WILD HOGS AND DOGS

WELL JUST A QUICK NOTE. EITHER MY DOG BUDDY GOT HIS NECK WRAPPED IN BARBED WIRE OR HE WAS ATTACKED BY A HOG. EITHER WAY, THE VACATION MONEY IS GONE IN ONE DAY. THEY DON'T KNOW HOW IT DID NOT CUT HIS JUGULAR VEIN BUT HIS NECK MUSCLE WAS CUT ALMOST ALL THE WAY THROUGH. IT HAD BEEN THAT WAY FOR A DAY OR TWO. HE IS ONE SICK PUPPY. STILL AT THE VET. WILL STAY THERE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. THEN GO TO MY DAUGHTERS WHERE SHE CAN WATCH HIM. WHILE HE WAS UNDER I HAD HIM NEUTERED SO HE WILL STOP THIS ROAMING AROUND. HE WILL MAKE IT THOUGH. IT WAS A VERY CLOSE CALL.

SATURDAY EVENING POST

CLEMENTINE ORANGES

CATNIP

LEMON GRASS

HORSE RADISH IN A TUB

MEYERS LEMONS

LOOK AT THESE MARIGOLDS!

THE UGLIEST DUCKLING?

Look what popped out from under a momma duck today! She looked very confused.

COMPOST TEA

Two days ago I filled a 30 gallon trash can with city water.

Then I waited!

Now the chlorine is out of it so I added about 4 cups of molassas.

And a shovel full of composted rabbit manure.

Stir vigorously.

Stir again.

When I can I will add 2 bubblers with a cheap air pump. this will keep the water moving and air in the water. Good bacterial love air.

Put the lid back on to keep the skeeters out.

I will stir twice a day.

AMAZING SPRING EVENING

This evening the sun was warm and the breeze was cool. Perfect combination.

My chore list started with cutting and drying home grown and wild crafted tea. It contains the following:

CLEAVERS (wild crafted)
CHOCOLATE MINT
CITRUS MINT
BEE BALM
LEMON VERBENA
RASBERRY LEAVES
PARSLEY
BASIL
CATNIP


I picked them and all but the cleavers got washed and put into my dehydrator on low temp.

The cleavers was in a HUGE wad so I cut it up into smaller wads for airflow and laid them out in my office to dry.

When all of these are dry they will be crunched up and put into a quart mason jar and shaken up for herbal tea. I love tea.

NEXT:

I pulled up the rest of my broccoli and fed it to the rabbits.

In it's place I planted about 20 misc varieties of not hot peppers. You can't have too many peppers frozen or dried for the winter months. I also hope to throw some on the grill and char them before I freeze them for soups and stews.

Then I filled 5 gallon buckets full of "duck water" from the black duck water trough. Then I used this water on my new pepper transplants, ghost pumpkins, butternut and acorn squash, water melons, canteloup, tomatos and beans. Then I watered it in.

All this time the breeze was blowing keeping me cool while I did chores.

I opened the rabbit nest and counted 10 new babies.

I filled all the water containers and also watered all of my potted plants on the porch.

I am growing Meyers Lemons

Clemantine oranges

Horse radish

Lemon Grass

All in containers on the porch plus much much more. All are doing well. They get duck water about every two weeks.

Then I filled up a 30 gallon trash container with a lid with water and molassas. In 2 days I will fill a zippered screen bag with compost and drop it down in there. I can't afford an air pump for an aquarium so I will have to stir it vigorously a couple of times a day. This will be compost tea and it will be done in a week.

I can't wait to use it on my garden and potted plants.

After all chores were done, I sat in my comfortable porch chair and watched the momma duck take her new babies for a swim in the pond. I can't help but worry about them.

Then cooked spinach with garlic and covered it with ginger chicken.

Good night folks.

STORM NOTE

JUST A SHORT NOTE; A F2 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 100 YDS FROM MY FARM ON 4/3/12. I WAS AT WORK THANK GOD BECAUSE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN LOOMING HIGH OVER TOP OF MY HOME.

FORTUNATE FOR ME AND NOT FORTUNE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD ACROSS THE ROAD IT WENT PAST AND ACROSS THE ROAD AND WIPED OUT A WHOLE NEIGHBOORHOOD AND SEVERAL BUSINESSES.

PEOPLE WERE TRAPPED IN ONE BUILDING AND THERE JUST ISN'T ANYTHING LEFT OF THE OTHER BUILDINGS.

I WILL BE DRIVING PAST THIS TO GET HOME EVERY DAY. SO DAILY I WILL HAVE REASON TO REMEMBER I AM BLESSED.

WHAT I SEE IN THE AMISH

I am watching a documentary on the Amish. Maybe it is simply a misconception due to media but this is what I see:

1. The guy with the most horses has the power. Some farmers have 1 or 2 horses and pulls a normal sized load of hay. Then there is the rich powerful Amishman who has a huge 4+ horse team pulling a huge wagon load of hay. Why? What causes a man who professes not to be of this world to do this? Maybe he has a huge family and needs to raise more money or food than the others? I don't think so. I think it is the same as we...greed. (simply disquised?)

2. Why the changes to gas powered machines now? What is the difference between a gas powered hay baler and a gas powered vehicle?

2. I saw a far off video of a fast moving two person cart and a fast running horse pulling it and the husband and wife and my first thought was "sports car". hmmm

I hope they do not lose their way. If that were my life I would want for technology that was invented to make the hard work more bearable....however I wonder if that technology is what draws us off the path that leads to our maker.....or that creates a sense of laziness in our minds.

just thoughts;