Tuesday, August 31, 2010

chicken pens are done!!!

yeah!
yesterday was a busy day, feed store/post office
duckies out....
chicken pens (thanks to my sister in law alice for talking to me while i mucked pens)
harvested tomatoes
scanned pictures to the family on facebook
dishes
and collapse into the computer chair
i even did thaddeaus' messy ears and looked for the herron family photo albums


today i have to do ducks (that's a given) laundry
dishes
and start the table excavation and clean the budgies
isn't it amazing what taking your thryoid meds regularly will do for your energy levels?
oye
i have to make ribs tonight too
hopefully today will be as productive as yesterday
(one could hope no?)
i also would like to get a video of the ducklings today if possible... or the chickens or someone
ok it's late and i goofed off now for three hours

Monday, August 30, 2010

oh wow

well this was a most eventful weekend!
with our nephew kevin friday,
bernie working all day saturday
a very early roadcall sunday
oye
meanwhile i got duck pens done, night crates done and today....CHICKENS
of course all that will need to be REDONE friday but still...
and day pens for ducklings will be redone almost daily..... i am thinking of making the pen bigger again...... however with 6 in there it's going to be a sloppy mess daily anyway
very soon poindexter and may will leave for their new home.
and the drakes will be seperated out. so the work will be in smaller chunks ( and lighter chunks)

my nephew is supposed to be back sometime in september, with his mom and sister.
he mentioned this weekend but the house is a mess, and then he made plans with a friend of his.
i am going to try to unearth the house in the meantime..
we are behind on work because of bernie working both days over THIS weekend.
we don't have all the wood in either. nor the heating oil
oye

yesterday i clipped wings on ducklings. they weren't happy but that is what needed to be done.
one little one is seriously feisty.... that is the last one to be named too. the one we refer to as big foot who isn't really anymore. she tried to bite me! hahahaha, i held her up on her little duck back, no one bites mommy.  here are the pictures with their names in them.

all in all i think it was a good weekend. i didn't get to see bernie much, and i do miss him. i got a lot done, and i got a new relative. i have to find the photo albums for the boy too.
he is going to be coming back up, with his mom and sister so we can meet his family.  i am hoping to get the house excavated before they get here......
hahahahaha
yup all in all a good weekend

Sunday, August 29, 2010

we went on a road call first thing this morning

a critical care unit ran out of fuel.
got back
i dragged out the night crates and cleaned them, pitched hay for day pen bedding, filled ponds, fed and put the ducks out
oye
bernie meanwhile ran to town for me, feed store, got milk at the grocery ( we really need GOOD neighbors cause i really need a milker)
i am doing dishes
i still can't believe my nephew came up....he is so beautiful
so wonderful
and such a miracle to us
i really didn't want him to leave
even though i knew he had to go
i was so upset yesterday that i actually swept floors and cleaned the house (bernie had to go into the new shop and start setting it up so he was gone all day)
WHY do i get family and then boom they are gone again
i was hoping this boy would stay overnight at least
i was loving how bernie and he talked
and the things they had in common
bernie said it is a bit of a blur for him as he was so tired from work
so this handsome young man better get his skinny butt back up here soon


now in a minute i am going to finish up the pots and pans......
then most likely start lunch and get stuff together so that tomorrow i can muck chicken pens which are WAY OVER DUE

and sometime this week i need to can salsa, and vinegared tomatoes
i also have eggplant to deal with
but sadly the DEER ate one of my spaghettie squash.....
damn deer

Saturday, August 28, 2010

and the answer is

miracles happen.

i find the timeing rather miraculous......i am thinking folks will too

i was asking why yesterday
and yesterday afternoon, ( while mucking a ton of duck pens)
we got a phone call
now let me fill you in
bernie has a convoluted family tree, he has 4 full siblings and who knows how many halves
(his parents got around)
his youngest brother tommy crossed in 1992, no one knew until 1997 or 1999
we tried to find out if there were children but never heard
so figured no

well yesterday we found out that tommy had a son! the boy is 20, he's in the army reserve
and he came up from philly to meet us
(i fed him spaghetti- and he's a doll)
we didn't have all the answers for him though but he knew a lot more when he left then before he came
i like him!
bernie likes him
no one here slept all night

Friday, August 27, 2010

why?

do you ever wonder why?
or ask why?

why do some folks try so hard and seem to always be kicked in the teeth?
why do people have to suffer?

why do 'acts' of god always describe terrible things (and involve non payment by insurance companies)?

why do governments exploit their citizens and get away with it?

why DOES the toast always fall butter side down? ( that one i think is a physics thing, the butter is most likely heavier)

yesterday i had another encounter with the relatives of the jackass neighbor.........who is gone but who's vandalism and dumping legacy live on........ the pig of a person told me 'you got too much time on your hands honey'
cause i caught him dumping..... bernie's got the path back there full so i can't get back there, but i know it's a mess, as i have seen them dump before
i also know that the whole 'too much time on your hands' crack was just a jab to cover up that he WAS doing something wrong
but it pissed me off big time
and kicked in the adrenal thing for the second time in what ? two days ( the fear at the dentist kicked it in very bad too.....i was shaking)
now i know that the over active adrenal gland thing makes me very sick with the slightest bit of stress.
normal folks would need to have been in a serious deadly car accident to get that amount of adrenaline pumping in their blood..... me i only need a tiny bit of stress
then i'm sick for a while
i shake and sweat, and my insides crawl
it's the worst feeling
oh and the TASTE i get in my mouth isn't too pleasant either
then of course there are the stomach pains......followed by 'gastric distress' acute

lovely huh?

i was up all night, i was shaking with frustration in again being victimized and not being able to do anything about it
i know that the back part of our property is a mess from these people
the knowing gets me physically ill
legal recourse didn't work either........ partly as the lawyer is not really happy with litigation and partly because the judge was paid off......that is the only explanation for letting a litigant off a suit after four years and a BINDING arbitration judgment against them
who had more money to take it to appeals?

now i don't believe that we are put here to suffer, nor do i believe we are created and exist just to worship a vengeful, and egotistical supreme deity
i am thinking that the definition of a supreme and ineffable deity would sort of make that an oxymoron
so that whole religion answer to why doesn't cut it with me, when you honestly think it through there are too many holes in it.
now that doesn't mean i don't believe in a creator- oh boy do i
i can on a small scale relate to the sheer joy of the creation process, and the inevitable moment of AH HA in a successful completion- believe me that hooks you... it's a total rush.
SUCH a total rush that you just want to create the next thing and the next..
how much more awesome is it to create worlds and universes?
no wonder the physicists tell us that the universe is ever expanding...
i am thinking that 'god' is out there...... creating and having a blast

so who's minding the store?

from what i have observed, we live in an open/closed system...
the ultimate recycling
so maybe the answers are here all along?
hidden clues? waiting for us to uncover them if we really want to?
nothing too obscure or hidden...... maybe just a maturation of species to allow us to focus?
i mean look, during the middle ages a bi-polar person was tortured and killed......as they thought that person possessed by the devil.
today we know it's a brain chemistry thing and meds can help
our focus changed
so the answer was there
and we opened it

i tend to think of our world mostly like that
but in a more national geographic 'star nursery' sort of way

how would that come down to translate into my tiny area........with this jerk dumping on my land, my kitchen being a nightmare.....and my poor little hormonally battered body giving me fits?

and how not to feel totally insignificant when you follow this line of thinking out there and back. like a speck of dust on the universe..... duh...... can you GET any tinier and unimportant?

(oh and btw, welcome to the inner workings of my brain....... this is the sort of dialog that i live with all the time)

i just don't know why, and i would really like a reasonable explanation that isn't full of holes, hot air or rhetoric-
boy when i die and get to heaven, i want a LONG appointment with customer service as i have a LOT of stuff i want discussed

Thursday, August 26, 2010

shared from Luann

http://luannocracy.blogspot.com/ shared THIS on facebook-
now it makes total sense why i spend the time i do on the ducks.
why i can't stand tv or noise

i think in pictures and as an artist i was trained to observe...... EVERYTHING
sometimes it gets too much and i need time out
no tv is good
i HATE THE NOISE
yesterday at the dentist i was seated in front of a tv........with (get this) the FOOD CHANNEL!!!
while i can appreciate the irony
i didn't appreciate the tv
the noise
RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE

the dentist, who btw is VERY GOOD...i was shocked at how good actually....
would watch tv between stuff... if he waited for the assistant to light cure the filling, he was watching tv
she was doing the same
yet they didn't get all caught up in it either

but the noise drove me nuts

i couldn't WAIT to get home to duck shit
***i have pens to muck again***

also in other duckie news...... i am still not totally decided if malcom and thumbprint are boys...
poindexter is huge......masculine ......the schwarzenegger of duckies... the other two more like the skinny geeks that get sand kicked in their faces at the beach...
so i am about 90% sure they are boys, but there is that tiny nagging doubt in the back of my mind
otherwise poindexter and may would be at their new home already
poindexter led the babies on a merry and totally unsafe chase
i was not happy
and poindexter is not going to be either.......

he'll be separated out again, i can't have that

oh also, i have to go back to the dentist september 9
this is where they tell me 'you have bone loss'
hahaha REALLY? i did NOT know that...you mean THAT'S WHY that root canaled tooth wobbles around so much? ( weebles wobble but they don't fall down)
i suppose i do need to actually DO something about that though, as i do occasionally get abscesses and when they drain it tastes like skunks smell........ewwwwwwwwww
so i should no?

the fall rains have started, and with them the tomatoes are finally thinking of ripening
i pick them when they are just showing some red and let them ripen in the house- if i don't do it this way the birds peck them.
i also need to get to a farmers market soon
if our teeth will allow us to actually take funding away from the dental issues,  to be able to spend on food.......
don't think THAT irony hasn't escaped me.

quick update on my quest to replace all the non-stick with either stainless or cast iron...
i have decided........some used cast iron is the way to go
i need a good skillet
so i am on the hunt for one
i want older so that they have the polished surfaces
i don't want to pay a lot
*duh*
and i am thinking i need at 11'' one
and i need to convince bernie this is superior to his long awaited teflon electric grill......
ha
oye
ttyl

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

off to the dentist

if i do not return, someone bring in the ducks please

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

i love my ducks

last night as i was putting the ducks away, i took lilli and phoebe on a walk through the veggie garden.
hahahaha
oh man were they every happy....slugs EVERYWHERE

lilli and phoebe ran around scarfing up slugs like crazy.
i helped them, as every time i found one in the raised beds i called them over to eat the hapless slug
DEATH TO SLUGS is the motto around here
and we found a lot
i love my big girls
they are so sweet, so loveable....so muddy
and they listen pretty good for ducks

now the babies on the other hand....
malcom talks....... all the time
he looks you in the eye and tells you all about his day, your day, everyday
oye
thumbprint is still in his own little world.....you can pick him up and he won't realize for a while
little bigfoot we may name prudence because she doesn't have any... but she is so feminine and sweet
may and poindexter are going to live by vicki staples......
unless poindexter is the only boy, then malcom will be maryann, and may will go with one other girl to vicki's
oye

last night for supper was leftover braised beef put into a pie shell with it's gravy reduced to thicken and baked in the oven.....with a cheddar cheese top
i am a very good wife to bernie.... his supper was ready when he walked in the door

meanwhile the rain keeps coming down, the ducks aren't too happy about it
i need to rearrange day pens but have to wait for the weather to dry up a bit

oh and there are 'killer' dogs on the loose down the street sorta
poor things they've been on their own a while but they have a pack mentality now so i am thinking they will be put down when caught
meanwhile they are killing deer and cats
so i worry about the flock

this weekend is chicken pen cleaning.. i can't wait
(seriously i want these pens done, i did them during the summer but they are overdue... i like them cleaned monthly)

meanwhile i continue to try and figure out the kitchen, it's discouraging though. one minute i think 'we can do this' the next minute i think.....'am i out of my mind, we can't do this'
oye

anyone of you guys go through stuff like that?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

rain rain.......don't you DARE go away

it's dark and humid and raining
the ducks are unhappy
the ducklings haven't ever actually SEEN rain
they aren't impressed
i think the only one that is happy is my little frog friend out by the woodpile
good thing bernie got the wood up too

meanwhile........ still with back issues
now bernie's got some from stacking the wood
his tooth surgery is healing though

i have been dreaming every night of kitchens
how the cabinets fit, what should go where......how does the traffic flow work
and for some odd reason.......PINK kitchens.......
oye i guess i am seeing this kitchen thing through rose colored something or others no?

i don't know exactly what we are doing today
maybe the bookstore?

oh and btw, i used the new lecreuset soup pot the other night...... made baked ziti.
i am offically in love!
now i want a 3.5 quart LC in round
and i want the staub stuff in oval
and i WANT MORE


that's all she wrote today

Friday, August 20, 2010

i have to make a rice sock

cause using the cat's snuggle safe isn't working real well
onto day what? 5007? of the bad back thing?
or so it feels
meanwhile that little shit of a cat thaddeaus is trying to get my attention by annoying the budgies
not the easter budgies, mind, the older ones that are CLOSER to MOMMY
i am considering relocation of the cat to the crate in the living room

bernie is a hair better.. but he's got a HUGE hole in his mouth were there used to be 4 teeth
me, i feel like the summer is totally wasted with this back thing

bernie plans on stacking the rest of the wood this weekend
which would be a good idea as i have to get the next three cords in october, and a tank of oil in september.
then i think, with the possible exception of emergency water (we don't have enough) .....we should be ok.
oh and paper/kindling to light the fire

winter preparations are almost done, however they are a bit late for my tastes this year, as i like the wood all in by july.
we also still need to make a cold frame, oye...... i forgot that one
it would so help the winter 'fresh food' for us to have that, however if worse comes to, i may have to hoop a raised bed- it won't be nearly as efficent though

ok i hope everyone elses summer is going much better then mine

Thursday, August 19, 2010

bernie isn't getting any better

i told him he has to call the dentist, i can't do it for him as they need to talk to him.
meanwhile i am starting to suspect that possibly this back thing of mine, isn't
i am thinking, it may be something else entirely?

is nausea normal when your back hurts?
i had a terrible night, ending up down here for an hour with my friend tylanol
then went back up and slept until 8 am.
i still haven't gotten dressed or put the ducks out yet

the pain is bareable at the moment and i am afraid to trifle with that
but i have to get them out soon

meanwhile i am to go to jen's while she's on vacation to pick roma tomatoes
i don't know if i can drive!
i am currently on the heating pad and ice

thank you for the well wishes everyone
i still can't understand how i end up so sick all the time
(bernie i understand, he doesn't listen or take care of himself- me i try to take care of myself)

anyway
after i get the ducks out i am probably going to go to bed again
i feel useless and unproductive when i do that though

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

bernie is still not doing well since his surgery

monday, and me, well tylanol, heat and ice are my new best friends
(and ty cindy for your thoughts)

bernie is going to work but he came home early yesterday, and is trying to get home early today due to pain. meanwhile life and chores go on
so i added bedding to the babies day pen, and pickled some cuc's
also vinegared some salsa tomatoes.....they're in the canner now
i have to do dishes in a few minutes
then start supper

apparently everyone's good thoughts have helped a bit as i found a small stash of my thyroid meds so i have a few more days/weeks? reprieve
we still have to do something about getting a new rx for me however
i have to run now
everything is taking forever for me

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

yesterday four teeth

today my legs and back

bernie's dentist trip cost us 250.00 and he had four root tips extracted

today i got to go to the chiro where i get to tell him i can't afford to come back, while my back is sitting there spasming......and everything hurts
of course having run out of thyroid meds so not being on my meds doesn't help much either huh?

right now i am not fit for man nor beast so until i am in a better mood
(or i get a shit load of thyroid meds which will stop the pain and put me in a better mood--)
i am going to just have fast postings if at all

Monday, August 16, 2010

i dreamt of my best friend again

it was nice talking to her
i also saw an old boyfriend and was happy to see that he'd moved on
what a weird dream though
i dreamt my best friend had gone back to her Xhusband
meanwhile i threw my back out again
and today is the oral surgeon for bernie
tomorrow is the chiro for me
gees. when did i get this old?
i have the insurance to deal with today as well..... as the insurance just paid something on the lab bills i been paying off (but that didn't stop the lab from sending me to collections!- in spite of the insurance still paying things and ME paying huh?)

well one of the bright spots of the weekend besides the much needed rain, was roast chicken with leek sauce, fresh marvel of venice yellow beans and baked potatoes.......
oh wow
bernie was very impressed
which makes me very happy
and with all the rain i think that the turnips and the kohlrobi should do ok in the garden as well as some of the other things i got tucked in out there
i do have to pick beans and cucs today though and i hope also tomotoes
so meanwhile i am sitting with the heatting pad to be followed by the ice pack
and then i will pray for tylanol to ease the worst of it

i think part of this is from the road call and trying to climb out of the big rig
and part is from me twisting funny this morning trying to get out of bed without upsetting cats
oye

Friday, August 13, 2010

soon, oh soon the back........

soon my back will be back.......

ok i went for a second appointment with the chiro, and i am getting better.
it's all from that fall in april
i did a good job on me
i messed up my left shoulder, heel and hip and my right knee and ankle
that was a terrible fall
i also broke the roots on a tooth i am just finding out now
oye

anyway it's better but not great
HOWEVER i am better enough to have put up some cuc's into kosher dills. have i told you all i love canning
6 pints of kosher dills-heavy on the garlic......... salty too
i did half sandwitch stackers and half hamburger chips
i haven't opened one yet to see if i got the balance right but that will happen later
these are for burgers mainly
bernie loves burgers, i like cheeseburgers with pickles on them
sooooooo we got kosher dills
bernie USED to like bread and butter pickles.....but since i started to make them, he doesn't eat much of them once a year or so
he does prefer the homemade to the storebought but now he's really into my kosher dills

ok what all else?
i haven't pulled my spaghetti squash vines yet although they too look like squash vine borer got them good
the one lonely little squash is still growing so i'll wait and see
i plan on growing hasta lapasta next year with a maturity date of 73 days, so that i can put them in some time mid july
i would prefer the longer vegetable spaghetti variety but with the vine borers and no really GOOD organic way of fighting them, we'll have to resort to tricks and shorter days to maturity (and added heat i suspect)

it's time to put in spinach now, along with beets, kohlrobi, turnips, chard, lettuces... mmmm
i wish i had that cold frame built already. anyway i am going to put in more beets and start the chard , and other greens now

how does everyone's gardens grow this year?

ok i have to go
this is a fly by posting
but i will BE BACK

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

still out to lunch

remember that fall i took in april.....
well my back is finally out from it
i went to the chiro yesterday
the good news is, while i am still in pain.... and still can't do anything, it's a bit better
AND my legs are a bit better
i have to go again tomorrow to the chiro
hopefully this is it now
but maybe not
that was a pretty bad fall
and i do tend to work hard (even though bernie thinks i'm lazy)

Monday, August 09, 2010

my brain is out to lunch

hopefully it will be back soon

Friday, August 06, 2010

so how's summer going for you all?

it's hot here
and dry, really really dry
that didn't stop the vine borer from hitting my pattypans
and sadly, yesterday i started to yank my beautiful big bursting with squash buds plants out
the bottoms were all exploded due to squash bug
i thought i was so careful with them
i put one in a bucket to see if i can get it to root or something but i think it's a goner
i am going to try to put in a trap crop of hubbard squash next year early, then put in my beloved spaghetti and pattypan (and pumpkin) in july
july 1 seed directly
july 8 or later to transplant seedlings
i won't get squash until late but maybe i WILL actually get squash?
i am also a bit dry, seriously, even with all the fluids i been drinking..
div>
i am out sweating so much that i get so hot and dry, i don't rehydrate fast or easily lately.

well, today i am up early. wood is coming.
i didn't sleep however, as fawn caught a mouse bringing it squeaking into the bedroom
i could hear it
in much more pleasant news, the cucumbers have come on!!! so pickles are getting done
small batches right now 5 pints at a time
however that does add up over a growing season so pickles will be stocked up,
nice salty garlicy kosher dills
then later i will make half sour 'chips'

the heirloom beans are coming on as well. i have to get a ladder out there to pick them though, but the tomatoes in the main garden are NOT turning red, which i don't understand!
but tomatoes take a very long time out there to turn red. the ones on the deck turn red fast
the ones out there stay green it seems forever!

lilli and phoebe are good little ducks, i am realizing just how good they are after dealing with unruly teenage baby ducks.
i love my big girls so much
they are over two now and have a bit of a 'musky' smell to them, but i love them dearly.
today i have to clean the big crate that the babies are in, plus if i can do part of the chicken pen
oye

and the wood is coming,
i need to stack but bernie still hasn't told me where he wants it yet......i doubt he knows where he wants it yet
i am considering one stack on the side of the house......so it's close for me during the winter to bring in the wood
heating with wood can be hard work, but oil is running out, and i don't think solar is up to the point yet where we can be assured that the house will stay above freezing all the time.

now i have a question of you all- see that picture of the floor plan of our little house? (it is VERY TINY with NO closets)
we need to think of something to do to improve traffic flow and to gain some more space. we're also thinking of maybe seeing about an addition. does anyone have any ideas?
the biggest problems are that the living room and kitchen are actually giant hallways, the poor kitchen with 4 doorways! it is the hub of this house but it's a nightmare to cook in
and the house is solid stone, so just moving walls isn't going to work. the studio is an add on from the 60's, we mostly live in there. anyway, any one have any brilliant ideas for us?
cause right now..... i don't, not one.
but it looks like we have to stay here for a while. so we have to do something.
oh and the wall between the kitchen and dining room is 6'7'' long. that is the ONE non load bearing wall, but it's also the only wall in the house without either a door or two or a window in it!
THE ONLY wall.........
oh man
ok i am going to go and make the coffee now

ttyl
stay hydrated, stay cool and have a good day






Tuesday, August 03, 2010

today is the dentist for bernie

and in a nick of time as i am about to pound him with a frying pan
cause i can't sleep either with him up all night
(if this guy is any good-i'll be going to take care of my abscessed teeth as well)

now on to the good stuff
that le creuset i got a huge deal on (off ebay) came
it's got more then a 'minor' chip on the handle but considering i got something like 80% off
and it is brand new..... i'll use it and not worry too much
it's a soup pot, a 4.5 quart soup pot, and i don't think they make them anymore!!!
it's also red.
and is surprisingly lighter in weight then the no name stuff from china
i still want my staub cocotte (oval) actually i am thinking of a few staub rounds and ovals.
i want a matte black oval stab for no knead bread...

today i am having a rough time getting it all together and getting going
i have to move wood and i'm not getting to it
3 new cords are coming friday
with another 3 new cords coming in i think three weeks
that should hold us if the wood is good
i still need a tank of fuel oil as back up though-just in case

this morning thaddeaus puked up before breakfast, then i fed him
good thing he nailed a cardboard box, that will make clean up really easy
oye
CATS

i made a pork loin last night and rice, bernie couldn't eat.
he said he was hungry then started to eat and gets nausea so i hope that the dentist will have something for that
i am also hoping he feels well enough to take down the antique bed that we used to sleep on while my sister in law was here. it's now officially in my way. it's got one of those old iron springs (remember them things?) weighs a ton.
so maybe this i don't also have to do myself

last night as i was struggling to get into bed (it's WAY higher then my ass is)
bernie finally realized, and even commented 'you need a step up to get into bed'

ya think?

what finally made you realize? me flinging myself up on my belly like a whale beaching?
oye
i have to say i am getting so frustrated with almost everything in this house too heavy or too high up for me
i swear i know what a midget feels like in a giant world
(i thought i was over this crap when i grew up into an adult- kids deal with this a lot too)

i am also getting fed up (*like i haven't been for years) with the kitchen or lack of it
to the point where i am thinking.... can we move it out of the kitchen 'room' and put it in the studio...or even in an adjacent SHED......i'm getting to be a desperate woman now- i am going to start to take matters into my own hands..... bernie won't like the results i can guarantee you that. i am about to start ripping out shit in that kitchen and replacing it with just shelves of all kinds and half ass doors over them
with wood block counter or even plywood or anything

oye
i swear i am a desperate woman..........

Monday, August 02, 2010

watching the sun come up on monday

it was again a quiet weekend, bernie has a toothache that he won't go to the dentist for so he couldn't do much around here
he did jump start my van though
as the battery was dead as a doornail

we got hay for the pens saturday so sunday i got to finish that last few feet of the babies pen and also do falstaff's pen
it rained

we went to the bookstore on sunday

all in all a very quiet weekend

this week there is a sale on bacon, 1.88 a pound, plus i need to start calling wood guys
i am thinking 4 good cords should be ok
i would LIKE to get them for under 100 but i doubt it.....i will be ok with under 150 per cord too
as long as it's good wood
there are a few people i am going to call.
our regular wood guy had his prices go way up and his quality go way down so i need a new one
PLUS he did cheat me on price, quoting me one on the phone and then charging me a lot more in person
i really don't like that
no one does
so he'll be my last resort wood guy.

let's see what all else......
i think my spaghetti squash has been gotten by squash vine borer. i was looking at it and it looks like there are holes in the stems now. but way up high which doesn't make sense.
vine borer normally gets the stems near to the bottom.
so instead of yanking them i am going to watch them, if they wilt.....then i'll yank
which is going to break my heart

this week i hope to get down to the provisioner for the 40# box of .49 a pound chicken legs (with thighs) i would have liked to get 80# but i will be ok with the 40...
as the bacon is going to take up a lot of money but then that will be it for the year.
so that's the stock up goals for this week
chicken, bacon and start getting my wood in
i also need a tank of oil but that will cost over 400 (however that should last me then 5 years so i suppose it isn't all that much huh?)

after the oil and the wood then the last stock up for winter is the potatoes....... 50# bags, normally 150# for the winter.... usually 15$ per bag
that's not cheap i think but at least they are mostly yukon golds
i am going to try and find a 50# bag of the leigh potatos again, they were fantastic that one year
superb bakers but not much good for anything else. but wow amazing bakers

i didn't grow pumpkins again but i plan on getting pie pumpkins as usual
NEXT YEAR for growing pie and i think jam pumpkins
remind me to start them inside and plant them out after july 1 with aluminum foil around the bases and covered with reemay to keep out the vine borers.

the cucumbers are really starting to come on nicely now
i am please with there progress
and i saw my beloved heirloom pole beans starting with baby beans.......
i am still watching my one eggplant.....the other plants have flowers but no fruit yet
tons of flowers though
i got two peppers
NEXT year i plan on at least 30 plants if not more even if i have to grow them in hoop houses over 'hot' manure

the turnips and kolhrobi in the garden have sprouted so we'll see how that all goes
i need to transplant or thin or something some of the turnips

ok so that's all the news by me?
everyone have another cup of coffee and please catch me up on what all is going on by you folks?

Sunday, August 01, 2010

with rain you get slugs

all over the damn garden .......BIG ones.(not the banana ones out in the pacific north west thank goodness but big slugs anyway)
i got one bugger on a bean plant.... didn't have salt but dumped a bunch of diatomaceous earth on it
then bernie spred some fresh hay in the babies and falstaff's pens...... lilli went back to the big pen behind the duck house to lay her egg
phoebe followed her


oye

ok today's breakfast was my almost french toast...WHY? (cause i am not supposed to eat the bread)
well......... we have a lot of eggies (remember when i had none?)
soooooooo my almond french toast it is

here is what passed for a recipe sorta

5 or 6 or 10 eggs depending on size
1/4 c or so of sugar
a bit of milk
a good glump of vanilla X
two good glumps of almond X

butter
potato bread
cinnamon sugar
syrup

ok you heat the pan, and melt the butter over low/med heat
whisk up the eggies with the sugar, milk Xtracts
put your bread in one slice at a time
turning to coat, ..........watch it now cause it soaks this stuff up like a sponge
add to the pan to fry up to golden brown, do NOT let this burn

to plate, overlap them slightly
sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and then add your syrup

they are very good
they are very addicting
don't say i didn't warn you


anyway since we got rain, rain, humidity, rain, and overcast darkness out there... i am thinking that it's a bookstore day.........no?
we'll see how bernie feels with his toothache (although that hasn't stopped his appetite)

BTW, speaking of bernie's appetite, yesterday at the feed and grain we were looking at cat food for thaddeaus in cans as he seems to be allergic to his nurta max
soooooooo
bernie says (what a freeken idiot) 'the cat eats better then me'
i hit the ceiling and informed him, he will now eat the cat food and sleep with the messy drake with the hash marks on his butt

every man in the feed store laughed at him, KNOWING HE was in the dog house...

way to go bernie

oye
the only reason i didn't kill him was cause he has a toothache and OBVIOUSLY it's affect his brain
oh man

MEN!