Triple Creek Farm, June 15, 2013

There are times on the farm when there is total silence, I find these times to be very pastoral, to me it means all is right on the farm.  We hear the frogs, chickens, ducks do they ever stop and the ladies calling in the meee-maaa voices most of the time.  But it happens, there is total silence, not a bird chipping, duck making the quacking sound or frog making the one last bleep of the day, it is in these moments I know all is the way it should be here on our farm.  Saturday evening after feeding and putting everyone to bed there was this wonderful moment, when the farmer looked at her husband and said,  "Sometimes you know everything is just the way it should be, the animals, the garden and just being here."  This peace is something so many are looking for, once in a while, we have an opportunity to enjoy these wonderful moments.

IN THE KITCHEN

Time to empty the freezer and get things ready for this season.  I made a canner of vegetable beef soup. Seven Quarts, means 7 easy meals.  I am thinking about making more soup and soup bases in the canner.  I have a need to learn an easier way to get a meal on the table.  I found some strawberries and raspberries, they found their way into the jelly pan, 6 half-pints of jelly has been added to the pantry.

ON THE FARM

Mr. Bootsie is making his way around the farm doing oil changes and checking on the things we have with engines.  After all is finished a dump run will be made with the used oil.

We have been going through some of the boxes of treasures we had when we moved here.  I was an antique dealer for a number of years or maybe a truer statement would be junk collector.  I had a hard time turning down any box lot for one dollar.  In a number of these box lots I would find tools without handles.  Hoes, diggers, and shovels, one item we found in a box was a small digger I remember using one like as a child.  Short handle and the little digger worked.  Off to the farm supply with the tools we wanted to return to service.  We walked into the farm store and someone commented on the dutch hoe Mr. Bootsie was taking in, saying, "That is an old tool, you don't see them very often any more."  Where are you handles?  Back on the side wall by the greenhouse, off we went.  No handle to replace the dutch hoe handle, this is a tool which takes a beating here with all of the clearing we are doing, Mr. B would just like to have a replacement because I have broken this handle several times.  As for the little digger there was not any short handles, so we left as empty handed as we came in.  I was on the porch the other afternoon. Mr. Bootsie comes in with a piece of hickory (we have lots of hickory trees) and was working on making a handle for this small digger.  I was using the digger last evening and the handle is great about 18 inches long and just like the wonderful tool I remember as a child.

IN THE COOP

With much regret, Little Grey's nest has been removed.  Not a one of her eggs hatched,  she was returned to the flock, I do hear her making the sweet Momma hen clucking noise at times. I hope she will want to set again and hatch out a flock of baby chicks.  I find her quite often with the little peeps hatched this year, but they feel they are big now and do not need a momma hen.  Egg production is good and now with all of the girls in coop I see Mr. Bootsie bringing in eggs several times a day.  We do try to collect at least twice a day.

The duck run was a mess, as they are just messy.  Before one of the rains this week, we cleaned the ditch behind the barn, taking out as much sand as possible and putting this in the ducks run.  I am always amazed at the difference in the run with the sand, it takes away all of the slick feeling under your feet.  This was a win-win task as the drainage was much better around the barn.

IN THE GARDEN

I pulled the garlic crop, most of it has been cleaned and is in the top of the barn drying in the trays Mr. Bootsie put up for me.  He used a pulley system, so they are up high and out of the way.  I will be pulling the elephant garlic this week.  The onions are not showing signs of laying down at this time.  The walkers are covered with walkers, I did collected a few this week for a salad.   I am harvesting squash, kale, chard and peas.  The potatoes are looking good and I have found a few snaps so maybe next week, there will be a pot of snaps and new potatoes.  Time to thin the beets, I will start those this coming week. I like to pull the small beets clean with the too left on and steam them.

With all of the rain we are having a hard time staying in front of the weeds, in fact we may not be in front of them at this time.  The storm, Thursday, blew the corn over, sun pulled some corn back and with a little help from me, I think I am only going to loose 1 stalk of corn.  Pole beans are starting to climb and tomatoes are blooming.

IN CLOSING

I am amazed with the weather changes we are experiencing this year.  Once again the fires are doing so much damage.  I am so hurt for all of you who have loss your homes, animals and way of life.   I find it very hard to think of having to start over and so many of those in dangers way have started over many times.  I do think of you and in my way offer a prayer for you.  May we all learn from our pasts and use the knowledge we gain to move forward.

Have a great week, I'll see you in the garden or come visit on the porch for something refreshing to drink!!!