We Made It!!!

I had two titles for this post- the first is as above, the second was I love vacation and high speed Internet. You cannot believe the difference between dial-up and wireless(? is that what this is called when you can pull up web pages and blogs without doing a load of laundry in between). Anyway it's beautiful here and I am looking forward to a week of sunsets with the boys, even my biggest one who is fishing into the night.

A Mid Spring Walk Through My Garden

This is a Jackson Wonder Butter bean. I have high hopes for this bean. Jared and I planted them on 5/30. We have 3 rows about 10-12' in length. One of the dogs dug a hole in one of the rows. He or she buried an old animal hide Allen had finally pulled off the shed. It was a raccoon he had killed when we first moved out here, it had eaten a chicken or two, we haven't had a raccoon disturbance since.


A view of my koi pond. I love this pond it brings me such peace- that is when the sun isn't blazing above. I have dreams of some sort of trellis or what's that word? is it arborvitae, no I believe its pergola. I have been thinking recently that what I really need is a big market umbrella. My birthday is soon- hint, hint, wink, wink.


Yes I know it's not that much to look at but it makes up for that in its smell. I LOVE Gardenia. Its smell is intoxicating and just about perfect.


This lovely flower is okra in my humble opinion it is the most beautiful vegetable flower. I think it belongs to the hibiscus family of flowers. Okra is one of Allen and Logan's favorite veggies. I know in our climate it is prolific and if you can keep up with it will produce all hot summer long.


I know its just a day lily common everywhere, but I still love it. Its so hardy the dogs and kids just can't kill it. It is almost effortless to grow. It never needs water or fertilizer just some dividing and passing every few years.


This is a new addition from last fall. I can't remember the name but it might be hyssop. It has a wonderful licorice smell that really opens the nasal passages. It's hard to tell from the pic but it also has some pretty cute little orange flowers.



These are my water lilies. My hot water lilies- need I say more.


The bee balm has been outstanding this year. It has grown over 7ft. tall. I am not sure why or where this majestic flower got it's name but I have a feeling its because I have seen the bees just sleeping under the pink blooms. They are in an almost catatonic state, they do not try and fly away when I reach out and stroke them on there backs. You wonder what kind of power the flowers have over these amazing little creatures. Are they drunk with nectar?



This is a volunteer zinnia. I love that name- volunteer -its like the flower choose my yard to grace with its presence. I also love zinnia- its such a great and super easy flower to grow from seed. I like to see them all over my yard.

The Boys and Their New Cousin

The newest member of the family is my nephew, Nathanael Ellis Childs, Allen has already given him a nickname- Nate Dawg. I think it fits since my brother, Ellis, is a huge Georgia Bulldogs fan. He (Nate Dawg) was born May 9,2009 at 2:45P.M. Mommy Amy is doing great and yeah she's breastfeeding. The boys are in love. He is so cute and has all those precious newborn faces. I can't wait to see him again.

Catching Up

A Friday farmhand harvest.


Allen getting friendly with a go-devil at Wise Creek.


OUCH!!!


Logan relaxing in the river.


Jared and his pal Jr. Jared sleeping in.


A bee catching some Z's on a bee balm.


Spring is busy. I've hatched a few chicks- close to 30 and planted a good many plants. I've also had some great Friday Farmhand days. We have harvested pak choy- one of my new faves, it is a Chinese cabbage and much easier to grow than head cabbages. Sauteed with a few onions and it is very tasty. We also picked sugar snap peas, lettuce, broccoli, cilantro, green onions and radishes around the 1st of May. This week we will harvest the last of the peas, do some weeding and finally some long awaited planting. We are still waiting on potatoes,carrots, cabbages and brussel sprouts to mature from our early spring planting. Mid-May I planted several different varieties of tomato and pepper plants, some basil, red okra, Cajun okra and lots of zinnias. I also planted sudangrass in a newly cleared area. The sudangrass will act as a green manure and improve the fertility of the soil. I hope to use this new bed next spring.

All that work is no good without some fun days so last Saturday we went to Wise Creek on the Ogmulgee River. This is such a wonderful place, the boys always have a blast shooting down the river and playing in the sand. Logan snorkels with Allen and his Uncle Stan looking for Native American artifacts, Evan and Jared like to float in the current and sometimes I get to just be and sit and think and relax, it's always a good trip- even the 8 miles of dirt roads to get there are so worth it.

Turkeys and Herbs

Allen got his first turkey of the season on Tuesday- a 16 pound jake. He was very excited and proud as was Evan and the neighbors- David and Austin. I don't share Allen's enthusiasm for hunting. I don't get it - that doesn't mean I don't want to see it done. My husband has a great love and appreciation for the land. He respects nature and does what he does because he loves animals. I eat meat. I like meat. I don't like what I read about the state of meat and meat production in the US. It is disgusting what can happen to animals in our current food chain. I believe maybe hunting can supplement our corn-fed meat consumption which in turn lowers our carbon footprint.
I must admit it was very satisfying to gather the herbs for Allen'a wild turkey breast (he gave most of the bird to some very appreciative neighbors). I used rosemary, thyme and some of my multiplier onions. The meat was very tasty and the kids loved it.
All of the veggies the Friday Farmhands helped plant about 2 weeks ago are sprouting. I also have asparagus sprouting - I will not be able to harvest it this year, it is a perennial crop and takes a few years to get established.
This week Allen picked up my 50 blueberry starts from Helen. I am going to pot them this weekend and plant them in the ground next spring. I am going to plant a cover crop this year so they will have a good start next spring.
You could call this year,for me anyway , The Year of the Soil. Cover crops, green manure, biomass these are my words- my mantra if you will. I will be reading, planting, researching and composting these words. I will try to keep posted my mistakes and successes- in spite of my dial-up capabilities.

Signs of Spring

Jared cracking pecans by the koi pond.

Jared sporting my new sunhat.

Ahh! Blueberries blooming!!!




The tulips are blooming, clothes are hanging on the line, blueberries are blooming and Jared is shoeless. I love spring and all the newness it brings into our lives. I will be attending the Georgia Organics Conference Friday and Saturday. I will actually be spending the night with my friend Maggie. There is lots to do before I go so this post is short, but I think the pictures make up for my briefness.

Friday Farmhands

It was a very busy day on the farm yesterday. My Friday Farmhands were here. The farmhands are Helen (www.groovykidstuff.blogspot.com )and her children Ray, Dashiell and Hazel, and Jane and her children Sean, Leah and Ryan. I am lucky to have such good help. We got a lot planted-cabbage, lettuce, parsley, onions, brussel sprouts, sugar snap peas, beets, spinach, potatoes and cilantro. We also gave the plants a good start with Neptune's Harvest seaweed fertilizer. Now we wait, water and weed.
Next Friday I will be attending the Georgia Organics Conference in Decatur GA. I am really excited. I hope to learn a lot and meet other farmers and people who share my love of dirt and want to heal the earth with organic methods of farming.

A Look Back at the First Week in March

Let me start by saying it was a long week. It all started on Sunday March 1 with snow and lots of it at least 3-5 inches of the white stuff. It was beautiful and the kids thought it was just magical. The power went off at about 6pm, but it was worth it to have a good snow. We made snow cream and hot chocolate, we had snowball fights, we had to pull Rusty's truck out of the snow/mud, Allen and Evan got real muddy riding 4-wheelers with the neighbors, we made snow forts, Jared made lots of yellow snow and we all laughed alot. The power finally came back on Monday night just in time for a warm bath, a hot meal and some screen time before bed.
On Tuesday I went to the library and Kroger with the boys. This was a mistake and I will leave it at that.
On Wednesday we had playgroup at the park and Logan spent the night at his friend Jesse's. Logan had been looking forward to this since the last time he spent the night there. My mom called me after we got home to let me know my Uncle Lamar had passed away. He had been battling liver disease for years. He was married to my Mom's oldest sister, Carrie, for 47 years.
On Thursday we just hung out at home. Allen got home early so he could see Logan at his last gymnastics practice. We drove separately so I could go shopping after gymnastics. I needed a light sweater to wear over my dress for my Uncle's funeral and some shoes. I didn't find any shoes and my poor feet did suffer a little but, I did find a cute white sweater that went with my spring dress.
On Friday I dusted, mopped and cleared clutter, I also took my kids out shopping for the pig feast. The shopping trip was not as bad as Tuesdays. That night was the viewing for my Uncle, it was also the night Allen planned on killing the pig we had been feeding for a few weeks. The pig was a wild pig, she was I think about 8 months old. The man that gave it to Allen had raised it since it was piglet. Allen was not home from work when I left for the viewing so the boys went to my neighbor, Keisha's. I got home from the viewing around 8:30pm and went by Keisha's to pick up the boys. Keisha and her boys came to the house with us, her husband David was here to help Allen and Tommy with the pig processing. The pig was going to cook all night outside over a fire. Allen and I retired about 2am with the alarm set for 4am. Allen got up at 4,6 and finally at about 8.
Saturday was non-stop all day. I made cole slaw and helped get set up for the day. Allen, Tommy and David were making brunswick stew. The funeral was at 2pm. I met my Mom, my brother Ellis and my Mom's husband Jeff at the church. My Uncle owned the tractor shop in Mansfield and had lived in this small community all his life. The night before at the viewing there had been over 800 people who signed the guest book. It took 2 trucks to move the flowers from the funeral home to the grave site. My uncles coffin was taken by tractor to the grave. After the service we went back to my Aunts house. My Mom didn't come to the pig feast, she has had pneumonia and the flu, she also gets fever blisters from fresh pork. The feast was already under way when I got home. Everybody was raving about the brunswick stew I couldn't bring myself to try it until Sunday. We were up again until about 2am, even Jared didn't give it up until about 1am.
Sunday was a good lazy day. We cleaned up the yard but the house will wait. The boys and our neighbor friends Star and Christian played outside in the pond while I planted 10 pounds of Red pontiac potatoes which I guess isn't that lazy but digging in the earth is my idea of relaxation. I have a lot of planting to do this week and a lot of cleaning, I'm looking forward to every minute of it.

Rain, Rain , Waiting on Snow

On Friday February 27, 2009 the first meeting of the Friday farmhands took place. We were planning on getting some work done but the weather had other ideas. This gave us some time for planning. We have a list of things we want to plant now- early spring. We also have a list of spring tasks that need to be done at our next Friday meeting. I plan on trying to post the lists on the blog but because of my limited Internet capabilities due to my slow dial-up connection it might be next week before I can get to it.
On Saturday there was more rain Allen, the boys and myself piled into the new truck with its new dent (more on that later) and headed to the feed store in Jackson. I bought radish seed, broccoli seed, 10# of red potatoes, 7.86# of yellow potatoes and a bottle of Neptune's harvest. Allen also bought 5# of a mix of clover for his food plot.
Today we are waiting on snow. It has rained most of the morning and according to the local weather snow is indeed on the way. I really hope a little bit sticks not only would the boys have a blast but I made a bet with the neighbor, Rusty, last night at his house while playing pool. If it snows and sticks Rusty has to make dinner for our families if it doesn't I have to make dinner for all. Any suggestions on what to fix for 9 people.

Redneck Slip and Slide

This was a totally kid created adventure from the name to the design. The boys and their neighborhood friends had a great day on this contraption. Thankfully no one was hurt- well nothing to serious.

Storm Damage

On February 18,2009 we had some bad weather - in Georgia 12 tornados touched down- one was about 2 miles from our home. Allen had the day off and deceided to go to the Sears at the mall to price some chippers. We had no idea such storms were even headed our way. Things like this remind us how fragile life is and everyday is truly a gift.

Winter Blues

My new lettuce grower!!!

Kryp the rooster keeping a watchful eye on everything in the garden.





I am not fond of the winter months. As a child I think it was due to having a summer birthday. Now in adulthood I have really tried to embrace winter for all the togetherness the cold months thrust upon us, but by mid-January I am ready for spring. I really am not sure I could make do any further north than Atlanta, at least not for long. One of the brighter spots in my winter doldrums is all the spring garden planning I get to do. I love looking at seed catalogs and old gardening magazines. I know realistically living in zone 8 Georgia I could have something going in the garden year round and this is one of my 2009 goals. It seems as though we are always so busy in the fall and we also normally take our vacation that time of year that I just never get around to planting fall crops.
This year I hope to get a jumpstart on some plantings. Allen built me a small greenhouse for one of my raised beds and I will be starting some romaine lettuce just as soon as the seeds arrive. I have also ordered some other cold season seeds such as spinach, turnips, carrots and sugar snap peas. I know there are other things I would like to try but I think this is a good start. Another goal for 2009 is to get an asparagus crop going, a farmer friend, Nicolas, is digging up some of his this year and I am counting the days until I can get those crowns in my hot little hands. I LOVE asparagus!!My farmer friend's wife, Madeline, introduced me to the art of roasting the spears and I was in love (with the spears). You have to wait a few years after planting before you can harvest but its so worth it- your asparagus patch if properly maintained is suppose to give you as many as 15 years of service. Yum!!!!!

Ponderings

I had planned to sit down and blog about something interesting- like our trip to the city today. The boys and I had a good time making puppets and learning about Jim Henson at the Atlanta History Museum. We also had a great time in the Atlanta Olympics exhibit. But, since it took me 20 minutes to realize I had put the Wii disc Jared wanted to play in the DVD player I will have to be short and sweet, I need to cook dinner now. Maybe if I don't burn down the kitchen in my dinner attempts I will post pictures later.

Starting Fresh

Into the woods

The chosen tree

Timber!!

The inoculated dowels before being hammered in the log

Wax on!



I have titled this post "Starting Fresh" because that is what I'm doing with this blog. My original idea for starting the blog was to look appealing for a farming grant I thought I was going to apply for. It turns out I didn't feel ready for the commitment to the grant- although I am still committed to really getting serious about homesteading. This has always been our plan anyway, to grow and raise our own food. I am ready for the challenge. I know nothing will happen over night so to keep me from getting discouraged I am going to blog about our accomplishments and successes and also our failures and mistakes. I am also blogging so I will have a way to remember all the cute things my kids say and do along the way.
Today has been very windy- I mean scary windy. The wind has blown the cover off our well house and loosened a few nails in some metal roofing on the top of the well house so that it makes this loud noise every few minutes. Our power was even off for about three hours, which was very hard for my plugged in kids. They survived and actually had some fun making music and playing with playdoh.
This past weekend Allen and I inoculated eight oak and one sweetgum log with shiitake mushrooms. It was fun -kinda like building instead of gardening. First we cut down the oak, then cut it into 4 to 5 foot long sections and then we hauled the logs to the barn- which was difficult only because the lawnmower cart we were using came apart. Once we finally got the logs back to the barn we cleaned them with a scrub brush, just to remove the moss and dirt, then we drilled holes about 4 inches apart. In the holes we hammered in wooden dowels(I ordered online at Oyster Creek Mushroom Company) that were inoculated with the shiitake spores. Over the holes we "painted" melted canning wax. Lastly we found a good shady stand of pines and laid the logs on a pallet cabin style. Now we wait if all goes well we should have shiitakes this spring and fall for the next few years.