I slowly digested Ten Acres Enough by Edmond Morris in the summer of 2018. Reading a few pages while I ate lunch or found I needed to sit down for a break. As I read, I often felt renewed energy and motivation to continue, keep on with the tasks at hand staying focued with the big goals.
The end of 2020 is approaching. I find myself looking back at what I accomplished and what goals I want to set for 2021.
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Current horse pasture, but may serve a new function as the year unravels.
I gained a new perspective for the property I live on reading thorough Ten Acres Enough. My view shifted. Instead of seeing it through the eyes of where a horse barn, shelters, and pasture could go, I began to see where blueberries, grapes, and garlic might produce the best.
Click on the picture above to purchase your copy of Ten Acres Enough
The mistaken ambition for owning twice as much land as one can thoroughly manure or profitably cultivate, is the great agricultural sin of this country.
At times, this homesteading journey can feel a bit lonely, but reading Ten Acres Enough I found a kinship with a man and his family now passed. After living and owning a business in the city for 20 years, he fulfills a longtime dream of owning farm ground in the country.
His farm, he purchased in the 1850’s. This is no typo. Nor is the price he paid, $1,000.00 for 11 acres, with a house and barn on it. The land I have is 11.7 acres and believe me the price was well above $1000.00.
I found myself inspired as I read Edmund’s account of creating food and an income to support his family by farming 10 acres of land.
The words he used to share his story have added to my vocabulary. Some I have never heard in this day and age and likely will not.
This book provided me with a new view of our land and produced many new ideas to ponder on. I intend to reread Ten Acres Enough, as I plan for 2021. In the coming months and years I will reference certain practices mentioned though out this book
It takes a man a great while to learn the way of Providence, and to understand that things are better contrived for him than he can can contrive for himself.
I recommend this book to any and all who desire a homestead lifestyle. If you read or have read this book, I would be trilled to hear what stood out to you.
To my recollection, the last time I canned anything was around 20 years ago. As I am producing my own food, canning is one of the homestead activities I want to incorporate back into my life. One family branch has a tradition of eating tomato gravy at Christmas gatherings. I have been blessed with a wonderful crop of heirloom tomatoes. In August of 2019, I decided to make tomato juice for my own consumption and as a base for the tomato gravy this coming holiday season.
List of Supplies
Clean pots
Sharp knife
Scrap bucket
Pan with water
Jars
Lids
Rims
Stomper/Colander
Pan/pot for juice to drain into
Water bath canner or pressure cooker
Ladle
Funnel
Measuring cup
Food Ingredients
Tomatoes
Garlic
Onions
Water
Before I share my personal experience making tomato juice, do you want to learn other ways to begin living a homestead lifestyle? Click this link to learn other ways to start living a homestead live-style.
Prep Tomatoes for Tomato Juice
First, gathering a knife, a pan of cool water, 2 clean pots, a scrap bucket, and of course a five-gallon bucket full of tomatoes, I sat on the front porch of my neighbor’s house and cut up tomatoes.
What I started with
Pan with water. I changed the water once when I was halfway through.
Clean pot to cook the tomatoes in.
Srapes or waste left from prepping the tomatoes to cook.
For the fun of jumping ahead: the result. From a heaping 5-gallon bucket of tomates I now have 6 quarts of tomato juice and 7 pints.
I removed any bad spots and the cores. These large, heirloom tomatoes filled 2 pots. I spent 30 to 40 minutes cutting these up.
One pot of tomatoes ready to cook.
Before I started cooking the tomatoes on the stove, I cleaned
up the jars I wanted to use. My basement
has become dirty over the last few years. So, I cleaned them outside with a
hose, before cleaning them again inside.
Cook Tomatoes
I added a glass of water to the smaller pan, and 2 glasses of water to the larger pan. I realized later I did not need to add that much water. While I have canned food before, tomato juice is a first for me.
The tomatoes are starting to cook down in this picture.
My plan was to work with my friend, but she needed to be elsewhere. I knew I needed to process those tomatoes or I would end up not getting it done. Feeling excited and a bit unsure, I decided I would move ahead one step at a time. I expected her to return home while I was cooking the tomatoes off, however as life happens, she was unable to be there as early as she thought. I looked up online how long to water bath tomato juice.
Ready to make tomato juice.
As the tomatoes cook, I prepared candy onions and garlic to add to the tomato juice. I added two onions and a garlic clove to one of the pots as the tomatoes cooked for an experiment of sorts.
Colander to press cooked tomatoes into tomato juice.
I phoned another friend of mine. I felt a bit unsure. After our chat, I felt more confident. I decided how I was going to add the garlic and onion. I would place one garlic clove and a small onion or a portion of an onion in the jars, for additional flavor. Oops, I realized by that point that I added more water than I needed to. The additional veggies would give the juice additional flavor. Thanks, Dolli!
The garlic sank to the bottom of the jar and the onion floated to the top.
A closer look at the lids and rings I had found new in their
package in my basement, showed me the lids were definitely not fit to use. When the tomatoes were sufficiently cooked, I
ran into town to buy new lids.
Stomp Tomatoes to Make Tomato Juice
Using a large pan and stomper, I set out to make my first tomato juice. I pictured myself pouring the contents of the pan (cooked off tomatoes) into the stomper. I seen myself making a huge mess. Instead, I used a ladle to place the cooked tomatoes in the stomper.
All that remained after one pot of cooked tomatoes was pressed
My mind wonder as I pushed out the juice to the days of my past. I remember making applesauce in my grandma’s kitchen using similar tools. I am quite fond of applesauce. Remembering fond memories of my youth when member of the family would work together preserving food, feelings of nostalgia lurked in my mind. Despite beginning to get tired, I felt excited to be canning again. Canning touches the creative side of me.
Jars
Inside I rinsed and dried 6-quart jars and 7-pint jars in hot, hot water. I allowed them to air dry on a towel. I again used a ladle to dip the juice from the pan into the jars.
When my friend returned home, I ask her, “do you have a faster way to do this?” We laughed as she said, “oh yes, I do. What was I thinking?” That certainly sped up the process. She handed me a funnel and measuring cup. The measuring cup had a handle and a spout to pour out of. Perfect!
With the jars full, I cleaned of the rims of the jars. The things that come back to me as I went
through this process. I remember my grandma using this little sauce pan to heat
the lids before placing them on the jars.
I am quite certain I have that little pan somewhere, or one like
it. For this process, I skipped that
step.
Canning Process
Placing lids and rims on the 6-quart jars that I had cleaned the rims into the canner they went. We used her tap water to fill the canner (water bath). The water almost reached the top of the jars. I waited until the water was at a rolling boil.
I took note of the time and made a metal note of what time the jars would be done. During this time, I continued stomping the second pot of cooked tomatoes. I had enough to fill the 7 pint jars I had cleaned. When the pints were filled, clean and covered with lids and rims. I washed up as many of the dishes as I could.
There was only a small amount of waste from all of the tomatoes that were cooked and stomped. To take a guess, I would say it would not have filled a quart jar. Her chickens would get them for a treat. The waste from cutting the tomatoes before cooking went to my house.
Six quarts of tomato juice ready to be canned.
When the quarts were done cooking, I ran home to get my own canner. Returning, I took the 7 quarts home in that and later that night I canned those. A side note here: I used water purchased in town to process the pints at home. The tap water left a residue on the quart jars. The purchased water did not.
Cool
I removed the quart jars from the canner placing them on a
towel on the counter. I covered the 6
jars with another towel. Some of the jars had already begun to seal. They sat
on my friend’s counter for a couple days until I could get back over to pick
them up.
These 7 pints of tomato juice waiting to be processed.
Storing Tomato Juice
On Tuesday, I stored them in my basement. Here they will sit for future use. The 6 quarts are for making tomato gravy at one of the family Christmas gathering. Yum, I feel hungry thinking about the delicious taste. Have you ever eaten tomato gravy? Leave me a comment below to let me know.
I skipped the part where I write the date on the lids. If I can more, I will go ahead and date them.
How do I homestead and balance 3 diagnosed chronic illnesses? Imperfectly!
Taught high standards and a hard work ethic as a child, letting go of perfection proved heartbreaking at times and freeing at others.
Homesteading lifestyle does not lend to ease and comfort on a regular basis. The rewards of opening a jar of home canned tomato juice, drinking my fill, savoring the flavor, while feeling thankful I know exactly what is in my healthy drink motivates me to take one job at a time.
For the fun of jumping ahead: the result. From a heaping 5-gallon bucket of tomates I now have 6 quarts of tomato juice and 7 pints.
Many steps and a bit of hard, uncomfortable work goes into the delicious drink I canned myself. Planting seeds, weeding, watering as needed, picking tomatoes, and the work of actually processing and canning the juice.
Knowing the reward of healthy food options and a feeling of accomplishment for a job completed keeping me moving when my body aches, my head feels dizzy and I am simply tired.
Get a FREE PDF on how to preserve Stewed Tomatoes.
12 steps complete with pictures.
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There are days I need additional rest, days the best thing for me is to be up and moving however slow I may be. There are days I feel like I used to. On those days I often become wonder woman for a few hours until reality catches up with me.
Reality
Realty might hit me in the form of a low sugar, or becoming so tired I can. Not. Go. another step. It often appears to come on sudden, but in truth many times I am busy celebrating all I am accomplishing. I miss the signs, or I ignore the tiredness lurking because my focus keeps them at bay. Reality might be a high sugar level for unknown reasons requiring me to rest or extra sleep.
Reality means I do not have the same number of hours available for hard work I used to have. In certain moments it means pushing myself because when caring for animals and raising your own food there are windows of time where tasks must be completed. A time for extra rest will be required for sure when the work is done.
The Hardest Part
The hardest part for me has been letting of my high expectations for outcomes of all I do. One of the good parts? Learning to see and act on what is important on any given day. What has to be done today? Resting when it is done.
I brought home my first Swedish Flower Hens in May of 2016. I drove 3 hours to pick up 13 chicks. Pictured about are offspring of those chicks crossed on others I added later.
I might be a workaholic if my health allowed. If you ask my spouse, I am any way. I may need to take breaks before a task is finished or leave things I want done today, for tomorrow.
A New Direction
The idea of writing and running a website was born only after I realized I could no longer work as hard as I used to. To my belief my number one asset I brought to a job, was my physical strength and stamina. It sent me for a loop when I realized I could not longer push through anything I choose to.
The realization came on over a period of a week or two. I was working at a factory learning a job I would have not had a problem with in the past. Sanding a trailer should not have been out of my range of capability. Instead, I learned I had contracted mono. I was let go from my job with the understanding I had the option to return when (if) my health allowed.
I did not return. Six years later, I do not believe myself capable of doing the work.
Blooms from Ashes
Roses will bloom again, Just wait and see, Don’t mourn what might have been, Only God knows how and when, but roses will bloom again.
~ chorus of song ‘Roses Will Bloom Again’ by Bill Gaither
Recently, I was reminded how events look terrible to us at the time, actually open doors for opportunities we would have never looked for. Loosing my job pointed me in a new direction. I felt lost , my pride wounded. I carried (from God) a belief blooms rise from ashes and good awaited me down the road.
The road meandered slowly bringing me to my current life. I did not immediately decide to start a website or homestead. Such ideas came along over the coming year and a half. Implementation itself continues to this day.
NOTE: This page or post contains affiliate links. When you click and make a purchase I earn a portion of the money you spend at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support.
I earned my first income online in 2016 from Swagbucks.
I write to share my journey and knowledge. I homestead to produce more of my own food. I continue to learn how to improve my writing, homestead skills, and earn a bit of money along the way. I strive to keep the genetics of 3 heritage chicken breeds alive. In my newest venture, I am learning about the Great Pyrenees dog breed as I train a puppy.
First day off leash, Aneta
I may be slower these days, but I still find joy in a new challenge. Blogging, homesteading, and creating provide me with ways stimulate a desire to see what lies around the next bend. I have a couple ideas up my sleeve for the remainder of 2020. Stick around to find out what they are.
Are you living life with a chronic illness or two? How do you make the most of your life?
Do you know what you need to hatch your own baby chicks? If not, read on. If items you will need may be obvious, may I encourage you to give thought to a few details when preparing to incubate chicken eggs.
4 Items to Hatch Baby Chicks
Hatching Eggs
Egg Candler
Incubator
Brooder (for chicks after they hatch)
Hatching Eggs
Yes, to hatch chicks you need hatching eggs. I am sure you all are aware. Let’s consider, for a minute, where you will get chicken eggs.
4 Places to Obtain Fertile Hatching Eggs
Hatcheries
Private Breeders
Local Private Breeders
From your own Chickens
Hatcheries
Commercial operations often offer many different breeds to choose from, both hatching eggs and chicks. If you are looking for a variety to hatch, here is where you often get the most choices. Sometimes the quality of the breed may not be top notch as hatcheries often go for quantity over quality. If you are not planning to show your birds, or breed your birds to a breed standard and want a pretty back yard flock, consider this option.
Private Breeders
Private breeders offer a smaller selection of breeds., but there may be several to choose from. Another option is ordering from different smaller breeders. This can be coordinated so that the hatching eggs arrive at the same time.
Local Private Breeders
If you find a local private breeder producing the breed of chicken you are looking for, you will not have to have your eggs shipped. This should potentially should increase the number of chicks hatched. Shipping hatching eggs can reduce the viability. The local breeder hopefully will package the eggs similar to if they were shipping them. Even a car ride can cause the eggs to be shaken up a bit.
From your own chickens
If you have a rooster, most likely you will have fertile eggs, needed to hatch chicken eggs. It is possible for a rooster to be infertile, but if so, you have the option to find a different rooster. The way to find if your rooster is fertilizing eggs is incubate them.
NOTE: This page or post contains affiliate links. When you click and make a purchase I earn a portion of the money you spend at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support.
Incubator
You may click on the link below to order the IncuView Incubator pictured here. I like the large viewing window on the incubator.
Incubators imitate a broody hen to the best of technologies ability. There are many to choose from in today’s market. Some are produced in the USA and others are imported. Incubators come with different prices tags and corresponding functions. Often the more automated the process the higher the price. Particular brands carry a higher price, but with that comes an expectation of superior performance.
If you are interested in hatching a large number of eggs at one time as in hundreds, investing in a cabinet incubator may be the route you choose to go.
Features of Incubators: Air quality, humidity, and turning the eggs are all critical for proper incubation.
Fans
Forced air meaning an incubator has a fan moving the air around in the incubator. This feature promotes incubator air to be a consistent temperature throughout. It also pulls in air from any available air vents.
Humidity
The humidity levels are controlled by adding water. Tools are available to automate that process. Or another feature may be a exterior port to add water so the incubator does not need to be opened when adding water. A hen will generally get off her next one time per day so I am not convinced that opening a lid to add water is a terrible detriment to hatching success. In fact, there is a newer incubator on the market that can be programmed to intentionally cool the eggs one time a day.
Turners
A tray attached to a motor will turn eggs for you. If an incubator does not have an automatic turner you are responsible for turning the eggs approximately 6 times a day. Many incubators can be fitted with a turner. However, a draw back is the number of eggs that can be fit into the incubator at one time. As an example, one of the incubators I use is set to turn around 9 eggs, but I can fit around 25 eggs with out the turner
Egg Candler
From setting the eggs to trouble shooting a hatch once it has ended, an egg candler with be most useful. When I started I used a bright small flashlight and went to a light marketed for the sole purpose of candling eggs. I am all about using what you have and when I started a small bright flashlight was what I had. A candler plugs into an outlet instead of using batteries as a small flashlight would. I now use a small bright flashlight once again. I have at times used the light on my phone. If you are interested in saving money, use what you have on hand.
Brooder with Food and Water
Once a chick hatches and dries, they will need to move into a brooder. Brooders come in different forms, material and shapes. On a homestead they often are a product of using what one has available and develop out of creativity. There are commercial brooders that can be purchased at stores. They all serve the same purpose, to provide dry shelter, heat, food, water, and protection from predators.
Newly hatched chicks need to be provided with a heat source of 95 degrees in a shelter safe from predators. Dry clean bedding, clean fresh water, and chick starter should be in place near the heat source. The temperature in the room needs to be a match for the heat source. A pen that meets the above criteria will qualify as a brooder. What creative ideas have you seen, thought of and possibly used for a brooder? Leave a comment below.
Purchase now and receive the E-book, Plan Your Hatch as a bonus.
The course content is already available with additional videos, resources, and printables to be added soon. Begin today!
The shortest day of the year has come and gone, Winter Solstice
being yesterday. I do not mind the short
amount of sunlight as much as I do the days of temperatures below 20 degrees (and
lower) that often follows in January and February. Being honest I hope for one
of those winters when the temps hit a high above 32 degrees at least once or
twice a week. Life caring for animals becomes
much easier when above freezing.
Christmas, only days away now, seems to fade quickly by mid-January. As I look ahead to the coming months of colder weather and snow, I think about what goals and plans provide growth on the homestead. I think of ideas that I can share here on the blog where we can grow our homesteads together.
If you have followed me here at CG Heartbeats Farm you know that 3 rare chicken breeds make up a part of the current focus. The prolific Swedish Flower Hens, unique Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners and beautiful Silver Gray Dorkings keep me hopping. In the last year I struggled to produce Silver Gray Dorkings (hatching 3) and Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners (hatching 0).
As I look to the coming months, improvements will be on my mind. I know this year I need to take a look at the 15 breeding pens of Swedish Flower Hens and make cuts. I am going into this winter with around 30 pens. That means 30 frozen water containers. Honestly the word that comes to mind with that fact is, YUK! I committed to telling myself that ‘there is no such thing as too cold, just not enough or warm enough clothes, for this winter’.
What to look for on the blog in the first 3 months of 2020:
1) Chick Hatching Practices, a course sharing the basics of how to hatch chicks, including preparing to hatch and brooder ideas and immediate care for the first week.
2) Info on the specific breeds I raise
3) General chicken info
4) Seeds selection and garden planning
5) Homestead planning in terms of layout and how I intend to put to use what I have. Perhaps even a quest post or two on how others use their land to the best of its ability. Do you want to share a post here telling how you have put your homestead to use? Shoot me an email at maria@dontclipmywings.com or use the form provided below.
Farmer’s Markets in the first quarter of 2020?
In the coming months I debate attending local farmers
markets. I believe in their importance.
I enjoy connecting with other vendors and customers. I met amazing folks when attending farmers markets.
For now, I am taking a break to focus my attention on the homestead itself and
this website. I look forward to attending at least 1 market on a regular basis
in 2020. I may wait until summer to begin attending.
Winter Homestead Goals
I want to pick up where I left off, walking the property and
giving thought to the best uses of the land. I came up with a few neat ideas
last year, but as the markets went into full swing, I became distracted with
the every day work. Those daily walks shorted into simple checks of all the
current vegetables and chickens.
I hope to move cement blocks to provide a wall where I have
already increased the level of the container garden I am building. 2019 marks
the 3rd year that I emptied buckets of sweet potatoes to create this
raised bed.
Cleaning chicken pens (it is an ongoing thing around here)
Hatch Chicken Eggs
CG Heartbeats Farm now has three Janoel 12 incubators and an Incuview to hatch eggs. No bragging here, but it is a fun to have options to provide chicks for others who do not want to hatch their own. I would like to add the Nurture Right 360 in the coming months. This is how I provide chicks and fill orders for those shopping.
I am excited for the Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners hens to
start laying again. I picked up Cisco and Clinch last summer (2019). They were
not mature enough to cover hens until November and by then the hens were in a
molt. I am looking forward to hatching eggs with Cisco and Clinch covering the
hens.
Clinch on the left and Cisco on the right.
For the first time CG Heartbeats Farm will offer crested Swedish Flower Hens from Apache and his hens. This pen currently consists of 2 hens from Pen 7 and a crested rooster (Apache) out of eggs I hatched from My Flower Farm (Lisa). The way the crested gene works eggs from this pen has a 50% chance of producing a crested chick. I plan to add additional hens to this pen in 2020 as I raise hens from Pen # 7. I would have more already, but I sold a few I raised.
Selling Eggs
Did you notice you can order and pay for eggs through the website now? I intend to set it up so that you are able to order eggs from each pen. At the moment it is only Swedish Flower Hen hatching eggs in general, but I want to make each pen available in quantities of 6, 12, 18, or 24. In this way a person can customize their order. Look for this feature coming soon. Until the other breeds are producing better, they will continue to be an unpaid wait list.
Starting Grape Plants
I have one grape plant needing to be pruned, with those cuttings
I intend to start additional plants in the coming months. I want to produce Concord grapes for the simple
fact, I like to eat them!! No marketing strategy in mind, just my taste buds driving
my desire. I have fond memories of
drinking homemade (and home canned) grape juice while eating popcorn at my
grandma’s house on Sunday evening. Fond memories may drive my interest in
producing Concord grapes.
I will continue with raising heirloom tomatoes, even though I do not know what variety they are. I like them too much to change to a different variety this year. My thoughts go like this: I may save seeds from the current variety (unknown) and in 2021 try a new variety, saving the seeds from 2020 to use in 2022.
Homestead in General
I have a few carryover projects from fall that if the ground
doesn’t freeze, I would be trilled to finish.
Constructing support for the one grape plant that
has flourished. The other ones are coming along slowly.
Fence work for horse pastures and cattle that I plan
to purchase.
Work on the container garden area.
Set up additional outdoor pens for spring and the
occasional nice winter day.
Condense indoor pens to make room for the extreme
cold weather days.
I have 10 different seed packets donated by Baker Creek seeds. Three that I am excited to try are Flax, Sorghum, Peanuts. The fun part of this for me is that each of these have the potential to set me up for my own seeds as these are all heirloom plants. I can save seed and increase my crop in the coming years much in the same way I did with the 5 garlic varieties. Look for a blog post(s) in the fall of 2020 on these 10 different seeds I will be trying here at CG Heartbeats Farm. I will be starting these plants indoors in the coming months to give them a head start on the growing season.
What homestead expectations, goals, or dreams do have for the coming months? Leave a comment at the bottom or use this form to send an email.
This fall marks the 4th year I have planted garlic. I love thinking back to the first year. I planted about 6 cloves each of 3 varieties: Music, Montana, and German. I recall my Dad helped me prep the ground in a flower bed I was not using for anything.
Really, it was one of the easier spots to dig here on the
farm. Despite my attempts of keeping the weeds out, the grass roots (unwanted
growth = weeds) were well established. At one time a flower bed, I had in
previous seasons dug up the grasses. The ground was rarely walked on and was
soft here.
The size of the first garlic garden
We dug with shovels and sifted through the soil to remove
roots. The small amount of space we needed might have been 2 ½ ‘ x 2 ‘.
Each year since I have saved back a portion of the garlic I grew and used it to plant more the next year, growing in numbers. I will skip ahead here in the story to say this past week I planted around 350 cloves of 5 varieties.
I posted the last 2 years sharing the experience of planting
garlic.
I added a new variety last year, Spanish Rojo (or Spanish
Red). This variety came up a few weeks later or even a month then the Music,
Montana and German. Also it produced smaller greens from the beginning. No
surprise really the bulbs were about half the size (or even smaller) compared
to the other varieties.
Spanish Rojo garlic
Benefits of a smaller size: On several occasions I popped a
clove in my mouth and ate it. These are the perfect size for that. Yes I had to
pucker my face, but I knew my health would benefit. I found folks that might
only be cooking for one or two people wanted to purchase a smaller bulb. Again
the Spanish Rojo was a perfect fit.
New Ground
Garlic has done well here at CG Heartbeats Farm producing large cloves over all. Last year I out grew the flower bed. Rather, I had found a new way to remove sod. I share about that in Chickens on the Homestead. Briefly, I allowed the chickens to kill off sod and used that space for gardens. I did still turn over the soil and look for roots to remove.
While I planted Montana, German and the new Spanish Rojo
garlic in the flower bed by the house. I moved a 5’ by 5’ chicken pen and
planted around 34 cloves of Music garlic in that area
That ground produced the some of the largest bulbs harvested
in 2019. I decided that this year the Spanish Rojo will be going in ground
where a chicken pen had been. I want to see if the bulbs will grow bigger
there. Not that it is all bad to offer a
smaller size bulb. There did seem to be a demand for it.
Harvesting in 2019
We had an incredible wet spring in 2019. The grass and every thing grew like crazy. A rule of thumb I go by is to wait until the bottom 4 leaves have died off to harvest the bulbs. I guess I miss counted or the bottom leave left no trace of its existence? Anyway, some of the bulbs seemed like they should have been harvested earlier. No loss for me, they will still be good for planting and that is what I did with those bulbs.
Garlic and Farmer’s Markets
I felt happy to bring 4 healthy varieties of garlic to the 2 local markets I attended last summer. I enjoyed the conversations on the topic of garlic. I liked hearing others also grew garlic.
Next year I plant to offer an online buying options and you might find CG Heartbeats Farm garlic in a local store.
A new Variety
I choose Elephant as the new variety to plant this year,
bringing the total varieties of garlic here at CG Heartbeats Farm to 5. I read they had a lighter sweeter taste and
grow as large as softballs. Wow! Now the
bulb I purchased ($10.95 + shipping) was not much larger than some of the music
bulb I grew this year. A couple of the
elephant cloves were definitely larger. I made sure to plant them in the new
garden ground that had been a chicken pen.
Humm wonder how big they will get. I read that the tops grow
5 to 7 feet tall. In hindsight I needed
to plant them on the north end of the garden not the south end. They may cast a shadow on the shorter garlic
varieties. I am leaving room to improve it seems.
2020 Garlic Crop
Planting garlic this fall happened in shifts as it seems to
each year. Every year I seem to fight the
feeling as good as I want to when I go about this activity. And yet each year I
am getting more planted. This gives me a satisfied feeling.
I did prep the ground and plant all the 340 + cloves with in
one week. I will add this is all
happening by hand, in its entirety. I started on a Tuesday removing the corn
stalks and some bean plants. The next day I made it outside around dusk and
worked by a flashlight for around 3 hours. I had removed all plants, worked the
soil only to remove unwanted rooted green plants (mostly grass), and planted 97
cloves of German Garlic.
On Thursday I planted Spanish Rojo and Elephant in the rest of the garden I had cleared on Wednesday night.
On Friday my friend Beth came over to help me. We prepped ground and planted 77 cloves of Music garlic in the garden bed up by the house.
We spent a bit of time turning over the dirt where I had previously moved a chicken pen.
We have been trading work days or afternoons usually. It has been an encouragement to me and I always enjoy helping her. Not only did we get work done, we hung out, had lunch together, and chatted.
Beth and I harvested candy onions and a bit of mind. We even found a clove or two of garlic that i had missed earlier this year. I had planted the candy onions in between the rows of garlic last spring. When I harvested the garlic I gathered in the ones I could find. They never got real big so I will not do that next year.
I knew I had to get the Montana garlic and Egyptian walking
onions in on Saturday. We were forecasted to have temps down around 6 degrees
in the coming week. In hind sight, that
week has passed and the ground has not frozen yet. No matter, I am trilled to have the garlic in.
That Saturday, I moved the last chicken pen, finished working
the soil (slightly) in a 5’ by 10’ that had chickens on it since May, and planted
around 80 Montana garlic varieties. I did
get the Egyptian Walking onions planted, too. I will save that for a post next year.
Montana Garlic planted in this garden
The garlic is in for this fall. I will be adding hay chaff first and then wood chips as the become available this winter. The hay chaff comes from the barn and the wood chips from chopping wood here at CG Heartbeats Farm.
New in 2020
In 2020 there will be an online purchasing option on this website. A limited amount of garlic will be availbale to purchase online. That means even if you are not local to our area, you will be able to order our garlic and garlic scapes.
Bremen’s outdoor market ended on the last Wednesday in
September. I started reflecting on the last 12 months thinking about the
progresses I have made this year, new ideas, how I can do things better, and
where I fell short. For this post, I plan to share thoughts that pertain to the
summer months.
What I am most excited about
I located 2 Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner cockerels in July and added them to CG Heartbeats Farm. Clinch and Cisco will be joining the Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner hens in November. I hope to be able to give each a few hens to create 2 lines of LCN chickens here. Pen space is a commodity here over the winter months. It may be this spring until I divide the 2 boys giving each of them their own hens. The girls are molting right now, but once the boys join them and they are laying eggs, I will start incubating their eggs.
Clinch and Cisco free ranging
I also made a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. I met with other
bloggers and found myself encouraged. Look for a post coming soon about that
trip.
Project Updates
I grew 11 new vegetables in 2019. Here they are: Glass Gen
Popcorn, 3 varieties of onions, a new garlic variety, Spanish Rojo, carrots,
Jacob’s Cattle bean, sugar baby watermelon, red potatoes, butternut squash, and
2 heirloom tomatoes, a cherry variety and a larger one. Foods I produced that
were not new: sweet potatoes, German, Music, and Montana varieties of garlic, crooked
neck squash, and black raspberries.
Glass Gem Popcorn
Jacob Cattle Bean
Heirloom Tomatoes
I canned tomato juice for the first time. The last time I canned anything was 20 years ago. I feel fulfilled, and strong when thinking about canning again. I find the home preserved food tastes better. Yes, it takes energy beyond what shopping in a store does, but to be honest nothing like cleaning stalls for 6 to 8 hours a day. In some ways it is easy, depending on what I compare it to. Looking at jars of food stored for winter is like having a full barn of hay before winter sets in. I have been known in the past to compare that to the feeling one gets with having money in a savings account. Canning is future provision. I feel prepared for the coming months. Of course, to date this year, I have only canned tomato juice, but no the less, I am back at it!
Wild Grapes
I ate wild grapes for the first time this year and tasted a
crab apple. The wild grapes tasted rather tart and often I puckered up my face
while eating them. Organic and natural,
I ate them on occasion.
Markets
I enjoyed attending the Culver Farmer’s Markets on Lake Maxinkuckee. The breezes kept it cooler in the heat of summer. I met new people and found new opportunities. This market runs on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 May through August and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm Beginning the second weekend of May through the third weekend of October. As I write this, there are 3 Saturday outdoor Culver Markets left. Are you local to Culver, Indiana? Be sure to stop out. If you are not local you may still visit the market, at least through my eyes via the blog post Culver Farmer’s Market.
I attended Bremen Farmer’s Market for the 2nd summer this year. A variety of vendors came and went while about half showed up almost every week. Bremen’s Market will be in a new location next summer. There are plans improve the downtown, but while the improvements happen, the market will have a temporary location for the summer of 2020.
CG Heartbeats Table Display for the months of August and September
Winter markets will be starting up soon. I am trilled to see an increase in local indoor winter markets that plan to be open the entire winter. This provides an opportunity for communities to purchase local food. I am researching and learning how to keep food fresh longer without any chemicals or additions to the food. I sometimes stop to ponder what did folks do 500 years ago? 1000 years ago? The human race survived long before the modern food options and diets we have today. The Native Americans possessed countless skills and a lifestyle that allowed them to survive. I believe it important to record and at times use the skills that right now do not seem important for survival.
Chickens
I continue to learn about the three breeds raised here at CG Heartbeats Farm, Swedish Flower Hens, Silver Gray Dorkings, and Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner and chickens in general. Adding the new LCN cockerels in July was probably the most exciting event of the summer. I also tested the LCN hen’s fertility by crossing them with a Swedish Flower Hen rooster. The chicks are cute as can be and will be pretty chickens. I will, likely, part with these as pretty laying hens.
Swedish FLower Hen/Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner cross chicks
On a Personal Note
Summer 2019 provided the opportunity to spend with family. A visit with my 93-year old aunt, who traveled 11 hours to visit family in Michigan and Indiana, reminded me of the importance of my relationship with Jesus and that I hope I have a few of her genes. I love her spunk. Time spent with cousins, other aunts, a few of them encourage me in my homesteading ventures. I need all of that I can get. I did not take a trip out west this past summer, as I have the last 3 summers. A memory came to me this morning that a year ago, I woke up in Pigeon Forge, TN. That was a special trip. These recollections helped me stay focused this summer, along with this coming Holiday Season and the plans I am making with my sisters. Isn’t it beautiful that as the seasons faithfully come and go, they bring different memories and opportunities to make new ones?
Do you know the biggest change I recognize as the summer ends?
While not visible to the human eye, it is rather a feeling in my heart. For the
first time in several years, I am content with this journey I am on. As I
shared in the blog post Seasons, I typically struggle adjusting to change, even
the ones I choose. It has been hard to walk away from my dreams of a barrel
racing championship, and my love of foaling out mares. The contentment I feel in
the new path, I trust, has much to do with peace that passes understanding, the
growth in my relationship with Jesus and less to do with my circumstances.
I feel excited to be growing and look forward to growth across
all areas of my life. I recently felt the strong defeat of failure, but then I
remembered I had just learned a new thing. I needed the lesson to grow and
become better at what I do. Onward on this
fabulous journey!!
The calendar says fall begins on Sept 23rd and
ends on December 20th. Our
northern Indiana weather apparently did not get that memo. Often the coldest temps do not arrive until
after Christmas, but certain it is common to have snow in long before then.
When I think about fall, I think September, October and maybe if we are lucky
into November. I certainly remember snow
in October living only an hour or so north of here in southern Michigan. I always feel like it is a race against the
weather to get fall projects wrapped up.
Move outdoor chicken pens
I have found the chickens to be great sod killers. Except for the most frigid of temperatures I house
some groups of chickens in temporary outdoor pens. Here they contribute to the homestead by not only
getting rid of the majority of the grass, but adding fertilizer to the soil. To date I move the pens twice a year in the
spring and the fall. I also added a couple pens in the last year. I have a Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner pen, 4
pens of Swedish Flower Hens and a temporary turnout pen for when I am cleaning
an inside pen or want a group of birds to get outside. I plan to move all of these this fall and begin
working the soil.
All pens and netting pictured here will go to a new location.
New location for chickens to kill sod, preping for future garden space.
Plant garlic and onions
I intend to plant 4 varieties of garlic: German, Montana, Music, Spanish Rojo this year along with a new variety, Elephant. I plan to try a homestead onion. This onion begins growing a bulb on top of the stalk, the weight of it falls over. Once it hits the soil it grows its own roots and thus these onions replenish themselves. A down side to them is that they do not store as well or get as big as some other varieties.
Garden Prep
At the growing season winds down, I will be removing garden
plants. Work needs to be done in beds near house. Trees seem to pop up around
here on a whim and unwanted trees need to be removed.
Fall Harvest
There are Sweet Potatoes, red potatoes, white and yellow onions,
carrots, Jacob Cattle beans, butternut squash, and Glass Gem Popcorn to be
harvested. Of course, the tomatoes will
likely produce until a killing frost.
Sweet Potatoes
Red Potatoes
Work in container garden area
Last spring I started working on an old slab of cement to
convert it into a container garden area.
I hope to continue working on that project this fall. I will be setting
up either a new container garden of deepening the existing one. As I dump the
buckets of potatoes I add to or create container gardens. This is going to include
some clean up of dead grasses and organization of boards I have stored there.
Transplant fruits: Blackberries, Red raspberries and
Black raspberries
A friend and myself plan to transplant Blackberries and red
and black raspberries from her current location to her new residence. In exchange for helping, I will be brining
home a portion of what we removed from where she is currently living.
Grape Plants
I am feeling motivated to get a support structure in place for the grape plants largely due to the growth on one of the plants. It is definitely ready for guided growth. I want to prune its vines and start new plants from those to be planted next spring.
Chicken pens
Cleaning chicken pens is a job that doesn’t end, but I especially
want to go into winter with all the pens clean.
Winter cleaning is difficult and depending on the weather, near
impossible. I also will be setting up winter pens. The weather determines when I bring in my chickens
that live outside.
Hatch chicks
I intend to hatch some chicks this fall. Cisco and Clinch will be joining the Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner hens around the first of November. As I right this, those hens are molting and not laying eggs. They may or may not lay well this winter. If they do lay eggs, well, those are marked for the incubator.
Janoel 12 Incubator ready to start incubating these Swedish Flower Hen and Silver Gray Dorking eggs
Preserve food
The heirloom tomatoes produced well for me. For the first time ever, I canned tomato juice. First time I have canned in 20 years, too. I hope to make and can ketchup and perhaps more tomato juice
Plant flowers
I ordered a new to me flower that blooms in the spring. In
my minds eye, it will look pretty with the pink and purple tulips. I am
reminded that with Sage no longer with me. I want plant flowers in the center
of the circle drive.
Dreaming
Here I share the goals that seem a bit impossible this fall or out of reach. I long to purchase a cow, put up fence, and dig up sassafras roots for tea. I miss playing the fiddle and hope I make time to pick it up again in the coming seasons.
Sassafras Trees
I have plenty to keep me busy here on the farm. I plan to attend indoor farmer and craft markets although that schedule is to be decided. Of course, all of this needs to be balanced with caring for my health that at times requires extra rest. This happens randomly where I simply have to stop and rest.
What are your fall projects? Leave me a comment below.
I heard my husband rush back to the bedroom door. He beckoned me, “Come quick!” I reluctantly followed him to the kitchen. Immediately horrified by the sight that greeted me. A cat managed to wedge her head between to slats of a kitchen chair and appeared to be hanging there. ‘Dead’, I thought. My husband reassured me it wasn’t, “dead yet.” I sprang into action and with his help I freed it. I wrap in my blanket and held it close. Returning to bed I laid it on my chest and fell asleep. That poor cat barely moved for 3 hours. Giving it options to exercise its bodily functions, by often carrying it to the proper locations all systems were a go. In that, I was happy and when I left for market early evening, Suzi-Q did not need my supervision. Within 36 to 48 hours she appeared to be feeling good.
Culver Market, as it often is situated next to Lake Max, was
refreshing. I enjoy the people and the cool breezes coming off of the lake.
This was the last of the Tuesday markets for Culver this year. I am feeling a bit of relief. Attending 3
markets this year proved to be a struggle for me. There are many other areas in my life I long
to work on and grow. I am ready to focus in a different direction for the
coming season. I have Wed markets in
Bremen and Saturdays in Culver that continue through the month of September.
Wednesday, August, 28, 2019
A new food vendor at Bremen, as Chubby Buddies would not be
there this week, had me excited to try a tenderloin sandwich. It did not
disappoint!
The beginning of this beautiful day I gave thought to the
best way to move chickens around this fall, what breeding pens I want to keep
going, new crosses, and how to best utilize the available space and pens. I really do not want over 15 or 16 pens
through the winter. However, I may have to due to my current breeding
goals. The thinking continues for the
next few weeks, I know. I moved a few of the younger pens outside into cages
for the day. This gives me a chance to look them over, handle them, feel their
weight, and decide the best places to move them forward. Some will be for sale
and other will stay for future breeding pens (or go into existing ones). The air was on the cool side, but the sun
warm. As I watered the different pens, I
cleaned their waterers with Apple Cider Vinegar.
The end of May as the watermelon plants were beginning to grow
larger, I decided to experiment with the idea of allowing them to climb,
instead of grow along the ground. That
did not turn out so well. As the watermelon grew heavier, the weight of them
caused them to fall off the vine. One
such watermelon had been sitting on the ground for over month. I though perhaps
it would ripen on its own. I decided this day to cut it open to see. It had in fact,
ripened unknown to me and become overripe. I cut it into sections to feed to the
chickens, to their delight. But before,
I removed quite a few seeds to save for future years. As for experimenting with
using a trellis for the watermelon plants, I have decided to allow them to grow
on the ground in the future. Most of the
watermelon vines I left to grow on the ground so I will be enjoying watermelon
this season.
I had an idea to use the dried garlic stalks like mini corn
stalks, but they seemed to blah. I
decided to put them around a glass vase with fall flowers in it. It gives my market table a homestead look, I
have been told.
Oh, the wind at the market kept knocking over
everything. I decided on a new table
arrangement that allowed me to tie my vase to a crate. Even then the changing direction of the wind
had it falling over. The heirloom
tomatoes seem to be a hit and the garlic too. I plan to continue raising them
next year.
For a reason unknown to me, I struggled to keep my sugar
from dropping much of the evening. I get
these days/ hours sometimes. I had to
rest before feeding the animals. That too is ok. I felt good by the time I went to sleep. I guess like everything…this too shall pass.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Previously I had planned to go Sheila’s house. I looked
forward to our visit. I spent countless hours with her and my Mom a few years
ago when we worked on our Christmas CD, Once in a Manger. I am lucky now if I see her a couple times a
year and often only if we plan it. The visit
proved to encourage me beyond what I could have imagined. We
chatted catching up and eventually wondered outside. She shared some of her delicious
red raspberries with me as we talked gardens and life. I offered to help her move her fruit plants
to her soon to be new home and perhaps I could have a few starts for myself? We
agreed on that plan. Hopefully, that
will happen one day in September. Yay!
Here is the thing. I would happily help her move her fruit starts even
if I was not getting anything in return and she would share starts with me even
if I was not helping her, but why not help each other and we both win? The
phrase ‘homestead lifestyle’ is what comes to my mind. At my request, we explored a couple of the old
barns that were on the property. I found this:
I say it is a Maria powered tiller. I am not sure if it is old or not, but certainly not common in my circles. I feel super excited to have it.
I also needed to pick up chicken feed so I made that stop on
my way home. I forgot to remove the market items from my car so I could only
grab a couple bags.
Friday, August 30, 2019
For only the second time this week I made a schedule for my
day. I like this practice, and it does
not always go the way I think it should. Tasks that I think should take an hour
take 2. At times I do not focus as well
as I should or there are simply more steps involved than I realize.
I worked online most of the morning. Rosie was a spit fire
when I let her out to eat grass. She was trotting around and once she
shouldered into me. She doesn’t usually act that disrespectful. I had a thought
in the back of my head, ‘Was she trying to tell me something? What did she
want?’ I dismissed the thought and she wondered off to eat grass. In hind sight….
read on.
I had the idea to do
an IG live showing me putting the new tiller to use in a chicken pen. That is where I am going to use it eventually.
I will be moving the pens. The chickens have killed off the sod and I will work
the ground before planting in it. Found out I will need to loosen the dirt with
a spade or shovel to get the best use out of it. Anyway, I finally got around
to that Friday evening. I am thankful to
this tool. As a kid I used a 3-prong hand pushed cultivator in a garden we had
at home. I was in elementary school. I
do not remember how old I was.
Before trying out the (Maria powered) tiller, I had walked
out to observe the horses. I did not see
Rosie out eating with Dusty and Cider. I
had this sinking feeling and a picture of a horse laying out dead. I told myself to stop being negative. I
needed to stay on task with going live on IG.
So, I did. When I was done, it came to me again to go look for
Rosie. Sometime she hangs out in the shelter
so realistically not seeing her was normal.
Oh, but when I stepped around the shelter, I thought I was looking at a
horse dying. I have seen animals dying
before. She was obviously under stress
and hurting. I hurried over to grab her
halter, and when I put it on, I checked her gums. They were gray. I pulled her legs out in front of her one at a
time. Stepping beside her I began to swat her on the rump encouraging her to
get up. She did, but she was shaky on
her legs. I slowly led her out of the shelter. I left her there and headed to the house for
banamine. She was hurting, sweaty, dirty from rolling, and painful. I placed a call and left a message for a
veterinarian. I was worried about how
bad she looked. It probably did not help
I had those thoughts earlier about her laying dead. It was a long night with little sleep.
Here I am, over my normal word count and I have so much more to say.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Most of my day Saturday revolved around caring for Rosie. In the afternoon, she was seen by a veterinarian. In short, Rosie had an impaction toward the rear of her bowel that was removed. Her intestinal tract was inflamed and irritated. My immediate question was, ‘If that is what can be seen, what does the rest of her intestines look like?’ Going forward from this colic episode, Rosie had additional struggles that would need to be addressed. She has been struggling with her weight the last couple years. Perhaps this the first step in finding answers. I am thankful to Dr. Gary Fouts for evaluating and treating her on a holiday weekend.
There are more details to share then this post had room for. I may need to devote a post to Rosie and her current struggles. My niece, upon learning that Rosie had problems said, ‘I want to see Rosie.’ Her and Rosie go back at least 8 years of my ten year old nieces life. That is a life time to a child. Often when speaking with her on the phone, after asking after my well being, she says, ‘How is Rosie?’
Picking up from where I left off last week. If you recall, I had been up late to catch Prince Charming. He is a sweetheart, but such a sneaky boy!
Thursday, August 8, 2019
I woke up at 3:30 am.
I felt horrible and knew a low sugar level was the cause. I grabbed candy I keep near the bed and ate 4
to 5 pieces several times until I felt my body begin to no longer feel like I
was going to pass out. Next time I was
coherently awake was 10 am. My head
hurt. But nothing like when I had a
Traumatic Brain Injury. That headache
hurt on a whole different level. Now I
have to stop and pay attention to notice a head ache. I ached. A combination of a short night and
bad sugar low told me I would have a slow day today. After caring for animals, I headed into town
to work online. I noticed Sage had
stayed in her dog house each time I had looked her way and when I checked on
her she lifted her head. Sage, a blue
healer and terrier mix, at 18 years old would not be with me much longer. I prepared for taking her in the following
day to end her suffering.
Friday, August 9, 2019
The dreaded chore awaited me the following morning. I took her
water and she drank. As the day progressed,
I processed if this was the best thing to do.
I struggle with these decisions.
Once done they cannot be undone. I value human life and that of animals
as well. I took care to spend time
praying for others, my decision and praising God throughout the morning. I have been nose to the grindstone, but this
morning I sat and watched inspirational messages and teachings from the
Bible. I gathered emotional
strength. Making sure all the chickens
had water I had 2 tasks at hand: picking up chicken and horse feed, which for
some reason I do not enjoy, and the final decision about Sage. I noticed it looked like she had
vomited. To give you her history, she
has had a mass under her belly for 4 years and up until 2 days ago has had
normal body functions, eating and drinking.
When I seen she had vomited I knew it was time. Making the appointment I teared up a
little. In less than an hour she was no
longer suffering. I drove her home and I took off to pick up chicken feed.
I write this and still will be unloading chicken feed and
doing PM chores. I know Brian will be
helping me say the final good byes to Sage this evening. I want to share a bit about her as she
brought much joy and laughter to my life.
The first time I met her she barked at me when I left as if to tell me,
don’t leave me here. I suppose the
telling of Sage will be another blog post in the future cause as I think about
my memories of her, I see 1000 words in my mind. She was about as bossy as a dog could be, and
had a mind of her own. I was right there
by her petting her head and talking to her.
It was about as peaceful as it could be.
A picture of Sage in her younger days
I believe the Lord has shown me that I have created a habit
of avoiding or ignoring painful or uncomfortable situations. Today I faced it head on, even if I took 6
hours to prepare.
It wouldn’t hurt as bad if I did not love as deeply.
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Off to Culver Farmer’s Market where I sold eggs and
garlic. Here I had several wonderful
conversations with friends and market patrons.
At the close of market, I hurried on to have a late lunch with
family. I felt wore out
emotionally. I grieved noticing how Sage
did not bark at me. I heard her bossy
bark in my head. Prince Charming escaped
Saturday evening again as I headed out to do late chores. I had been
resting reading, Betty Zane, a good part of the evening. I decided to sit out on the porch and read
waiting for Prince Charming to show himself and be caught. At first, I felt frustrated and angry, a
product of my grieving process, but as I sat out in the night air, my heart
began to feel peaceful. I enjoyed the story
about Betty a frontier girl living along the Ohio river. Her settlement was the
first in the area. The story, written in the 1920’s and based on diary entries
from the 1700’s of her brothers. Zane
Grey, a descendant of the Zane family authored the story surrounding her
historic act. As I understand in the town of Wheeling, West Virginia there
stands a monument commemorating the siege of Fort Henry September 1782. This
book was one of several that I picked up at the Culver Farmer’s Market. Reading
stories of heroes who settled our country revives the pioneer/homestead spirit
in me.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
A longed-for day of rest, which is what I did, while caring
for the animals of course. A late
evening visit at friends, where I took a quick picture of a couple of the pullets,
she has from CG Heartbeats Farm stock. After catching up I watched her husband
ride one of her horses tracking the hot heels.
Hot heels are a training/practice tool for rope horses. They are usually
pulled by a 4-wheeler and imitate a roping steer. Monday morning as I write this, I again feel
a longing to ride. My work awaits to be
completed first.
Monday, August 12, 2019
A hot, humid day with rain in the forecast, but it was after noon, evening and overnight until we happily received 3/4ths of an inch of rain. I feel deeply thankful for the rain. I felt super excited to find a Silver-Gray Dorking hen (with a red tag) sitting on the eggs this morning. To this point, I am always excited for a broody hen. They make my life easier as I have shared.
I moved chicks and grow-outs that are living in tanks outside in cages and began the process of cleaning the tanks. I first drag to the manure pile and dump, next drag to the side of the chicken barn where I spray out with the hose. This part of the process looks different each time. It varies how long I soak the tanks, if I use apple cider vinegar to clean, or if I scrub them with a brush. When they are clean, I drag them near-by, tip on their side, leaving them until they dry. If I don’t want to use them right away, I store them tipped upside down. I drag them back into the barn when I use them. On occasion I will have someone help me carry them which is much easier. Usually as I am solo, I drag them. These are plastic 100-gallon stock tanks and not terribly heavy. My cell phone was on the verge of complete shutdown due is age of 6 to 8 years. At times the screen would go white and I could see nothing. The evening was spent shopping for a new phone. I did finally against by wishes, end up with a smart phone. This is my first. I suppose it will have its benefits, but I like a phone to be a phone…
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Caring for animals, prepping for the evening market, and
working on a blog post took up most of my day.
I thoroughly enjoyed Culver Market chatting with other vendors
and friends. I gathered the remaining
information I needed to complete the upcoming blog post on this market. Look for it to post on the coming Monday.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
This day has been an almost repeat of yesterday in the fact that I cared for animals, worked on a blog post and prepared for market. Feeling tired, I tried to stay focused on only what I needed to do. Do you have days like that? As drove into Bremen, I was watching the sky (and the radar). It sure looked like we were going to get hit with rain. I opted to wait to set until it past. The rain took its sweet time and it was almost 5 pm before I set up my table. People started trickling in. Tonight was FREE cupcake night for school students. I am certain all were given away. A cooler air settled in for the night. Upon arriving home, I seen we had been given ½ inch of rain. I feel blessed to have 1 ¼ inch of rain this week. The ground has been getting pretty dry and now I will be relieved of the duty of watering garden and pots. I had just settled into bed when I heard the chickens carrying on. NOW WHAT?!? I felt tired!!!! Dressed and armed out I went to see what was going on…. OH, the pen that has been eating their eggs, had laid an egg and had started to eat it. To tell the truth, I felt relieved, a bit happy and my rather irritated attitude left. I felt like laughing. I could to back to bed and sleep with no worries of a predator tonight.
A quick word to chickens eating eggs: based on my
observations, this act lasts for a season and then seems to resolve
itself. I am not fond of it, but I have yet
to have a hen that does not stop such behavior on her own over time.
Wow, this ends the 2nd week of August. Did you read the first week? Thank you for sharing in this journey via my diary entries.
