Here chick,chick, chicken...

With the raising cost of food, gas, and just about everything else I am thinking of getting some chickens. I love fresh eggs and love to watch hens. I also know that they are not that cheap.

I have been doing lots of "research". I know that I am zoned rural/ agricultural and that even though I technically live in a subdivision we have no POA.

This also means that I will have to build a coop and a good run, one that will withstand both little and big dogs. Little dogs- Charlie just loves to chase birds, especially the wild turkeys so undoubtedly he will want to worry the chickens. Big dogs - neighbor below has a big lab something. I have gone to Lowe's to price what I will need, I have looked on the web and at several books to get ideas for coops and I have been talking to everyone I know who has chickens.

Ok to be honest it will be next spring before I will have everything together- ie will have enough $$ for the coop materials- but I already have just the spot picked out in the yard.

While I have been doing my "research" I have come across some really great chicken websites, and news stories. If you want some really cute chicken stories check out Farmgirl_dk.

Rain drops keep falling on my head- Please!!

Looking at Rays weather I see that we have had 2+ inches of badly needed rain this month. It kinda feels like it did when I was little- beautiful in the am and showers in the afternoon. All this rain has been great for my veggies. The maters are coming along just fine and I will have my first zucchini this weekend! I also pulled my first red onions and letting them dry some. (I have read that this is what you do) This is the first year that I have actually grown full size ones, usually I just have the little green spring onions.


I have some of the most beautiful Lemon Balm this year. I also have it coming up all over my herb garden. I made the classic mistake of letting it go to seed last year. The upside of this is that I have many, many plants to give to friends, neighbors, acquaintances...

I'm adding this picture just because I like it.

Summer Sunshine

I’m afraid that I have been unfaithful, again, in updating this blog. Last weekend I went to a wonderful get together to celebrate solstice. We cooked hamburgers (no hormone, free range), Kielbasa (nothing good for you in them) and marinated veggies on the grill. There was potato salad, 3 bean salad, all kinds of other sides, and of course beer and wine.

The setting could not have been more perfect..a quiet pond, crackling fire, tree frogs and mad deer. – A little side note- when deer are getting ready to have their babies little dogs should not chase them, they chase (and stomp) back!-- It was a perfect night, we started our fire, found more wood to burn, laughed, drank and danced naked around the flames....just seeing if your paying attention.

If you look closely at the picture of the tomato flowers you can see our first little green nubs. These are our Cherokee purples. Yummy! I know I have said it before but I love my maters! Green fried, just picked, on a sammie...

Below it is one of our almost ripe rasberries. As good as they taste, the plants are a pain in the a**. The canes are trying to take over the garden. I have pulled them out of the potatoes, the horseraddish and the onions. This fall we are going to have to do a major overhaul of this area. Anyone that wants some just let me know.

Something is fishy here

OK, so have you ever run across an online survey (or the like) that you just have to try? Then did you think that maybe is was just wrong?

I did one today (Yes, I should have been working I know) that Initially I was curious about but now know that it is just plain wrong. If it is right then I do not exist.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

It did say that there are over 6000 people with my first name and none with my last. Hummm. Guess I should tell the family that the 1990 Census did not count us.

gotta see it to believe it!

We are finally getting some rain! yeah! I am at work and ALL of my house windows are open. not yeah. oh well.

I came across this story- Couple gets IRS check for $250,000. If they had not called the IRS how long do you think it would have taken the IRS to catch on? IRS spokesman Eric Smith said mistakes “can happen from time to time.” Bet if I sent in a check for the wrong amount they would not let me get away with saying that.

They should be able to keep some as a reward for being honest.

P.S. In the time it has taken me to write this it has stopped raining and the sun is back out.

Peas, Glorious Peas

Spring is moving toward summer. I have iris's blooming, birds singing, and peas a growing. Fresh sugar snaps are hard to beat..unless it is fresh from the garden tomatoes.

One of my favorite childhood memories is sitting on the porch steps eating fresh picked perfectly ripe tomatoes with salt. All the juices running down chins, hands and arms, making little pools between our feet. Now that was like eating a little piece of heaven.

over Memorial day weekend I had some company- Dad and M came to see Sirs "graduate" from Mary's school, and it was Zigs first birthday. Sister number #1 had his party at home in Todd. The look on his face when he saw the cake was classic. MINE! That kid loves to eat. He is getting so mobile, soon he will be running everywhere.

Dad and M cut down a tree (sister #1's OM helped) that had broken a couple of weeks ago during one of our wind storms. It is so nice to look out and see that tree gone!

I also got to go to P&M's in Todd for a cookout on Sunday. They have a pond stocked with trout. Yuuuummy! There is a fish in this picture, but it is a Bass. I also had one of the best peach daiquiris ever- I think it had something to do with the GA shine in it. Needless to say a good time was had by all!

Rain and shine

The weather has been so mixed the last couple of days. Rain, sunshine, rain, sunshine, wind. I know that my little garden is enjoying the rain and the sunshine but the wind...enough already. The wind broke 2 of my iris's the other day. I can't really complain because I just brought them in and have had a wonderful time watching them open.

I have been mulching my plants recently with some great compost from friends but I have decided that I need to put down some actual mulch. I put down a ton of pine mulch last year and have heard that you need to change each time you do this. Well, now of course I can't find where I read this to find out what I should use next. (Maybe I just had a delusional gardening moment. ) I might go with crypress, but I might be able to get some free wood chips. I'm just not sure if you should put down "green" wood chips - last thing I want is to bring in bugs. I know we have a master gardener hotline up here, as soon as I find the number I will call.

Of course, I will just have to sit back, and wait for the weather to figure out what it is doing. This is really not such a bad thing. Really.