Are we living our dreams?

[Wannabefree]

Keep living your dream Rhoda, one day at a time Hope the new job is good for you and the farm

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Tired old body. Got out of work at noon and by 1:30, I had all my supplies in order, rented a nibbler and picked up DH's little cousin to do the monkey work on the roof. I have all the lats in place and secured where things didn't meet up properly and a few strips of sheet metal are in place, including a few skilights. Tommorrow, I imagine I'll have the entire roof up and perhaps I can give the guy a few more hours fixing a couple of other problems on the barn. Really want to get the guineas away from the chickens. Hateful &^%$^#@'s. I want them in the garden anyway, where I origionally bought them to be, so it will be good if they have their own private quarters in the barn.
I honestly tried to stay away from the barn a bit today and succeeded a while. Played around by cleaning a few messes in the garden. A bit nervous about cranking up a chainsaw in the garden because the bees don't care for gas powered machinery. Might have to suit up first, but the pear tree has to go....its an ornamental and does next to nothing for us. Also, some of the cedars are leaning over too much, so we gonna start lightening up the load, by removing branch, branch, etc... until we can drop the trunk without freaking out a few million bees. I visualize us shreading almost all those branches and mulching the blankety, blank outta the garden.
Well, something stung me and I didn't see what it was, but if it was one of my bees, then I'm getting soft, cuz it hurt. DH thought it might be a spider, but in the past a spider bite would feel like that body part was turning into concrete and eventually a wound would appear that would look like an egg was drawn on my flesh, so I highly doubt it was a spider. Whatever it was, I"m alive, so don't guess it was fatal.
Thanks, WBF. Yep....one day at a time. Truely a completed barn will be a major step for us. With that kind of square footage of barn, just think about the meat potential, regardless of what type of livestock you have. I'm happy.

 

[Wannabefree]

I am so glad you're happy!!! I'm happy too I think we're always living our dreams really. Every day is a new dream whether we recognize it or not. Every single day is full of new potential! Goodness that sounds so corny But it's TRUE anyway

 

[rhoda_bruce]

This year, we might have our best garden ever. DH has been hard at it for days. He is setting up lots of verticle garden spaces with cattle panels. We have trimmed lots of branches on hurricane damaged cedars which are hanging over most of our hives. DH came up with an idea of setting up a wooden fence on our north boundry for cold protection and doing away with the cedar wind blocks and then relocating the hives near the fence with something to stop the weeds and grass......like concrete, then falling the cedars to increase the garden. Anyway, I'm pooped. We are probably jumping the gun on planting this year. Usually wait until Holy Week, but according to Farmer's Almaniac, we have past our normal last date of final frost. I'm going out there and planting corn, which is going to be in a square shape, with a tiny square inside. I imagine the kids will love it when they can hide inside the first square. Gonna be planting some peas on the stalks for support. Thats not something we normally plant, although Grandpa always did. Now that I'm into herbology, I have a new reason to want corn.....the silk. With all the kidney infections my poor grandmother had, she was sitting right on top of the cure. Poor Mawmaw. With all the SS excitement going on here, I've only been checking in on the forum lately and contributing when I thought I had something to offer. I have been wondering why more haven't been going on garden planning rants, but maybe the reasonings are the same as mine.....too freaking busy.

 

[Wannabefree]

Oh I have been...garden is in full swing, and VERY early for us, but I have a greenhouse to start a lot of stuff. I am SO ready to get it going all out and get out of the greenhouse so I can stretch!! Glad yours is doing well, and hope it keeps doing well!!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I'm hoping for a better garden than last year - that's for sure. We've been eating greens and broccoli outta the garden for awhile now. I've got peas up in my little garden and I planted more in my big garden yesterday.

I'd love to get corn in, but the ground isn't nearly warm enough h

ere yet. I've planted too early before and had the seeds just rot in the ground. Heck, I haven't even started my tomato plants yet. Last year I was lucky enough to find some great heirloom, organic starts at my local garden center.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I bought something kinda wild this year that I'm not sure I'll be able to care for, unless I make sure one of my chicken stalls are available during the winter to double duty as a mini greenhouse. Its coffee beans. Was thinking I'd make myself an outdoor bathing area, with a privacy screen of some sort and have the coffee plants in very large planters around it....unless that will be where I am putting the wild roses. Anyway, I need a location to winter the coffee plants. I pretty much never have a winter, but we do get a few frosts a year. I'm starting them from seeds.
DH has been saving all our milk jugs to use as mini greenhouses, right in the garden. He started our cucs under the jugs. I have planted 3 tractor tires in bush beans. It is very early and provided all goes well, I might have time for another 2 plantings, before fall.....with the beans. Our compost heap tire has been completely wiped out of all soil and has been relocated into a corner, under a pine tree. Its good, cuz it used to be right in front of a beehive and the place would have been better used to grow vegs. Apparently we will be growing luffas and birdhouse goards in that place.
The packet of corn indicated it was good for a 12 foot row, but I don't believe in following directions. I plant the seeds, so that I don't have to thin out later. So I planted about 25 feet and have another packet to plant. Like I said, DH made me a tiny square and then surrounded it with a 12 X 12ft square. Well, I started making an L in a partial surround to use the other packet of seeds, but DH is thinking it won't get enough sun, and talked me into using it for squash and going furthur westward, toward the rest of the garden with another L of corn. That can work because I think when the squash will bush out, it will offer support for the corn, which works well with an Indian garden plan. We love squash. I smother them with shrimp or make a squash cake. I'm trying blue squash, which I got from Baker Creek. I'm also planning on using spagetti squash, which I love to trick my taste buds into eating vegs instead of starch. We'll probably find another few kinds of squash to plant before too much time passes.
I've set the temp on the incubator and have loaded it with araucana and duck eggs....and only 2 goose eggs. I think this year will be about improving my araucana flock and whatever doesn't appeal to me becomes my chicken meat or gets sold to my meat customers, who are pretty loyal. Looks like my Latin American customers like chicken and my asian customers like duck meat. I didn't get enough Cajun customers last year worth talking about, but I did pretty good with them and my Indian customers the previous year. Who is to say what I will get.....I'm depending on the feedstore not selling chicks to really do well with my chick hatching and I haven't spoken with him to determine what I should do.
By the time I get home at noon, there is no telling how much DS and DH will have done in the garden. Just gave my DDs a pep talk to prepare them for my work week. I very well might start school when I log off, to prepare them for tomorrow's lessons. In truth, they don't study as good when I'm not home and although they are good kids, they rather go outdoors and participate in the yard and garden than pull out their math and spelling.
Well, I feel I want to start my work week with a clean kitchen, so TTYL.

 

[Wannabefree]

Hold the phone....squash cake?! How are ya just gonna put that in there in plain view and NOT elaborate?!?!?!!?

Recipe?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

yeah - what she said! Squash cake? I used to make squash fritters, but a squash cake sounds yumalicious!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Mawmaw Callais' Squash Cake Recipe

about 4 or 5 medium sized squash (color doesn't matter) deseeded and peeled
a can of evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup of white sugar
a kitchen spoon of flour (its probably anywhere from 1/2 cup to 2/3's cup)
1 tsp of baking soda
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
Peel and remove mature seeds from whatever sqush you choose. Begin stewing them to soften. You should have about a quart of squash. (note....if you don't want a mess when mixing, you might want to pass the sqush thru a blender). Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Bake for 45 minutes. It won't be a cake consistancy....more like a bread pudding consistancy.

My oldest used this recipe for 4H's sugar and seafood fair and won the highest award in the cake division. It is one of my families favorite dishes.