Big Changes - New Directions

A couple of months ago, my daughter and her husband decided they would like to start a self sustaining farm.  Not a novel idea in this time or place.  After discussing the opportunities and the obstacles, this daughter of mine told me she wanted to buy part of my Dad's property to build this farm.  I didn't believe her.  My response was okay, sure.

My daughter and her sweet husband left 15 years ago for the mountains vowing to live on her mountain top home until she died.   I was more than sceptical.  After that discussion things started to move pretty fast and here two months later two loads of precious cargo have been moved and stored, the mountain top house is on the market and the clearing of the farm land has begun.  My son-in-law and granddaughter are staying with me while this daughter of mine travels home once a week to keep things in order and check on the homestead. 

I am finally coming to realize that this daughter of mine is coming home.  It has been a long long 15 years.  Hubby and I are adjusting our quiet laid back lifestyle to the hustle and bustle of having a pre-teen granddaughter and a teen age grandson around the house.  It has awakened our minds and bodies and got us going again.  Dog tired and weary at the end of the day, I am ready to go again with the coming day.  I have a lot of catching up to do with my two oldest grandchildren and I don't want to waste a minute.

My blogging is one thing that hasn't been foremost in my mind.  While I have a few minutes alone, I thought I would do a little catch up.  The garden is doing as well as can be expected with no rain for a couple of weeks and blistering hot days.  The green beans have done extremely well and the tomatoes were loaded with tomatoes one day and bare the next thanks to my roaming chickens.  The corn is tasseling so I can enjoy a few ears this summer anyway.  The bell peppers have been proficient in their production as have the cucumbers.  After planting 8 or 9 rows of peas, hubby decided to put a fence up to keep my little chicks out.  We should have a healthy crop for the rest of the season.

My little bunnies have reached the cut off stage - no more breeding until some are sold.  They are out growing their cages and running rampant.  The children still love to hold and play with them, but don't enjoy the sharp claws as the bunnies change into rabbits.

I started caning an old chair I picked up and have almost completed the seat.  I hope to finish it in the next few days.  I haven't done any sewing so those projects are still in the sewing basket.  I can save those for a rainy day. 

No new stories posted and that is something I will get worked back into my schedule soon.  Until then and until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Just a Little Catch Up!

Things have really started jumping around this little farm and I am trying to hop a long and keep up!  February was dragging along and I was dragging with it until the 24th - yes the day of the last big storm.  Star, my beautiful white and gray rabbit, decided to kindle on this day.  For those of you that do not speak rabbitese - kindle is giving birth.  Babies were dropping here there and yonder and unprepared me was running around in lightening and pouring rain trying to get her pen out of the rain and well stocked with all the needs of a new mother rabbit.  She had four kits (babies) and is a wonderful mother.  I checked on the other doe and Mr. Jedi and they were fine, so Star and I settled in for a quiet afternoon.  After the storms had passed, I fed the chickens and gathered the eggs and low and behold here comes Blondie followed by 12 little ones.  She led them straight to the barn to eat and eat they did!  I returned to check on Cleo and Jedi.  The pen was filled with babies.  Cleo must have danced in the rain and quickly deposited 9 little ones in an unprepared pen.  I lost about 5 to drowning and quickly moved Mother and kits into the second birthing pen.  She was not a good mother!  I ended up with one survivor and moved it into the pen with Star.  She immediately cleaned and fed the little one and now is the happy mother of 5.

I never realized that rabbits grew so quickly.  These little ones are a joy to watch. Star has been weaning them this week and I think she is about ready to go back to the big pen and let the little ones grow on up. 

In the two weeks in between this tumultuous Thursday, something killed 6 of Blondie biddies and my big rooster along with one laying hen.  I am hoping the hen is sitting on a nest somewhere, but I did find two patches of feathers behind the barn.  It had to big a big rascal to get my Barred Rock Rooster - he was huge!
I have managed to get in some sewing and therefore knocked back my stack a bit but not near enough.  That will have to wait though as I have two chairs to cane and those take priority. 

Have to run.  Until next time  . . .
Happy reading!
Belle