Thursday. At home.

 I have SO much goat milk right now! The whole bottom of the fridge is full of jars of milk. So I decided to make some Chevre and feta today, in between planting tomato plants and making soap.

This is the feta draining here.

And the chevre. This is a really easy cheese to make. Just get the milk to 80 and add buttermilk and diluted rennet. It sits ALL day, then I drain it 6-8 hours. That's about it. Very easy cheese. I have some basil and chives I'll add to it tomorrow. I need to get garlic. I am out.

                                           I made these Tuesday and got them trimmed last night.

I made these today, when I was finished with everything else. I don't think it was a good pottery day for me.

I made 2 batches of soap. A rosemary-mint and cucumber-melon. They both smell so good. I thought I better make some more because the big barn sale is next weekend. I need to get busy getting ready for that. I'm a little upset that all the things I took to be fired last Saturday had not been fired yet yesterday. So no new pottery to take next week. Unless they get it fired by this Saturday. Then maybe I can get it glazed when I go back Saturday. But I doubt it. I really do need my own kiln here. Just a small one.

I've also been planting in the garden. I got those 47 tomato plants in the ground a few days ago. Then went to get a flat of more tomatoes and peppers. So I got 18 Rutgers and some marigolds planted down where I put all those others. Then got 8 Better Boys and 12 Celebrity planted up by the new kale. Also got a rosemary plant. I want more of those. Put it in the flower-herb bee garden.

I thought we were going to get some rain these last few days. Today we got a few sprinkles. Do you think God took me seriously when I said I'd be ok with never seeing rain again after this past winter? I sure hope not. We really really need rain!  I wanted to get more ground tilled if it rained, to loosen up the hard dirt out there, so I could plant beans and okra. But that'll have to wait a few more days.

I do hear thunder toward Lookout Mt.

So I have had a good productive day here at home today. I don't get many days to srtay home all day, so I take advantage of my time here.

Swallows

My birds are back! They are building on the same nest they had last year. I love these birds. They aren't at all afraid of me. It's like they know me. They are in the milk room, so i talk to them all the time. They sleep in there at night, so when I come in to milk when I get home late, they just sit up there and watch me and the goats. They are so sweet.

I need some names for them. I can't keep calling them just birds. Any suggestions?

This snail was on the door one morning. I thought it was pretty cool, just hanging there upside down.

Last night when I went in to milk the goats, there was just 1 bird in the milk room, up near the nest. I was so sad. I thought for sure something had happened to the other one. Then this morning, same thing, just one bird there. Then I got to looking closer at the nest and saw a tail sticking out one side! Oh my goodness, I am SO relieved!  It would have been awful to lose one of these sweet birds.

Around the farm Tuesday...

My bee hives are doing great! I am so happy that I have 3 hives here. Soon will have a 4th.

This is the flower garden I planted for the bees. I don't know how much they'll actually use it, being so close to the hives. But there will be some bee activity here. I will also have cut flowers for markets and I hope to sell to florists.

I planted 47 Cherokee Purple and Orange Valencia tomatoes yesterday. Got them all mulched good and watered. I planted some marigold seeds next to them. I'll probably get more seeds and more tomato plants soon.

The apples are growing! I have 6 young trees below the garden.

And the 3 pear trees are loaded with little baby pears! I love pears.

                                                          These are the 6 younger apple trees.

This is a patch of thistle I am going to let grow. For the bees. Also to make cheese with. I'll harvest some flowers to dry, then make a powder that is rennet. I am excited to try this now.

I let several places go wild in my garden. This is where all my daisies grow free. I love them!

Some more garden beds. I planted more squash and zucchini this morning where the dirt is darker. I'll wait til it rains and makes the ground a bit softer to til, then I'll plant beans and okra. Might find a few rows for some corn too.

This is the dandelion row. I actually bought seeds to plant. They all came up too.

The 3 old apple trees in the yard. They all have apples on them, despite the sheep gnawing on the bark. They are tough old trees.

This wisteria is growing like crazy this year. I'll have plenty of vines to make baskets with this winter!

I've been making a lot of pottery here on this wheel. I took 32 pieces to get fired last Saturday. I'll go this Saturday to glaze them all.

Looks like rain today and the next few days. We actually are 3.5" below normal right now. We need rain. But please not on Monday and Friday afternoons!