Around the farm...

Sometimes life just gets busy. This week has been one of those busy weeks for me. And it seems like it will be busy for awhile.

I did squeeze in some time to put up some pickled radishes. After going all the way to Hixson to get honey yesterday. I picked the radishes Monday and washed them. I didn't want to use my honey in case they weren't all that good. And I just have a little over a quart left anyway. So I got 7 pints done this morning. Took 2 to my daughter and her husband and 1 to my mom. They have to be kept in the fridge and eaten within a month. If anyone wants the recipe, I'll be glad to post it here. They look good.

I've also gotten some kale in the freezer, along with some Asian greens a friend gave me. Also about 20 qts of bell and banana peppers in the freezer. And about 12 jars of hot peppers canned.  And these pepper plants are still making more!

I went ahead and got a round bale of hay for the sheep and alpacas Monday. I'm having to put them in the South pasture during the day because the silly hens had started laying eggs in the corner of the middle stall. So when all the sheep are packed in there eating hay, the hens didn't lay for a few days. So I thought I'd just put them next door during the day to eat the grass over there, then put them back over here at night, after I put the chickens up for the night. But no eggs for 2 days now. They might have found another spot to lay, I just haven' found it yet.

That little black bird to the right is the youngest chick. It's a hen! Jet black. She stays by herself most of the time now. Poor baby.

These are the 2 older chicks. The one on the left is the hen. She's jet black too and so pretty. The other one is a rooster. They hang out together. I need to find the roo a home soon. He hasn't crowed yet. They're about 6 months old now.

I got the garden area all mowed this afternoon. So had to show off the garden. And the view is so pretty. There's still Mexican sunflowers. The butterflies are all over them still.

Everything is doing great so far. Been eating lettuce, kale, radishes and turnip greens. I pulled up a few turnips for the husband today.

There are flowers on the bean plants! I hope we don't get a frost this weekend. Supposed to get down to 40 or so Sat. night. There's kale coming up to the right of the beans here.

Walking around the yard I saw some clematis flowers blooming. They are so pretty.

                                                                   Mexican sunflowers.

These are some wildflowers blooming in the grape vines next to the bee hive. The bees love them. They are still bringing in pollen. So I haven't started feeding them yet. They are still also all over the buckwheat too.

Here are the sheep in the south pasture. There is still some green down under all this brown. They love it over here. That first tree is a persimmon tree. Every time I let them out here, they all run to the tree and eat the fruit on the ground. I read somewhere that persimmon is poison the sheep. I don't know about that.

And the goats. Good grief that Freja is the noisiest goat ever. I was going to leave her and Olga in with the buck for awhile, but no, I can't. I have to put them both back in with Alva and Inga for the night. It's pitiful. The littles just hang out at the fence watching the others, all day. And when it starts getting dark, they all go crazy. So I put the big girls back in with the littles every night now. When I put them back in with Oden, it's like he's never seen them before. Absence truly does make the heart grow stronger. (I have started milking Freja again. Getting almost a qt. each time. I guess I'll keep milking her til Dec. Good milk is expensive.)

Friday, I am at Mrs. T's all day. Then have to go back Sat. evening for a few hours til the night caretaker comes in. Then back again Sunday morning til 7 that night. This is crazy. I have got to find another person to help fill in here. I am pooped!

I've also decided I'm not going to do the Valley Fest fair Saturday. I just can't get into the idea of going. All the packing up, then unpacking and setting up. Ugh, I just don't want to right now. I hope I can get motivated to go back to the farmer's market soon.

I am going to a fiber fair in Asheville N.C. the end of the month though. SO looking forward to getting away for a few days.

And so it begins...

 Yep, I just put Olga and Freja in with the buck this morning. I thought that would be better for everyone this way. They seem to be doing better with both girls together. And Oden is happy. So here we go. Hopefully the middle of March, there will be kids at Outback Farm again!

The only ones not happy right now are Inga and Alva. I wish I could find somewhere to take them for a few months. They are SO noisy. I really wish I had not gotten them at all. I can't breed them til next year.

Stinky Stella. And other stuff.

This dog loves to be dirty. And the stinkier the better she thinks.

She had 2 baths this week. I think I'll just quit doing that. Because she just goes and rolls in the dirt. Or a dead animal. She did that a few days ago. I had found a dead possum out in the chicken yard a few weeks ago. Stella had been out all night and I think she killed it. She's good at that. I threw it over the fence and forgot about it. Til I saw it back in the yard a few days ago. Well, just some fur and bones. But that's all it takes apparently, for a good roll for Stella. She came in the house and I about got sick from the stench. She was all dirty and greasy looking. And STUNK so bad! So, back to the hose for a good scrub down. Again. So her new name now is Stinky Stella.

I went to a therapy dog meeting last night at Erlanger hospital in Chattanooga with my mom. She has a little tiny Chihuahua named Bella. She's been taking her to obedience classes for being a therapy dog. We got there a little early and real soon, the room was full of dog people. We talked to several women sitting near us. They all had pictures of their sweet cute dogs on their cell phones. It was something, being in a room full of at least 80 dog loving people. It's called H.A.B.I.T. and they are just in Tn. right now. They do go to schools and a few mental hospitals and are now at TC Thompson's Children's hospital and in the cancer ward. They really needed volunteer therapy dogs for the cancer patients because the childrens  hospital is full of volunteers right now. They might get to go once a month. But they wanted at least 6 per day 6 days a week for the cancer ward. I was really surprised at all the people that showed up.

We went to an open house for a tiny house community that's starting up in Chatt. too. The house was a little over 500 SF. Really tiny. They were getting ready to build about 8 more behind that house. With a shared parking lot. Really cool. I am hooked on all the tiny house shows on tv right now. If it was just me, I'd live in a tiny house. But my husband would take up most of a tiny house. I'd also need a whole other tiny house for a studio, because there's no way I'd get all my wool and soap stuff in just one. But they are so cute and cozy.

I also downsized my bee hive yesterday. I was told to have just 2 hive boxes during the winter, so they don't have to work harder to keep empty boxes and space warm. When I went out to take off a few, I was hoping to get some honey. But the 2 honey supers I had put on during summer were both empty. And the bees were very nice too. I had suited up good this time, just in case. I could have just worn regular clothes though. No problems at all. The 3rd honey super had plenty for them to eat on for winter. Plus, they are still bringing in pollen right now. I have not had to start feeding them yet.

I will be working all weekend at Mrs. T's. We had to fire the weekend care giver. Plus 2 of the others are going on vacations. And the other one has been out for 2 weeks. It's just me and 1 other this weekend. I hope Betty can come back for her regular days next week. I need to hire a few others, just for back ups. The one back up we have is working Friday and Saturday nights. It's pretty stressful, being a manager and caregiver. But I do get a lot of knitting and crocheting done while I'm there.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!