tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53722833864667588162024-03-05T02:08:41.276-05:00Roll for a Sanity Check...because we all need to do that once in awhile...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-5028189086850043152020-05-05T19:58:00.001-04:002020-05-05T19:58:45.591-04:00Cinco de mayo, the year of Corona...Well, it's day 40 something of quarantine, I think... I've lost count... it doesn't matter... because my life has hardly changed.<br />
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Here is how it HAS changed... no going to church, no going to the gym, masks required in stores by the dictatorial governess, Dan is taking a pay cut. That's it.<br />
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Certain people are upset by this. Well, I'd be more sympathetic to them if I hadn't spent the last 25 years of my life prepping for this, because it looked inevitable to me in one form or another (not necessarily a pandemic, but that was certainly near the top of my list). This is actually quite a bit LESS serious than what I thought would happen. That's a good thing, because it is now blatantly obvious where we have flaws in our planning and preps for unusual situations...<br />
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Starting with simple preps - we were set for most foods, except milk (which of course got rationed, so I had to make MORE trips to the grocery store than I would have otherwise) and unbleached whole wheat flour for bread, and yeast. Well, sourdough takes care of the lack of yeast (good thing everyone likes it), but I'm laying in a better supply of the flour we use for making bread (which only half the family can eat anyway, so it's not on my list of absolutely mandatory items for TEOTWAKI). Anyway, we have two freezers full of meat and more living in the coops, cages, and swamp down near the river. And a reasonable amount of canned goods, although some items were running low because last year was a terrible year for cukes and maters (looking at you, salsa and relish and chutney!). This year, I will can three years worth of everything, and continue do that on a schedule that means we are never below one year's worth in storage. <br />
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The second major flaw was the seed issue - I saved some seeds last year, but due to the lack of cuke and mater harvest, I didn't save anywhere near everything we would normally eat. I had ordered my seeds in December, as usual, and received most of them by February, so this was not a major problem, except for potatoes, which ordinarily arrive at the beginning of April... I only got an email from the company yesterday, informing me they were not coming. I had gotten impatient with their lack of communication a week earlier and ordered some from another company, but they haven't arrived yet, either, although their website did say the 40# bag I ordered was in stock. In a moment of paranoia back in February, I had bought a small bag of organic potatoes on sale at the grocery store because they had started to sprout (At less than half price! Silly people!). Ultimately, I planted most of them, along with part of another bag. It is nowhere near enough to feed us for the year, much less have any seed potatoes for the following year (usually, we have some taters left, and some sweet potatoes, to plant the following year, but we never have enough for a large enough crop to do more than just feed us, meaning by year three, I have to order seed potatoes again, and sweet potato starts. Obviously, this means I need to plant more, but for that I need more space to plant taters and sweet potatoes. I waited too long to order sweet potato starts, so I will only be planting the ones I started myself from the remaining sweet potatoes from last year.<br />
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Anyway, I realize I need to save enough seed for TWO plantings (at least) of most veggies, in case the first one fails for some reason (like oh, this week the temps are going down to 20F at night which is going to play havoc with any newly germinated seeds not covered, and even some things that ARE covered. While we are not past our usual last frost date, the 20F temps predicted are not typical. Some things it's worth taking a chance to get an early start and harvest, but not when you cannot acquire more seeds if that planting fails...<br />
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Flaw #3 related directly to the impact this pandemic is having on our supply chains worldwide, and on the economy going forward. I believe the price of clothing will increase by fall, so I had the kids go through their clothing and tell me what they needed immediately, and what they would need by fall... so underwear, socks, pants, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, etc... all ordered and received as of today. I need one more pair of pants (thank you, Duluth, for fitting right out of the bag). Then no one should need any clothes til next year... which is good, since pay cut means budget cut.<br />
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Minor issues included acquiring more canning jars, because I've given away so many half-pints. I realized I had hardy any left when I went to can some jam from the berries in the freezer we picked last year that I never got around to "jamming." I now have enough for this year, but not for three years worth. I don't expect to be seeing those at garage sales this summer, so I will pick up another dozen whenever I run into them while shopping. I have enough pints and quarts, thanks to my fabulous former neighbor who gave hers to me before she moved away :( I am missing her already and she has only been gone a week. <br />
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More minor issues... needed more cans/tanks to store rec gas for the equipment that takes it, also diesel, kerosene, and regular gas. Some of that has been taken care of, but not all.<br />
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I want to sell all the motorcycles, because they cost us $750 a year in insurance and no one rides the darn things because there are too many idiots texting while driving today. Youngest daughter needs to be motivated to fix the fuel system on mine before sale... hubby told her she could have the money if she did that and it sold. Well, I would have given her HALF the money, but that's just me, 'cause it's my bike. If she doesn't get it done by August, I'll just do it myself, and then I'll get ALL the money...<br />
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Anyway, we are doing fine here in the farmette, except that the daughters are going a bit stir crazy and are highly negative about all things related to the state government... but Whitless is a whole 'nother post for a day when I want my blood pressure to go up...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-23762374125257268012019-06-26T16:37:00.000-04:002019-06-26T16:37:01.260-04:00New Deep on the New HiveI slapped a second deep on the hive of the swarm I caught last month. Apparently, they've been building comb like crazy because it was ENTIRELY full. I guess they've had nothing better to do since the rain has kept them in so many days. I should have checked it two weeks ago. Anyway, I'll check this again in two weeks to see if I can get a super on it. It would be nice to get some honey off a new hive. I don't always... some years it is all they can do to fill two deeps before winter. <br />
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On the old hive, I was going to pull the super today, but didn't get to it. I'll do it tomorrow after I get back from hauling the youngest daughter to town for a doctor appt. It isn't supposed to rain til Friday, so that should work. I also have to figure out where my hive tool has gone... couldn't find it yesterday, and ended up using my pocket knife, which is somewhat less efficient...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-34408119133684384582019-06-25T12:32:00.001-04:002019-06-25T12:32:43.309-04:00Ridiculous rain and overwhelming lettuceI have four tires of lettuce, four different kinds. They have all absolutely adored this cold and rainy non-summer we have had up to now. I have been harvesting it by the cut-and-come-again method (meaning the outer leaves only so it keeps making more). I have never had lettuce that is three feet tall before. It has always bolted or simply melted from the heat before this. I have so much I've been giving it away and feeding it to the rabbits as treats... and the kids got sick of salads for a bit so I had to take a week off that. It's too bad there is no good way I know of to preserve this bounty. I also have a stunning amount of cilantro and dill. And the carrots are awesome. This is the first year I have EVER gotten carrots, and this year they did fabulous both in the hoop house and in the tire. I wish I had planted more. I would have canned a bunch for soups in the winter. Heck, I might plant another tire as soon as I have an empty one just in case the luck continues. The potato plants in the straw bales outside are trying to take over the world. The ones in the hoop house not so much. Only three grew there, so I planted more, but I don't know if it will be too hot there for them or not. I'm worrying about it since the ones outside have grown so wildly. The sweet potatoes are slowly getting planted in the straw bales as the slips in the house get long enough and have roots. I have one to plant today, and 6-8 more that are very long but have no roots yet, so won't go in for a few more days. I don't think the outdoor ones will have a long enough season to produce much, if anything. I hope the ones in the hoop house bales produce, at least.<br />
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However, the cold has really slowed the cukes. Even the longest cuke vine is only a foot long, and there is no sign of flowers. The tomato plants are smaller than normal, too, for the end of June. Some of them have flowers and a few small green maters. The pepper plants are also stunted by the cold, although the ones in the bales inside the hoop house have done slightly better than the ones in the ground. It may not be a fair comparison, since those were planted before all the others. I will harvest the last of the beets today. The turnips are done/harvested until the late planting. In the future I will plant more beets in the spring. The greens are decent in salad when they are young and tender, but I need some baby beets for the tater/beet/horseradish salad that we all liked, and some larger beets for the pesto recipe.<br />
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It's just the beginning of summer and I am already making plans for next year's garden. I am nuts.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-81971607579196070172019-06-06T18:32:00.001-04:002019-06-06T18:32:09.852-04:00Missed a swarm catch, but got a lot of broccoliThe old hive threw another swarm on Tuesday. They were wrapped around a tree trunk, with branches intervening, so there was no easy way for me to get to them. I set up a nuke with lure in it at the base of the tree, but no joy. They were all gone the next day.<br />
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This was made up for by a beef stir fry full of broccoli and asparagus from the garden last night. There is a bit more asparagus to harvest, and a bit more rhubarb, today. And a lot more broccoli. This is Sessantina Grossa Broccoli, which is actually a raab type. The heads are small - 1-2 inches - loose, and the reason I'm getting so much is that they are doing their best to flower since the weather heated up this past weekend. The entire plant is edible - heads, leaves, stems - the directions say to harvest before they bloom, but I've eaten both closed heads and blooming heads, and they taste the same... broccoli with a hint of mustard (sensible since they are in the mustard family). Of course, if I wanted a mustard with a hint of broccoli taste, I would just eat the "heads" of the brown mustard plants growing adjacent... it's a bit strong for me, though. I have NEVER had any luck with broccoli in my garden - something else has always eaten it before there was any head to speak of. I may try some other raabs next year, just to see how much difference there is between them.<br />
<br />Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-79601883283436727382019-05-30T08:50:00.001-04:002019-05-30T08:50:14.362-04:00Hens to the processorDue to the number of half grown chicks we need space for, and the number of setting hens, I took 9 older layers to the processor today (this was the appt I made when I thought I would be taking the 3 roosters, too - because I don't really want to drive all the way out there for fewer than a dozen - I'd rather just process them myself and save the gas and money). This will seriously reduce the number of eggs we are getting per day to something more reasonable for us to eat or pickle. I took the ones with single combs, since they are far more likely to get frostbitten in winter than the breeds with rose combs. I did make exceptions for Chiquita (our only remaining hen from the original batch 6 years ago) and Speckles (because she is the friendliest and everyones' favorite). Now I just have to start training the half-grown chicks to use the larger coop, instead of the small on (which I need empty for the next batch). I need to remember to set up an appt for the beginning of October for all the extra roosters from the two batches of incubator chicks, and any that the hens hatch and raise themselves. That's a month longer than necessary for the first batch, but it will be the right amount of time for the second batch, and I only want to make one more trip this year.<br />
<br />Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-58807219838832264612019-05-27T15:10:00.000-04:002019-05-27T21:47:51.560-04:00SWARM!I was watering veggies in the hoop house when I noticed an increase in pitch and volume of the buzz from the hive next to the hoop house. I don't know whether I am annoyed that on a day when I already had 100'+ of fencing to put up, and nine million other things to do, that the hive decided to throw a monster swarm. Or maybe I'm grateful I was right there when it happened, so I could follow them to the tree they decided to hang out in, or more accurately, the tree they moved to, after the first tree proved unsuitable for whatever reason. Anyway, they started 30' up a cherry tree, where there was no way I could reach them, but then they moved to 4' off the ground in one of the pear trees I planted a couple years ago. It was the biggest swarm I've seen - I decided to put them into a deep instead of a nuke, just because it was such a large swarm... think 2+ footballs worth... or a ridiculous 5# worth of bees. I had to cut the branch off the pear tree, but it needed to be pruned anyway because of the downward curve it was growing in. It wasn't the smoothest transfer I've ever made because I had to cut with my right hand, and hold the small end of the branch with my left - the branch was too thick to cut further back so I could hold it between the tree and the bees. But the ones that fell outside the box all headed inside afterward, so apparently the queen was inside. I hope they stay there. I'll move them to the other side of the hoop house tonight... when my bee suit is dried out from all the sweating I did in it while doing this.<br />
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In case any beekeepers are wondering, the deep has five frames with partially built comb in it, and I will add the other five when I take the branch out tonight, since by then the bees will have crawled off that in favor of the comb. I like this trick for hiving packages without shaking them, too - just stick them in a hive with some built out frames and they leave the box on their own. Then take away the empty box on top that makes room for the branch/box they were on/in, and everyone is happy.<br />
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<br />Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-64895068670556208322019-05-26T15:20:00.001-04:002019-05-26T15:20:35.792-04:00First Setting Hen for 2019She has hatched six little chicks, of the nine eggs she was setting on. I released her from the dog crate so I could put the second hen that was trying to set into it (because the other chickens kept chasing her off her nest on the floor of the coop, and messing it up, and laying more eggs in it, and basically making the whole exercise pointless for her. If it stops raining, I'll go outside this afternoon and get some pics...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-77816989835943209092019-05-26T15:12:00.003-04:002019-05-26T15:12:47.554-04:00More food from the homestead!I can't say the food was just from the garden, because we processed three roosters long past their expiration date yesterday. I have a date with the commercial processor next week, but these three needed to go ASAP, because they were being 1) really hard on the hens, and 2) making me come outside at 10PM to break up rooster vs male guinea fights. And since I like the velociraptor/male guinea for his entertainment value, if not the ridiculous amount of noise he makes, the roo(s) had to go. It was a lot quieter this morning with only one rooster in the coop. I still have to take the others to the processor, because it would be an all day job to do it here and I have too much other stuff to deal with one more thing.<br />
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Anyway, I parted out the roosters, threw the thighs/legs in the crockpot with some rhubarb/orange sauce, boiled the breasts to use in Chicken Pad Thai this evening, and made stock with the remaining carcasses... which immediately went into the asparagus soup that we had for lunch today.<br />
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Earlier in the week, I harvested ten cups of arugula and made a pint jar of arugula pesto, which the DH thinks is even better than pesto made with basil. I like it, too. The kids have not tried it, but I am betting OD will love it, and YD will prefer tomato sauce, as usual.<br />
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I have a ridiculous amount of lettuce (mostly Jericho, which has done really well for the last two years - outperforming every other lettuce I've ever grown). If the daily deluge stops long enough, I will cut some and we will have lots of salad this week to go with the leftover chicken, egg salad, and asparagus. I also have to figure out what to do with the remaining sweet potatoes - I have some in jars in the windows that are growing slips to plant, but there is still a bucket full harvested last fall that we should eat soon. I have a cold sweet potato salad recipe and a sweet potato soup recipe that can be served hot or cold... I haven't tried either yet, but I'd like to, especially if the temps really get up to 70 and stay that way this week. Since it is pouring now, I'll believe it when I see it.<br />
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We also processed three rabbits, which was a mistake on my part - we should have processed four, because I need the extra cage for the grow-outs that need to be separated from the does. And I need to re-breed the does, which isn't going to get done until I can stand outside without getting soaked. I wish we'd gotten these down in the February when the coats were prime, but it was so dang cold no one wanted to be outside for that. They will definitely be for the large crockpot due to size and age. I've never cooked a tough rabbit and don't intend to start with these. In fact, I might try grinding them, since I've never done that before. I wonder if there are any good rabbit/pork sausage recipes... if anyone has them, please send me a link or a pic!Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-36910693699661467742019-05-10T21:12:00.001-04:002019-05-10T21:12:33.666-04:00Spring has arrived... sort ofDespite the rain and chilly weather, spring has officially arrived - we had our first asparagus of the season (and harvested enough to make asparagus soup tomorrow), and we had dandelion fritters for supper. Yes, yes, I know that isn't an optimal diet. It is a TRADITION... which is how I justify eating deep-fried food, covered in powdered sugar.<br />
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An additional herald of spring is the first setting hen. It is the usual one to start things off - the brown, feather-legged three year old cross. She is setting on nine eggs in the dog crate in the larger chicken coop. This is in addition to the six week old chicks in the duck coop, and the 5-7 day old chicks in the pole barn. Now, if I could just Munsell's to call me back to set up a time to process the dozen that need to go to the freezer...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-47401688788136164412019-04-18T20:22:00.003-04:002019-04-18T20:22:54.601-04:00Twelve baby Silver Fox rabbits!Sanka had four kits this morning, and Cinder had eight this afternoon. This weekend I will baby-proof Cinder's cage, so that when the kits are large enough to leave the nest box on their own, they don't escape like half the last litter. And the recaptured yard bunny will be moved out of the duck coop and into her own cage tomorrow or Saturday as well. I am debating line breeding her to Momiji, or seeing how quickly I can acquire a good quality blue buck to breed her to, since I would like to add blue to my lines. In either case, I will breed her in 6 weeks (the end of May) when Sanka and Cinder are re-bred, so that I have foster moms available in case she has first-time mom issues. If the weather is decent tomorrow, I'll get pics of the babies and post them here.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-36828606516745737872019-04-18T13:36:00.002-04:002019-04-18T13:36:57.678-04:00New house, new phone, new computer, new baby bunnies, new chicks...It's been awhile. A long, long while. I have a new laptop computer, since the desktop kicked the bucket. Also a new phone, because the Pirate needed one (so I can stalk her when she drives my truck), so she got my old one. I have a new house, too. We knocked down Cookstove House last fall (after removing the cookstove, yes). We put up a smaller modular home behind where the old house stood. This happened because after adding up all the estimates for necessary repairs to the120 year old farmhouse, I had a number that equalled a new house. And since there was absolutely nothing of any architectural value about the old house, and even if we put all the money into the repairs we would not have a house worth that much money... it would still probably not last more than 20 more years. So now we have a 3 bedroom, 1500 sq ft home, with a REAL basement (not that ludicrous "Michigan basement" and crawl spaces that were under the old house). I've painted the bedrooms, but won't get to the living room, dining room, kitchen or baths until the weather gets cold again... there is just too much to do outdoors, and I hate being inside when the sun is shining.<br />
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Today, our two original Silver Fox Rabbit does should kindle again. Actually, one of them did already this morning - I think there are only 4, but because of the extra wrap on the cage due to last night's thunderstorm, it was a bit awkward to see for sure. I finally recaptured the escapee bun from the last fall litter - it had been living under the chicken coops and the rabbit shed most of the winter. It is one very large doe, since it has been free feeding on the chicken pellets. I'll be moving it from the duck coop (currently unoccupied, since the duck prefers to hang out with the chickens) into new quarters this afternoon or tomorrow. I hope it isn't too fat to breed...<br />
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There are 15 ten day old baby chicks in the pole barn from the first bunch out of the incubator this year. There is another bunch in the incubator that won't hatch for a couple more weeks. I need to process about 15 of the grown birds in the coop this month, so there will be room for the new ones. There are currently two guineas, one duck, and 27 chickens in the coop. They are overcrowded because they refuse to use the second coop since the opossum got into it and killed a hen. I killed the opossum for his crime. Anyway, that's why it can currently house the rabbit. I think I will put the chicks into it as soon as they can handle the temps.<br />
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One beehive made it through the winter, plus the feral hive in the barn wall... which is NOT going to be removed, because it throws swarms for me every year and that is just too convenient (and far less expensive) than messing with them would be. I have to get my swarm traps out tomorrow, which will entail a trip to Dadant's for fresh pheromone. A nice drive... I 'll get in another episode of the History of the English Language podcast I enjoy so much.<br />
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Now I'm off to Physical Therapy for this biceps tendinitis mess that is interfering with the use of my right shoulder, and causing me to take time off my beloved kettlebell classes. After 6+ months, it is finally improving (yes, I should have seen the doc sooner), and no, I didn't mess it up this weekend while doing the kettlebell competition. I only did the 5 minute events, with the lightest weight allowable, so it was good. And the Pirate did fantastic - this was her first event - and she was not even breathing hard enough to stop her from smart mouthing her daddy in the middle of her event. The Princess is planning on competing for a slot on the National Team in June, in order to go to World's in the fall. She had to miss last Saturday's event (sad face) in order to take the ACT, which completely bummed her out. I hope we will all be able to complete in June...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-67704277265155625072016-11-05T12:47:00.000-04:002016-11-05T12:47:16.183-04:00Adventures in MilkingI don't have goats, but in an effort to learn whether or not I would like them, I've volunteered to take care of a neighbor's when he travels. This means milking them. Last month, I milked them for a week for him, twice daily with the electric milking machine. It's way cool and doesn't take long - about 10 minutes per goat.<br />
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Today, however, things did not go quite as planned...<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> I went to milk the goats with the electric milker, but it wouldn't start. So I thought I'd just hand milk them. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goat #1 wanted nothing to do with my plan; she put her foot in the bucket and eventually kicked it over and began the "You can't milk me!" dance, (so I put her away and went on to #2). When I finished #2-<span style="font-family: inherit;">4</span> (all far more cooperative, even though it took me an hour, being an utter noob at this), I finally had the brilliant idea to follow the extension cords through the barn to see if a line got chewed or something... only to discover at the end of the lines that one of the dry does or dueling had UNPLUGGED the milker. So #1 got milked the way she likes it. The chickens got the milk (we're not drinking it after the goat put her foot in it), and I had to laugh at myself all the way home. Always blame the goats first!</span></span>Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-53824413672589886392016-11-02T12:43:00.002-04:002016-11-02T12:43:37.793-04:00Honey and the Hoop HouseI got the last of the honey off the hives (now I just have to find time to extract it). However, some time later yesterday afternoon, the wind tore a 20 foot long tear in the plastic cover on the hoop house, too high for us to tape. We got 5 years out of the cover, though, and it was rated for 4 (yes, it has lots of tape on it), so I shouldn't complain too much, except that I now have to find time and a non-windy day to replace the cover (we have a spare, thank goodness).<br />
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We lost a chick to a hawk (from the second to last hatching) and now the last hatching chicks are wandering around outside... I hope the hawk doesn't come back.<br />
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I went bow hunting last weekend, from the tree sling, and saw 2 does and 2 fawns, but nothing with a clear firing line to shoot.<br />
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Harvested a handful of purple beans (they turn green when you cook them), more zukes, and a bag of green maters to make piccalilli from the hoop house after I noticed the tear (figure it'll be too cold for everything inside soon, due to the tear).<br />
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I have a last batch of applesauce to can, maybe today if I'm lucky.<br />
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I should post more, but I'm too busy.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-85408829916621396212016-08-06T08:58:00.001-04:002016-08-06T08:58:56.779-04:00Bee updateStupidly didn't get supers on beehives 2 weeks ago - when I checked yesterday the super on the old hive was full, and the deeps on two of the four other hives were also full, and the third had only one empty frame. The fourth hive is the nasty one that only had one deep because they spend so much energy stinging things they are slow to bring in honey (that's my theory anyway). But they had finally filled their one deep. Sooooooo they got a second deep that I hope they will fill in the next 4-6 weeks, before everything stops blooming. I do NOT want to have to feed those little jerks. The other hives all got new supers (and three of those were brand spanking new woodwork with brand spanking new frames not filled out, bummer). Well, I'll get at least one full super of honey to add to the super full I've got in the cooler in the house. If nothing else I'll hope the other frames get filled out to save time next year. I am somewhat aggravated that I'm going to have to treat the old hive for varroa, since I saw three bees with mites in the beard at their entrance yesterday. This confirms what MSU entomology has been saying - treat your hives or they will die off their second winter. I'm not going to treat the new ones - they were all swarms, so they should have a reasonably low mite load. But the two year old hives are getting treated with something the first week of Sept. I haven't decided what to use yet. I talked to a commercial beekeeper yesterday and he has gone to oxalic acid. Have to check on availability and price (the local bee store doesn't have it in stock) online. Something else to do this upcoming week...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-4289151175320142752016-07-25T08:44:00.000-04:002016-07-25T08:44:37.092-04:00Chickens in the heatEgg production here is WAAAAY down due to the setting hens and the heat. I have one hen that is being followed around by 8 little chicks that hatched 5 days ago, including the one whose scalp I had to superglue back on after it got pecked by another setting hen. I sprayed it with veterycin and superglued it and let it rest for the day in my room (that was the day of thunderstorms). Then I put it back under its mother. It is moving and eating and drinking just fine, but I'm not sure it actually has any eyesight on one side... that side is still rather swollen, though it did seem less this morning than yesterday. Anyway, if it survives this, we are still going to eat it in three months. No more keeping the injured as pets (do you hear me, children?). <br />
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Other than that, the outdoor garden has gotten away from me again. Going on vacation always lets the weeds take over. Next year, I'm not going on vacation. I have harvested a bunch of garlic and kale and cabbage, and have lots more of all three. Also, I started broccoli for a fall harvest (I'm hoping it does better than the spring starts, which were mostly eaten by the groundhogs. The Matt's Wild Cherry Tomatoes are ripening (I keep sneaking them off the vine), but the Hillbillies are still green. I'll replant the beans this week(now that we are down one groundhog) and see if I can still get a harvest in the time left - maybe in the hoop house if nowhere else). Gotta do something with the basil, too, before it all goes to seed.<br />
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It's a banner year for blackberries - I have 18 jars of jam done, and 5 more bags (enough for another 9 jars if I'm so inclined, which I am not) in the fridge. I think I'll try some other recipe(s) with those. Did a batch (8 jars) of black raspeberries yesterday. There are a lot of berries but they are tiny this year, I'm assuming from the lack of rain... at least until this week. I still have a tray of strawberries in the freezer to can into jam. And I'm going to pick up 10# blueberries from the u-pick farm later this week (I'm not picking them this time, since the price difference is only $4). <br />
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My other MUST DO job this week is getting the last of the bee boxes assembled, painted, and on the hives. And slapping a few more supers on top so I might actually get a reasonable amount of honey this year.<br />
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The fun never stops.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-71079578316046187162016-06-11T06:23:00.000-04:002016-06-11T06:23:07.997-04:00Bees and suchI worked 5 of the 6 hives yesterday - one of the old ones got honey super, one of the new ones in a deep got more frames (fixing an oops on my part), one new one got its second deep, and one of the new ones in a nuc got moved into a deep (doubling its space). Then there was the last one in a nuc. You know you are in trouble when 5 seconds after you open the cover, you smell bananas. Wow, those bees were mad. They had drawn wavy comb, not straight. They had capped brood, but they hadn't bothered to draw out the last two frames at all. And they stung my suit and gloves a lot. I very quickly shut them back up and wandered off to do something else. I'll take care of them later today, but I can't say I like them much. If they don't calm down, they might just get their queen's head popped off and replaced with a new, calmer mommy.<br />
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Ha. I'm not new, but I'm slightly calmer now than I was at 5AM this morning when I was hearing bad noises from the chicken coop. I grabbed the shotgun and investigated. Discovered what better be the last egg sucking raccoon in the coop. He is no more, but he destroyed all the eggs my setters were on before I could get into a position where I could kill him without potentially killing any chickens. In the process I realized I might just have to attach my ear protection to that shotgun, because I didn't have it on this morning, and I couldn't leave the coop after I got there to go get them, because the coon would have escaped. So my head is ringing.<br />
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Today I'm going to fix all the automatic crap (doors, waterer) down at the coops, in the hopes that there will be no coons or possums to trash them (just in case I actually get to go on vacation). I've been trying to get this down for weeks now, but something part is always missing, or some other emergency comes up that must be solved sooner. My only emergency for today better just be catching the duck and getting more antibiotics into her eye. Because I'm about out of energy and it's only 6:15AM...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-68540636367979652452016-05-27T21:56:00.002-04:002016-05-27T21:56:37.803-04:00Gardening Record and demise of coon #1The regular (orange) sweet potatoes are in the outdoor straw bales now. The Kentucky Wonder green pole beans are in the dirt outdoors (breaking my June 1 rule, but I think it'll be okay, since it's 87 degrees) where the taters were last year (hence the few taters I missed digging are coming up there now too). I ordered some of the stuff I'll need for irrigation while I'm on vacation next month. I still have to find a place to kennel the dog, though. The cukes were sown in the hoop house a couple days ago (not up yet). And I managed to shoot one of the two stupid raccoons in the tree above the chicken coop. The other was not at an angle/height I could get to, so he'll live a little longer (on my duck eggs, the jerk). I did this with the Mossberg 590, which I hadn't shot before. I must say for a 12 gauge, it has no kick. And the ghost ring sight is sweet. I still have to get the last of the Adirondack Blues planted in the tires, and the runner beans and bush beans, and the beets, parsnips, gourds, (those are all soaking tonight) zukes, watermelon, pumpkin, and I'm sure there is stuff I'm forgetting. All this while trying to keep the house from falling in, and convincing Younger Daughter to DO HER JOB and weed whack the yard and garden area.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-37367976250632513782016-05-20T11:17:00.001-04:002016-05-20T11:17:16.724-04:00Well, that was fun! Swarm #4!In another disrupted plan to get the taters planted, I caught a fourth swarm and spent the remainder of my afternoon dealing with that. We were pulling into the library parking lot when I drove through a cloud of bees. That says SWARM! to me, so I went into the library, picked out my books, put them in the truck, and then wandered around to see if the bees had landed. Yes they had - in a pine tree at the apt complex next to he library. I went to the apt office and politely informed the property manager that she had a swarm of honey bees on one of her trees, and could I pretty please take it home? She was quite happy for me to do so, so I went home, grabbed my bee suit (which I didn't need, but makes people feel better) and a kitty litter box (because my nukes are already full), and then drove back to pick up the bees. Fifteen minutes later I had the bees in the box, my suit off, and I was driving to ICA to pick up the Pirate. Another easy capture, standing on the ground instead of climbing a ladder or a tree! When we got home, I dropped off the Pirate, and the bees, and drove to Dadant's in Albion to get more deeps (I only had enough for the 4 swarms to have one apiece instead of the two they need) and more frames (I admit I got the pre-assembled ones because I just don't see myself having time to put together 50 frames before the Poland trip). Now all I need to do is assemble the deeps, covers, and bottom boards. And paint them. But I WILL plant those stupid taters FIRST. REALLY.<br />
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I am quite glad about the bees, in any case. I am back up to 6 hives, and it didn't cost me the $100 per pkg that I would have had to pay had I ordered them instead of catching them. Yea! If I could get up to 10, then I would stop. <br />
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Not really, it's an addiction you know.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-3945140032377976392016-05-17T21:53:00.000-04:002016-05-17T21:53:03.633-04:00WeirdnessIt snowed on Sunday morning. WTH Michigan? It's a week past my last frost date! The maters and basil seem to have survived (both those in the hoop house and those in the bales outside), so I'm not going to complain much. Also, the day before that, I captured three swarms from the feral hive in my old barn. This was not what I was planning to do with my afternoon (that was planting taters), but when you walk by a tree with big blobs of bees just hanging from it at a height you can reach FROM THE GROUND (!?) well, I'll take them and be glad, especially since I was down to two hives. There was one huge swarm that I put in a full deep, and two smaller swarms that went into nuts. There was a fourth little bitty (softball size) clump, but they were gone by the time I finished the other three, and I expect they actually belonged with the bunch they were hanging closest to. I left that nuc open until evening to catch the stragglers and then carried them all up the hill to the apiary. I used ratchet straps to hold everything together, which turned out to be a good thing when I fell down on top of the deep. Since I stumble in that stupid hole on a regular basis, I think I'll try to fill it this week before I really hurt myself...Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-66196817482988718682016-04-29T11:09:00.000-04:002016-04-29T11:09:28.034-04:00Lilacs are blooming!The sand cherries are done, but the pear trees are at the height of bloom. The apples are about to start, and the lilacs opened this morning, which made everything smell wonderful - I had to walk all around sniffing things until I figured out that's what it was. We've eaten a handful of asparagus and a dish of rhubarb cobbler, with much more to come. Almost finished off the red radishes, but several rows of white icicle await. The maters on the outdoor straw bales appear to have survived the little cold snap and rain this week. And I chainsawed a respectable amount of black walnut left by the loggers and most of that stacked behind the house. Also chainsawed half of the rails making up the old paddock - I still need to remove those and figure out what to do with the wire preventing me from taking down the rest of the rails. I am feeling I managed to accomplish a reasonable amount of work outdoors before the rain showed up. While it rained, I sewed - working on some quilty UFOs that have been hanging about for far too long. I have 8 tops that need to go to the long-armer, and 8 more that are small enough for me to quilt on my own sewing machine. Then I have about a dozen more UFOs to finish (yes, that's terrible). After that, I'll start sewing for an Etsy shop to make a little cash. That is the plan, anyway. If the weather and life cooperate.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-7590425779930055512016-04-19T18:03:00.001-04:002016-04-19T18:03:14.587-04:00BloomingWent for a walk down to the river to clear my head and spooked 5 turkey and 6+ rabbits. Also some cranes. The frogs were VERY LOUD. The spring beauty is blooming, along with the bloodroot, dandelions, dead nettle, one small clump of swamp buttercup, and some little purple flower whose name I don't know which the honeybees were ALL OVER. It was the most relaxing, pleasant half hour I've had in awhile. Probably because I was ALONE, except for all the blooming plants and wildlife. Just me on a boulder, observing the world and trying not to think.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-37159721918109209682016-04-09T10:45:00.001-04:002016-04-09T10:45:49.265-04:00Last blast of winter?I sure hope so. We got 3-4 inches of snow last night. which made driving home from church real interesting. I got home late and went down to the coop to put the ducks in and discovered the raccoon that escaped me on Thursday night had apparently come back and taken one of the ducks. So now I have one lonely duck left. In the future, we will only raise ducks for meat, no matter how much the kids beg to keep some for eggs (which really means pets, because they don't even like duck eggs). Too many varmints around here for ducks when we don't have a pond they can use to escape.<br />
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In garden news, I moved a bunch of volunteer dill in the hoop house and weeded half of one side, in a t-shirt. Then I went outside to discover the beginning of the snow. The bales outdoors are much slower to condition than the ones in the hoop house due to the cold. I've added a few days to the planting schedule to account for this. I hope it isn't overly optimistic to hope I can get them all planted by next weekend.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-33123403066001548982016-04-02T20:35:00.000-04:002016-04-02T20:35:00.248-04:00So much for SpringYes, there is now an inch of snow on the ground. I stayed inside and cleaned house instead of doing the gardening work I had planned. And to cheer everyone up, I made crab salad for supper. I had to brave the wind to go out to the garden and knock the snow off the chives, because the recipe called for scallions but I was out of them. The chives worked just fine. And it amused me to be harvesting in the snow. To cheer myself up after that, I made cookies. And fed the fire to keep us warm.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-5224226316319188172016-04-01T20:38:00.002-04:002016-04-01T20:38:33.163-04:00Little bit of gardening done today. Very little.Black carrots (east end) and Osmin basil (west end) went in bale 4 (direct seeded) in the hoop house today. Tomatoes (18 Matt's Wild Cherry/18 Hillbilly) and orange peppers (16) started indoors. Mtn mint and Roman chamomile are up (indoors). Supposed to snow tomorrow and Sunday, because this is Michigan in April. Will wait to feed the bees till later in the week when it warms up again. I think I can still check the deaders that were being robbed to see if they are empty yet. Sigh. I so wanted to get outdoor garden chores done tomorrow. I guess I'll just clean house.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372283386466758816.post-32091509645741851032016-03-28T22:09:00.002-04:002016-03-28T22:09:34.655-04:00Garden Records March 2016Warmest March ever. Loving this. In the hoop house, the radishes (Shogoin, white icicle, cherry belle) are up, along with the spinach (experimental and bloomsdale) and arugula. The kale, broccoli, and cabbage transplants are in the ground and doing mostly okay, since I put down row covers to keep them from being eaten (chickens? voles? mice?). These are experiments comparing seeds of two different suppliers, because I'm just curious if there is any difference. Obviously there is, since the plants look NOTHING alike - color and leaf shape are radically different. More on that later. I need more row covers. Tomorrow after kettlebell class, I will stop at the Hobbit Hole and see if they have row covers and the larger peat disks for my starting trays. Then I must make room on the indoor greenhouse racks for another two trays of starts, and set up my last light fixture and mail back the one that does not work. That'll be enough to do, I think, in between doing homeschool with homeschool kid and picking up charter school kid at ICA.Xa Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542611446828065852noreply@blogger.com0