The Garden has Sprouted!

Yeah! The seeds we planted last week have sprouted!  Primarily, the broccoli, carrots and radishes.  None of the lettuce yet.  Also the pumpkins in the long row have come up, and the onions are looking good (even though, the tops have been eaten twice by the goats).  Now to keep the critters out of the garden.  I may have some hope to get another crop harvested.  The one we planted in late August didn't even sprout.  Too hot, probably, but I think planting after such a heavy rain helped tremendously.  Our day temps are still in the high 80s with night time temps being in the 50's.  We are scheduled for the high 40's this next week, but the plants should be fine.  My peach tree has even sprouted a few new leaves.  I had thought we had lost it after the drought, and the goats stripping it clean. 

I've been sick, and I was hoping the sore throat would go away on it's own, but it didn't.  So Friday, I started taking one of my herbal remedies that I COMPLETELY trust in and that has worked for me for years.  It is a tincture, Echinacea Goldenbiotic (a combination of Echinancea and Goldenseal - two good herbs for infections.  A really good herbal antibiotic.  I usually put 20 drops (about a dropperful) in a medicine cup (the kind that comes on top of the kid's Motrin), then top it off with orange juice or cranberry-grape juice.  I take it like a shot of alcohol (not that I've ever done shots, but I've seen it on t.v.).  It's FOUL.  Here it is Sunday night, and my sore throat and most of the congestion is gone.  I'll keep taking it for several more days. (NOTE:  This is not something I am telling anyone to do, I am not a doctor, but an herbalist.  Please do not try anything you read here because I shared with you what I do.  You need to make medical decisions on your own.)

It's amazing.  It's been 5 days since it rained, and the ground is still damp!  It's so strange to not have the water evaporated.  After such a brutally hot summer, the weather has cooled down.   We have only reached the high 80s and low 90s lately, with low to mid 50s at night.  Last night I put one of the oak blocks the PH brought home (we have two cords of these) in the woodstove.  They are SO dense!  It lasted ALL night.  There was still about 1/4 left at 8 am!  This is wood is so awesome. 

We planted our fall garden.  PS#1 came over earlier this week, and helped to get the beds outlined using some scavenged timbers.

We planted iceberg lettuce, leaf lettuce, carrots, broccoli, radishes, onions, and pumpkins.  PD#1 has started seeds in her place house, it's like a mini greenhouse in there.  She has little pots lined up in front of the window, and had planted lavendar, marigold, Echinacea, Mint and Catnip.  She is documenting germination time and recording in a notebook.  She is doing this all on her own.  I think it's a good idea.  We'll call this Science/Botany ;-)

We were able to purchase more plywood, and will have the second floor completely decked this weekend.  After that the upstairs walls, then the roof ;-)

PH will also be picking up more downed trees from his father's place in the morning.  He'll bring them back to cut and split into stove lengths.  Yeah! FOUR trees worth of firewood.  The trees are about 12 feet long (each) and bigger around than I can reach, so that will get us a good wood supply. 

This weekend we will be working on our Sukkot booth, and learning more about the biblical holiday.  We'll also be winterizing more, as temps in the 40's are expected this next week.  That's COLD for South TX, and COLD for a metal building.  We'll be ready.

Also on the agenda will be doctoring myself with the Echinacea Goldenbiotic Tincture, tea with honey, and DE mixed in water for the joint pain. 

More apple jelly is also on the "list", as well as, laundry, watering the garden, and canning more greenbeans and corn.

The grass is turning so GREEN since we had the rain on Sunday!  I am beyond excited.  The horses seem to be happy too.  It's amazing what 7 inches of rain will do.  Here it is October and the trees are finally getting more leaves, the grass is green and everything is JUST beautiful.  I wish the weather could be like this all year round (sigh).

Our congregation is also working hard on food storage preparations, and working out details for many aspects of church growth, and general preparedness.  This makes me so happy, as I have been trying to get them on board for five years.  It's baby steps, but I'll take it!

Next Up:  Random Pictures

PD#2's Math Lesson

PS#2 Giggling

PD#2 Holding Duke and Posing All Serious Like

Plaque in my kitchen

Cooler Weather and LOTS of rain!

We had a MASSIVE storm center that came through last night/early a.m.  It began raining about midnight and didn't stop until 10 a.m.  The thunder and lightening were horrific, and the NOISE!  You haven't lived through a storm like this until you've lived in a metal storage container.  It was impossible to sleep, so we were all dragging this morning.  It was so dark and dreary in here, I neglected to get up, thinking it was early still, and was late for church.  The creekbed was flooded anyway, and even going over the bridge to avoid it wouldn't have done any good.  The upper part of the driveway was flooded too, no way around.  We received AT LEAST 7 inches.  The rain gauge was full, and it was still raining.  PD#1 dumped it out, but it stopped raining shortly thereafter.

I was worried about the baby chicks all night.  They were in their chicken tractor right outside the door, covered with two tarps.  I had no idea the storm was going to be that bad, but the ground was flooded.  They were soaking wet this morning, I felt so bad for them.  We put the chicken tractor in the barn, on a nice bed of warm hay.  They are nice and snug in the barn now, and should do fine. 

I made spaghetti last night using our wild hog sausage and the tomato sauce I canned.  It was pretty good. PH liked it, so it is "good to go" to make it again.  I also made a big batch of laundry soap.  It seems no matter how much I wash, I always have more.  I'd love to get rid of all these clothes, but it doesn't seem possible (sigh). 

Feeling sick with a sore throat and earache.  Drank some Echinacea Tea tonight, and if I don't feel better tomorrow, I'll take some more herbs.

It was pretty chilly inside tonight, so I lit a fire in the woodstove.  Unfortunately, it has died out and my feet are still cold. Finished watching my nightly episode of JERICHO, and so am off to bed.



PH sharpened his chainsaw.  He will be getting ready to go over to his parents to cut firewood.  We have plenty for this year, but his dad had several trees that were cut down.  They are live oak so will be great for our woodstove.

Autumn preparations

We took the week to get the place in shape for cooler weather.  Each day we tackled a different project in our quest for the best!

Monday:  Pick up all trash around land, declutter living room, clean off "hot spots" from woodstove, bring in wood, wash sheets, break out blankets for beds, sweep floors, organize bookshelves, trash in truck to go to dumpster

Tuesday:  Clean out wash house, throw out old toys and trash, clean out fridge, organize kitchen, clean oil lamps and fill with new kerosene, buy candles and batteries

Wednesday:  Clean loft, go through clothes and take out too small, torn, stained; clean bedroom, heater in bathroom

Thursday:  Clean up playground, put pool away, move chicken tractor, cover with tarps

Friday:  Errands, wash jackets, get down tubs of winter clothes (wait until cold weather)

Saturday:  Clean up gazebo area, clean out animal pens, restack hay in barn, clean barn, sprinkle DE in pens and chicken coop, clean chicken coop, organize bridles/lead ropes, etc.  Weatherize animal pens (dog house, hay bales, lean to); scrub water trough, clean feed bowls; make apple jelly, bake bread

Sunday: REST

Drought, A Little Rain, and more House Building

It's pretty dismal news.  According to climatologists, TEXAS will remain in drought conditions for 5-15 years!  I am so devastated, and have been praying for rain, and really speaking to God about his plans and intentions for us. 

We did receive 2 inches last week, but we need at least 15 to get out of drought status.  After checking my farm journal, I noticed that the past 3 years we received substantial rainfall, between 7 and 9.5 inches each September.  We didn't even receive 4 inches this year.  Our well has dropped over 40 feet, the grass is dead, and our garden didn't do very well at all. 

This week we've been busy preparing the cabin, barn and land for cooler temperatures.  We don't normally get too harsh a Winter, but my farm journal shows extremely cold temps around November, instead of just in February like the past 20 years.  We took the week from lessons for the girls to go through their clothing, clean their loft room, make their beds up, clean the woodstove, declutter, bring in wood, and get the place cleaned for a prolonged time inside.  It will start to get darker sooner, so that will force us inside, as living in the country means it's PITCH BLACK without lights. 

PH has been diligently working on the house, though I believe sometimes the stress is getting to him, and I know he is overwhelmed building it basically by himself.  PDs and I give him what help we can, but it's basically all on him. 

Here are a few pictures:

Went to the LDS Cannery again.  I am not an LDS member, but I appreciate their allowing me access to their Home Storage Center.  I am able to get #10 cans of a variety of foodstuffs for CHEAP.  I have been paying three times as much ordering through Shelf Reliance,  though I really like Shelf Reliance also.  But money is money, and food is food. 

I ordered sugar, oats and hot cocoa mix from them.  Came home and promptly made cocoa.  PS#2, an avid Starbucks fan at 2 1/2, loves their Hot Chocolate.  He was STOKED to find out I had a big can of it.  He drank two sippy cups FULL of HOT cocoa.  He LOVES HOT tea and cocoa.  The heat has never really bothered him, which I find odd.  A few members of my congregation also ordered through me, I packed and picked up their items, and will distribute on Sunday.

My baby chicks are growing so fast, and are doing great in the chicken tractor PH made for them.  As soon as, they are big enough to go in the big coop, I'll order my meat chickens to raise for butchering.  A friend also told me tonight about a baby piglet for sale for $20.  We plan to get it, and raise it to butcher.  PH wasn't too excited about a pet pig, until I told him I didn't want a pet pig, I wanted it for FOOD.  He okayed it then, so I contacted my friend right away.  I ams so excited!

All the canning I did early in the summer, has unfortunately not been enough.  I have been needing to eat out of my food stores, and it isn't lasting as long as I wanted.  Darn...I'll need to plant more next year, since my Fall garden isn't panning out.  The stupid goats won't stay out of the garden.  NONE of my pumpkins made it.  I was looking forward to canning the pumpkin.  Nuts!

Time to watch Jericho (again).

Bread and Buckets

I've been buying buckets from a local bakery, washing them and then filling them with flour, sugar, rice, etc.  I need to stop by and get some more for cornmeal, and more flour.  All of my dry goods are in the freezer to keep the  bugs out of the bags, so once I have the buckets, I'll transfer them, and free up space in the freezer for meat.

I neglected to fill my sugar cansisters before dumping all of the remaining bag of sugar into the bucket.  I had to break out my handy dandy bucket opener to fill the jar today.  And guess what?!  The sugar bucket was on the bottom of the stack.  Which meant I had to move 75 lbs of dry goods to reach it (sigh).

I've been taking orders for bread.  My special this week is 2 - 12 inch loaves of bread and a jar of jelly (your choice of strawberry, grape, prickly pear and now apple). 

PD#1 turns 14 tomorrow.  I cannot believe it.  My little girl is growing so fast..  It's kind of scary. 

We've been busy here, doing our normal preparations.  I know I am not a hard core prep blogger, but that is because we live it every day, and am not just putting things by "just in case".  Our "just in case" is here.  The economy is so bad, and money so tight, that I don't go to the grocery store except every other month IF that...Tonight for dinner we had rice, with ground beef, canned corn, homemade bread, homemade apple crisp with vanilla pudding, and iced tea.  All from everything here in the pantry/freezer.  It feels pretty good to be able to cook without running to the store, but I am running out of things too.  I haven't been to the grocery store to REALLY stock up in awhile.  I need to go through the pantry and make a note of what I am missing and then bite the bullet and go get it.  I do know T.P. is on the list, down to 30 rolls...not good for PH.  He likes t.p.  It's a no go on getting him to use the flannel wipes. 

Two walls are up on the house, with the other two scheduled to be done this weekend.  Then comes the interior walls, the loft structure and the roof.  We really need the roof, because this week (after a full year of NO rain) it decides to rain.  This does not  bode well for the plywood decking and wall framing.  I am sitting here waiting for a big storm cell to come through.  The rain is much needed and appreciated (thanks Lord!) but the wood doesn't like it so much.

Had to run out and close up the wash house and take the wash off the line, as well as, cover the baby chicks in their chicken tractor.  I hope they keep dry.  We need to move them to the barn tomorrow.  I am worried about them drowning in the storm, or taking a chill/draft.

Areas we prepped this week:  dehydrated the rest of the 20lbs of apples and have about 5 quarts of dried apples.  Filled 3 buckets with dried goods, practiced shooting (dove season is here ya know!) - the goats run FAST when you walk out of the house with a 12 gauge!

Red, White and Blue Ribbons

Today was a good day...we went to the fair and found out the results of the Art and Home Arts Judging.  We all did pretty good, and it RAINED! Yeah!  It would have been nice if it had rained at the land here, but it rained about 30 miles away at the fairgrounds.  Better than nothing, though our pastures could stand some greening up.

Here are some pictures that show about our day:

Opening Ceremones of County Fair

Our Flags

Goat Judging

PS#2 holding a baby chick

(we have these at home, but he was still excited)

PS#2 Blue Ribbon for his "Artwork"

PD#1 next to her Watercolor Entires

(these are only some of what she entered)

PD#1 and her blue ribbon for her crocheted

hat and scarf

PD#2 and her blue ribbon artwork

One of my ribbons for my canned foods

I received 1st in canned fruits (jar of pears in middle)

West wall of house framed out and ready to go up

(Yeah!)