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital.  But I didn't, so we stayed home.  Since then, I have been treating myself with cranberry juice and water.  So I think I fell asleep on my keyboard because I was lacking caffeine!  I went to bed by 10!  (Very early for me).  I told myself I would get up early in the morning and finish.  But I wasn't able to do that either.  I stayed in bed till the last minute, then got to work 10 minutes late.  But I am now much better.  Thank you for asking!

Yesterday, Pappy got up and fed and wormed the dog.  He got GrandBoy ready for school and dropped him off.  He called and was able to pick up the tractor from the shop.  This will help with moving our hay.  He talked to a new hay cutter man who is going to look at our hay fields to see about cutting them this weekend.  The old hay cutter man called to see if we were still going to need hay.  Pappy told him, "Yes".  I said, "shouldn't you have told him we weren't buying hay from him? "  He answered, "he didn't ask where we were buying our hay."  Someone is in for a surprise.

Pappy put the goats up, then found where the goats were getting out here on our farm.  He and our daughter then fixed the fence. 

Pappy is planning a trip to our new pasture about 45 minutes away from here.  He will need to take everything with him, because he won't come home till dark.  We would like to get a camper to put over there so we could spend the weekend.  Maybe one day.  This farm was my Uncle's.  He passed on this year, and my Aunt leased it to us.  We are getting it ready to put cows on.  In the past, I believe, it has been used for crops.  Pappy is going to try to get a grant next year to run water to the animals.  We can get a grant for running water to animals, just not to people!  We are excited about this farm,  This will allow us to expand our cows, and not have to worry if someone we rent pasture from decides to sell their land.

Yesterday was a big rent day for us.  I picked up rent from a few people, and then stopped and picked up deli sandwiches for our dinner.  It was church night, and we were going to visit at a nearby congregation.  Pappy was not excited with sandwiches for dinner.  After dinner, I came home from church, cleaned up, and went to bed.  So much for farm work from me today!

Well, I think that is all for Day 4.  See you soon!  Honey

Day 3 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

 

    Day 3 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

 

Today's entry will be done on day 4.  Honey is in bed with a kidney infection or kidney stone.  Back with all our excitement soon.

Day 2 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

Day 2 of 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

Welcome back to Day 2!  Today was a nice fall day here. The leaves are beginning to turn, and GrandBoy has been collecting the pretty ones.  Along with acorns and cicada shells!  We try to enjoy each season as it comes.

 

 

I got up today at 6:30, and didn't get to wash any dishes.  But I was pleasantly surprised to realize that our oldest daughter washed them while I was at work.  That was a really nice surprise. 

 

Today is October 1st.  I left my morning client early.  I do this on the first and last day of the month, because we are landlords, and we need to get our rent money in the bank as soon as we can.  So today I left work at 12:30.  Just as I was leaving, a few of our tenants started texting me that they had the rent money, whenever I wanted to come by.  So I met a few of our tenants to get their money and give them receipts.  I went to our post office, but nothing was in our box except a catalog.  Then I went to the bank to make a rent deposit. 

 

I went to my afternoon client, and got there early.  That means I will get home early, which is always good!  I arrived back home before 5:00.  When I arrived home, Pappy decided to take a nap, and asked me to wake him up in an hour.  A few minutes later, GrandBoy came running inside looking for Pappy.  I told him not to bother Pappy, because he was resting.  GrandBoy said it was important because the goats were out.  I said I could take care of that, but GrandBoy looked at me skeptically.  GrandBoy showed me where the goats were.  About 6 goats were outside the fence, looking at the ones still inside.  I opened the gate, but the goats wouldn't go past me to get in the pasture.  So I went and got a bucket of feed.  They watched as I went into the pasture and pored the feed out for the goats.  The six goats outside almost knocked me down trying to get into the pasture and to the feed.  One problem solved.

 

I had just gotten back in the house and was thinking about dinner, when the phone rang.  The person on the phone lives beside a pasture we rent.  He said to tell Pappy that the goats were out.  What is going on?  More goats out?  I told the caller that I would send Pappy right over.  But I figured it could wait 10 minutes till he was up.  I woke him up shortly, and he told me this would be the third time today that he had put up goats.  You'd think it was Spring outside.  Pappy left to go put the goats up one last time (we hope).  GrandBoy begged to go with him.  And I made coffee.

 

While Pappy and GrandBoy were gone, I fixed dinner.  We had bean and cheese burritos with sour cream and salsa, milk, and tea.  We make, grow, and harvest pretty much all our own food. 

 

After dinner, Pappy told me about his day.  After getting up, Pappy wormed the dogs.  He fed the dogs and turkeys.  He put up the goats here on the farm for the first time of the day.  He unloaded his truck from yesterday, and then loaded it for the work he needed to do today. 

 

Next Pappy went to the Farmers' Co-op.  He bought field fence, t-posts, and rabbit food.  Then he left to go to our middle daughter's home to fix the water leak he found yesterday.  On the way, he stopped to get diesel.  When he got to our daughter's home, the $200 roll of fence wasn't on the truck.  Pappy drove the way from the Co-op to daughter's home twice, but didn't find the fence.  He went back to the co-op and bought another roll of fence.  He "complained" the whole way back to daughter's home.

 

While Pappy was gone for fence, our middle daughter dug out the water meter, and got ready to help her Daddy fix the water leak.  When he got back, Pappy crawled under the trailer and they fixed the leak together.  Then they worked on the sale building.  They finished the floors and hung a window.  They also hung shelving in the building. 

 

By this time, it is time to pick up GrandBoy.  When Pappy and GrandBoy returned to the farm, Pappy checked his stocks for the day, while GrandBoy had lunch.  Pappy ate left over pinto beans.  The goats decided it was time to get out again.

 

About this time I arrived home.  I could hear Pappy was on the phone when I came in the door.  I met GrandBoy in the kitchen.  He told me he was going to start cutting Pappy's hay.  Bad sign.  When he got off the phone, Pappy told me the hay cutter said he broke a $600 part while cutting our hay in the spring, and he only made $500on our job.  So he was unable to cut our hay for the Fall cut.  We just stood there in disbelief.  It is hard to find a hay cutter in this part of the county.  Couldn't he have told us this weeks ago?  We will have to find a new hay cutter.  Pappy got some names from other people we know.  I'll check Craigslist.  Pappy had already ordered 100 rolls of extra from this hay cutter because we knew we would need extra.  We decided we would get our hay from someone else.

 

Our oldest daughter made more jelly this morning.  I forgot how many jars she has now.  She is getting married next year, and plans to give away jelly as favors.  So she has been busy with this project.  Tonight we talked about other plans that need to be taken care of so she can have a farm wedding here.

 

our oldest daughter also took GrandBoy to school today.  That is a really big help to us when she does this.

 

Our middle daughter worked with her Dad again.  He appreciates her help during this busy season.

 

I noticed today that it won't be long till the cactus pears are ready to be harvested.  They are starting to turn a reddish purple.  We pick the cactus balls, and juice them.  The juice is healthy to drink, and makes beautiful jelly.

 

 

Maybe I'll get started tonight on stringing the hot pepper to dry.  We have ghost pepper from our farm.  My Mom gave them to us.  We have bull horn cayenne and jalapeno  from a neighbor.

 

I guess that is about it for today.  It was a beautiful day here, and I hate to see winter come.  Stop back by tomorrow to see us.  We'll be here!  Honey

 

 

 

Day 1: 31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

Day 1:  31 Days of a Farm Family's Life

 

Hi!  Welcome to our farm.  This month during the 31 day challenge, I plan to record our days here on our farm.  I have found there is a lot of interest in what we do all day, how we make this work, and whether or not you could make it work for your family.

 

 

When Pappy and I moved to the farm about 12 years ago, neither of us had ever lived on a farm.  Heck, I was a city girl.  But we learned this life, and you can, too.  We just wish we had made the move sooner.

 

So, this is what we did today to make our farm work for our family.

 

I get up each morning between 5:30 and 6:30.  I should get up at 5:30 every day, but since I don't go to bed early, that doesn't happen. The days I get up early, I get a lot done during the quiet hours.  Many days I don't see anyone else before I leave to go to work.  Today, Pappy got up shortly after I did.  I washed the morning dishes, checked in with my Hello Mornings Twitter group, read email and the Bible, then got ready to leave.  Besides getting dressed, I pack some snacks for my day at work.  I get out GrandBoy's clothes and shoes, and check his backpack for notes and papers to sign.  I set out his lunch, toothbrush, allergy medicine, and vitamin.  He only goes to preschool half a day, and he doesn't get up till I am gone.  I grab my purse and tote bag, make sure I have my glasses, phone, and keys, then I lock the door and am gone. I leave each day by 7:30.  On my way to work I listen to phone messages, return calls, and pray for my family.

 

I am self-employed.  I manage real estate and assist business owners with the running of their businesses.  I have one client that I work with each morning, and another regular client that I see two afternoons a week.  My morning client is from 8 to 2 each day. 

 

Pappy and I also have rental homes.  Since today is the last day of the month, I leave my office early so I can make sure everything is done for our properties.  I go to two post offices, and at least two banks.  I call anyone who still hasn't paid their rent for the month, and try to make an appointment to collect.  I go to our bank and make deposits of any rent I get so it will show up on our bank statement for that month.  Depending on how the month falls, I sometimes make a point to meet some of our tenants to start collecting the first of the month rent.  Our people who get a government check, sometimes get paid on the last day of the month.  When that happens, I make house calls to pick it up!  When I visited the post office, there was no rent in our boxes.  The days are always better when we have a few checks waiting there.

 

These days I pick up GrandBoy from school when I don't see an afternoon client.  I need to have a snack ready when he gets in the car, because he will be starving! 

 

 

When we got home today, GrandBoy and I checked the garden.  I gathered the last of the tomatoes.  The garden is pretty much done.  We may get a little okra or peppers, but that will be it.  We are never done with our garden till the first frost, but all the rain we had this year gave the garden a late start.  I'm trying to decide if I want to plant some lettuce, spinach, and maybe radish.  I love radish.  I checked the hens, but still no eggs.  It has been a week since we got eggs.  I guess that is caused by the cooler nights.  I hope the hens will start laying again for a while, but I will start buying eggs for the winter.

 

Today our oldest daughter took GrandBoy to school.  This allowed Pappy to get an early start on his day.  The days everyone is gone to work, Pappy doesn't get started on much till GrandBoy goes to school.  This morning the first thing Pappy did was feed the small animals around the house.   He fed the rabbits, pigeon, the kitten, and the turkeys.  Then he loaded his truck for the day.

 

He went down to our second daughter's home about two miles from here.  He planned to work on a sale building we moved down there to have yard sales in.  His plan was to put siding on the building and a floor in it so we can leave items set up inside.  He went to knock on the door of her home, and could hear water running from underneath the trailer.  So he crawled under the trailer, then found a water leak.  After that, he worked on the sale building for a few hours.

 

 

We rent pasture all over our county for our cattle.  Today Pappy had plans to go to the other side of the county and move hay.  He moved hay for three hours, till the hay spear broke on the tractor.  Then he took the hay spear to the welder to leave for repair,  so that hopefully he can pick it back up this week.  Then he bush hogged for two hours.  When it got dark, he came home.

 

One neighbor who shares a pasture with us told Pappy that he doesn't have time for cows any longer, so he is going to sell his.  Pappy planned which pastures we will use this winter, and where to move our cows.

 

This morning I started dinner by putting pintos in our crock pot. When we got home, I made stewed potatoes, fried apples, and corn bread with butter to finish our meal.  We drank tea or milk. 

 

After dinner, I picked up the kitchen and put the food away.  Then I cut up a basket of bell peppers that two friends shared with us last week.  I put 12 small bags of chopped bell peppers in one of our freezers to enjoy this winter.  Then I take the pepper seeds and tops out to the chickens.  The hot peppers will have to wait till tomorrow night.



Our oldest daughter canned about 12 small jelly jars of cactus pear jelly this morning.  This puts her total to 100 jars this summer.  Our second daughter shampooed the carpet in our office, after helping her dad work on the sale building.  We have a yard sale planned for this weekend.

Pappy and I sat in the office and listened to Fox News, to check on the status of the government shut down.  Our oldest daughter came in from work a while ago, and fixed herself a dinner plate.  Everyone else is now in bed.  When I finish this blog post, I will be getting a bath.  Afterwards, I'll walk through the house, gathering dirty cups for the sink, and collecting GrandBoy's scattered clothes from around the house.  He changes clothes several times a day!  I will try to corral the toys into piles, so he can pick them up tomorrow. 

I believe that about covers today.  Check back tomorrow to see what a new day brings.  We enjoyed your visit, and can't wait to see you again!  Honey

31 Days of A Farm Family's Life starts Tuesday Oct 1st!

 

31 Days of A Farm Family's Life

 

 

Many of you may remember that during the month of October many bloggers link up to The Nester's blog for "31 Days of ....".  This will be my third year, I believe.  I am using this event as an excuse to start writing again.

The year of 2013 has not been what we expected.  Many family events have distracted us from the life we usually lead and share here.  Hopefully, by the first of the year, we will be back where we need to be, and on track to the quiet, busy life we enjoy.

So, I hope you check back with me Tuesday, and each day during the month of October.  This year I plan to write about what we do each day to sustain our life on this farm.  A Diary, of sorts.  We live a very natural, simple type of life.  We are very "do it yourself" kind of people.   I look forward to sharing each day with you.

I'm looking forward to getting started!  Hope you'll stick with me, and forgive me for being gone so long!

UPDATE:  Each day with be posted separately. Please scroll down to the appropriate day.

Description:

DAY 1:  Pappy moved hay, daughter made jelly, I chopped peppers for freezer, picked the garden, and fed the chickens.

DAY 2:  Goats get out, goats get out, goats get out, goats get out.  Yes, four times, at two different pastures!  Lost $200 roll of field fence, Jelly making.  Hay cutter quits.



Honey

New Year, New Beginning - 2013

Happy New Year!  I've been away awhile.  I feel like I say that often.  It has been about eight weeks since I've published anything.  There have been a lot of reasons for this.  I was having a problem with worrying about my family, and being sad about things I can't change.  A lot of changes were going on in our home.  That means a lot of adjustment going on that affects everyone involved.  I have come to the conclusion that it does no good to think about how things were, and try to get back to that point.  Especially when you have grown children.  So I have realized that I need to just start where I am, and go forward.  And that is what I am going to do.  As children leave home, Husband and Wife need to pull together to fill in the gaps and make sure to think of the other.  I'm planning to try to be a better wife.  There is just not enough of Husband and I to do all the things that the five of us used to do.  But we are learning. 

So I am here again, starting over as I seem to do each New Year.  I hope I do a better job this year of being dedicated to this project that really does mean a lot to me.  Maybe it also means a lot to some of you.

We spent the first day of the year entertaining friends for New Year's Lunch.  Which stretched into an all day football fest.  We had the normal Southern fare:  black eyed peas, turnip greens, corn bread, rolls, ham, macaroni salad, chow chow, and cranberry relish.  Our friends brought a triple chocolate cake and pumpkin bread for desert.  Everything was good and we enjoyed the company.

We recently went away for a couple of days.  We left Christmas Day and returned the 27th of December.  This trip was to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary!  We went to a state park close by and had a wonderful time.  When we returned home, we were welcomed by new baby twin goats.  They are up and about, and look great.  We were a little surprised when we hadn't had any goats and lambs before Christmas.  I guess that will start again now.  I'll keep you posted.

We applied for a grant to have water run back to our property.  We will find our soon if we will qualify for any funds.  We applied for two pastures, the one where we live, and another in this county we rent.  We hope this works out well for us and would be a big blessing for us.  Currently I am boiling our drinking water to suppliment what I buy.

The chicks we got for Easter have started laying.  So this is a big help since some varmint got our layers late last summer.  Even in the recent temperature change we are still getting an egg or two a day.  We like our eggs and are egg snobs since having our own.

We recently bottled our strawberry wine.  We bottled two gallons in individual bottles this week.  This is the first year we have tried making strawberry, and we are pleased with how it turned out.

I have put some turnip greens in the freezer since Thanksgiving, and our neighbor brought more yesterday.  I had started making my list of items I need to restock this year.  The most important items are carrots and Lima beans to can, and green peas for the freezer.  Well, last night I was at the grocery, and they had 2 lb bags of green giant carrots in the produce department marked down to .69!  I got four bags to can.  GrandBoy loves carrots and we all eat them a lot.  So I will be doing that this week.  I also picked up some cabbage to put in the freezer.  In the meat department, I got one turkey marked .99 a lb.  If they get marked down again this week, I want to get a couple more.  I'm going to cook them, them can the meat.  I also got two hams marked down.  We ate one today, and I froze the other.  And I got 3 lbs of ground beef marked down to $2.00.  That is less than $1.00 a pound!  We don't typically buy beef because we have our own cows, but we are getting low on ground beef, and at that price, I couldn't leave it at the store.  So that is my restocking plan for this week. 

I'm working on my resolutions, and trying to plan our year.  I'm trying to get more things on our calendar, so I don't have to try to remember it in my head.  I'm getting too old to carry so much around in my head.

One other thing I wanted to share with you since I've been gone.  GrandBoy has started school.  There is a preschool program in our community school, and he was able to go.  Instead of wearing Halloween costumes, the children dressed as story book characters.  Well, GrandBoy is all about tractors and anything John Deere.  He plans to be a "tractor man" when he grows up.  So his Aunt Yay Yay made him a tractor costume (there are John Deere storey books - really there are!).  His costume was a big hit, and he was so proud!  His Aunt was offered cash for the costume by a couple of families after the costume parade.  But she told them she didn't think her nephew would let her sell it! 

GrandBoy in his tractor costumeduring the costume parade!

Well, I guess that is enough catching up for today.  Hope you all had a great New Year, and will have a wonderful finish to this week.  Honey

Day 29 The First Freeze

31 Days of Homestead Living!

Hello friends.  I have failed at this idea to post once a day for 31 days.  Sometimes life gets in the way, and that has happened to me.  But I have enjoyed posting again, and so I will get started for today. 

Last night we were expecting the first frost of the season.  When that happens, there are lots of things I need to do.  Of course, my husband makes sure the water won't freeze.  Some places on the farm, the water will need to be cut off until the freeze time is over.  He also winterizes the rental houses.  Puts antifreeze in the toilets, and runs the water out of the faucets.

The first thing on my list, was to go to the store to buy antifreeze.  I paid almost $50 for 4 gallons.  I got three that were 100% strength at $13 each, and one that was diluted for $10.  I don't know how I got that one.  I specifically wanted the full strength ones because it seemed like a better buy to me.  But it made its way home with me anyway.  I also got gloves for GrandBoy.  You  know, you never have too many pairs, and I didn't want to stay up half the night looking for his.

Next we (GrandBoy and I), went to the garden.  We picked all the green tomatoes, the peppers, and anything else that was still hanging around.  I also picked a few cactus balls that were left over.  I think Husband must have missed this cactus because it was up by the house, and he picked all the ones out by the barn.  We cut the flowers that are still blooming.  The roses especially.  I can't stand to leave them out there to ruin.  We move all the potted house plants into the green house.  Most years I cut the rose hips, and pick up the dogwood berries, but I didn't have time this year. 

But the freeze missed us so far.  Shouldn't happen before the weekend, so I still have time to gather some more.

We also spent time covering some of the windows, and putting rugs in front of the doors.  In the South, most of the year we keep our homes open.  We spend so much time outdoors.  But when it gets cold, I want everything to be warm and snug. 

I get the table clothes off the outdoor tables, and put up the cushions on the lawn furniture.  I move the good floor pots I don't want to freeze and crack.  I put them in the green house.  I get all the clothes pins off the line, so they won't get black with mildew over the winter. 

We pick up GrandBoy's toys and store them till the next warm day he will drag them back out again.  I guess that about covers it.  How we get ready for winter.  We will do more preparation when we expect the first hard freeze, but for now this will get us started.  What do you do to get ready for winter?

Day 23 - Predators (No, not the fly kind!)

31 Days of Homestead Living!

Today I am going to talk to you about predators.  No, not the fly kind I told you about the other day.  Every year we have a predator problem on the farm, and it's usually not the same two years in a row.  This year the problem has been with something getting our chickens and other small animals.  It's gotten rabbits, chickens, ducks, a kitten, all kinds of things.  We still aren't certain what it is.  All we know is that it puts its "hands" in the cages to hold still the animal it targets.  It eats as much as it wants, and leaves.  The chickens' heads will be gone.  A rabbit had it's head skinned.  The animal is probably some sort of cat or a raccoon.  But a neighbor told us there are weasels around here, so I guess that is what it sounded like to her.  It's smart, too.  It can get an animal used as bait, out of the trap, without getting caught in the trap itself.  We have hardly any chickens left.  And none will lay eggs.  I don't know if that's due to the season change, or some type of fear reaction.  I definitely need to get new chickens in the spring.  Husband has varmint-proofed the chicken house, and we haven't had a problem in a few weeks.  Just no eggs.

Some of our laying hens

Young rabbits

One year, something got every baby goat we had, in a week's time!  I came home from work, and my husband said, "Please tell me you sold all the baby goats and forgot to tell me!"  I, of course, had not.  We lost the whole goat crop.  That predator was a coyote.  At the time, our large male dog had died, and we didn't have a dog around the farm.  So we got a puppy to raise up for the next year.  We also put out hair trimmings all around our fences.  We got these at barber and beauty shops.  One beautician trimmed her dogs and put those scraps in the bags, also.  This puts out scent, that the animal will avoid.  Now, we try to keep the baby goats and their mothers put up for a week or so until the kids gets a little bigger and more active.  And we keep them up at night for a while.

GrandBoy carrying a baby goat just born

More baby goats

For a while we had something that would bite all the ducks' heads off.  It was a large turtle.  My husband finally caught it in our pond, in a trap.  That incident was very upsetting to the children, to say the least. NOTE:  I read this to my husband, and he said this story is not true.  He did catch a turtle, but a racoon was biting the ducks' heads off.   

When we first moved here, one of our daughters had a pet duck named Feather.  Well one day that daughter came running into the house, telling me that her duck was flopping around in the water.  So here I go, running down the hill toward the pond to save a duck.  I thought that the turtle had Feather by the foot or something and was trying to pull her under.  Instead, the duck was having seizures.  We believe it was bitten by a snake.  So I wrapped Feather in a towel and brought her in the house.  We put her in our bathtub.  Daughter wanted to stay with her, so she slept on the floor, and I sat up with the two of them.  The duck passed away during the night and daughter was sad.  Those things happen when you live on a farm.  A friend's wife, who is a big animal lover, got mad one time when we didn't take an animal to the vet, in an instance similar to this.  Husband tried to tell her that these are farm animals, not pets, and we can't run up a huge vet bill over a $15 animal.  She never got it.

One of the oddest predators we ever had was a horse.  He was a certified mustang.  We couldn't keep him with anything except cows, and no little calves in his pasture, or he would kill them.  Well, we got a female horse as a companion for him, and she had a baby.  We wouldn't let him be with the baby.  We noticed, also, that the mother horse always tried to stay between her baby and the mustang.  But other farm people, who had been farming forever, thought we were crazy.  They said, "He ain't going to hurt that baby!  He knows it's his!".  Well, we quit guarding them, and put them back together.  Within about a week, the baby was dead.  She died in the night, before she was two weeks old.  Husband woke up, and felt he needed to check on things.  He found her body in the pond, and the mother horse wouldn't leave her.  We sold the mustang.  We had an ad in the paper for the mustang and another horse.  An old horse farmer from the community came by.  He said, "I don't want no mustang, but I'll buy that quarter horse there!"  I said, "That quarter horse IS the mustang!".  He was really a beautiful horse.  The farmer told me "a mustang will wait thirty years to hurt you".  I guess he was right.  In defence of the mustang; before we got him, he was on a stake, tied up on the side of a mountain.  I think he remembered that and wanted his own space.  Well, we don't have enough land so the horse can have his 15 acres to himself!  Or maybe the horse was just mean.

You can't put Jack donkeys in a pasture to guard the animals.  He will kill the babies, and run the animals sometimes.  We didn't know this, until we experienced problems, and then we read up about it.  Now we only use females to guard our herds.  Also, some people put a pair of donkeys in a pasture, to be company for each other.  Well, two of anything is a herd of its own, and it will be less likely to protect your herd if there is a problem.  Just use one Jenny, and she will make friends with your herd and everything will be fine.

Some years we have lost young calves, too.  No sign of them at all, just disappeared.  A professor at a local farm college told me that he had seen coyotes carry off calves.  Coyotes are a real problem around here.  At a pasture we rented this year, coyotes are a great big problem!  There has not been cows in that field in years, and it is very isolated.  The coyotes are so bad there, that the two cows and donkeys we put in to test the fence, busted out, and ran off.  Cows will get out, but they don't usually run off.  We have a photo of our cows at the local downtown restaurant.  They were out for about a week, and one cow turned crazy and had to be taken to the sale.  Hope we never have that happen again.

UPDATE to this story:  Husband said I forgot to tell you about the real Predator in this previous story.  The animal control man.  He was called by a neighbor when the cows were out, and began to chase them.  He chased them for six hours, and never caught them.  That is why the previously-good cow went crazy.  Oh, what a day that was.

nursing calf

Dogs can be a problem also.  They will chase animals until they can't run any more, then kill them.  That is why a lot of farmers carry guns. 

Owls are bad news on a farm.  They will kill and eat a lot of rodents, but they sometimes go after chickens and such also.  Husband killed one here in our hen house.  It was huge.  Its wing span was unbelievable.  His feet are still outside in our General Store. 

The last predator I am going to tell you about today is a hawk.  They will fly over, pick up small animals, and carry them off.  One day, I was in the yard.  I love Silkie chickens.  They are a "fancy" type of small chicken, and I think they are so pretty.  We keep ours in a separate pin, because they are smaller than regular chickens, and kind of delicate.  Well, I heard a ruckus in the silkie pin.  I headed that way, and I see a bird has swooped inside the pen somehow, and has a hold of a silkie.  The hawk is slinging my silkie around, banging it on the ground, and the silkie is screaming.  I take off running toward the pen (I really don't run as much as this article makes me sound).  In my head, I'm thinking,  "I really need a gun".  I yell, but all my children are inside and no one hears me, so it is me against the hawk.  I pick up a stick and get to the cage.  I beat on the pen and went to open the door.  The hawk let go of the chicken and flew out a hole in the roof.  I was so glad that he left, and my chicken was OK.  She just got up, shook herself off, and clucked to herself for a while. This is the reason people cover their chicken yards with netting or screen, so the hawks don't pick up the chickens or their baby chicks.  My husband said he would have paid a lot of money to see that event.

Well, I guess that is all the predator tales I can think of at the moment.  I read this to my oldest daughter, and she couldn't remember some of these stories.  She now wishes she doesn't remember the horse story!  Check back tomorrow and we'll think of something else to talk about.  Honey

Day 22 Donkeys

31 Days of Homestead Living!

Hello friends!  I have been unavailable for a few days.  Computer trouble.  But I hope that is all behind me now.  I was going to write about donkeys Saturday, so that is what I will do today.

My husband told me he wanted me to find a black male donkey to breed our Jennys to.  I put a notice on Craigslist, and you can imagine some of the responses!  But I got one email from a town about an hour from here.  They said they had one, free.  So my husband went to pick it up.  He got there, and there were two men there, and neither seemed to know how to catch the donkey!  There were also a mother and baby donkey.  My husband asked for a price, and that was not an easy decision to come to, either.  Finally they said they would take $150 for the two females.  We usually only pay $50 or less for a donkey, so since we were actually getting 3 for $150, my husband said he would do that.  They eventually got all three donkeys loaded and husband and his friend started for home.  The male donkey was dropped off at the pasture where our females were residing.  The older black female, turns out to be the male's mother, so they don't need to breed.  She and her daughter were brought here to our farm.  GrandBoy thinks she is so cute, and calls her his pony.  He wants to ride her.  We keep telling him he has to have patience.

On the farm we use donkeys to guard the animals.  But males can't be used with the herds, because they will chase and hurt the animals.  They are likely to kill the baby animals.  These new Jennys will be put with the sheep, goats, or cattle at different pastures.  The male will be sold or given away after his services are no longer needed!

 Honey

Day 19 Wine Making

31 Days of Homestead Living!

Each year about this time we make wine with the juice we have produced during the year.  In years past we have made Blackberry, Grape, Peach, and Fruit Mixes.  I started out several years ago using the Welch's Concentrate Wine recipe on the web.  Since then, we have started to use our own fruit juices, but I still basically follow that recipe.

My recipe:  (CORRECTED TWICE)

11.5 ounces of grape or blackberry juice
Add:
4 - 5 cups of sugar (depending on how strong you want it)
1/2 tsp dry yeast

Add enough water to dissolve sugar and yeast.
Put in Gallon jug and finish filling with water to about 1 inch from the top.

Put a heavy large balloon or surgical glove on fastened at top of jug with a rubber band

Set in warm place for about 6 weeks.  When balloon or glove goes down your wine is ready.  Wine should be checked each day, because sometimes the balloon bursts or comes off, and you have to get another one on quickly so the wine will make.  We usually put our wine in regular size bottles once done.  Everyone loves this.

Next weekend is the time we will probably be ready to bottle our wine.  Right now we have 11 gallons making ready.  After we bottle ours we usually wait a month or longer to drink any.  The longer you wait, the better it will be.

Good luck with your wine making!  Honey

Day 18 Pest Control

31 Days of Homestead Living!

Pest Control - Where do I start?  When you live on a farm, in the middle of 100 acres of cotton, there will be pests.  Some are not as bad as others.  Some you really don't want to think about. 

I recently decided to try hedge apples to deter pests such as bugs and spiders in my home.  I was told by a friend that you place them around your home, and the bugs don't like them and stay away or leave.  She cut her hedge apples into quarters and placed them in saucers, one in each corner of the room.  I wanted to put them in our basement mainly for crickets, and such.  I was planning to stop on the side of  local highway to pick some up.  I was in the process of trying to decide how many I should get, and what day to go when GrandBoy wouldn't be with me.  I didn't want to take GrandBoy because I would have to keep one hand on him, and try to pick up hedge apples with the other.  I guess this sounded like a dangerous trip to my husband, Pappy, so he surprised me with a bucket of them the next day!  I'll let you know in the spring if I notice any difference.

A problem I am having right now is with gnats!  I have never had a problem like this before.  I have tried making fly traps with vinegar, rotting fruit, paper funnels, and nothing works.  I have used these methods in the past and always had success!  I tried spraying them with hairspray (I heard they won't be able to fly, and would die),  but it didn't make a difference.  I searched and searched last week end, and finally found what was attracting them.  Rotten potatoes!  So I got rid of those.  I've never had that happen before in almost 30 years of marriage, either.  I guess you could say I've been a little distracted!  So I hope in the next week or so, the gnats that are here will die, if they are able to outlive my fly swatter!  If anyone has any idea to get rid of these pests, please let me know.

In early spring we always have ants come in the kitchen window, and sometimes the bathroom, too.  Those windows are on the same wall of the house.  The pest control man told me that ants will travel a long way to come in your house.  People put poison around their homes, but the ant hill may be a ways away.  So I try to put ant bait in the window sill.  We pour boiling water on the hills as we discover them around the house.  The best luck I have in killing them inside is to spray them with just anything.  Febreeze type product, glass cleaner, maybe water would do.  I haven't tried that yet.  But when I spray them, they die instantly.  I have a cleaning bottle marked "ant spray" in my kitchen, so no one will carry it off and clean with it.  It sits on the counter of the kitchen when we have the ant problem.

I buy all the rubber toy snakes I see at yard sales and thrift stores.  We put them on the car port, deck, and sun porch to keep the chickens and other birds from pooping where we spend time.  These rubber snakes also frighten the repair men who aren't expecting to see them!  Well, at the start of this summer, I started out the kitchen door and headed toward the dove cage.  A real, live snake was laying on the concrete.  It was striped and as long as my arm. The snake saw me and turned and started toward me.  I turned and started back toward the house for a broom or something.  I glanced back over my shoulder and the snake had turned away and was headed toward the cage again.  I couldn't see where it went.  I never found it.  GrandBoy found a green snake wound up in the screen door last week!  He started to grab it by the tail, but his Aunt yelled at him to stop!  They caught it and put it in a juice bottle to look at.  We usually don't have many snakes, because the chickens and guineas will eat them.  But snakes are good for killing mice and rats.

Speaking of mice and rats.  They have been bad, this year, too.  We see them in the yard, out in the open.  They are in the chicken and rabbit houses, and anywhere we store grain.  I think it is because we had such a mild winter.  But we also didn't have a cat this year.  Well, now we have two barn cats, and they are hunters.  So hopefully next year the mice will be history!  Just this week, I was expecting a gentleman to do some work at our home.  I went downstairs to our daughter's room, and there was a mouse.  I couldn't be sure if it was real or not, because it just sat there and looked at me.  I moved very slowly and grabbed a coffee cup.  I turned it upside down over the mouse, and he started to cry.  His tail was caught, but I didn't care!  I called my husband to remove it from the house before the repair man arrived.  Shew!  That was close.

The first year we lived here, my husband worked nights and I was home alone with the children in the evenings.  At that time we had one or two gopher rats!  They would only come out (or inside I guess) late at night.  A few times I would look down the hall and see one in the kitchen.  About the size of a miniature dog.  Once it stood on its back legs slowly and looked at me down the hall.  Pappy asked me what I did, and I said, "Nothing!  I stood and watched it to make sure it stayed down there!"  My husband said it sounded like it was old, since it moved so slowly.  One time I came in the kitchen, and there was one on the kitchen table eating an apple from the fruit bowl, like corn on the cob!  Husband looked around the outside of the farm house, and found an opening where the dryer ductwork vented to the outside.  He sealed that up, and we haven't had one since.  I'm glad they were outside when we sealed the hole!

When you live around livestock, flies are always a problem in the warmer months.  A few years ago, we found a product called "Predators".  Every few weeks, we get a box at the post office.  In it, is a zip lock bag with saw dust, and a bunch of black specks.  When we notice the specks starting to move, it is time to set the bag outside and open it up.  The black bugs, called Predators, eat flies.  We have found such a difference since we started using this product.  I don't know what kind of insect they are really, but they are great.  Each year we order more than the previous year.  I guess because we have more livestock.  The company said we needed to go two more cycles this fall, but we thought we had done enough and stopped.  Maybe that is why we have a gnat problem!  I believe we pay about $18 a shipment for Predators, and they are worth every penny!  Another thing we have tried with the flies are hanging zip lock bags with water near the doors.  I guess maybe some of you have seen these hanging outside country restaurants!  Some people think you should place a penny in the bag to reflect the light.  We stopped doing the bags since we have our Predators.  The Predators were originally used at horse farms, but now a lot of farms use them.  I would recommend them for anyone who wants to get rid of flies, farm or not.

Something else we have noticed a problem with this year is moles.  We never had them at this house before last year.  They dig tunnels in our yard.  My husband has set traps for them, but I don't know if he has caught any.  I also purchase some pellets for them that you pour down the hole.  The neighbors have had them for a while, so I guess it was inevitable they would come.

A different kind of pest we have from time to time is a crane visiting our pond.  My husband hates cranes because they eat our catfish!  But it is a federal lawn that you can't harm them.  So I ordered a metal crane decoy that stands on our dock to scare them away.  Now the crane just stays on the far side of the pond.  Mental note:  Buy another crane decoy.

I've talked about so many pest problems I bet some of you never move to a farm!  I just remembered I have a book my mama bought me a few years ago about homemade remedies for pests, made from pantry items.  I think I'll go look and see if they know how to get rid of gnats!  Honey

Day 17 Harvesting Cactus

31 Days of Homestead Living!

This time of year, we pick our cactus balls.  I believe they are really called cactus pears.  When the pears turn dark purple they are ready to harvest and use.  In the past, I juiced them on my stove.  This involves making a juicer from several bowls and a double boiler.  This year, I think I will simmer them on the stove to soften them up.  Then my husband can juice them in our fruit juicer on the carport.  Husband thinks they are too big and tough to juice that way from the start.

GrandBoy helping make juice

Then I can the juice.  This juice is very bright red and pretty.  We drink it.  It is suppose to be great and helps with many health problems, including joint pain.  Another thing we have done is use the juice to make jelly.  I heard that this is good to do for Christmas gifts because the color is so pretty and holidayish.  I have heard of people making wine with the juice.  I won't be surprised if my Husband tries this, too.

The leaves of the cactus are also edible.  These are called paddles.  I can't seem to find out how to process them or use them in recipes.  So I haven't done anything with ours before.  I understand they are cooked somewhat like green beans.  Sliced and diced into smaller pieces.  But they can be slimy like okra, so you have to know how to prepare them.  One day I will find someone who knows what to do, and I will learn.

Now that I think about it, I think the blooms are edible, too.  So I guess just about all the cactus parts are edible.  The blooms can be fried and used in other dishes.

Cattle also like cactus.  If I don't plan to do anything with our cactus pears, we dump them out in the pasture for the cows.  We will also see the cows nibble the paddles, if there are any within reach! 

So now you have a quick tutorial in using cactus to feed your family.  I often see big cactus patches in someone's yard, and am tempted to stop and ask if I can pick the pears.  I haven't done that yet, though.  But you can usually get cactus to plant in your yard for free.  And I hate to waste items I can use to feed my family for free.  We also have some cactus that is spineless.  We would like to get more of this growing and phase out the other type of cactus. 

In case you were wondering, you pick the cactus pears with some sort of long tool, and you probably should wear gloves.  I use long bar b q tongs.  Then you singe the spines off  the cactus pears.  At this point you would be ready to juice them.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.  Honey 

Day 16 - Growing Vegetables in Winter

31 Days of Homestead Living!

Today I want to talk to you about continuing your gardening season into the winter months.  About two years ago, my husband built us a greenhouse.  It has a gas heater inside, and I can move my house plants in there over the winter.  My houseplants spend the summer outside in the rock garden.  They used to winter in front of the french doors in the den.  But then GrandBoy came along, and that plan didn't work anymore.  Then I moved them to the bathroom.  That worked OK, but it was like a jungle in there.

We love the greenhouse.  Last year we tried planting some onions and garlic in their in the spring, and it did well.  This year, just before the Co-op stopped selling garden plants, I bought two tomato plants.  We love fresh tomatoes, and I decided to see if I could plant these in the green house and have a few tomatoes over the winter.  We don't need a lot over the winter months, but one or two a week for sandwiches and salads would be great!  Husband planted them for me, so I will keep you posted on that project. 

I also want to plant some lettuce, spinach, and maybe pots of herbs.  I'm going to move some of the Stevia in there.  Probably will do a few onions.  I'd like some radish, too.  I love radishes!  I looked through my seed stash and found some cabbage, swiss chard, and broccoli.  Those might be good to try so they would be ready in the spring.  I bought some pete pots, about 30, at another rummage sale this summer.  So I'll use those to get started.  I'll let you know if the greenhouse idea works for growing vegetables, not just starting seedlings.

Our greenhouse, under construction!

Another way you can grow some greens this winter is with sprouts.  There are several different seeds you can use to grow sprouts.  I have broccoli and radish seeds to sprout.  I purchased mine at the health food store.  We use the sprouts in salads, sandwiches, and maybe in scrambled eggs.  We like them.  Maybe you would, too.  You can purchase a fancy set up to grow sprouts, or you can use a quart canning jar or two.  We use canning jars.  At a rummage sale this summer, I picked up a set of special lids to use with canning jars to grow sprouts.  I'm going to try it out and see if I like it better than the net and canning ring I use currently.  I normally don't do much sprouting during the summer months.  There are other greens we can use in our diet.  But I always turn to sprouts in the fall and winter months.

I have read recently about other vegetables and fruits you can grow from your kitchen.  I would like to try some of these ideas.  I believe that green onions and celery are on the list.  also some pineapple and avocado.  I don't know if avocado will make fruit, or just a decorative plant.  I'm going to look over this and try some this fall.

These are just a few ideas that I am looking into.  I would like to be able to skip the salad items in the produce section of my grocery store this winter.  Local is always better to me, and free is best of all!  Let me know if you have tried any of these ideas.  I look forward to hearing your stories.  Honey