Spring heat has the Unusual Farmchick at play!

Weekend Tidbits:
Baby chicks could care less for the silkie hen. They care for themselves very well and free range between the chicken pen and our garden. Still small enough to fit through the fence holes. They stay close between the two, but I have to admit I like hearing their little talk of peeps as they scratch for bugs while I am in the garden.

These two almost pullets are inseparable. They sleep together, eat together, drink together.
Now I just need a Delware roo to breed with this gal and bring back my population of Delawares. I am hoping by next year to have around 10 Delaware hens from a pairing. And more chicks to start selling on the local craigslist.

Little man's Teeter totter/see saw is finished with it's second layer of cement. Yes, you are seeing it right. Someone must have played around the tire while still wet and it has cemented crooked- plus the top board will not fit now...Why? Why does this always seem to happen? I knew I should have put that board in place while it was wet...But I was afraid the kids would try it out before fully dry. Double jeopardy gets me every time. I will see what I can do to make it work, if not then it will be back to the beginning...

Panda's Peace sign greens are growing great. We are putting a mesculan lettuce seed in the background if I do not find a red lettuce tomorrow to plant in it.

What a mess I left! I have sunburn on my sunburn and just did not have it in me to clean up after planting everything into the garden....

The Garden pond is set up for future inhabitants and the sound is just wonderful to hear while around the Hill top garden. The solar fountain we purchased must be returned. It will work for under 5 seconds before no more water flow. You can hear the engine running, but no water flowing out the top. I brought up the electrical one and have an extension cord lying across the yard, from the house, so0 we have water being pumped. The kids brought back some blue gill babies after fishing with Daddy.

Panda planted her garden full of Heirloom tomatoes. Her sugar pea's have grown to about 3 inches.

The Fairy/toad log is home to a tree frog and a garter snake.
The Yarrow patch is bigger beautiful as the logs front lawn!

The Kits are beginning to grow fur!

So now that it will cool down some, i need to get covers for the plants. Things were getting too leggy under the grow lights and had to be hardened off and planted. They could not wait and I would never of had enough containers for transplanting 6 flats of cell tray seedlings.
I still have Rattlesnake pole beans, sunflowers, bush beans, bush squash, more herbs, and of course the 4 blueberry bushes which should arrive in the next 24 hours.
Think I may be a bit over Zealous in the garden this year? Nah... What excess is planted of veggies and fruits will supply the Produce stand. Money which will buy the new camera or help in cost of a new computer.
Now if I could just get a back hoe to help in the solar pit...
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

Ummm...what just happened in the barnyard?

As I was getting lil' Man ready for school this morning, I peeked out the window towards the Chicken run. I have had the rabbits in there with them and had planned to put them into their hutches this weekend for upcoming births. What caught my eye was a big white fur patch in the pen but both rabbits lounging in the dirt with chickens. I went out to inspect closer what was going on when I noticed a small pink thing in the run...
What is going on?! So I get closer and notice it is a full term kit. I rush over to the A frame and discover 7 more bodies. I saw no movement. Rather angry and sad, I began to gather the bodies when I noticed a hand jerk in one. No breathing or chest movement was seen and they were ice cold. I grabbed up the 3 I saw in the open and rushed inside for the Blow Dryer. These 3 babies were the only ones I could save and am still surprised how they are alive. Within 2 minutes of warm air, they were squirming and looking for food.


The weirdest and most shocking part? The mother is Chubs! The one I just had over at Chris's for a breeding with his buck. Somehow the 2 does we have were mixed up and the wrong doe was put in our old buck (Don Julio's) cage. The other doe has shown no signs of being bred and I have tried palpating everyday when I bring them treats. I have done this since bringing them home and could never feel anything.
After getting the kit's warmed up, I flipped chubs over and cradled her to me while I placed her 3 babies on her stomach for a meal. Not sure if she had fed them after birth or not. No idea how long after their birth I happened upon them. So a gentle force feeding was done to be sure they did get a belly full after being so cold.
After half the day of being inside, I brought chubs back out to the pen so she could chill out in the dirt and chomp some clover and dandelions. She was given a treat of strawberries, grapes and red raspberry leaf along with her pellets after the whole birth ordeal.
Gotta go back out and bring her back to the kits for their evening meal. I thing Paprika will be going back into the hutch. I can not deal with losing anymore baby animals this month.
Garden will hopefully get tilled this weekend and may have a small roadside plant sale from all the Spring time herb divisions and my over zealous tomato and lavender seed starting.
Panda's produce table will be put to good use and with temps around 80 (F) degrees, people will most likely be in the mood for garden plants.
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

Spring check up on the Bee hive...

Our Bee Man came by today for the Spring time checking of the hive. He had a bigger then normal audience since I had the Neighborhood brood here playing. Panda was firing out so many questions. She has such an inquisitive mind. The other children just stood back and stared in silence as Bee Man went through the motions of inspecting the hive.


Seems to be a new queen in town.


Nice side close up (above) shows how tall the new Queen cell is/was.
Below you can see new Brood cells not far from the larger (now empty) Queen cell.


He may bring another frame with brood just in case. Something has happened with the Queen which he is not sure what. So just to be on the safe side, he will most likely bring the brood frame this weekend and have a closer look into the hive.
I look forward to my morning strolls through the garden which would eventually bring me to the hive area, where I sit and wait until they begin their morning ritual.
There is something so satisfying about walking through the garden in the early morning light before most are awake. Everything is sleeping and as the sun comes over the trees, sparkling the morning dew and hearing the birds singing their morning greetings. I sit, coffee in hand, enjoying the solitude with Mother Nature. Just me, the plants, the Birds and the bees.
Spring time is FINALLY here!
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

Spring time trash to treasures

Remember me mentioning the table top and table legs I mentioned a bit back on my curbside find? Obviously, as you see, they did not go together. The legs are from some kind of picnic table and the top from what I am guessing was a poker table top. (see the green fleece bits?)

I sanded all the dirt and grime off the top and attached those legs to the underside. Perfect waist height!

I applied a red Mahogany stain then a clear waterproof finish.
Voila! Panda's Produce table. Not finished all the way, so a pic you wil have to wait on. A few more details are being done for her.
I also picked up some lattice from the local Hardware for $1 a piece due to "imperfections". (normal price is $11) Their trash, my treasure. Found the wild black raspberries growing along a dirt road that was plowed during winter and these were growing in the area people drive.

We were having an issue with the neighboring dog barking non stop while we are up around the garden. He has that sharp annoying bark that grates on your nerves. They could care less about it and do nothing to stop it. Their windows are open, so I know they hear him. So I brought grizzle up with me while I planted all these wild black Raspberries along the fence line then put the lattice behind them, blocking a clear view from their yapper. Grizzle won the barking competition and it finally was so wore out it went away to rest. I did it hoping they would hear the commotion and come out to resolve the problem. Nope. Not exactly the kind of people you can knock on the door and and resolve these kind of things. No law here about it either. I need a dog whistle....
Mama has taken to most of the chicks, but a few Americauna's are very adventurous.
They are in temporary quarters in the garden. I did not want to add chickens I bought at the auction to my brood just yet. Towards the end of this week, their home will be moved next to their pen for more association before they are in together.
I brought Chubs, the larger Californian doe, over to Chris and Lisa's (1 acre homestead) to be bred by their buck. She took to him very well and within a short time. I knew it had to be something about our buck she was just not happy with.
So hopefully by mid/late May we should have kits. I am on the look out for a larger buck since I sold our previous one. I can not keep a buck around for the ladies if they refuse him.
I have a few blueberry bushes I ordered that should be here within the next week. The dwarf lemon tree's arrived a few back and have already shown growth of an inch! Hopefully I have success with the blueberries. I lost all the fruit tree's over the winter. I am so sick over that. I did everything your suppose to. Still, they did not survive. Thank goodness the company has a money back guarantee.
Panda's Peace symbol did not come out very straight, so we will gently move the growth to form better lines before adding in the filler greens. Not too bad for her first time...

I have natural clay I picked up last week and am impatiently waiting to have time to wrap my hands around it to play. This time, I have a kiln lined up to use for a small space fee and will get my statues fired on time. I hope my next one is pleasing. I plan to make a fairy for Panda to give to her for her 10th Birthday in July. I am still "sketching out" the picture in my mind with her woodland fairy costume as inspiration. I would LOVE for it to look like her.
I have her sign to put together now that it's dry and need to put a coat of that clear waterproof paint onto the galvanized tub for her. It will hold the watermelons she hopes to sell.
Picked up a few belly dance books at the library so I best get to them now. One comes with a dvd and I'm excited to mess with it soon. Panda wants to learn too so this will be a nice bonding thing for us. Although I do know lil' man likes to play along with those things too. I just hope all this estrogen around him is for the good and does not take away too much from growing up with less manly influences...Poor guy.
Sweet Dreams,
~Tammie

City Boy meets Country...

I have a neighbor who wanted some ducklings and was having a problem finding ones that would grow to be all white..That and people were charging outrageous prices (like 2 ducklings for $32)... I needed a silkie hen for future hatching out of eggs and thought we would give Mt. Hope a try.
I got my silkie hen...with 11 cochin bantam (I think may be Birchen) chicks. Of course I do not want bantams and the next item up was Americauna chicks...12 of them. So I won those too. I was amazed at the high prices things were going for. Like a New Zealand doe went for $32! Normally the high point would have been $10 or $12. Even bucks were getting up there in price.
I integrated the Americaunas with the banty chicks under their new Mum. So far so good, but she seems to not care for the yellow/white colors. They just hide under feathers when she pecks at them. Hopefully once I sell off some of these Bantam chicks, the numbers dwindling will keep the peace more.


The Banty chicks are the size of a Strawberry! So small like large Marbles walking around.


But there is more to the story. Once I won my bids, we had her Fiance watch them so we could bid on some other things. Now you must picture this with an open mind but thinking of how others with a closed mind would behave. Her fiance' is African American. Great guy and has won me on many levels with his respect and great personality. I really adore hanging out with them. So I can mess with him and it's just fine.
I always joke when she gets upset with him how we must take him rabbit hunting and he gets to be the rabbit.
Imagine walking up into a livestock auction where 99.9% of the people are white. Wearing Country farmers and Amish clothing. He is wearing Baggy pants, a zipped up hoodie and long Gold chain. Kinda like taking a country boy to the city but I was taking a city boy to the country..deep into the country. I walk around with my jeans and henly top. wearing flip flops and have my Pallina gloves hanging from their hook from my back belt loop. He stuck out in many ways but he never batted an eye. Many stared and tried to size him up on why he was dressed like that and coming into the chicken barn.
As he and his Fiance sat with their daughter waiting for me to come back from the office, they were swarmed. People surrounded them trying to tell them how those chicks are sick, the hen would never be a good mother and ..the kicker? a box which held her lion head bunny but was marked Roun ducks became the target of how those ducks were a terrible breed and they would never be able to handle them. Might as well just give them to him and he would save them any future problems. That is when they realized these people were scamming! I had forewarned them not to take a hand or foot off the boxes. People will steal them. They were shocked but once the swarm dissolved (I think they saw me coming back) they were referring it to the inner city.
Oh it gets better. As we laughed about the scammers, we made our way to the big livestock barn. Sat up in the bleachers watching the pigs auctioned off. Poor girl had no clue that by waving her arm up while talking, she was BIDDING on a pig. I had to tell her to keep her arm down. She just bid on a 200lb pig! She was so cute and after oh my goshing, asked if she won and if they take debit cards... Her Fiance was laughing and asked how we were going to squeeze that into my Vue? Then what would they do with it? I said "put a red ribbon around it's neck and walk through the neighborhood calling it Wilbur." Or they could always become pig farmers. He asked if there were any Black Amish... Umm. I don't think so, at least I have never seen any. But you could be the first?!
We had a great time and I'm sure they came away with many stories to share with their family and friends. Of course Having Tif hang out with me shows I am rubbing off on her. Already she is begging him to buy land and raise chickens and gardens. He is a good sport and is open to the idea...a little.
She wants a horse and buggy and she even told Tay (the Fiance') he could put some spinners on it if it would help...He would have the biggest wheels in the neighborhood!
They made me laugh all day. I had such an incredible time and look forward to taking them out to a Friends Farm...Wonder if I could talk him into wearing different shoes..May not like stepping in patties mixed with mud.
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

Rainy Spring day means..

I was on the search to find out how to Finger knit some produce bags to add to my reusable grocery bags. ( I have never knitted in my life and honestly do not find it interesting. Just wanted some reusable produce bags.)
And then I came upon her....
Wisdom of the Moon: Cheap & Easy Fabric Produce Bags

You know where I will be when the Rain picks up Tomorrow!
That is of course AFTER I go on a Chicory hunt. Temps are still around 50 (F) degrees. But this is the time to get out and forage for those chicory roots!
Why, you may ask am I digging up roots from a typical roadside scavenger? Chicory Coffee of course!
Did you know that in Louisiana chicory coffee is a big deal?The early French had a love for their chicory and brought the seed and root with them on the ships. Yep, it apparently is so similar to coffee in taste (along with Dandelion root) that you can either use it full strength or to mix in with regular coffee. After searching around for more info to share, I found many differing opinions on the time to gather. Decide what YOU think would be best for you. So here are some facts about Chicory before you go out adventuring on a Chicory Hunt:

Time to collect:Root: March - April then October -November,
Herb: June until September,
Flowers: July until September
Ideally, the roots should be dug before the plant flowers, But come Fall you can go at it again.
Chicory likes to grow beside roads. You can also find it at the edge of fields and near railways.In springtime the leaves grow at the ground. These leaves remind one of the leaves of Dandelion, but they are bigger. The blue flourishing Chicory grows beside roads and paths. Most people don't even see this plant growing there, because it is quite flimsy.
In ancient times and in the middle ages the Chicory was famous as a magical herb. It was very valuable because of this.Today the Chicory is used to strengthen the digestion and you can make a coffee substitute from the roots.

A coffee made from the Chicory root is tasty and helps the digestion. It was often used in times, when coffee was difficult to be bought. To prepare Chicory-coffee:

• cut the root in small pieces and dry them
• roast the dry roots
• make a powder of the roasted roots
• cook this powder like normal coffee. The taste of the drink gives a reminder of coffee.

Do not forget Dandelion root! Another great coffee root. Foraging now for later use is the smart route. If you have ever seen the pices for these coffee substitutes, you will also realize the benefit in saving money by doing your own hunt. They are not expensive. But what will it hurt for you to go on a Spring hike and gather some free edibles while you are it.
Now is a great time to dig up the root, before the ground dries from the heat. Having Spring moist soil will make it easier to dig up, leaving less soil disruption to the surrounding growth matter and ensuring your roots will come up more intact.
The laptop is going back to The Captains work place so I have this very temperamental PC to work with. It likes to shut off when it feels like it. A new PC goes on the list with a new Digital Camera. Our camera is once again getting temperamental and I want a more proffesional camera for future projects.
Electronic Gods, please smile upon me in my moments of cash strapped need. Can I send a list like a child to Santa?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

Gravity tomato and more plantings

O.k, O.k, I know the mass of you have heard of the infamous "upside down tomato growing containers" . Which I think is a great idea for space wise management. But you do not have to spend that much money to grow one plant. Instead, use a very large hanging coconut shell lined planter(see pics).
Remember to get one that has an open circle on the bottom and is not covering the coconut fiber. Check in your "pot aisle" at the store and you will also see they carry extra liners for the hanging metal cages. I paid $3 for my planter. Be sure to check out your local Dollar tree or other discount store.

I'm sure it's been done before, but I have only seen it done with hybrids which are normaly Determinate. Mine is an heirloom & indeterminate...umm... Either black cherry or yellow pear. Not sure since it was a seedling pulled with its roots intact from thinning out the others. Roots looked to good to toss, so I potted the specimen up.
Cut a small cross section in the bottom and use an old plastic lid(cut out circle for plant stem and cross cuts for drainage) if you like for help to support the plant as it grows:

Remove as much excess soil gently from around it's root system for ease in placing UP into the hole:

Situate the plant and its root system before pouring in any extra potting soil. Plant basil or parsley seedlings at the top of the planter for more space saving and pest control. Tomatoes like basil growing close by.

You may want to secure the chain to the planter with zip ties for more strength (same color as the metal to blend in nicely).
Some bending in the plant is normal as it adjusts to its new position, but will eventually straighten itself out with gravity.

If you decide to use an Indeterminate viner, be sure to hang this planter high enough from any floor/ground and do not forget you have herbs growing in the top. They will need sunshine too.
I have one more planter to ready up and plant with another small tomato and herbs.
These will grace the front second story awning once mother Nature lets the weather calm down from her cold flashes. (Please-Oh please be soon. I can not take any more of her mood swings!)
Feeling a little better. I can breathe through my nose again! But seem to not be able to smell anything... Can not decide if that is a good thing or bad thing since I have our last 5 chicks and 3 rabbits in the mud room. (Have been having predator issues and the weather cold snaps have not helped). They go back out tomorrow with a few minor adjustments to their temporary set up.
The solar pit has been dug down 1 foot! Woohoo! Just 3 &1/2 more feet to go...I can do this. I will not be deterred from my goal despite the side aches from shoveling.
At least I no longer have to worry about blisters! I won a pair of Pallina gloves from Garden Girl~ Patti Moreno, about 1 month ago. I have fallen in LOVE! NEVER have I had a pair of gloves that have not caused my hands to blister when shoveling for 6 hours. They do not sweat when I get hot, nor do they get cold when it gets chilly. These gloves are AMAZING! They even have a grommet in the ends so you can hook them on a clip to hang on a belt loop. no more lost gloves for me. I am sold on these gloves. (see my wearing them in the next picture). And check them out over here* for yourself.
Discovered some cane vines growing in the "lost and sunless" garden bed. Each year I find something new and it seems I have been overlooking these. Wonder if they are a raspberry or rose? How can you tell anyway at this stage? So I moved them into the Herb quarter of the garden.

Need to plant the Spanish peanut seeds in their cell trays so they will be ready to go out in 6 weeks. The rich soil from the solar pit area is being tilled as deep as possible before shoveling it then being transferred down by panda's garden. The soil is loose and rich. Just like the peanuts need. Adding a few watermelons above ground on the outer edges, vines growing out into the peanut plant area to experiment with how the system will work for the future. I wonder if peanuts like watermelon?
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

rambling at 3 am about found treasures...

I have spoken before about making The Captain a cigar mold press, but after more research found it s much harder to make then I previously thought. When one can not make something themselves, you go on the hunt. A hunt for a bargain of course.
The Captain has a favorite site for buying his cigars, cigarbid.com, and I popped over to see what I could find. I was in luck. I found an old wood cigar tray mold from the La aurora cigar factory in the Dominican republic. It was signed by the the director and master zen blender Jose Blanco. To be honest, I did not care who signed it, just that it was still able to be used for the purpose. I put in my bids and won 1 at $13. Searching online lead me to find these normally have been going for $50. You can buy new ones at that price too but I wanted a bargain to start with.

Another subject from the past, Panda finsished up her Owl scarecrow from which she started back in the Fall of 2007. She embroidered the face and did such a fine job.

It sat in a box until a new need arises. Having her own garden was the perfect excuse to bring the owl head out and have her build up a scarecrow as was planned.
It rained yesterday, so it has become soaked and high winds have blown "him" down. Hopefully today will bring some sunshine to dry him up allowing an opportunity to share her hard work with you.
I am suffering from some kind of flu bug, along with the pink eye that spread to both eyes. I have so much to do but my body demanded I sleep all day. Of course between the hours of 2 and 3 am, my body demanded I wake up and stay awake. May have something to do with the fact I have been getting up at this awful hour for a month now and cannot seem to sleep past it.
I have 3 large bags of mulch I got off Craigslist and need to spread it out over the paths in the garden. Those stepping stones are not all in shape from the winter, so a mulched path will go in.
The seedlings are growing like crazy! Some tomatoes are surpassing the others in size so much I had to move them out from under the grow lights to prevent burning. I hope they will hold on for another month before I can transplant it all. Or at least untill the solar pit is in place and they can be moved out there.
Found a few curbside treasures the other day and have plans for the wood circle table. It will be sanded and stripped today in prep for its staining. Perfect for Panda's driveway produce stand. The large square galvanized tub needs a good washing and then some pastel color spray paint. I'm thinking a stenciled word phrase such as "bebidas frías" which means cold drinks in Spanish.
Lots to do now that my body feels somewhat better. Just wish I could find something to do that would not wake the family at this early hour...
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie