Saturday Mornings

From late Spring through early Fall I spend each Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market. In the past, when I was a City Girl, I would go to the market with bag in hand, searching for some delectable thing – fresh veggies, herbs, fruit, perhaps some homemade cheeses – that would make the coming week a bit more special.

Now my visits are to provide that special thing to someone else. Sis started out at the market a couple years ago, selling lamb and some baked goods (more on those later). As time and circumstances have progressed, the menu has changed. We still have lamb, but will not be raising any more so whatever we have to sell now is “it”. There are other folks we know who raise the breed of sheep we prefer so we may get some from them to continue offering it to regular customers, but no more from our property.

We’ve added bison. Sis had some surgery, and became friends with the surgeon, who happens to raise bison. So we have ground, steaks – even dogs. The brisket is particularly good.

We also sell duck (raised by a friend, too messy for me) and chicken. These chickens are not what you might envision – especially if you’re thinking of some Green Acres kind of free-range animal. These are a Cornish chicken, nice plump things that dress out at anywhere from 2 ½ to nearly 4 pounds – after just 6 weeks of voracious eating. I refer to them as Free Rolling rather than Free Range. About all they do is roll from the food to the water and back, and then waddle a bit to the side, flop down and sleep. Seriously – they grow from a tiny little hatchling to a behemoth in just 6 weeks.

And, since this is a Farmer’s Market, we test drive different offerings to see what may sell. We have dog treats, made from dried lamb and goat innards – such as lamb kidneys. The dogs LOVE this stuff. Who knew something like that would work? Besides Sis, I mean. I would never have thought of slicing up lamb innards and drying them for treats.

We also try out different baked goods, even though there are professional bakers with booths at the Market. We take a look at what they’re offering and then provide something they don't. At this point we make these sinfully delicious deep-dish cookies (a Martha Stewart recipe, I’m ashamed to say). Those have a loyal following. We also have scones (another loyal following) and English muffin bread. Those, combined with the goat milk soap we make, dress up the table quite nicely.

And once we’re done showing the house to what is hopefully the last round of people tomorrow I’ll be able to start up another bunch of goat guts in the food dryer, and make some more soap! I’m also going to try a batch of mint jelly to see if our lamb customers might be interested. If you would have told me 10 years ago that my next day’s schedule would involve such thing...well, I would have doubted your sanity more than mine, at the very least.

I’ll keep you posted on the jelly :-)

Back In The Saddle Again

Wow, what a long few months it’s been. Our house has been on the market for a while, and Sis (with whom I live), decided enough was enough – she wanted out so we could move to the new (smaller) farm she’d found. So the current place went on the auction list (house and 30+ acre working farm), and we’ve spent the last who-knows-how-long-anymore getting the place ready. I distinctly recall two SOLID weeks of working outside; weeding, trimming 10’+ high hedges, hunting and eradicating poison ivy, digging up dandelions and thistles. It really seemed endless. We did get a week or two of grace with rain, simple rain you can still work in, the cloudbursts we got kept us indoors (don’t worry, there was plenty of stuff to keep us busy in a 6,300 square foot house).

But then, the first showing and open house approached, and the lists started to get shorter – and easier. Yesterday was the last open house (we had finished so early we were dawdling around looking for something to do), and the auction is tomorrow.

Keeping your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for us that the folks who have expressed interest show up, bid, and buy!

It's a Bob Thing

For those of you who had the great fortune to meet my Dad before he passed, you'll understand when I say "It's a Bob Thing". Dad was one of those rare individuals who had a huge heart, a warm laugh, and deep compassion. (Plus a great voice and dry hands, two of the things that Mom loved.) He was also a true World Class Worrier. (He would sit up until all-hours whenever my Sis or I were out, because he wanted to be sure His Girls got home safely - and this continued until he died.)

Any-who, I was thinking of him over the past couple of days, because there were two things that came up which he truly loved - the need for flashlights, and weather. This man loved good gadgets, and to him a great one was flashlights. I must admit I was remiss in never asking him why - he never used the damned things when he was going to the kitchen in the middle of the night to sneak some cookies and milk. Many broken toes testified to that. But that legacy lives on - there's always one within reach here, and many different varieties (flashlights, not cookies). Small ones for peeking into tight places, and large luminous things that will light an entire room.

He also had a fascination with the weather, which I believe came from his youth when he worked on the family farm. (Yeah, we come by this whole Living-On-A-Farm thing on the honest side - farmers a number of generations back on both sides of the family, but that's another story.) When TV cable came out with the Weather Channel I think he actually used to sit in front of it for hours.

So this week, due to Mother Nature, I was reminded of Dad. The weather totally sucked butt. We had a storm of magnificent proportions the evening of April 19th, to the extent we gathered up family heirlooms and important papers and headed to the basement. I may be stupid and wander around the yard during a lightening storm, but I tend to take Tornado Warnings a bit more seriously. Prior to that I found myself making sure we'd gathered up all the flashlights so we would all have our own personal torch - or two per person, as the case may be. And then, I found myself sitting in the upstairs living room watching the local weather report until the storm hit. LOVE that whole radar thing. Watching the Weather Channel right in front of a nasty weather front, with a flashlight in my hand. Oh yeah, it's a Bob Thing.

We ended up with about 3 inches of rain from that little treat, and thought it was pretty impressive (and muckily annoying), until today. Today's weather, while it didn't include any tornadic activity, did provide us with somewhere between 4 and 5 inches of rain in about 8 hours. We got a few hours' break, and then the next storm started up about an hour ago. I actually went out and emptied the rain gauge (hells yeah we got one of those bad boys, along with one of those nifty electronic weather stations that you can have a separate outdoor thermometer that shows the humidity, moon phase, price of bread - the whole ding-danged thing, a True Bob Thing). The rain gauge only goes to 9 inches, and I didn't want to wake up in the morning and find out it had overflowed and denied me an accurate reading. (Are you sensing a Bob Thing Theme here?)

So here we sit, on our little rise with all the surrounding roads flooded out. Good thing I got these:

Soggily Yours!

Perfect day to weed

It's been about a day and a half since a huge storm blew through - literally. Straight-line winds of up to 75 mph, torrents of rain, quite a time. And at 1:00 A.M. no less.  Today though, it's bright and sunny and in the 60's with a light wind. So out I go to put in a few cheap flowers I picked up (the sale rack calls me each time I go by - so many plants needing just a bit of TLC to make them a happy member of the garden). And then I got to weeding.

This is something I inherited from my Mom. She LOVED to weed, as did her mother. I think it was a peaceful time for them, away from kids and indoors and regular housework. And the results of the labor was immediately obvious to them. I can remember Mom standing and looking quite satisfied with the results. Unfortunately it was in the days before composters, as I know she would have loved to use one of those babies.

As for me, out came all sorts of really fun weeds, many of which blow in from the surrounding fields. The usual crabgrass and dandelions, but also some other entertaining things - like BIG old nasty-ass thistles.

Here's a shot of the results of one of the beds. This is just outside the kitchen (hence why I call it the Kitchen Garden, I'm quite original at times). In this view are many perennials that have been in place since I worked at Clover's Garden Center years ago, and a few new ones from last year and today. I promise a follow-up shot in about a month so you can see how wickedly competitive these things can get.

From left to right, are: Black-Eye Susans, Bee Balm, Leopard's Bane, Ragged Robin, the little purple flowers are a type of Jacob's Ladder, the straggly thing in the middle is Russian Sage. Across the front are a type of ornamental sage, a poppy, another type of yellow daisy, the thing in the broken pot is a type of succulent, behind that is Baby's Breath. And on the far side is a huge clump of Shasta Daisy, the leggy thing in front is a Butterfly Bush, at it's base (on the other side, so you really can't see them) are more Ragged Robin's, a perennial pansy (that is not a violet), Pinks, and a Hollyhock on the other side of the Japanese Maple.

The last thing I did outside today? Put up a hummingbird feeder. They should be getting here any day now.

Ahhh.....Spring...

One of the benefits of living "this far" south is the fact that I've moved to a new Zone - gardening zone, that is. My friends in Chicago are still living with the reality of the anticipated last frost date of April 20, and anyone who's been anywhere near there knows that is just a date on the wall, it could still snow at the end of April.

Not so much down here. Our last frost date was April 10, and I think it's going to hold true this year. The perennials in the back are coming up, and some are even starting to bloom.

As for the trees? Well, that lovely dwarf peach has dropped all it's blooms, along with the weeping crabapples and pears. The redbud is just now dropping out of bloom.

Our current glory? The dogwoods. Here's a shot of the back of the woods - they are truly wonderful right now. The whites are in full rip, and the red ones are just beginning to really swagger.

Rather wet and soggy project

Amidst all the gardening/landscaping I have on my list, is The Fountain. This is a not-so-great picture of it (mainly because it's a background of the peach tree I was shooting the other day). You can just see part of it squeezed between the foreground shrubs. There's more behind the shrubs - trust me.

I've gotta give props to whomever designed this yard for the original owner. In addition to providing as nearly many Pink Things as the goddess makes (both animal and mineral, that's a whole 'nother range of posts) they also managed to include some creativity along with the requests for All-Things-Expensively-Typical. For example, a ceiling fan in the gazebo (which is behind those spruces trees). Wouldn't have thought of that, but a darned good idea in the heat of September down here.

One of the other things included was the really cool fountain, backed by some way-outta-place Colorado Blue Spruce trees. (Come on folks, they have the name Colorado in them for a reason...)

Anyway, this tragically cool fountain has been out of commission for the past two years, and we believe it has something to do with the return - water just doesn't make the circuit like it should. So, for the past two years, it's been more of a stagnant pond. Rivetingly inviting to frogs. Which produce THOUSANDS (it would be millions if the thing was bigger) of pollywogs, or tadpoles, or whatever you call them.

As for Sis's dogs, they call them Targets, Fun, Mine - oh, all sorts of things. The older Corgi ends up doing a serious GIJoe thing and going all "scuba dog". And then he catches them. And then he yacks them up all over her bedroom floor about 2 in the morning. Grand fun had by all.

So repairing the fountain is pretty high on my list this spring. Mostly for my Sis's ability to sleep through the night, as well as for her Corgi's tummy. Pics of project to follow!

Dandelion wine

When you have as much lawn/acreage as we have, that is not tainted by sprays, you end up with - well....dandelions. Lots of the little f*ckers.  In fact, it appears to me that they have genetically mutated so that their blooms (and therefore their seed heads) are below the level of most lawnmowers. Seriously - take a look the next time you or your neighbors mow and see how many lovely little yellow sunbursts remain.

So, here's what I'm gonna try to do with the suckers. Figure it can't be much worse than weeding...

Tromping about

It doesn't seem that there's much of a Spring anymore, at least temperature-wise. Just last week it was cold enough for coats and sweaters (and that had nothing to do with me being up north). Today? 89 freakin' degrees outside. I think the only day we had in the 70's was when it was pouring rain and rattling with thunder.

Today Sis had to run an errand to our new property and I went with. We tromped through the woods looking at all the new stuff, sprouts of native impatiens (Jewelweed), fresh deer tracks, and even early Poison Ivy - which I stayed away from as if I get close I'll have it for the rest of the summer. We were looking for morrel mushrooms, but found something else entirely.

Trillium! I had hoped we'd have some cool native stuff, but never imagined this. And it was a nice large patch - spread over nearly a 10' x10' area.

I'm not at all sure which one of the many species this is, but we're planning on going back down in a week or 10 days to check out the dogwoods (which were just beginning to open), see what else we can find, and hopefully get pics of the Trillium. It's possible there are other species there, I just wasn't paying close enough attention this trip.

Here's a shot of a different part of the property. The land is in "cave country" in Harrison county. There's a sink hole near this tree, with a slight breeze coming out of it so we think it may be attached to a nearby chain of caves. There's something there regardless, as when Sis moved some leaves a salamander scrambled out and went back underground. Too quick for me to get a picture of him/her, so you'll have to settle for the tree and it's great root system.

The Need to Weed

The light was good yesterday for taking pictures of the blooming trees and outside of the house, just in case the realtors missed it. You know how things bloom, and are all gorgeous, and folks are supposed to stop by but overnight it's windy and rainy and in the morning all that pretty is laying on the ground? That's what I'm sure is gonna happen, so I have a small mission to get out each day and take outside shots. And this is what I got to drive.

Yeah, I've lived here for about a year and a half, and yeah - they've had the Gator for a while, but I usually always just strolled around to get to the mailbox, chickens, back barn, etc. No more of that stuff baby!! Totally cool, lots of fun, and I can see myself getting into fair amounts of trouble.

But first things first - I had to weed it. This is a working farm, after all, with lots of animals to feed - and animals eat grain. Turns out that grain can end up in a LOT of places...like, oh the gear stick and parking brake of a Gator.

Yep, that's a right nice crop of whatever-the-hell that is. And I thought my landscaping work was going to be limited to the house. Silly me...

Now THIS is how you run errands

Still getting the place ready for that realtor-photo visit. (I promise to post the link to the photos once they're up.) In the meantime, one of my tasks today was to run to pick up some more mulch for the vast areas needing renewed mulching this year. Sis said "take the truck", so I did.

I quickly realized that I love this truck. Having not driven it before I didn't realize just how high up you sit - it's a 4WD thing, and the hood on that comes up to about my shoulder, perhaps more - I really do have to climb into it. And it's diesel, which means it makes the most wonderful rumbling noise.

So I purchase the multiple bags of mulch and a very nice man comes out to help me load them - I'm sure he's thinking any woman who's driving something like this needs help. Well, I probably do - but I've been working out lately so I was able to sling the bags of mulch right along with him. Didn't mean to emasculate him or anything, but he had trouble with small talk about half-way through loading the bags.

Prepping for the Photo-Realtor

OK, I have to admit I'm having trouble adjusting my inner clock. I'm so used to closing a retail store and getting home about 10:30 or so at night, that it's a bit abby-normal for me to be getting up in time to milk goats. Seriously. (I hear you laughing up there...)

So I woke up this morning about the time Sis was headed out to milk, leaving me to decide what to start on first on the inside of the house. You see, the realtors are just two days away from visiting to take pictures of the house so it can be listed - which means there's a lot of stuff to catch up on. For those of you who have not heard me lament, this house is what we fondly call the Pink Elephant. Every corner of it was pink when my Sis and her family moved in (either pink or had floral wallpaper) and it's HUGE. My decision? The family room - which is where all of the dishes that should be in the dishwasher manage to find a home - so it had some things that required attention. A few hours later, about the time I was applying Olde English polish by hand to the hardwood floor, I realized I really did have some of my Mom in me. So I followed that up by shrieking wildly at any dog that dared step foot onto that floor before the oil was all absorbed. With as many dogs as we have I was beginning to sound like a carnival barker which was annoying even to me, so I went outside.

Snapped a few pictures of the back yard, and then decided to finish mowing. I mean, what the hell? The wind is only strong enough to chase swallows indoors, why not mow a huge yard for the first time in the spring? Yeah, I ended up with so much grass on me I coulda been a yard ornament.

As for the pictures, here's the back yard, as handled by Sis. Mind you, it's only a portion of what she's accomplished, and it's still early Spring. The massive Baby's Breath and yellow Ox-Eye Daisy that grow around that bench will be spectacular later, along with the Bee Balm and other stuff. We won't even mention all the different Cone Flowers she has around the fountain there to the left. (The flowering tree nearly directly ahead is a dwarf peach. Yep, it has peaches each year.)

And here's the part of the back yard I'm gonna tackle within the next week. Won't make it for the realtor's pics, but it should end up being a nice veggie/herb garden nonetheless.  I'm taking suggestions for what to grow on the lady figure in the back. Or at least something that will look good until she's moved to the new place.

First Goat Lesson

OK, this is for all of you who thought I could not milk goats. Including me. With a little bit of practice, a lot of patience (and minimal chuckling) from my sister, and some goats that are MUCH more experienced at this than I, we've accomplished our first hand milking. Can't even begin to explain how it feels - it's really something you gotta experience.

This batch of milk is going to feed these babies, and three more that you can't see that are to the right:

Because of the danger of some type of disease that goats get we do pasteurize the milk we feed the kids. The easy thing about feeding them is that they drink out of little troughs (like pigs) so all you do is pour the proper milk into their trough and stand back while they snork it down.

No leftover milk yet, but when we do get some it will go to making cheese for us, and soap to sell. Now, if you're one of my friends you may expect to get some cheese as a gift - but only if I like ya...

Next up? Calling and begging the parts guy to deliver the missing pieces to the milking machine.