Thursday, June 18, 2015

Just a little shower.

I went ahead and picked our first red ripe Rutger tomato this morning! And we had it with dinner tonight. I don't care what anyone says, you just cannot beat a fresh out of the garden home grown tomato. Anywhere. Just can't be done. I had breakfast, or brunch really, today at the Bluegrass Cafe on Main ST. It was SO good and I will be going back there. But they get their tomatoes from Linda's produce. Those are not fresh local tomatoes. Sorry. No flavor at all. But this one, oh my goodness gracious! So juicy and tomato-y. I can hardly wait for more now. But I do love trying out some of the good new places to eat in Chattanooga.

It looked like it was going to rain all day here. So I hung out a load of clothes and got the bad goat back in the back. Olga, the flying goat, went over a low spot up between the back and the back yard. Just flew right on over. I was out there hanging the clothes when she did it. So I got that all blocked up, put her in the milk room, got Freja and the milk bucket. It was just 7. I usually milk at 7:30. But it looked like it could rain.

Well, it did. It poured. For about 10 minutes. Long enough to get soaking wet. I got the goats back in the barn with some hay and I ran back to the house. Soaked! But it felt so good. I got dried off and put on my big ole t-shirt, with no bra. Finished getting dinner ready. Just about finished and a car out in the driveway, someone honking the horn. It's our friends from up the road. So I had to run look for a bra and get it on. We had a little visit outside, they were just driving home and decided to stop. Well, me and Isabelle were getting bit by something out on the driveway. On our left boobs. It was crazy. We were both ready to rip our shirts off! It was quite funny.

My camera battery was dead this morning, so it's been charging all day while I was gone. Then I was too tired to take any pictures of the garden/ Everything's growing so fast. I am so happy to see the corn doing so well. It's almost as tall as me and some already has some tassels! The bees will love this.

Bank to Mrs. T's for the day Friday. Then farmers market Sat. morning, a wedding at 2, then another wedding at 6. I'm tired already!

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Happy goats!

 Just about every day, I go around the farm and cut branches for the goats. Then I stick them in the fence so they can reach up for them. If they fall to the ground, these goats will not eat them. They are very persnickety goats. I don't care what anybody says about goats eating everything. Not mine! I have always had picky goats.









I love this one. Olga looks so happy to have some good leaves to eat. I am glad I can be here to serve these 2 sweet girls. Freja gives the best milk too.




I am finally at 210 this morning!!!!!! Only 50 more pounds to go! Yay! Maybe by next March I'll get there.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

39...

and holding. Always wanted to say that. But now I'm tired of it. I've been at 211 for a week now and not going down. A little depressing. But I know it will soon. I need to get on my bike again. It's just been too hot. Sweating would be good for me though. I've been getting out in the garden and weeding a lot lately too.

And I just love my walks gathering dandelion flowers for my tea every morning. It's become quite a habit and something I look forward to. I start by walking past the honey bee hive and telling them all good morning. Then I walk all around the garden, hunting that big beautiful yellow blossom. After I walk the garden, I go down one side of the driveway and back up the other. Then I go into the chicken yard and search in the pasture area. After that, it's the side yard, where my studio is and the other side of the fence near the driveway. Then, if the grass hasn't been mowed in a few days, I'll check the front yard. By then, I'll have a huge hand full of dandelion goodness. These past few days though, the supply has been down. I'll add some of my peppermint leaves to the pot and simmer awhile. Then add some of my yummy honey. I just love my dandelion tea. I usually go out after breakfast, between 8 and 10:30. After that, it's too hot and they are all gone, folded back up from the heat of the day. I try to leave some for the bees too. But right now, they are more into the clover and elderberry all over the place.

Walking through the wet grass in early morning, barefoot, is so fun. Sometimes I step on prickly invasive weeds that hurt. It brings back memories if when I was a young teen. We lived on Tybee Island. One day I was walking across someone's vacant lot barefoot, which I always was, and stepped on so many stickery things. It was all through the lot. I cried it hurt so bad. I finally made it out and never went back there again.

So today, I am going to finish my Sunburst Granny square blanket. I might try to sell it, not sure yet. Then I'll start on my skirt. I need pins though. Loaned my box to a friend up the road, so need to go get them. Then I'll work on skirting more wool and washing it. My studio is smelling like sheep. Dirty sheep. So that needs to be done. Then I might send some of the fleeces off to be made into roving to spin. Thinking about it.

Yesterday morning, as I was walking into the milk room, I noticed a little tiny egg shell on the floor. So I think the barn swallows are hatching. I don't hear them yet, but mom and dad are busy birds, going in and out all day. They are getting used to me and the goats and cats now. They used to fly out and wait til we were all gone. Now, they just fly on in. They have too much important stuff to do now!