How did that happen??? It was 42 degrees here last night.....very fall-like and a drastic change from the heat and humidity that we've had here over the past few weeks. It was a reminder of what is coming. I'm not ready. OK, I'm NEVER ready...but this year in particular I'm really enjoying summer....the animals, the garden the land. I don't want it to end. *whine whine whine* Yes...I know...cycles and seasons and all that...and truly autumn is my FAVORITE season....I just wish summer would hold out a little longer. I think I'm done complaining. Moving on:
HappyFeet, the silkie bantam, hatched 9 chicks a couple of weeks ago. The day she hatched the last one (it took 2 days), a woman and her daughters came to pick up the two "extra" polish tophatters we had (three was just too many) and took 5 of the chicks with them as well...leaving us with 4..which is much more manageable because you all know exactly what I need is MORE BIRDS! It looks like out of the 4, we have two purebred silkies...one pure polish and one polish silkie mix. I'm almost afraid to see what it grows up into.....
The lambs are almost as big as their mothers. We contacted a guy...he's coming to dispatch 3 of them at the end of August and I already have my order in for maple lamb sausage. MMmmmm. We will be keeping Hershey-pie (moorit (brown) gray), Annushka (solid black), SPED (White ram), Ellerby (black mouflon) and Spot (black/grey ram). Yes...I'm keeping two rams...not what I had planned....but SPED licks your arm if you scritch his chest...and is the first to come up to you to be petted...and you can hug him...and you can kiss him...and you can name him George...oh..wait...no...well...maybe...but not the George part. So, the plan for him is to have the kids halter train him...maybe teach him a few tricks...like jumping through a hoop of fire! Ok...maybe not that...but something exciting...like jumping on a platform. oooooo. My garden is running over with produce. I have been shredding zucchini and freezing it every day and I still can't keep up. The tomato plants are full of fruit....just waiting to turn red. I get pepper every couple of days....and cucumbers. I have harvested and frozen more green beans than I can count...and yesterday we harvested our garlic. I'm hoping I can come up with many ways to put stuff away so we will have fresh veggies all winter. I might need a bigger freezer. OK...I will DEFINITELY need a bigger freezer.
I've started making fresh bread every day. I made the mistake of reading the label on a loaf of bread. Is it just me or should bread be made with ingredients you can pronounce? The kids are getting used to it...they still don't understand that you can make a sandwich out of homemade bread...the daily conversation goes something like this " Mom...where is the store bought bread?" "we no longer buy that...use the homemade". "but.......I want to make a sandwich". *sigh* "you can make a sandwich out of the bread I made....just cut it thin." "really??" "yes...just like yesterday..." Really.....I just don't understand why they can't get it. They love the bread...and eat it for toast..or just a piece of bread and butter at dinner...but they just don't understand you make sandwiches out of it too. Weird. And yes, I realize making bread every day by hand..no machine...may sound crazy...I have to say there is something really therapeutic about kneading bread. Having the whole house smell like fresh bread is awesome too.
I should be off doing something productive today...like arranging for a teacher to come out and evaluate the boys homeschooling from last year....Yes..I'm THAT far behind. And yet here I sit....typing away...avoiding real work. I'm such a slacker . The Major is going to put an end to my slacker ways tonight though....he "says" we're going to be putting the windows in the addition. I'll believe it when I see it. Although he's been fairly motivated about getting that room done since I started cutting certain things out of our night life due to "no privacy". Maybe I really will get a bedroom sometime before snow falls!! I'll keep you updated :)
6 comments:
The chicks are adorable and I can't get over how large the lambs are!!!!! I think I would be to attached to the lambs after a while, and would have a hard time with "dispatching" them!
I have been trying my hand at canning this summer. I made a batch of fig jam that is out of this world!!! Made a few pasta sauces, some sloppy joe sauce, and even jalapeno pepper jelly!!! It's not very hot at all (removed the seeds) and when you mix it with cream cheese, it makes the best party dip!
We skip the whole homeschool review by joining a umbrella school.
You need to friend me on FB!!!
K I M P F L U G
Ooo, mutant chickens. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it grows up.
SPED....does he ride the short bus or does that stand for something else? LOL
Skip the homeschool and do the online schooling. You can still supplement the uneventful online courses with all your fun teaching ways without the bother on answering to anyone. My son did it last year and it was too easy. A little too boring, too, so he is going back to public school this year. (It will suck I am sure, but he's a Senior and wants to be with his friends).
Yes, winter is coming. I turned the furnace up tonight (too lazy to make a fire...it is 2:26am!). I read that we are supposed to have one of the harshest winters in a long time. Oh, joy. I dislike cold, snow and anything below 20 above. Here's to hoping "they" are wrong.
Oh, and I am so jealous about all the canning and freezing your are doing. My vegatable gardens are lacking and my greenhouse never got done and I am too lazy, ur, I mean busy to pick berries so I have nada.
I am so taking your cue on depriving the old man until he finishes a project. You are so smart!
I'm not ready for summer to be over either, but that may be because ours never really started. In fact, I'm not sure it even made it to 70 today! They say it's supposed to get hot this weekend, but we'll see.
OK, I don't know what is more amusing in my head: Trying to imagine what a silkie/polish cross will look like, or the vision of one of your sheep jumping through a hoop of fire :)
Public school starts next wednesday...can you believe it?? That signals the end of summer for me even though we homeschool. :)
I can't believe you called yourself a slacker! Most ppl have less than half the number of animals (and kids!) you have and they don't call themselves that. You do tons more than most of us!
Oooh, lamb meat! Our friends sold us one and we picked up the meat last Friday. Yum!
LOL about your kids and homemade bread! Mine are used to it. They don't even remember store bought bread anymore. I do have trouble making even slices so our sandwiches are a bit sloppy.
Jealous about your zuchs. We had vine borers again so no zuchs for me. dh re-planted yellow squash though, so I'll have that at least. :}
this is great! your cows look so wonderful.
Winjay
http://givingsite.blogspot.com
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