Mandieg4 - Update and lots of new pics of kids and animals.

[mandieg4]

Goals I want completed in the next month:
~Decide where I want to plant garlic and get it planted
~Get clover planted in the big garden for green manure
~Butcher the last 12 meat chickens
~Put together some mixes for pancakes & waffles to make mornings easier
~Build the cold frames for the raised beds
~Get new plastic for the greenhouse

Goals I want completed in the next 6 months:
~Finish building the shop and barn.
~Buy a milk cow. Preferably one that has already been milked in the past that my 10yo can handle.
~Take down the temporary pen and build a permanent pen for the meaties.
~Get some guineas to take care of the ticks in the yard
~Get bees

Goals for the future:
~Build a brooder coop
~Build a bigger greenhouse to raise/sell heirloom plants

 

[2dream]

I made a list like that once upon a time. Wonder what ever happened to it?
I don't think I finished half of it before the season changed and a new list emerged. ummmmm Wonder what happened to that second list also?

I sooooooooooo admire people who make "THE LIST" and actually complete it.

 

[lorihadams]

Oh, she's really one of us now....she's made a list!!!

Trust me honey....it'll get longer!!!

Just kidding...I wish I could get one of my lists done.....

 

[mandieg4]

Broccoli and Cauliflower is in the garden and doing well. I noticed this morning that my peas are coming up. The garden calendar said not to plant peas until February, but I had leftovers from this spring and I thought I'd experiment. I need to get some spinach replanted. I wonder if I can grow cucumbers in my greenhouse? I went to the grocery store to buy produce for the first time in months and cucumbers were $.88 a piece. Ouch. I didn't buy any.

 

[mandieg4]

I've been covering my raised beds with chicken wire to keep the chickens from scratching up my plants. It's been a slow process, just doing one or two at a time. I covered the 5th one today, just 5 more to go. Got all but one bed weeded. Even the ones that don't have anything in them at a moment I've been trying to keep up on. The &*!@ burmuda grass is the bane of my existence. I love it in the yard, but not in my garden.

Juiced several pounds of apples today. We're going to try the ACV experiment. My 15yo nephew was over helping me. We got the apples all juiced, poured into the jar, and covered so I put it aside and said "now we wait". About an hour later he asks, "so is it vinegar now?". Um, no. I told him it's going to be a long couple months if he going to ask if its done every hour.

 

[mandieg4]

Lots to do this weekend. I convinced DH to help butcher the remaining meaties, 12 in all I think. We've also have three batches of jerky marinating in the fridge that I need to finish tomorrow.

 

[Blackbird]

 

[mandieg4]

Well, we ended up spending last weekend mowing and weed-eating my MIL's yard, so the meaties are once again on the chopping block to do list. We also bought three 18' red maples to plant in our front yard. A contractor had ordered a bunch of the trees from the local garden center for a new subdivision. Apparently something happened and he never paid for them so the garden center was stuck with this huge trees that had already been dug up. When I talked to the guy the end of August he had knock the price down from $700 to $400. I hemmed and hawed about buying a couple, but just couldn't afford them. Yesterday I noticed he still had quite a few so I stopped by to see if he had dropped the price any. He had them on clearance for $200! I was sure glad I hadn't bought them in August! I was able to fit two of them on my BIL's 16' trailer and have to get the last one tomorrow morning. Our house faces almost directly to the west and the only trees we have are to the east of the house, in the pasture. I'm hoping that the shade will cut our A/C costs enough to pay for the trees in a couple years.

 

[PamsPride]

Great deal!!

 

[mandieg4]

Well we got the trees planted on Saturday, but DH cut the phone line digging one of the holes. So I've been experiencing internet withdrawals for the past couple days. Actually, I seriously considered not having it repaired and saving that $45 a month for the internet but I have one fully online class this quarter and two that require online work. If our local library was open more than just a couple hours in the afternoon I could make do without the internet at home, but since it's not the phone company came out today and repaired the line.

We also finished butchering out meaties, 6 on Saturday and last 6 yesterday. The kids' helped last night and we were able to finish in record time. Even my 7yo daughter, who is a bit squeamish, helped. Can't be weak stomached at my house! Now it's time to clean out the meat bird coop and start again. Thank goodness for a constant free supply of birds.

DH finally got the backhoe fixed and is working on leveling the ground where the shop and barn will be built. Hopefully we can get them both finished this winter.