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May 21, 2011

Hot in Texas

Twice last week I overdid it and ended up with a headache from the heat, ugh.
The last few days have been nice though, hot and humid but a couple of sprinkles and we got a new fan for the back porch so we can cool off!

The garden is producing beans like crazy! My favorites are the "Rattlesnake" beans, so named because of their markings. They have a smooth skin and wonderful fresh flavor. I am vacuum packing and freezing them by the quart-full. We have blooms and a couple of tomatoes growing on the plants, they were planted too late and went through a horrible shock phase. We pulled up the squash due to squash borers decimating the plants. We replanted and hopefully will have some more this summer--crookneck and spaghetti squash. The strawberries and blackberries are not producing like they have in years past, I think I will go to a pick your own farm for our all-year supply. New this week in the garden are the eggplant--the white and black variety both have fruit on!
I planted more carrots and shell peas, we never seem to have enough of those!

Milking is going fantastic, we are in the groove now. The cows and calves know the routine and each day is a joy to milk them! The girls got their new fly masks this week. The masks keep the flies out of their eyes--a constant source of irritation for the cow's eyes. They look humorous in them, but hey it works! I wish I had had the video camera going the first time they saw each other--that was hilarious! "What is on your face?" "Me? What the heck is on your face?"! The calves are growing well and are a delight. I admit I do have a favorite, Tuesday. She is so sweet and lovable! I am praying she goes to a family to be a house cow.

We made a crucial error with the turkeys--we thought we could raise them this time of year without a brooder. Not so. We are down to 4 poults (well, 4 of the original 15 did get traded for future goslings). We are planning to repeat the turkey project with a brooder in the near future. We also plan to buy meat birds, so will need the brooder for them too. Next project on the list is building a poultry tractor so they can be out on pasture and still be protected from predators.

The kids are doing great--Charlye had an awards ceremony this week, Josh was part of the color guard that presented the flags, gives me a lump in my throat every time. Graduation is next week and before we know it she will be going to MA for college.

My friend Nat and I took a sushi making class, it was great fun but a LOT of work!

And finally, pictures! Wishing you all a wonderful week!

















2 comments:

  1. what a great cow.. i like the color of that frog in the wall it was so cool..
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  2. They do look funny with the masks!

    Looks and sounds like things are going well, except for the turkey poults.

    Have a great week.

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