Heritage Skills

I know everyone would be shocked to discover I have an interest in the "heritage skills". Ha, ha!
In my new role as librarian, I have to come up with fundraisers to help support the library fund.  I opted to combine the need for a fund raiser with my need to let everyone know how they should be self reliant. 

The Heritage Skills and Self Reliance Fair is September 8, 2012 in Natalia TX.  If anyone is in the area, I would appreciate your support, either as a demonstrator/vendor or as an attendee.  For more info go to http://www.nataliaheritageskills.blogspot.com/

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Life has been busy on the farm.  This past month as virtually flown by, and we are in high gear in winding down the summer and into fall/winter preparations.  Seems silly I know when it is 100 degrees out side, but I want to be prepared. 

PH will be going to a friends this weekend to bring back a large pecan tree that fell down during a recent storm.  We will add it to our fire wood pile. 

I am in the process of washing blankets and going through the pile to make sure none need to be mended or replaced.  We are definitely blessed in the area of blankets :)

Our lone turkey poult (PH feels it is a girl, I am undecided) LOVES PH still.  Follows him everywhere.  Peep has taken to attacking all the dogs if they get close to the front porch, which is hilarious, since Peep is REALLY quite small.  She/He scares the bejeebies out of the dogs. 

We received 3.5 inches of rain this month, and our pastures are so green.  I am so excited! That means I do not have to feed hay and it can be saved for the Winter months.  Next on our agenda is to clean out the barn.  We need to remove all the old hay, clean the chicken tractor and get it ready for a new batch of meat birds, plus take out the left over hay bales from last year.  We want to stock the new batch in the back, and keep the old bales up front.  This will also allow me to go through our totes (that is the plan anyway) to see what I am saving for the new house, and what will be gotten rid of.

PD#2 turned 9 this month.  Her birthday party is Sunday, July 29th, so drop on by, if you are in the area, and if you are one of the lucky few to have directions to my retreat :)  PD#2 is very pleased with her new bicycle and is riding all over the place, trailing dogs.

Planning the Fall garden planting as well, and am stymied over what to plant.  This is my first Fall garden, that I can recall.  I know I will be planting pumpkins, but other than that, I am not sure...The garden needs some clean up as I have let it go wild, once the tomatoes were done.  The cantelopes never did anything, other than vining and flowering.  Evidently, no bees this year, though I normally run over with them.  I will have to get my paint brush out and start pollinating the plants myself. 

The house is coming along, and the outside, complete with porch, is finished.  I am so excited for the inside work to be moving ahead.  I am hopeful the wood stove will be installed in the next month, so that I will be prepared for the cold days/months ahead.