Vacation

In the middle of August. A vacation. A week in Colorado Springs with my mother, brother and sister and their families. Me and my mother will be driving 1200 miles. I am not looking forward to the drive. That's like 4 days of driving. Geeze, I get tired driving from my house to Chattanooga. And that's just 30 miles.  Ugh. My mom will have to drive most of it, I can tell already. And it's BORING. Just plain b.o.r.i.n.g. And Manitou Springs flooded again. I liked it there.

I think I do need to get away from here though. These animals are driving me crazy. I just need a change of scenery. And to not have to get up in the morning and have 5000 animals that need me right away. I hope I am feeling better when I get back. Ready to start a new chapter.

 I will be away from a computer too. Which I need a break from as well. So I will be back next Friday. I so hope you all have a great week and I'll see you later!

Lookout Mountain art

I saw this truck when I got to the top of the mountain to go get my grands yesterday. I had to turn around and go back to take some pictures. It is so cool! I just love it. It's amazing what some people come up with.

Just awesomeness

I went out this morning at 7 to feed the animals and saw this. I had to just stand there and watch it progress over the hill. If you click on the pictures, you can see 2 little birds on the wire, just sitting there, waiting for the sun to come up. I can just imagine them singing praises to their Lord. Just beautiful! And it was so quiet. Even the sheep and goats weren't making a sound.

 My mother and I are heading out to Colorado Springs Thursday morning to visit my brother and sister and their kids for a week. I haven't been anywhere for a long time. Last time was to Savannah for my nieces wedding in Oct a few years ago. I have been saving all my farmer's market and chicken money for the trip. I also just sold the 3 diva kids yesterday! I had just put an ad on CL and got a call a little later asking if I had an ad on CL. I said yes. He said I had put too many 0's in and he and his wife tried all different ways and got me. He said they wanted all 3 of them but couldn't get them til next week but would come out and pay for them. Sometimes it's hard for me to see how God works. But this is just perfect because my friend who'll be coming to take care of the animals would have had to milk Sandy twice a day if they had taken them now. So they will come back when I get back home. They have just bought a huge farm in Alabama but are living in Chattanooga til the place it ready. Which will be next week. They have 2 young ND bucklings too. So it all worked out great and I have more money for the trip! Too cool.

I hope you all have a great week. And enjoy all your beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

A whole dozen eggs today!

I'm sorry for so many chicken pictures here. But I am so proud of these girls! I mean, they just did start laying and now they're up to a WHOLE DOZEN! All 6 White Leghorns and now 6 of the Red Stars. That just leaves 2 more RS to start laying. Then the 7 Barred Rocks in about a month. Then I'll get  nearly 2 dozen a day! Too cool.

I helps to take a break from certain animals to appreciate them when you get them again. There are certain animals I will NEVER have, like alpacas, donkeys or llamas, which scare the crap out of me for some reason. Who wants an animal that looks like a furry dinosaur to spit green nasty stuff in your face? Not this farm gal. Nope, so none of those animals will ever live here.

Then there are those I have had and will NEVER have again, as far as I can tell right this moment. Like turkeys, ducks, guineas, more than likely pigs. And maybe not a horse. But maybe a working pony in the future. And a few more beef cows. I miss cows for some reason.

But chickens? I will probably always have chickens. And goats and sheep. Chickens are just fun. And so funny. And ya get eggs! For not really much either. And they love eating trash and bugs. Can't go wrong with a chicken.

This little lady, who my little visitors yesterday named Mary, just laid an egg here. Actually, Ally named all 6 white hens Mary. She said it would be easier that way. I think this is so interesting to see a hen right before and after laying an egg. They will stand up and start grunting and push several times. Then out comes the egg. Then she'll stand there for awhile, like she's in a daze. Or in shock, not sure which. I guess I'd be in shock, having to lay a large egg every day!

She apparently was taking a little too long after laying her egg for this other hen waiting in line. Even though there were a few other empty nests, she thought this one was the better one.

 And this is what I got today. A whole dozen eggs!

 And a nice even amount of each color, which makes it so nice for an OCD type person like me, who likes to put them in the carton all nice and pretty like this. Isn't that way cool? I think so.

So all these dozens of eggs will be going to the Main St. market with me this Wednesday to sell. I am so excited to be bringing eggs again. A little bit more money for my Colorado trip this week.

Do you need any help getting that out to your car?

I heard these words today at Whole Foods. I had gone to pick up a few things and was at the check out paying. As I was standing there about to pick up my 2 very un heavy bags, the young man asked "Do you need any help getting this to your car?" He may or may not have said ma'am, I can't remember. Although, he could very well have, because I just turned and looked at him with a most unusual look on my face. Like I could not believe he just asked ME if I needed HELP getting these 2 bags of very light food to my car. I just stood there with my hands on my hips. He then said " We always ask people if they need help" "Oh, so not just OLD ladies then?" I really don't know what came over me. No one has ever asked me that before in that store. It must just be a new policy. Hmm...

No one at Tractor Supply has ever asked me if I needed help with the 500 pounds of grains I just purchased. EVER. I mean, I lift 50 pound bags of grain all the time. By myself! If my husband happens to be home when I get here with a truck load, I will let him unload it for me. I'm not stupid. It's nice to get a break every once in awhile, right?

But I toss 60-70 pound bales of hay into my truck, stacked 4 and 5 bales high. Then unload them all and haul them to my barn and restack them all. Myself. Like 200 at a time. And I might need help getting 2 little bags of food to my car?

I really feel old now. I'm 55 and in pretty darn good shape, thank you. I just don't know what came over me. Really strange feeling for sure. I don't know how to process this right now. I thought about it all the way home. And can't seem to get it off my mind. I think it's just the way he said it? Or that he was a baby? Would it have felt the same if a girl had asked me the same question? Or an older man? UGH! Does it just get worse now that I am a SENIOR citizen to some people? Is some kid going to come up to me and ask if they can help me across the street soon? Do people even do that anymore? Good grief.

The hens

I am really enjoying my new hens. It's been a few months since I've had laying hens. It was nice to have a little break though. It made me appreciate them even more. And all those wonderful eggs! I am getting 10 a day now. All 6 of the Leghorns are laying with 4 of the Red Stars laying. I can hardly wait til all 21 of them are laying soon.

They're all getting along better now. I still hear a squeal every now and then from one of the bigger hens picking on the smaller Barred Rocks. But they will be as big as the others soon. I hope to be able to let them out in the evenings a little, maybe next month. I have the Freedom Rangers free ranging in the same pasture and they all pretty much stay in there. I just need to get them all butchered before I let the layers out. Which will be happening the end of the month. They are growing but not as big as I want them yet. A few more weeks and they should be ready.

What I did today

I have really enjoyed my day today. It's been a rainy day. But in between the rains, I went out to the garden to see what was out there. I brought baskets. Came back inside with a basket of beautiful tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, cucumbers and field peas. Later I picked a whole bucket of pretty sweet grapes for jelly tomorrow. The corn I bought from a little road side stand in Ringgold.

And this is what I got from all this. 4 bags of corn cut off the cob. 2 bags of field peas. 7 pints of canned tomato sauce plus a small bag of sauce for the freezer. So not too bad for a days work. My freezers are a bit full right now.

I also picked a bunch of beautiful zinnias for all over the house. I love these flowers and they just make me so happy seeing them. And washed 4 loads of laundry. I will have nice fresh clean sheets on my bed tonight!

I also got 10 eggs today! All 6 Leghorns are laying now! And 4 of the Red Stars. So I have almost 2 dozen eggs now!

Tomorrow I have GOT to clean this house! There is enough dog hair to cover a bald dog. I need to shave Bubba. He moves and fur flies.

What are y'all canning and freezing right now? I love doing this. Sometimes I have to make myself do it, but when it's done, I love that satisfaction of seeing all these beautiful jars of produce that will be SO good this winter.