Still Fighting the Garden!!!

The Garden

 

 



Everything is growing, which is a good thing, but the weeds are breaking my back. Like I said before, when I came back from vacation the weeds had come and they haven't given up. As a farmer you get discouraged that you have kept your garden every day clean from weeds just to have a weeks time of you not being there, to ruin it all.

 

I have gone out every day and worked until my back and the heat are too much. Still has not put a dent in it at all. I am now just going to do what I can and try to live with it. We will see how this philosophy works in a weeks time. The corn loves the weather and so does the Pumpkin plant!

 

This plant I believe is going to take over my little chicken yard very soon. I think it grows a foot each day.

We also had an exciting day on Saturday with the garden. We were having a yard sale and a car decided it wanted a closer look at it. So it went crashing through the pasture gate and into the garden! Everyone was okay, the goats were upset, but we moved them back to the old pasture. We did have some plants come to an early death, but as I said everyone was okay and everything was easily fixed. What a weekend!

 

I absolutely love this Lily! It is a peach one and it always blooms later than the red one. With all this rain and humidity the flowers have just loved it!

 

On Saturday, Wayne and a friend went to get some more wood from the shed we are tearing down. We are getting closer to building our milking shed. I can't wait to start on the building.

 

Oh the babies are so big!

So not fair that they grow up so fast. We have a couple of chicks who must be mixed with something strange. They seem to have puff balls for tail feathers. I have no idea, but they are so cute running around the yard.

Ms. Puffy Cheeks showing us her better side. Silly little bird she sat and talked to me all morning and when I went to get the camera to take her picture, she gave me her butt.

 

All the goats this morning were not getting out of bed. They sat there in the barn watching me run around the pasture opening gates. It was sprinkling, so who would want to be out there?

 

It took awhile, but they finally did come out, but when they did it turned into a comedy show. JoJo, decided to stick her head in the hay bin and chew her cud. Why you may ask? Well it was still raining!

 

Then we moved to the Chestnut tree! Ms. Griffin decided to climb the tree and paw at her mom's head. JoJo was so upset, she can't climb the tree due to her size, so she tried to catch Griffin's feet as she pawed at her. Who needs TV when you have goats?

 

Oh Ms. Lovey, what can I say, never a dull moment with this bird. She will get mud all over her beak, almost to the point of not being able to breath right because of it. We then have to chase her down and clean her beak, then the world is back to normal so we think, she then will proceed to swim in the dog water bowl, even though she has a Spring to swim in. Ducks, are crazy birds!

 

Yes, I have 2 more salt and pepper shakers! I really need to get help for my addiction, but they are so darn cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What happens when you leave the Farm for the week ?

Jellystone Park!

 

We try to,every year around tax time,to schedule a get away from the Cranberry Acre, because if we don't get it scheduled something always comes up on the farm and we will never go. Everyone needs time away to relax, our place has been at the Jellystone Park in Luray, Virginia. If you have never been at one of these and you have small kids, you need to try and go. It's an amazing place for adults and kids, plus it's Yogi Bear you all!

 

With going away for a week,  it usually sets me into a tizzy, worrying about the critters, but we have great babysitters to watch them all. There still all my babies so I still worry.

 

It had rained up in Northern Virginia and it apparently rained here in the Southern part also, because my garden, which I weeded pretty heavily the day before, turned into a Jungle of weeds! I spent a morning after we got back weeding as much as my back could handle, I still haven't gone back. With the rain came pretty veggies!

 

To my surprise I came home to tomato plants that had doubled their size and started to produce fruit!

 

My Romaine lettuce started growing into beautiful heads of lettuce and my freebie,

 

Pumpkin plant also took flight and is growing on the chicken fence.

 

My Gala apple tree also has some pretty fruit on it, so excited about making Apple Butter and apple sauce this year.

 

 

Looks like Ms. Griffin is also excited about the growth in the garden, she has been trying to get at my Romaine lettuce all morning.

 

When we left for vacation we had Ms. Silver laying on about 20 or so Guinea eggs, well something took of with them and we have no clue what took them,I'm thinking Black snake because of the lack of eggs and no broken shells!

Larry and Curly are now laying on the nest, so maybe they finally have gotten the idea, we will see.

 

I can not believe what a week did to the chicks! We left and they still had all this fluff, now they are taller and have feathers. It was pretty crazy to see them this way thinking they were still the little fluff balls they were.

 

On Saturday I had let the chicks out in the yard cage to get some socializing in but, these two on Sunday became pretty sick. We are now nursing these two back and are saying a little prayer that they pop out of whatever has happened. Everyone else is nice and healthy, so I think it is something that these two got a hold of when they were outside. It really sucks to loose a baby, but these two are holding on and seem to be a little better this morning. Always a guessing game when it comes to sick birds.

 

My pretty, pretty Lily flowers! I have these planted in my flower bed and absolutely love them. I am now waiting for my yellow and peach ones to flower, they are almost there so of course there will be pictures when they do bloom.

 

I really do not have any idea what these are and if anyone knows, give me a shout. They come up every year and are very pretty, but have no clue what they are.

 

So we are now playing catch up on Cranberry Acre! I have a lot of weeding to do in the garden and now have baby chickens to tend on. I can't believe how much everything has grown, furry, feathered and green. So funny how when you leave for a week it all seems have changed so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



We have a new family member on Cranberry Acre!

Lovey

 

I'm writing this early because we will not be here and so much is going on here on the farm I wanted to share before I forgot!

 

 

We have a new member of the family who has come to live here at Cranberry Acre. This is Lovey the Duck! Her story is sad but she now has a happy ending. A friend of ours had called us a few months back and asked if we would take a blind duck, at first I wasn't so sure it would work, but then after I heard her story, I believed we could make room for her. She was attacked by a dog and her eyes were damaged, she is blind in one eye and we believe the other eye she sees enough to get out of the way, so it works! The animals on our farm have never seen a duck, so the introduction to them was kinda funny. They thought she was an alien! The goats stomped their feet and watched Lovey as she got out of her carrier, and the chickens....well they wanted nothing to do with her. The Stooges really didn't care.

 

It has taken Lovey a day but she has found her flock, yes she is following the Stooges and Red!

It seems to work for everyone, so there you have it. We now have a one eyed guinea nd a one eyed duck! A bunch of misfits on the farm, but they all get along so well.

 

Curly and Larry have been laying eggs, they could be fertile due to Mo, but we do not know. I found their nest the other day and was shocked to find, not a guinea on the nest but,

 

Ms. Silver! Bless her heart she is trying to hatch Guinea eggs. I need to candle these eggs and find out which ones are okay, but she has been laying on them and I do not want to scare her off.

 

Wyatt and Ayla decided to make Lemonade to sell at the Farmer's Market on Friday. I was so proud of them. Since I didn't have an electronic juicer the kids had to do it the old fashion way...

 

With my Vintage juicer! It works but they did learn that it took awhile and why lemonade is soooo expensive when you buy it fresh! After all that they have decided to keep the lemonade stand going at the market, I'm so proud of them. What valuable lessons they are learning by doing this and I'm glad they are.

 

My new Up cycled item! My husband and I worked together on this lamp. The base is a piece of old barn wood and a license plate. The rest is a 1950's Atlas jar and an old enamel strainer! I love this lamp and if I don't sell it, well it will have a home, I will make sure of that!

 

Today was a yard work day and the goats love it because when Wayne is done trimming the bushes, well they get all the cuttings!  We had happy goats this morning, very happy goats.

 

Mr. Luther, after I was done cleaning the barn this morning decided he would check it out. Well he loved it so much he pottied in it! Anyone who has critters know this feeling of accomplishment which is then followed by that animal saying Thank you in an oh such loving way. I could have killed him, but who could yell at a face like that?

 

Oh the babies!

They have been spending warm and sunny days in a rabbit cage that is flipped upside down so they can get their toes in the grass. They love it! The other chickens will come by and graze with them when they are out there, very cute indeed.

 

This year in the garden I have decided to spread out the barn manure in the garden between the rows. Goat manure is kinda like rabbit manure and really doesn't burn your plants, so to help with the weeds and to put more Nitrogen in the ground, I started doing this with the shavings and manure from the barn. We will see how it works!

 

My baby Kale, is looking so good, I just can't wait to harvest this stuff, but sadly I will have too! It just soooo pretty!

 

I have a surprise plant and I love surprises! I was weeding the garden and as I was leaving noticed this squash plant. I'm not 100% what kind, but I have a feeling it is a pumpkin, so I told Wayne NOT to cut it with the weed eater and we will see what it turns into. I bet Pumpkin, anyone else want to guess?

 

Lord who needs a Bulldozer when you have your son and his friends out at the Spring? These kids have dug out my Spring so the water would be better for the tadpoles and the Duck! They have almost been knee deep in this mud, and are still at it in the heat of the day. To be a kid again playing in the mud, awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



How do you get from one side to the other?

It takes a chicken!

 

 

We have opened the second pasture to the goats this week and boy has it been exciting. As I said in a Blog before we had decided to split the back yard into two pastures, A Winter/Spring and a Summer/ Fall pasture. I went ahead and dewormed the goats waited a couple of days and opened the gates! First let me tell you I have two goats ( Bella and Sparkles), who are not morning goats, but on this morning they were.

As soon as I opened the gate everyone was up and in the new field. Luther has been eating until the sun doesn't shine. While the Does are taking it in strides, eating then napping.

 

Ms. Griffin has a girly appetite so she never eats too much, but we have to watch Luther, he doesn't know when to stop and has had a few uncomfortable nights and breaks from the pasture.

When we split the fence we figured that the chickens and the Three Stooges would just stay in the old pasture goat free. Well Short Stuff had other plans!

 

The little monster found a space that she can fit under and go back and forth between the fields. My whinny cat, Pico would cry and cry to be let into the old field, she just couldn't figure out how to get back and forth.

Ms. Pico would watch from under the barn the chickens on the other side. Kinda felt sorry she hadn't figured it out yet, until she watched the chicken. As I said "It takes a chicken".

 

Took her a bit, but she did it!

Now she is just a happy cat on the other side of the fence, close to her humans again.

 

Ms. Ayal and Ms. Pico! Oh yes and Red in the back, who is now trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the fence also.

 

Trying to curve the goats appetite, I tried to give them hay in the morning before they went out to graze in the new grass, but I started a fight. We had the whole King of The Mountain fight and our little Prince..

 

Won!

He now thinks he can take on his mother JoJo, but has been beat down pretty hard over it. He will learn.

 

I had sort of forgot that the building we are tearing down is being stored in the new pasture, I have now created a playground for the goats and Ms. Sparkles has claimed it as her own. She stayed on this pile for a good while threatening anyone who tried to lay a hoof on it. The drama of a pasture, I swear.

 

Ms. Copper and Ms. Coal have gained a new friend in the pasture, Ms. Silver. Silver has taken upon herself to show them the ropes of the pasture. She corrects them when they need it and breaks up their little fights when they start. They listen for the most part, but there are times that they don't and Silver just walks away.

 

I'm kinda wondering why I ever bought chicken watering cans, because all they ever do is drink out of the bowls that were Corona's.

 

I'm at a point of having to put them in the Chicken Yard at night because they act like they are dehydrated when I let them out in the morning. They have a watering can but refuse to use them, Silly Birds!

 

The new babies are flapping and running all around in their cage. I have started to let them outside in an old rabbit cage so they have the feel of grass and get to know the other birds. They are so funny, I was folding Laundry and everyone got quite, I looked over and saw them peeking over the cardboard to see what I was doing. I guess I'm chicken TV.

 

This weekend a friend of ours gave us a cage that you can use as a playground for your little furry friends. Well Mr. Ginny and Mr. Dumbo loved it! Oh yes Ms. Ayla  loved it also. If I had only known how easy it was to trap my child in a cage, the Terrible Threes would have been so much easier! Was a great gift and we are having fun watching the Guinea pigs play in it.

 

I have said I have a passion for glass and Pyrex, well here are two pieces that a friend gave me. I love this pattern, but it's sort of hard to find cheap enough to own, since it's a want, not a need item. She got really lucky with these two pieces and I love them.

 

Our garden took a real god beating this last week. We had some pretty rough ands stormy days with hail. My Brandy Wine tomatoes have holes in their leaves but I think they are going to make it. My poor Rhubarb took some hail damage, but seems to be taking it like a champ also. I had to plant some more plants this past week, I had some rows that were not producing well, so instead of waiting I tilled them in and planted squash, sunflowers, and peppers! We will see how this will go in a few weeks.

 

I will be at the Farmer's Market in Independence this Friday, I would love to meet you if you can come out!