We usually see our first snow about Halloween. One year, there was even a blizzard on that day! No, that doesn’t always happen, but we try to be prepared, just in case. (Doesn’t that seem to fit all we do?) Yesterday, I got a bunch of carrots peeled and ready to can and canned up the first batch yesterday evening. Today, I’m finishing up that batch. When I went to wash the first batch, I saw I had inadvertently canned a fly. Yuck! So, I opened that jar and poured out the contents for the chickens. They loved it! Waste not/want not! They traded me four eggs for it.
Yesterday Will and I split another two loads of firewood. As the woodshed is about full, he’s dumping them by the old pig houses to stack. I’ve got to clear a spot in the goat barn for kindling. Right now, it’s full of empty feed bags to recycle. I like a good pile of kindling, ready to start a fire. Otherwise, Will has his “white man fire starter,” a propane torch. Ha ha.
Today, I’m canning up those last carrots and getting ready for our visit from Lynn and Jesse, our friends, who now have our seed business, Seed Treasures. We grew a lot of extra crops for them to have extra seed, in case they run out of something. It’s hard, your first year, knowing how much of everything you’ll need, and we want them to get off to a very good start. Of course, I can’t let them see my pig pen of a house, so I’ve got to do some major cleaning. (It gives me a good excuse! Not that it needs it or anything…)
This morning, the sun is out again, and I looked out the window to see three beautiful Trumpeter swans swimming in the beaver pond! They are so beautiful. I’m glad they came to visit us on their migration south.
I’ve got everything out of the gardens but a few dry beans in the Sand Garden and some cabbages. Those cabbages are huge! I’ll get some pictures soon so you can see them. Wow! We have really been blessed with such a good harvest in a very tough gardening year. Thank you, God! — Jackie
When you show your home, I think that someone actually lives, works and enjoys life there. Often, I see vlogs of people living in pristine houses with spotless kitchens and living rooms that look like they’re from a fancy magazine. To me that isn’t reality.
My garden this year was a disaster. The only crop that was decent was potatoes. I had some summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers but none were up to my usual standards. Nothing to can. Heat got the spring lettuce and radishes but this afternoon I picked lettuce from where I’d let the spring crop go to seed. Cantaloupe was looking good, then it was dead, same with acorn squash. Cucumbers came up … then died. All in all, a waste of time, effort and money.
You mention in a prior vlog that you’re seeing empty shelves at the grocery store. I’ve seen some empty, but I’ve noticed shrinking shelf space for almost everything. Canned fruit shelf space at Aldi is now very narrow and the same is true at Walmart. At Walmart I’ve noticed that store brand canned fruit often is in short supply. The shelf area for flour and sugar has also shrunk. Sometimes there is a lot of pasta and rice and sometimes not. I encourage friends to stock up but most think if they have two cans of something they are stocked. Common sense seems to be in extremely short supply!!
I need to get a “ white man fire starter”. They are a lot of fun. It’s good to see you are doing well. Pyro…without a torch.
Eh, your house is lived in. I don’t get het up over my house. Do I need to dust, yeah I do. But as my late mother said, if you don’t move anything, no one can tell.
I have many prides of paper tigers in my office that are my bane. I can find what I need but it is by no means tidy/organized.
Seed garlic I ordered was phenomenal – to the point I passed some of it to a kiddo as one head yielded plenty for me to plant.
May I have the energy tomorrow to do some more weeding – it has been a tough week at work.
Skid steer went in for maintenance/two new tires. He’s back and raring to go. Under $2K which makes me happy – I had $3K budgeted just in case.
Wow, good deal on the skinsteer tires/maintenance. It seems like every time we take the car in, it’s at least $1,000.
I’m planting my garlic as soon as the rain stops today (hopefully). I’ve got a nice spot all tilled up and ready.
The trumpeter swans are beautiful and I did not see or hear them flying over us this year.
I’m in SE Idaho. They usually compete with the Canada geese but not this year. I missed hearing them.
I love hearing them too. I remember, years ago, when they had almost gone extinct. So seeing them now is wonderful.
Canning protein for the chickens now:)
My hens get a lot f my mistakes still at death day-28 hens/pullets. Forecast our big frost tonight So clean up everything that martens will be turned in if it does freeze to enjoy the leavings. House work never ends but good weather does don’t stress about it Enjoy your friends!
I’m my gosh! Typo! Dozen egg not death!
Wow, I’m glad you cleared that up! : ) Our friends just left with a truck and trailer load of produce. We had a great visit and only wish we lived closer.
This year I had what turned out to be a butternut squash pop up in what was left of an older compost pile. It ran right out into the yard and eventually made 11 really nice squashes! The funny thing is for years I’ve tried to grow butternut in the garden and they never worked even with compost worked into the soil so I gave up. Maybe the Good Lord gave me butternuts this year just to show me how HE does it. :)
I guess winter is here in the Copper Basin. The forecast says single digits tonite and varying amounts of snow on the ground. We have a section of a wood shed bay for kindling. We saved several dog biscuit and wet wipe boxes which are the same size. I keep them filled with kindling when I have time an we keep one by each stove.
Good idea about the kindling boxes!
Chickens get vegies and a tiny protein. 😎
Hahaha
I had a rogue pumpkin plant spring up outside the chicken coop. It’s too late for fruit now but the plant is beautiful and has little green pumpkins on it. Hubby took some seeds from one of the ripe pumpkins I cleaned and scattered them around the coop. Can’t hurt. Who knows? Maybe they will come up next year.
It’s kind of fun with those volunteer plants! I say they were planted by God.
Wow, aren’t those surprises great? We sometimes find volunteers in the garden, sometimes in weird places. It’s so much fun, enjoying them.
Jackie, how do you keep worms out of your cabbage? I gave up raising it because of those little rascals. My theory on house cleaning is they came to see me not to judge the house.
We don’t, really. I plant them a bit late and that seems to help. Fortunately, the cabbage puts new leaves out in the middle of the head, where the worms can’t get to. They do eat the big, outside leaves, but the head is worm hole free.
I usually feel the same. But the house is beyond icky so it’s getting a quick heavy cleaning.
Wow, aren’t those gifts wonderful? Every once in a while, we, too, find a volunteer plant that was totally unexpected. It’s so much fun. Enjoy your wonderful tomatoes.
🌾💚🌷💚🌷💚🌾
Back at you!!
Here in northern Ca, we are finally into the rain season. Our raised beds did not do well but we discovered a random tomato (beefstake!) took root amounts the gravel around our apartments. The things is loaded with way better tomatoes than we have grown-who’d a thought?!! I am making my small batch of salsa that I have not made in about 5 years back in Iowa! Looking forward to sharing with the other ladies that babied and fought for that bush!😍
Hello, Ginger, I’m in far north California, Shasta county. Where in northern California are you located? Maybe just the county. Good to see another Californian in here.