Okay, you caught me... I'm into aprons.
Here is a nifty site about making aprons.
Monday, June 29, 2009
What's up!
What's up on the farm?
Well the peas are in and taste delicious! Black Raspberries are wonderfully plump this year. I'm glad we threw a sheet over them at the last frost. I'll probably be making Black Raspberry Jelly this weekend. Our pumpkin patch is progressing nicely and it looks as though the zucchini will be abundant as well.
The chickens a growing nicely and we can't wait for our eggs! I've noticed that our galvanized water containers are beginning to rust through. I guess our water doesn't agree with these containers. I'll have to stop by the Agland Co-op and get the plastic ones. The alpacas are bothered by flies, so we try to keep the poo piles cleaned up and wipe them down with fly repellent. I would like them to take the apple treats from my hand... maybe some day.
Our wildlife... is out of control! We have something that keeps knocking down the bird feeders... we think it may be a raccoon. We are participating in the firefly watch and learning alot from this experience. And the deer--- have been eating my strawberries. *sigh*
I've been busy at work and trying to keep my job. It seems as though Governor Strickland of Ohio wants to cut back funding to libraries! Can you believe that! So, things are a little tense at work and it trickles down to the home. I find solace that at least we'll have some food and eggs once the hens get old enough. We need to purchase a new sewing machine to weather this recession. That is our one NEED that we all agree on. Our other sewing machines are old and create great frustration in the middle of our projects.
Allsion starts band practice this week for the 4th of July parade. And the rest of her and Emily's time will be spent on soccer and swimming. We'll have to start getting things for back to school especially the clothes a little at a time. The school has instituted a new dress code and now we get to shop to meet the new requirements. I truly hate shopping! And back to school shopping is the worst.
Until next time....
Sheila
Well the peas are in and taste delicious! Black Raspberries are wonderfully plump this year. I'm glad we threw a sheet over them at the last frost. I'll probably be making Black Raspberry Jelly this weekend. Our pumpkin patch is progressing nicely and it looks as though the zucchini will be abundant as well.
The chickens a growing nicely and we can't wait for our eggs! I've noticed that our galvanized water containers are beginning to rust through. I guess our water doesn't agree with these containers. I'll have to stop by the Agland Co-op and get the plastic ones. The alpacas are bothered by flies, so we try to keep the poo piles cleaned up and wipe them down with fly repellent. I would like them to take the apple treats from my hand... maybe some day.
Our wildlife... is out of control! We have something that keeps knocking down the bird feeders... we think it may be a raccoon. We are participating in the firefly watch and learning alot from this experience. And the deer--- have been eating my strawberries. *sigh*
I've been busy at work and trying to keep my job. It seems as though Governor Strickland of Ohio wants to cut back funding to libraries! Can you believe that! So, things are a little tense at work and it trickles down to the home. I find solace that at least we'll have some food and eggs once the hens get old enough. We need to purchase a new sewing machine to weather this recession. That is our one NEED that we all agree on. Our other sewing machines are old and create great frustration in the middle of our projects.
Allsion starts band practice this week for the 4th of July parade. And the rest of her and Emily's time will be spent on soccer and swimming. We'll have to start getting things for back to school especially the clothes a little at a time. The school has instituted a new dress code and now we get to shop to meet the new requirements. I truly hate shopping! And back to school shopping is the worst.
Until next time....
Sheila
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Save Ohio Libraries
Save Ohio Libraries
What’s going on?
The Governor wants to cut the budget for public libraries by 50%. About 70% of public libraries in Ohio are funded solely by this fund, so cutting the already shrinking budget means library closures, layoffs and cutbacks in hours and materials.
We have until June 30th to get our voices heard. ACT NOW!
Please friends.... email your representatives... time is of the essence.
Thank you.
What’s going on?
The Governor wants to cut the budget for public libraries by 50%. About 70% of public libraries in Ohio are funded solely by this fund, so cutting the already shrinking budget means library closures, layoffs and cutbacks in hours and materials.
We have until June 30th to get our voices heard. ACT NOW!
Please friends.... email your representatives... time is of the essence.
Thank you.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Updates
First let's discuss the green peppers. We have planted and replanted our green peppers, yet they still are disappearing. We've tried the organic mole 'ridder-uver' to no avail. We will not plant any more peppers this year and cultivate differently for next season. Some of our friends have stated the same problems with their peppers. We have all heard different reasons why we are experiencing the "disappearing peppers". Ah well...there is always next year.
Our peas are blossoming and we should have literally a ton of peas in the next week or so.
We have had some hard rains this week. Everything has been soaked, the rain barrels are full and the grass is very tall. We will have to wait until the ground dries up before we can mow again. Hopefully this will occur before we will be required to bale our lawn! *smile*
We've had visitors to the farm this week. My sister, Sandy, stopped by for a few days to visit with us and Grandma. My niece, Carey, also dropped by for an overnight visit on her way north. She brought her husband Nate and children Tyler and Brady. She and her family are healthy and happy. However, Nate needs to watch his soccer playing moves. *wink*
I'm slowly getting over loosing our ducks. We hope to try and work on getting the population of coyotes under control. We've also had something chewing on my birdseed bin. We think this may be a raccoon. The kids set up some mouse traps to discourage this behavior. I hope it works.
I've also just read an article in the Farm and Dairy newspaper by Columnist Scott Shalaway. He spoke about the plight of the fireflies (aka. lightening bugs). My personal opinion is STOP USING LAWN CHEMICALS. A green lawn is pretty, but I think this obsession of a weed free yard is taking its toll on all our insect type critters. So now I'm not only on a 'save the honey bee' campaign, I'll be championing for the fireflies as well.(see link off to the left side to be an observer)
Another observation along the same lines are for our butterflies and hummingbirds. Plant more nectar based flowers along side the pollen based ones and support these winged critters for our children and grandchildren.
The food hit of the weekend is my Blueberry Buckle dessert and Broccoli Salad. Anyone needing these recipes--just email me.
Fun with the girls--- included a trip to the movie theaters to see The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. We enjoyed our mother daughter time with this good flick. There was some beautiful scenery. I missed the credits to see what location they used...I hope it was Alaska. We have spoken about an adventure to Alaska someday, I hope we can get there.
We also went to the Duck Tape festival in Avon, Ohio. They showcased prom dresses made with duct tape as well as some interesting art work. There was an entire tent dedicated to duct tape crafts. The girls each bought some colorful rolls of duct tape as well as a t-shirt. It was a nice little home-town festival.
Next weekend I have to work, but we hope to fit in the Woolfest 2009 festival in Kirtland, Ohio.
Our peas are blossoming and we should have literally a ton of peas in the next week or so.
We have had some hard rains this week. Everything has been soaked, the rain barrels are full and the grass is very tall. We will have to wait until the ground dries up before we can mow again. Hopefully this will occur before we will be required to bale our lawn! *smile*
We've had visitors to the farm this week. My sister, Sandy, stopped by for a few days to visit with us and Grandma. My niece, Carey, also dropped by for an overnight visit on her way north. She brought her husband Nate and children Tyler and Brady. She and her family are healthy and happy. However, Nate needs to watch his soccer playing moves. *wink*
I'm slowly getting over loosing our ducks. We hope to try and work on getting the population of coyotes under control. We've also had something chewing on my birdseed bin. We think this may be a raccoon. The kids set up some mouse traps to discourage this behavior. I hope it works.
I've also just read an article in the Farm and Dairy newspaper by Columnist Scott Shalaway. He spoke about the plight of the fireflies (aka. lightening bugs). My personal opinion is STOP USING LAWN CHEMICALS. A green lawn is pretty, but I think this obsession of a weed free yard is taking its toll on all our insect type critters. So now I'm not only on a 'save the honey bee' campaign, I'll be championing for the fireflies as well.(see link off to the left side to be an observer)
Another observation along the same lines are for our butterflies and hummingbirds. Plant more nectar based flowers along side the pollen based ones and support these winged critters for our children and grandchildren.
The food hit of the weekend is my Blueberry Buckle dessert and Broccoli Salad. Anyone needing these recipes--just email me.
Fun with the girls--- included a trip to the movie theaters to see The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. We enjoyed our mother daughter time with this good flick. There was some beautiful scenery. I missed the credits to see what location they used...I hope it was Alaska. We have spoken about an adventure to Alaska someday, I hope we can get there.
We also went to the Duck Tape festival in Avon, Ohio. They showcased prom dresses made with duct tape as well as some interesting art work. There was an entire tent dedicated to duct tape crafts. The girls each bought some colorful rolls of duct tape as well as a t-shirt. It was a nice little home-town festival.
Next weekend I have to work, but we hope to fit in the Woolfest 2009 festival in Kirtland, Ohio.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
In Memory
It is with deepest sadness that I report the passing of our two ducks. Apparently, a wild critter was hungry and our fence wasn't a deterrent. We think they fought valiantly. One was carried off and the other was left for us to find. We loved our little ducks and miss them deeply.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Hanoverton History & Ghost Tour
Last night we went to the lovely little town of Hanoverton, Ohio to the Spread Eagle Tavern Inn for the Historical Society's History Ghost walk. The Spread Eagle Tavern Inn and a few other buildings on this street are designated national historic landmarks. (or some such designation). Jim and I plan on returning to dine here one evening.
The Historical society had its members stationed along the walk to talk about their homes, the history and in some instances sightings of ghosts. We ended up at the graveyard with more historical stories and a few ghosts(?) thrown in. We enjoyed this adventure, the family friendly atmosphere and economical costs of a family night out ($5 per person).
The Historical society will have more walks in June and of course in October. They will have some paranormal investigations performed there also, inviting some hobbyists and professionals to 'ghost hunt'.
See some photos of the town below.
Next weekend we're off to the Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival!
The Historical society had its members stationed along the walk to talk about their homes, the history and in some instances sightings of ghosts. We ended up at the graveyard with more historical stories and a few ghosts(?) thrown in. We enjoyed this adventure, the family friendly atmosphere and economical costs of a family night out ($5 per person).
The Historical society will have more walks in June and of course in October. They will have some paranormal investigations performed there also, inviting some hobbyists and professionals to 'ghost hunt'.
See some photos of the town below.
Next weekend we're off to the Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Duck Pen
Ursula... no you are not a duck! Yesterday I checked on all the critters after work. And there was Ursula, one of our chickens in the duck pen! I don't know how she got there but she was there with her friends... the ducks. I think she may be confused and dealing with some 'issues' because I found her in the duck pen once again today. We keep reminding Ursula... you are not a duck...you are a chicken.
The pumpkins are sprouting, the winter squash is sprouting, the peas are growing tall, strawberries are delicious and I think I'll have some zucchini *wink*.
We discovered that moles love pepper plants. We are reaching a point of diminishing returns on this crop. We plant, moles eat. Not what we had designed. I found some organic mole remover. We hope this works.
Duck pen photos below.
The pumpkins are sprouting, the winter squash is sprouting, the peas are growing tall, strawberries are delicious and I think I'll have some zucchini *wink*.
We discovered that moles love pepper plants. We are reaching a point of diminishing returns on this crop. We plant, moles eat. Not what we had designed. I found some organic mole remover. We hope this works.
Duck pen photos below.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Busy, Busy, Busy
We have entered the busy season! The girls are playing community league soccer and swimming for a summer swim league. There that should keep them busy. But no... let's add: "Mom, can I try out for volleyball?" and "Mom, marching band practice for the 4th of July parade starts at the end of the month." Just email me or call my cell, because I don't know where I'll be or when I'll get there. *wink*
Onto the farm.
This weekend we moved the ducks! I didn't realize this would traumatize them as much as it did. I guess I kept them with the chickens too long. I wanted to wait until the pond got some water. While we did receive rain this past week it wasn't enough to fill the pond. So, Emily and I filled many buckets to fill this little(?) pond. I went to Agland on Saturday and bought some chicken wire fencing with some metal fence posts. Then we unwrapped the fencing, pounded in the posts and viola!...a duck pen! We caught the ducks and put them in the pond. Shall I say the word "attitude". The ducks are in a snit. They don't understand why they can't be with their buddies...the chickens. They give me the evil eye and quack when they can't see the chickens. Good thing I didn't move them to another part of the farm. It's been two nights since we separated them. They don't like-- not seeing the chickens at night...but what is nice is they quack when the chickens go into the coop at night. Now we know when to go shut up the barn. We have a coop alarm! I will post a picture of the new duck pen soon.
In the Garden: The peas are progressing nicely, Jim replanted the beans and some peppers (something been eating them). The eggplant has disapparated! I didn't replant it. The dill is coming up nicely as is grandma's sunflower garden. I'm nervous about the pumpkin patch as we haven't seen any sprouts yet. Jim says to give it a while as it has been cooler this last week.
Onto the farm.
This weekend we moved the ducks! I didn't realize this would traumatize them as much as it did. I guess I kept them with the chickens too long. I wanted to wait until the pond got some water. While we did receive rain this past week it wasn't enough to fill the pond. So, Emily and I filled many buckets to fill this little(?) pond. I went to Agland on Saturday and bought some chicken wire fencing with some metal fence posts. Then we unwrapped the fencing, pounded in the posts and viola!...a duck pen! We caught the ducks and put them in the pond. Shall I say the word "attitude". The ducks are in a snit. They don't understand why they can't be with their buddies...the chickens. They give me the evil eye and quack when they can't see the chickens. Good thing I didn't move them to another part of the farm. It's been two nights since we separated them. They don't like-- not seeing the chickens at night...but what is nice is they quack when the chickens go into the coop at night. Now we know when to go shut up the barn. We have a coop alarm! I will post a picture of the new duck pen soon.
In the Garden: The peas are progressing nicely, Jim replanted the beans and some peppers (something been eating them). The eggplant has disapparated! I didn't replant it. The dill is coming up nicely as is grandma's sunflower garden. I'm nervous about the pumpkin patch as we haven't seen any sprouts yet. Jim says to give it a while as it has been cooler this last week.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Pumpkin patch
Over the weekend, Jim cultivated a piece of ground 'out back' for our pumpkins. I hope they will grow as they are out near the wildlife. This is another experiment for this growing season.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)