Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Spring Wow

I guess full spring is here with us. We haven't had a freeze in almost 2 weeks and it looks like the lilacs will bloom in a few days. Even the Washington Hawthorn is going to bloom this week which usually doesn't until in June.

The poultry are all growing well and next weekend the meat birds will be moved to their new house and yard. The layer chicks will have the board taken down that keeps them in a smaller area in the coop as they are starting to fly to the top of their waterers and etc. Don't want one to fly out and not be able to get back in to the warmer area.


The garden area is all tilled and waiting for plants and seeds. We were hoping to have planted already but sometimes that just doesn't work out as we want. The last few weeks it has been way to wet and so its till now and we need a evening free to plant.

We did pick up some tomato plants this week to get a head start on those.

I cut rhubarb and made some rhubarb and rhubarb strawberry sweet stew/sauce that I canned up. (Frozen strawberries).

The spinach we let go to seed last fall is doing great in its area and I have been eating spinach for almost 2 weeks now and asparagus from the garden. We have blossoms on our fruit trees and may even get some this year :).

We didn't want to go to the expense but things that have to be done; just have to be. And that's stripping the roof fixing the slope in it on the west side and putting new shingles on it. Along with replacing the rotten fascia board, putting fascia board where none has ever been or at least gone for 50 or more years. So one very BIG project this summer. We needed all this done for at least 5 years now and it can't be put off any longer if we want a good roof for the coming winter.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Winters Last Gasp (I Hope)

It decided to snow on us May 10th. But I also see that Colorado got dumped on big time. Very normal for there also. We lived for quite a few years not far from Denver and it was not unusual to get snows in May at all. We just got a dusting which is less then some years at this time.
 
That is also the day dear hubby needed to change the breaks on our small Nissan truck. Had to be done as they were down to the nubbins. So he got snowed on, hailed on, rained on and snowed on again.

Daughter T and my mom came up yesterday and brought a plague with the Birthdays of all the kids, grand kids and the 1 great grand hanging from it :). We found out our youngest sons K and his wife A are having a girl and naming her Eleanor after her mom who passed away many years ago from cancer.

Most of our new chicks are here, hubby will be picking up 36 Leghorns tonight. The Cornish X-rocks and the turkeys are in the chick pen in the barn and doing great.

I discovered the first tick of the season on me last night after we (hubby grand girl and I) took a walk in the woods. No one else had picked one up. 
This morning the cat got a new flea/tick collar and the two dogs got tick guard squirted down their backs. 
Note to self put more tick products for the animals back in storage. (These were the last)

Products for us: For tick and other insect problems make sure it has deet in it. Also look up and make do it yourself products for this problem if you can't stand chemicals on you like deet and etc.
Here are a few links.
http://www.skin-care-recipes-and-remedies.com/homemade-insect-repellent.html 

http://tipnut.com/homemade-mosquito-repellent/ 

This one tells what repels ticks also.
http://chemistry.about.com/od/healthbeautyprojects/a/naturalinsectrepellent.htm 



Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Getting There

Today the new chicks are supposed to be in. The area in the chicken coop is ready for the white Leghorns and the barn area is ready for the Cornish Xrocks and the turkeys.

The new meat bird coop and pen is almost finished. All we need is a door, a gate and to put a wire cover over it to keep the hawks and eagles from flying down and snatching one when there old enough to put here. Well and to get the tools out of the coop and put down saw dust.


We have quite a bit of rain this week but that's better then snow like the week before. Not much to yell about but up here one never knows just how much you will end up with.
K decided to collect worms and caterpillars while we were working on the pen last Saturday. She said she needed pets.
All of you out there have a good week.