Busy makin' stuff here at the farm...

Hello! Been a few days. It's been pretty busy around here for me lately. With farmer's markets, goats, making jellies and dryer balls. And painting the little house and trying to get it finished. I did get the bathroom painted and put down the sticky backed tiles. It looks horrible, because I am a really bad cutter. So I will have to put some rugs down and hope no one looks too close. I love the wall color though. White Pistachio. Really nice cool color. So I will get the floor paint I bought a few weeks ago colored and paint the rest of the floors. Then start movin' in! I sure could use the room over there.

So last week, I noticed Zeeboo's puffy jaw. Darn those barber pole worms. I hate when I see this. So I socked the wormers to her. I tried Cydectin and Ivermec, alternating them for a few days. Red Cell, B Compex, lots of good green kales. Then Sunday, after waiting 3 days with no worm meds, I gave her more Ivermec. By Sunday night, her whole head was swollen. So I brought out the big guns, Dectomax. I didn't want to have to use this because there's a 32 day milk withdrawal time. And I'm milking her. And she has the best milk right now. But, to save her and kill those darn worms, I had to use it. It's really the only thing that will kill the worms. So she got some. And she looks MUCH better. I'll continue milking her but throw the milk out or give it to Piper, the bottle kid. Then maybe after 20 days, try it.

I made some elderberry flower jelly. It's so good and pretty too. Hope it sells at market today. The flowers are just now starting to open, so I have plenty of time to make more for awhile.

Also tried my hand at wool dryer balls. It's so fun to see how they turn out after they're dried. I hope they sell as well. I can add a few drops of EO for a nice scent. They are supposed to help cut down dryer time, wrinkles and static. And last at least 5 years or more. I have 6 more in the dryer now, made with some brown wool and black alpaca. I need panty hose now!

This is the Outback hive. They seem to be doing good. Still have a few empty frames. I have been moving the empties to the middle gradually. Wondering if I should add another box yet? The weather has been so crazy the past several weeks here. Cold, rainy, wet, then hot. Poor bees.

And this is a new venture. Dandelion salve, Sure feels good on dry hard working hands. And is supposed to help with sore muscles and achy joints. But I am just loving the soft hands now.

I planted to flats with calendula flower seeds. Most are popping up! I bought 4 from Crabtree farm a few months ago and they are blooming. But not enough to do anything with yet. I want to make calendula salve and use some flowers to dye wool with. I should have plenty, the way it looks so far.

The garden is being over taken by weeds! With all this rain, they are loving it. Also have seen squash and zucchine out there. Should have some green beans soon too. And all the cucumber seeds I planted last week are all up! The butternut squash though, pretty sure it's all been washed away by the stream in the middle of the garden where they were planted. The bottom of the garden should be a paradise soon though, with all the different seeds that have been washed down there.

Going to Main St market this afternoon. I love this market. But it's hot there! The sun is behind my booth and so most of my canopy is worthless. So I am bringing a shower curtain and some rope today and putting it up at the back. So maybe I'll have some shade for my booth.

Sunday animal cuteness...

I went out yesterday in the sheep pasture. Just sat out there with them. Had my camera of course. I think I got some really cute pictures of the sheep and alpacas.

I love these guys. They are so funny. And they are so sweet with the sheep, especially my 3 bottle lambs. These shots are so cute!

My 3 girls. They are getting so big now! I weaned them a few weeks ago. They still come running to me though. I love them. And their wool is so soft.

This is Cassidy, the cute little lamb with the eyebrows. They've kind of disappeared and now she's just a wooly lamb. Here, she was really close to me so I reached under her to rub her belly and she let me. Just stood right there for a long time. She's getting friendlier each day.

This is Annabelle and  her daughter Buttercup. Their wool is really good. They are getting better about letting me pet them. Annabelle let me pet her face for about 5 minutes one day.

Here is Charlotte and Claire, the 2 ewe lambs my friend is supposed to have. He got them and then called and said he didn't want them. Then wants them again. He's crazy! So I don't know what's going on with him. He still has Bilbo the Hobbit Ram, at his farm. He was going to get his son to help him put up fencing for the sheep, so I hope he'll let me know something soon. This is getting old! But these are good lambs.

My little Campbelle. She's so sweet, just sitting up on a hay bale, chewing her cud. What a sweetie she is.

 
M big girl, Carabella. She's so sweet too. Just a big baby girl.

And the big boy Black Bart. He's the best rooster. He loves his girls and takes such good care of them. He finds good bugs and worms and calls the girls over to eat. He just backs up and lets them have it all. He's a good boy. I have him and 10 hens. I got 9 eggs 3 days ago and 2 eggs Sat. Then 1 egg yesterday.

I went over yesterday to the little house and primed the bathroom walls, to get ready for a  lighter color on the brown walls. So this morning, I went and got the bathroom all painted. It's called White Pistachio. Yes, it's a pale green. I thought it was a light pale gray. But it's ok and it's a very calming and soothing color. I like it. I will have to put some kind of tile down in the bathroom, so will have to decide what. And maybe in the kitchen. Not sure.

It's been a rainy day here so far. The weeds are taking over out there! It's a great time to pull them all up. But I'm making wool dryer balls. I have 9 in socks in the washer now and they'll go in the dryer next. Can't wait to see what they look like. I did white roving with colored wool around them. I'll take them to market to sell.

I hope you all have a great week!

In the garden...

As I was leaving this morning I saw this little bright sunflower, looking at the sun rising. It's so pretty. This is a volunteer plant. There are more scattered around.

These are the ones I planted from seeds I feed the animals. Half the row was washed away by one of the many rain storms we've had. But these are doing really good.

 

The 1st zucchini blossom!

And these little pretty sweet banana peppers were just hanging out, waiting for me to find them.

Look at all these grape clusters! This is just a few of them.

There are big green tomatoes too! I guess I've been too busy to see them.Hopefully soon, I'll be having my favorite bacon and tomato sandwich on sourdough bread.

And the dill plants are growing like weeds!

And bell pepper blooms too!

What's growing in your gardens? Or what are you finding in your gardens? I also found a rabbit.