First of all... Happy 4th of July!
Our 4th was filled with a parade... Allison's first in the Austintown Fitch marching band. We are all very proud of her. She will have a short hiatus for the remainder of this month and then begin practicing in earnest for the upcoming football season in August.
We 'chilled' out for the rest of the day and enjoyed our neighborhood fireworks show in the evening.
I finally purchased two plastic watering cans for the chickens to replace the galvanized ones that rusted out. I thought galvanized was supposed to endure, but apparently I was proved wrong.
Today we put up around 40 jars of black raspberry jelly. Dad is instrumental in this project as he is our lead berry picker. He has a knack for finding the best berry patches. Supplement that with our own backyard vines (which were quite plentiful) and viola... 40 jars of jelly!
I've been picking (and eating) our sweet peas. I think they've just about run its course. Our zucchini and pumpkins are growing quite nicely and we should have an abundant amount of both.
Our Linden trees are finally blooming. About a week ago our local weather forecaster announced that the Linden would be blooming. I immediately ran out to our tree and didn't see or smell anything. This weekend, however, they finally started to blossom. They aren't as prolific as normal... we think the late frost may have hampered them this year. I don't know if I'll be able to harvest any for tea this year - maybe next year.
The cherries are about finished too. I didn't have a chance to pick any, and I'm not sure if Dad or the girls had a chance to pick any either. However, the birds loved 'em!
I received a heirloom tree order book this week and found the transparent apples that I have been looking for. I think we will order two for next year...and possible a few others as well.
Enough for now... I'm going back outside to enjoy a rain free day.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
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!
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