Hotter'n Blue Blazes...and Other Goin's On

I know, I know, we're all hot.  Wow, this summer's been a doozy, hasn't it!  Even up in the northeast, they've been sweatin'.  Even as I type, I'm settin' here waitin' on the A/C guy to come fix my A/C.  It's blowin', but it's not cold.  The inside temps are steadily climbing just as the outside ones are.  And it's only 10:42 in the morning.  I have the ceiling fans on and my box fan right here beside me trying to just stay still until he gets here.

Daughter and BF came home this weekend - she's in a wedding this afternoon and gone to town to get foo-foo-ed up and she's busy with all that while BF went to run errands with my husband.  BF plays football - he's a big tall guy - and hubby has a couple of he-man jobs to do here at the farm that will take more muscle than he himself has got, so he's going to take advantage of BF being here.

I have to thank all of you who have expressed their sympathy and concern for our friends, Helen & Erin, who lost their daughter Kayla two weeks ago.  I really appreciate your love and prayers and kindness and I know that our friends did, too.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!  The Lord is showering His lovingkindness upon them daily!  What would we do without the Lord AND our friends and loved ones??? I just don't know!

(several hours later...)  OK, we're back in the COOOOOL now.  It was the flux capacitor on the A/C. No, really it was!  "Back to the Future"???  Hint-hint??

Anyway, the garden's gone, the yard is gone, all the jelly is put up - 8 pints of grape from my two little two-year old vines, 2 1/2 doz pints of plum and a dozen peach preserves.  Put up only a little corn - 4 gallon bags of ears - small ears, but they DO taste good.  And boo-koo's of pickles.  Oh yeah, about a dozen quarts of tomatoes or stewed tomatoes or tomatoe juice,  8 quarts of purple hull peas, 10 quarts of green beans, and several gallon bags of pinto beans.  Do you know that down here, purple hull peas are like black gold?  I told Tony that we should raise those babies.  The farmers' markets are charging $10-$12 a sleeve for shelled peas - not sure if a sleeve is 1 quart or 2.  Maybe 2.

Here's a picture of my sunflower seeds still on the flower.  They were beginning to fall off and into the garden. The birds were picking them out. Next year, I guess I'll have rogue sunflowers in my garden again!

My dead corn patch...

My dead tomatoes...

My beautiful sycamore tree - I love this tree - it's beautiful against a blue sky

Hoping for rain (which we didn't get) - turned everything kinda orange-y. Wierd...

After one brief shower, the hay pasture greened back up - it looked great for a few days...

I did not re-touch these photos with color - promise - these clouds were awesome...

End of another hot summer day with no rain...

I HAVE to show you this --- My daughter has become quite a fan of the shabby, farmy, rustic look.  Look what her BF built for her apartment.  She was whining about not have any end tables...

Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen?  She's been wanting a windmill for something.  She thought he'd forgotten her birthday.  He's been secretly working on this for her!  What a sweetheart!  He's built her a nice TV stand and a nice big heavy desk for school.  He's always happy to build for her whatever she wants!  She thinks he's a keeper.

Well, folks, guess that's all for now.  We're taking daughter and the BF and maybe my son & his wife out for dinner this evening to celebrate daughter's birthday AND

Hubby and my 33rd anniversary!  Take care &

Keep your gown down!!!

Prayers Needed...

I know I have many friends out there who regularly call on the name of the Lord on behalf of those in need.  My friend, Helen & her husband, who go to church with me lost their 17 year old daughter, Kayla, in a terrible car wreck last Friday night.  The funeral is tomorrow.  This accident has devastated the whole family and our church family.  Dear sweet Kayla was a Christian young lady, full of life, always smiling, and loved by all who knew her.  She was the one who always sought out the new kid at school, the kid who didn't really fit in, the kid who really needed a friend.  Never met a stranger, never judged or talked bad about anybody.  She will surely be missed. Wish I had a photo to show you... Your prayers will be greatly appreciated. 

Calling All Chicken People!!!

Ok, all you Chicken Lovers out there!!!  Yoo-hoo - you know who you are!!!

I have a couple of questions.  OK, remember all the years I've been blogging I've been saying that "when I get moved out to the farm permanently I'm gonna have me some chickens"???  Welp, it's time.  We have officially moved full-time out to the farm and I'm now calling it home.  It'll take some getting used to but we are so excited!

We are walking around boxes and trying to find more little cubby-holes to store stuff.  The tin garage is full, and the barn is taken up on one wall with our remaining furniture that we didn't sell.  We found a rat out there that will have to move on.  Stocked up on traps and poison last night.  You know what's bugging me the most?  My darling daughter's prom and pageant dresses.  WHERE IN THE SAM HILL AM I GOING TO STORE THAT STUFF?  I think I'm going to just get some big plastic bins and put them in there but then where am I going to put those bins?  I told her if SHE didn't take them to a resale shop, then I WAS. 

OK, back to chickens.

Question #1  --  When is the best time to get chicks?  In the spring?  Then you have to keep them warm and stuff.  How do they do if you get them in the summer?  Probably too dad-blamed hot right now in Texas, right?

Question #2 --  I don't think I need a whole gob of chickens  - just enough for me & Tony, my folks and maybe a couple more people - neighbors.  What do y'all think?  Maybe 5-6 hens?  I don't want a rooster to start with.  Maybe later.

Question #3  --  Do y'all prefer a coop that is big enough for a human to walk into or a small one to start out with?  Is it easier to clean a big coop than a small one? 

Question #4  --  I probably need to put wire over the top of their run, right? 

Question #5  --  How do you convert penned chickens into free range?  Just start letting them out?  Will they automatically start putting themselves back in the coop in the evening?  Need to wait til they're large?

Question #6  -- What is y'all's favorite feed for them starting off?  I know I can look all that stuff up, but I know that real people have special things that they like to feed.

Question #7  --  What are your favorite breeds to start with - easy, healthy, can take the Texas heat?  I WILL have an Ameracauna for sure, because there's just something I love about the green eggs. You know I had a stray one come to my house and stay for 6 weeks before something got her.  She laid me a green egg just about every single day.  I even fixed her a box with a nest in it on my front porch.  One day, she was just gone...

OK, that's enough for now.  I hope to be swamped with all kinds of good chicken info - I've visited Backyard Chickens' website and a couple of others.  That's a good site and I've enjoyed it.  And all of you that have chickens, I've probably read all your posts on chicken upbringing over the last 3 years - just cuz I was so looking forward to having some of my own.

Now, ya wanna see sumpin funny?

CAN YOU BELIEVE ALL THAT HAIR?  1980's hair AND Southern AND Texan to boot!  And all naturally curly.  I used to fight it tooth and nail!!!  Found this as I was moving and cleaning.  Thought you might get a great laugh!!!  (by the way, that's NOT a beer mug - I don't drink - my momma used those for iced tea...)

OK, that's all I can think of right now.  Thank you so much!  I'll be looking forward to hearing from  you!

We're Finally Home at the FARM!

Taking a break from moving to say hi and check in on all my lovely blog buddies.  I'm trying to cram 2600 sq ft of stuff into a 1200 sqft farmhouse. It's unreal.  I fear that another garage sale is in order here at the farm. I cannot keep all this junk.  But don't you think I should wait til it cools off a bit?  Just shove it all in the barn and do it in maybe October?  Thank you, I think so, too.

OK, we're gettin' real here, people.  The farmhouse was my "playhouse" and I foo-foo-ed it up big time - now it's time for a clean sweep.  Git rid of everything that we don't need - including all the pink - in time.  This is going to be a working farmhouse - we need space, minimum foo-foo, minimum doilies, flowers and cutesy wall art.  This is a time to be practical.  Why don't you all come to my house and see what you want?  I've got to streamline - playtime is OVER. 

I'm leaning more "farm-style" now.  Pink foo-foo is over.  It'll take time to make the changes. Plus - do you know how quickly pink and light colors get dirty and stained with my guys (and gal) doing the farm thing and bringing loads of dirt into the house?  Granted, they're not all here all the time, but me and hubby are, and I must confess that I bring in dirt, too.  All the stained light blue towels and cloths are going to the rag bin.  In with the dark blue and brown.

First change I've made.  You remember my cute little glass-topped garden table and chairs in the dining area?  Well, they're OUT.  I ran across an old, old handmade farm table, bench and some odd chairs that I'm going to use in the kitchen. I was always afraid that the glass was going to get broken and it only held 4 people.  The farm table will hold 8.  It's rough cut, but smoothed by the ages and use, and I think it'll be perfect. Won't have to worry about breaking it or scratching it.  It's a work table. Only one thing ---

I sat down on the end of the bench and guess what happened???  Just like a cartoon!  Up went the other end and I landed on the floor!!!!   Stop laughing!  At least it didn't hit me in the head.  It WAS pretty funny!  We'll have to get used to doing a balancing act when using the bench!  (sorry for picture quality - phone...)

Princess wanted me to show this picture of some chairs she bought for her little apartment at college.  They were covered with burlap potato sacks!  How cute is that!

In other news, WE GOT HALF AN INCH OF RAIN!  Woo-hoo!  It's not much, but we'll take all we can get!  The ground was cracked and sandy, grassburrs were sprouting up everywhere, the garden was about gone even with watering from the water hose, the grass is all crackly and brown.  There's nothing like the Lord's natural rain to bring life back in all things growing!  And nothing like His grace and love to bring life back into our souls!

Back to unpacking, friends - take care - don't forget me!  I'll be back! Hugs to all!!!!!

This 'N That...

Doncha just HATE fire ants?  I DO!  I was picking blueberries off my 6 bushes the other day when I felt fire enveloping my left leg.  I knew immediately what it was.  I looked down and my leg was covered with the little boogers and I instantly began swatting and brushing them off.  DAD-gum!  It's like they sneakily swarm on you, and then one of them gives the command and they all sting at once!  I know it's true - how many times does it happen!  At least once a week or so!  Ran the water hose on my leg but it burned for awhile and then started itching.  Now I look like I have chicken pox all over my left calf and ankle - looked real purdy going to church this morning... and they'll leave pink scars for a long, long time.  Yuck.  And I just won't put fire ant killer anywhere around our garden areas that we're going to be eatin' from.

Still packing up the house. We DID get a contract on the house, and Lord willing, that'll go well so we can get moved out to the farm permanently.  I'm so tired of the back and forth.  Princess came home this weekend so she could help me pack.  I swear she's the most organized thang you'd ever meet.  She saves EVERYTHING, but it's all neatly organized and labeled.  She packed up lots of plastic crates with her stuff.  She probably didn't want me trying to do it cuz it would not be organized.

Garden's going well.  All you're getting today is some random shots of the farm. DISCLAIMER - You'll have to excuse the photo quality.  These pictures came off the cellphone. 

Dad came over to make plum jelly with me.  We had so much fun!  It's such a hoot when we get to do "garden stuff" together, cuz my sweet mom is just not into this stuff.  She'll do some freezing, but she will not can, doesn't want to, has no interest.  So that's me and Daddy's play time.  Sometimes my sister will come up and do it with me.  We put up 3 dozen small jars, and I still have another batch to go.  Oh yeah, here's a batch of green beans.  I think I put up about 10 quart bags of beans in the freezer.  I've got to get out there and pick my pintos, too.  They're ready...

One thing that I have really enjoyed growing at the farm, something fun just for me - is giant sunflowers!  I absolutely love them to death.  They're so big and sunny and cheery.  They make me smile!    The birds moved the seeds all over the garden from where I planted them.  They came up in random spots and I just left them where they came up.

Baby mockingbirds under my kitchen window.  There were 4 of them, just like last year, and all 4 of them probably won't make it this year either unless I guard the nest 24/7.  And I can't.  Too many cats around.  They are stretching and hopping on the side of the nest now so it won't be much longer before they are hopping out to their death.  Maybe tomorrow they'll start.  Sad, but true...

Just some more garden pics - corn and tomatoes and my watermelon vines.  I even planted  pumpkins this year just for fun.  There are several small ones forming. Maybe I won't need to buy some during the fall!

My grapevines did well this year.  They have several clusters on eath of them.  This year, we wrapped our fruit trees and the grapevines in bird netting and it HAS helped alot.

Below - my plum tree before I picked all the plums off...

AND, my morning glories are finally starting to bloom!  They've been a long time in coming. Don't know why.  I've tried them in different places around the farm to see where they did the best.  I got this piece of iron fence from Margo cuz I thought it would be good to grow something on it!

AND...................a parting shot of some of my day-lilies.  I hope you all have a wonderful week with your families and that God blesses each and every one of you richly with His grace and love!  Catch ya later!

Keep your dress down!