First Green Beans Of The Year

It seems like the green beans just popped out this week! These are Tenderpod Heirlooms....10 oz worth :)

After a cooler weekend,the heat is back in full force. 90 degree temps plus humidity. It's going to be like this all week. Thankfully,the beginning of next week is going to see cooler temps.

Stay cool if you are having a heat wave!!!

It's A Wee Bit Hot Out There

The week that The Boy was gone started a cycle of rain that we were in for another week. It also included high humidity.Needless to say,it put a damper ( no pun intended!) on the outdoor plans. It put us a couple of weeks behind in laying down the loam and seeding. Last week,the chance of rain lessened as the week went on,but the temps have been in the 90's,with over 70% humidity-which put the actual temperature around 100 degrees. Rick has been out there,determined to get the loam spread as best as he can. Scoop up a load with the tractor,dump it in the area,and spread it out manually. I have been telling him to come inside where the AC keeps the house nice and cool every so often to rest a bit.He has been drinking plenty of water. We have also been fighting with the pool. We bought Green to Blue from HTH. Unfortunately,it didn't say on the bottle that it's not for use for a cartridge filter system,and that you need a material vacuum system for your pool. It broke down the metals,etc in the water and made them settle,but because our filter is not designed to pick up this sort of material well,when we vacuum the sediment spews back out of the outtake into the pool again. I finally looked this issue up last night,and found out that we have been using the wrong chemicals. Sigh. So we blasted the pool with chlorine,and have to start all over. I joked that by the time we can use the pool,the weather will turn to cold and rainy. Live and learn. I am hopeful that we can get the pool functioning for this coming weekend. We are having our Boy Scout Troop to the house for their Year Planning Weekend. It would be nice for them to use it.If not,then we do have the beach down at Sunrise Lake.

I think The Boy came back a carrier from NYLT,because on Monday at Yoga,My Dear Friend Michelle mentioned that her son,Ethan,who was at NYLT was sick with a cold. That night,I started having a scratchy throat,and by Tuesday AM I felt like I was swallowing glass. I was in bed for three days,even most of the Fourth,so it didn't feel much like a holiday for me. I did make some potato salad,and we had chicken ka bobs and corn  on the cob with the salad. We set off some fireworks (no ordinances here in town,though anything after 11:00 PM is noise nuisance)which is our yearly thing. Each day I do a bit more,not to over do it. My poor garden was so sad and full of weeds-Friday I got out there and weeded,finally. The Girls loved the weeds. The mornings are a bit rough.It takes a while for my head to clear,and I am bit stuffy,Mostly I just feel tired all the time,but I just putter along and yesterday was the first day I didn't nap or lay down.

The broilers have all been processed. Rick vacuum sealed them,some whole as roasters,some cut up. It took him over 6 hours to do it. We had about 28 broilers,give or take. We did lose a few over the course of time. That seems to be normal. Michelle and her hubby  were kind enough to lend us their homemade chicken plucker,and it was a time saver. The plucker is all clean and under cover. We just need to return it,I think it will be sometime this week.

In between rainstorms,I have been able to pick a couple few things.......

Some German Chamomile . I used my tea infusers to dry out the flowers. You can see the dried ones on the right, and the freshly picked ones waiting to be dried on the left. I am going to try some Chamomile tea this year.

This has been the best year for our strawberries so far. I have made it point,no matter what the weather or how I feel,to go out and pick the ones that are ready.I wash them,pluck the stems (which I then compost) and put them freezer bags.I am hopeful that I will have enough of my own berries this year to make jam with them.If not,I will have to go to the local farm and get some to combine them with. We have three harvests,and this was a sample of what I was gathering during our first.It has since gone down to just four or five berries at a time,but now we are getting some new blossoms for the second harvest.

We have invested in a roadside sign. We put it out on on the Fourth. Folks have been slowing down when they pass,which is good. Yesterday I sold three dozen eggs.We will have a regular sign by the road with our farm name,and this sign will be used just for what we are selling,which will increase with time.

Hopefully everyone out there is staying cool...if you work outside, please don't over do!!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

It's In The Genes!

I think many folks in my family are a bit surprised at the turn my life has taken. Chickens? Goats? Sheep? Making my own soap? Composting?

Considering that I grew up with only a cat,never had a garden,and would much rather purchase food than grow it,I can understand why some are surprised.

Part of why this path has been chosen is because...well...since Rick cannot work,and I stay at home as his caregiver,we had to find something to do. Something worthwhile,that gave us (especially Rick) a sense of purpose. He needs to feel useful. Not being able to work really bothers him.He's worked since he was a teenager. Hanging around doing nothing has never been his style. 

I talked to him one day a few years ago about maybe doing more here,for ourselves. Let's start a garden,I said. Let's get some chickens and eat our own eggs. I was inspired by friends and websites. We have the time,let's do the most with it.

He was all excited about the idea. A reason to get up and at 'em in the morning! Something to look forward to! A goal!

We started with a garden,and chickens. We expanded to turkeys for a few years,and last year decided that we didn't want to do turkeys anymore. We have herbs,strawberries,blueberries,blackberries,and raspberries.Next Spring,we will have three Nigerian Dwarf Goats,and,hopefully,a couple of sheep. The goal with these is make goat milk soap,raw milk cheese,have raw milk,and spin my own yarn.All these are with the intention of selling what we don't need. Right now,we are planning our barn and milking area. 

Rick is very excited. He says he's always wanted a farm of his own. Now,he has one,even though it's only on .68 acres of land.

Going through our family genealogy,it's really no surprise that we have chosen ( or fallen into) this path of life. My ancestors were all farmers in Canada,or agriculteurs. When they immigrated down to NH,however,they started working in the cotton mills.My grandfather Charrette (my Mom's father) did grow up on a farm eventually had his own. My oldest brother,Valmore,is an agronomist. Rick's ancestors were some of the original settlers of this country,so farming has always been in his blood.One of his ancestors owned the biggest fruit farm in Stratham,NH at one point.

One never knows where life will bring you,or what path you may follow. When a door closes,a window opens. Rick suffered a brain injury,which was our closed door. Our little Cöpse Clearing Farm is our open window,with sunshine and a lovely breeze coming through.

Around The Farm

Yes, it's been forever and a day since I posted last. I have been reading,planning,and doing a lot of thinking...as well as planting,etc.

Our big project of late was fixing our leach field. It died on us. There is nothing like sitting out on the deck with raw sewage bubbling up from the septic tank a few feet away. Ah,the fragrance!!

We had to rent a couple of pieces of equipment for the job,and happily,our neighbor  Kelly is licensed to do such work. So,even though it rained all day on Saturday,he and Brother B were out there digging away. We had to buy a few truckloads of gravel and sand,plus the french drainage pipes for the job.

This is what the leach field area looks like now.

The front yard after the machines went back and forth in the rain:

The corner. the gravel and sand were in our driveway,and this was the only way to get to it. Looks like some loam and reseeding will be in our future!

Even though the yard got tore up,it's A-OK. It needed to be done. Of course,if the weather was cooperative,it wouldn't have been so bad.

There are some great signs of spring:

The green beans are coming up:

The broilers are getting big:

The leaves are out!

The strawberries are flowering:

The lilacs are in bloom and their fragrance flows on the breeze:

We have a little bird's nest on the rafter of our wood shelter. The bird flew away just as I was taking the picture!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Goats,Chickens,and Leaves,Oh My!

Well,whatever the issue was that I had with Blogger,it's been fixed,and I can now download photos again :)

Here are some pics taken over the week:

First up,the adorable little Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats at Tiny Hill Farm!

All three of us fell in love with this sweet little beige guy. He was so cute,and had such a "please take me home look!" 

They were so very friendly,and enjoyed chomping on our sweatshirts. They especially liked Zach's. I was so glad that we were able to arrange our visit during his school vacation week.

I took this pic to show how small the babies are. Rick is 6'1". The little beige guy really liked him. Larissa,one of the owners of the farm,is on the right of the pic. She was wonderful and very helpful.

Friday our 30 broilers came in. Zach had to pick a few up because they are so cute...but he knows they are food,not pets.

I know...how could we think of eating such cute little things?

Spring has finally sprung in NH! We have leaves popping out on trees....

And the maples will soon follow suit. It seems like the green takes a long time to take over,but then,one day,we wake up and all the leaves are out.

The Girls have been enjoying some free range time,now that the weather is nice. They take care of the bugs and ticks...

....and some of the weeds that I haven't pulled out of my garden boxes yet.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Lots Going On!!!!

For some reason,I can't post any photos today. Either Blogger or my computer is being ornery.

Let's see...I guess the first thing is that I have been laid low lately. I tripped going up our bedroom stairs and fell on the edge of the top step,landing just below my left wrist. It hurt so much that I was sick to my stomach,and couldn't talk when Rick came running to me because he heard me cry out. I sat there for a few minutes until the nausea wore off. My wrist stung,and I thought I had scraped it,but no. The next morning,it was a whole assortment of colors,and terribly swollen. I put an ice pack on it,but that didn't help,and I had pain going up my arm. Rick insisted on taking me to the ER for some xrays,because he thought I had fractured it. The Dr in the ER took a look,and his first assessment was that I had indeed broken it,but the xrays determined that I didn't,I just have a big old nasty hematoma. I have a bandage wrap for my lower arm,been alternating ice and heat on it,and been taking 800 mg of ibuprofen every six hours. This was last Saturday. The bruise is now a yellowish purple color,but it still hurts. It doesn't help that I also have tendinitis in my left elbow,and actually had to go to the Drs for that few weeks ago. Sigh. Needless to say,my activities have been somewhat curtailed.

The weather here in NH has finally started to feel like Spring. The leaves are coming out on the trees,and the weather has been nice. This week the temps are suppose to be in the 60's to the low 70's. Yesterday I sat out on the deck after I took the hay off our garlic and strawberry plants. They are coming up nicely.

The Girls enjoyed the afternoon free ranging around the backyard and ate lots of bugs. They also dug up some of the weeds in my garden boxes.This week I must weed the boxes and get fresh compost in them. I have some Rutgers tomato seedlings that I have started. I am not starting my cukes and pumpkins yet,they sprout so quickly that I don't see the necessity.

One thing awesome thing we did last week during Zach's Spring vacation was visit Tiny Hill Farm in Milton Mills,which is just a couple of towns over from us. Rick got their business card from our local feed store,Longmeadow. We are looking to get Nigerian Dwarf Dairy goats,and Tiny Hill sells them. I got in contact with one of the owners,Larissa,and we went for a visit.One of the things that she said that impressed me was that she was willing to work with new goat owners,and that she didn't care if we called at 2:00 AM with a question. She also said they bred their goats for milk quality,and that they are all registered and vaccinated. Also,the fact that the farm is local was an added bonus for us. She was so kind and wonderful,and was quite pleased that we had actually done some research on the goats,so we understood most of what she was talking about! We chatted for an hour. We saw the adult goats,and the babies. We have three does ordered for next Spring.

Rick and I have been working on a plan to move our little farm forward,in stages. More about that later :) My arm hurts,so I am going to end this now.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Paper Can Weigh You Down

Our file cabinet was at the point where if I opened the top drawer to access some of Rick's paperwork,the cabinet would pitch forward. Guess that means it's time weed out some documents!

A good portion of what I pulled out were duplicates of Rick's TDRL ( Temporary Disability Retirement List) appointment reports.Anyone in the military who has been diagnosed with PTSD is automatically put on this list for up to 5 years.They have to see a Dr when the military asks to see if the PTSD is better or not. Well,at this point,going on 8 years of being wounded and things staying the same,I would hope that the military would see that Rick should be fully retired.He has had three appts over the last two years,which my regular readers probably remember. Each time he has an appt,we have to wait for the Dr's report to be sent to a specific company who is handling the TDRL,and they send the hard copy to us.Rick has to sign a paper saying he agrees with the findings,a release of info form,and send a copy of what medications he's taking from the VA. Each time they send a new report,they also send copies of the old ones. We had over 240 pages of reports total,including the duplicates. Today I went through those reports and threw out the extras,so we only have one copy of each. I also went through some other old paperwork that we no longer need. I think the pile of paper weighed at least 5 lbs. It certainly freed up some space! At least the file cabinet no longer wants fall on top me when I open the top drawer.

Rick had been having a hard time lately. He has kept busy,to a point,but his confusion keeps him frustrated and his speech has been dragging,which adds to his frustration.A couple of times he broke down and cried. I don't blame him. No one can hold all that in indefinitely. You have to release it. I myself had a bad day yesterday.

 We did begin making a pot rack out of an old ladder that My Dear Friend Michelle found for me ( Do I still owe you for that ladder,Michelle?). It only took two years,but hey, it's getting done. We do have to move it over slightly to the right,and we have to see if Rick can make the opening on one end of the "S" hooks we bought a bit bigger. I don't want to post a photo of it until it's completed,though.

 Zach just celebrated his 15th birthday on March 3. We are so very proud of him. Zach and I went down to Somersworth to visit my Mom on his birthday and it was nice. We finally ( I say finally because Zach has been asking since 4th grade) bought him a phone. He is involved in different activities,so it's good to have his own line of communication. It's a very basic pay as you go phone,and we told him that he will have to pay for the minutes. We did buy him a new IPOD as well. 

I went through my seeds and discovered that I have to get more corn seed. It's almost time to start some of my seedlings!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

A Touch Of White

We are in the midst of a nor'easter,but this one is not too bad on our end. Right now we are getting some freezing rain,and we did get about 2" of snow last night,with some pretty gusty wind.Thankfully,we didn't lose power. I was a bit surprised that school was not delayed this morning,because quite a few communities around us have a two hour delay. The poor folks down in the NJ area,yet again,got the brunt of it (at least,the last I saw on the news). I am keeping the folks who had to deal with Sandy and are struggling in my thoughts and I hope that this storm doesn't create more misery on top of everything else.

I am really losing track of the days,as I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized that Christmas is only a stone's throw away,and Thanksgiving is banging at my door. 

The Girls are all cozy in their coop,and we have started getting a few more eggs now that we have the light on. I only set it from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM so they get more light later in the day. I was wondering if I should keep the light on from early morning to 8:00 PM,but I figured that the normal daylight would still suffice,even if the sunshine is not as strong. Any thoughts,chicken owners?  We are very happy that the "driveway" mix we put down in the coop did the trick. The coop yard was filled up at least four inches,and the proof was when Sandy hit. Unfixed,The Girls would've been walking in three inches of mud. There was no mud. There is no more smell. It did the trick. We also revamped our driveway with it and met with the same success. We fixed the road in front of our driveway and the holes at the entrance to Avon Lane. So far,so good.

Yesterday Rick made some kindling and drained the pool to the level it should be. I'm glad I got my garlic planted and my strawberries under cover in time! Talk about cutting it close! The temps are quite chilly,but on Saturday,it's going to be around 60 degrees,so at least this snow won't last.Of course,The Menfolk are very happy to see a bit snow...so they can see tracks. Rick almost got a turkey with this bow yesterday,but just missed (apparently there were some small branches that got lost in his sights). They are gearing up to get back out again this AM.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!!!

I

Planting In The Snow

Yesterday it snowed here in our neck of the woods-not much,just light flurries.It is our first snow sighting of the season. I was late planting our next years garlic crop,and it was rather odd planting in the garden while snowflakes fell around me. We haven't had enough cold weather to freeze the ground,or our raised beds. We covered the garlic bed up with straw,and I also covered up my strawberries for the season. 

We have begun starting the wood stove,though we don't start it up until later in the afternoon.Once the sun goes down behind our pine trees around 3:00 PM,the house starts to get chilly  ( we do have a furnace back up,but I don't like to use it much).Now that we have set our clocks back,it gets dark earlier.  To be honest,I'm not a hundred percent sure why we still use Eastern Daylight Savings Time, but I suppose it is what it is. One thing I don't like when we "fall back" at the beginning of Nov is that on the first day of winter,it's dark here around 4:00 PM. I am thankful we have a small house. It doesn't take much to heat it,especially since everything is on one floor...and sometimes we have to open the windows in the dead of winter because it gets too hot! Imagine being too hot in the dead of winter in NH!

Today is Election Day here in the States. After all the pounds of political flyers we received in the mail,hundreds of polling phone calls,and over a billion dollars spent by the political campaigns (mostly  by SuperPacs-which is the worst thing to happen to politics in years),it comes to down to the citizens.I don't get into political things here on my blog,but I do want just say that I hope everyone gets out there and votes their conscience. Here in NH,we are considered a swing state,and we have been bombarded by political ads on TV. As much as I love my state,when elections come around I wish I was not in such a watched state. The other night I counted over 20 political ads,for national and state elections in a span of less than an hour.  Many ads are the same over and over. If I made the rules,campaigns would only have  a couple of months to campaign,they would only be allowed a certain amount of donations,and candidates could be sued for libel. That would get rid of the negative ads. They could only run ads about themselves and what they would do for the country/state. Maybe some day.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!!!

Freeing Myself From Paper Clutter!

Thursday was a gorgeous day,sunny,and comfortable. I picked the last of the potatoes and any of the green tomatoes that survived the frost.I would've done it earlier,but this past week has given us rain off and on,so nothing was dry until then. Now the beds are empty and the plants are in the compost pile. It wasn't our best season for gardening. I didn't even can anything because we didn't get enough of anything to can,with perhaps the exception of the green beans,which I froze instead. Rick cleaned out the coop to make the girls a bit more comfy.

Yesterday it rained all day,and this AM it's still foggy and rainy,though the weather is suppose to clear by noontime. Rick,Brother B,and Zach are all going down to Dad Shaw's house to split some wood for him for the winter later on today.The turkey that Brother B got yesterday turned out to be a bit smaller than we had hoped-8 lbs- a bit too small for Thanksgiving,so we are going to eat it tomorrow for Sunday dinner.Even though my Mom is the only extra guest we have for dinner,just that one extra person would not leave enough for a filling meal.( It reminded me of the The Fabulous Beekman Boys episode where they kill a turkey for Thanksgiving and it's waaay too small for the number of people they have invited). We may still have to buy our turkey this year unless Rick can get one with his bow.

Since yesterday was not nice, I decided to attack one of our worst areas of clutter-the front of the file cabinet and the top of the printer. Clutter in a file cabinet,you may ask? Isn't a file cabinet suppose to keep papers in order? Well, yes,in the normal world. Here in my world,I have a tendency to put papers in the front of file cabinet drawer because I am too lazy to just take the extra thirty seconds to put it in the folder it belongs. Sigh.

Many things I just placed there while still in their envelopes,so I had a whole pile of envelopes to get rid of (some which I could save for the wood stove,others I had to throw out). That in it's self freed up some space. Now I everything is filed in their proper folders,and the top of the printer is clear. I also went through the folders to see if there was anything that was no longer needed,so I had a nice pile taken out from that,too. Some weight had been removed,from both the cabinet and from my shoulders! It is so gratifying to see stuff go away.

Our new kitty,who we named Mini Moxie ( or M& M)is doing very well.He slept with us last night, Today I am going to show him the litter box. Hopefully he can climb into it,as he is still quite small.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

A Hard Frost

We knew it was coming,and that we were actually overdue.

Our first hard frost of the season happened Friday night. The temperatures went down in the low 20's. Of course, Rick and Zach were camping out all weekend with the Boy Scouts for their annual Fall Camporee,so needless to say it was a wee bit nippy for them,but thankfully they had warm clothes and sleeping bags. It was windy all weekend,which made the temperatures even colder. Sunday morning it was pouring out,so they had closing ceremony at 8:00 AM instead of 9:00 AM. We made sure there was hot coffee and cocoa waiting for them,and we did start the wood stove up so they could have some nice heat to warm their bones after being out in the cold all weekend. It was the first time we started up  the wood stove this season. This week is suppose to be a nice week-only a chance of rain today with temps in the 70's,and the rest of the week is going to be sunny,which is good. Our poor chicken run is still a muddy mess,because the weather has been rainy and chilly all last week. At least now it will dry out and we can get it de-smellified ;)

Once everything is dried out I can put the garden to bed for the winter. 

We brought our cat Smokey to the vets today to be neutered. It was his first trip to the vets and he actually did OK. We brought Samson and Sasha last week for their check ups. Samson is having hip problems so we give  him meds every day to help with the stiffness. We discovered that Sasha has Lyme's Disease, but it doesn't bother her at all. Her joints are fine and she is not suffering from any symptoms,which is good.

Last week when I went for a walk I saw a turkey in someone's yard,and as I walked by I watched her pecking at the ground.We are not raising turkeys anymore,so if we want fresh turkey for Thanksgiving,The Men will have to hunt one. Further down the road on my walk,I noticed an old cemetery. I love old cemeteries and of course,had to walk over to check it out. As I climbed the small embankment,I heard a rustling off to my left,and I just caught the flash of the white tail of a deer as it jumped into the woods. The cemetery consisted of four stones-two adult sizes and two child sizes,which made me rather sad. There are quite a few family cemeteries around here-in the woods,on the side of the road-and coming upon one always makes me wonder about the families. Sometimes their homes are still standing,sometimes there is just a foundation left. What drove them off their property? What killed the little ones? Were they farmers? Trappers? Hunters? All three? When the resting places become overgrown,and the stones broken,I feel so terrible. At one point,these were living,breathing,humans who laughed,cried,and loved. Now they are forgotten. It's so very sad.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Fall Day in NH

 It's my favorite time of the year-Fall in NH. To me,Fall is the quintessential New England season. The leaves turn color,the air turns chilly, pumpkins and apples are ready for picking,and we keep trying to put off starting the wood stove for as long as possible. Gray days are lantern lighting days,and I have to have Pumpkin Spice candles going to make the house smell fabulous and help make it cozy.

The weather this past week has not been the best-we have had rain and overcast days,with just a few glimpses of sun in between. Saturday we took a chance,since the forecast said the rain was going to hold off until later in the day,and we drove up to Fryeburg,ME for the annual Fryeburg Fair. We love the Fryeburg Fair because it's mostly an agricultural fair.  We looked at the goats,sheep,poultry,oxen,horses,and cows. I fell even more in love with goats and sheep. We are trying to decide if we want to get some dairy goats,and perhaps a sheep or two. The sheep would be for making yarn. It's amazing at how thick their wool is-they felt like one of those tempurpedic mattresses! The Fiber Barn was very interesting-knitted goods,yarn skeins,and bulk wool were for sale,and ladies were demonstrating how to spin your own yarn. I wanted to buy a  homemade skein of yarn-until I saw that all the skeins were 4 oz and cost $26. That's a tad out of my price range. In the Specialty Food barn,Zach's eagle eye found Moxie Jelly. Moxie is a New England soda that has been around for about a hundred years. It's not sweet,and it's called Moxie because you have to have moxie to drink it! Zach loves Moxie,and we have never seen Moxie jelly,so of course we had to buy a couple of jars. I got some potpourri -Maine Christmas and Pumpkin Fall. They smell fabulous!

Sunday the weather was slightly overcast,but no rain hit until last night,so I puttered around the yard for while checking things out. I still haven't closed up my garden because  things are still growing and we haven't had a hard frost yet,though I know we are due for one anytime.  I have been paying attention to the weather forecast daily.

Since we gave our apple tree quite the trimming last Spring,we figured that we probably shocked the tree and we wouldn't get many apples,if any,this year. Last year we had over 60. This year,we did squeak out two:

Poor lonely apples! Our apple tree has dropped the majority of their leaves. The wind has helped the all the trees around us shed their leaves.Up Avon Lane,it looked almost like carpet:

Our grapes have been coming along. I have been tasting them every other day to see when they are ready to pick. I wasn't sure how to tell when they were ready,but everything I have read says it's all in how the taste.They are not quite sweet yet,but they are getting there:

I was surprised to still see white blossoms in my strawberry patch. There are still strawberries in various states of  growth. I will have to cover them up soon:

This is one of my favorite maple trees. Each year,this branch starts turning color in such a brilliant way-light green,to yellow,to orange,to red. It's like a foliage rainbow! I can see it from my bedroom window. I wish the sun was shining so that you could really see how bright and lovely it is:

One of our goals to is try and get our chicken yard to the point where it drains better. Whenever it rains,it becomes a muddy mess,and it REEKS until it dries out. Plus,the poor Girls are walking around in muck. Chicken poo that is wet smells even worse than dry poop. It's horrible. It makes me gag,and we are mindful that we have a responsibility to our neighbors to keep the area as stink free as possible.We are going to try some gravel mix to cover it. Anyone have any other suggestions?

 We still have tomatoes growing,though you can't seem too well in this photo,because they are green. I will probably have to pick them and make fried green tomatoes before the frost hits:

You can see in this photo how we have lost leaves from our trees. The foliage still isn't at it's peak here,but up in the Great North Woods,it's already past:

Our potatoes are still going strong,though some of the plants are seeing a bit of brown on their edges. I wasn't sure when to pick potatoes,because last year,Brother B picked them before they were ready ( our neighbor told him to pick them in Sept-too early!) Usually they are picked in Oct,when the plants are dead. I did decide to check around the hills to see if anything was ready to pick,however:

I came up with these taters!! These are Kennebec potatoes from Maine. I also had some green beans that were ready to pick,too.

Today we are going apple picking and pumpkin picking. Our favorite farm,Butternut,is closed for the season,but another local farm is still open so we will be going there. I am still bummed that my pumpkin seedlings did NOTHING this year. Sigh. I hate to have to buy pumpkins,but I have to get some sugar ones to make my puree,as well bigger ones for decoration. Our neighbor can get hay bales for only $2.00 a bale from a friend of hers,so that will be savings!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Back In The Swing And Being Aware

Yesterday was a productive day for me. I cleaned the fridge,dusted,ironed clothes,picked herbs and hung them to dry,and finally hung up the assorted tea tins that Zach gave me for Christmas!

Oregano,basil,and rosemary are very fragrant-and did kick up my allergies a bit,but that stopped after a few minutes.

The various teas and their tins that Zach gave me for Christmas.... I had to wait until the kitchen was almost done before I knew exactly where I wanted to put it!

By late afternoon,I was wiped out,though I did pick Zach up at school at 5:00. He is in an after school program called "FAMEE" ( what the letters stand for escapes me at the moment).They have various programs for the kids-and,since he is interested in film making,he is in the TV club. They are rewriting "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's  Nest" and he is going to play the Jack Nicholson role. He has volunteered to help film the school's events for local cable access,so we have to bring him to the school tonight so he can help film a volleyball game. Thursday after school he has "Youth To Youth",which is a group of kids who educated other kids about drugs and tobacco. He is going to be a very busy little bee. I told him that as long as he keeps his grades up,it's fine.

Now when I do things around the house,I take the time to immerse myself in them. I'm not thinking about what's going to happen in a few hours,or worrying about tomorrow. I am in the moment. I pay attention to the sizzle of the steam coming out of the iron,and how smoothly it runs over the clothes. I take pleasure in the smell of the herbs as I cut them off their plant,even if they make eyes itch a bit and my throat scratch. I don't rush through things anymore to finish a list. I plan my day,and I don't go overboard. 

Part of my decluttering process in the home is that I try to really look at what is around me and be aware of it. We all wind up not seeing things after a while,don't we? I look at certain areas,and think,"Is this what I want? How can I make this better and more effective? Do I really need everything that here? What is the purpose of this item? Is it even used?" I find myself happily doing things around the house now,instead of just going through the motions.

Tomorrow we are off to Norwood MA,which is about 110 miles from here. Normally,I would be dreading it terribly,as I have never been there and driving in MA is not what I would consider fun.However,since I don't have to go through Boston (thank GOD! I still will never drive in Boston)I am actually looking forward to the trip. I haven't been thinking about it non stop,worrying and obsessing over it. I'm taking it as it comes.  I might wind up being a nervous mess,but at least I won't be one for days before it. I figure that's a step forward!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Beekman Boys Geek

I fully admit it....I am a Beekman Boys Geek. I love them. I adore them. I think they are a hoot.

For those who aren't familiar with who (whom?) I am talking about, I will give you a brief low down.

Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge are a couple from NYC who,on their annual apple picking weekend in upstate NY,found themselves in the tiny town of Sharon Springs ,and fell in love with it....so much,in fact,that they bought an historical home known as The Beekman Mansion. Dr Brent worked for Martha Stewart's show,and Josh worked in advertising.  Their goal was to move to this lovely home and become heirloom farmers,while supporting local businesses and farms.

I was channel surfing one day when I wasn't feeling up to snuff,and let me tell you,Saturday programming is not the best. However, I stumbled across a mini marathon "sneek peek" of this show called "The Fabulous Beekman Boys" and it caught my eye.Normally,I stay away from TLC,because I have never  seen any show that I actually learn from on it. Parading toddlers in pageants dressed up like their 30,or women who have waaay more children than the female form is designed to have is not my forte. ( But I digress....)

I loved the show. It showed them trying to learn about farming,and realizing that they needed to create a business so they could both move up to the farm. Dr Brent had been let go when Martha started downsizing,so he was already at the farm full time. Josh,whose dream it was to be at this farm,had to stay in the city and work during the week to pay for the mortgage,business,etc. They did have help from Farmer John,who reached out to them when he had to find a new home for his 50 + goats.They took in Farmer John and his goats,and then they started a goat milk soap company,Beekman 1802,which eventually expanded to a store space in Sharon Springs,and various other products,including cheese. The show reveals the strain on their relationship that this endeavor caused,as well as Josh's frustration at not being able to live his dream  like all those around him seemed to be doing. "How much money do we have to make for you to be here full time?" Dr Brent asked Josh. "A million dollars," was Josh's reply,his head in his hands.

YIKES!

Not only was the farming,goats,and soap making appealing to me,but,I have to admit..these two crack me up. Their interaction was hilarious. I also liked the fact that they were who they were,good,bad,or indifferent. They were loving.They fought.  It was honest,not like some shows who like to give the impression that "oh I'm just a little old this or that and I do it all myself" even though they have millions of dollars and a team of helpers. These boys were down to earth. 

I almost forgot Polka Spot their llama! She is quite the diva.

I was sad to see that it wasn't a regular show on TLC,but on Planet Green,which at the time,we didn't receive (I also kept calling it Green Planet,it just made more sense to me). We did finally get Planet Green,and I was sad to see that only two seasons had been made. I kept hoping that it would be brought back,but apparently Planet Green did not do so well,because they folded and became Destination America. Happily,I did find their show on my Kindle,so I bought both seasons.

I recently found out that their show has been picked up by The Cooking Channel and is suppose to start in September. In the meantime, I read Josh's memoir about their journey called "The Bucolic Plague" ( it is a great,fun read) and a couple of weeks ago,ordered their cookbook, "The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook." I anxiously awaited delivery,and last Friday,I received it. It was like Christmas!

It was also excellent timing,because last Sunday was my Garden Club's Annual Harvest Luncheon. We make dishes from our gardens and stuff ourselves with the fabulous food. I needed a good recipe...and I found one for my Heirloom Rutgers Tomatoes-"Tomato Bread Salad with Cannellini Beans and Goat Feta Cheese." I did use some substitutions that they suggested,and the salad had rave reviews.

It's a beautiful cookbook,with places for your own recipes and notes.It's all based on seasonal cooking and veggies,designed to be handed down through the generations. I would post the recipe,but it's not out on the internet,just in their book,and I am not sure what the laws are regarding that. Suffice it to say,the book is marvelous.

You can check out the the self proclaimed "Beekman Boys" on their website-beekman1802.com. Here they have blogs,their goods for sale, gardening,and updates.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet (no  pun intended)!!

Compost Bin Is Done...And So Is Our Tom

Rick finished up the compost bin on Friday afternoon. The area is now nice and clear,and the tractor can get in and out. We have three sections: soil on the left,and the breaking down areas in the middle and to the right:

Rick didn't want to put side walls up on the ends,because he wanted to be able to access the piles from either angle with the tractor to dump and turn compost,or to retrieve soil for the garden. Good plan. He just used old pallets,held them together with rope,and used some lumber to support the back.Finally! That area is cleaned up and all our composting and composted materials are where they should be!

Sunday evening it finally started to rain.I left the bedroom window open a bit,and it was fabulous to wake up during the night and hear the rain outside. Monday it rain all day,and though we desperately needed it,it would've been more beneficial to have a a few days of good,slow,leisurely rain than one day of downpours.At this point,however,we will take whatever we can get!!! The grass did start greening up,and we have seen more leaves on the trees.

Yesterday we had to take care of our Tom.One of the females (we had 2) died,because the Tom wouldn't let her eat,apparently.He was also getting very aggressive when anyone went near the cage,and jumped up towards the door of the cage with his talons front and center. Not good. It was long overdue,anyway. So Zach did the deed,and after Tom was dead we weighed him-he was 50 lbs! We had to cut him up to get the meat into the fridge,and we still didn't almost have enough space. He was a big'un!!!

Tuesday we went down to North Hampton to visit Rick's Dad Dick,and Brother Spencer. Dick was kind enought dig out the old Shaw family bible so I could double check some dates:

The bible was given to Rick's great x 3 grandmother for Christmas in 1873.It has beautiful illustrations in it that still have tissue paper over them. Marriages,births,and deaths all have their proper pages,in lovely handwritten script.(My dates were right,by the way)

Yesterday I brought Zach down to my Mom's for an overnight visit,and I stayed for lunch and chatted. She had just returned the previous day from VA. My great nephew had his christening,and Mom went down with my sister and her husband (they are the grandparents). Zach always likes visiting his Nana. She is going to bring him back today. We had an early morning as we had to be down in Manchester for an 8:00 AM eye appt for Rick. His double vision is starting to go away,which is good. This was just an annual checkup.

Today I am going to start my cukes and pumpkins.

Taking Advantage Of Beautiful Weather

Thanks to everyone who sent their kind words and sympathies regarding our Little Mo. We appreciate it! 

The weather last week was gorgeous,as I previously posted. Buds are coming out on trees,some flowers have bloomed,which is just weird for NH in March. Usually,we still have lots of snow left on the ground,but not now-

Friday it had started cooling down a bit,so we decided it would be a good day to start on the compost area. Right now,we just dump our compost in a pile,which has some old cut down saplings and various branches mixed in with leaves,pine needles,etc,etc. We had a small pile of clean compost that we used some of last year for the  garden,but we didn't have enough to fill all the boxes,so we had to buy some. It also gave Rick a chance to play on his tractor. She's a sturdy old thing,and she started right up after sitting outside all winter.Not too shabby for a second buy on Craig's List:

.

 Our goal is to clean up the area by separating the "breaking down" pile and the "broken down" pile,as well as taking out all the big pieces of branches. The area will get raked out,then bins made out of pallets and old wood for each stage of the compost process. Then,the piles will be put into their respective bins.

I would rake the top layer of leaves,etc off the pile,put the leaves in one area,the branches in another,and pull down the good compost. Rick would put the leaves in one pile,and the compost in another.He would also use the tractor to pull down the bigger branches so they were easier to get to. We did this over a course of a couple of days-Zach helped me with the raking and sorting of branches on Saturday-he was a big help.

This end of the pile was mostly branches!

I was very pleased to see once the top layer had been removed that we had lovely compost underneath-more than I thought we would have. We also encountered some frozen compost,so we were scratching at it with rakes,loosening up the branches and compost ( I try not to refer to it as "dirt"!). We have not made back out there since Saturday,though. The weather got real cold and windy,and we had some rain. This is where we are at:

On the far right you can barely see the compost pile,to the immediate left you can see our leaf pile. On the left side of the photo,you can see the pile we are still working on-and all that lovely compost! The bins are going to go behind this big pile,set further back.

Do you compost? How do you store it?

Trimming The Tree

Sounds like something one does at Christmas! No,silly,not that kind of tree...we are talking about an apple tee!

We planted our Jonathan apple tree before Rick left for Iraq in 2005. We have discussing trimming this tree for a couple of years now,and just never got around to it....

Can you tell?

A "wee" bit too tall,the branches are growing straight up,there were branches that crossed each other,and branches way too low...all apple tree no- nos.

So,how does one trim an apple tree? Good question,as we had no clue,either. Happily,the University of New Hampshire has a Cooperative Extensive Service,and their website gave us the how tos.

1)Remove any dead,diseased or broken branches (we didn't have any)

2) Cut the height of the tree by cutting the main upright growing branches moderately ( I think we went beyond moderate,but our tree was really way too tall). The branches should be on a horizontal lateral after you cut them.

3) Remove "water spouts"-fast growing,upright branches-and branches that cross and rub.

4)Prune to leave branches going horizontally. Get rid of the ones that hang down or grow upward.

5)Trim lowest branches so they are about 2' off the ground

That is the main jist of it.

Here is how it looks now:

It looks a bit sad,doesn't it? The poor tree was really out of control. I am curious to see if it affects the harvest. I would assume so,at least for this year. Then again,I could be wrong.

                                                              The leftovers.......

We are going to put the branches in the wood chipper and save the chips. We hope to make a smoker this year and would like to use some nice apple wood chips to use for smoke.

Another gorgeous day outside,though not quite as warm as the previous four days,but still lovely just the same!

Have a Fabulous Day on this Fabulous Planet!