What a Month ..............

September has been. We had 2 deaths in the family and 2 weddings , plus I had a terrible bout with allergies/hay fever. I just haven't felt like blogging , it's been a month of mixed emotions and expressions for sure.

The goats went to their new home a couple of weeks ago , I still miss them. Dh and I are going to show the new goat owners how to trim hooves next week , so I'll get to see them again. We delivered them and when we left they seem pretty content in their new surroundings. I'm so happy I found them a wonderful home and owners that will take up time with them. They are just a few miles away and the lady who bought them told me to drop by anytime I wanted to see them , she's a wonderful person and I know the goats will be happy there.

The guinea hen is still on her nest and the eggs should be hatching the first of next week. So I've been keeping a close watch on her , we will have to take the keets once they're hatched or they will not survive. I don't like doing that , but guinea hens don't have much success with raising their young.

I did manage to get away to a Pow Wow on the 18th for a few hours of fun. We stopped at a produce stand and bought a basket of peaches on the way home. I'll blog about the Pow Wow next week , have some pics to share.

We're suppose to have cooler weather this weekend , looking forward to the cooler weather after the long hot summer we had.

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

One More Try .............................

The guineas have been busy all Spring and Summer trying to hatch some eggs. But each time they began sitting , something has raided the nest and eaten all the eggs , fortunately the guinea hen has gotten away each time.

I noticed last week they had been hanging around in the chicken run , half of the penned area has weeds waist high since the chickens don't stay in there and are free ranging each day. I thought at first they were under the weeds for shade , but one day last week I went out to check on the goats and I heard that call they make when laying an egg. So I decided to look around and see if I could find the nest . I found the nest and it's inside the chicken fence area , so they may hatch some keets after all. There were 10 eggs when I took this pic , but there are 16 now and she'll probably lay for another week before she begins sitting. I hope she hatches some keets since we're down to one guinea hen. That sly fox made off with 5 guineas this past Spring , so we need a few more hens.

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Hope .........................

Your Weekend was Wonderful !

~ Many Blessings ~

Making Tough Decisions around the Farmette ..................

I've made a tough decision and although I feel sad about selling the goats , I know I must. When we bought the goats about a year and a half ago , we built a shed and installed a large lot around the shed. We had plans to fence in a larger area around it so they could browse and graze during the day and would be housed in the smaller lot/shed at night to keep them safe from predators. But things didn't workout as planned , Dh had already taken a pay cut when we got the goats and shortly after that he was put on short time. He's been laid off every other week for over a year now and we're not sure what the future holds.

So we had to cut back and the fence was put on hold , I thought the job situation would get better , but it still looks bleak. I've been thinking about this for awhile and last week I made the tough decision to sell them. I ran an ad on Craigslist and a wonderful local couple called the next day , they came to see them and agreed to purchase them. They'll be here for another week , while they get prepared to house them.

I'm going to miss them dearly, but I know for now it's the right thing to do and I'm very thankful they'll be going to a good home. I hope to have goats again in my future when the economy gets better and we're able to get fencing up. It's been a wonderful experience and I'm thankful for all the wonderful blog friends whom have helped me gain the knowledge of taking care of them along the way.

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Homemade Ducky Fries ~ ~ ~ >

We always find those funny shaped potatoes when we harvest them. This year's winner is the " Ducky Potato " , hence " Ducky Fries ".


Last Friday , Little Missy and I made " Ducky Fries ". I sliced the potatoes into rounds , then added about a tbsp cooking oil to a bowl , put potatoes in oil and mixed them well to make sure they're coated with the oil. Little Missy helped lay them on the baking pan. Heat oven to 350 , bake until browned on the top side , take them out and turn them to the other side. You can add a little salt or sea salt before returning to oven to let the other side brown. They're delicious , sometimes I add garlic powder to the oil before cooking. The Grands love them and they're much healthier than deep fried.

~ Many Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

Tater Digging Time .......................

I was planning to share this post last week , but had a death in the family. My cousin passed away August 20th , so we spent time with family and friends the first few days of last week. We also had to prepare for Hurricane Irene , but thankfully she by-passed us.

We dug the potatoes week before last , the harvest wasn't as good as years past due to the drought. But we were Blessed with a good amount , hopefully enough to sustain us through the winter.

Little Missy and Little Time helped dig and pick-up the potatoes .......


they were so excited each time they found a potato.


When the work was done , it was time for a ride with Pa on the tractor.

Little Missy decided she wanted to drive the tractor.

They worked very hard , even helping their Dad pull the potatoes to house. They were so helpful and I'm proud of them.

~ Garden Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

I Wanna ..............................

be ..............................

just like ..............

my Pa !!

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Enjoy ......................

the wildness of today !!

~ ~ Be Blessed ~ ~

JoyceAnn

A Budding Herbalist .............

Last Thursday , Little Missy spent the night , she loves helping with the morning chores. We walked around the herb garden and I spotted this old coal bucket that I had herbs planted in last year. Upon closer inspection I found this beautiful Purslane plant growing , it grows wild here and somehow the seeds had sprouted in the bucket. I'll be adding some of the leaves to our salads this week , they're very nutritious and high in omega 3's , you can check it out here ..... http://www.culinarymusings.com/2008/06/purslane-not-a-weed-but-a-wonder/.


Ms. Rose was on the nest , so Little Missy had a chance to pet her and watch her get ready to lay an egg.




After feeding and watering the chickens , goats and guineas , we headed to the field to harvest some red clover. She really enjoyed picking the red blossoms. A friend ask on my last post about red clover , what I do with it , some of you probably know. I make red clover tea , red clover syrup and plan to tincture some soon , it can also be used in cooking.



A Budding Herbalist , Indeed !!





~ Happy Herbal Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

Curious J the Mad Scientist Meets a Pokemon ~>

Sunday afternoon we hosted a surprise " Mad Scientist " birthday party for Curious J , he was a happy " Mad Scientist " (LOL).

We tried to get a group picture , but this was about as good as it gets around here.

We did rocket launches with film canisters and alka seltzer tablets , they really enjoyed watching them pop up in the air.

Little Time loved the safety goggles , he looks so much like his Pa.

Dr. Jekyll checks out his chemical reaction.

C. Einstein shows off his chemical gas.

Curious J the Mad Scientist launches his rocket ...... everybody stand back !

Then it was time for the Mad Scientist to meet the pokemon

" Pikachu " !

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

A .....Maze .....Ing

Last Saturday night Curious J and Little Froggy spent the night. Curious J wants to create something almost everytime he visits. So Sunday afternoon we created these marble mazes from an idea I found on the Family Fun website.

Little Froggy thought they were amazing , look at that grin.

Yep , you have to tilt your head to make that marble roll ( LOL ).

The game was fun for a few minutes , but pulling the straws off the box was more fun for Little Froggy. As the saying goes " Boys will be Boys "!!

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

A Long Hot Summer ...............

It's been a long hot summer , 100 degree temps and no rain made for a very puny garden. Yesterday morning after milking Ms. Jazz , I made my way through the garden and found one cucumber. I've only harvested about a dozen cucumbers this year. The zinnias are trying to bloom , so I picked a few of them and some wild herbs to make a flower arrangement , needed something to lift my spirit.

Then I saw this beautiful butterfly trying to gather nectar from an almost dead red clover bloom .............


And realized the goldenrod is starting to bloom , a sign that Fall will be here soon. I'm looking forward to Fall bringing cooler temps and hopefully lots of rain.


The poke berries are starting to ripen and turn black , another sign that Fall is around the corner.

The sunflowers seem pretty happy , they stand tall and hold their heads high. The heat and drought doesn't seem to bother them much.

And speaking of a Spirit Lifter ....... Works everytime !!

~ Bee Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

He's 7 ....................

Happy Birthday ................................

To Curious J

May Your Special Day Be Blessed

With Love , Peace and Happiness

We Love You !!

Nana & Pa

~ Harvesting Herbs ~

A couple of weeks ago I gathered the ..........................


Lemon Balm and Oregano , it's drying in the outdoor shed.



I've also been gathering and drying red clover , sorry for the terrible pics , my batteries were almost dead. The red clover has almost dried up from the drought conditions , but we've had a few thunderstorms this week that brought some rain and I'm hoping it'll revive the red clover.



Although the sunflowers aren't as tall and the flower heads are smaller , they're still beautiful and I never tire of seeing their brightness shining.





~ Blessings ~


JoyceAnn

Refreshing H2O ....................

I love watching the goats drink water , they make it look so refreshing as they sip it up. With the summer heat around here , we've all been drinking lots of refreshing H2O.

~ Be Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

Mojo Has a New ..........................

Cat House (LOL) !

Curious J was here most of last week with me , their pre-school was closed for the 4th. He decided Mojo needed a cat house , so he went to work creating this home for him.



Mojo seems to be mighty proud of his new house.



~ Blessings ~
JoyceAnn