Sheep Shots

I was outside this evening after mowing and saw the ewes all jumping around like little lambs. Just having the best time. It was so cool today and they all loved it. But then I realized they were jumping on each other and head butting. I do believe they are all in heat.  So I ran in to grab the camera and of course they all stop and act like perfect little ladies. I recorded them anyway. And if you watch this, you will see a lot of traffic, which never happens out here. But there was just car after car after car. So I figured something was going on out at Mountain Cove Farm. They have weddings and receptions out there in the big barn. There must have been 50-60 cars going by while I was out there. The last time this many cars came out this way like that, they were making a movie called Water For Elephants, right up the road. Never have I seen so many vehicles in the few days they were here. So many people came out here to watch it. Just amazing, right out here in the middle of no where USA. Anyway, I thought it was interesting. And it was a wedding reception. I had to go to the store later and saw the sign pointing this way.

So then I went and stood in the farthest North East corner of our property looking South. You can see the roof of the old barn in my borrowed pasture next door. That's where the sheep will be going tomorrow.

This is Darla. She has to be in every picture. She's such a ham lamb.

This is looking toward the house here. I sure wish we owned on the North of this fence. Great pasture over there.

This is a shot looking toward the North of our property.  That's Lookout Mt. over the trees.







I just love it out here. It is usually really quiet and no traffic. I am always the last car going this way.

14 Quarts

 I did not plan on canning any beans this year. But these didn't sell at market Wed. so I just dove in and did it. I sat outside under the big ole maple tree in the corner. It was so nice and cool, almost cold. The cicadas were making their noisy noise in the trees. And my friend with his tractor mowing in the sheep pasture, making tractor noises. I love living way out here. Also a chainsaw down the road cutting a fallen tree for firewood for winter.

                  Stella eating her first green bean. She wasn't too impressed with them like Bubba is.

                                                           Bubba loves his green beans!

 In the kitchen getting ready. I almost didn't find my canner. But I did. And a watched pot never boils! It took forever. So there are 7 quarts in the sink waiting to go in the canner and still had half a bowl left. So I did 7 more. Plus cooked a big pot too.

                                All done and on the counter. Just pinging away! I love that sound.

This is where I sat this morning. I want to make a wooden deck in that corner under the tree. I am tired of mowing and having to move the furniture every time. I love it out there.

                                                             Anyone else canning?


Now I am off to mow the yard. I am taking my grand kids to Dolly Wood Monday and Tuesday and need to get that done.

Good Morning

This is my favorite place to be in the mornings.It's so pretty and never ever the same. This almost doesn't look real but it is.

The sheep have to tell me good morning. And to tell me they want their food right now, please! They are very impatient girls.

A little later Jim came with his big mower to mow their pasture. I have to move them over to the other pasture tomorrow and he also mowed it. But not as low over there. He also looked at my new garden shed and he's going to make the sheep shelter first next week for me. So I will be able to leave the sheep over there even if it rains.

                                              I just love my sheep. They are amazing animals.

                                     
                                      The sheep are telling Bubba and Stella good morning too.

It's been the most beautiful day here. So cool and almost feels like fall already. I'm thinking we may have an early winter. As I was sitting outside later breaking beans, I could hear a chainsaw up the road. I love that sound. Our neighbors had a tree that finally fell last month in a storm. Thank goodness it fell out into the field.

There are so many things we need to be doing to get ready for winter. We need wood bad. And a wood burning fireplace would be really nice. We have a fireplace but it burns up way too much wood and I am always putting wood in it.

I also need lots more hay. I think I have 85 bales so far. I'd like to have about that much more to go through the winter. With feed prices going up so much, they may just be getting hay to eat.

What are y'all doing to get ready for winter so far?

Colors From The Garden

Just look at all these amazing colors. I love going to the garden and looking at all the different brilliant colors that only God could create. Just so beautiful.

                 These are Adirondack Blue, red, blush, gold and white potatoes. They are so good.

                                            And all the peppers, red, green, yellow and orange.

I just cut up all these hot peppers and boiled some vinegar and canned them for my hubby and mom and son-in-law, who all love hot stuff. Not me. My fingers were burning! They sure are pretty though. And the bell peppers will go in the freezer for using later in all sorts of good things.

 They last of my tomatoes. I will be pulling up all the vines and plants in the next few days. Making room for all the fall plantings. But not the beans. they are finally coming to life again and producing like crazy! I have a half bushel in the fridge outside waiting for market Saturday. I will add more to that basket Friday evening.

I know most of you all have gardens, but I just had to share all the pretty colors of mine. You just can't get this in a can of paint, right?

Freedom Rangers-2 Weeks old

You can't really see much in the boxes, but these guys have more than doubled in size in just 2 weeks. I am filling up the gallon size water jug twice a day now. And just added another feeder to the other side of the brooder box. At a few days old, they barely filled a corner. Now they hardly have enough room.

Next week I will let them outside. There are some things I need to get ready or fixed before I let them out first. But it's amazing how well they are doing and how fast they are growing. And I only lost one chick.

Russell Crowe

I know all you that have chickens will know what this is like. You hear that strange noise out in the chicken coop one day and wonder what in the world got in there? So you run out to investigate and see the new little roo strutting his stuff and standing tall and letting out this awful noise.

That's what happened this morning. Russel Crowe's first crows!! I am so proud of him! But the girls didn't know what to think about it. They kept picking on the poor guy.

About the end of winter when the feed store was getting chicks in, I got 6 4 week old chicks. 3 Barred Rock and 3 Red Star. Well, all the BR turned out to be roosters. I sold 2 of them and decided to keep one because I do have a lot of Barred Rock hens. He is a handsome little fella.

I also have a Buff roo named Mr. Rooney. They get along great right now. But we shall see.

It's Here!

So here is my brand new garden shed! It's 8x12. And very solid. Made in Tennessee too. By Mennonites. They even designed the trailer and the little tiny thing that moved that big shed to the garden. Very smart folks. And it only took about a half hour from start to finish.

You can see the guy getting the little loader off the truck here. It's so little. But it moved that shed right where I wanted it to go.

 And they just leveled it up and that was it.

 I just love it! And it has a lock on the door too. I'll lose the keys probably. And it does need a door stop so it won't mess up the cute little window. It already has a little dent. If the door flew open it will tear up the screen.

 I need shelves and tables now. Then just load it up with all my garden stuff. I went to a friend's today and she has old dressers for storing stuff and I thought that would make a great seed storage. So I will have to look for an old dresser now.

To the left I will have a shelter for the sheep that will go into the pasture. And on this end will be a lean to for mowers and tillers and such. I'll have to move my little lettuce patch and hostas now because I would love to have a little porch one day soon.

So there it is all nestled up under the cedar tree. I am off to market now!

Garden Shed

I bought a garden shed today. I  have been wanting one for so long. There is a place on Hwy 27 between Rock Spring and Lafayette that has all kinds and sizes of wooden buildings. But I only had enough cash for an 8x10. It has like a barn door and a window in the front! I'll put a little window flower box there. And I called a friend up the road who is a carpenter. I want a lean to on one side for the garden stuff like tiller and mower. And on the other side a shelter for the sheep. Seems like I have already written all this before. Sorry if I have but I am just so excited to be finally getting my garden shed. A place to put my farmer's market stuff like baskets and things. Also seeds. And rakes and shovels and all that garden type stuff that gets lost or stuck in strange places. Or left out and breaks and we have to keep replacing it.

I'll get the guys to make me a work bench on one side and shelves as many places as they can. And lots of hooks for hanging things. I would love to have a little porch too. But that can wait.

 I have an old metal sink cabinet with the cast iron sink that was in the kitchen when we bought this place. It's out back. I want it out there with a faucet to be able to clean veggies out there so I won't have to drag everything to the house. And some water faucets for watering too. Oh, there is so much I need. But as long as I have my little garden shed, I can add things later.

I'll take pictures when it gets here. I can hardly wait now. Oh, and it's made right over in Tn. by Mennonites. So I am supporting local business and keeping my money here in this area. And this little shed is sturdy and will last a long time.

Busy Weekend

Friday my brother got here from Colorado Springs. He's riding his Harley to New York and stopping all over to see family. He stayed with me Friday night then with our parents Sat. night. Left for S. Ga. to see our Aunt and Uncle in Metter and a cousin there too. Then off to New York to see a NasCar  race and meet some friends. Then he's taking off back to Col. Springs. I think he'll be getting a bit wet on the way to NY because the whole way up there is raining on the weather maps. But he's got good rain gear. Have fun, Mark!




                This is my brother's Harley. He's got everything he needs in there. Even a little stove.

This is my husband's bike. He took Mark up to Desoto Falls near here in Alabama. It's a beautiful place. They had to get some riding in before going to our parent's to EAT! Mom had all kinds of good food. She always feeds us good. Thanks Mom!

Then Sunday was the Sherrill family reunion at Cumberland State Park in Crossville, Tn. Lots of the family lives in Indiana and come down for this. It's a 2 day reunion. And ends up at this park. This was my 34th since joining this big family. These are my in laws. My husband's brothers and sisters. He's the youngest of 9 and the biggest! He's the guy in the red shirt. I would say the guy with the white head but they are all white headed and have been forever now. He has 2 other brothers but they died several years ago.

                           Patricia, Liz, Yvonne, Marylou, Clarence, Charlie and Jim. The Sherrill clan. 

Mt husband rode his Harley and our daughter and husband rode their Honda. I had our 2 granddaughters so drove the car behind them to the reunion. It was nice all the way there. My SIL found some really back roads. Windy almost one lane mountain roads I had never been on. Then at the end of the reunion as everyone was leaving, it started raining.And it rained the whole way back home. Poor hubby was soaked. He does not have any rain gear. Chloe is in the front seat wrapped in towels. It was a bit cool. Coryn is in the back seat asleep. Good day for a nap!

We had a fun weekend. And now it's just me again. Hubby had to leave last night for Ohio. So I will be working in the gardens and mowing this week. I am going today to get a garden shed!! I have wanted one for so long. Now I can get one. Also want some water faucets IN the gardens and sheep and chicken yards. I am so tired of dragging water hoses. I do stay in shape though from all the walking I have to do around here. But those are 2 things I have needed for a long time. We will add a lean to on the garden side for tiller and mower and a sheep shelter on the other side for the far pasture. There is no shelter over there. Well, there is a barn way over on the other side of the pasture. But do you think a sheep would go way over there away from their shepherd? No.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Farmer's Market

These are some of the farmers that come to market every week. These are the neatest people. True farmers, all of them. Some have been farmers all their lives. Some just starting out. I learn a lot from them. And they all love what they do. Some have stands on their farms. Some raise grass fed beef. Some have honey bees. And some like to can what they don't sell and bring it back in jars. Very clever folks, these. And some play guitar and sound like Johnny Cash too! I love my farmer's market. The last picture is mine. I like taking pictures, not being in them.

Finished Soaps

                       And here are the soaps I made yesterday. All cut up and on the drying racks.




                                                        The top soap is the peppermint.

                                                 The bottom is the tea tree castille soap.






                                     The top in this picture is the cedar-saffron. It smells so good!


                                    Then in the middle is the clarey sage-rosemary goat milk soap.


                                                               Then the plain goat milk.

 And these are the little tiny clarey sage-rosemary soaps from the candy tray mold. They look big but they aren't at all. They actually look like white  fudge. I'll have to make sure no one tries to eat these!

            Not I have to wait at least 4 weeks for all to dry except the castille. It takes up to 3 months to dry.

Around the Gardens Today

I forgot to turn this one around. But these are Blue Lake green beans that I planted 5 days ago. Look at them already!

And these are the field peas I planted the same day!  Now the cucumbers that I planted last Monday are not up yet in the North garden but the ones I planted in the South garden last Thursday are popping up.

 And I picked about 3/4 of a bushel of Kentucky Wonder beans this afternoon. That's THE most I have ever picked off these vines yet. I thought they were all goners after that drought. Then I watered. Then we got lots of rain. And I left them alone for a few weeks. Then I picked for over an hour today. I also picked a half bushel of Blue Lake beans too.

 On the last row of the runner beans I  noticed 2 little round things in the vines. I looked closer and they were on top of the nest. I turned it over and put them back inside. They were cold so I guess the nest is abandoned. It looks like maybe a hummingbird nest. The eggs are very small.

 And what is this? I have a few of these growing in the South garden. Is this wheat or oats? I sure would like to know.

                This is an empty spot waiting for something to be planted in it. I might plant more peas.

 And I have to show my zinnias. They are just beautiful. The dirt row is the Italian Roma beans. I saw some of them popping up too.

And this is my haul for today. Tomatoes, peppers, and beans. I'll pick kale and more peppers tomorrow. Then off to market. I hope I do well tomorrow. I'll go pick up some cucumbers from my friend up the road too.

                            Here's one more pretty flower for you to enjoy. That color is amazing.

I hope everyone's gardens are doing as well as mine are right now. I am really excited about this second planting of summer veggies already. And in a few weeks I'll be planting for Fall. So fun!