Thursday, July 18, 2024

Summer projects

 


 

For quite a number of years I have been trying to grow Galardia or however you spell it.  They are my all time favorite.   My mom has them growing all around her flower beds. She has tried to help me.  I picked this one up at the pride plant sale this spring.  It is not dead!  I am so happy!  I hope it will spread and come back!  


My friend Shirley gave me this yellow ground cover.  I love it as well, although have no idea what it is.  I only have a few flowers at the end of the driveway.  I cannot grow flowers up closer to the house because we own goats.  I had some in pots, but even the silk flowers got stolen by a pack of evil squirrels.  If they eat these things, i will officially declare war! 
The only other thing about the  driveway flowers is that I have to be extremely careful when I work around the end of the driveway because it is the home of a fairly large timber rattle snake.  He is old and slow moving, but I don’t want to chance putting my hand close to him!   I am hyper vigilant when I am down there.  


One of Amy’s daycare kids had to get rid of their cat due to some dispute with the neighbor.  I agreed to bring her home.  She is a Manx cat- no tail and a very loud meow!   She is pretty sweet!  The daycare kid named her Pickles.  




A couple of years ago, Evie begged Poppy for a tire swing.  Jim procured the supplies, had Preston help him hang it, and surprised her with it!   She got on it, we pushed her, she became suddenly terrified of her new ride, and refuses to get back on!   Saige has swung on it a few times, and has used it as a pitching target, but mostly, it just hangs there.  Last night, as the sun was setting, I noticed a spider has built a perfect web inside of it.  I tried to take pictures because the web is so pretty and perfectly round.  I don’t exactly succeed, but I liked the photos anyway.  

The meat birds are ready to go.  They have a date with fate on Tuesday.   Strangely, they were supposed to go last week, but they just weren’t ready.  I called the lady who processes them and asked to move my date.  She told me the only other day she had available is the 23rd, and so I took it.  Later that same morning, I was setting a meeting date for my board meeting, and my board President told me he could really only meet on the 23rd. Of course.  Luckily, Jim has some vacation days and was willing to take one. Jim does love to have chicken dinners, and definitely doesn’t want to process the birds, so he will be driving them down! 

It always amazes me how they go from sooooo cute to soooo big and smelly in such a short amount of time.  


The girls love their little rabbits.  They were super excited because I gave them some apple peelings from the 2 bushels of apples I am still working on!  They are super sweet and cute!  I do love rabbits!

The spring pullets....full grown beautiful variety of birds.  I couldn't be happier with them!  I love how we got so many different breeds and colors.  They should start to lay eggs next month - I hope.  I don't actually know why I can't wait for more eggs- currently I have 4 laying hens.  I get 4 eggs a day, and a lot of time that is way too many....guessing I will be giving my children eggs very soon!  Breakfast burritos for everyone!  


I have been really happy with a couple of the strawberry plants.  They are spreading and putting down all sorts of new plants.  Some of them haven't spread, but still look good.  Some of them are puny, but have not died, so I am hoping next year, we will get some berries!  Time will tell.  My maintenance guy at work has ordered a bunch of live plants.  He has offered me a few as he said they come in too big of lots for his needs.  I hear that plants put in during the fall season are the best ones, so we will see how that works out.  I am on a full-on strawberry patch planting mission.  I have even been reading about how to feed the plants, how to keep them through the winter and dozens of helpful tips.  Someday, we will hopefully be eating my project! 



My first zucchini!  The plants are big!  I have blooms, and tiny little baby zucchinis!  I don't think I have ever been so excited about a plant before.  I really think it is because everyone always says how easy they are and how they will over produce and give you so many that you will have to give them away.  I felt betrayed by the plants - why can everyone grow them except me?  Turns out, I think it was our soil.  A raised bed, with dirt from somewhere else seems to have done the trick!  Of course, I hope I am not counting my zucchini before they hatch - because I still have not successfully harvested anything off of the plants, but even making it this far has me tickled.  I have recipes waiting.....and yes, I do fully realize that this makes me officially insane.  




If you look closely, you will see that there is a section of grass that was not mowed.  I was almost done.  I was celebrating mentally at finishing the mowing, and congratulating myself on it not taking quite as long as last time, when I heard a giant POP!  I hit something (Jim says locust tree thorn) and popped my tire.  For years, I have not really been in charge of mowing.  I had 3 sons who didn't' mind mowing, or who would volunteer to do outside work, if they didn't have to help me clean stuff inside.  I think Colin took over the mowing when he was about 8-9 years old and we lived in town.  He ended up dragging his brothers out with him.  Now that they are all living outside the house, I knew my hiatus from mowing was over.  Luckily, Jim and I purchased a decent riding mower.  It is nice to not have to spend half an hour trying to figure out how to get it to run, and then have it break down halfway through.  I don't mind mowing if I can sit to do it!  :)  Jim was working on the tire, he should have me up and going again before the weekend!  Luckily, I only have about 20 minutes more to go! 

Last night's harvest of green peppers and jalapenos.  I will chop these up and freeze them until I get tomatoes, and then it will be salsa making time.  Currently, as I mentioned earlier, I was given 2 bushels of apples.  Madison has been over to help, and Harper has been helping me.  We have made a lot of apple butter, some pie filling, and our current new favorite thing is cinnamon apples in the dehydrator.  I am completely into this snack!  The only problem is that we keep eating them before I can get them packed up to store for later!  They are so good!  We are getting closer to being finished with this project, and I do appreciate my friend thinking of me, but I will be glad when I run out of apples!
As luck would have it, I have lots of breaks in my apple excitement!  Have I mentioned lately how much I love summer!?!?! 




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