This summer has been a learning experience. I guess they should all be learning experiences so I won't complain too much. It has been extremely hot as it has in most of the country. The humidity has been brutal ...but that's what you get in this area.
I have learned that wilting pumpkins don't mean more water but more bugs (arrugh)
I have learned that it is great to finally have a water supply closer to the melon patch. (we installed a water hydrant there this spring.)
I have learned (again) that purchased eggs for incubation are VERY iffy. We had basically no luck with this endeavor. (1 survivor)
I have learned that Guineas can be very friendly if you work at it. Guineas also love cucumbers!
I have learned that goats bottle raised are indeed more people friendly. They even come when you call them which is useful when they have gotten out of the pen.
Roosters that strut around all cocky become too cocky and need to be kept penned up for their safety.
Little kids will actually OFFER to help in the garden and be disappointed when they can't always be there to help.
AND When you don't have a drought the chances are far less that your pasture will catch on fire due to the electric fence so you will have pasture into the winter.
By the way we have another guinea sitting on a nest. Of course it is in the middle of the beans but that's OK. We will see if this one goes as well as the earlier hatch.
I will keep you informed of other things I HAVE LEARNED.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Corn and ducks and tomatoes and more.
It's been a very hot summer here but the heat has broken somewhat. In the 80's to low 90's right now so it is more bearable. My husband has been working his tail off in this weather too. It is easy to let the heat take you down, literally!
We finally got some corn in July and have been able to harvest more for the freezer this past week. The earworms are in full force so we are loosing part of many ears. Also running into smut with this batch. All in all we have had a good crop though. The tomatoes are just starting to produce due to the wet spring. We just couldn't get them in the ground. Will be making salsa this weekend.
We have watermelon coming in now too. The pumpkins have been great although we are in a major battle with squash bugs as I type! MAJOR invasion! We will not be defeated though.
Finally have some baby Muscovy ducks. Mail order eggs just don't remain very viable but hopefully the few we got to hatch will supply us next year.
We do have 15 young guineas running around the place. The are pretty funny because as you go down the hill the run right up to you. Guineas are suppose to be semi domesticated. Hmm these guys are pretty mellow.
Another typical summer too hot and too short.
We finally got some corn in July and have been able to harvest more for the freezer this past week. The earworms are in full force so we are loosing part of many ears. Also running into smut with this batch. All in all we have had a good crop though. The tomatoes are just starting to produce due to the wet spring. We just couldn't get them in the ground. Will be making salsa this weekend.
We have watermelon coming in now too. The pumpkins have been great although we are in a major battle with squash bugs as I type! MAJOR invasion! We will not be defeated though.
Finally have some baby Muscovy ducks. Mail order eggs just don't remain very viable but hopefully the few we got to hatch will supply us next year.
We do have 15 young guineas running around the place. The are pretty funny because as you go down the hill the run right up to you. Guineas are suppose to be semi domesticated. Hmm these guys are pretty mellow.
Another typical summer too hot and too short.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Vacation time!! I think??
Well here it is, vacation time. Time to get ready for a week of doing absolutely nothing! The girls are going to take care of the farm while we are away. They don't even have to mow because with the heat it has stopped growing. We will be going to a far away land to be waited on by those happy go lucky high school and college kids just wanting to make a few extra spending dollars. Ahhhh................. I can feel the cool breeze now. Smell the fresh air..............what a great time.......................
Screechhhhh.......... whoa............. wake up!
Vacation time. The hottest most humid week of the year. It doesn't matter what week it is on the calendar from May through October it will either be oppressively hot (115 heat index this week) or raining. We got the heat.
That's OK though, we have still been able to get some things done around here. The garden weeds always seem to get ahead of us so they are always on the to do list.
OK, so that was LAST WEEK! We accomplished a lot but it went by way too fast and I didn't finish this. Garden looks really good thanks to my husband and his crazy work ethic. He doesn't sit still just goes till he drops. We built some really cool looking pyramid sprinklers for the garden. The corn is going to ready this weekend finally. We have gotten some cucumbers and zucchini. The pumpkins, watermelons and cantaloupe are going crazy!
We have moved the baby goats from Michigan in with the others and so far so good. I thought we had lost all of our Guinea keets because they were coming up whenever I went to the barn. I couldn't find them anywhere but my husband found them when he came home. Something must have tried to get them though because momma wont let them out of the tall grass.
We lost all of our Muscovy eggs so we are trying again. I candled them and most look good so far. Hopefully this batch will hatch! It's the first time we have ever had a complete loss.
My son in law and grand kids saw the doe and fawn the other day so they are doing fine . The heat is crazy but there is still plenty of water available for them.
The icing in the cake so to speak was staining the deck we had built. That went up this spring to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. It looks awesome!
Any way my vacation may not be what most people envision but I enjoyed it. Too bad it had to end.
Screechhhhh.......... whoa............. wake up!
Vacation time. The hottest most humid week of the year. It doesn't matter what week it is on the calendar from May through October it will either be oppressively hot (115 heat index this week) or raining. We got the heat.
That's OK though, we have still been able to get some things done around here. The garden weeds always seem to get ahead of us so they are always on the to do list.
OK, so that was LAST WEEK! We accomplished a lot but it went by way too fast and I didn't finish this. Garden looks really good thanks to my husband and his crazy work ethic. He doesn't sit still just goes till he drops. We built some really cool looking pyramid sprinklers for the garden. The corn is going to ready this weekend finally. We have gotten some cucumbers and zucchini. The pumpkins, watermelons and cantaloupe are going crazy!
We have moved the baby goats from Michigan in with the others and so far so good. I thought we had lost all of our Guinea keets because they were coming up whenever I went to the barn. I couldn't find them anywhere but my husband found them when he came home. Something must have tried to get them though because momma wont let them out of the tall grass.
We lost all of our Muscovy eggs so we are trying again. I candled them and most look good so far. Hopefully this batch will hatch! It's the first time we have ever had a complete loss.
My son in law and grand kids saw the doe and fawn the other day so they are doing fine . The heat is crazy but there is still plenty of water available for them.
The icing in the cake so to speak was staining the deck we had built. That went up this spring to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. It looks awesome!
Any way my vacation may not be what most people envision but I enjoyed it. Too bad it had to end.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Happy July 4th!
First off I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!
Things around here have been pretty busy. I have been watching the grand kids and had some extra work commitments so it's time to catch up.
The garden is finally starting to come in pretty good, pumpkins, watermelons and cantaloupe are doing really good should have some flowering before too long. We had some fried zucchini last Monday, it was good! First veggie this year. We had a good soaking rain this week so it all got watered well. The heat has been crazy though. ( I can't comment on it anymore because it is now officially the HOT time of the year!)
Our additions to the implements for the tractor have been amazing so far. The rows were so much easier to plant and the weeds have been much easier to "control", wish we had come to our senses years ago but it just proves that you can teach old dogs new tricks!
For the first time ever we have had a total loss at hatching something. The Muscovy duck eggs we purchased have failed to hatch. We have had a number of power outages but I really don't think that is the cause. The letter that came with some of the eggs said to incubate at 85% humidity our incubator said 50%. We have hatched many varieties of foul and never had to go as high as 85%. Not sure what caused it yet.
The goat kids got to move into their new pen. Much more room but they got to meet the electric fence for the first time. There is a learning curve for them.
Things around here have been pretty busy. I have been watching the grand kids and had some extra work commitments so it's time to catch up.
The garden is finally starting to come in pretty good, pumpkins, watermelons and cantaloupe are doing really good should have some flowering before too long. We had some fried zucchini last Monday, it was good! First veggie this year. We had a good soaking rain this week so it all got watered well. The heat has been crazy though. ( I can't comment on it anymore because it is now officially the HOT time of the year!)
Our additions to the implements for the tractor have been amazing so far. The rows were so much easier to plant and the weeds have been much easier to "control", wish we had come to our senses years ago but it just proves that you can teach old dogs new tricks!
For the first time ever we have had a total loss at hatching something. The Muscovy duck eggs we purchased have failed to hatch. We have had a number of power outages but I really don't think that is the cause. The letter that came with some of the eggs said to incubate at 85% humidity our incubator said 50%. We have hatched many varieties of foul and never had to go as high as 85%. Not sure what caused it yet.
The goat kids got to move into their new pen. Much more room but they got to meet the electric fence for the first time. There is a learning curve for them.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Babies babies and more babies
Haven't been on here for a few days so I will catch up on things. First off the fawn. Haven't seen momma or baby since last week but I'm sure they are ok. The day after the momma chased the dog I was in the house and the dog started barking. My grandson (5 year old) said he would look and see what was going on. He opened the back door and didn't see a thing so, just the dog being noisy. Then I went in and checked the video for the driveway. I see momma and fawn behind the truck in the middle of the driveway looking toward the house. The doe proceeds to lay down in the drive trying to become as flat as possible. My guess is she heard the door and knew the fawn couldn't keep up with her if she ran so she was trying not to be seen. Just hadn't ever seen that before especially out in the open.
Remember the baby geese that were eating the corn as it was coming up? A couple of days ago they disappeared along with their mother. No feathers no signs of anything! Dunno what happened there.
We are now the proud "parents" of about 20 baby guineas though. Momma won't keep them still enough to get an accurate count. They are tiny compared to the geese when they hatch!
Our final batch of birds for now are some Muscovy ducks that we have in an incubator. They should be hatching this week so.... until next time....... as Jimmy Durante would say,"Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."
Remember the baby geese that were eating the corn as it was coming up? A couple of days ago they disappeared along with their mother. No feathers no signs of anything! Dunno what happened there.
We are now the proud "parents" of about 20 baby guineas though. Momma won't keep them still enough to get an accurate count. They are tiny compared to the geese when they hatch!
Our final batch of birds for now are some Muscovy ducks that we have in an incubator. They should be hatching this week so.... until next time....... as Jimmy Durante would say,"Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Deer? Chasing the dog?
Every morning I get up before my husband goes to work to spend some time with him. Every morning we let the dog (our boxer Buddy) out as we head to the car. Every morning Buddy goes down the driveway or into the woods, rarely does he go very far but he is out of sight. Of course it is still very dark at that time. We do occasionally have neighbors dogs intrude the territory.
We have a camera outside so we can see the gardens etc. This morning we happened to see a doe very close to the house.
This morning wasn't "every morning". We go out to the car as usual. I'm standing talking to my husband as usual. Buddy takes off as usual.........then..........Buddy comes back running at full tilt *not* as usual. Something is chasing him. I am thinking it is another dog and I yell out as I see them approach. Then as Buddy zips between the car and truck the pursuer stops! I see to my astonishment that my dog was being run down by a deer! If I wasn't full awake before I was then. We have deer around here all the time and there hadn't been any problems. He doesn't chase them and they don't chase him. Until today. This animal just stood there after she stopped and stared him down. He wasn't going anywhere near that deer. She then turned lifted that white tail and walked off.
End of story? Not quite.
As my husband is headed down the driveway this deer is having an attitude with his car she is not wanting to let him pass. Slowly he maneuvers the car around her and is on his way. I return into the house wondering what the heck was that all about?
End of story now? Not quite..............
My husband called me a couple of minutes after he left to update me on the situation................
If you read my last blog you know we spent part of this past weekend installing a new water hydrant about halfway up the driveway. It seems that this particular doe chose that particular spot at very close to the particular time my husband leaves for work to deliver a new fawn and Buddy wasn't a welcome visitor at such early hours. Neither was my husband or his car!
All is well, momma and baby have moved on and Buddy doesn't seem too traumatized.
End of story? Yes for now.
We have a camera outside so we can see the gardens etc. This morning we happened to see a doe very close to the house.
This morning wasn't "every morning". We go out to the car as usual. I'm standing talking to my husband as usual. Buddy takes off as usual.........then..........Buddy comes back running at full tilt *not* as usual. Something is chasing him. I am thinking it is another dog and I yell out as I see them approach. Then as Buddy zips between the car and truck the pursuer stops! I see to my astonishment that my dog was being run down by a deer! If I wasn't full awake before I was then. We have deer around here all the time and there hadn't been any problems. He doesn't chase them and they don't chase him. Until today. This animal just stood there after she stopped and stared him down. He wasn't going anywhere near that deer. She then turned lifted that white tail and walked off.
End of story? Not quite.
As my husband is headed down the driveway this deer is having an attitude with his car she is not wanting to let him pass. Slowly he maneuvers the car around her and is on his way. I return into the house wondering what the heck was that all about?
End of story now? Not quite..............
My husband called me a couple of minutes after he left to update me on the situation................
If you read my last blog you know we spent part of this past weekend installing a new water hydrant about halfway up the driveway. It seems that this particular doe chose that particular spot at very close to the particular time my husband leaves for work to deliver a new fawn and Buddy wasn't a welcome visitor at such early hours. Neither was my husband or his car!
All is well, momma and baby have moved on and Buddy doesn't seem too traumatized.
End of story? Yes for now.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Weekend fun!?!
Once again we had a pretty busy weekend. This spring we have gone from constant rain for close to a month to extreme heat and no rain. Everything is drying out so....... bring on the irrigation (hoses and sprinklers). Problem is that it's not just hose or two, some areas we have to have 200+ feet of hose. THAT is a pain to move so........... we decided it was time to install a water hydrant closer to the pumpkin/ watermelon patch. Not a big deal right??! Except we weren't real sure where the water line was. We had a general idea but digging 16"+ inches deep to locate a 1" line is pretty much a crap shoot. After about an hour of digging and producing a really nice trench we went in and had breakfast to rethink our strategy. The conclusion was it's time for the big guns....... here comes the tractor. Digging with the front end loader was so much easier, within 10 minutes I had found the waterline........... fortunately we had already turned off the water so when I broke the line there weren't gallons upon gallons of water gushing just a constant stream ...... well kinda like a bubbling brook.
After we baled the water out of the hole so we could see the pipe we plumbed the hydrant and shutoff valve to the main water line turned on the water and HOLY COW no leaks! So we got the hole filled in and turned on the sprinkler using only 1 hose. Mission complete!
On to the new cultivator for the garden. It adjusts up and down and side to side and will eliminat a lot of weeding. I 'll let you know how well it works.
Did I mention it was pushing 100 degrees on Saturday?
Good thing we got that water hydrant in it's been so dry........
Did I mention WE had a thunderstorm with wind gusts up to 60 mph.
( It moved the satellite dish so we aren't getting full reception...ugh.)
I woke up Sunday and my husband was already out running the weed eater around the pasture. The electric fence wasn't working as well as it should. After breakfast we went out to find where the gate was catching the fence charge. It's not supposed to shock you. We made some adjustments to the gate and changed some insulators solving that problem.
Along with the regular "stuff" we do around here it was another hot, busy and productive weekend.
Thanks to our oldest daughter and her fiancee for the help with the water and lunch on Saturday.
After we baled the water out of the hole so we could see the pipe we plumbed the hydrant and shutoff valve to the main water line turned on the water and HOLY COW no leaks! So we got the hole filled in and turned on the sprinkler using only 1 hose. Mission complete!
On to the new cultivator for the garden. It adjusts up and down and side to side and will eliminat a lot of weeding. I 'll let you know how well it works.
Did I mention it was pushing 100 degrees on Saturday?
Good thing we got that water hydrant in it's been so dry........
Did I mention WE had a thunderstorm with wind gusts up to 60 mph.
( It moved the satellite dish so we aren't getting full reception...ugh.)
I woke up Sunday and my husband was already out running the weed eater around the pasture. The electric fence wasn't working as well as it should. After breakfast we went out to find where the gate was catching the fence charge. It's not supposed to shock you. We made some adjustments to the gate and changed some insulators solving that problem.
Along with the regular "stuff" we do around here it was another hot, busy and productive weekend.
Thanks to our oldest daughter and her fiancee for the help with the water and lunch on Saturday.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Well no more rain anyway!!
Ok so we have been WATERING the garden and strawberries! I knew this would happen, torrential rain for weeks then *POOF* rain is gone heat is here almost 100 degrees. We had to replant some of the corn again. Baby geese didn't eat the entire plant but enough that they didn't survive (I'm talking about the corn here although the geese had better watch out!). Oh well now we will have two harvests of the corn. Blueberry bushes are doing ok (if we can only keep someone from running over them). We transplanted some large bushes a couple of years ago but the drought took its toll last year. Running water buckets out to water the new plants.
This weekend we plan on installing a frostproof faucet by the punkin patch so we won't have to pull so many hoses to get water there.
The rabbits, poultry and goats are all pretty much set up with automatic waterers so that helps and they get a cooler supply of water consistantly.
We are trying to sell off some of our goats that don't meet our criteria for our newest endeavor. Hope fuul this will happen soon
If you would like to see our farm just go to
www.possumridgefarms.com
See ya'll soon out in the old cotton field.
This weekend we plan on installing a frostproof faucet by the punkin patch so we won't have to pull so many hoses to get water there.
The rabbits, poultry and goats are all pretty much set up with automatic waterers so that helps and they get a cooler supply of water consistantly.
We are trying to sell off some of our goats that don't meet our criteria for our newest endeavor. Hope fuul this will happen soon
If you would like to see our farm just go to
www.possumridgefarms.com
See ya'll soon out in the old cotton field.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
It is now HOT
Well no rain so here in west Tennessee that means it's HOT and humid. Today it will be close to 100 degrees. Come on it's June 100 degrees? Really? Two weeks ago we couldn't get into the garden because it was too wet. Now? Breaking out the hoses and sprinklers. The animals look at us with a confused expression. Oh well that's what happens here, five nice days in the spring if we are lucky then BAM summer. Some like this heat but me? Not so much. Oh well I will deal with it. Better than the severe weather we were having.
Out into the heat I go.................
Out into the heat I go.................
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Busy weekend
We had a weekend with NO rain! The garden dried out enough to work it again. After having to replant the corn we were getting a bit disappointed to see such poor germination. I told my husband I thought the seed might have been exposed with the rain and the birds then ate them. Other crops are coming on strong onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, raddishes, beets, peas, cucumbers and zucchini are all up and growing well.
We finally managed to get the tomato and pepper plants out this weekend with the help of our grandson (5yr old).
Next project was tearing out old landscape fabric, preping the soil and planting pumpkins, watermelons and cantaloupe.
Next project cutting, splitting and stacking the wood from the tree limb that came down in a recent storm. Did I mention the tree that almost broke in half about 15 feet off the ground? That was fun! We cut at it a little pushed it with the tractor, cut a little more, pushed again you kinda get the idea. Finally got it disconnected with no human injuries but alas it was wedged in another tree and sticking up in the air! Kubota to the rescue (again). We hooked a chain to that sucker and pulled................ hoping not to get a slingshot effect and decapitation anyone ( insert husband here). The plan worked like a charm so now we have more wood to split and stack..... That's Ok though.
Next project fix the driveway. Big ruts from all the rain means tractor time for me. I get to do the driveway repairs and enjoy doing it.
Next project ...... uhoh...... they decided to get the tent out.
and light the pile of wood that has been accumulating since last summer...... BONFIRE! It was a fun way to end a long couple of days.
One final note for now we also moved the baby geese (actually all of the geese) to a pasture further away from the garden, ya see THEY were trimming the corn as it was coming up! Didn't ruin the plants but they aren't being tempted anymore!
There's always something!
We finally managed to get the tomato and pepper plants out this weekend with the help of our grandson (5yr old).
Next project was tearing out old landscape fabric, preping the soil and planting pumpkins, watermelons and cantaloupe.
Next project cutting, splitting and stacking the wood from the tree limb that came down in a recent storm. Did I mention the tree that almost broke in half about 15 feet off the ground? That was fun! We cut at it a little pushed it with the tractor, cut a little more, pushed again you kinda get the idea. Finally got it disconnected with no human injuries but alas it was wedged in another tree and sticking up in the air! Kubota to the rescue (again). We hooked a chain to that sucker and pulled................ hoping not to get a slingshot effect and decapitation anyone ( insert husband here). The plan worked like a charm so now we have more wood to split and stack..... That's Ok though.
Next project fix the driveway. Big ruts from all the rain means tractor time for me. I get to do the driveway repairs and enjoy doing it.
Next project ...... uhoh...... they decided to get the tent out.
and light the pile of wood that has been accumulating since last summer...... BONFIRE! It was a fun way to end a long couple of days.
One final note for now we also moved the baby geese (actually all of the geese) to a pasture further away from the garden, ya see THEY were trimming the corn as it was coming up! Didn't ruin the plants but they aren't being tempted anymore!
There's always something!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Finally
No rain today!
We got the wood stacked, tree that was partially broken and a hanging death trap down and the old landscape fabric up! It was a busy day. Also fixed the diveway. Tomorrow we will be splitting more wood and finishing soil prep for watermelons and pumpkins. Also trimming the goats and playing with the grandson! I'm going to bed!!
We got the wood stacked, tree that was partially broken and a hanging death trap down and the old landscape fabric up! It was a busy day. Also fixed the diveway. Tomorrow we will be splitting more wood and finishing soil prep for watermelons and pumpkins. Also trimming the goats and playing with the grandson! I'm going to bed!!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Again?
Betcha can't guess what it did today.
We now have a full incubator. 23 Muscovy eggs. We haven't raised any in a long time but they are quiet and very self sufficient. Hopefully they will hatch as this is the first time we have purchased duck eggs and had them shipped to us. We had one that looked like it might have a crack so instead of risking contamination the whole batch we pitched it. Still I wasn't sure what to expect when they were ordered. We will see in a month or so.
It was pretty quiet here today, anticipating the big event this evening. Everyone in the area was on pins and needles. What to do ...where to go.... what to say..... It was going to start this morning then they moved it to the afternoon, finally it began and no one was stopping it.
There is no use in fixing the driveway until we are sure it has stopped for a day or two. It'll just do it again.
There is no weeding the garden until it stops. we don't own waders.
There is no mowing because the tractor will make too many ruts.
The geese are having a blast.
Did I mention it rained AGAIN?( Lots of wind too but we missed the severe stuff fortunately.)
We now have a full incubator. 23 Muscovy eggs. We haven't raised any in a long time but they are quiet and very self sufficient. Hopefully they will hatch as this is the first time we have purchased duck eggs and had them shipped to us. We had one that looked like it might have a crack so instead of risking contamination the whole batch we pitched it. Still I wasn't sure what to expect when they were ordered. We will see in a month or so.
It was pretty quiet here today, anticipating the big event this evening. Everyone in the area was on pins and needles. What to do ...where to go.... what to say..... It was going to start this morning then they moved it to the afternoon, finally it began and no one was stopping it.
There is no use in fixing the driveway until we are sure it has stopped for a day or two. It'll just do it again.
There is no weeding the garden until it stops. we don't own waders.
There is no mowing because the tractor will make too many ruts.
The geese are having a blast.
Did I mention it rained AGAIN?( Lots of wind too but we missed the severe stuff fortunately.)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Did I mention?
We got a day off from the rain. Well kinda, it rained for about 5 minutes around 4:30 this morning. Did I mention it was another downpour? Standing water in the garden all day again and still.
Hmmm......... the rowbuilder that we got this spring has kept our new seedlings on high ground so far. Of course the baby geese have also noticed the seedlings on higher ground. Hopefully that doesn't mean they will be feasting and drinking/swimming /partying on the veggies. (They can have all the grass and nutsedge they want but I'm not sure they know there's a difference)
Oh and did I mention it rained when my husband got home from work? Another 5 minute downpour then back to partly sunny and mostly humid. If we were doing one of those survivor shows I would swear we were heading for a tropical rain forest in some exotic central america location. Nope just good ole southern hospitality.
Did I mention we are scheduled for more rain and severe weather tomorrow? At this rate we will have to bale the weeds around the house instead of mow them.
I know there are areas that would like some of our rain and I have tried to send it to them even pleading with facebook friends in the area to all turn their fans on high and point them toward Texas and Arizona ( for family members requesting the moisture) The only result was one fan with a burned out motor and another on it's way.
I'm really not complaining too much though, we have all stayed safe and dry this spring (except for my daughters leaking roof and my husband's aunt and uncle's roof damage) compared to the misfortunes of so many others in this area I am thakful we have been lucky this year. Hope it stays that way.
Hmmm......... the rowbuilder that we got this spring has kept our new seedlings on high ground so far. Of course the baby geese have also noticed the seedlings on higher ground. Hopefully that doesn't mean they will be feasting and drinking/swimming /partying on the veggies. (They can have all the grass and nutsedge they want but I'm not sure they know there's a difference)
Oh and did I mention it rained when my husband got home from work? Another 5 minute downpour then back to partly sunny and mostly humid. If we were doing one of those survivor shows I would swear we were heading for a tropical rain forest in some exotic central america location. Nope just good ole southern hospitality.
Did I mention we are scheduled for more rain and severe weather tomorrow? At this rate we will have to bale the weeds around the house instead of mow them.
I know there are areas that would like some of our rain and I have tried to send it to them even pleading with facebook friends in the area to all turn their fans on high and point them toward Texas and Arizona ( for family members requesting the moisture) The only result was one fan with a burned out motor and another on it's way.
I'm really not complaining too much though, we have all stayed safe and dry this spring (except for my daughters leaking roof and my husband's aunt and uncle's roof damage) compared to the misfortunes of so many others in this area I am thakful we have been lucky this year. Hope it stays that way.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Rain and eggs
Here we are with rain again. Last year we had a flash flood that took out fences and some livestock here. This year we haven't had flooding (knock on wood) but have had constant rain all spring and it came again today. There has also been plenty of wind. We spent the weekend cleaning up a branch that was blown out of one of our trees (in between storms that is). The branch happens to be about 2 feet across where it was dislocated from the trunk. Still not done splitting it.
We did get to place 8 Muscovy duck eggs in the incubator today though so all wasn't lost. Moscovy ducks are interesting, the girls look almost regal the way they walk around. The males ..... not so much...... they kinda look ...well.... they are just ugly and not the smartest critters either but they are still likeable in their own way.
The garden is starting to come in but the weeds are too and it is way too wet to remove them.
Oh well, maybe tomorrow we will dry out after all it is West Tennessee and it WILL get hot and dry sooner than later.
If you would like to check out our "Michigan" goats you can see them on our website possumridgefarms.com
We did get to place 8 Muscovy duck eggs in the incubator today though so all wasn't lost. Moscovy ducks are interesting, the girls look almost regal the way they walk around. The males ..... not so much...... they kinda look ...well.... they are just ugly and not the smartest critters either but they are still likeable in their own way.
The garden is starting to come in but the weeds are too and it is way too wet to remove them.
Oh well, maybe tomorrow we will dry out after all it is West Tennessee and it WILL get hot and dry sooner than later.
If you would like to check out our "Michigan" goats you can see them on our website possumridgefarms.com
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Welcome to our home!
Thanks for checking out my blog.
My family and I have been raising animals and gardens for over 25 years and it has been an adventure. This is my opportunity to share these experiences with you both past and present.
We are currently working on developing a top notch dairy herd of LaMancha goats along with always improving our poultry endeavors.
We lived for 15 years on an acre of mostly wooded swamp where we raised rabbits, goats, geese, guineas, chickens, dogs and a cat. We also had some interesting visitors from time to time. A potbellied pig foraged around for about a week. Three half grown hogs (pink, not wild ones) visited a couple times. Wild turkeys would fly over once in a while. Then there was the very large alligator snapping turtle that was just passing through. We let it do whatever it wanted.
Just over 9 years ago we moved to a 10 acre cotton field. The family that had owned the land could recall stories about the use of mules to work the fields hence the choice of my title for this blog.
We have had a lot of adventures and gained much knowledge that I will attempt to share with you.
Check back often.
My family and I have been raising animals and gardens for over 25 years and it has been an adventure. This is my opportunity to share these experiences with you both past and present.
We are currently working on developing a top notch dairy herd of LaMancha goats along with always improving our poultry endeavors.
We lived for 15 years on an acre of mostly wooded swamp where we raised rabbits, goats, geese, guineas, chickens, dogs and a cat. We also had some interesting visitors from time to time. A potbellied pig foraged around for about a week. Three half grown hogs (pink, not wild ones) visited a couple times. Wild turkeys would fly over once in a while. Then there was the very large alligator snapping turtle that was just passing through. We let it do whatever it wanted.
Just over 9 years ago we moved to a 10 acre cotton field. The family that had owned the land could recall stories about the use of mules to work the fields hence the choice of my title for this blog.
We have had a lot of adventures and gained much knowledge that I will attempt to share with you.
Check back often.
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