Triple Creek Farm, June 22,2013

Mr. Bootsie was a city boy and I was a country girl, where we lived before we moved here was in the city.  Over half of the back yard was my garden and I did a good job of feeding us from my little garden.  I was able to can, freeze and make a few pickles.  Mr. Bootsie decided to move to the country as he thought it would make me happy.  He had no idea what moving to the country was for me.  I did want a place in the country with a riding lawn mower to cut a big yard each week.  If I moved to the country I wanted a big garden and animals.  Why would you move to the country and cut lots of grass for several hours a week?  In the last couple of weeks I have noticed a few changes.  The man, who was afraid the goats were going to go and get on the highway if they were let out of the fence, has now started letting the goats out of the pasture and taking them into our woods to nibble the small trees.  The man, who would only touch a chicken when it was out and I needed help catching the chicken, is now picking up and being friendly with the girls.  Our little farm has started getting into his blood, he sees things differently, the animals are becoming his children, pets and friends.  My journey back to the farm is becoming a shared journey, for a long time I did wonder if the farm would mean as much to Mr. Bootsie as it did to me and now with the dirt on his blue jeans, the farmer's tan and the animals looking to him as their helper, he has the made the turn.  If something should happen to me, Mr. Bootsie would be able to take care of our little farm for me.

IN THE KITCHEN

The squash are coming in, I have won the battle with the stink bug but the war is not over.  This week I made zucchini bread, squash and onions and zucchini fries.  I have frozen squash for later use.  I have been getting my canning recipes organized and I am ready if the crops come in.

ON THE FARM

We had a rain storm this week.  I think it was the hardest rain I have ever seen here.  The creeks were almost out of the banks.  A wall of water came down one hill and moved all of the gravel in the road, I spent quite a while cutting drainage ditches and Mr. Bootsie worked the farm road with the tractor.  This was one task we did not have on our list of things to do but it must be done and there were gullies in the road and quite dangerous as this is the road I walk going to the barn and coop.

IN THE COOP

Egg production is back up.  It may drop with the summer weather coming in.  Little peeps are now sleeping on the roosting poles in the brooder.  They are now going out for the afternoon walk, I stay with them as I do not want the older girls to attack them.  I think these new chicks are going to be good sized birds.

IN THE GARDEN

Another raised bed had been replaced, I am going to plant some always plants in this bed.  I had tried asparagus in this bed but the moles has enjoyed the treats I planted, I am going to forget about the asparagus until we start another garden area (if we ever do is questionable) and I can put rat wire under the raised bed.

All of the garlic was cleaned and roots cut this week.  It is now hanging in the top of the pole barn to dry, this rack is on a pulley system, lowered when I need to place garlic on it.  There are now 2 of these racks in the pole barn.  I am hoping these will be helpful when we start drying the sunflower heads, as I will be able to cover the sunflowers with fiberglass wire.

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Squash bugs are still here, I am flooding out the squash plants in the mornings, they climb up the leaves to get out of the water and I get those little stinkers.  We are not seeing a lot of eggs, but I am afraid with the temperature going up this may change.  They were on the cucumber plants this week also.

Snow peas are slowing down, green beans are hanging, cherry tomatoes are getting up to size, elephant garlic is just about ready to pull and walking onions are walking as the walkers are very heavy.  The raspberry row is where you will find me having a snack.

IN CLOSING

Friday, summer arrived, this spring has been one of the most interesting springs I can remember.  The temperature has been up and down, we had a fire in the wood stove much later in May than in the past  and two days later the sun was cooking everything with reading of 90 plus degrees on the thermometer.  I would like to see have a nice summer, one that is not hot and baking the earth.  I hate to see the girls trying to stay cool in the coop at night.  I go out and cool the garden in the late afternoon on the really hot days.  But afternoon watering is not good for all plants and I need to be careful of what I water.  In about 90 days we will know what type of summer we had this year.  I wish for all you a happy and safe summer.