Coffee's ready...

[rancher hicks]

Good morning chicken wranglers,
Felix , Mr. Neato sounds handy. My wife had one and it lasted for about 3 years. We are back to old fashioned vacuuming now. ,We do not mind the work as long as the children are getting it done properly!
My wife , son , and I put up hay in the loft last night , It took until 9:30 for us to finish up with all the work. She can toss hay bails with the best of them! work til after sundown and up with the chickens in the morning canning today. What a woman! "{hope she keeps me]!
I keep planning to butcher chicken this week end but something always get in the way! this week end was good but it is raining today, for casted for tomorrow and Sunday. Guess I'll clean the barn. I've got two hogs at the meat processor's today, That should last me for the winter. I would really like to process the hogs myself but that would be another task for me to take care of. heaven knows I've enough on my plate already.
You guys sure got the raised bed thing down to a science , I've got enough area to keep doing a ground garden and it is enough work for me like that. Manure is the only compost I use. We clean the barn in the spring and the cow stalls are full of straw and manure, sounds like compost to me? The ground around the hay ring from winter is usually about 25' in diameter and 10" to 12" thick that gets scraped up and tilled in to the garden bed, enough for the garden I guess. I know it is not as exact as Ya'lls but it works for us.
I was going to dig up the tater beds this weekend also but not in the rain.
Maybe you guys can give me a tip or 2 on tater and onion storage . Let me know!
God Bless!

I wish I had someone here to do the occasional bird but don't. I was supposed to learn this past summer at the NY chickenstock but we didn't go cuz DW just started her Chemo.

I just gave away about 9 young birds. Most I'm afraid may be roos. That seems to be my lot these days in the hatching. More roos than pullets. Still there are a few more chicks coming up.

DD is here from TX to visit and she's a help to get DW to go out for a bit. Otherwise she's home 24/7. Doesn't even go out to sit in the yard if it's just the two of us.

I should do some jelly, but there's much to do outside mowing and weedwhacking. I lost part of the weed whacker and had to order it by mail. Too there are still some branches to cut up from the storm.

I would love a load of horse manure. To me there is nothing better for the garden.

Even a hobby farm is a lot of work isn't it?

Have a good day folks and be good,

Rancher

Here's something to make you smile.

 

[karl E lutz]

Here, here , [smilng out loud now.

 

[vehve]

Rancher, youtube can actually teach you a lot about processing. And this site I found to be pretty helpful too.

http://ramblingredneckmom.blogspot.fi/2011/04/how-to-process-chickens-at-home.html?m=1

That looks like the better half when she's eating sometimes

 

[vehve]

Time to boil a pot of tea. I hope you guys don't disapprove.

 

[sourland]

I like tea, but it kills my stomach - go figure.

 

[rancher hicks]

I like Tea occasionally. T-shirts, T-Ball, T- Time, T-Squares, T the symbol for Titanium, sorry I'm easily distracted.

 

[vehve]

I like tea, but it kills my stomach - go figure.

Usually it's the coffee that upsets people's stomachs. What kind of tea are you drinking? I like a boring Twinings Earl Grey, but the better half often goes with some green tea, it doesn't have caffeine in it so it's easier on her feeble stomach.

 

[vehve]

Rancher, perhaps you just have an active mind.

 

[rancher hicks]

Rancher, perhaps you just have an active mind.

That's one way of putting it.

We've started another granny square swap if anyone is interested.

2014 Crochet square swap, colorful circles.

 

[vehve]

I'm getting worried now. I'm not even 30 years old yet, and I'm sitting here reading a description on crocheting together a blanket and thinking "Hey, this looks pretty cool... wonder if I should try this at some point..."