Celebrity guests!

I'd like to introduce our celebrity guests.

Mia Hamm, Kevin Bacon & Earl of Sandwich

It's like a furnace

Summer has reared its ugly head in a quick and bold way. It went from really nice to sweltering overnight. Seems vaguely familiar of last year too! We've lost 4 squash plants. No matter how much we water we just can't seem to keep them around. The garden is growing really well in the heat though for the plants that are able to get through the peak heat of the day. Next year the squash will have to be planted in a different location of the garden so they are shadded sooner from the heat. But then, the past 2 summers are very out of the ordinary.

Despite the heat, we've been keeping busy. 2 days ago we put up about enough hay to fill the barn. We're probably good on hay but I'd like to pick up some more alfalfa. Fortunately we've gotten enough rain to keep the pastures green, but just barely. It's difficult to get out so early in the morning when we're up late into the night taking advantage of the cool temps but early morning and late evening are the only times when we won't melt outside.

Our tomatoes are our pride and joy...well, my pride and joy anyway. I think even more so because they were started from seeds and anyone who knows how long it can take  tomato- or pepper for that matter- from seed probably feels extra special about them. The garden seems to be so late but has really shot up the past 2 weeks! We've not gotten anything but one yellow squash out of it so far and I was so excited to finally have something of eating size I ate the thing raw myself right there in the garden. There's lots of green tomatoes and beans just starting, lots of blooms on the cuke and melon plants so we just have to be patient.

Our compost pile is looking so gorgeous! I can't wait to get another year of goat manure & bedding on the garden and keep building up that compost pile! Next year I hope to have an even bigger garden and this fall I'd like to set out some fall crops too. It'd be nice to get strawberries in as well.

The fence has done really well at keeping the chickens out. They love to go wandering in the woods and Jeremiah mentioned last night they psych him out when he walks up to the house on occasion (and I won't lie, they do me too!) because they'll be hidden amongst the bushes and such and the scratching they make is kind of spooky =). You half expect a wild animal to jump out =).

Despite the heat, the girls like to be out in the pasture most days. They come in several times for water and I fill the bucket several times a day with new clean cool water. I try to time it so they're coming in just as the new water is going in so they get it at well temp. It really seems to get them to drink more.

This time of year our town puts on "Hutchfest"- a five day celebration leading up to the 4th of July. Sunday evening we went to "Gospel in the park", had cake and coke at 7 PM while there and then headed over to Salt City Splash (our town's water park), for a free family night.

 

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Last night it was a car show and that's not my thing so my friend, Michelle, and I watched the kids play on the playground in the park. 

Jeremiah will be off again to New Orleans for several days toward the middle of the month. And, by the way, his students won 4th place for the SKILLS USA National contest. Not bad aye? Fourth place, pretty snazzy! That was a long trip.

Wordless Wednesday: Round Here

 
 

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Ford Blue

 
   
   

Picked up the tractor last night. Made it home one piece. Mama got sick of Papa wishing for a tractor so Papa received his long awaited gift a little sooner than Father's Day. Me thinks Papa is one happy man!

Garden

I have a very lovely garden, all of which I started from seed including my non-GMO organic heirloom tomatoes and peppers! I babied these things since day one many many months ago. My chickens think the garden is an excellent buffet...until, that is, I forbade them from going in. I wish I had chickens that heeded my warnings but since I don't, a fence was necessary. Darn chickens, it's always something! 

far fence is the western property line.

   

Two of the 4 sides were already fenced in cattle panels. There was old field fencing behind is so we had to take down the panels, remove the old field fencing and put the panels back up but now I have lots of nice field fencing to make tomato cages out of and re-purpose in other ways.

We installed 2 walk through gates (as seen in the photo above) which are nothing more than a sections of panels left over from other projects. One of the 16' panels stood up well enough without a center post. We left it so if we ever need to get the tractor in there, we can just unhook  some wires and drive it right in. Oh, did I saw tractor? Didn't know we had a tractor? Well, stay tuned!!!

 We lined the whole area with chicken wire so the baby chicks can't get in and so far, so good! No chickens in the garden. We had talked about fencing in the chickens but we kinda like the fact they are free range! It really cuts down on the feed bill and they are eating directly from nature!

It's really in a fabulous location with the trees on the western side (minus the hill which presents a bit of a watering issue when it's windy from time to time) . When the temperature is at its hottest, the western tree line shades the garden from the sweltering sun. It gets sun from about 7:30 AM to about 3 PM. I cannot tell you how nice it is to be working in the garden at 6:30 in the morning watching the sun rise over the eastern (treed) property line. All the sunflowers have their heads turned to the east anxiously awaiting the sun's morning kiss.

I guess maybe it looks kinda sparse in photos. It's actually pretty jam packed. Much of the corn is still quite small as are some of the bean plants. The chickens dug a lot of my seeds and small plants up so much of it had to be replanted. We put an end to that! 

Garden goodies: 

Tomatoes- Marmalade, Graham's Good Keeper, Evergreen, Amish Paste, Rainbow, & Brandywine

Beans: Pole and bush, Mexican Red (I believe) & Purple

Corn: Sweet, Indian and "Early"

Peppers: I'm not sure which ones survived the rolly polly attacks! I started out with at least 12, I have 4 that survived

Onions: Green, red and scallions

Potatoes: Russet and red

Sunflowers: Mammoth, black oil, assortment

Melons: Sugar baby watermelons, and a variety of canteloupe

Cuckes: Variety pack

Squash: Patty pan, yellow & zukes

 

I did not get peas in in time or cauliflower, etc., but now that there is a dedicated spot for the garden that is fenced, I can be better about getting seasonal stuff in. I know I talked about putting up a green house but that obviously has been put off this year. Maybe by next spring =). I know my plants aren't nearly as big as others, I did plant a bit later. I envy large squash and tomato bushes when I visit other people's houses but truth be told I was kind of experimenting with growing tomatoes from seed outside of a green house anyway. I don't have the room in my house to put plants so the shop was where it all happened and it wasn't exactly as warm in there as it should have been but it was fine, they just took a bit longer =).

Wheat Harvest

Did I mention it was wheat harvesting time? Did you know this is a HUGE deal 'round here? Everything in the spring revolves around wheat harvesting time!This year it's 2 weeks early. Last year it was 2 weeks late. You can't ever figure. We had a huge storm roll in last week that put the wheat harvest on hold. Some farmers were thrilled and said, 'Bring on the rain". Others were upset as it puts a halt in harvest. Now they are working 24/7 to get the wheat harvest in on time. Why is it important to get it in on time? The wheat can dry out meaning it's not as good of quality. They generally have about 2 weeks to haul it all in and it's all hands on deck to get it done. A lot of teachers and students, apparently, sign on to help out - driving combine or trucks or trailers, etc. It's actually a pretty interesting experience!

It's common during harvest to see common experience to see combines everywhere, and semi trucks with trailers full of grain sitting lined up  at the grain elevators waiting to drop off their loads. Combines and grain trailers on the road can move pretty slowly and it's a bit aggravating when you're in a hurry but most of the time it's just what it is and you take in the scenery because there is no other option. 

Sometimes the farmers bale the straw. Straw's what's left after the wheat head has been cut from the stalk. Sometimes the head is just taken off the top of the straw and the left is rest to be tilled under. When the straw is baled- most commonly in BIG HUGE round bales weighing anywhere from 800-2,000 lbs- sit out in the fields like hay stacks.

Wheat harvesting time is certainly busy!

Family Reunion

Ahhh, well, it's been delightfully busy.

The kids are out of school, I am done working...there. And family has fleetingly come and gone. A week is a long time by all standards but a fabulous amount of time for a mini-family reunion. My Mom and Grandma are still here and we're enjoying the visit immensely.

My older bother James, sister-in-law Anna and nephews Nathan and Evan all drove up on Texas and my Dad and step-Mom, Debie, flew out from Southern Cal. The whole week was filled with fun things- water park trip, lake, zoo visit, lunches and dinners out, watching the combines harvest wheat, ice cream parlor trip, soap making secession, BBQ, birthday bash, 3 new goat babies born on the same day and kittens who are opening their eyes! If that weren't enough, lots of laughs, stories, and just plain old visiting. It was a GREAT week! Lots and lots and LOTS of memories graced us last week!

Nathan (4)

Rachel and Evan (3)