We have had a busy summer here on the farm. July was the month for company. We had my Sister-in-Law Tracy, her daughter Alison and her granddaughter McKenna. It was a ton of fun to have them here for a week. McKenna and I did lots of stuff in the barn. She is a natural animal lover! Unfortunately I did not take one picture of their visit. Tracy took a bunch and even made a really cute scrapbook for McKenna! But I am not in the habit of carrying a camera at all times so I didn’t get any pictures. Next year I will do better.
Their last full day here we had our annual “Grill and Chill” party. My Mom arrived that day and she stayed the next whole week picking blackberries, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes and canning them. It was a whole week of picking, canning, preserving, and putting up. Funny, she hasn’t been back since?! I worked her hard and she was a big help but I think it was a bit more than she bargained for.
The next week my brother and his family came to visit. They were only here a couple of days but it was action packed.
Most of the whole crew
They rented an RV and drove across the country to visit. This picture is everyone except my nephew Jack. We were at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Nashville. We went to visit the Bicentenial Mall for a bit of Tennessee history before we hit the fountains on a really hot day. Sad thing was that the fountains were shut down and had been for over a year….oops! The kids seemed to take it in stride. Instead we took a free bus ride to see downtown.
Bus ride
The next day we went to the Hermitage, the home of President Andrew Jackson.
Waiting for the tour
It was another scorcher of a day but the older kids really enjoyed it.
Checkjing the map in the shade.
And, of course, no Tennessee trip would be complete with out a little target practice.
Saturday morning when I went out to milk, Mrs. Norris (barn cat) was there waiting on me. This is highly unusual. If I see her at all it is usually at feeding time in the evening. Then I heard a strange “Meow”. This is what I saw!
surprise!
I hope that he grows up to be a mouser. We are naming him Colin, after Colin Creevy from Harry Potter. So far he has figured out how to get in and out of a locked milk room. There is a hole in the wall for plumbing under the sink. He also likes to sit on my lap while I milk. He is rewarded.
Got milk?
Here he is sneaking milk out of the puppies bowl. I let him drink his fill because he is so little. I don’t know where he came from but he is welcome to stay as long as he likes.
As I was going out to do barn chores last night the UPS truck was coming down the driveway. I thought I had gotten everything in my order of grooming supplies but I did have a few things on backorder so I thought that maybe I lacked one of them. Well when I walked up the front steps I saw this ginormous package marked fragile. I knew that couldn’t be my dog supply order. It was addressed to me! It was from my Sister-in-law Tracy! What!?? I didn’t know why this was here and neither did Quinn.
Inside this gigantic box was the most amazing thing I have seen!
Photo wreath
This picture does not do it justice but I got close ups!
Well, friends of Tracy’s made this. Can you believe they do not even do this as a business?! I guess I should say YET. I think they are considering it as a business. The detail on this is just amazing. Not only are there pictures that are actually framed, but there are little personalized embellishments as well. Mine has a butter churn, an oven mitt with “Elaine’s Kitchen” on it, and there are other embellishments that say Heaven Scent Farms. As soon as they get a website I will link this to them so you can order your own masterpiece. What a unique, thoughtful and creative gift! Thanks to Tracy, Julie and Ann!
Wow it is unbelievable to me that it has been a month since I posted. Life happens fast in the spring. I finally got the garden planted and the garlic harvested. The beans are blooming and so are the potatoes and the tomatoes and peas. It has been so hot lately that I was afraid that the peas would not do very well. We went from temperatures in the low 60′s to the mid 90′s. It is supposed to get hot here but not overnight! I was weeding the garden at 7 pm last night with sweat just dripping off my nose.
On to the reason of the post….I have a new little girl!
Her name is Ruth. She is a dry-yearling, meaning she is a year old and never been bred. She was going to be sold at the sale barn (slaughter house) because she is a mix between a Saneen and an Alpine. That farm decided to have only Saneen goats. She is very timid and sweet. Unfortunately Yoo Hoo is taking every opportunity to explain to her that she is top goat. Poor Ruth. She is running for her life most of the time.
Ruth
So it seems that I have doubled my herd this year. From three goats to six. I won’t be able to breed Stitches kids this year but I will be able to breed Ruth, Stitches, Y and possibly Yoo Hoo. I am considering selling herd shares this year if you know anyone local who is in need of milk. I cannot and will not sell a gallon of milk but I can sell you a portion of the herd which will entitle you to a portion of the milk.
The weather has been up and down this spring. We go from pretty warm to downright cold. This week it is going to be hot. We are talking in the 90′s folks. As I looked out at the farm this weekend and saw all the green that has happened in the last 4 weeks I still see the blooms. Blooms of blackberries!
Blackberries in bloom
When I see all the blackberry blossoms that line the farm I think of July when they all have to be picked. We will be very busy this July, given all the blooms. Then I think, after blackberries there are blueberries!
The bush is loaded! I love picking blueberries. It is so peaceful. It is the task my boys dislike the most because it is BORING! I try to tell them that boredom is a choice but, if they leave I will have the bush in peace so I let them go.
The blueberry bush is next to the orchard so that makes me think of the apples. I pruned the apple trees this year, one pretty severely. I was hoping that even they would bloom this year. I was not disappointed!
Yellow apples
The red apple tree I pruned pretty heavily. Half of it was dead or diseased anyway so I was hoping that a good pruning would do it some good. So far…it has not disappointed.
Red apple
Then I turned my attention to our newest arrival… my Keifer pears. My Dad got me these trees last Easter. I was not expecting them to bear fruit this year but next, so when I saw them I squealed with delight!
We have baby pears!
We will have pear honey from our own pears this year! The anticipation is fantastic. Every season on the farm is just magical. I cannot fathom my good luck and blessings that I ended up here. Some said I was crazy but actually, I would be crazy not to be. God is so good.
I don’t know when my boys are going to learn. Ever since they were old enough to walk they would pick up sticks, and swing them around wildly, or stones and hurl them up in the air. Jacob got the short end of the stick today.
fat lip
We were at the Dr.’s office most of the morning due to sore throats and colds. We had just gotten home and I sent them to look in the goat pasture for eggs. I just sat down when I heard a stick crack….then a child wail. If I had a penny for every time I told my boys not to carry sticks in the goat yard I would be a very wealthy woman. Well, again today my warning was unheeded.
yowch!
Samuel was swinging a stick around and didn’t know that brother was right behind him. I hope they both learned a lesson today…probably not. Boys will be boys.
