This garden

The garden this year is nothing like I have ever experienced. I actually got it started back in the middle of March with potatoes, collards, kales, radishes, beets and lettuces. We had SO much rain in between. Then heat. Then freezing cold. Then just plain ole cold. All the poor little plants didn't know what to do. Then we had floods. And most everything was washed away. All my good soil too. So this is what it looks like today, June 5th 2013.

These tomatoes are looking really good. I did have to replant most of them. I just tied them to the stakes awhile ago. And weeded. There are some tomatoes on some of them. And I have basil in between them too.

This row really took a beating the last flood we had. I had all kinds of squash and zuc seeds and plants and cucumber seeds too. Most of them were all washed away along with the soil. But the ones left are doing good. I did put Epsom salts on each plant too. I think that's helped them.

These are the cucumbers already trying to climb the fence. There are little tiny cucumbers on them!

Looks like just a bunch of dirt, but there are field peas and beans coming up in these rows.

And some potatoes came up. I am planting squash and zuc seeds in the spaces where nothing came up. Here are some potato flowers. And a bad bug.

There are some eggplants in the mulch here. I just gave them some fish emulsion so I hope that helps them. I also have several coming up from seeds in a flat that I had ordered from Johnney's.

Here is where I just pulled up all the big tall radishes that did nothing. I'll plant something else here now. Just got to figure out what. The cabbages I planted back in March to the left are finally starting to grow. The beets in the middle are too.

This is the collard and kale rows. Just sitting there, doing nothing. I have picked some kale a few weeks ago. They are under a pecan tree and I planted too close together. They need more sun. I did plant more kale over to the right, in the full sun. It's all coming up, doing pretty good. Now we just need a little rain.

Here are some field peas popping up in the very sorry soil I have here. But they don't seem to mind. I can't wait for some good ole field peas and rice! My favorite meal.

So, there is my pitiful looking garden. I was almost ashamed to post pictures. I have never had to replant before. I would have had bean flowers blooming by now and I'd be picking loads of green beans in a few weeks. But not this year. This fall, I will be planting clover as a cover crop. It really needs it.

How does your garden grow? Any luck? Have you harvested anything yet? I would love to see your gardens too. And hear how they are doing so far.

Ticks!

Last night, I felt an itch on my back. I felt a little tiny bump and thought it might be a little seed tick like we found on Kansas the other day. But it wasn't. This morning, this is what I pulled off my back. Yuck!!! It's not one of the regular ticks I see a lot but one of the ticks I see on dogs that get huge. And it was on my back! So disgusting. I had made a plantain salve last year so put some of that on the spot. It helps with itching and healing. I need to make some more because I use it a lot. I also found a recipe for a tick repellent that I will be spraying on me and Kansas when we go outside. I hate ticks!

I do believe this is going to be a bad tick year. I have found ticks on Sandy the goat too. She gets them around her face and on her ears. And I guess the dogs are full of them and they are in the house.

Anyone else seen ticks or had them on them already? What do you do to get them off? We usually put Vasalene (?) on them to suffocate them then pull them out. The little tiny seed tick on Kansas was on her leg where the crease is at the top of the leg. And they get behind an ear or knee. Be careful and check for ticks!

 I am loving my new mower. I can get this whole place mowed in no time now. And it all looks so good. It is really helping on saving a lot of time. I even mowed the back yard where John Henry lives most of the time. I wish I could get it out back in the goat yard now. I am still afraid to mow where it's a bit steep though. I just go up and down.

My brother is here from Colorado staying with our mother. Mom's brother and his wife came up yesterday from S. Ga. but had to go back home for a funeral tomorrow. So a short stay. But so good to see them. We cleaned out Mom's garage this afternoon. It looks so good. My brother's  going to put a garage door opener in for her. She'll be able to get her car inside now. It's amazing how much there is to do after a death. Phone calls. Changes. Cleaning. And tomorrow we will go to the funeral home to get Gary's ashes. The funeral home director is so nice. Very Southern. Calls everyone Honey and Sweetie and hugs us all and says how pretty we all are. He is a very nice person.

Anyway, it's been a very busy time. And now more birthdays. My oldest daughter, Heather, will be 34 tomorrow. I remember the day she was born like it just happened. I had no idea what was going on, being my first labor. I thought it would be horrible excruciating pain and it wasn't at all. I was in labor all night, then my water broke. So I called the doctor. He said I better get to the hospital as fast as I could. The whole way there I wanted to push so bad. Got in and was taken straight back to delivery and had her in just a few minutes after getting there. I was up and walking around within minutes. It was so easy. I never did understand why people said it would be so awful. So she was born the day before my birthday. She was my best birthday present ever. Happy birthday, Heather!! I love you.

Rendering lard

I put this bag of pig fat in the fridge a few days ago. So today had some time and rendered it down. I need to make more soap because I have only 2 bars with lard left.

I had 2 pots going, then went down to the one pot. I love how the house smells while doing this. Like uncured bacon.

I don't like cracklings so the dogs will get what's left. They love it.

And I got 4 1/2 quarts. It looks good. I like to cook with it too.

Has anyone else rendered lard before? What do you use it for?

Life goes on...

This has been the longest week. With 2 birthdays, my oldest grand daughter Chloe turned 14 Monday and my husband turned 65 Tuesday. And then my step dad Gary passed away early Tuesday morning. Normally, people are taken to a funeral home, then a viewing, then service, then burial. But with cremation, there is none of that, unless there's a memorial service.We're having that the last of June for family to be able to come from Colorado and S. Ga. So it's been a little strange, just being at Mom's for the past several days.  But the neighbors and friends and family here have been great. Mom's neighbor Gary has mowed her lawn. His wife Windy came over a few nights ago and talked with mom. And brought a cake. My SIL Jason mowed the yard last week. And he and Abby finished up the deck and got it all set up again. And Heather has been with her a few days helping her as well. Mom's friends Allison and Pearl, from where she worked,  brought over some chicken casserole, pasta salad, deviled eggs and a cake. It was SO good! Thank you all so much. I know it means so much to my mom. People have called and come by. We miss Gary so much. It's just empty without him there. I always feel like something's not right, then realize he's not here any more.

And other things are going on around here too. I got home Sunday after being at the hospital, and Annabelle had a little ewe lamb. She so cute. Mostly Finn. Annabelle's mother, Lucinda, was full Fin and the ram is mostly Finn. So I had to dock her little tail a few days ago. I decided to name her Buttercup, since she was born in the pasture full of them. Annabelle did great and is such a good mother. Her 1st lamb too. And Abraham is a good daddy.

                                                             Annabelle, the new mom.

Last night, I went out and put another box on top of the hive. The bees were all hanging out at the entrance a few days ago. I asked the guy I got them from about it and he said they were probably getting crowded and to put on the other box. So I did. They looked happy today.

A friend who lives up on the mountain past us called my husband today and said he'd heard that bears had gotten into some hives up the road from me and tore them all up. These hives are about 5 miles from here. That's pretty scary. I hope they don't come down here for my one little hive.

And these pigs! We moved them last week up to the creek bed. (That's a whole other blog post! You just can't make a pig do what a pig does not want to do!) I am hoping they will do some damage control here. This is where the river starts that washes down to my garden when it rains a lot. I hope the pigs will be able to damn it up or something. Make a pond? They've got one started. I had their water in a bucket in that tire back there. And every time I'd go back out, there the bucket would be, outside the tire and empty. So I took this rubber trough out there today. I hope this will work. Aren't they growing bigger? But not big enough yet.

Here's Sandy and her triplets. They are getting bigger every day. And so cute! I love them.

Also Monday, my husband went to Home Depot and found this big ole mower. I hated it at first. But now I kind of like it. I bush hogged the pasture next door. Yesterday at noon. With shorts on. And no sunscreen on my legs. Like a big dummy. It's hurts! But it did great. And will save us a lot of money by not having to find someone else to do it. I can do it when I need to now. See how Abby's legs are all out front? And this was her test drive. Almost ran over her dad! See him trying to get out of the way? It was too funny!

 And here's the birthday girl, Chloe. 14 years old now! I am an OLD lady, y'all. OLD! I remember when she was born. 5 weeks early. Had to be in the hospital 9 days. Then on a heart monitor the 1st 6 months of her life. And she just graduated from middle school today! She's now officially a 9th grader going to high school! WHAT?

Here is her sister, Coryn, graduating from 5th grade. Can't hardly see her. She's getting her certificate in the white shirt. My zoom doesn't work any more. So she's now officially a 6th grader going to middle school! WHAT? I am SO old now. I really feel old. How does this happen?

So life goes on some how, despite a death of a loved one. New life happens all over. People graduate. Pigs grow. People have birthdays. That's how it should be. And to know that one day soon, we will see our loved ones again! That makes it better.

Hello

I know it's been awhile since I last posted. It's been a pretty busy 3 weeks here. I really would like to say thank you so much to all of you who have sent good wishes and prayers for my step dad, Gary, and my mother. I am so thankful for all of you.

Gary has had a very rough 3 weeks. In the ICU for a long time. Up one day, back down the next. He was put in a private room last Monday. Stayed there 4 days. Then back in ICU again. Yesterday, the doctors were optimistic about his recovery. They were saying all they needed to do then was to get him to eating and moving again. Even mom went home early last night at 5. She's not ever done that. She called at 8:30 to check on him. The nurse said he was doing good.

Then at 1:00 AM a nurse called and said mom should get there as fast as possible. They only live a few blocks away. But she didn't make it in time. He passed away about 1:15 this morning. I went and stayed with her last night and have been there all day.

We had to go to the funeral home to finalize the arrangements. (Thank goodness, they had bought funeral insurance and had all the paperwork. We had just gone to a funeral home here last Thursday to give them all the paperwork.) He will be cremated and we'll have a memorial service sometime the end of June. My brother will be here from Colorado Saturday for a week. I'm so glad. Mom will be so happy to see him. He said he'll be helping her with everything that needs to be done there.   Then my sister and her 3 daughters will be here the end of June with my brother.

Mom and Gary were married 34 years. That's a long time. She's a strong woman but this will take a long time. One day at a time is the way we'll take it.

Please continue to pray for my mother. She will need prayer and strength to get through this time.

And I also wanted to say, that no matter how much a person irritates you or says something or does something that either hurts or makes you mad, just get over it and make amends. You just never know when something like this will happen. Then they're gone. Just like that. Gone. So please, go hug you mom or dad, sister or brother. And your children. Love one another. And be there for your family.

Thank you all again.

Dogs:3 Possums:0

 Bubba and Stella, the hunters. A possum in my milk room! Not any more. And all my little meat chicks in the yard behind them, free ranging.

Stella looks like she is proud of her self. Not many creatures leave this farm the way they came in, thanks to Bubba and Stella. They take care of their farm. They aren't afraid of anything. Good dogs!