Have to hold off a little on buying my greenhouse plastic as Lisa incurred a $172 vet bill early this week with her sore paw. She came home from one of her and Sheilas’ jaunts last week, limping, but I wasn’t too concerned as it didn’t feel broken, and there was no blood or sore spots and nothing caught between her pads. I was keeping her or Sheila tied up, it’s hunting season, as neither goes walk-about without her sister, and on Sunday night, Sheila got herself tied up around the cherry tree and I unclipped her to get it unknotted and they took off, before I’d given them breakfast !! They were gone for 7 hours, and Lisa was whimpering when she came home, and her lower leg was pretty swollen. So loaded the 3 dogs into the truck on Monday and schlepped to the vet. They charged $100 for the X-ray, which confirmed my diagnosis that nothing was broken. She wanted to give 3 sets of tablets, an anti inflammatory, painkillers and an antibiotic. I said yes to the first and no to the 2nd and 3rd. There was a bit of painkiller in the anti inflammatory but I didn’t want her drugged up and walking on the sore leg, and saw no reason for the antibiotic. Today was the last tablet, and she seems to be a little better, puts it on the ground sometimes, but she and Sheila really want to be set free so that they can run. The way they look at me when I have them in the house - let’s go !! Methinks not.
Looking at taking Bobbin, the dud heifer who was supposedly pregnant with an April calf, and Oliver, my older Jersey bull to auction. If JuneBug doesn’t drop a calf in the next few months, then she’s going to auction too. Asked Herbie if he could take Tuesday off work to help me load them for auction, nope, he doesn’t want to. Wants me to call Mike. I don’t want to do that as he charged me double to take Daisy May, didn’t respond to my query as to why, and then was too busy planting earlier this year, forcing us to buy a round baler at very short notice or have the first cutting of hay rot in the field . So I’ll have to work on plan B as I can’t lift the trailer ramp by myself with a cow or 2 half standing on it, and can’t tie them as neither has a collar.
Stan the ram lamb dressed out at 75 lbs ! He was a big boy, and they said he’s delicious 😋 but I already knew that. Yep, they’re interested in the other 3 boys, but the earliest I can get them in to butcher is the Christmas week. Also booked 2 ewes in, which will bring my flock down to 1 ram, 2 ewes and Pippi, the female lamb returned by Manda. So looks as if I’m feeding 9 sheep for the next 3 months. I’m going to run out of hay as we didn’t get much in total from our 3 cuttings this year. Going to have to re-seed the hayfield.
Talking about Manda, she and her eldest daughter, Miriam, were going to come catch their chickens and geese tomorrow morning to take them to someone else who is buying them (I said no thanks - Herbie would kill me if I bought an additional 20 chickens and 4 geese) but she has just cancelled. Oy. Her geese are delightful, always coming up to say hi when I’m outside, but her chickens think they’re people, and shoost into the garage at every opportunity, flying up onto the shelves, kicking the contents off, pooping on my table and everywhere else in the garage, there are some who sleep on the air conditioner, and 1 on top of the gas meter box, and they poop up there 😩😩😩 and I have to knock some out of the weeping cherry tree and my Japanese Maple every night. One day last week when I went to run some errands, the wind blew the dining room window open, and I came home to 4 of her chickens in the house. 3 in the dining room, one in the lounge, the colander on the stove with pasta was on the kitchen floor, and a piece of linguine was on the ottoman in the lounge, there was 4 lots of poop on my carpets and 2 on the floor - man, was I pissed 😡. Some of my chickens sneak into the garage to lay their eggs, but they don’t dilly-dally there, and don’t poop there either.
The horseradish I got from Angel is doing well, and last night I picked up some turmeric starts from a woman in Lake Odessa. Now if only my ginger would grow, I’d be very happy. Harvested the lettuce growing on the lounge windowsill, and replanted a new lot which are about 3 inches tall already.
Made a batch of Nandos knock-off peri-peri sauce, and it’s really hot. Added some to my beef stew today for a bit of heat.
Got a box of Asian Pears from Bob and Carols’ last week. Cooked a batch down in the slow cooker and dehydrated some - they turned out delicious, but I still enjoy eating them raw the best - maybe because it’s the easiest. Peeling, cutting and de-coring them, leaving in lemon juice water, and then cooking or drying, then putting into jars is a lot of work. But I’m considering going to get more. Haven’t picked any apples yet, the weather hasn’t cooperated the past few Sundays.
Also need to re-work the ground to plant garlic and the strawberries in the berry garden. I have a system, twigs, year old chicken poop, year old hay, cardboard, soil, old cow or sheep manure, more twigs and then mulched with more old hay. Have a lot of earthworms in our clay soil, but it is still too compact, so am adding to all the holes I dig and plant. Planted all my root stock from Spring, blueberries, black raspberries, highbush cranberries, apple and plum trees, and 4 plants I can’t identify as the tag has faded, discovered 1 chestnut sent up new shoots, and planted a mulberry in the main pasture, protected from the cows with stakes and chicken wire I pulled from the Shagbark hickory that didn’t survive in the hayfield.
Only one of my fig bushes has figs, but I’m already looking at wrapping them to protect against the weather. I was amazed that both survived, but they both had to start new branches, as the previous growth died down completely. If I can prevent that from happening this Winter, they’ll have a head start in Spring and may fruit earlier. And my procrastination had a positive result ! 2 of my Osage Oranges died, and it was on my list to pull them up. But the other day I saw both had new shoots, so I just pruned off the old dead stems, and there are small new bushes so the root systems are good and strong. Discovered that I mustn’t water them in times of drought, the water kills them. Who’d’ve thunk 🤣🤣. Still have to find places for the 3 lillies - maybe next to the greenhouse ??
I’ve put my stained glass cupboard on hold while the weather has been nice. Need to finish the greenhouse in the next 2 weeks, and mulch everything. I’ve partially cleared out the chicken house as I needed the manure, but it still needs to be dusted and the rest cleaned out. Also need to put the new chute in the lower barn enclosure and re-do the channel to the house that I accidentally ripped out with the haybine. Need to cut some trees, move the rock pile, and move a fence post or 2 so that the 9ft plus haybine can travel to the hayfield and back easier, and my husband doesn’t force me to bring the equipment up through such a narrow gap. Next time I’ll just leave it behind the pasture.
Maddies garden was gorgeous this year, but I really would like to remove the choke cherry tree on it’s West side. And the tree over the house, the scrub pine at the top of the driveway and the choke cherry next to the chicken house. So in all about 7 trees need to go. Also still need to fix the shed roof. Herbies son-in-law fixed it earlier this year, but the wind ripped it up again, so it needs to be re-done properly. Had someone in to look at it, they wanted $495 to fix and our insurance deductible is $500. Bloody Murphy. Also need to replace the basement casement windows as they leak. Or maybe I can just recaulk them. I’m tired of having the basement flood. Stepping into cold water at the bottom of the stairs isn’t fun, especially when I’m wearing socks, and most of my canning jar boxes have had to be thrown away as they moulded after getting wet. And then Herbie saw a “huge” mouse in the basement a few weeks ago. This he tells me, instead of doing something about it, so I need to re-bait the mouse poison down there. I’m just pleased that there haven’t been nice in the kitchen for the past year or so, but if they’re in the basement, then they’re in the house. Oh well, the basement is my Winter project this year.
My bees are still in the hive, so that’s good. I need to inspect them next week, and make sure no mice have moved into the hive, put the reducer in the opening so they can’t fit through. Also need to spin the honey supers in the garage - I’m out of honey in the house, so that’s important while we still have a few warm days.
And believe it or not, my kitchen still looks good !! The dining room still looks like a bomb has hit it though. The family room needs work too. I need to bring the table in so I can do my stained glass, and the couch needs to go. The study also needs work, the garage and the shed. But the bedrooms, lounge and kitchen look great. Need to clean carpets and windows still.
Well, need to go make Herbies’ lunch for tomorrow, and then shower and bed for me. ‘Night. 💤💤💤