tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24189786230509676212024-03-13T11:12:28.673-04:00Pine Hollow HomesteadWelcome to our 5 acre homestead here in Southern NH.HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.comBlogger345125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-24820161899913464082018-12-14T16:22:00.001-05:002018-12-14T16:22:05.494-05:00Getting our first chickensThey say that chickens are the gateway animal for homesteaders. I have to say that is totally true.<br />
<br />
We got our first 5 chicks from answering a local Craigslist ad. The chicks are half Silkie and half Silver Spangled hamburg. They are really pretty birds. Bantams, so they are small. Because Silkies are are very hard to sex, we had no idea what sex we were getting. We ended up with three roos and two hens.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsQAGG-vuxfJkNi0SgT28xHDlEHH8jYkSBiiR84_FxoK1QLwBhirqYu46AzW6gYcX-pDGil_RS_qx4kL2xe_lGrbeoB1MKcQiM4s9ySJvydCVDD6EbuMUhW6ptUEK4k3784ss794IiCQ/s1600/2018-04-29_15-28-19_741.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsQAGG-vuxfJkNi0SgT28xHDlEHH8jYkSBiiR84_FxoK1QLwBhirqYu46AzW6gYcX-pDGil_RS_qx4kL2xe_lGrbeoB1MKcQiM4s9ySJvydCVDD6EbuMUhW6ptUEK4k3784ss794IiCQ/s640/2018-04-29_15-28-19_741.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This was them on the way home from getting them. All I had was a little box with a towel in it. Heat was on in the car and the box sat on my lap. I always run hot. I think they were like a week old or so at this point.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX8S69N_BgvlhoYDMIPHSydl6XVp8njxfVhs-QqaD8fyKdN-0ZGXRqDBYR1MCJOgU0TETz15VzuBGwgKHFNI8dLaJ7OhjbVZFW0LRFFO5yLV1dDciz63qS4WgOm7DgrMxIMJKCpQlkZE/s1600/2018-04-29_16-56-11_974.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX8S69N_BgvlhoYDMIPHSydl6XVp8njxfVhs-QqaD8fyKdN-0ZGXRqDBYR1MCJOgU0TETz15VzuBGwgKHFNI8dLaJ7OhjbVZFW0LRFFO5yLV1dDciz63qS4WgOm7DgrMxIMJKCpQlkZE/s640/2018-04-29_16-56-11_974.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Our ghetto brooder box. I didn't see the point of buying a expensive box that the chicks would only be spending a short time in. I did upgrade to a larger bin later when the chicks got bigger. I will use that bigger bin from now on. The bin worked wonderful. Only problem I had was when they started to climb and test their wings. I put a wire bin on top of this bin and then used a baby gate on top of the larger bin. Worked very well, until one little accident involving the chick brooder, Abby and a window. You will see all that in another post.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju599B7de_G8LMJ-3_MtKSXmR2mC8KbM9P6e5MFHGymCo9WayQR_2dbjhBWYUIrA3eq_l3GWtIFsGJZ037WnL0ixiMsiMBjA9NIFGZRPPhqfVz5jiP83f4qW3niulZCO_cXpxwStdm4Yk/s1600/2018-05-16_18-58-45_393.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju599B7de_G8LMJ-3_MtKSXmR2mC8KbM9P6e5MFHGymCo9WayQR_2dbjhBWYUIrA3eq_l3GWtIFsGJZ037WnL0ixiMsiMBjA9NIFGZRPPhqfVz5jiP83f4qW3niulZCO_cXpxwStdm4Yk/s640/2018-05-16_18-58-45_393.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
One of the littles as I called them. This one is the smallest (and still is) so we named her Little, as in Chicken Little.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IZ8XGIFWhGnZd7EYM9dxXii0YB8mn52pmuJ668uUZSwPPPqwGolODX1YwvsFVGg4NI_KZ3cISa7qiVtsB-3jNKsUXvycsWVA9E3Je4ecDTs3i_FzrFnRItjdvtY2nqkrpXHW1UwQEZs/s1600/2018-05-16_18-59-49_061.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IZ8XGIFWhGnZd7EYM9dxXii0YB8mn52pmuJ668uUZSwPPPqwGolODX1YwvsFVGg4NI_KZ3cISa7qiVtsB-3jNKsUXvycsWVA9E3Je4ecDTs3i_FzrFnRItjdvtY2nqkrpXHW1UwQEZs/s320/2018-05-16_18-59-49_061.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
A little baby roo. Not sure who this one turned into though. Hard to tell before all their grown up feathers come in. Our alpha roo, Harry (named after my dad who passed away a little over a year ago), is covered mostly white feathers now.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxmxJJvpzfQzpgn63cRs9ovxL4dG4VUizZktUWQ5vvMYdMn0EWDSc1XzrKjxyXKJWwDoAqrVhEVhieeLrdmiw2P-bWYA3DnVs1_9KngWUL1ARYqNe_RPnuXzONn2ppTcJgB2xZFxY6jM/s1600/2018-06-08_18-45-07_146.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxmxJJvpzfQzpgn63cRs9ovxL4dG4VUizZktUWQ5vvMYdMn0EWDSc1XzrKjxyXKJWwDoAqrVhEVhieeLrdmiw2P-bWYA3DnVs1_9KngWUL1ARYqNe_RPnuXzONn2ppTcJgB2xZFxY6jM/s640/2018-06-08_18-45-07_146.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
At this point, they are all outside. Taking a nice dirt bath here. You can see the Silver Spangled feather coloring good here.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ20ccs66jy3g9YCla5O_0pbC0pwli3vhIOkZq0SpTSMm0HkuHwZ_YSyNlVfOsOfVFoF20Ucbw9XO6n3_ok2ga2CjkHEwFw8CRfORtixE-L81tnCZQnVT3GXM6CPBx3WDCHuOEwSJPzyU/s1600/2018-07-06_20-39-20_020.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ20ccs66jy3g9YCla5O_0pbC0pwli3vhIOkZq0SpTSMm0HkuHwZ_YSyNlVfOsOfVFoF20Ucbw9XO6n3_ok2ga2CjkHEwFw8CRfORtixE-L81tnCZQnVT3GXM6CPBx3WDCHuOEwSJPzyU/s640/2018-07-06_20-39-20_020.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Our two hens and one of the roos. You can see the Silkie poof on the hens. Because they are a cross, their poofs didn't get as big as a full Silkie.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlrKawbnMaGGjk9wMnP5N4ayt0mphwzZWKcI01o0vBrK-pRMChSVkHn7fRl2YhPjGKkx-zBBZC1mOH-tExy-unPqr-3k_gAagk3nHVTyyDUKjnqwu3SyF_B2vUY4glLO4m5sIQQgj8Vc/s1600/2018-08-26_14-54-35_009.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlrKawbnMaGGjk9wMnP5N4ayt0mphwzZWKcI01o0vBrK-pRMChSVkHn7fRl2YhPjGKkx-zBBZC1mOH-tExy-unPqr-3k_gAagk3nHVTyyDUKjnqwu3SyF_B2vUY4glLO4m5sIQQgj8Vc/s640/2018-08-26_14-54-35_009.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
More dirt baths. At this point they are fully feathered out and full grown. Harry our alpha roo is in the front.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0d3v2A35EXMo5l-vo-97ykPb1LvZlKrqc4DT0ZROzWRBSqHJ_DkBMnpwugdIh4z-uzOZf_WzqYrSZEolZkqs1b3BLdmbqQKYgZttYjcyeZ5zRsaMRhxYbM073nKuBtaJaWK88bR7oB2M/s1600/2018-08-27_13-24-31_236.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0d3v2A35EXMo5l-vo-97ykPb1LvZlKrqc4DT0ZROzWRBSqHJ_DkBMnpwugdIh4z-uzOZf_WzqYrSZEolZkqs1b3BLdmbqQKYgZttYjcyeZ5zRsaMRhxYbM073nKuBtaJaWK88bR7oB2M/s640/2018-08-27_13-24-31_236.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Woot! Laying for the first time! Notice our ghetto bucket nesting box. Works really great for the little hens. Hoping they will work well for our newer bigger girls.<br />
<br />
We ended up re-homing one of our roos. Having three was a bit much. They two we have left are great.<br />
<br />
We, as in me, named this bath of chickens, Harry, Chickaletta (the other roo named after the chicken on PAW Patrol), Little and Henny Penny.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8cCp1s4EyC0nG8XxywKC-PAFkR9j49zvqip5xm99J9CBb5t6m9hyphenhyphen3hD3iv8P56xBUWNEa0PSYSNQFY2PE1uTL63XC5qiLqAvJ-QSboEfPiTC1R6wV1RAK_UcfHYDGbrTL05K650LKPo/s1600/2018-12-14_09-15-23_417.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8cCp1s4EyC0nG8XxywKC-PAFkR9j49zvqip5xm99J9CBb5t6m9hyphenhyphen3hD3iv8P56xBUWNEa0PSYSNQFY2PE1uTL63XC5qiLqAvJ-QSboEfPiTC1R6wV1RAK_UcfHYDGbrTL05K650LKPo/s640/2018-12-14_09-15-23_417.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
All the chickens follow me around everywhere! I was trying to get into my car and the four amigos (as we started to call the first bunch we got) decided they wanted to come to the store too. Sorry guys, I'm not one of those crazy chicken ladies who push their chickens in a stroller. Not yet anyway. You can see two of the second bunch of girls we got in the picture too.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-17838798106236831082018-05-15T13:54:00.002-04:002018-05-15T13:54:55.830-04:00Clearing the land.....Part 2It is nice to have a brother in law that has access to machinery. He borrowed a small excavator from his boss to help clear the back "jungle".<br />
<br />
This is what it looked like before we started in the back:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIrAz1K5gO75yJrH7Ht7tbMIuocs9_dnLH6T9qYuxqqLXoT3SdGhOZE0OJc1L9RHm4QVKaoMQlWLb1jsdxD4Y2UWU0OzM0JDc4VGV67zGT_xw1233DQwGiYIRNiUr3z15f_GCYeFu_rY/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIrAz1K5gO75yJrH7Ht7tbMIuocs9_dnLH6T9qYuxqqLXoT3SdGhOZE0OJc1L9RHm4QVKaoMQlWLb1jsdxD4Y2UWU0OzM0JDc4VGV67zGT_xw1233DQwGiYIRNiUr3z15f_GCYeFu_rY/s640/IMG_1396.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjf0sulTyqNxxitFo2ZHG2IwRwaeA09KIf3jFpr4TJDrhtZqXLYYt9x9UpwFCnsW38lgpo4Rk9tmDUBGFXZ9K_taFCfHBnvRiHwX_3UXPAVS8xO0p0RUaIyBh85rV1WwKZyaKvyrB790g/s1600/IMG_1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjf0sulTyqNxxitFo2ZHG2IwRwaeA09KIf3jFpr4TJDrhtZqXLYYt9x9UpwFCnsW38lgpo4Rk9tmDUBGFXZ9K_taFCfHBnvRiHwX_3UXPAVS8xO0p0RUaIyBh85rV1WwKZyaKvyrB790g/s640/IMG_1397.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I was standing on the back deck. All sorts of vines and trees that had fallen during a wind storm in January. All this came right up to the house. There was maybe a two foot space, but that was slowly being taken over.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mntLw5UdCfoyhroZyyCmJQkaAB1qTxSMJ5wk-K9gqToKOBMZPYolqFPL_2u5VdY1PKY9aaKdFnBr7Y2pMI6ZmKj3Gh7CBdOZNrfPiF82t09KXZ1N3jywaek9TpJxTxwv4CHExE8HEAg/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mntLw5UdCfoyhroZyyCmJQkaAB1qTxSMJ5wk-K9gqToKOBMZPYolqFPL_2u5VdY1PKY9aaKdFnBr7Y2pMI6ZmKj3Gh7CBdOZNrfPiF82t09KXZ1N3jywaek9TpJxTxwv4CHExE8HEAg/s640/IMG_1400.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Another view of the over grown backyard jungle. Hidden in all this mess is three or so large dog crates, what looks like a chicken coop and other random crap. Our neighbor told us that the people who were here before had a puppy mill going on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX7m6lC260wehZTkKglDrA4sW-qCCtN7k668IQfVzWEc68HpGbTo3WWswE6w5royKyR7IH92J7Ly6ss1Nq01AYnY2JVeDLuYdSfZsxD-m2V_u6mgdYnAnYBuMVa_G4CXe3CMDr4hB2pQ/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX7m6lC260wehZTkKglDrA4sW-qCCtN7k668IQfVzWEc68HpGbTo3WWswE6w5royKyR7IH92J7Ly6ss1Nq01AYnY2JVeDLuYdSfZsxD-m2V_u6mgdYnAnYBuMVa_G4CXe3CMDr4hB2pQ/s640/IMG_1402.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Backside view. Our house is to the left in the picture. So many thorny vines and forsythia. I hate forsythia. It takes over if you don't take care of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CDAmlhFLPD4DqAprRr0kE7PwN2OKBqygPAAXC3X7VU4qiz8gMIGfCI-AkwHWJeBJqG9-SY2n1bHQfCa8gjFFq_FJjbe9XLMVmYilDIBPljqGw7thXR6Eri1fEMZLtyQrQsDUyHielHs/s1600/IMG_1429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CDAmlhFLPD4DqAprRr0kE7PwN2OKBqygPAAXC3X7VU4qiz8gMIGfCI-AkwHWJeBJqG9-SY2n1bHQfCa8gjFFq_FJjbe9XLMVmYilDIBPljqGw7thXR6Eri1fEMZLtyQrQsDUyHielHs/s640/IMG_1429.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Let the games begin! Brother in law was scraping away all the vines and other jungle stuff. Hubby was cutting up the tree that fell down so his brother could move it with the excavator.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIzcTTd5cK2sgb88Y6C2fNE7WsXXmFpwdzWF__ThYIg2CddSKdBanVwPXnmj8BUWhiG08Zf5xI2PFvZUXILAU7kPRRWKPhcp79i68lfFFbWuncXE_5UGpEENIUOshVDwm8Om9Tv5ufVM/s1600/IMG_1431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIzcTTd5cK2sgb88Y6C2fNE7WsXXmFpwdzWF__ThYIg2CddSKdBanVwPXnmj8BUWhiG08Zf5xI2PFvZUXILAU7kPRRWKPhcp79i68lfFFbWuncXE_5UGpEENIUOshVDwm8Om9Tv5ufVM/s640/IMG_1431.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This was the spot that we were thinking the access door to the septic tank was at. He had to dig it out. The darn thing had not been emptied in almost 10 years! We called a septic company to come the next day and take care of it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvXZjvyCy76SLWlpRNVmX3ThZIdjQhvRnM-GWBKCqjKkAkoqL9VHvSKDyL2-cV-N5iOVACeOxSwOYe0DK5bQq04qBawAHgfJoqq6Jci8Y8iuO99WRPgRwNchdEfRpSdrZZqLdui6WLtI/s1600/IMG_1432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvXZjvyCy76SLWlpRNVmX3ThZIdjQhvRnM-GWBKCqjKkAkoqL9VHvSKDyL2-cV-N5iOVACeOxSwOYe0DK5bQq04qBawAHgfJoqq6Jci8Y8iuO99WRPgRwNchdEfRpSdrZZqLdui6WLtI/s640/IMG_1432.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The hubby spent the day cutting down trees and cutting them up into manageable pieces. We gave the wood to a friend of ours. Nothing went to waste. All the brush and vines and crap we brought to our neighbor across the street. He has a huge fire every Friday night, so he was okay with us adding to it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YYwbS4AD6Pre087qfAnnMaRQGLw26yimDOUZAaQBbEuXBdNlGBlxKGJ5smYGII7w98Jl11r73-5XgFT04cV2ypZ_fZjUl1A2k1dum61Fm6eZpgMdXHDxsTAFmOxcaWRZwCJQTbmFxck/s1600/IMG_1435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YYwbS4AD6Pre087qfAnnMaRQGLw26yimDOUZAaQBbEuXBdNlGBlxKGJ5smYGII7w98Jl11r73-5XgFT04cV2ypZ_fZjUl1A2k1dum61Fm6eZpgMdXHDxsTAFmOxcaWRZwCJQTbmFxck/s640/IMG_1435.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It's getting there! The trees to the right are covered in poison ivy vines. A neighbor down the street said he will cut them down for us in exchange for the wood. He has beef cows, so I asked him for some manure as well. Works for me. He gets wood to sell and I get poop to make the bad soil here better.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhwBJaDHEP8BX3juHZa2FiemAl0GPmX3ikFtmHEumzjZJIJJs_P33wYxjCwC4SDxqmnCEBXvep2CLW8Gy_BQJvOWBQdh4u42WKRT4TAdFFQNEFd8twFDTYvNiR1k8lYSxg_MSemCkHo0/s1600/IMG_1439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhwBJaDHEP8BX3juHZa2FiemAl0GPmX3ikFtmHEumzjZJIJJs_P33wYxjCwC4SDxqmnCEBXvep2CLW8Gy_BQJvOWBQdh4u42WKRT4TAdFFQNEFd8twFDTYvNiR1k8lYSxg_MSemCkHo0/s640/IMG_1439.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This was 8 hours of work. We still had little saplings and vines to remove, but the big stuff was gone. Well, in that huge pile in the upper middle of the picture. Look, you can even see the septic door too! So sad when that has me excited.<br />
<br />
We have so much more work to do. Removing all this jungle revealed a ton of broken glass, beer cans and shotgun shells. Our neighbor said that the people before us would sit out back drinking beer and when they finished, they would toss the bottle in the air and shoot it. Now we have the joy of cleaning up after them.<br />
<br />
It's funny seeing everything getting green now. I figured that nothing would grow where we cleared, but we have a bunch of wild violets and strawberries growing there. The plan is to make this cleared spot (and more of what we didn't get to) our garden. It won't be this year, so hoping it will be next year. I miss playing in and planning my garden.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-51306874507588415832018-05-03T12:21:00.000-04:002018-05-15T13:55:12.629-04:00Clearing the land...Part 1We bought our new place at the end of February. We had a bunch of snow on the ground, so we really couldn't do much of anything. Although, Mother Nature was in a odd mood one day and it was in the 70's. That's when we started clearing the land in the front of the house.<br />
<br />
This is what it looked like before we started the front of the house:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaTmgeyGYSR_dvkdjbBpohxnUPIsiFXzp12HXqQhwKlIIvinCjlInRfqHvblrFx0mqjTGcZODfG-Slsdr1ytabtZdglkgfTUeiZM7kzK6Lj_EmISCO7ZjQKC4FrcmQH7BZ6Y_PEfsTp0/s1600/IMG_1399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaTmgeyGYSR_dvkdjbBpohxnUPIsiFXzp12HXqQhwKlIIvinCjlInRfqHvblrFx0mqjTGcZODfG-Slsdr1ytabtZdglkgfTUeiZM7kzK6Lj_EmISCO7ZjQKC4FrcmQH7BZ6Y_PEfsTp0/s640/IMG_1399.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This is the tree line behind our rock wall, which needs to be fixed as well. If you look close, you can see little saplings between all the big trees. I didn't want them there.<br />
<br />
There was also lots of thorny vines and poison ivy on one tree. I found out the hard way that poison ivy is still active even if it is dead or dormant. I had it on my pant line and my lower back. I had forgotten to take my gloves off and I pulled my pants up. Yup, that sucked!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYziQvLQULn6ceVHE0rR2AKfIJ0s0ZreCsrtmqvnxcLo2OMsvuLohzBeTi8KxoE_q64Zkt98Tapy8D-8YQ-bAci_gtQBfxpttnAgaI35FC83_hqhvaifl-3d0oaMzH4vEMJ7nH-bqWL8/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYziQvLQULn6ceVHE0rR2AKfIJ0s0ZreCsrtmqvnxcLo2OMsvuLohzBeTi8KxoE_q64Zkt98Tapy8D-8YQ-bAci_gtQBfxpttnAgaI35FC83_hqhvaifl-3d0oaMzH4vEMJ7nH-bqWL8/s640/IMG_1401.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This is the end of the tree line, near our nice neighbors. You can see an apple tree right in the middle. The hubby was trimming this tree over the summer, fell and broke his knee. He was out of work for like 4 months during the busy time, so paying bills sucked.<br />
<br />
Oh, we are friends with one of the sisters that was selling our place. Matt was mowing the lawn for them and Steve was asked to help trim up some trees.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sreT39v4GOUu3l1r0xa3H-r__NSC2-Liqb-bscVQ020W1NQ1VN9rNhdxFKXPRjrct-1fL6pnjEcW0C2jDTKhYoit6edhpfZvPMvnujTLHCM5GJbx5fFAdnH817RGS9Y6sslX76zDQjI/s1600/IMG_1403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sreT39v4GOUu3l1r0xa3H-r__NSC2-Liqb-bscVQ020W1NQ1VN9rNhdxFKXPRjrct-1fL6pnjEcW0C2jDTKhYoit6edhpfZvPMvnujTLHCM5GJbx5fFAdnH817RGS9Y6sslX76zDQjI/s640/IMG_1403.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This tree fell down during a wind storm before we bought the place. Thank the Lord, it didn't hit the house! It landed in that pine tree and a lilac bush. It was our neighbors tree, so he felt really bad. It took out the phone line, but honestly, who uses landlines? We may be out in the country, but we only have cell phones.<br />
<br />
Now that you see all the work that we had to do, here is what it looked like during the clearing:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVeurs4O6q7hkRMW50l5mJm4XNUMc1LpodNHbbKRNSXu1ekUDk1UUe8s5NSvJjMGgwAmHEx-EOvFl_8jO1CKMJXY0Z5BQkJrWfPe5QjAvPHl483mf6cL6S8Nnp8T_g0-rd_Ycsre2bRA/s1600/IMG_1398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVeurs4O6q7hkRMW50l5mJm4XNUMc1LpodNHbbKRNSXu1ekUDk1UUe8s5NSvJjMGgwAmHEx-EOvFl_8jO1CKMJXY0Z5BQkJrWfPe5QjAvPHl483mf6cL6S8Nnp8T_g0-rd_Ycsre2bRA/s640/IMG_1398.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Steve got a new Stihl chain saw, so before the hard tree removal, he decided to cur down a maple that was leaning over the driveway. I hated to see a maple getting cut, but we have a bunch more.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqx57yYBRiNqVtIeSNpKSXsbyFvrN-lnWb49Mj3BdUWH10vEWNPHJ_r6Pp32jq4JcfniUYycpI3iqQ6PRg1o5CYCFKOjRtdcwAEXIhN1eQWtwqHdwDaqXrM6LreeXUpSafD75APHMdFs/s1600/IMG_1406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqx57yYBRiNqVtIeSNpKSXsbyFvrN-lnWb49Mj3BdUWH10vEWNPHJ_r6Pp32jq4JcfniUYycpI3iqQ6PRg1o5CYCFKOjRtdcwAEXIhN1eQWtwqHdwDaqXrM6LreeXUpSafD75APHMdFs/s640/IMG_1406.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Steve got his revenge with the apple tree. It was in a bad spot in the yard, so it had to go. We have two or three very overgrown apple trees out back. We are thinking of planting Mac and Cortland trees anyway. We aren't sure what the tree are out back either. I did save most of the logs from this tree. I want to use the wood in my smoker. Yum, apple wood smoked meat!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RTvW15fNXIzhpCdM7v6zJZBJZRt5K5x38W7kCsRL8QM8BUhVdcKIrRfsQgnXclQmtTQdY12AyxfVuHQZ7OZ0r-wQQ_04ZayEMgoVmSBa052Ykd9dRQIupFzKTWuw9e4G804sd4zF1Ao/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RTvW15fNXIzhpCdM7v6zJZBJZRt5K5x38W7kCsRL8QM8BUhVdcKIrRfsQgnXclQmtTQdY12AyxfVuHQZ7OZ0r-wQQ_04ZayEMgoVmSBa052Ykd9dRQIupFzKTWuw9e4G804sd4zF1Ao/s640/IMG_1405.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Matt cleaning up the mess from the apple tree coming down, It landed on one of the benches for our picnic table, so that broke. He thought it was funny watching Steve take this thing down.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNThQWSYka7R-kjwlw5O3_Ln3r4_yamjbl6BH65774iyCGKKKS5xLgQRDdieOOvFWDCSXnsEQv5pKJxHvoAjvw6ZaoDc1viOgutbH7Boflk-PD4_JUa9G2h4W_Xcj3Uh_XzRd3Vh6lxs/s1600/IMG_1407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNThQWSYka7R-kjwlw5O3_Ln3r4_yamjbl6BH65774iyCGKKKS5xLgQRDdieOOvFWDCSXnsEQv5pKJxHvoAjvw6ZaoDc1viOgutbH7Boflk-PD4_JUa9G2h4W_Xcj3Uh_XzRd3Vh6lxs/s640/IMG_1407.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This is the tree that fell being cut up. You can see the pole that our electric meter is attached to. The tree also took down the cable line, but the cable guy just put up a new one instead. You can see the phone line that stretched across.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxLm2eQIslWx-zqXzlJ2tuaKadpKOeid1TSd1VGzYCgJ2duC8TLHEIPC9Jm1rnDIU7yqudjknLSs_XuFYfYJtBmaDgCbb50FZbDGfDXaRfifjC-Aayg9xelKYs7hXVc54gyKuogBp05A/s1600/IMG_1408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxLm2eQIslWx-zqXzlJ2tuaKadpKOeid1TSd1VGzYCgJ2duC8TLHEIPC9Jm1rnDIU7yqudjknLSs_XuFYfYJtBmaDgCbb50FZbDGfDXaRfifjC-Aayg9xelKYs7hXVc54gyKuogBp05A/s640/IMG_1408.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Still cutting up the tree. We gave all this wood to a friend of ours, who happened to be our realtor. She will use it next year to heat her house. Nothing went to waste while cleaning up this yard.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfvh7VU1-CN8OpXfFT1C4WuqGEdWuOsjIR3dR_aS2IuQEeyAS5L2RNskN0RY6ZJEgyarAX5G_qUydtTL4Am8vIKSo7dti5_dxlJczBUNaHoVUIbsMYt3lQzbS8P7C70F7LelmopYU7xw/s1600/IMG_1409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfvh7VU1-CN8OpXfFT1C4WuqGEdWuOsjIR3dR_aS2IuQEeyAS5L2RNskN0RY6ZJEgyarAX5G_qUydtTL4Am8vIKSo7dti5_dxlJczBUNaHoVUIbsMYt3lQzbS8P7C70F7LelmopYU7xw/s640/IMG_1409.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here is part of the front tree line cleared of little saplings and vines. I will be raking up all the leaves and put them into a compost pile. Lots of them are starting to break down big time. The dirt under the leaves is very nice dark dirt. The rest of the yard is sandy, ugly brown soil.<br />
<br />
Next post will be the before of the back yard. Lots of changes happened there.HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-50492149620598000192018-02-24T13:10:00.001-05:002018-05-15T13:55:35.618-04:00Let the adventure begin!This summer, the hubby and I started a new chapter in our life. For the past 8 years, we have lived and homesteaded in a mobile home park. We had a decent sized plot where we had a good sized garden. But we wanted more. We decided to look for a property with land and move.
I didn't want to move. Mostly because we have so much crap and it would be up to me to pack it all. Our house went up for sale in September and we finally passed papers on it the beginning of February this year. Lots of issues with both the title on our place (which of course were never caught when we bought it and were never caught when the person we bought it from bought it) and title issues with the place we did move to. All issues have been taken care of and we finally passed papers yesterday! We were able to move into the place we are buying and rent it till we pass papers, which is awesome!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqK8nDJBSclVSuJ5vliTuUKEO4_a16L5bJd2UsD6VJM4lW1ukyxG3eXaDUoz9P4k282oMkMXmBrxW1FG4VBQ8RP9p6cr0rd4iCyfLF_HzmUKDrC8L4ecW70fVXuqbW6yjML4GkycLfvs/s1600/2018-02-21_18-58-40_495.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqK8nDJBSclVSuJ5vliTuUKEO4_a16L5bJd2UsD6VJM4lW1ukyxG3eXaDUoz9P4k282oMkMXmBrxW1FG4VBQ8RP9p6cr0rd4iCyfLF_HzmUKDrC8L4ecW70fVXuqbW6yjML4GkycLfvs/s400/2018-02-21_18-58-40_495.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
We moved 10 minutes away from where we were in a smaller town than we were in before. It has the same zipcode as the town we moved from, so that makes it easy to remember. Plus Matt is able to stay in the same school system. He is still homeschooled, he just attends a local tech school to learn welding and auto mechanics. We are still in a mobile home, but that's okay. We moved here for the land and the opportunities is has.
We now have 5 acres of very overgrown land. Good thing we have family who are just as itchy to clear it out as we are. The hubby's older brother is coming over with a machine with start scraping and clearing a bunch of stuff. It's in fact where everyone has told me to put my garden. I can't wait to get started. Well, I get to watch. I hardly doubt the brother in law will let me try the excavator. These pictures are of where my garden will be. Lots of overgrown trees, vines and whatnot.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYK4IOsjJiFTcQWw-9TgHEGGeZ9fGjJiZz4QFVdDAonz2FMW5Q_M77YPV-F3j2egcPLurlkgMpC7ip9cWMUBUtirROMxn2GDLD3gyrR49cj2R1GjU_cpRJua2Jxc5SCbPIr7NpFbeClk/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYK4IOsjJiFTcQWw-9TgHEGGeZ9fGjJiZz4QFVdDAonz2FMW5Q_M77YPV-F3j2egcPLurlkgMpC7ip9cWMUBUtirROMxn2GDLD3gyrR49cj2R1GjU_cpRJua2Jxc5SCbPIr7NpFbeClk/s400/IMG_1396.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9SDneObAFjFdlOYp_T73yMzNbr4LYzR57FW-pJFr06o0mXIvjBCX9IyDQd4d-Il9GTW6YJ-b0X-B-hdvylULuYlSckRn3hdNXSj1Aq5FZRE8x0eUmKzQLVU0wNl6gybo26zDB3ofOnk/s1600/IMG_1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9SDneObAFjFdlOYp_T73yMzNbr4LYzR57FW-pJFr06o0mXIvjBCX9IyDQd4d-Il9GTW6YJ-b0X-B-hdvylULuYlSckRn3hdNXSj1Aq5FZRE8x0eUmKzQLVU0wNl6gybo26zDB3ofOnk/s400/IMG_1397.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
There is a ton of deer sign every where. The hubby's younger brother already has a deer stand and some trail cams out. It will be nice to have the hubby just walk out to our own yard to hunt. We also have a ton of wild turkey (I almost hit them the other day driving down my street). According to one of our new neighbors, there are also moose, coyote and a big cat. The moose will be nice to see, but the coyote and big cat freak me out. I plan on having chickens and goats. I will just have to be a little proactive to protect them from the predators.
Let the fun start!
HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-25037686300285599282016-12-29T23:11:00.000-05:002017-05-26T21:19:15.931-04:00A little update on our year<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/18913737/?claim=83kxtbunb27">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
This past year has been a very busy time for my family. So, of course, my blog got left behind. My plan is to start up blogging again, move my blog and rename it.<br />
<br />
One of my most exciting moments this year was when my first grand baby was born. He is 7 months old right now and starting to be a handful. I watch him often for my daughter so she can work. I don't ever remember my kids wearing me out like he does. When he takes his naps, I take one with him. He sleeps for 2 hours during one nap and an hour or so during the other two for me. I take advantage of the others to do the dishes or laundry or just picking up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXRCN1by2Y-BWtM2BK2df34ye67emVkIHDEXYhPeX_FgeDwtqgDKVOrcyr8TJQ91oz0SqACEgjg6XIgl9JTso3AHI-N1yQNga79PBw5dxRaJKdTlR-3b7qkuNrU2qys_6ZMlTaA9NAfs/s1600/Jaxson+3.5+months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXRCN1by2Y-BWtM2BK2df34ye67emVkIHDEXYhPeX_FgeDwtqgDKVOrcyr8TJQ91oz0SqACEgjg6XIgl9JTso3AHI-N1yQNga79PBw5dxRaJKdTlR-3b7qkuNrU2qys_6ZMlTaA9NAfs/s400/Jaxson+3.5+months.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jax was 3 1/2 months here</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWbsUi9NjVKTRAz8Ldh-IpvkcRB8rFDNA05rXNtae9yqPjBV5F5fZl2aORgFdnAAJiFl4iEoz3mR-AkcyxhS_w1tieoII1o5hY_iLQPJ37xHqNZvjVMOd_v628BO9GJPKpI-ECCqi_5k/s1600/Christmas+Eve+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWbsUi9NjVKTRAz8Ldh-IpvkcRB8rFDNA05rXNtae9yqPjBV5F5fZl2aORgFdnAAJiFl4iEoz3mR-AkcyxhS_w1tieoII1o5hY_iLQPJ37xHqNZvjVMOd_v628BO9GJPKpI-ECCqi_5k/s400/Christmas+Eve+2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Christmas Eve 2016</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
He was licking his moms dirty feet LOL</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The garden went nuts like usual. I lost most of my strawberry plants over the winter from some rodent enjoying the whole plant for dinner. We grew some beautiful popcorn. I had 18 tomato plants which turned into 22 gallon bags of chopped tomatoes. I am slowly turning them into sauce.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg3kHZJ_XER2JiulGrHZUv55IW_CCwiExmxCM5VaG88OZH6_bOT1ejynzuTbhVdfwPkGMNr0LPOl-s0X-ojd21bBrxceNKvKZPbcr2QzTnRGZt0uUh8uOyCR7UHm58d1SvcgGQXdZ5WA/s1600/Popcorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg3kHZJ_XER2JiulGrHZUv55IW_CCwiExmxCM5VaG88OZH6_bOT1ejynzuTbhVdfwPkGMNr0LPOl-s0X-ojd21bBrxceNKvKZPbcr2QzTnRGZt0uUh8uOyCR7UHm58d1SvcgGQXdZ5WA/s400/Popcorn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Isn't the popcorn beautiful! It's called Glass Gem.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I've been crocheting up a ton. Working on baby items, stockings for people and fur babies, ornaments, popcorn garland, tree skirt, and blankets. My favorite blanket is my <a href="http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/sophies-universe-cal-2015/sophies-universe-cal-2015-information/" target="_blank">Sophie's Universe</a>. I stopped it in June because the weather got too hot. The blanket it huge and still going to get bigger. It is also very heavy. Perfect blanket for our bed in the winter time.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9Ip3TvSfvNDE6d286xHj0vWHNJH5Fe3w41F2SDv15GCiYh1vtRrVcE9dQ07m2Bgr3Mzw2U-puN3JE5Hkb-hEF1jlru9IzOTCi8DloPYkigTNKpCkhBYyX92y54Oat6o64KcnZetwHTM/s1600/Part+9+of+Sophie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9Ip3TvSfvNDE6d286xHj0vWHNJH5Fe3w41F2SDv15GCiYh1vtRrVcE9dQ07m2Bgr3Mzw2U-puN3JE5Hkb-hEF1jlru9IzOTCi8DloPYkigTNKpCkhBYyX92y54Oat6o64KcnZetwHTM/s400/Part+9+of+Sophie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This was taken on my garden fence after I finished part 9.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I've been working on my Usborne Books & More business a bit more since September of this year. I have been a consultant for 1 1/2 years, but have been focusing on it more recently. You can check out my shop here: <a href="https://g4964.myubam.com/" target="_blank">Usborne Books & More</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I have just recently became a Thirty One Gifts consultant after my husband said I should become one. I love that it is a faith based company. You can check out my shop here: <a href="https://www.mythirtyone.com/1889444" target="_blank">Thirty-One Gifts</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
My health has been pretty good. My RA is under control for the most part. My blood work is great. My fibromyalgia pain on the other hand has been bad. Getting that pain under control is a work in progress. I am on two different medications for pain right now. One of them can still be raised to a higher dose should I need it, which I will probably ask for at my next appointment.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Well, that has been the highlights of my year. I hope next year brings me much more fun as this year has.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-3773539508086411572016-02-22T19:33:00.000-05:002016-02-22T19:33:48.743-05:00It's that time of year again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqxIgF8hxd0ixcgExzEeTMOFu72G7KIpxvEN4Z-t_MtCkZU12YCK455-2O9WcgDARS9ehJdLkBsNaEF0zNb2geXw2pnFfDKCRpPARoitLyz7jQdeS52myQlvznTee9rzMwGqg8zqbURs/s1600/Abby+Seeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqxIgF8hxd0ixcgExzEeTMOFu72G7KIpxvEN4Z-t_MtCkZU12YCK455-2O9WcgDARS9ehJdLkBsNaEF0zNb2geXw2pnFfDKCRpPARoitLyz7jQdeS52myQlvznTee9rzMwGqg8zqbURs/s400/Abby+Seeds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It's that time of year when I order any seeds and plants I need for the next year. Abby just had to help me while I was going through all the seeds I have.<br />
<br />
<br />
Like I have the past few years, I will be ordering the Super Sauce Tomato plants from Burpee. I ordered 12 plants last year and am thinking of getting 18 plants this year. I'm going to get my green pepper plants at a local farm this year however.<br />
<br />
<br />
I believe the only seeds I need this year are herbs. I need more Oregano and Spearmint. For some reason my Spearmint never survives through the winter. That's okay, seeds are cheap.<br />
<br />
<br />
I already bought some more Butter Bush Squash seeds. Hubby loves butternut squash and this seed makes the perfect sized plant for small spaces. I've had good luck with it the past few years.<br />
<br />
<br />
I also went through my garden journal binder and printed up some new pages and took out all of last years notes. I still keep the past years notes just in case I need to look up something like the weather patterns or germination and harvest yields.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now I just need the garden to thaw out and the temperatures go up a little more.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-60005532592384373512016-01-04T19:59:00.000-05:002016-01-04T19:59:25.494-05:00Looking back at 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdBAPvrAsoKP2N-3gg41CUUVlcos7l_ycXkZhE30modQDjKZl2vrC8tbhbDsJldtwDjg7btRdRksSEl4KE_SyEWauXKuQxo4AwBp9X0qD22Ozc6WF98vhqzIk5SO1mivriJWsF71vmbA/s1600/2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdBAPvrAsoKP2N-3gg41CUUVlcos7l_ycXkZhE30modQDjKZl2vrC8tbhbDsJldtwDjg7btRdRksSEl4KE_SyEWauXKuQxo4AwBp9X0qD22Ozc6WF98vhqzIk5SO1mivriJWsF71vmbA/s400/2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
As I was looking back on posts from 2015, it made me remember how much of a crazy trying year we had. Between issues with tons of weeds in the garden, having a hard time homeschooling and trying to keep on top of the harvests and preserving, it is a year we will learn from.<br />
<br />
<br />
We didn't get to do anything on our homesteading to do list last year, so that list is still on for this year. We need to add a new furnace to the list now though. Ours is not running correctly, even though we had it looked at already. We were told that the furnace will last for a few more years. At this rate, we might as well just buy a new mobile home because it will knock out a few things on our list at once. We would just have to deal with a mortgage then. Something we haven't had in over 6 years. I like not having a mortgage and owning our home out right.<br />
<br />
<br />
We have been talking about ways to help prevent so many weeds. I want to lay down some plastic mulch, red for the tomatoes and peppers and black for the rest of the garden. This is after we till up the garden in the early spring. I want to make sure all the big bits and as many small bits of the weeds and what not are not left in the garden.<br />
<br />
<br />
We are now unschooling Matt. So much less pressure to do things he does not like or doesn't really need to do. I just have a requirement of math and reading. He wants to go to our local tech high school for welding and auto mechanics, so he needs to finish algebra and start geometry in order to meet the prerequisites for welding. He spends his days watching videos, reading online and playing this "game" online where he builds a vehicle from scratch. Every little thing going into the vehicle is made. He has learned so much about engine building from this "game". He has still been fixing up lawn mowers and weed whackers to learn more hands on stuff.<br />
<br />
We are still part of our homeschool co-op, so we still have to deal with him there. High school age kids do not have a choice of class to pick from like the younger kids do. He has to take English comp and he hates it. He hates to write. Although, he did pick a topic he is passionate about for a thesis paper for the class. It's about how the Toyota Prius is not an eco friendly car, all because of the battery.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now that the seed catalogs are slowly trickling in, it is time to start to plan this years garden. I love this time of year! Just hate the cold hehe.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-25169373432304765442015-12-24T19:06:00.000-05:002015-12-24T19:17:08.431-05:00Merry ChristmasHope you all have a very Merry Christmas!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span id="goog_36355818"></span><span id="goog_36355819"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SE1BVurtkcM/VnyK0-MSjvI/AAAAAAAADE8/1NFnEEcqe4c/s1600/Christmas%2BTree%2B2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SE1BVurtkcM/VnyK0-MSjvI/AAAAAAAADE8/1NFnEEcqe4c/s400/Christmas%2BTree%2B2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
From our family to yours!HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-20275128627425936642015-10-16T20:06:00.001-04:002015-12-24T19:25:09.334-05:00Homeschooling is tougher this year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEWONxbwx3Oe9tos0-MzWlZRwa4UlpyxfD7MM35p5z0EicgIKq4_e2wLJyIBn3L5S1H0d87gQ21l28wP2mxDUlyRkjiBwrMst17vXIHrhOvrB6rhTz0ZAtSjKHMzJfE-yJFWQpAQUODw/s1600/IMG_0643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEWONxbwx3Oe9tos0-MzWlZRwa4UlpyxfD7MM35p5z0EicgIKq4_e2wLJyIBn3L5S1H0d87gQ21l28wP2mxDUlyRkjiBwrMst17vXIHrhOvrB6rhTz0ZAtSjKHMzJfE-yJFWQpAQUODw/s400/IMG_0643.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Our homeschool year started up after Labor Day. All started out fine, but slowly. We got really busy with the garden, you know that time time of year. Harvest time.<br />
<br />
Anyway, our homeschool year started out okay. Eventually it started to fall apart. Matt hates the history that I chose. So, instead, I asked him what he would like to learn about. I did the same thing last year, so not sure why I didn't do it this year and forget spending money on curriculum. Now to remember this for next year.<br />
<br />
He chose to learn about Ancient Egypt. Awesome! I have a few lapbooks that I had used with my daughter backed up on a portable hard drive, so I printed them up. I had also won a ebook copy of the first Truthquest guide book, so I printed up the list of books for the Egypt section. Now I need to hit the library, get Matt a card (Our town does not let kids get a library card until they are in high school. Kinda odd, but whatever). I did buy a few books to go along with the Mystery of History book to go along with the Ancient Egypt sections.<br />
<br />
Math is a chore, like always. Matt say he likes math but gets annoyed with it. I cut out half of the problems for him to do and that seems to be working out for him better.<br />
<br />
English is no problem. He does his grammar and vocabulary in like 30 minutes. He is taking an English comp class at co-op this year, so that rounds up what I didn't want to teach him. The mom teaching the class use to be a high school English teacher, so she is in her element with this class.<br />
<br />
Science is going along slowly. I have changed a few things, well, taken out parts of what I had planned. I am thinking of changing it a bit more too. He enjoys the labs, not really the labs.<br />
<br />
I have been seriously thinking about taking a unschool or child led learning style approach this year and the remainder of high school. Both Matt and I have been seriously stressed out and not enjoying school at all right now.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-29909371042840400652015-08-14T19:48:00.000-04:002015-08-14T19:48:05.903-04:009th Grade Curriculum Choices<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh261XL2ZHweP3jSjmvInF7Dl9LUDwF0T77pTP_gX4yFIqZg2IuEtQwdno7Hk_gLwScnHZQggC2aDDY-hQSprfMWnkiqwiDS3TF_9Ftz6063iHNGtxg3ckRmFRPt7DE-ubNCl0vjbMK92A/s1600/9th+grade+curriculum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh261XL2ZHweP3jSjmvInF7Dl9LUDwF0T77pTP_gX4yFIqZg2IuEtQwdno7Hk_gLwScnHZQggC2aDDY-hQSprfMWnkiqwiDS3TF_9Ftz6063iHNGtxg3ckRmFRPt7DE-ubNCl0vjbMK92A/s400/9th+grade+curriculum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
It's getting near that time again. Back to school time. Our public schools start up at the end of August, but we don't start our homeschool year until after Labor Day. Matt was born Labor Day weekend, so we always have family visiting that week.<br />
<br />
I began buying the curriculum we will be using when we got our tax return money back. I also used lots of my saved <a href="http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Calavela" target="_blank">Swagbucks</a> points to buy a nice microscope and slides off Amazon. I am nervous teaching the high school years. My daughter went to public school for high school, but Matt will be home for all four years.<br />
<br />
I spend the summer making the lesson plans to fit us. This year it took like 3 months of daily work to finish.<br />
<br />
Here is what we (Matt and I) have narrowed down for curriculum:<br />
<br />
<br />
<u style="font-weight: bold;">History</u>:<br />
<br />
We are going to be using Mystery Of History. I have added a bunch of required reading, in addition to the activities, map work and timeline work that is included in the curriculum. I did this book with my daughter and Matt (he was 5 at the time though), so it has been a bit since we have studied this time period. My plan is to use all four books in high school as well as the All American History by Bright Ideas Press, the same publisher as Mystery of History.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Math</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
We plan on using Saxon Algebra 1, but like last year, that might change. He said he enjoyed the Saxon math last year, but it was just way too many problems every day. I have to totally agree. It was taking him hours to do the work and causing melt downs. After talking to both my husband and Matt, we agreed to have him do half the problems (15 total) a day. Then if he has a hard time, he can do the other 15 problems, or if he totally gets the lesson, we can move on to the next. I know the book says to not skip any problems, but it wasn't working for Matt last year that way. He also has the DIVE cd-rom to use with it, so I don't have to teach Algebra. I might have to brush up on it myself though in case Matt has any issues understanding. It has been 20 years since I graduated high school after all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Language Arts</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
We will be using Wordly Wise 3000 grade 9 book for vocabulary. I will be changing this book after this year, because I just found out that the newer editions that are coming out are aligned with the Common Core State Standards. We homeschool to avoid that crap. The book I have is one we bought for my daughter to use like 6 years ago, but never used it.<br />
<br />
Easy Grammar 180 Daily Lessons will be used to brush up on his grammar. After having grammar every year since first grade, He just needs a little refresher, nothing to deep anymore. Matt will be taking a literature class through co-op, not to mention all the books he will be reading for history and science.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u style="font-weight: bold;">Science</u><br />
<br />
We are going to be studying Biology this year using the curriculum from <a href="http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/science/biology/biology_home.html" target="_blank">Guest Hollow</a>. I am doing most of it, just not adding in any additional reading other than what is scheduled in. For the most part it is free and it was almost free for me. I used my Swagbuck points to buy giftcards for Amazon and bought a microscope and some of the books scheduled that are not free online. I am totally excited for this class. Matt stated that he has no desire to do any dissections. I never did them when I took Biology in high school either, but I found a ton of virtual labs online for him to watch and do a lab write up on instead. I may or may not do a dissection myself and have Matt watch.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Electives</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Matt will be taking a Digital Photography class online through a NH online school. I figured it was one thing that the Common Core Standards were not going to be implemented in and would be safe to have him do. He also has a desire to learn how to use my old Pentax camera as well. That is the camera I learned on back in my high school photography classes.<br />
<br />
Archery will be continued as well. He has a four day tournament coming up in September to practice for, so I need to find a place close to us for him to practice more than the scheduled class time.<br />
<br />
We will also be joining our local homeschool co-op again. Literature will be one class he is going to take, but we are still working out what the other class will be. There is a co-op meeting coming up at the end of the month.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, that pretty much sums up our plans for the year. I may or may not change things up a bit as we go. We always seem to do that. It's one thing I enjoy about homeschooling. We can tailor things to work for your child.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-60572296624670533912015-08-10T17:28:00.001-04:002015-08-10T17:28:31.372-04:00What I have been up toIt's been crazy here in the garden and kitchen. It's been really hot and humid too, which bothers my RA a ton, so I didn't venture out to the garden much. The crazy weeds show my lack of attention too.<br />
<br />
I've also been canning beans up like crazy too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-8ii-HkBg_ekTtovp2dgb3ZQ2NNnjFmjGNSFOdpwAyeOkLsHcASymL_4RvjQPI0xhjZBYXrniPuh4icAwbM29Lb1_A1Bg9IYZo__DNA9mNKGEnVU_EhoZa6L_Iyc1H1R28cN5B0nCxQ/s1600/IMG_0605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-8ii-HkBg_ekTtovp2dgb3ZQ2NNnjFmjGNSFOdpwAyeOkLsHcASymL_4RvjQPI0xhjZBYXrniPuh4icAwbM29Lb1_A1Bg9IYZo__DNA9mNKGEnVU_EhoZa6L_Iyc1H1R28cN5B0nCxQ/s400/IMG_0605.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This is when the bush beans were almost ready to be picked. A few days later, I was snippin n snappin them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3zv0S2-ZpJEvyXG_xkEE3KUqCtG-zhd4dqLBv1x8NjJH3zPbaGH9YifJN-e6DdYqQCCiqOTGXcnAZMiLy9M_cfrkQiIR0iybH281z7COXodFnZ9ohUeLRu15w_55hHJaln0X_927P8U/s1600/IMG_0611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3zv0S2-ZpJEvyXG_xkEE3KUqCtG-zhd4dqLBv1x8NjJH3zPbaGH9YifJN-e6DdYqQCCiqOTGXcnAZMiLy9M_cfrkQiIR0iybH281z7COXodFnZ9ohUeLRu15w_55hHJaln0X_927P8U/s400/IMG_0611.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
My small but productive bush bean plot. Got tons of beans from this little bit of plants. Jade bush beans are wonderful.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9661WyEpYCd5-ut5CzJ7FSjJTWYP6Km8QKKy-9GUPpORu5kubSzhH4XkLEzVZKmrPcYUQeCFetvDvuygyi-AIrvHcpnvyZWpp2IXZWLei6lTB0_1zokV8Oh711qoAfPQAZs0jVp1O170/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9661WyEpYCd5-ut5CzJ7FSjJTWYP6Km8QKKy-9GUPpORu5kubSzhH4XkLEzVZKmrPcYUQeCFetvDvuygyi-AIrvHcpnvyZWpp2IXZWLei6lTB0_1zokV8Oh711qoAfPQAZs0jVp1O170/s400/IMG_0624.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Abby inspecting the beans after they were cleaned. She likes to take one and bat it around the living room. This was part of the first days worth of beans. I pulled just shy of a 5 gallon bucket that day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxsGK021AZaT8MH-NY5p9PeObjSvAx7IFPp4Sm3zQ39txIJ2gYFcZG9jKh8jA8qeARDFveoPfjtgwJDUdMEYziY0yoKosTpykZVRmiDERU7GcdwAIM165atu8SGwDoZ91QWidyC8SBPA/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxsGK021AZaT8MH-NY5p9PeObjSvAx7IFPp4Sm3zQ39txIJ2gYFcZG9jKh8jA8qeARDFveoPfjtgwJDUdMEYziY0yoKosTpykZVRmiDERU7GcdwAIM165atu8SGwDoZ91QWidyC8SBPA/s400/IMG_0628.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
56 pints of green beans all ready for winter suppers.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F3ceNBrBl2Kh1MHg7s0OnMsz5QdvhsJhjO1PEKONrGg79HmMStW3qBYhKBmON0YLuR41G_2bn2rvDirhG-jDBwuFXgFObd1dmhCGR4M0pxrXucOtMi2mGg4SS4YMIJI3izzgRIj5IPw/s1600/IMG_0608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F3ceNBrBl2Kh1MHg7s0OnMsz5QdvhsJhjO1PEKONrGg79HmMStW3qBYhKBmON0YLuR41G_2bn2rvDirhG-jDBwuFXgFObd1dmhCGR4M0pxrXucOtMi2mGg4SS4YMIJI3izzgRIj5IPw/s400/IMG_0608.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Pole beans are now starting to come in, so I will be canning even more beans. Tomatoes are starting to ripen as well. I freeze them as I pick them and can my sauce when it is a bit cooler out.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-61859369086483125872015-07-16T18:36:00.001-04:002015-07-16T18:36:25.554-04:00Flowers around the homesteadWe have had a rather lovely summer. We are blessed to not have had a ton of rain like some of the other blogs I read have. We do get rain a couple times a week though, just enough for me to not need to water the garden hardly if at all. Weeds are still a major issue, even after having my dad and sister over to help weed.<br />
<br />
Our lilies and other flowers are in full bloom in the gardens now. It looks so pretty, even with all the weeds in the front bed. Enjoy! Warning *Picture Heavy*<br />
<br />
<br />
These are our free lilies. Our land lord dug them up from another plot and just dumped them across the street from me. Steve and I grabbed three huge bunches of them. Two are in wine barrel halves at the street edge and the other is in a huge galvanized steel barrel near the deck and front garden.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3IfPXTbhobdZYNI_TiZOpXhTy8DoEZe8uoEgH0tQaHszdiJc99ym_XVJ8dHEJ9FndihrkC_LKvLglyqnvQwmo9VNdJjesWoifxRJf5S9OxpMXz-4hVWFU9h0AP9fxNG9xoaa6dknMUA/s1600/IMG_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3IfPXTbhobdZYNI_TiZOpXhTy8DoEZe8uoEgH0tQaHszdiJc99ym_XVJ8dHEJ9FndihrkC_LKvLglyqnvQwmo9VNdJjesWoifxRJf5S9OxpMXz-4hVWFU9h0AP9fxNG9xoaa6dknMUA/s400/IMG_0548.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMMoox6d1xPX5YVr1B18-egb_Nqb7ycXRLtN9Ad2bpEoirbNsg6iUlwFWYWX3pbQGctpKyZqVrVI_zGDu8jQaPxlBF_7reE-iV72E-RcFaZXWnL0Xw9QMnCWYUtDgSlQNHiMjvK6eZHk/s1600/IMG_0549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMMoox6d1xPX5YVr1B18-egb_Nqb7ycXRLtN9Ad2bpEoirbNsg6iUlwFWYWX3pbQGctpKyZqVrVI_zGDu8jQaPxlBF_7reE-iV72E-RcFaZXWnL0Xw9QMnCWYUtDgSlQNHiMjvK6eZHk/s400/IMG_0549.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Q-VikIB-auGJs_ThkQ032gb91168MlaUCEEPWW9Ca_2zYKHHvu8tjSa_jV-fag4SN6Xx0h64_e4yX4ew6xjSIiU9ywfoIzkDR9G0xteZRyuGtqe18j0ORKPel2BxyOSHuKiKqx4AJmU/s1600/IMG_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Q-VikIB-auGJs_ThkQ032gb91168MlaUCEEPWW9Ca_2zYKHHvu8tjSa_jV-fag4SN6Xx0h64_e4yX4ew6xjSIiU9ywfoIzkDR9G0xteZRyuGtqe18j0ORKPel2BxyOSHuKiKqx4AJmU/s400/IMG_0590.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My bee balm. I found some purple bee balm in a vacant lot across the street from me. Going to see if the land lord will let me dig them up seeing how all he does is take out all the flowers and bushes/trees before pouring the new pads. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPWjoAUi0grlhEnCI7gOH4c4aLQJuq8USgenaWSgjgau2RO3Ehs3-33w5tfBFyml2VGzwF-4NyXHpg5a1cAA1APmfjD2T13RKJwU2DEwKhwjGbjNUJGmD5tIWAK8L6OU3fMK2Yug2foc/s1600/IMG_0557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPWjoAUi0grlhEnCI7gOH4c4aLQJuq8USgenaWSgjgau2RO3Ehs3-33w5tfBFyml2VGzwF-4NyXHpg5a1cAA1APmfjD2T13RKJwU2DEwKhwjGbjNUJGmD5tIWAK8L6OU3fMK2Yug2foc/s400/IMG_0557.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjll8hRohwvp1i7vVXnU-1dzb8hN3TAvuLOgDdoEDANAjyqx_txvoAsfZGuG8Ub668xSX5dFLGXaa3rrZgiudvk_n8ZyrLHanYyrzXxTbcdA5X5NW40LnKsD_imBDd0Q0yzD6PcNxl2U84/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjll8hRohwvp1i7vVXnU-1dzb8hN3TAvuLOgDdoEDANAjyqx_txvoAsfZGuG8Ub668xSX5dFLGXaa3rrZgiudvk_n8ZyrLHanYyrzXxTbcdA5X5NW40LnKsD_imBDd0Q0yzD6PcNxl2U84/s400/IMG_0556.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRz1lHp1wzDTlPg60-9AJf9aBUhM5q_iYifrllrp8LXMejeqr9cX3DWtG790R5A2R2oehZWd9P09r_i4-KpgD8z24d2lPQT5Eq3tuNY6IUX7wvelV4FPiW6CizMvN_UgwFFmVWRf7osM/s1600/IMG_0589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRz1lHp1wzDTlPg60-9AJf9aBUhM5q_iYifrllrp8LXMejeqr9cX3DWtG790R5A2R2oehZWd9P09r_i4-KpgD8z24d2lPQT5Eq3tuNY6IUX7wvelV4FPiW6CizMvN_UgwFFmVWRf7osM/s400/IMG_0589.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The pretty red lilies that dad bought be a couple of years ago. They went nuts this year and are still blooming, even with the yellow lilies in bloom. The orange ones dad bought me will open up shortly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKv15fkardRfFjXdS0ZN9s9pmQCRTLQzpbKxMmzBa00JEernC9Xo7ftUm8ygTXoq5x0PNLRjrCpkTbai5nBf828sg7_84gZHpJVwImOo8YaYTwac5kFO0o0aUu6o7h7JzxvwZqRuDGo4/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKv15fkardRfFjXdS0ZN9s9pmQCRTLQzpbKxMmzBa00JEernC9Xo7ftUm8ygTXoq5x0PNLRjrCpkTbai5nBf828sg7_84gZHpJVwImOo8YaYTwac5kFO0o0aUu6o7h7JzxvwZqRuDGo4/s400/IMG_0547.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4l3J3RuWjakGGT2ycpy2-gggi2N6liY0UssvR1CJMPudA68TwGEeqFFZJkJYdmzTXUWpk6cGoTRsMpwUTthNgMC95DmnIC4Eu0rg5nslnFe_nRY7UtaqEIFZsXcESGMUOMibeQMmbuw/s1600/IMG_0550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4l3J3RuWjakGGT2ycpy2-gggi2N6liY0UssvR1CJMPudA68TwGEeqFFZJkJYdmzTXUWpk6cGoTRsMpwUTthNgMC95DmnIC4Eu0rg5nslnFe_nRY7UtaqEIFZsXcESGMUOMibeQMmbuw/s400/IMG_0550.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuS3TzvhnMospt5UngUPx0uIX3uKyvrwWNTrRKyt7oSouPo6Mg8TUb9nfbScooh8sfdocfyNRHTq5nIp36moenkRNrqCGQYk7xbyzC2ph4vmVHTSRnzWSMhTFrn7oLYwGZOu70j0QFgpc/s1600/IMG_0586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuS3TzvhnMospt5UngUPx0uIX3uKyvrwWNTrRKyt7oSouPo6Mg8TUb9nfbScooh8sfdocfyNRHTq5nIp36moenkRNrqCGQYk7xbyzC2ph4vmVHTSRnzWSMhTFrn7oLYwGZOu70j0QFgpc/s400/IMG_0586.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMzgbMRjWlGiyWmfcaE61aVij6mE4gReE71KuTGiJ0ALqyyKiHj_VjdZHh_0buT-0efSMToT2MU5n8s01Qui_BsBHv6qfrVJiCvT0E2pslmcGN_QMNifQWp8zkS_xvKqsznsiSqOCBAE/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMzgbMRjWlGiyWmfcaE61aVij6mE4gReE71KuTGiJ0ALqyyKiHj_VjdZHh_0buT-0efSMToT2MU5n8s01Qui_BsBHv6qfrVJiCvT0E2pslmcGN_QMNifQWp8zkS_xvKqsznsiSqOCBAE/s400/IMG_0587.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Yellow lilies from dad. These have a nice smell to them. I never noticed it before this year though.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC21JQ7pEFGp0G0FY6inCnN_EzZch-w75oFL1VJhCESqcq1g6Wv0rVQDYli1urf10bVKmW3usb2i7C5qhSfTyH_ILP417bQHpRT6R4U3uXKF_wWcr4-FzivoHjPBws3M-K532bT1kQCjA/s1600/IMG_0592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC21JQ7pEFGp0G0FY6inCnN_EzZch-w75oFL1VJhCESqcq1g6Wv0rVQDYli1urf10bVKmW3usb2i7C5qhSfTyH_ILP417bQHpRT6R4U3uXKF_wWcr4-FzivoHjPBws3M-K532bT1kQCjA/s400/IMG_0592.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvCAmeTGyrcWjqIXoEChrzyJ2-eDVh3lrzx4-hmnYoU7iY-F6Ume28PQ9R30_neYAcopbS4aRecjYczt79Wp-2Vzm5E8-DFSeXyA4V4milbREBo9sljPsqyi_gGrUt5Gf2wsoUe3Jyyc/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvCAmeTGyrcWjqIXoEChrzyJ2-eDVh3lrzx4-hmnYoU7iY-F6Ume28PQ9R30_neYAcopbS4aRecjYczt79Wp-2Vzm5E8-DFSeXyA4V4milbREBo9sljPsqyi_gGrUt5Gf2wsoUe3Jyyc/s400/IMG_0593.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00pT2IO6j1LbAsFsS0lBVhewHU56gaftHzTBj-miw-_-DE5MhBMm8Kr9veKHKJ7GHeshBd8pFlTCc_lu9w4Qg2rSKb6xtgI7ApksbB65OCuVoOiLKxUJ16Fs1eflTJFl9TCuTxYJUiew/s1600/IMG_0594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00pT2IO6j1LbAsFsS0lBVhewHU56gaftHzTBj-miw-_-DE5MhBMm8Kr9veKHKJ7GHeshBd8pFlTCc_lu9w4Qg2rSKb6xtgI7ApksbB65OCuVoOiLKxUJ16Fs1eflTJFl9TCuTxYJUiew/s400/IMG_0594.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The orange and red nasturtiums from the veggie garden. And a lone petunia growing in a pot that had black ones in it last year. I didn't plant any petunias this year, but this little guy decided to show up for me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOFndzaTkYs-u3oFM7i2y6SoYKNeTPjMsOGbae1H-lAd5PQMrcgnRzJ5O12bhh_WVU9fqPV7N3bqYVN0wYzeQqzZlUgMkD1wF95nzq4fcFa9NDVAghitQaCfkF2ymIlR8ZC_gJkRnLtI/s1600/IMG_0578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOFndzaTkYs-u3oFM7i2y6SoYKNeTPjMsOGbae1H-lAd5PQMrcgnRzJ5O12bhh_WVU9fqPV7N3bqYVN0wYzeQqzZlUgMkD1wF95nzq4fcFa9NDVAghitQaCfkF2ymIlR8ZC_gJkRnLtI/s400/IMG_0578.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHgt94QQZgy_BFVBE8KrCbeBMRY-B6soLdjpPYDJWhwNUP3q1t6v693kw0T81Rn2jCJVaIE96_z9mRwhQOj1uYp7CvO2UIkPEx9tvzj7IOj45_Gt9X8Sj7vc2H7GDsbuN_FWczfPmyUc/s1600/IMG_0579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHgt94QQZgy_BFVBE8KrCbeBMRY-B6soLdjpPYDJWhwNUP3q1t6v693kw0T81Rn2jCJVaIE96_z9mRwhQOj1uYp7CvO2UIkPEx9tvzj7IOj45_Gt9X8Sj7vc2H7GDsbuN_FWczfPmyUc/s400/IMG_0579.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaYGCG5xFN5o-LHUgCvl1d0JD_IrAKPgjGDImoBIBKSIlbb-T8MXW-4BrHkWW5rsADxPPYerhnueK_Kk30liDYko0FT1GhVeLhmzhxUe7S4196j558hKwAkcXLE1lvOogqIcwrl89kWc/s1600/IMG_0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaYGCG5xFN5o-LHUgCvl1d0JD_IrAKPgjGDImoBIBKSIlbb-T8MXW-4BrHkWW5rsADxPPYerhnueK_Kk30liDYko0FT1GhVeLhmzhxUe7S4196j558hKwAkcXLE1lvOogqIcwrl89kWc/s400/IMG_0591.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-79947475180691814632015-07-08T20:47:00.000-04:002015-07-08T20:47:19.884-04:00Crazy busy times here on the homesteadIt's been one crazy month and a half. Between planting all the veggies, the weeds that came up like nuts in the garden, finishing up the homeschool year and getting our camp all set up, I haven't had anytime to work or type for my blog. I feel so bad for neglecting it. That will be changing starting now.<br />
<br />
We have had a ton of strawberries come in that we pretty much ate all. I did give some away to a neighbor though.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDxvCaNbLJ44bOWyykDblJPQCGRW_Zb8PGw1YSiVfyqOo591SD2tQJDLUlquoLsQlOAY7vBq_qHwOv3ZVuYy7pJTLkgXJV-iTZPtlIkoxkkuYOoEmPVxdtBMpXleYt3DlYQURtHShhyA/s1600/10929073_10204539781276532_4607451182729430644_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDxvCaNbLJ44bOWyykDblJPQCGRW_Zb8PGw1YSiVfyqOo591SD2tQJDLUlquoLsQlOAY7vBq_qHwOv3ZVuYy7pJTLkgXJV-iTZPtlIkoxkkuYOoEmPVxdtBMpXleYt3DlYQURtHShhyA/s400/10929073_10204539781276532_4607451182729430644_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I got a few blueberries off one of my three plants. Another is loaded with berries, so I am hoping I am able to have enough to make some muffins or pancakes with. If not, I will be hitting up the farmers market to buy a few pints.<br />
<br />
My sugar snap peas are producing a ton as usual. I have had three gallon sized bags picked so far. I gave away half a gallon and still have tons and tons to pick. I go in for my infusion tomorrow, so I may have to bring some in for my nurses. I am also thinking of pickling some. I see all sorts of veggies pickled, but not snap peas, so who knows.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNntQd7QISnPZ5pBctckhXr-qaUm2dj4JDMoK9LocvtP_RErUiBQ1FJFuMzOWmXcDGl7eOXWTUmjRU6mrczIGlJ5QBtGB1te5Zq924PB9BXNt_tVXZmPFNdTidg6yCWN-BDvQtDwevUH8/s1600/11707650_10204620781741493_6386990826340048265_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNntQd7QISnPZ5pBctckhXr-qaUm2dj4JDMoK9LocvtP_RErUiBQ1FJFuMzOWmXcDGl7eOXWTUmjRU6mrczIGlJ5QBtGB1te5Zq924PB9BXNt_tVXZmPFNdTidg6yCWN-BDvQtDwevUH8/s400/11707650_10204620781741493_6386990826340048265_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I had to have my sister help me to weed my garden. It seriously got taken over by crab grass and some really tall weed that I have no clue what it is. I have never seen the garden this over taken before. It all started once a new mobile home was put in three homes away from mine. The person putting the grass seed down used some cheep crap that ended up in my garden and it just took over. I lost all my carrots because of it. I will be planting a fall harvest that had better make it or I will be really ticked. Yes, I know that this has gone to seed. It is all gone now, but I had to use loppers to cut the stalks.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vpwzvYkkrhgnmAt63T48yDc_H1nqNzsQAx53OihyphenhyphenRT5q_-59B5juptbqb3ypohIGK97osDyECEQ7xqENfm0R4pONZNB53Hm3MCbPt8PpTGZkAEpFK8jkFoeSF6iG819gUJcd3vYEK-M/s1600/IMG_0563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vpwzvYkkrhgnmAt63T48yDc_H1nqNzsQAx53OihyphenhyphenRT5q_-59B5juptbqb3ypohIGK97osDyECEQ7xqENfm0R4pONZNB53Hm3MCbPt8PpTGZkAEpFK8jkFoeSF6iG819gUJcd3vYEK-M/s400/IMG_0563.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My dad has been down the past week and kinda sorta helped me weed the garden. He left lines of weeds unpicked around what he cleared out. Looks stupid to me, so I have been going back in and picking what he hasn't been. He also likes to keep all the picked weeds in the garden bed as well. I don't want them there at all. Kinda the point of weeding the garden is to keep the weeds out, picked or not.<br />
<br />
Next up is to fix the tomatoes. The Florida weave way of trellising up the tomatoes is totally not working. My plants are loaded with heavy fruit and they are now laying down taking the twine down with it. No matter how tight I wrap the twine or how many times I wrap it, the plants still fall over. So, I give up. Pruning the bottom of the plants and attaching them all to the stakes that I have the twine wrapped around is on my to do list next.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-4488761791871059462015-05-28T20:42:00.000-04:002015-05-28T20:42:02.533-04:00Strawberries and BlueberriesMy strawberries are growing like nuts. Right now they are loaded with a ton of flowers and a ton of little greenish strawberries. I can't wait till mid June when they should be ready to eat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkH8b6t0v5B-C8Py_7TLY6dsK7VwbULkx8LdqQd09gr4SWcvWMugL3y3yQY0as_K-u7cswwfQEHTrAYmWrDQpVA9rJssuQgEJmMlaZeMzzygsp_72vsBM-eY3Fp9iNZ0ba4Reecb3Ie30/s1600/IMG_0472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkH8b6t0v5B-C8Py_7TLY6dsK7VwbULkx8LdqQd09gr4SWcvWMugL3y3yQY0as_K-u7cswwfQEHTrAYmWrDQpVA9rJssuQgEJmMlaZeMzzygsp_72vsBM-eY3Fp9iNZ0ba4Reecb3Ie30/s400/IMG_0472.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My "little" patch has taken over the raised bed and now covering my gnomes. There are three there, somewhere hehe.<br />
<br />
I am excited this year because two of my three blueberry bushes have flowers and the start of baby blueberries. This has me totally excited. We planted these almost two years ago and they were supposedly already two years old when I ordered them. I hate paying the price for blueberries at the store and sadly at the farmers market. I may not have much this first year, maybe just enough for one batch of muffins, but it is a start.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_mGcYxKGiy_JMC4cSbuAjK3aipl-yjKnY9XB4sNjdTs3ibr8H2zp8blkHxZkcv0oYrhIazem8MXRIxUM3lz3mX1_RIA1Q_aYNv1WfMdSJFgsJRzxmpElWzbieA2AbFgtIVfyZilWCSw/s1600/IMG_0465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_mGcYxKGiy_JMC4cSbuAjK3aipl-yjKnY9XB4sNjdTs3ibr8H2zp8blkHxZkcv0oYrhIazem8MXRIxUM3lz3mX1_RIA1Q_aYNv1WfMdSJFgsJRzxmpElWzbieA2AbFgtIVfyZilWCSw/s400/IMG_0465.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRQ9WO8LWYOjzkrG7hCOWjEdl7cotKtrZNH_xw4IeFwVwZVrRvTpfwfo7w-c1pBtXncQAYrgy6BU55h8wQJDlS8K2IQTq9FE9gsi5LX0kE4FOvqlQnwPJCAu2K0q1QB79VOznZWgL9a4/s1600/IMG_0478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRQ9WO8LWYOjzkrG7hCOWjEdl7cotKtrZNH_xw4IeFwVwZVrRvTpfwfo7w-c1pBtXncQAYrgy6BU55h8wQJDlS8K2IQTq9FE9gsi5LX0kE4FOvqlQnwPJCAu2K0q1QB79VOznZWgL9a4/s400/IMG_0478.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Top picture shows the flowers on one of my blueberry bushes. They are so dainty and kind of remind me of the top part of a jelly fish. The bottom shows the starts of the blueberry themselves.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-79941200420342282722015-05-18T22:51:00.002-04:002015-05-18T22:51:58.114-04:00Busy times in the garden ~ Tomato and Pepper planting time! I'm sorry I have been away from my blog for a couple of weeks. It's been busy here between getting all the veggies and seeds planted as well as fixing up some of the flower beds and working on the remainder of our homeschool year.<br />
<br />
Not to mention, this past weekend, we opened up our camp site. It is almost all set up, but still need to get the screen house up. It will be our home away from home on the weekends. Can't stay away longer than a few days because of the cats and gardens.<br />
<br />
I got my shipment of the tomato and pepper plants I ordered through Burpee a couple of weeks ago. I ordered 12 Super Sauce Tomato plants and 6 California Wonder pepper plants. They came in one big box through UPS. When they were delivered, my UPS guy asked what was in the box, which turned into me showing him the big veggie garden. He was pretty impressed with what I can do in my mobile home park.<br />
<br />
The plants are packed 3 to a pack and look like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhH5BUzP6A029_tlzPqk9fjillCkwnl1yZpZfD4k8oXyClcMrkOGVUVT5tmadSVsbJ0JluEHr9GVh-KPvkgt4MdLsRGcOW6Y_Rp3J_ElIc0osRzEIjz7v5Ba703EpFnVAyZzTgp7Zkbfo/s1600/IMG_0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhH5BUzP6A029_tlzPqk9fjillCkwnl1yZpZfD4k8oXyClcMrkOGVUVT5tmadSVsbJ0JluEHr9GVh-KPvkgt4MdLsRGcOW6Y_Rp3J_ElIc0osRzEIjz7v5Ba703EpFnVAyZzTgp7Zkbfo/s400/IMG_0344.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWB0pqhLlUpgju_QU9VWjTEg_GbqJVFMnm_EAOnZJpgdtw7VqMUpzKN9_2kkiD89_tn-6R9f427rMY0Av6zozKJmBCF9n71Yjzi4r7xL3YS-RBOkIucLBapPOhll6hofPV29dgcd7KJ0/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWB0pqhLlUpgju_QU9VWjTEg_GbqJVFMnm_EAOnZJpgdtw7VqMUpzKN9_2kkiD89_tn-6R9f427rMY0Av6zozKJmBCF9n71Yjzi4r7xL3YS-RBOkIucLBapPOhll6hofPV29dgcd7KJ0/s400/IMG_0345.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I planted the tomatoes first and then the pepper plants the next day. I did it this way because I was so sore after bending over to plant the 12 tomato plants. Thanks to the RA, I don't push myself unless I want to be in bed for days.<br />
<br />
I dig a nice sized hole for each tomato plant and add some crushed up egg shells that I have been saving all winter long.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhxoUtCMZA0AzdMRiOoVAmJyrPdhBN6HAzQG0Y8Aqk1nYbaSxHz1MvkLUK3JONJ-7qZMAd9WmFxcIz1Rdp9Ykgwg4ummWcU1jWOHbgGqAgJtnc3DSvcI4xdxqQQMc7Vftab27JTgBj38/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhxoUtCMZA0AzdMRiOoVAmJyrPdhBN6HAzQG0Y8Aqk1nYbaSxHz1MvkLUK3JONJ-7qZMAd9WmFxcIz1Rdp9Ykgwg4ummWcU1jWOHbgGqAgJtnc3DSvcI4xdxqQQMc7Vftab27JTgBj38/s400/IMG_0342.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTOQVT9iCbJjaDeXW8-B7tffVriOJuVRh3iZ33EKL8FWsNX7VSZ1IOVXpU-uCkTxGEtImMPVeowxnBZwbOShGtCoNzh9513pbtJH1elnH5HBBdp9pkLP_iWTq85azT12weUuIRUnaqMs/s1600/IMG_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTOQVT9iCbJjaDeXW8-B7tffVriOJuVRh3iZ33EKL8FWsNX7VSZ1IOVXpU-uCkTxGEtImMPVeowxnBZwbOShGtCoNzh9513pbtJH1elnH5HBBdp9pkLP_iWTq85azT12weUuIRUnaqMs/s400/IMG_0346.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Then I lay the tomato plants on their side in the hole, not straight up and down. Tomatoes will grow roots on their stems. so putting the plants on the side makes them more stable, stronger and gives them more access to nutrients in the soil.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihs1JzHVlL5IDOdv7Bl-2WC9E2A_auVg8TMLdW4_m0-0mU7TYifv2Znm5cfj9UFJf3UJREQiQx6HZVSvKeeiO95rTlxYaEJhnPQHAkjlw9HbiWGmO70-Yk1TbRdo3h1Pw0fEjBN09DMl0/s1600/IMG_0347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihs1JzHVlL5IDOdv7Bl-2WC9E2A_auVg8TMLdW4_m0-0mU7TYifv2Znm5cfj9UFJf3UJREQiQx6HZVSvKeeiO95rTlxYaEJhnPQHAkjlw9HbiWGmO70-Yk1TbRdo3h1Pw0fEjBN09DMl0/s400/IMG_0347.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Then I fill in the hole, being careful not to break the stem. Then I give them a deep watering and surround them with straw. I ran out of straw after planting 8 of the tomato plants. I also have straw covering my onions, snap peas and carrots. I use the straw to cut down on the weeds. What weeds do show up are easier to pull up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzsBXYFKmHriakggYZjKvfQywRr1avn3mBUBMLAU-l5Fdazo-XeiY7pGjKoh1hNdRFr1JZODHMxCsCfiQBsNDNVjXM55ePEDAuDoCSYNokmVzN0qX2dh8dHgfuFY7Z7_8osr1d2LwBNE/s1600/IMG_0349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzsBXYFKmHriakggYZjKvfQywRr1avn3mBUBMLAU-l5Fdazo-XeiY7pGjKoh1hNdRFr1JZODHMxCsCfiQBsNDNVjXM55ePEDAuDoCSYNokmVzN0qX2dh8dHgfuFY7Z7_8osr1d2LwBNE/s400/IMG_0349.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My tomato plants look lost in all that straw, but they will get very tall really soon. My pepper plants look tiny too. Last year they filled out very nicely and we got tons of peppers from them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumlWZ_ZsVSOdKn1wg0rzI7vplPShHjkDmhws699qMDhqL09BfdmEfXwJDJAnxE6LYgrbXy6KOt1BU1CSpl9Ks-k_XptlO3ldyIHoKq4H6winIGMI2EKH1D-gK-tpCLuI7P27-REB5Wpo/s1600/IMG_0450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumlWZ_ZsVSOdKn1wg0rzI7vplPShHjkDmhws699qMDhqL09BfdmEfXwJDJAnxE6LYgrbXy6KOt1BU1CSpl9Ks-k_XptlO3ldyIHoKq4H6winIGMI2EKH1D-gK-tpCLuI7P27-REB5Wpo/s400/IMG_0450.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I found some random squash or cucumber plants growing while I was planting the pepper plants. I managed to find 12 of them. My dad kept burying the over grown veggies in my garden, which annoyed me. I thought I managed to get them all dug up, but I guess I missed some seeds. I did take out all these seedlings and planted them elsewhere. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcs9q_0lDyKjCrFPR9a5YR_rmGLVkGPbbBDxJ8BUEoxVCtnjE90fHwUGhrTva8fyGCFLS9iLdecdpmAv-eV5wXZq6M3KK6NLTutx2lDvBvmjyZiTGpzKbRvhHbFJdktLXEq6rKxd01Rs/s1600/IMG_0451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcs9q_0lDyKjCrFPR9a5YR_rmGLVkGPbbBDxJ8BUEoxVCtnjE90fHwUGhrTva8fyGCFLS9iLdecdpmAv-eV5wXZq6M3KK6NLTutx2lDvBvmjyZiTGpzKbRvhHbFJdktLXEq6rKxd01Rs/s400/IMG_0451.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-8231150930902485262015-05-04T20:23:00.002-04:002015-05-04T20:23:29.759-04:00Let the planting begin and a few visitorsI spent yesterday and today in the garden planting the spring veggies. I have the sugar snap peas, carrots, onions, parsley, lavender, sage and thyme all planted. I need to plant the beets, spinach and a little more lettuce.<br />
<br />
I then spent the next hour or so chilling out in the cool shade (It was in the 80's today!) watching the birds. Lots of them at my feeders. Chickadee's, Downy Woodpecker, Robins, Sparrows, Cardinals and Goldfinches. I texted Matt to bring me my new camera, but to be quiet so he doesn't startle the birds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL_6Q2niqixsoR4g_D9nEAyawVEd4rXjhvKtoaf7klQtAbDs44T5Q99F3JTL7zFY6P1bxUodTkcqJyY2yGIb75sZc22hUWp3_iJa7sVyY0ulzt7LDDOufQgK5f2Zb6EbuxPxkdfbzSj4/s1600/IMG_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL_6Q2niqixsoR4g_D9nEAyawVEd4rXjhvKtoaf7klQtAbDs44T5Q99F3JTL7zFY6P1bxUodTkcqJyY2yGIb75sZc22hUWp3_iJa7sVyY0ulzt7LDDOufQgK5f2Zb6EbuxPxkdfbzSj4/s400/IMG_0333.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcufGR9x7wXYEOF9AsSpJIxm_tvW7JbodadWHImtW1pWKI9w0VJNUkL-D7fxd77KQt5M8nWhJVE-HbssmciexWHECZCEeHU83sR6-jJ6FVR_XOc9-G2N5wkyNSb0n7zY7Xpk5igztyVQ/s1600/IMG_0335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcufGR9x7wXYEOF9AsSpJIxm_tvW7JbodadWHImtW1pWKI9w0VJNUkL-D7fxd77KQt5M8nWhJVE-HbssmciexWHECZCEeHU83sR6-jJ6FVR_XOc9-G2N5wkyNSb0n7zY7Xpk5igztyVQ/s400/IMG_0335.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I love the zoom on my camera. I was able to sit far enough away to not bother the birds, but still be able to take nice up close shots. My old camera could never get this close. I loved watching the robins tilting their heads before they went after a worm or grub. It was like they were listening for the bug.<br />
<br />
Of course now I have to fill up the sunflower seed feeder again thanks to the fat squirrel we have. I need to remember to get one of those cones to stop it from climbing up the pole to the feeders.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2hbqa3EHJ_xOKJb4rw0u6fSK3A4mRLPzltEiwtdydgzWgVDv9qVTd0asPKNDoxwdCZGbqG4CNfkjvA1V0aCiYemV1IK7qImJhiZKFUykp6dy5GJMZhs0gdIyzN6UEVl3MgkzvGMu4VU/s1600/IMG_0336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2hbqa3EHJ_xOKJb4rw0u6fSK3A4mRLPzltEiwtdydgzWgVDv9qVTd0asPKNDoxwdCZGbqG4CNfkjvA1V0aCiYemV1IK7qImJhiZKFUykp6dy5GJMZhs0gdIyzN6UEVl3MgkzvGMu4VU/s400/IMG_0336.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My beautiful daffodils are finally blooming. I need to plant more bulbs this fall and move the ones I have around. I can't wait for my lilies to bloom!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52KUPpXwy1SmKWr8QQ3XeJ3Vu-cNuGtGlWk_yTnU2q_DHbeEIOHgwID9tvBfKToarLj4rhpIELOwOQ6mXuLsdAzoX_2YjOns6SqY5SzSX5MU9TI2z2J4uVpNihNE7sHKU7JaQmY0de4s/s1600/IMG_0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52KUPpXwy1SmKWr8QQ3XeJ3Vu-cNuGtGlWk_yTnU2q_DHbeEIOHgwID9tvBfKToarLj4rhpIELOwOQ6mXuLsdAzoX_2YjOns6SqY5SzSX5MU9TI2z2J4uVpNihNE7sHKU7JaQmY0de4s/s400/IMG_0337.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-zEdG_pnD78aOYYOBxbsYCGeXxwkA58adJiGUGJ9SKU4UpcP1adGOY9UKIhK7cGsjilnuGtdVLqJGmh7Xohz1VnNnsjnHr0owx_PHkcUA8VqPOWzT9J5hIFmQE80KHmBbHfbUFBRg40/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-zEdG_pnD78aOYYOBxbsYCGeXxwkA58adJiGUGJ9SKU4UpcP1adGOY9UKIhK7cGsjilnuGtdVLqJGmh7Xohz1VnNnsjnHr0owx_PHkcUA8VqPOWzT9J5hIFmQE80KHmBbHfbUFBRg40/s400/IMG_0338.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2y14noMlVcpJchXkwIzWD7iX15EcxddZhqJ3tqpLkh7T2D4yGEonvVGzc1kE4UO8NLINJ4D1k5Pld7AiSh6fJeQFlrBZ9f3_zb9XRIZOwvnoH7-_JpxmqQxnLMdbHDdJnrwFiaW_XQPk/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2y14noMlVcpJchXkwIzWD7iX15EcxddZhqJ3tqpLkh7T2D4yGEonvVGzc1kE4UO8NLINJ4D1k5Pld7AiSh6fJeQFlrBZ9f3_zb9XRIZOwvnoH7-_JpxmqQxnLMdbHDdJnrwFiaW_XQPk/s400/IMG_0339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-67521288184756807402015-04-30T20:09:00.000-04:002015-04-30T20:09:10.113-04:00Y is for Yarn Bomb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8027I4taPVM3UjHcpO984yjv-HgODBItj8HUoGzsY6CHrj6j7nkrkpM81o8PxYiTo802eyxWgJm-UWl9e3JGzEcFKIEnwgPqHe4-n_QAovoDFmev0Ng1WGl8f0wopjIr0fTCrpBniMFM/s1600/Y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8027I4taPVM3UjHcpO984yjv-HgODBItj8HUoGzsY6CHrj6j7nkrkpM81o8PxYiTo802eyxWgJm-UWl9e3JGzEcFKIEnwgPqHe4-n_QAovoDFmev0Ng1WGl8f0wopjIr0fTCrpBniMFM/s1600/Y.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Originally I was going to give you a pictorial and video tour of my yard. However, after going down town and seeing what was going on there for a charity, I knew exactly what I was going to do for Y.<br />
<br />
For the past couple of years, the trees, light poles, gazebo and other things in our town get covered in yarn. The first year it was done over night, so when people woke up and went shopping, they were surprised with the yarn bomb. This year I saw them setting up. This is all for a charity and it stays up all April long. Most people like it, although I did hear one person, very loudly, say how gross and messy it made the town look. I think it is cute and the creations seem to get better every year.<br />
<br />
So, here is the yarn bombing of Exeter NH, 2015. It all goes to draw attention to <a href="http://www.womenadenh.org/" target="_blank">Womenade of Greater Squamscott</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvSXmHpUMvMdGglZaEFs4PkknR15ChT2NBoWShA1I4WqBaeMTsl1jM4wlJwFkhkvBVs-d-ecKgIwJDw9-v9SHnpAFjvD7YOilMTXYyZNeFrVtW1O2IasHHoxQyqSnI5KGeY2Xov1_Tms/s1600/IMG_0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvSXmHpUMvMdGglZaEFs4PkknR15ChT2NBoWShA1I4WqBaeMTsl1jM4wlJwFkhkvBVs-d-ecKgIwJDw9-v9SHnpAFjvD7YOilMTXYyZNeFrVtW1O2IasHHoxQyqSnI5KGeY2Xov1_Tms/s1600/IMG_0257.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPJYX3gjPRt4E2ny6LFLKGqzmHhxj5F-FIwd4hOsNpUBVgAkwvI5u2eJZEefA6U0xQD-7ftr2nYG3d55RiPrxiNvlD9TLcEzyaO7Y5rh38EvwUz1g4PUOJK2_yg-ReyWmCypWXxB6GR4/s1600/IMG_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPJYX3gjPRt4E2ny6LFLKGqzmHhxj5F-FIwd4hOsNpUBVgAkwvI5u2eJZEefA6U0xQD-7ftr2nYG3d55RiPrxiNvlD9TLcEzyaO7Y5rh38EvwUz1g4PUOJK2_yg-ReyWmCypWXxB6GR4/s1600/IMG_0258.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOI2CDJzG_kUQN7bkLsz9zmCXBFtGPYewW3WExEzWldHCSicL3cdJ_1S7JhyP2WrIH2o2Vhxwdg_Zf-7opIgRmQik9liULZgJAjzZiMemL3Y4aCmLNEeeP-ocBNE-vFkRwEBwgRdGnlg/s1600/IMG_0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOI2CDJzG_kUQN7bkLsz9zmCXBFtGPYewW3WExEzWldHCSicL3cdJ_1S7JhyP2WrIH2o2Vhxwdg_Zf-7opIgRmQik9liULZgJAjzZiMemL3Y4aCmLNEeeP-ocBNE-vFkRwEBwgRdGnlg/s1600/IMG_0259.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwZevERhEjjXiB2GBenUsGYein8UlipvXCW3guXQCl2ugBzjqLaJeErcWKLRDT1vIP8RI8MInHhDhbGd_YKeuReQyIopSxdvnsbYCnJbD6Nfsxl2aA6nndUez9uyFeEWAGcM_nCi6e7E/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwZevERhEjjXiB2GBenUsGYein8UlipvXCW3guXQCl2ugBzjqLaJeErcWKLRDT1vIP8RI8MInHhDhbGd_YKeuReQyIopSxdvnsbYCnJbD6Nfsxl2aA6nndUez9uyFeEWAGcM_nCi6e7E/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDH7tTvHzWu2ZjwnSBSQV9d_04zIbw2L1Pdq5Ay_HaA2BfXuEq2aI48jigIGNAzVqwxVO-KQPGLL662jxnNYEtCv8gwCWWKsi0PjNeVERmT1-C95hE_yZL7ESa92Kjo7IkLfOWiG2nyo/s1600/IMG_0261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDH7tTvHzWu2ZjwnSBSQV9d_04zIbw2L1Pdq5Ay_HaA2BfXuEq2aI48jigIGNAzVqwxVO-KQPGLL662jxnNYEtCv8gwCWWKsi0PjNeVERmT1-C95hE_yZL7ESa92Kjo7IkLfOWiG2nyo/s1600/IMG_0261.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB99cnY0wCA4N0Dk9Q0auXm22aFE6AG8_4w3H1RUmIfCvpL6l4MjCkuaNjKy2_aKk1Iw1Qfw9atdhuLv9Sjud1pxsMaNPJsy0aC00zMEmyfGdE1DzihtzjPk4mEZ14uRkS_Rwh_rZpkno/s1600/IMG_0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB99cnY0wCA4N0Dk9Q0auXm22aFE6AG8_4w3H1RUmIfCvpL6l4MjCkuaNjKy2_aKk1Iw1Qfw9atdhuLv9Sjud1pxsMaNPJsy0aC00zMEmyfGdE1DzihtzjPk4mEZ14uRkS_Rwh_rZpkno/s1600/IMG_0262.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVWHfFOr2oxfuGF4kXpvh3k4pNRdstADYlTYzmDWPZTzwGEjH7PUwALEgT-wgqvV4MMkCGbIQ3a_IuTETt7ePnxQyRIOStmzUG0rR10YNhmmsrztVhIN2IjoooCgh2FRJvhl2Z1U31Ok/s1600/IMG_0263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVWHfFOr2oxfuGF4kXpvh3k4pNRdstADYlTYzmDWPZTzwGEjH7PUwALEgT-wgqvV4MMkCGbIQ3a_IuTETt7ePnxQyRIOStmzUG0rR10YNhmmsrztVhIN2IjoooCgh2FRJvhl2Z1U31Ok/s1600/IMG_0263.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NMuZQu9gHMH6IX0WQN_x0Yf7Ga7uSl2JQMyxMJr8bqmo_t7-cKRQJZVt9yQh74qzgIvtfYrmXsi04tKqyppoZZUQa0bIxyUEpaWAGUiiKDSsuvRnOfofEXbGlDkZ2JhcVOxjMARBXwo/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NMuZQu9gHMH6IX0WQN_x0Yf7Ga7uSl2JQMyxMJr8bqmo_t7-cKRQJZVt9yQh74qzgIvtfYrmXsi04tKqyppoZZUQa0bIxyUEpaWAGUiiKDSsuvRnOfofEXbGlDkZ2JhcVOxjMARBXwo/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzE79RR6UzS6dwWiGObOCJYkW4vsnLakBQ9r0dCTLHw467093D8iPIg5r4hlAK_rD91VNFG-b2VSiI_Svf-MU2pe-CXvcPAsm5JYvmSWDNVVi5ua_kEwubiNXS-bHrYNF6_bKQCh1OuE/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzE79RR6UzS6dwWiGObOCJYkW4vsnLakBQ9r0dCTLHw467093D8iPIg5r4hlAK_rD91VNFG-b2VSiI_Svf-MU2pe-CXvcPAsm5JYvmSWDNVVi5ua_kEwubiNXS-bHrYNF6_bKQCh1OuE/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAaERCxT3HkvNXYuKSJ4VuJXpY2Zr4sdrXji5fHFe4jJFWGXAUjVF7xEmpPLYfWQiJLAINOTm14bueY-8c-qLWbsSmyaXSIK7jYFg5wLxkpo2tEkuDFs9coH1GyXewXgLV2WwkA1FFvU/s1600/IMG_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAaERCxT3HkvNXYuKSJ4VuJXpY2Zr4sdrXji5fHFe4jJFWGXAUjVF7xEmpPLYfWQiJLAINOTm14bueY-8c-qLWbsSmyaXSIK7jYFg5wLxkpo2tEkuDFs9coH1GyXewXgLV2WwkA1FFvU/s1600/IMG_0266.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIWd7WP7Moo6lob2vSp4wGtE2zQKm6vAwS3pbvhst3iE1O8ruAquWrDyTI1GbpFVZJXV1ZK3hNPQh_uCZABm6hlpWfih5tZnS70w3g1BdjCG0LXobFdQo9VhrWX2aGzy45AJrpBH5fL4/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIWd7WP7Moo6lob2vSp4wGtE2zQKm6vAwS3pbvhst3iE1O8ruAquWrDyTI1GbpFVZJXV1ZK3hNPQh_uCZABm6hlpWfih5tZnS70w3g1BdjCG0LXobFdQo9VhrWX2aGzy45AJrpBH5fL4/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvk0IlnKaQ_Kh9nFb1phHIZkZlzpcZg6v_maB7x7IT_5I5b9als8nlU2iS8ZY7h10FH0cW9zeDjmEB5mb3WcaWFGHt5melTipgDUgZNe0mcrCCVSlgHHSoD8Ge-lQyBmgeRT8y4ZcHIA/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvk0IlnKaQ_Kh9nFb1phHIZkZlzpcZg6v_maB7x7IT_5I5b9als8nlU2iS8ZY7h10FH0cW9zeDjmEB5mb3WcaWFGHt5melTipgDUgZNe0mcrCCVSlgHHSoD8Ge-lQyBmgeRT8y4ZcHIA/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-20293928491172658782015-04-30T20:08:00.004-04:002015-04-30T20:08:57.277-04:00X is for X Marks The Spot <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbweyvYp6KUhatroa6vVHefLVVjufCfkQ3VHfpwtIxyHcPyyHdHCLrUCG_-aIrWxqIrp07eX-9PZdhJtEXg0t29vrEc9mWg7RhRj9KD_trnMObL-J4Glbk1Kk4Ud69c6fFmop512Emh9M/s1600/X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbweyvYp6KUhatroa6vVHefLVVjufCfkQ3VHfpwtIxyHcPyyHdHCLrUCG_-aIrWxqIrp07eX-9PZdhJtEXg0t29vrEc9mWg7RhRj9KD_trnMObL-J4Glbk1Kk4Ud69c6fFmop512Emh9M/s1600/X.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Usually when you think of where the x is on a map, you have to dig for a treasure. Every year, I draw up a map of sorts as to where I am going to plant what veggies. It is so not to scale and only a ruff draft. Plus. I tend to tweek things as I go. My treasure is all my veggies to feed my family for the year.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIqq75LKkQh4dI09Rzr7_71ekQSOC1_izEJKdtblCBbChPJmhqSw1Qlq3gJQ4eDIHWv440m65oWnPCGo95YjsN4ag_qiNSkI_x-6fN0_f5aHF4MBqhOG18CPg4_K6ImBJAXILVfhUE-g/s1600/IMG_0173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIqq75LKkQh4dI09Rzr7_71ekQSOC1_izEJKdtblCBbChPJmhqSw1Qlq3gJQ4eDIHWv440m65oWnPCGo95YjsN4ag_qiNSkI_x-6fN0_f5aHF4MBqhOG18CPg4_K6ImBJAXILVfhUE-g/s1600/IMG_0173.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This is map from 2 years ago with all the spots I planned to plant my veggies. My garden has gone from four large raised beds and two small, to one huge bed and one small bed, which is dedicated to my strawberry patch.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJvpTNeO3ZRZuGyIUT63_qEz1xwZJTmTSigdwqV2oK_e1D4KqJ-AIezUBiKjj5yvpf2uaq6EU46c1A4-x_5IeZl8Fe8tTmQuI895t0mw9u1UjYzFlPbah5yG7iaREopi0_r8_Fl9qtlU/s1600/IMG_0322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJvpTNeO3ZRZuGyIUT63_qEz1xwZJTmTSigdwqV2oK_e1D4KqJ-AIezUBiKjj5yvpf2uaq6EU46c1A4-x_5IeZl8Fe8tTmQuI895t0mw9u1UjYzFlPbah5yG7iaREopi0_r8_Fl9qtlU/s1600/IMG_0322.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here is the huge bed. I took this in the morning this past Sunday. It had been tilled. I just need to rake it out to make it even again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNni_0gYwTMCKs7finqEylPL0xTA4sjB6lbQzyl0D0YNzryBgeBGs2-FZ7KyInZs1iK6upNbY5Cv2TLqKL1K3qx8ATY914bIm6hx07E02kSKex8xfuXb66fHPrt1s-Bblz48rRdlb6lec/s1600/IMG_0324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNni_0gYwTMCKs7finqEylPL0xTA4sjB6lbQzyl0D0YNzryBgeBGs2-FZ7KyInZs1iK6upNbY5Cv2TLqKL1K3qx8ATY914bIm6hx07E02kSKex8xfuXb66fHPrt1s-Bblz48rRdlb6lec/s1600/IMG_0324.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here is the bed tonight (sorry about the sun light directly on). I put up the snap pea trellis's today and the hubby put up the pole bean trellis. I can't lift those huge tree poles myself. All that is needed now is some more compost and manure mixed in and I will start planting my "treasure" this weekend.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-79898852230992293062015-04-27T11:18:00.002-04:002015-04-27T11:18:17.082-04:00W is for Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_PldKagsSToGg6ppbu3TYg5_eZ6Iiz72wPCY9qHIgndfYzqa4D3-M-tddi-E0rL1hKwgwTsdvrF4WlBYrdnX4cU8fvR2GTcgZ5QzWV5UUhzAFQTgDFK6creUEO6vuYnEI9cjZ2ui1lw/s1600/W.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_PldKagsSToGg6ppbu3TYg5_eZ6Iiz72wPCY9qHIgndfYzqa4D3-M-tddi-E0rL1hKwgwTsdvrF4WlBYrdnX4cU8fvR2GTcgZ5QzWV5UUhzAFQTgDFK6creUEO6vuYnEI9cjZ2ui1lw/s1600/W.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Water is something that any homesteader needs a lot of. As of now, all we have been using is a hose and watering our gardens by hand. It takes a long time and is quite hot in the middle of the summer. I have been known to start hosing myself off to keep cool. We tried using sprinkler systems, but there was always areas the water never hit and we have to leave the water running for hours.<br />
<br />
I would like to start gathering rain water into rain barrels to help save us money from using the water from the house. Everything I see for a set up requires you to have gutters on your house. This is something that we do not. In fact, no one in my mobile home park has gutters on their homes. I was thinking of putting up some just to collect the water, but not sure if the hubby wants to put holes in our metal roof or aluminum siding. Gathering the barrels wouldn't be too hard, we just need to make sure they are food grade and never held chemicals.<br />
<br />
Another way would to use an irrigation system. Something that will cost a bunch of money up front, that we do not have. The hubby wants to go this route. We vetoed using drip hoses already.<br />
<br />
I have been over on Pinterest looking up ideas to help water certain veggies better, like tomatoes. Tomatoes don't like to get their leaves wet, it causes blight, so to water down near the roots only. It hurts my back to lean over to water the many tomato plants we grow every year. I have been thinking of making a drip system of sorts using a old soda or water bottle half way in the ground.<br />
<br />
We will have to play around with a few different things this summer to see what will work for us or not.<br />
<br />
Anyone have any other ideas for us to try? Something that doesn't require a lot of money? Free or nearly is always welcome.<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-28730957818240776812015-04-26T20:00:00.002-04:002015-04-26T20:00:25.917-04:00V is for Venison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ649t2gTNR2Jy1uQ3FXkvAzcgq0NWfCFmWTUH5GvYO1H4B2doCQSq2pMn_QOWNGZ6iwnQRxGkaf_K3dyu7a7jPk1emPUDrR2aS55_ddRbvgBbRVwWIt0klyUkVLdU-tnOV936yIKLNoY/s1600/V.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ649t2gTNR2Jy1uQ3FXkvAzcgq0NWfCFmWTUH5GvYO1H4B2doCQSq2pMn_QOWNGZ6iwnQRxGkaf_K3dyu7a7jPk1emPUDrR2aS55_ddRbvgBbRVwWIt0klyUkVLdU-tnOV936yIKLNoY/s1600/V.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
As a way to help feed my family, the hubby hunts and fishes. A couple of years ago he got his first deer, a young one that still had her spots. However it was at the end of October. The poor thing would not have made it through the winter. She had no fat on her when she was being processed. But, man was she tender and yummy!<br />
<br />
My favorite parts are the tips and back strap. They are the most tender parts in my opinion. I made up this nice marinade for them and I only cook these parts on the grill. Something about grilled foods that make everything taste more yummy. Because there is no to very little fat on deer, you have to add fat to it or cook it in a stew or soup.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://heatherswannabehomestead.blogspot.com/2014/10/venison-marinade.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87sk1uMFRX-lft68SAsfPSiy0ZRFOnIff4g2shNLzk3VbX8Tj0TJIg5lT8Ih9nnZHVfopLK6qxSU2yNn6hA9vhk0hB5ahP8mJA9S5Vo-aVUUY39DiFZllL1vHBo1dlaKTWGEbX1AGrzc/s1600/Venison+Marinade.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://heatherswannabehomestead.blogspot.com/2014/10/venison-marinade.html" target="_blank">Venison Marinade</a></i></div>
<br />
<br />
I also love it in a stew. I basically swap out the beef for the venison in a beef stew. Tastes the same, but the meat is more tender.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://heatherswannabehomestead.blogspot.com/2013/03/beef-stew.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI47HJ-ovah8aBZamncSqpeh-SuvY8kGO72aSdSHI1eXM4eWsZ2uJ0aa1QQPT3RIJ4RhbdQOM00BXD01AxamgayQw9jHzszsPvQ9bVu8EeziBv4E9aeZXIB5QIN7O0ZEnrA0qxxQ5r0ms/s1600/2013-11-03+16.40.04.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://heatherswannabehomestead.blogspot.com/2013/03/beef-stew.html" target="_blank">Venison Stew</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
My brother was lucky to be able to get a buck this year and had about sixty pounds of meat from it. He shared some with me and my sister. We haven't had the sausage yet though. He said it is really gamy and I am not sure I want to try it. I'll bring it with me to camp one weekend and cook it along with some chicken sausage. I know my brother in laws will eat the venison sausage.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-40682409083469837952015-04-26T19:48:00.002-04:002015-04-26T19:48:46.294-04:00U is for Urban Homesteading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQ8cSJ4hPeXEssNtcP94RrOUJaguD_JrKOm-wZbftV7gp7zwPlFB-OFJSqt3xkcuMHm5-fUnr1MaPIa1krbM5D4-R-lpH1JkvqYC_z8zwKBir7nGs51-I7MWP3Oyq1rKwIAbAykJZeOU/s1600/U.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQ8cSJ4hPeXEssNtcP94RrOUJaguD_JrKOm-wZbftV7gp7zwPlFB-OFJSqt3xkcuMHm5-fUnr1MaPIa1krbM5D4-R-lpH1JkvqYC_z8zwKBir7nGs51-I7MWP3Oyq1rKwIAbAykJZeOU/s1600/U.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This seems to be a growing lifestyle, at least since I have been on the journey. I would love to live in a more rural area with lots of acres. But, seeing how we don't and can't for some time, I am living my homesteading lifestyle in an urban area.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZI65RTONbBns6b5HZ6jF7PQWagaAFdMnJmdnLH1jHqS-hwnl_3pVBxtuv-T-XLZbqYya5RmrVz7OrjQXhW8NraguAMS36fJmie6sji0WF0mYviXxc_Syom6HzWuURXoII50OXg_POBks/s1600/Fucker+eating+my+plants+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZI65RTONbBns6b5HZ6jF7PQWagaAFdMnJmdnLH1jHqS-hwnl_3pVBxtuv-T-XLZbqYya5RmrVz7OrjQXhW8NraguAMS36fJmie6sji0WF0mYviXxc_Syom6HzWuURXoII50OXg_POBks/s1600/Fucker+eating+my+plants+(2).jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I live in a small (two streets) mobile home park. We do have a decent side yard and back yard. Our landlord doesn't mind what we do on our section of land, as long as we keep it neat. The hubby and son have a lot to clean up now that the snow is all gone. As you can see from the trail camera picture above, we have a good sized yard. We now have one huge bed instead of four large beds. I can plant way more. We put our trail cams up every year because we have some visitors that like to eat my veggies. You can seethe groundhog running towards the beds.<br />
<br />
We aren't allowed to have outdoor animals, so having chickens, goats, pigs, etc is out. Although our neighbors wouldn't mind seeing chickens running around eating up all the bugs. We asked them already hehe.<br />
<br />
So, we do what we can do to strive for self sufficiency.<br />
<br />
<br />
We grow all our own veggies, hunt and fish.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJOGV3PHniwtGP4OwhqRKK3GAxBg9JvyWfz-_9fkCj0IANrWXZkn7z7GZtLPi6257cb6QZShnGVKBGs79lBhVJG6JuNdFIqnsxd5EpQe-HnYCQftqRtq43kgr8Sj56jl07hy1djCyLfM/s1600/DSC03682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJOGV3PHniwtGP4OwhqRKK3GAxBg9JvyWfz-_9fkCj0IANrWXZkn7z7GZtLPi6257cb6QZShnGVKBGs79lBhVJG6JuNdFIqnsxd5EpQe-HnYCQftqRtq43kgr8Sj56jl07hy1djCyLfM/s1600/DSC03682.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rNSk8pZPQeqIvPqho8quXsl6_w7gNHgMS4lJHRErSFc58p09JP8xKncUyo2bkxy-jK82VzFgTWNK2Ugkn6o00GllehLy0Atgsn4nPd1PovOFmuS9346sgiCkzoY5qjcumwxmCEBobWk/s1600/DSC03676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rNSk8pZPQeqIvPqho8quXsl6_w7gNHgMS4lJHRErSFc58p09JP8xKncUyo2bkxy-jK82VzFgTWNK2Ugkn6o00GllehLy0Atgsn4nPd1PovOFmuS9346sgiCkzoY5qjcumwxmCEBobWk/s1600/DSC03676.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We can, freeze and dehydrate all our veggies and meats.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfMuJ7ms89kR0RHU8pUmczRxCtGhYyNrqlL7jNiEbW2vLr7edAaVACYdIH-3jcRiTR_s0vLQ_tg7SNhYnfNKJ8KTWfdn4uHMa365EWY_ZScjv_GrHrDH7WKsxcivaQ3_O-e5MR0FBtNo/s1600/DSC03664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfMuJ7ms89kR0RHU8pUmczRxCtGhYyNrqlL7jNiEbW2vLr7edAaVACYdIH-3jcRiTR_s0vLQ_tg7SNhYnfNKJ8KTWfdn4uHMa365EWY_ZScjv_GrHrDH7WKsxcivaQ3_O-e5MR0FBtNo/s1600/DSC03664.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUu4kcJSS-T_cXZVC0-_vjmH4gNcWaSZP6Lp9DDNbUyGDpKoCvC-7CoVxrvJCxtSnDEqhSBERar8eBYa0Zs0ZVuB6ikdeS85tqG_PYTAmLN5wndOygsw4X4lkw85S1Cva_K5-YaHvcaU/s1600/DSC03686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUu4kcJSS-T_cXZVC0-_vjmH4gNcWaSZP6Lp9DDNbUyGDpKoCvC-7CoVxrvJCxtSnDEqhSBERar8eBYa0Zs0ZVuB6ikdeS85tqG_PYTAmLN5wndOygsw4X4lkw85S1Cva_K5-YaHvcaU/s1600/DSC03686.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6yWfxxUKMbDqpeqb045EFj2lBkFLUhdbbX016DRs3wy1NXOgwW40SiGVC84ZXxPM5eSPrI9IRr0nzPVD8ZY-tL887VXTDon5erfrDZ2H_wzT0a7Xqa1C5SHBAU2rkIv8UjX8xDdxZLA/s1600/DSC03690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6yWfxxUKMbDqpeqb045EFj2lBkFLUhdbbX016DRs3wy1NXOgwW40SiGVC84ZXxPM5eSPrI9IRr0nzPVD8ZY-tL887VXTDon5erfrDZ2H_wzT0a7Xqa1C5SHBAU2rkIv8UjX8xDdxZLA/s1600/DSC03690.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBUHoElySIyVKqJ1R9MSafv67JWBHz7qiyPfRkjeD1uRgP6y-U7ZmjqaN0whnG2QUhyphenhyphen1yKbmm_xNpF8EfnbS6Xt-6raIXvoeEGjjMGMdHt2rwmDPoP36y98xPfpAus6YQNzdFYW5F2Ws/s1600/DSC04046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBUHoElySIyVKqJ1R9MSafv67JWBHz7qiyPfRkjeD1uRgP6y-U7ZmjqaN0whnG2QUhyphenhyphen1yKbmm_xNpF8EfnbS6Xt-6raIXvoeEGjjMGMdHt2rwmDPoP36y98xPfpAus6YQNzdFYW5F2Ws/s1600/DSC04046.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I cook from scratch, meal plan, shop frugally and use coupons when I can.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2kRNgnd9YyIrsqFU8FDpdsdMu1QZRpjxyMzwl-95jXrpVJGgAS5Xsw0Jmo6pS_PyueTlGbWBpnFpu_8fSapJ_b4qp9ay1W4jKKsUoo-o2Rwzy9lz9qhQLeUI3O9K1UtfWtpF3YGhWBs/s1600/Hot+Chocolate+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2kRNgnd9YyIrsqFU8FDpdsdMu1QZRpjxyMzwl-95jXrpVJGgAS5Xsw0Jmo6pS_PyueTlGbWBpnFpu_8fSapJ_b4qp9ay1W4jKKsUoo-o2Rwzy9lz9qhQLeUI3O9K1UtfWtpF3YGhWBs/s1600/Hot+Chocolate+.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLbJcL5eic58QWoVZ2jDX-Ejj1fcbZw1XFypzsTySPCqXgasO0AttnEObfMBmAwkTs-9ZtWDkpRIMo1l__xBc8YQCMl8b8VaP6TzO3KELR_4fz-QTswIvBaq0wURaHCYzDRFTg1YjNY8/s1600/Cottage+Pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLbJcL5eic58QWoVZ2jDX-Ejj1fcbZw1XFypzsTySPCqXgasO0AttnEObfMBmAwkTs-9ZtWDkpRIMo1l__xBc8YQCMl8b8VaP6TzO3KELR_4fz-QTswIvBaq0wURaHCYzDRFTg1YjNY8/s1600/Cottage+Pie.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC85Qi4ElXTj44jShvy59lND0UkPD6q1JCMjZnGwGIfBgGP2IlOCkLtsZx3VvN-Umu0Y9UngZgEMQX8x23Yt6hIOlX6MxhBwRHi6O3qSWeN0jXK8sh0-s82lNlOHgWL_t4HSL25ofYbMM/s1600/Veg+Beef+Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC85Qi4ElXTj44jShvy59lND0UkPD6q1JCMjZnGwGIfBgGP2IlOCkLtsZx3VvN-Umu0Y9UngZgEMQX8x23Yt6hIOlX6MxhBwRHi6O3qSWeN0jXK8sh0-s82lNlOHgWL_t4HSL25ofYbMM/s1600/Veg+Beef+Soup.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I make my own detergents, line dry my clothes in the warm months, and only run the washer or dryer at night to save on electricity.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What other things do you do to help you live more sufficiently?HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-60514926224225018062015-04-23T21:38:00.000-04:002015-04-23T21:38:05.904-04:00T is for Trellises <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAEIYinW3_syXADOIIVZr6VnmCTQJAWd71XR0CPTpLYFXiGoL2ewgUrENpjbZF5LETeIISQ1gbca_eKP1WPRyY7Ij925gCvYNfIcaHbfaalUXeJ91-5bq4ySWfSFAgH92XEtu0TnWgQg/s1600/T.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAEIYinW3_syXADOIIVZr6VnmCTQJAWd71XR0CPTpLYFXiGoL2ewgUrENpjbZF5LETeIISQ1gbca_eKP1WPRyY7Ij925gCvYNfIcaHbfaalUXeJ91-5bq4ySWfSFAgH92XEtu0TnWgQg/s1600/T.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Because of where I live, I always try to grow vertically as much as I can to give me more space to grow more veggies. Pole beans and snap peas are the easiest things to grow on trellises.<br />
<br />
A couple of years ago, the hubby got some very large broom poles that he had picked out of the trash at some construction site. He drives a concrete truck and is always at construction sites. The stuff that these people throw away is amazing. We have got so much wood for the garden beds and such for free.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHF-6Ja0hKkfeJ4-MWKxVex7D4TGuegyd96_D0Nr-h8h7GwBM8R1ug2ri9ldXTdSU4Rdxly00SMtvfHr-e1EL4Y1edkU2CGLPf7Tw8sQrKQaacT3VBbhKv1dJiVR2lkf0Zy5aeWLaSKI/s1600/DSC03678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHF-6Ja0hKkfeJ4-MWKxVex7D4TGuegyd96_D0Nr-h8h7GwBM8R1ug2ri9ldXTdSU4Rdxly00SMtvfHr-e1EL4Y1edkU2CGLPf7Tw8sQrKQaacT3VBbhKv1dJiVR2lkf0Zy5aeWLaSKI/s1600/DSC03678.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Anyway, he used these poles to make me a pole bean trellis. It was nice. I added some twine to it to have more bean plants going up it. Harvesting the beans at the top was interesting though lol. I had to drag out my kitchen three step ladder and that wasn't even big enough. The poles ended up snapping off in the ground. The wet soil kinda rotted out the poles.<br />
<br />
Last year the hubby and Matt made me a new bean pole trellis. It is even taller, I need to drag out my hubby's huge step ladder to get the beans off the top. This one is made out of thin trees from the forest area behind our house.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFI9KBL-VMEKNcmqNQkX5k6cMpSjUGsz3KSPizbIFqfTOF0wUjrWqyleQQuKZTEnCawiwAGA0P8lMySQ10gvT61bLbEpHEdGyPex1E6s3Sc1DSOCKR9lHgkqcgh-xD2-aerGtaQZodJ4/s1600/DSC04607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFI9KBL-VMEKNcmqNQkX5k6cMpSjUGsz3KSPizbIFqfTOF0wUjrWqyleQQuKZTEnCawiwAGA0P8lMySQ10gvT61bLbEpHEdGyPex1E6s3Sc1DSOCKR9lHgkqcgh-xD2-aerGtaQZodJ4/s1600/DSC04607.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We used pvc pipe to make a couple of snap pea trellises. I add either twine or trellis netting to them so that the pea vines have something to grab a hold of. I had tons of snap peas last year. I would eat them as I harvest them, snack on them instead of chips and then gave a bunch away.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGlkgdcsfKhrusQvAsi2_I6yGHpXgp-RFEkHiSGV14mc8WB_0ck9CixyfLTSFGOakTFuE6aJD1zVIlrZp2klejOwP_-guLsOqTAit-k5L98lkTc4yy42F1f9moktX2bVtbwSO-jspBbQ/s1600/DSC04516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGlkgdcsfKhrusQvAsi2_I6yGHpXgp-RFEkHiSGV14mc8WB_0ck9CixyfLTSFGOakTFuE6aJD1zVIlrZp2klejOwP_-guLsOqTAit-k5L98lkTc4yy42F1f9moktX2bVtbwSO-jspBbQ/s1600/DSC04516.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The trellis in the front has twine and the one in the back has the netting. The netting lasts longer, a couple of years, but both trellises have to have the netting replaced this year. We had 8 feet or so snow in this bed this past winter, way over the tops of these two. These are about 5 feet tall.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzK7hwuXmClPtdO5HAK7JpmCKeKLSEKDZXFk8YywPsSXtXNJnXNqis24I38Y-GLgOxW7p0tWy2ctm4YXKechh3E0E7tfwWSpGXwN_RMANPj6eXJxNYMZwQQ0U8oFyHixmnX6RAM3Axjk/s1600/DSC04697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzK7hwuXmClPtdO5HAK7JpmCKeKLSEKDZXFk8YywPsSXtXNJnXNqis24I38Y-GLgOxW7p0tWy2ctm4YXKechh3E0E7tfwWSpGXwN_RMANPj6eXJxNYMZwQQ0U8oFyHixmnX6RAM3Axjk/s1600/DSC04697.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Tons of flowers and tons of vines. I had to attach some of the broom poles from the old bean pole trellis to the snap pea trellis to keep it from falling over. When it was full of the fruit, it got very heavy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtj20PAWIO6wHwmRvIRzMnLDzCGtUAaa7p5dJG00G015H1_gjX37aez7PIbWyEeLjjQvpsHj6jaA9KzCyFv3ouCyBoDZEOSD3j1CHNFwq4weqqsH1EPWxtfk2ThEm4eUkupx17ueGl8A/s1600/DSC03610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtj20PAWIO6wHwmRvIRzMnLDzCGtUAaa7p5dJG00G015H1_gjX37aez7PIbWyEeLjjQvpsHj6jaA9KzCyFv3ouCyBoDZEOSD3j1CHNFwq4weqqsH1EPWxtfk2ThEm4eUkupx17ueGl8A/s1600/DSC03610.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
This year we are planting some sunflowers again to use for seed snacking and for the cucumbers to climb up. It supposedly makes the cucumbers sweeter to plant them next to sunflowers. <br />
<br />
I have a couple of other ideas for way to get the small watermelons and cantaloupes off the ground too. I am just hoping we have the time and resources to make them.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-31258027049427346322015-04-22T13:15:00.000-04:002015-04-22T13:15:40.245-04:00S is for Soups<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm05fICbjBEfCtd1AnlnJ14WoVyC9d476YDHRj_W_Ijuarma9oxUewwuKLOSlOsNIO1hJmwjjSRXt4c41DufTTm0p_cwX7fxsEdS6-QI6nMYH_sfqQlWv6_caHawAm7mSESWV6_ZSADKA/s1600/S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm05fICbjBEfCtd1AnlnJ14WoVyC9d476YDHRj_W_Ijuarma9oxUewwuKLOSlOsNIO1hJmwjjSRXt4c41DufTTm0p_cwX7fxsEdS6-QI6nMYH_sfqQlWv6_caHawAm7mSESWV6_ZSADKA/s1600/S.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
When it is cold out, we eat a lot of soups and stews. I have to be in the mood for them, but my hubby could eat them pretty much every day. Here are a few of our favorite soups and stews.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC85Qi4ElXTj44jShvy59lND0UkPD6q1JCMjZnGwGIfBgGP2IlOCkLtsZx3VvN-Umu0Y9UngZgEMQX8x23Yt6hIOlX6MxhBwRHi6O3qSWeN0jXK8sh0-s82lNlOHgWL_t4HSL25ofYbMM/s1600/Veg+Beef+Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC85Qi4ElXTj44jShvy59lND0UkPD6q1JCMjZnGwGIfBgGP2IlOCkLtsZx3VvN-Umu0Y9UngZgEMQX8x23Yt6hIOlX6MxhBwRHi6O3qSWeN0jXK8sh0-s82lNlOHgWL_t4HSL25ofYbMM/s1600/Veg+Beef+Soup.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://heatherswannabehomestead.blogspot.com/2014/10/vegetable-beef-soup.html" target="_blank">Vegetable Beef Soup</a> is my favorite. So many veggies in a tomato stock. I tend to throw all sorts of veggies and ground beef. I might have to thaw some out for dinner tonight. Yummy! I make enough of this soup to give us like 6 meals out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9Iru8KX6Mpb1yhW-dm-rOL3ihBJjOb95FQZy4QF489jETUwUqFMZKFgECbPjs4VSEa6tpzJeQwOvNDBXGNIAUmG0Vg2CGOAb-vy7dPA1JAhbFcn_77O73sGk3CZlwOGqUhrQXFO8gZM/s1600/DSC03102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9Iru8KX6Mpb1yhW-dm-rOL3ihBJjOb95FQZy4QF489jETUwUqFMZKFgECbPjs4VSEa6tpzJeQwOvNDBXGNIAUmG0Vg2CGOAb-vy7dPA1JAhbFcn_77O73sGk3CZlwOGqUhrQXFO8gZM/s1600/DSC03102.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://heatherswannabehomestead.blogspot.com/2013/03/beef-stew.html" target="_blank">Beef Stew</a> is another favorite of ours. I change up the recipe at times. The hubby grew up with a rather plain palate, I grew up eating all sorts of seasoned foods. So, I have been slowly changing up our recipes to add more seasoning to them. The hubby hasn't complained too much. Meat is getting so pricey now, so I tend to add a ton more veggies than meat. We all love our veggies, so we don't mind.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAFQN_mdp0HNI29gOUUhwir1Ed_uDtAjSFaGMK8HdivH9zcmgX2eOyXRg4YSQimPJ3WMHvqObWjcg5tVJpCikuojZmN-RJDs5EO0KfRoyV43sB5AHUtN7-6Ikj1qI62UtbO8GmH5Lqew/s1600/2013-11-03+16.40.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAFQN_mdp0HNI29gOUUhwir1Ed_uDtAjSFaGMK8HdivH9zcmgX2eOyXRg4YSQimPJ3WMHvqObWjcg5tVJpCikuojZmN-RJDs5EO0KfRoyV43sB5AHUtN7-6Ikj1qI62UtbO8GmH5Lqew/s1600/2013-11-03+16.40.04.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I also make a Venison Stew (recipe to follow in another post). Hubby was lucky enough a couple years ago to get us some venison for the winter. This past year he was unable to get out to hunt, so no venison. Well, almost none. My brother was able to get some and he shared it with us. He is a 911 operator and they get like five or so calls a day about deer getting hit by cars. They are usually put down to stop their suffering and because the meat is fresh, it goes to the next person on this list that is kept. My brother got 60 lbs last time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhwBAW6l8pmQw4CYcAG6sKBux-5Jc1-WnsWpI6BV3GH48lzJgG9ao5RGsBnaGZKeva7m4O0TvQAcgWG8DT9R6r1PRdcMXvTI4Dob43zVSWh731o_Nnf8vkclEHdj-bJEwdFu0ayLaf8g/s1600/DSC04435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhwBAW6l8pmQw4CYcAG6sKBux-5Jc1-WnsWpI6BV3GH48lzJgG9ao5RGsBnaGZKeva7m4O0TvQAcgWG8DT9R6r1PRdcMXvTI4Dob43zVSWh731o_Nnf8vkclEHdj-bJEwdFu0ayLaf8g/s1600/DSC04435.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Finally, <a href="http://heatherswannabehomestead.blogspot.com/2014/03/corn-chowdah.html" target="_blank">Corn Chowder</a> (or chowdah as we say up here. I am from the Boston area after all hehe). This is the hubby's favorite. Well, next to my Chicken Noodle or Rice Soups. All my soups have a ton of veggies, all grown by me or a local farmer. I try to support the little farmers by getting things I have had no luck growing, like my potatoes and corn.<br />
<br />
I make my own beef, chicken and veggie broths for all my soups as well. It is so easy to do. I just put the bones and veggies for the beef and chicken stocks into a crock pot, cover it with water, and cook over night. For the veggie broth, I collect scraps of my veggies and add those to my crock pot, add water and cook for several hour to over night. Then I pressure can them. All done.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-1911417176388219582015-04-21T22:07:00.000-04:002015-04-21T22:07:07.116-04:00R is for Rheumatoid Arthritis <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA95aydy2owd2DV25InBpyAd1fqc7rut0MZe1i2fS3gkjXYsp2UDnLHkYeY1Bp5maaRT8faIfGrck8MCR-BVmSKySsz8KzB75iRSs9gzzP2ybNWq1T22wTS7swenuASym0BFXyWWxgsJw/s1600/R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA95aydy2owd2DV25InBpyAd1fqc7rut0MZe1i2fS3gkjXYsp2UDnLHkYeY1Bp5maaRT8faIfGrck8MCR-BVmSKySsz8KzB75iRSs9gzzP2ybNWq1T22wTS7swenuASym0BFXyWWxgsJw/s1600/R.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This is a topic that I, sadly, am very familiar with. I won't go into a ton of detail here, but if you want to read more, I do have a RA blog, <a href="http://homesteadingwithra.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Homesteading with RA</a>, (I have been neglecting badly though) and it details my life with it. The link for it is in the menu bar under my heading picture as well.<br />
<br />
First off, RA is not an "old person" disease and it is not "just arthritis". It annoys me when someone says that they have a touch of arthritis. I am not saying that they do not have arthritis, but it can not be compared to RA. RA is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease.<br />
<br />
There are hundreds of different types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis are the most common ones. Osteoarthritis usually effects older people, where as RA does not discriminate against age. There are some people in my RA support group that were diagnosed at 18 months.<br />
<br />
OA is when bone rubs against bone. Yes, it hurts a ton. RA is when your joints are inflamed. Your immune system is all out of whack and your body starts to attack your joints. RA also affects your organs such as your lungs. Because I am also an asthmatic, I constantly worry about my RA getting into my lungs. RA is also very painful and makes your joints stiff and makes you very fatigued.<br />
<br />
I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a year after my RA diagnoses. Fibro is chronic pain in your muscles. Your nerve endings are all out of whack and are constantly firing. It is very painful as well.<br />
<br />
I have noticed that RA has been made a little more "popular" if you will on tv commercials. Or maybe it is just that since I had been diagnosed, I have noticed those commercials more. Enbrel and Humira are the most shown commercials on tv. One thing that annoys me, as well as other RA sufferers, is how it portrays us in these commercials. It makes it seem like if you take this medication, you are practically cured. There is no cure for RA.<br />
<br />
I started out with a medication called Methotrexate. It is a chemo medication and is used to treat leukemia in children in very high doses. I took 30 mg a week and that made me sick to my stomach. It made me feel for the little kids having to take this crap. It also raises the levels in your liver, so you have to get blood work every month.<br />
<br />
I then went to Enbrel and continued with the Methotrexate. Sick, sick, sick and I had an allergic reaction to Enbrel right after the first injection. I tried it for 6 months and then I was taken off it. It never worked for me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KJINCbRL8VG6BmG4YooozhmjnDeHCOWvql8lDGLDixBVINHFWeWa0G8g7R7bUstOvLgYu7sbEi3-z3Y2CUMyjr4Ec-oTbTnRbjGraVG3Gv74rHBwxoQqya8tq0NYgx3uydVkIAqGxWU/s1600/IMG_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KJINCbRL8VG6BmG4YooozhmjnDeHCOWvql8lDGLDixBVINHFWeWa0G8g7R7bUstOvLgYu7sbEi3-z3Y2CUMyjr4Ec-oTbTnRbjGraVG3Gv74rHBwxoQqya8tq0NYgx3uydVkIAqGxWU/s1600/IMG_0198.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Next up was Remicade. I was still taking Methotrexate as well. My Remicade was done as an infusion. I would be stuck to an IV for at least 3 hours once a month. I slept through it most of the time. It also made me tired and sick for a few days after. I was on that for 6 months as well. We even upped the dose to the highest you can go. It did nothing for me as well.<br />
<br />
Enbrel, Humira and Remicade are all TNF blockers. None of them worked for me.<br />
<br />
Currently I am on Actemra. It is also an infusion, but only takes an hour to do. I usually bring my laptop with me and watch a movie. Actemra is IL-6 receptor. I also had to stop taking the Methotrexate because the Actemra also raised my liver levels. I am on the highest dose level for Actemra, but it is working for me, finally. I was also put on Simvastatin because Actemra raises your cholesterol levels and mine has always been high. Mine is hereditary and not linked to diet/exercise. I do still need my pain medication every day and I still get breakthrough pain, but it is nothing like what it was before.<br />
<br />
One day there will be a cure, but probably won't be in my lifetime.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKOQ3_CYJcROzBEnPwvjGzKMQYffrZ_CQpd9Q0l1IysKX4AOpM7uulDgXcRawZdUnD72npBSKNMuM1hRZRa2gpxrxNyducF1X8lSEZoWyqQQue1-oYWm5S8afOyyEhrKW6A1YPUumqsY/s1600/2015-03-19+09.25.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKOQ3_CYJcROzBEnPwvjGzKMQYffrZ_CQpd9Q0l1IysKX4AOpM7uulDgXcRawZdUnD72npBSKNMuM1hRZRa2gpxrxNyducF1X8lSEZoWyqQQue1-oYWm5S8afOyyEhrKW6A1YPUumqsY/s1600/2015-03-19+09.25.22.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
<br />
How I spend the time during my infusions. Watching the newer Star Trek movie on my laptop and reading Grit magazine during last months infusion. This month, I worked on posts for the challenge.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2418978623050967621.post-67930323835497908212015-04-21T22:06:00.002-04:002015-04-21T22:06:39.614-04:00Q is for Quiet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVatcH8fUgAmpj9x4IaRIIT8Fpjv0c6XF1vPJVr5pH9VWHeO37qgVXLCDI7a7O-RZ_YWV42Cefn4VIBhM8IQGbI8O1OUa-3-01M9njKMlA6e_Hf29edEvl2_1iN8sF5HaHgakOaqOXL5M/s1600/Q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVatcH8fUgAmpj9x4IaRIIT8Fpjv0c6XF1vPJVr5pH9VWHeO37qgVXLCDI7a7O-RZ_YWV42Cefn4VIBhM8IQGbI8O1OUa-3-01M9njKMlA6e_Hf29edEvl2_1iN8sF5HaHgakOaqOXL5M/s1600/Q.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Apparently Blogger never posted this post yesterday like I scheduled it to do. *sigh* So here it is a day late.<br />
<br />
<br />
After living 30+ years in the city, what I long for is sprawling land, forest and quiet. I want to live where there are acres between neighbors, not feet. I want a little farm. The hubby has been looking every night for that perfect place for us, but there is always something wrong with the properties. Tonight's property was the farthest thing from quiet.<br />
<br />
We found a cute 3 bedroom place that has a separate 2 car garage that has a 2 bedroom loft upstairs. Only issues with the place is there is no open space for a garden. It is surrounded by forest, which is nice, don't get me wrong. Three days a year every fall, the traffic by this house is horrid, bumper to bumper. Right behind this property is the home to the huge Deerfield NH fairgrounds. Not so quiet.<br />
<br />
It is relatively quiet where we live now, but we are in an urban area in a small mobile home park. I want more land, to see nothing but grass and trees, birds and bees. Someday this will happen though. It is a goal for both me and the hubby.<br />
<br />
<br />HeatherD76http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963825943567055302noreply@blogger.com0