Category: Chickens

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

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Well, much to my surprise, I have just today been nominated for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award.  The lovely award was sent by a new blogging friend Terry1954 who can be found here:  http://terry1954.wordpress.com/

Thank you Terry!

As with all awards they come with rules of course…

and the rules are,

  • Give credit to the one who nominated you
  • Tell seven secrets about yourself
  • Nominate seven others

Seven secrets?  Hm, I don’t think I have any more since I started blogging here on WordPress! 😉  But, here goes…

  1. If I could, I would live on five acres and get a pair of Alpacas because I love their little humming noises
  2. I am allergic to carrots and I love them, but not the stomach ache I get when I eat them.
  3. My eyes are Hazel Green. <— (click here to guess the secret.) 😉
  4. I am a perfectionist and have to do it perfect or I can’t  won’t do it at all.
  5. I am going to be completely tearing out my vegetable garden and revamping it between now and next spring… it is going to be redone in raised beds with a goose proof fence all around.
  6. If I had enough money and time I have several friends around the world that I would love to travel and visit with!
  7. I am hopelessly old-fashioned in my ways.

My Nominees, should they choose to accept, are:

  1. Lori at Day by Day the Farmgirl Way  because we have so much in common.
  2. Julie at Wings and Things because we both love geese, and because I know she won’t accept this award (and I secretly covet one of her “Hot Potato” awards that she hands out to people who give her awards.  😉  )
  3. Linda at The Task at Hand  because she is a masterful writer and always surprises me with her stories she weaves.
  4. Jayme at Tales From the Coop Keeper who I know won’t accept it, but I’m sending it anyway.  A funny chicken keeper and gardener who recently lost 100 pounds!  Yup, she get’s it.
  5. C  The Kitchen Gardener over on the Farmy who has more energy and verve for life than anyone else I know.  She accomplishes so many things in her day.
  6. Cindy of On and Over the Hills who is a school librarian five days a week, and finds the time to capture captivating photographs and writes so beautifully about her subjects.
  7. And finally, April at Gluten Free Zen because she makes Gluten Free easy and delicious!  Those who can do what she does are few and far between!

That was harder than it looked, because it was so hard to choose!  I hope you will go and have a visit with each of the nominees.  They are only a few among the many unique, talented, and lovely women I know.

Again, thank you Terry!

Just pictures ;)

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I have been taking advantage of all the almost perfect weather (it’s been a bit windy) to do  a bit  A LOT of gardening.  Suddenly I realized that it has been two weeks since my last post!

So, without further adieu,

I share my progress with you!

In no particular order…

Want the weeds to go away?  Leave the oak leaves in place!  Herbs, roses, and old-fashioned posies all vie for my affection.

I have forgotten this little girls name, but I love her simple pink petaled face.

The geese chewed this one down to the ground, and look!  You’d never guess!

Even my chicken yard is sporting roses!  They make a nice foil for the ugly storage shack in the neighbor’s yard, don’t you agree?

The native bees were finding these delightful in the morning

Look at all those buds!  The Mermaid is going to be stunning for the first time since I planted her!  Covered in big, yellow, seven-inch blooms everywhere!  She has wicked red thorns…

But the chickens find her shade inviting!

Well, it’s chicken and goose thirty and I need to get busy!  I will post more tomorrow…

~*~

What’s growing in your garden this spring?

Spring Happenings: a mini tour

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Spring came early this year and I was prepared.  My tomatoes and peppers were started in the kitchen window, lots of them, and as soon as I could I was out planting peas, broccoli, spinach, lettuces, rutabagas, turnips, beets and more!  All this work attracted the attention and the admonishment of a neighbor that, “We could still have a cold snap as late as April…” but I am feeling fearless because I have frost blankets to keep their little roots warm!

I even bought myself a new little tractor to help me get the job done!  Last year when I gardened I cried.  Literally.  I have a herniated disk in my lower back and getting down to ground level was a not working for me.  Hence my garden was not what I wanted or usually have here on the Farmlet.  However, now I have Violet to help me get the job done!

What!?! 

You’re laughing? Well hey, if men can name their cars then I can name my lovely new tractor assistant.

Meet Violet!

In this photo I was under the shade of my pop up to keep the sun from scorching my skin while I worked…  I went in to eat lunch and when I returned the pop-up was in the neighbors fence with broken legs…

!!! 😦 !!!

But I kept the poles to be used as tomato stakes! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, right?

OK, so how about I just quit talking and show you spring on the Farmlet?

So, without further adieu…

Little Dorrit  and one of the Hueys assist with the weeding of the onions and garlic.

A gratuitous dog picture.  Gotta have a dog in this post, and so I introduce you to Buddy, our other wonderful dog.  Isn’t he beautiful?  (It was brought to my attention that I have a tendency to overlook him in favor of the Little Dog.    This one’s for you Pam 😉 )

Remember this little hen?  Can you believe she’s the same one I almost lost last year? (read about that HERE)

Iris in the morning light.

These grow with abandon all over our little acre, and in many colors too!

~*~

The following photographs are of the native plants I have growing here.  Growing what is native to the region in which I live is a passion of mine…

We have eight of these lovely trees here on the Farmlet.  We used to have more but we lost them to storms, age, and unfortunately, the new garage/barn.  We are loosing a couple more to termites as well.  I think I will replace them, but perhaps not in the same place.

You may also recall my visit to the Lovely Plant Lady last April?  (look HERE) Well, I was certain that the May Apples and Trillium hadn’t made it, but NO, here is the May Apple…

and here is the Trillium!  So glad I haven’t lost my native garden gardening skills. Can’t wait to see this garden in bloom this year!

These are Red Bud blossoms.  Roughly the size of a small pea, they pop out from the bark to cover the branches.  It is stunning to see them all throughout the woods here.

~*~

And finally…

These are Mystery Berries.  I have a whole patch of them in the front under the Pin Oak.  If you know what they are I would appreciate knowing so I can put them where they will be happy and productive.  (Currently, they are not.) The berries are the size of blueberries, the color of green grapes, with a bit of lighter striping from stem to blossom end.   Oh yes, and it is thornless!

The leaf and fruit form remind me of the RIBES family.  Anyone?

UPDATE:  The mystery plant has been identified as Clove Currant or Ribes Odoratum.   Thank you Lori at Day by Day the Farmgirl Way!

You can find out more here on Dave’s Garden:  http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/15424/

 

~*~

Thank you for visiting today and come back again soon!

~*~

NOTE:  Due to so many photos I kept them smaller to help with download time.   However, all photographs are clickable for a better view.   So, did it help?

WIP Wednesday

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I have been working on *UFO’s, making a quick gift for a friend, and a couple of new projects just for me!

First the gift…

This is a smallish table rug 12 x 12 inches.  It was constructed as you would make a pot holder, and has a heat protective layer on the back.  I hope she likes it…

Now the works in progress…

My chicken block is on the project board whilst I futz with it trying to decide exactly how I want to finish it.   If you know me, then you know my love of chickens and all things chicken inspired.  This is a 12.5 X 12.5  block that will be the center of a new table runner.  I have two more blocks planned, but will reveal them when the project is closer to being done.

The Valentine’s centerpiece, supplied by my husband (Thank you Sweety 🙂 ) is sitting on my (almost) completed table runner.  The blocks go by Jacob’s Ladder, or the Underground RR.  This is one of the UFO’s.  I cut it out last March, but was too intimidated to actually begin the piecing process.  Two weeks ago, I decided to give it a go, and voila!  The picture of the completed project will be in focus I promise.  This project needs batting and a backing, but lacking a nice runner for Valentine’s dinner I put it on the table anyway.

So, that’s it for this Wednesday.

~*~

*UFO’s, according to the accomplished sewists out there,  are:

“Unfinished Objects”