The wheelbarrow needs work, and it was suggested I get a wagon for what I am doing. So off to Tractor Supply, we went and purchased a wagon kit, which then had to be put together. My choice was to come back several hours later or put it together myself. Since it takes half an hour to get to the store and the box said it only takes 15 minutes to put it together, I opted to take it home and put it together.
The box said it takes 15 minutes to put together. What it didn’t say was that one also needed super human strength or the right tools to tighten the bolts. So my neighbor came over after work tonight and did that for me.
Now I have a little wagon that holds 800# and will tip to dump. I want to be able to haul the debris from stalls to the compost pile and dump it out. It is also molded plastic so will be very easy to clean.
Yellow jackets, paper wasps, and bald-faced hornets have been especially prolific this year, so I gave up and called the exterminator. They have little nests up in near the roof and have started nesting under the siding. But no more. They are gone! I won’t miss them a bit and will be able to use the deck once more.
The winter hat left me with extra yarn, so I knitted a headband for fall using K2, P2 ribbing for 4″, then bound off. I chose 4″ because I wanted to get it done, but may do 5″ next time I make one. I like a headband when I don’t want to mess up my hair or flatten it, but want my ears covered
Today was busy from start to finish including business calls, picking blueberries, cleaning one stall, and so the day went. Tomorrow, I hope to clean another stall, pick apples, and get a massage. The apples are early this year and have started falling and I need applesauce. It seems I usually put more on my agenda for the day, than I have either hours or time to do.
I found this Rowan tweed in my small stash of skeins. I doubt that I purchased it, but I don’t know from where it came. There are two balls of it and one is enough to make a beanie. Since it is hot, that’s my latest project. I have no pattern yet. I cast 100 stitches on size 6 needles and am doing a flap of 4″, then will decide if I want to get fancy or not. I may just do a stockinette stitch since I plant to wear it to work with the animals when it gets cold.
DUCKS:
Just look how much these ducks have grown in a mere 3 weeks. Last year the baby ducks all drowned. It turns out that infant ducks don’t have the oil in the feathers to keep from drowning for 2-3 weeks. This year, our son has been giving them a lot of attention and has gradually been giving them deeper water. They have enough oil on their feathers and are very good at swimming, so he doesn’t have to worry about them, but now he has become quite fond of them.
GRAPES:
While someone wasn’t watching, the grapes grew right through the top of the netting. No use cutting them back now. We will wait until they die back and next year have a better plan.
SHEEP:
It’s just too hot to do much besides lie in the shade, so other than coming in to eat, most of the day is spent lying in the shade chewing cud.
Though it’s difficult to see from this photo, I filled a 5 gallon bucket about 2/3 full of potatoes this morning. We planted quickly in bad ground about 8″ apart in long rows. I am delighted that we have so many potatoes. They are so near the surface, however, that we will either have to cover them for the winter and take as needed or take them from the ground before freezing and hope the garage will be cool enough.
Company
Our daughter came to visit today and left with 5 large zucchini (possibly to share), kale, tomatoes, and some orange peppers. In this heat, the garden is watered daily, one can almost see the growth of the vegetables daily.
Yesterday, our son and his wife picked up their new Abyssinian kitten. He is 3 months old and they have been a bit impatient to be able to take him home. He is the cutest thing, and has some growing to do to grow into those ears.
CLOCKWORKToday went like clockwork with all the appointments happening right on time. First Bracken and I spent two hours picking berries. Then the fellow I hired to help me catch up on some barn cleaning showed up.
NEW WASHING MACHINE
We decided to purchase a washing machine with an agitator spindle because we have not been happy with the way the clothes were being cleaned, plus we like the tub fill of water at times to soak the clothes. Since our last machine lasted just over a year, we decided to roll the years back and get one like we had a few years ago. This is a 4.2 GE model. The installers were here 5 minutes early and were done in 20 minutes, taking the broken one with them.
VET VISIT
Butler needs some health tests before he can join the other boys, which he so badly wants to do. Here he is watching them while waiting for the vet and his long needle to draw blood.
And after all that, I had a 3 hour phone conference as we are setting up a new sheep registry. It has been a very busy day.
Bracken is an 8-year-old border collie who was in the top 50 in sheep dog trials in the US. She is being retired here because she needs a job and I need a dog that knows how to bring in the sheep when needed. I got so much more than I expected. She is incredibly loving and sweet. She stepped into the stall tonight at feeding time, and I saw her do nothing, but the sheep filed out, I filled feeders and then let them back in. That was so much more pleasant than trying to put hay in feeders over the top of the sheep.
Meet Butler:Butler is our new polled ram who will service the daughter of the rams we have been using. He is not only beautiful, he has very soft wool and is halter trained. He will make a great addition to the Shetland flock.
Look at gorgeous red peppers. What a difference a hoop house and a very hot summer make!
Hay day has arrived. Because it is a hot day, we started unloading at 8 this morning. It took about 3 hours to unload and stack 20 ton of hay and people were plenty sweaty and tired at the end of that time. The sheep should now have enough food to last throughout the winter and next spring the pastures will be ready for them.
Meet Alice, an accidental breeding caused this little bottle baby who is partially blind. So she was given to my neighbor to love. The hope is she may grow out of it.
Autumn socks are finished because I am dealing with spotty internet. They are made from Lorna Laces sport weight wool on #4 needles. I’m not crazy about how much orange is in the pattern, and can hardly believe I bought this yarn. So I used plain stockinette stitch and they are done and wearable. And when I’m wearing socks, I’m not looking at them, so who knows, the person looking at them may like these colors.
The internet here has been extremely spotty because of modem problems. I have been having horrible withdrawals, however, there is enough to do around here, that I have kept busy. There are now 90# of blueberries in the freezer. The socks are done. The garden is doing well, though, it has to be watered daily. The dogs are digging holes in the dirt to stay cool. It is an unusually hot summer.
20 ton of hay is being delivered in the morning. I believe I have coordinated enough people to get it unloaded and stacked before noon. I have water and Gatorade in the refrigerator for the workers and I really hope they will be done before noon, when the temperature is scheduled to reach 80 degrees. This is too hot to have to be working this hard.
There has been so much to do this summer that it is going fast and before I blink a few more times, I’ll be wondering where it went.
This heat is really slowing me down. I was up at 5.30 this morning so my neighbor and I could give each of the sheep a shot, which should eliminate parasites. This is fly season and they seem particularly bad this year, perhaps because of the heat.
The neighbor took this photo of Lacey as she (the neighbor) was leaving this morning. It is the best I have of this dog.
Max Lucado is one of my favorite authors. Here is his post from today:
– Love God more than you fear hell.
– Once a week, let a child take you on a walk.
– Make major decisions in a cemetery.
– When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
– Succeed at home first.
– Don’t spend tomorrow’s money today.
– Pray twice as much as you fret.
– Listen twice as much as you speak.
– Only harbor a grudge when God does.
– Never outgrow your love of sunsets.
– Treat people like angels; you will meet some and help make some.
– ‘Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than on the side of scrutiny.
– God has forgiven you; you’d be wise to do the same.
– When you can’t trace God’s hand, trust his heart.
– Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat.
– Don’t feel guilty for God’s goodness.
– The book of life is lived in chapters, so know your page number.
– Never let the important be the victim of the trivial.
– Live your liturgy.
Most things are easier than bathing Lacey, an 85# dog that doesn’t wish to be bathed. And of course there are no photos of all this, because how does one hold a camera while the dog is forced into a large tub, climbs out, slips out of her collar and goes and hides. However, I cornered her and the second time, she and I were together in the master bath – this time with the door closed so she couldn’t get away. And she is spending the night in the house to get nice and dry before she returns to her digging habits.
We are very much enjoying the fresh vegetables from the garden. I made several Zucchini lasagna casseroles since we are busy enough that it is convenient to have something to quickly take from the freezer and have a good meal. Today I picked 2 small zukes for sauteing. There are many green peppers on the plants that I’m hoping will turn red and orange as they are sweeter, but I needed one today, so I did pick one.
In addition to the vegetables we are enjoying packing away blueberries for this winter. I picked another 15 pounds this morning. I’m very happy to not have to pick them everyday. A new friend from Canada has commercial blueberry fields, and was telling me about the machines they use to pick the berries. I will continue to hand pick these – yes more labor intensive, but I don’t have acres and acres of berries, so it’s okay.
The wheelbarrow needs work, and it was suggested I get a wagon for what I am doing. So off to Tractor Supply, we went and purchased a wagon kit, which then had to be put together. My choice was to come back several hours later or put it together myself. Since it takes half an hour to get to the store and the box said it only takes 15 minutes to put it together, I opted to take it home and put it together.
The wheelbarrow needs work, and it was suggested I get a wagon for what I am doing. So off to Tractor Supply, we went and purchased a wagon kit, which then had to be put together. My choice was to come back several hours later or put it together myself. Since it takes half an hour to get to the store and the box said it only takes 15 minutes to put it together, I opted to take it home and put it together.
Yellow jackets, paper wasps, and bald-faced hornets have been especially prolific this year, so I gave up and called the exterminator. They have little nests up in near the roof and have started nesting under the siding. But no more. They are gone! I won’t miss them a bit and will be able to use the deck once more.
Just look how much these ducks have grown in a mere 3 weeks. Last year the baby ducks all drowned. It turns out that infant ducks don’t have the oil in the feathers to keep from drowning for 2-3 weeks. This year, our son has been giving them a lot of attention and has gradually been giving them deeper water. They have enough oil on their feathers and are very good at swimming, so he doesn’t have to worry about them, but now he has become quite fond of them.
While someone wasn’t watching, the grapes grew right through the top of the netting. No use cutting them back now. We will wait until they die back and next year have a better plan.
It’s just too hot to do much besides lie in the shade, so other than coming in to eat, most of the day is spent lying in the shade chewing cud.
Though it’s difficult to see from this photo, I filled a 5 gallon bucket about 2/3 full of potatoes this morning. We planted quickly in bad ground about 8″ apart in long rows. I am delighted that we have so many potatoes. They are so near the surface, however, that we will either have to cover them for the winter and take as needed or take them from the ground before freezing and hope the garage will be cool enough.
Yesterday, our son and his wife picked up their new Abyssinian kitten. He is 3 months old and they have been a bit impatient to be able to take him home. He is the cutest thing, and has some growing to do to grow into those ears.
Today went like clockwork with all the appointments happening right on time. First Bracken and I spent two hours picking berries. Then the fellow I hired to help me catch up on some barn cleaning showed up.
Butler needs some health tests before he can join the other boys, which he so badly wants to do. Here he is watching them while waiting for the vet and his long needle to draw blood.
Bracken is an 8-year-old border collie who was in the top 50 in sheep dog trials in the US. She is being retired here because she needs a job and I need a dog that knows how to bring in the sheep when needed. I got so much more than I expected. She is incredibly loving and sweet. She stepped into the stall tonight at feeding time, and I saw her do nothing, but the sheep filed out, I filled feeders and then let them back in. That was so much more pleasant than trying to put hay in feeders over the top of the sheep.
Butler is our new polled ram who will service the daughter of the rams we have been using. He is not only beautiful, he has very soft wool and is halter trained. He will make a great addition to the Shetland flock.
Look at gorgeous red peppers. What a difference a hoop house and a very hot summer make!
Most things are easier than bathing Lacey, an 85# dog that doesn’t wish to be bathed. And of course there are no photos of all this, because how does one hold a camera while the dog is forced into a large tub, climbs out, slips out of her collar and goes and hides. However, I cornered her and the second time, she and I were together in the master bath – this time with the door closed so she couldn’t get away. And she is spending the night in the house to get nice and dry before she returns to her digging habits.
We are very much enjoying the fresh vegetables from the garden. I made several Zucchini lasagna casseroles since we are busy enough that it is convenient to have something to quickly take from the freezer and have a good meal. Today I picked 2 small zukes for sauteing. There are many green peppers on the plants that I’m hoping will turn red and orange as they are sweeter, but I needed one today, so I did pick one.