Flowers for Friday...

Lots of Borage about ready to burst forth with beautiful blue flowers for the bees!

And zinnias everywhere! There are a few brand new blooms already. I can't wait to see this whole row of them in bloom!

And the wild daisies are still going strong, despite not having any rain the past few weeks here.

This is the buckwheat for the bees. It's also popped up here and there all over the garden.

And the squash is coming on really good! I fertilized a few weeks ago with some organic fertilizer. Plus all the watering. I hope to have lots of squash and zucchini! I've already seen lots of bees in the flowers!

I planted green beans way back on May 22nd. Then a few days later, planted sunflower seeds down the middle of the rows. Yesterday, I found 2 sunflowers popping up!!!! I love sunflowers!

So many pretty flowers coming out right now. To brighten up the world. And help the bees.

Yarn bowls

 I think we might get some rain here!!!! It did rain a little bit last night. And I hear thunder to the North of us. So hopefully someone's getting some rain.

Today is my day to stay home. I like Thursdays! I have to make dryer balls and some more bug-off bars for market. But right now, I am playing with clay. And it's been pretty good so far. I have been wanting to make some yarn bowls. Finally got 4 of them today. And then I want to make some taller cream pitchers. Got one and will work on more later. So far so good!

I'll add a handle later after I trim this little pitcher. I want to make more later.

Yesterday, I went to the pottery studio to finish glazing all my things. The alpaca shearer called yesterday morning, said he would possibly be here to shear later that day. So I hurried as fast as I could at the studio, thinking he'd call right in the middle of it all. But no call. So I finished up and we had a member meeting at 6 that I got to attend. Still have not heard anything else from the guy. I just called and left a message telling him I'll be here ALL day. My poor alpacas are so hot in all their wool. I had the hose on awhile ago and they both stood so close to me asking me to spray them. But I couldn't. I'm so afraid the guy will call and the boys will be all wet. I hope they will get sheared sometime soon. I am putting my name in for when they come shear all my friend's alpacas next year.

Around the farm. Memorial Day 2016

 It is SO dry and hot here right now. Just all of a sudden too. The first 3 weeks of May were great. No need for the AC at all. Then BOOM! Hot and dry. No rain since the 21st. The ground is cracked bad. So I am watering everything every day now.

And I bought some bee balm and pineapple sage for the tire garden. My daughter Abby got me that hanging basket for mother's day. I added more soil to the tires too. I hope they make it.

And these poor blueberry bushes. I had totally neglected them. When I looked a few days ago, the berries were almost all shriveled up, like dried berries. So I ran and got the water hose and watered them really good. The next day, the berries were all nice and plump again! So I am watering them every day too.

And the apple trees. Poor things. I put the hose on each one for about 10 minutes each a few days ago. And I'm sprinkling them too.

I just love daisies. They were my bouquet at my weeding. I have a lot that just pop up all over the place. Of course, not where I would like them all to be. So I mow around them and let them be. You can see lots of activity on these. With it being so dry, there's not much else for the butterflies and bees.

I also noticed my elderberry bushes were turning a little yellow. So they all got some water too.

I have lots of bluebirds in the bluebird houses this year! There are usually finches or other small birds in them. But not this year! The bluebirds have taken back their houses! And they are busy little birds too!

These 6 chicks are just about ready to be let out with the big guys. As soon as their bag of grower-starter is done, out they go!

This is my little day lily garden. An elderberry bush popped up here last year. And I put a few peppermint plants in too. I have seen lots of birds in the bath lately!

They finally came to mow and bale the hay a few weeks ago. Now if they'll just come get it. But I think it looks so pretty out in the field. I hope this is not all the hay we have this year. But it doesn't look very good. The weather people are saying it's going to be a dry summer.

I am worried about the bees. Because it's so hot and dry, there is not a good nectar  flow right now.  I was going to try to harvest honey from the big hive this week. I still will, but will have to leave some for the bees. That's why I am planting so many flowers and herbs for them. I did plant a row of buckwheat that they are all over right now. And the daisies too. I also planted the 4 rows of beans and put sunflower seeds down the middle of both. But they haven't come up yet. I am watering them too. I want to get some corn planted as well. But the ground is too hard to till.

So what all have you planted in your gardens? 

Happy birthday Chloe!

 17 years ago today, this beautiful girl was born. I remember it like it was yesterday. She was a beautiful little baby and is turning into a beautiful young lady.

These are older pictures because she hates having her picture taken any more. I love this kid!

Happy birthday Chloe Grace!! We all love you so much! Have a great day!

Glazing

I have a new phone. I got it so I could get one of those squares for the markets and not miss any sales. I bought one when I got the phone but it won't work. My brother tried to get it hooked up down at the barn last weekend, but not good reception way down there. So I have one of those white ones coming. And it's free! But not to use it. I can take cards but I have to manually put in all the info. Which is fine with me. So I am finally caught up to all you smart phone people! I love taking pictures with it. But still have a lot to figure out about it.

So I went to the pottery studio this afternoon to glaze all those pieces I took in a few weeks ago. There were so many! I only got about halfway through and had to leave to milk the poor goaties. I'm going to try to go back Saturday to finish the bigger bowls.

It sure is a time consuming job, this glazing. A lot of thought goes into each piece. First, I have to check each piece and sand any sharp edges. Then I have to decide what color each piece will be. That takes awhile to decide. There are way too many colors to choose from! All the little circle and square colored pieces are samples I chose

Then the bottoms all have to either be dipped in wax or paint it on. That's to keep the glaze from sticking to the bottom, then sticking to the shelves in the kiln and eventually breaking the piece and messing up the shelf. Not a good thing.

Then comes the fun part! Glazing all these. First though, each bucket of glaze has to be stirred quite a bit. Then I don't really like the little  tongs because they leave little spots where they were. So I just hold the handle of the mug and dip, then wait til it's dry and do the handle.

And I tried something different with the 6 bowls. I dipped half in a sea green and the other half in a       light blue. I hope they turn out pretty. I'd like to go back with each bowl and brush on each side with the opposite color with a dry brush. So I hope they don't get fired til I can get back to do that.  I'd like to try doing different things, but it really takes so much time. Which I don't have much of lately.

I also bought 50 more pounds of clay! I hope I can find time next week to play with it.

Barn sale and some gardening.

 I sure am glad this weekend is over! It's been a long busy one for sure.

I spent a few weeks getting ready for this barn sale up at Mt. Cove Farm, 5 miles from me. Made extra soap too. I was so nervous I wouldn't have enough things to sell. But when I finally got down there Thursday afternoon and set up, I had so much. I had a great spot right at the front door on the left. Friday was freezing cold and rainy, all day. Still had a lot of people coming in. I did pretty good. Sold a lot of soap! Then Saturday, it was a beautiful day! Lots of people coming in shopping. I kept having to fill my soap boxes up! I even sold that orange knitted hat! And 2 skeins of Adele's hand spun yarn! And some pottery too. It was a fun time, but glad it's over. I am pooed. I went to bed early, I was so tired. It was all day for 2 days.

I didn't leave the yarn up on the table like that.  I was just getting things ready.

Then today, we were supposed to go watch our youngest daughter, Abby, go for her hang gliding birthday present. It had been put off twice due to high winds and rescheduled for this morning at 10:30. There was a bike race out our way this morning, so we had to go all the way back up the mountain, then across the mountain and back down the other side because of the race. And when we finally go there, she had already gone up and they were ready to leave. I was so upset. But then very relieved that she was alive! She's already jumped out of an airplane, so this was a piece of cake. But sad we missed it. Darn bike races.

So on the way home, we stopped at the Lookout Mt. Trading Post up on the mountain on 136. Some new people have bought it and it's beautiful. It's a gift shop and they also have a good lunch menu. They also have a pottery studio there!!! I got to go in and look around. It's amazing! These 2 guys are really good. They do mostly hand built pieces. But anyway, the reason we stopped is I had heard they wanted to start a little farmer market there on Saturdays. SO I wanted to find out more about it. It's free! So I think I'll go. And it's only about 15 miles from me. I bought a whole flat of herbs from them too. I had already gotten a flat plus 5 more herbs from the feed store a few days before. So 2 1/2 flats to plant!

SO when we got home I went out to the garden. I wasn't going to have a whole day to work again til Thursday, so had to do it today. I mowed the whole garden. Then tilled some rows for green beans. Got 4 rows planted. Then mulched all the squash, zucchini and peppers. Then got to weeding the flower garden I made in front of the bee hives. Some of the little beds I planted seeds in didn't come up, or only a few did. I planted 1 peppermint, 3 sage, 5 thyme, 8 chives, about 12 each of lavender and rosemary. I think that was all. I don't know if I'll be able to move tomorrow, all that bending over. Then I watered everything really good. And that's all in the garden today. I am feeling good about gardening this year. I am taking my time and not stressing about it. Just kind of having fun out there.

I am so thankful for this cool weather we've had too. It's funny though, Friday it was so cold when my husband came to get me from the sale, I wanted the heater on in the truck. Then when we got home, I turned the heat on in the house. I wore thermal to bed too. The next morning, I had the ac on in the car. Crazy!

Also thankful because the 2 poor alpacas haven't been sheared yet. They will in June though.

The squash and zucchini all mulched now. There are 2 more beds of these too.

This is the herb-flower beds for the bees. It's really going to be so pretty with all the blues and purples and reds. Lots of zinnias to the left.

The green beans finally planted! I'll plant more in a few weeks to the left when I can get it tilled better.

The tomatoes are down here this year. I have Cherokee Purple and Orange Valencia in the 1st 2 rows, then Rutgers. I need to get some okra seeds to plant in the next 2 rows down here. The rows are ready for them.

Now we need some rain! I think Wednesday we should get some.

I hope you all have a great week!

Milk Apocalypse...

is happening right now at Outback Farm! SO much milk! And so much more to come. What was I thinking when I sold all the kids? I need to go on a milk fast I think.