Potato progress

Today we dug a few potatoes up to check the size and general health. They seem perfect, but I've never grown potatoes. They will make a nice addition to tonights roast :)

Weaner pigs and a mama sow

We got 5 (1 is still waiting to be delivered) weaner pigs and a soon to be mama sow. She is due any day now and my oldest is in his glee as he is the owner of the sow. She is HUGE!!! She seems so very uncomfortable, but I don't imagine being pregnant with multiples is very comfortable. Jack is very eager to meet her and missy and pinky are set to meet the butcher next month. (If you are going to want pork, please email me or send a message via our facebook group). Piglets will be available for sale in a few weeks once they are weaned.

The beefies broke the fence by the pasture as they decided to sample the grass on the other side. Thankfully only 2 got out, pickle and notch. They are now on lock down with the bale of hay, hopefully dolly and blackbird will give them a good talking to.

The kids are so excited and we are really thankful that we were able to get them a piano last week. Makes piano lessons a bit easier to practice. Of course now I hear it all day long but that's the point right? :)

The garden appears to be coming in very nicely, pray that we get a bountiful harvest from our small attempt. We have been diligently watering and hilling and trying to weed (this one is still not our strong suit). The corn appears to be coming up in 3 out of 4 rows we planted (we did a very tiny plot). The strawberries are starting to come in, the blueberries are looking good, so are the grapes, blackberries and raspberries. The peach tree is really taking a beating from the wind, but the smaller cherry trees are fairing well. The squash and cantaloupe are coming, we'll see what else comes in as it bears fruit, they kids planted lots of seeds in various locations of the raised bed so some are a mystery, lol.

Praise Him ALWAYS!

We are really please to have hit the 50% mark of our surplus sold, we hope to finally put a sign out as others around town have inquired. We will be getting a few more layers to balance out our hen to rooster ratio. The meat birds will be ordered soon (if you will want some please let me know asap) as we have a standing pre-order. All in all we are very pleased with the current pace and look forward to see what the Summer and Fall will bring. :)

Mag is still a bit of challenge with her kicking, she has gotten a lot better since we started using the milking machine but occasionally she gets so antsy that she even kicks at the milker :( Dh thinks we may need to get a hobble after all, at least until she learns not to kick. I really miss that about Buttercup and Treva.

Miss Broody's eggs did not hatch, we were really bummed but it was great learning experience. Now with warmer weather we may opt to try the experiment again.

The garden is coming along, the potatoes seem to be growing nicely, as are the strawberries, tomatoes, squash and cantaloupe (saved seed from last years volunteer garden). We put the corn in (we are doing a very small patch), with pigeon peas, I really hope they both do well as I LOVE pigeon peas and it is not easy to get it around here. The blackberries, raspberries, grapes and blueberries seem to be doing well. The peach and cherry trees aren't dead so that's progress ;) All in all we are very optimistic for the small (tiny really) garden we have attempted this year. :)

66 Things You Can Can Grow At Home: In Containers, Without a Garden From apples and figs to bananas and guavas -- and hops.

By Rachel Cernansky

Growing your own food is exciting, not only because you get to see things grow from nothing into ready-to-eat fruits and veggies, but you also don't have to worry about the pesticides they might contain, and you definitely cut down on the miles they—and you—have to travel.

As it turns out, with pretty minimal effort, anyone can be a gardener. My boyfriend and I are essentially first-timers this season and so far have the beginnings of strawberries peeking out, tomatoes are on their way, the basil's about ready for a big batch of pesto, and once the last frost hits, the peppers, kale, spinach, chard, and mesclun will be on their way, too. All on a tiiiny little terrace (with the help of a little DIY carpentry).

If you're up to the challenge—and it really isn't much of one—growing your own food can be so rewarding. And so much cheaper! Just be sure to choose the right planter or container, learn how to maintain it properly, and go find yourself some seeds! (Or starter plants.)

Here's a starter list of all the crazy things even urban gardeners, without space for a garden, can grow at home.


Tree fruits - including apples

1. Apples can be grown in a container; you can also grow them on the balcony or other small space using a technique called espaliering.
2. Kumquats
3. Avocados (plenty of extra tips online if you search)
4. Blackberries
5. Blueberries (sometimes helpful videos are available online)
6. Pomegranate
7. Cherries
8. Figs
9. Pears

Citrus fruits

Citrus trees in particular are said to be good for beginning gardeners and are easy to grow indoors, so don't let inexperience or lack of outdoor space stop you from enjoying fresh-picked, hyper-local fruit.
10. Dwarf oranges
11. Grapefruit
12. Tangerines
13. Meyer lemons
14. Limes

Tropical fruits

Tropical fruits can also be surprisingly easy to grow indoors, even in non-tropical climates. Such as...

15. Bananas (look for container gardening tips online)
16. Pineapple
17. Papaya
18. Guavas (several varieties)

The real surprises

19. Hops—yes, as in the "spice" ingredient in beer. Turns out they're easy to grow!
20. Aloe Vera
21. Strawberries
22. Tea (well, herbal tea)
23. Quinoa!

The non-surprises

24. Tomatoes
25. Summer squash
26. Other squashes, like acorn and pumpkin
27. Hot Peppers
28. Sweet peppers
29. Cucumbers

Melons

30. Small cantaloupe
31. Jenny Lind melon (an heirloom cantaloupe)
32. Golden Midget Watermelon

Herbs

Just about any herb grows well indoors—just be sure that if you're going to do any container-sharing, you do your research first about which herbs co-habitate well together. (Some will hog water, for example, and leave the others dried out.)

33. Basil
34. Oregano
35. Parsley
36. Rosemary
37. Chives
38. Catnip
39. Thyme
40. Sage
41. Parsley

Leafy Greens

42. Kale
43. Mesclun greens
44. Spinach
45. Swiss chard
46. Lettuces (plenty of options there, from micro-greens to head or loose-leaf)
47. Mustard greens
48. Collard greens
49. Arugula

Root Vegetables

50. Carrots
51. Beets
52. Potatoes

Other healthy-sounding stuff

53. Sprouts
54. More sprouts: mung bean and lentil sprouts
55. Wheatgrass
56. Kohlrabi
57. Turnips
58. Rutabagas
59. Celeriac
60. Parsnips
61. Jerusalem Artichoke
62. Sugar snap peas
63. Rhubarb (not ideal in a container, but it can work)
64. Mushrooms (again, more tips online if you look)
65. Pole Beans
66. Aaaand... asparagus, although some disagree that it does well in a container. Try it if you're ok with a risk!

Bonus 67: You can grow your own loofah, too, but you'd need a garden rather than a container for that.

Garden and stuff

Well the garden is going in slowly but surely, I am not too thrilled with all the ticks but to be fair I don't think I ever noticed them before. I'm not sure where I thought they lived (other than on the dog and cats) but turns out it is in the dirt. Thanks to PW's answer the other night, we have begun a daily tick check (including the dog). But, I digress, the garden will be needing an additional box as we have filled the first. Since my energy has begun to return we will hopefully get it done over the next few days.

In other news, we have finally bitten the bullet and got a milking machine. The barn installation happens today and the rest of the logistics worked out from there. There seems to be so much to do, we have to also build something to house the new electric fence charger as it is not connected in the barn. This would make life a whole lot easier as I could then relocate the stanchion and the dairy cows. Those beef cows are vicious at feeding time.

The few remaining coop birds have been shut out of the coop at this time in hope of relocating them to the barn, to be fair it was only 1 hen and 4 roosters living there. The chicks need to be relocated and the coops seems ideal. In another week the new chicks should hatch, hopefully providing replacement layers. Ms Broody is doing great, she has even stopped pecking at Dh's hand when he tries to feed and water her. :)

I woke up at 4 this morning and had planned a whole other blog but it is still being refined I think. More to come soon :)

Life is good

Quick note on the political situation: there are no free lunches in nature and while this may seem like a wonderful victory for people like me who don't have health insurance, have special need children etc, this most certainly is not. Entitlement programs are oppressive by nature to the very people they are intended to help.

I will not be discussing it further than that.



The cows are doing well, they are enjoying their freedom to roam and have lots to eat. The chicks have not faired as well as we hoped :( There is still such a huge learning curve for us to overcome with this one. The layers on the other hand are LOVING the warm weather and we had 30 eggs the other day, lol. Last night something must have spooked them though, because we had to go find them way past their bedtime . . . very odd.

Buttercup appears to have been bred back to Quinn, and a potential buyer came to look at her yesterday. We are gearing up for resuming milk sales but it is a process. We will be moving Mag from the rest of the herd so that we can keep the calves off of her.

My potatoes and onions went into the ground this week as it snowed last weekend, I pray that they do well. We will also be looking at what other thing we want to plant in the coming weeks.



Oh and did I mention that we are having a new baby in November? Well, most likely at the end of October. We have decided to have a homebirth and will go the self pay route. We will talk to the dr in the coming weeks to weight the cost with her vs the midwife I found.




I am so excited to see Pickle, Dolly and Blackbird's babies this spring/summer :) It will be nice to get an angus bull to breed the girls back. Quinn is currently scheduled for the freezer, as is Missy. We found another freezer at a great deal so now we have room for both :)

Preparing a Garden Bed - The Home Depot - Garden Club

Good soil preparation is the basis for any great garden. Take the time to do it right and you’ll save time and money in the long run, as your plants thrive and garden maintenance becomes minimal.

Step 1 Cut sod into strips 12 to 18 inches wide. Cut the strips by digging into the ground with a spade or edger, pushing the blade just below the roots — a depth of about 2 or 3-inches deep.
Step 2 Professionals remove sod with a sod lifter — a tool designed specifically for the job that can be rented or purchased at The Home Depot. Alternatively, you can put the handle of a spade close to the ground and kick the blade sharply to dislodge sod.
Step 3 You can reuse sod. Roll up the strips and remove them from the bed. Trim it into lengths of 2 to 4 feet. Replant as soon as possible.

Step 4 Work amendments, such as peat moss, manure or fertilizer, into the soil. Dig to a depth of at least 1 foot, then rake the bed smooth. To discourage growth of weeds, lay down landscape fabric, such as Weedblock, available at The Home Depot. Cut Xs in the fabric and root plants in the soil below. Cover the fabric with 2 to 3 inches of soil or mulch.

Preparing a Garden Bed - The Home Depot - Garden Club

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Homemaking and Volunteer gardening

Because I grew up a city dweller with a concrete front yard (mom didn't want to have to mess with having to mow the lawn), I really suck at gardening. The concepts are so very foreign to me :( Of the things I attempted this year the 1 grape vine has survived and the tomato plants that I put out late are still alive. However nothing has bore fruit. I may have mentioned that I noticed that we had a volunteer garden coming in the old pig pen, well said garden is doing wonderfully. We have gotten some juicy cantaloupes and there are several tomato plants that have begun to produce. We are still waiting patiently for the watermelons to be ripe. It is amazing how blessed we have been by this garden and I am saving the seeds for next year. We had a chance to get a butternut squash from a friend's garden and we have also saved the seeds.



On another note I am really been enjoying having time to crochet. I am excited to re-learn how to knit and I have found a great easy sock tutorial. I will give it a try as soon as I get done with the pillow and blanket I am making for AR.


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Oh so many pics

I'm not a huge fan of the slideshow format but there are just so many pics I owe you all from this summer. Including the parade with lots of old cars and tractors. Enjoy.

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Waiting

We are standing in faith that this is the path that God wants for us but jeez this waiting is exhausting. Money is . . . super duper tight, at this point I am avoiding even the free section on craigslist as I can't afford to use the gas to pick up whatever it is, that I probably don't need but always wanted, lol. Some day we will be caught up and maybe then we'll have a chance to breathe again, that'll be nice.

Dh has begun baking bread daily (it is SO good!!!!). Go figure, he had never baked bread before, I give him a recipe and he adapts it and makes it better. It is taking a lot of will power not to overindulge and blow my daily and weekly points. I'm going to be flying solo come the end of the month as my WW 3 month subscription comes to an end, self control will be key.


I have been more active that I have been in the past and am more helpful around the farm, I even went out and took card of the unsuspecting garden. We had a bunch of plants show up that were from last years pig pen and I have now transformed that area into the new garden spot. It is a great location. The grape vine is the only problem :( I'll have to put some thought into how I will get it moved over. We know that they are some watermelon among the vines, but the others are still a bit of a mystery cantaloupe, the mystery has been solved. :) I spoke with a friend who suggested that the mystery fruit might be cantaloupe and low and behold when I searched for an image of the plant it was the same one growing wild in my garden :) Luckily the kids, pigs and chickens LOVE cantaloupe!!!

Well I am working my way to the end of the week and frankly it can't be here fast enough. I pray that we will get caught up by the end of next week as this week we are receiving Dh's final paycheck. Wallyworld stopped our health insurance effective his last day of work :( Pray we will stay healthy till we get alternative coverage.

The car is still stuck in the mud thanks to the delightful storms. And finally Sammy is still not back home and I'm beginning to feel like he never will return. I'm not ok with that possibility (reality) at this point so I will go check the grain bins later and maybe a few of the holes around the property.



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Like clockwork . . .

We have been in a good place with the animals and farm lately. Things are running on routine and have stayed fairly uneventful. I was pleased to see Marian yelling at Judd this morning as he wondered out of the assigned area and into the yard. She's a great cow alarm system, I'll miss her when she sells. I am waiting to see if Quinn will breed Zella, he seems to have struck up a friendship but not much else. His birthday is coming up so he may just not be ready yet, we'll see. On the upside he is not giving any trouble while he is away and that is always nice. If he doesn't do the job then she will come to Lot for a week or so, I'm sure that'll be 6 days more than he'll need, lol.

The chicks are in their ugly phase, though they are feathering out quite nicely. They seem to be a real mix of breeds, there is about 2 of every kind, the ones I suspect maybe boys are growing at a faster rate and tend to be quite ornery. The wing clipping has reduced the flying around but boy, they are still able to jump really high (for a chicken that is) and they can still get a little lift.

Sammy almost became a pound puppy once again, we caught him in the chicken box. Lucky for him, no chickens were harmed in this incident. He is in need of a tick bath, it is that season again :(

The pigs are coming when called for food and have gotten used to dh and even the rest of us. I took the kids to go visit them and they ran to the window when they heard us, lol. Missy is not above taking, grabbing and/or fighting for her fair share of food. I think I have explained that pigs are much like toddlers, there is an abundance of food yet everyone wants what the other has, lol. :rolls eyes:

The garden is no where near where I'd like it to be but I am pleased with the progress of the seedlings. I desperately need to start more but never seem to have the energy. :( My to-do list seems never ending.

My class begins in April and will go through the time I should be giving birth, this will be interesting. It's been a while since I have had to do that, lol. I gave birth to EE the say finals started and HG was a couple weeks before finals, ah good times, good times.

Well that's where we are this week, oh, and dh was trash burning and something exploded and hit him in the face, that was our bit of excitement. Fortunately it was not too bad, but I am curious to know what it was so we can be more careful not to have it in there.

We are showing the mobile home and Marian this week, and hoping to get what we're asking or at least close.

I found it

Here is a pic of a raised bed garden using bricks/cinder blocks :) She has a great blog, check it out. :)

Buying Seeds on a budget

Wal-mart offers seeds under the brand American Seed (not to be confused with the American Seed Co.) for $0.20, I have read in several places that these seeds are also available at the dollar stores and some have reported finding them at $0.10. A few words of caution however, 1. you always get what you pay for, so if you really cannot afford anything else give it a shot but pin your hopes on 100% germination. 2. From reading their website I am not 100% convinced that these are in fact true heirloom seeds. While they are not marketed as hybrids, I noticed that the company's website had this to say about their seeds

We store our seeds in a temperature controlled facility to maintain above average germination and vigor. We perform in-depth testing and outdoor trials on new varieties before accepting them into our line of products to ensure that the products delivered to you are of the highest quality. We are continuously testing and improving our products to provide our customers with the latest and most useful and interesting seeds and seed starting products.

It may mean nothing or something, I do not really know. Have any of you used these with much success?

Raised Beds

If you're unfamiliar with all things garden like me, you'll find that just about everything sounds like gibberish no matter how simple it maybe. Here is an excellent step by step pictorial on how to build a raised bed, by the one and only Pioneer Woman.

Pregnancy and garden update

I want to thank everyone for keeping us in their prayers. We miss her terribly and the shock really hasn't quite worn off.

In other news, I went for my check up and discovered that my due date has been moved up a week. I also discovered that even though I have kept my weight gain within 5 pounds thus far, I will not be able to deliver at the birth center as my height and weight are not within their guidelines (Read: I'm too fat) :( My glucose test came back normal, the ultra sound revealed that the placenta had moved up and is no longer an issue, my blood pressure is good and overall things are looking good. Keep praying that baby will move head down as she is in a transverse position. We are still waiting to hear from cardiology about the echo and the heart monitor results.

Our sweet hay guy came by while dh was off picking up AR from school and began burning our garden area. The kids and dh were really thrilled by the big tractor as it tilled the ground. They all desperately wanted to ride on the thing, lol. When he was done he wished dh good luck, both men think the garden area is quite large and are wondering how it will all get done. To be honest it is smaller than I'd hoped but I was not home to give directions. I am told by my dear friend Stacy that I will be able to fit a lot more than I imagine, I'll take her word for it :) A few things have been started and are getting and are waiting in the pantry. Dh is looking to get some rakes and we will go smooth the ground as suggested. Stacy pointed me to an awesome garden planning blog. Here is the pic from her blog: (click on image to view larger)


I had hoped to use this a my guide but I think I will need to work up to this plan:


All in all, farm life moves on weather we are ready for it to or not. Friday is the yoder auction and we hope to pick up the rest of the chickens we will need to get us through the year, for eggs, replacements and meat. We will also be picking up a Jersey bull calf while there for AR to raise and for us to produce pure bred Jerseys.

Seed Saver Challenge

I have decided to take the seed saver challenge. For some instructions read here. Here is the list of heirloom seeds I have ordered so far:

1 Basil Genovese 200
1 Basil Sweet Italian 200
1 Carrots Danvers 1/2 Long 200
1 Carrots Gold King 200
1 Carrots Little Fingers Baby 200
1 Carrots Scarlet Nantes 200
1 Carrots Tendersweet 200
1 Celery Golden Pascal 200
1 Corn Golden Bantam Sweet 60
1 Cucumber Ashley 80
1 Cucumber Boston Pickling 80
1 Dill Mammoth 120
1 Eggplant Long Purple 100
1 Lettuce Bibb Head 500
1 Lettuce Buttercrunch Head 500
1 Lettuce Salad Bowl Green 500
1 Peas Oregan Sugar Pod 60
1 Peas Sugar Snap 100
1 Pepper CA Wonder Bell 100
1 Pepper Jalapeno 100
1 Pepper Sweet Banana 100
1 Pepper Sweet Cherry 50
1 Radish Champion 300
1 Radish Cherry Belle 300
1 Radish German Giant 200
1 Tomato AR Traveler 50
1 Tomato Heinz 2274 50
1 Watermelon Black Diamond 50
1 Watermelon Jubilee 50
1 Watermelon Sugar Baby 50
1 Zucchini Golden 50

I was delighted to find a small farmer in Yukon, OK that was advertising on craigslist. You can check out his ebay store

I was really inspired to make my own potting soil after I read this post

So what are you growing this year?

Farm update

I was over at Homesteading neophyte and I realised that I haven't really given you all an update on my babies. The cows are enjoying the winter for the most part, yesterday they found it to be cold and spent most of their time in the barn. The biggest challenge has been water, dh goes out at least 3 times daily to make sure that they have water, often he has to run about 50 feet of hose from the well-house since the pipe by the barn is frozen. :( They have really enjoyed the weekly hay delivery schedule we set up with the old owner. He is such a great guy, we feel really blessed to get the bales at such a great price delivered. I had noticed that hay prices were rising but I have not experienced any increase since the first bale we ordered in the summer.

The cows haven't escaped in a long time, and they have had opportunity. There have been several occasions that the electric fence has been out, happens from time to time when the winds pick up. Lot has taken to raiding the pig food to check for his favorite fruits, lol. Marian is waddling more and more, we'll have a baby soon. Christmas still has a little ways to go before we have another baby, but she is looking good. Treva is such a sweetie, the kids have been helping dh more with the milking and she is very patient with them. The calves are still as playful as ever, they both look so fuzzy with their winter coats on, lol.

The pigs are so big now, it is amazing to see them. I am glad that they have the smaller section of the barn to roam. Unlike the cows they get restless and often need to go roaming the property. It hasn't been too bad, they usually just wonder around eating any green grass they find, then follow us around back to their pen. I imagine that they must really love all the warm milk they get.

I am looking at different options for keeping chickens this year, we would also like to keep bees. The only home improvement project will be to have a fireplace put in that can heat the house. The plan is to put it on the backside of the other fireplace as that is the heart of our house. I am planning to do a really good purge of all the clothes we own, now that we know that our dryer is gas we will need to make sure that the clothing being washed and dried are actually part of our current wardrobe. (I don't expect to like this project). I have been feeling better, my energy seems to finally be returning.

I made butter 2 days ago as EE's bus driver wanted some and I wanted to get back to doing stuff :) The mixer worked very well but it takes so much cream to make a pound of butter, I see why it is so very expensive at little farms. I hope to get to making some cheddar cheese soon, my friend Jennifer made some and it looked so very delicious. Being a cheddar lover, I am very excited to make the white cheddar I grew up eating. The little antique store in the town before us is going out of business and the owner is always willing to make a deal :) He has been getting me all the canning jars he can find in his warehouse, I am preparing my storeroom to be able to accept all the canned food we can do this year. He also had several (16) pie pans that I opted to take off his hands, bring on your pie recipes :) I have a tree order that will need to be placed soon, the Kansas department of forestry has a great deal on trees and shrubs (200 trees for $158 delivery included). I plan to order trees that are fruit bearing along with several wind break trees. I still haven't figured out the tractor dilemma, for this year's food planting but a tractor isn't a necessity for this task, it is more of a luxury. We have to pay off the debts we have incurred (medical etc), so that is where the bulk of our tax refund will go, and the rest we will leave in God's hands and pray for His guidance. Well, that's where we are right now.

Quick side note: make sure you don't have a toilet that is continually running, the water bill will be astronomical. We just got a bill from the mobile home for this months and it is 10 times what it normally is, they claim we must have a toilet that is running constantly even though we haven't lived there in all this time. Pray I can find the right words to deal with them. :)

Planning and pondering . . .

Well, it looks like our sweet jersey is in heat (AI has a lower success rate than a live bull ;) ) No matter we have the solution to that little problem already on the payroll, lol :) Though I must say that I don't think dh can deal with her moodiness in the mornings, in addition to her amorous admirer as he tries to join her in the stanchion as he cannot bare the thought of being without her (read: less than 1 foot away separated by the metal bar, lol).

After watching P.S. I Love You this weekend, I decided that we needed to stop waiting for our real lives to start to start living. With that in mind I asked dh to quit his job as it was obvious that things were going nowhere at wal-mart nor the other company (that didn't have the decency to call back). I know that sounds crazy but we talked it over and it has been decided that he will quit in time for spring planting. We will work to grow the food we need and stock up for the year.

We do not delude ourselves to believe this will be easy. We are committed to the fact that it will be very hard and there are deep cuts that will be needed to be made in order to succeed. The thing is we have to give this an honest shot or there's no point. Disclaimer: This plan is subject to change at any moment given that I'm pregnant and completely hormonal :)

Warm weather returns

We have had triple digits for the last few days and it has been welcome. The pig pen does not smell any more and the ground has had a chance to dry. The pigs are getting nice and fat, though some are still smaller than others.

A guy came by to find out if we would rent out our pasture, he has 4 cows, 3 calves and another due soon. He recently moved to the area and had tried to buy our house apparently. Really nice guy but I don't think we'll be renting to him. The risk of overgrazing is too great with that many regular size animals. While he was here though he did take a look at our lawnmower an gave me a few tips as well as getting it to start :) Nice guy, I hope he finds a place to pasture his lot :)

I have been so excited for my friend Jen as they waited on their surprise baby calf to arrive. It is a great surprise for a Cattle owner big or small to find that his cow is pregnant and even more so when a heifer calf is born. Congrats to all :)

I sat mowing my lawn yesterday and it was wonderful. Of course then the lawnmower died again once I got to the other side, but I decided that it needed a break anyway :) Today I'll get it going again.

Quinn has been having a great time in his 3 corral spread, he run for no apparent reason, then practices his jumps, I am so amused by this. He gets to talk to Keegan and the others when they come up from the pasture, it is fun to watch as they talk through the fence. I'm sure Quinn is formulating a break out strategy but no matter, for now he is fattening up and eating. I had to remove his halter as he has outgrown it, I need to get him a new one.

My "garden" or as the bugs like to call it, their lunch is doing very well feeding the bugs that have decided to feast on it. I think the cucumbers are the only thing that might make it, though the cantaloupe looks like it may come in nicely as well. I started some pigeon peas inside the well house as it prefers shade, I am eager to see if I can sustain them when they are ready to be transplanted. Pigeon peas are not native to this area, I grew up having it grow right outside my house. Of course I am very used to seeing it in the can in Miami but in Texas and Kansas it is not easily found. Dillons will do a special order but it costs over a $1 a can :(

Well, I'm off to fight the lawn mower and maybe get my paper done. I really do hate procrastinating but I dislike papers even more. :)

Pigs sheltered and cows pastured

Well we were finally able to move the large "box" type structure out of the barn and over to the pig pen. It is made of a heavy plastic sheets on a wooden frame, we're not quite sure what it was previously used for but I can tell you that it is now a pig shelter. We even placed a pallet in it to keep them up above the ground so that they can have a cool dry place :) Gotta love having handy stuff lying around.

Once we got the box out of the barn it was quite the puzzle trying to figure out how to get it into the pen as the gate is much narrower than the box. I looked at the box for a while and finally decided that we'd just have to suck it up and try to lift it over the fence. We would utilise the smooth back side of the box to try to slide it over. Well it worked but let me tell ya it looked nothing like I imagined it would. When we got it up I felt certain it would take down the fence. Thankfully it didn't, in fact the fence took the weight beautifully, bending with the pressure and then snapping back up one it was over. It was perfect.

It's been 3 days since we got back out to look at the fence. I found a spot I felt that Lot would have no trouble getting out and dh secured it. Since then we have sent them back out to pastured and they have not tried to escape. Of course I am still keeping my fingers crossed that that will last for a while. As we were working on the pig shelter I looked out to the pasture and saw them all over by the fence line, that immediately cause fear and panic. Given the distance I could not tell if they were on my side of the fence or on the road (darn street walking cows). I jumped into the focus as it looked for sure like they were on the road, I was so happy to be wrong. In fact when I got there I realised that the they were nearly as close to the fence line as they looked. I was very thankful for that.

All in all we have had a great start to the week, my garden is growing, the pigs are fattening and the cows are happy and content. I am almost certain the Ms Marian will be calving by late February. She seems to have put Christmas in July in her place and taken the lead as head cow, it's quite an interesting reversal of roles.

I'm looking for camera suggestions, here are the basic requirements that must be met, the rest is up to you. Must have: a rechargeable lithium ion battery, a lot of zoom capability so that I can snap photos of the cows when they are in the pasture, and the picture quality must stay sharp even when the zoom is used. Obviously I don't know much about cameras and those may not even be the real terms for what I want but I think you get what I mean :) I look forward to hearing from you :)