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| TOMATOES! There are finally tomatoes! |
As another week slides into obscure history, I am left
wondering…
Where did the time go?
And WHAT did I accomplish?
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| I did inadvertently trap a 'possum in my quest to catch the enormous groundhog at the barn |
Because, while I distinctly remember working hard enough to
get really hot and really sweaty…there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot to show
for it.
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| the full veggie stand at the beginning of the day |
But, then, that could be because we sold most of the fruits
of our labors at Saturday’s crazy-busy Farmers’ Market. That’s the story I’m going with. Otherwise, I
really don’t have much to show for the 168 hours of the past week.
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| that's all that we left behind... as we headed home...  |
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| One of my favorite guys came to visit us at the Market (this time last year we were still waiting to meet him) |
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| steamy morning |
The hot and humid weather continued, without much relief in the
way of rain. It’s frustrating to watch the storms pop up on the horizon and
fizzle out before they get here. It’s discouraging to be able to smell the
fresh dampness of rain in the breeze and have it pass on by. But, we did get a
couple little showers and the moisture didn’t come with damaging floods and
power outages like it did other places…so we will be grateful for that!
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| another storm passed us by but, there's a faint rainbow! |
I’d like to see the change in the weather that the
forecasters talked about. We really need to get rid of some old ewes, but it
doesn’t seem prudent to take them to the stockyard when it’s hot as blazes.
And, we need to get the fall brassica crop in the ground, but there’s no sense
in doing that while it’s hot, either. And,
we were beginning to think that the heat was affecting egg production…
Egg numbers have been dwindling and it was time to resolve
that issue, because we were pretty sure there was more to it than hot weather
and slightly shortened days. There was more than a little evidence that someone
was eating the profits. There are few things more irritating to me than an
egg-eating hen.
Hens are fairly disgusting. (sorry poultry lovers…but, it’s
the truth) They will eat anything. And, I mean anything. They have been known to eat each other. Some of them particularly
like eggs. This is why we use nest boxes where the eggs roll out from under the
hen and into a little tray where the hens (theoretically) can’t reach.
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| working on the henhouse |
But, it’s been nearly five years since the Boss re-furbished
an old horse trailer and made it into a super-duper henhouse (read about it HERE) and we were probably past due for a
little maintenance. Those “roll-out” nest boxes that were so revolutionary years
ago had begun to bend and break and we were in serious need of new ones.
In shopping for those, he discovered a whole new unit that
may just be a better solution all around.
So, an order was placed and a little assembly work done.
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| installing the new nestbox unit |
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| 1st hen to try it out |
And, we will see if this solves the problem. If so, I will have material for a new blog post.
If not, I’m guessing we’ll be taking some hens on a “field-trip”
to the zoo. (one way, of course) Did you read this one?
In other farm news, it’s almost “Happy Ram” day here on the
hill.
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| anticipating things to come |
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| I love a new box of crayons! |
Around August 1, we turn the ram in with the ewes in hopes
of producing the lambchop crop for the following season. A fresh box of ram
markers arrived the other day, so we’re just waiting for the proper time. I’m
pretty sure Angus can sense that the time is getting closer…he’s been a lot
more vocal lately. He is also rather “odoriferous” and grumpy.
I think it’s safe to say that we’re all looking forward to
the upcoming week!
Here’s hoping for a change in the weather…there’s LOTS to
do.
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| there are about 1,000 fall brassicas in the greenhouse |
We need to move sheep, haul ewes, plant the fall brassica crop, and pick up that batch of
lambs we took to the processor’s…just to name a few things. And, I still haven't gotten the pickles done or frozen any peaches...
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| I did have a cute little helper on Friday afternoon--- won't be long until he can do chores by himself! |
Guess I better get
crackin’.
Hope you’re having a
Happy
Sunday!
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| Good morning! |
Thanks for stopping
by. Come “visit” again real soon.
I went back and read about the horse trailer being made into a chicken coop. An automatic door closer is genius. When we kept hens, sometimes it was a pain to go out at night when you realized you hadn't closed the chickens up. When the kids were little, sometimes we would send them out at night together on an "adventure" to close up the chickens. Tomatoes here are still green. Can't wait for red ones like yours. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteOur kids had the same job! There are lots of "adventures" on the farm when you're a kiddo. lol
DeleteHere's hopin' the 'maters get ripe soon for y'all. ;) Tomato sandwiches...now THAT is summertime!