May 24, 2010

Well it's been very busy around here, thus my lack of updating this site. We have laid plastic mulch and been planting pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers as well as green beans. The lettuces are up and delicious! and the spinach too. The hi-tunnel green houses are coming along, but, as usual, are taking more time that Lyn or I would like. The fryer chickens are enjoying their pasture buffet and will be plump little things in another month. We have received about 2 inches of rain in the past 2 weeks so everything is growing well, especially the weeds. ARGGH!

Nichole has been working very hard at her schooling and will be finishing a semester worth of school in less than 3 months. Homeschooling is so flexible! She is also working part-time in town at a hardware store and enjoying the cash that comes from that. She had a great time at the local prom. Her friend is a really nice young man that is going to be a senior here next year. If Nichole keeps going as she has been, she will complete 2 years of school in one--for some odd reason, she's looking forward to that. I think she is more looking forward to being in college and not having to help with the weeding ;D.

Hopefully, I will make it back in a more timely fashion next time.
Take care.
Donna

Rain, rain go away..but only for a little while :)

Hello again!
Well the cold I had last week was actually bronchitis. So after a course of antibiotics, I am ready to go again. (Thank You God for antibiotics!) However, we are getting rain today, and tomorrow, and Wednesday and maybe snow Wednesday night and Thursday--so I get to catch up on paperwork, housecleaning and other sundry inside duties. I am fitting in little outside chores between rains, so am not completely shut-in.
As I wrote earlier, we have bottle calves, three of them, and boy are they cute! I did the ultimate rancher/farmer no-no. I named them. They are Phil , Teensy (see photo), and Baby Girl (lying down). Phil is the largest, Baby Girl is the shyest, and Teensy is a preemie that has had a bit of a hard time lately. If it would warm up and the wind stop blowing, I am sure he would feel much better.
We had a hard frost late last week and lost one row of our peas, but the other 2 rows were a different variety and tolerated the weather better. Hopefully, this week will be the last of the colder weather, but considering I have seen snow on the 6th of June, one never knows!
We are still taking orders for CSA packages and broiler/fryer chickens so if you are interested, let us know.
Here's hoping you have a great week!
Donna

HAPPY MAY DAY!

May has arrived! Am I ready? Not really. This is such a busy month and I have been sick all week. I have a rotten cold that has settled in my lungs. I can't get enough air to do the things that need done. Earlier this week, when I wasn't quite as sick as I am now, I did manage to get 2 of the 5 or 6 stumps dug out in the yard. This place was definitely a fixer-upper when Lyn bought it and it has taken A LOT of work to get it to where it is today. There is still more to do, of course, and we are hoping to have a decent lawn this year.
One of the infrastructure items that Lyn has been working on this week are new high tunnels. For those of you who don't know what a high tunnel is, it is an unheated greenhouse. We have one full of strawberries already. The others will be filled with vegetables as insurance against any possible hail or pest damage to the garden. The frame will probably go up this week. Plants will go in sometime in the next 2 weeks. Which is great because I have tomato and pepper plants that are yelling at me every day to get them in the ground. They have the most annoying voices at 5 in the morning! :)
I leave you this week with a picture of our strawberry tunnel.
Happy May!