Monday, June 10, 2013

Just another manic Monday

 I love that song. And I love Mondays. Always have. I had a productive day. I made privet jelly. 15 half pint jars. I had picked the flowers and made the juice a week ago. Finally got around to make the jelly today. It smells just like the flowers and tastes really good. I am pleased with it. Now I am wondering if people who have allergies from privet should eat this jelly?

I made 33 of the smallest canning jars of plantain salve yesterday. I made it in the crock pot. It all turned out really nice and solid. I really love this salve. It's great for all kinds of bug and any bites and bee stings and itches. Also great to put on tick bites. Good stuff.





And a few weeks ago I had infused plantain leaves in olive oil to use in a castille soap. Which I finally made today.It's so pretty and white with a hint of green. This will take 8 weeks to cure/ I like castille soap. It's rich and creamy.


Here is the soap I made with the lard from pigs I raised. It's a summer citrus scent with orange, lemon and lime EO's and orange zest. It smells amazing!


I made just 4 bars of Sandalwood for my friend who disbuds my goat kids.



Here's Heather and Kansas, on the lawn, having a nice little relaxing time together under the shade tree.


I always wanted Red bud trees here. This is the biggest tree and there is another little tiny one in my rock garden. I got them from my mom's yard. I need more.


I also mowed most of the yard and front by the road. And washed a load of clothes and hung them out on the lines. My favorite thing to do is wash my sheets and hang them out on a sunny day. Then when I get in bed, it's the most wonderful smell and I sleep like a baby!

The lady who wanted Ella Belle has decided to not get her. I am a little upset, but I'll try to put them all on CL. And my friend who was supposed to get the pigs didn't come this morning. It was raining. So I  hope he comes tomorrow. And I had a call from some strange person about the chickens. I was just going out to check the bees and had the smoker going and my mom was just leaving and hit the fence. And I, like a dummy, answer my stupid phone. And I couldn't understand them so I told them to call back later. They were asking all kinds of stupid questions. They did call back but I didn't answer the phone. Please tell me I am not the only one who has done this? I will not sell any animals to people who don't know anything about them. Like how big does a Cornish Cross meat bird get? Come on.

I had a call Saturday from a lady who said her daughter wanted a lamb. I knew right away I would never sell her A lamb. I told her sheep like to be with other sheep and she'd need more than 1. She said that would be fine. And did she want a hair sheep or a wool sheep? She said it didn't seem that hard to cut the wool off a sheep. No, I will not sell anything to her either. Sorry. It takes all kinds, I suppose.

I was going to make elderberry jelly too. But when I went out to pick the flowers, they weren't all the way opened. So I'll wait til they are all the way opened to make the juice for jelly. That should be really good.

I am reading an old book that I read several years ago, about bees. It's called The Keeper Of the Bees by Stratton Porter. It was written in 1925. I love old books. The smell is so cool. And there are several references to real bee keepers who wrote books, like Pliney and Huber. Love this book. And now that I have bees, I am reading it again.

So just another Monday. What have you all done today?

(By the way, all the jelly, salve and soap are for sale. If you'd like anything, let me know.)


5 comments:

Sandra said...

Wow, you have been busy.
I do not do well on Mondays. Hardest day of the week for me.
The soap looks wonderful! I love citrus smells :)

Tombstone Livestock said...

I hear you on not answering the phone on a call back. What REALLY irritates me is when people pull up to my gate (locked on purpose) and either sit there and honk their horn or climb over my gate because they want to buy a lamb. There is now a sign out there saying these sheep and goats are not for sale, can they read, NO.
Just because I have at times 50 to 100 animals does not mean I will sell to anyone that drives up. Nothing like being in the shower and having some idiot at your gate thinking you are here just for them. Even if I agree to sell them one they always want one that is not for sale, like big fat pregnant ewe, oh wow look at all the meat on that one. Good luck.

An At Home Daughter said...

Oh boy, do I have a problem with the craigslist phone calls. I have gotten the prank calls were they use the google phone service to call from India only to ask a long list of very stupid questions, and then say something shockingly perverse about my animals! After the second time it happened I looked the phone # up and found out this is common. So I removed my # off the ads.I guess that is why people mix up their phone number in words and digits. Maybe they use a computer program to pull up the numbers out of the ads. I've had lots of people want to buy a single goat from me, for a pet for their kids. I can't count the number of people I have had to tell that if they don't already have goats that they have to buy at least two or I wont sell to them. They try to tell me they had a single goat in the past and it was perfectly fine. They just make me more irratated.
Its not all bad though I have met some really nice, like minded people when selling animals. It's unfortunate that the nuts out weight the sane.

Since I started stating after the price in the ad, that the price is FIRM. That problem went away. Sometimes we do sell young bucks for meat, but I get really mad when they want to buy my nice does for meat, especially if I stated in the ad that they are not for meat, and they think they are going to convince me that they want the animal for their child, and its bull.

Im going to stop ranting now. I have been dreading the fact that I have to start selling goats soon. Uhhh.

Kimberly

Kristin said...

How did you manage to get all that done? You make me feel like such a slacker, of course it was pouring here all day yesterday, so there wasn't much I could get done.

You make the coolest jellies too. I would never have thought to make some of those kinds. I'm a boring "strawberry" kind of girl.

Now you have me wanting to make more soap too!I bought some cedar oil this week. Citrus sounds so good. I may have to stop by the health food store for some. I need to go anyway for more citric acid.

I totally agree with not selling animals to people who aren't serious. I know that they have to start somewhere though- I may have my doelings sold to first time goat owners. But not knowing that sheep need company....come on.

Abby said...

I like the pic of Heather and Kansas