Hi Everyone,
It is already late tonight, but I am going to write anyway. Well, I am going to write, but I am not sure how I am going to send. The computer is still acting up and we cannot sign online to our Outlook program, and I still do not have my contacts on the internet. Computer troubles are a little too high here of late!
Anyway, as I was saying it is late----after church today we took our cattle trailer and headed over to a friend's old house to help them move their farm (goats and a dog) to their new house. Papa also helped pack up the beds and some necessities. They lived 30 minutes south of church, now they live 30 minutes north of church, and then we still live about 45 minutes north of that. We spent a lot of time travelling.
Last week Mom, Steve and Eli were weed eating machines-----well, they were actually the weed pulling machines, and the cows were the weed eating machines. Sections of the raised bed garden are over grown with Spanish needle, goldenrod, and dog fennel. They grew about eight to ten feet tall, and were thick enough to make a forest. You could not see from one side of the garden to the other. They were mean weeding machines, and once the weeds were pulled up, they were thrown over the fence. The bulls ate a lot of the Spanish needle, but most of all the weeds were then taken to the big compost pile----the catch all for everything that will decompose. I have been a little down in the back, so I have entertained myself with a little bit of sewing, paper work, and laundry.
Monday night I woke up in the middle of the night, and was amazed at how bright my room was----with my curtains closed! Then I remembered that there was a full moon outside that night. It was not any old full moon either, but the Harvest Full Moon. It is called the Harvest moon because it is so bright that it gives the farmers extra time to get the harvest in. It sure was bright, for I do believe that I could have read by moonlight if I wanted to---but sleep is always a better idea to me in the middle of the night.
Have you ever played musical chairs? Well, on Friday we played musical birds. The only difference was that in the end, everyone still had a place to call home. When the new laying hens out grew the brooder house, we moved them into four hoop houses in the yard. We already had a hoop house that was housing the ducks. Then a few weeks ago, we added another hoop house to the yard, and the Thanksgiving turkeys were moved into it. Needless to say, the yard was being well fertilized for the houses are moved to new grass daily. Well, the 250 broiler chickens (meat chickens) that we got two weeks ago, were ready to be moved out of the brooder house---but the laying hens were occupying their hoop houses. The chicken egg mobile that will be the laying hens permanent home, is still housing the regular egg layers. When the new layers begin laying eggs, then we will sell the old hens, and move the new hens into the egg mobile. In the meantime, they need a place to grow up in. There were only forty chickens living in the poultry barn at the compost yard---------------------------so, we moved them into a large hoop house out in the field. We went and took one of the nesting boxes away from the old hen egg mobile (because they only lay a few dozen eggs a day and do not need two nesting boxes---there are about 10 nests in each box), and we hung it in the large hoop house for the forty hens. Then we went and emptied one hoop house of about 40 new hens and put them in the poultry barn, and then we went to the second hoop house and emptied another 40 chickens and took them to the poultry barn----and the third hoop house, and the fourth hoop house. Once all 150 chickens were moved to the poultry barn, then we took all the hoop houses out to the pasture, and started carrying out the broiler chicks---45 at a time. It took us five trips to get all 250 chicks moved to the five hoop houses, and put in their feed and water. Then it was time to bring the calves in for the night. Next Mom and I took a feeder out to the poultry barn for the 150 laying hens. I had a turkey who was nesting on eggs in the middle of the bull pasture. Thankfully Mom and Eli cleaned out the turkey nesting box on Thursday, so all Mom and I had to do was go shoo in the turkey and move her eggs to the nest. I locked her up for the night, and to my delight when I unlocked her cage door the next day, she got off to eat and drink, and then went back to her nest in the turkey house. Yippee! On Saturday, when we opened the chicken door for the new laying hens to roam outside in the compost yard---they didn't want to come out. Later that afternoon though, Mom saw a whole bunch of them out. After dinner, Mom and I went out to help Papa round up all the chickens back into the house------for they are usually too dumb to find their way back inside the first few nights or weeks. To our delight, only one chicken was still out. They must be a smart batch. Anyway, we finished moving all the birds around about 7:00. After showers, I was grateful that Mom had the energy to cook dinner---I managed the energy to do the dishes from lunch.
Saturday we were blessed with the Martorell's coming up to pick some chestnuts. We spent about an hour walking from tree to tree gathering nuts. We have an orchard of about 300 trees. When we got back to the house, we all gathered around the kitchen counter cutting into the nuts and eating them. We all had a good laugh when as Sephirah was looking online for some chestnut recipes and read that you should never eat them raw---we had all just consumed about 10 or more each. I assured everyone that we always ate them raw. Then a little while later she read that is was false information, and that they were perfectly fine to eat raw-----we were glad, for they are best that way in my opinion.
Fall is definitely here, and the mockingbird is back. The sad thing is that I never missed him, but when all of a sudden I saw one, and then heard him singing, I realized that it had been awhile since he had rested at the top of the electrical pole above our milking parlor and serenaded us. Now I shall see how long it is before I hear the first Phoebe bird.
Have a great week! We shall be planting some carrots and beets this week.
Serving you with Gladness,
Tiare
It is already late tonight, but I am going to write anyway. Well, I am going to write, but I am not sure how I am going to send. The computer is still acting up and we cannot sign online to our Outlook program, and I still do not have my contacts on the internet. Computer troubles are a little too high here of late!
Anyway, as I was saying it is late----after church today we took our cattle trailer and headed over to a friend's old house to help them move their farm (goats and a dog) to their new house. Papa also helped pack up the beds and some necessities. They lived 30 minutes south of church, now they live 30 minutes north of church, and then we still live about 45 minutes north of that. We spent a lot of time travelling.
Last week Mom, Steve and Eli were weed eating machines-----well, they were actually the weed pulling machines, and the cows were the weed eating machines. Sections of the raised bed garden are over grown with Spanish needle, goldenrod, and dog fennel. They grew about eight to ten feet tall, and were thick enough to make a forest. You could not see from one side of the garden to the other. They were mean weeding machines, and once the weeds were pulled up, they were thrown over the fence. The bulls ate a lot of the Spanish needle, but most of all the weeds were then taken to the big compost pile----the catch all for everything that will decompose. I have been a little down in the back, so I have entertained myself with a little bit of sewing, paper work, and laundry.
Monday night I woke up in the middle of the night, and was amazed at how bright my room was----with my curtains closed! Then I remembered that there was a full moon outside that night. It was not any old full moon either, but the Harvest Full Moon. It is called the Harvest moon because it is so bright that it gives the farmers extra time to get the harvest in. It sure was bright, for I do believe that I could have read by moonlight if I wanted to---but sleep is always a better idea to me in the middle of the night.
Have you ever played musical chairs? Well, on Friday we played musical birds. The only difference was that in the end, everyone still had a place to call home. When the new laying hens out grew the brooder house, we moved them into four hoop houses in the yard. We already had a hoop house that was housing the ducks. Then a few weeks ago, we added another hoop house to the yard, and the Thanksgiving turkeys were moved into it. Needless to say, the yard was being well fertilized for the houses are moved to new grass daily. Well, the 250 broiler chickens (meat chickens) that we got two weeks ago, were ready to be moved out of the brooder house---but the laying hens were occupying their hoop houses. The chicken egg mobile that will be the laying hens permanent home, is still housing the regular egg layers. When the new layers begin laying eggs, then we will sell the old hens, and move the new hens into the egg mobile. In the meantime, they need a place to grow up in. There were only forty chickens living in the poultry barn at the compost yard---------------------------so, we moved them into a large hoop house out in the field. We went and took one of the nesting boxes away from the old hen egg mobile (because they only lay a few dozen eggs a day and do not need two nesting boxes---there are about 10 nests in each box), and we hung it in the large hoop house for the forty hens. Then we went and emptied one hoop house of about 40 new hens and put them in the poultry barn, and then we went to the second hoop house and emptied another 40 chickens and took them to the poultry barn----and the third hoop house, and the fourth hoop house. Once all 150 chickens were moved to the poultry barn, then we took all the hoop houses out to the pasture, and started carrying out the broiler chicks---45 at a time. It took us five trips to get all 250 chicks moved to the five hoop houses, and put in their feed and water. Then it was time to bring the calves in for the night. Next Mom and I took a feeder out to the poultry barn for the 150 laying hens. I had a turkey who was nesting on eggs in the middle of the bull pasture. Thankfully Mom and Eli cleaned out the turkey nesting box on Thursday, so all Mom and I had to do was go shoo in the turkey and move her eggs to the nest. I locked her up for the night, and to my delight when I unlocked her cage door the next day, she got off to eat and drink, and then went back to her nest in the turkey house. Yippee! On Saturday, when we opened the chicken door for the new laying hens to roam outside in the compost yard---they didn't want to come out. Later that afternoon though, Mom saw a whole bunch of them out. After dinner, Mom and I went out to help Papa round up all the chickens back into the house------for they are usually too dumb to find their way back inside the first few nights or weeks. To our delight, only one chicken was still out. They must be a smart batch. Anyway, we finished moving all the birds around about 7:00. After showers, I was grateful that Mom had the energy to cook dinner---I managed the energy to do the dishes from lunch.
Saturday we were blessed with the Martorell's coming up to pick some chestnuts. We spent about an hour walking from tree to tree gathering nuts. We have an orchard of about 300 trees. When we got back to the house, we all gathered around the kitchen counter cutting into the nuts and eating them. We all had a good laugh when as Sephirah was looking online for some chestnut recipes and read that you should never eat them raw---we had all just consumed about 10 or more each. I assured everyone that we always ate them raw. Then a little while later she read that is was false information, and that they were perfectly fine to eat raw-----we were glad, for they are best that way in my opinion.
Fall is definitely here, and the mockingbird is back. The sad thing is that I never missed him, but when all of a sudden I saw one, and then heard him singing, I realized that it had been awhile since he had rested at the top of the electrical pole above our milking parlor and serenaded us. Now I shall see how long it is before I hear the first Phoebe bird.
Have a great week! We shall be planting some carrots and beets this week.
Serving you with Gladness,
Tiare