The Red Fox and Lame Lucy .........................

Farm Friend Friday ~ http://www.verdefarm.com/

Last Sunday , Dh and I went to the Shakori Hills Festival to enjoy some music and dance. We came home around 10:00 p.m. and drove down to the chicken coop so I could close the door and lock it. As we came down the drive we spotted a red fox running away. When I opened the gate to the chicken run I found a guinea lying on the ground dead. The door to the coop had blown shut and I was afraid to look inside , but I opened the door and the chickens were roosting and all was well inside. I couldn't get an exact head count since it was dark , I thought Lame Lucy was inside. But the next morning when I let the chickens out I realized it was Lame Lucy that was dead. I'm not sure how she died , the fox may have grabbed her through the fence and hurt her or she may have had a heart attack , but it didn't get inside the fence. I didn't see any visible marks , but she could have had puncture wounds I couldn't see. I know the fox was trying to get her out , it had started digging at the fence. She apparently gave up on getting Lame Lucy and went after the others. I found a pile of feathers in the backyard and have another guinea missing. She didn't have a guinea in her mouth when we saw her , but she was running from that area. I think it was one of the young guineas I just released. We had 8 keets that hatched last fall and they've been in a holding pen , I sold 4 of them and decided to keep the other 4. I released them the week before , but 3 of them have been coming back to the pen at night , so each night I lock the gate after they come in. The fox probably has kits to feed because she came back Tuesday night and tried to get the guineas that were in the holding pen. There were signs of digging and a few feathers outside the pen , but she wasn't successful that night. Thankfully the 3 guineas that have been coming back to the pen at night decided it wasn't a safe home anymore and have been flying up into the tree with the others to roost the last two nights. I'm not sure what to do about the fox problem , but hopefully the guineas are on high alert and can outsmart that fox.

How do you handle fox/predator problems ?

~ Farm Friend Friday Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Our Annual Easter Gathering ~

Thought I would share some scenes from our family gathering.

It was such a hot day , we pulled out the water balloons, my Mom became the main target.

But Little Froggy was in trouble when she caught the balloon and turned it on him (LOL).


Or maybe Little Time was the target by the look of him , but he wasn't complaining. He just wanted me to see his water balloon.



My niece spotted an egg near the steps .............

and everyone else was on the hunt too.

Little Time decided the egg tree was fair game (LOL).

A friend's daughter gathering eggs.

Then it was egg toss time , Little Froggy deciding who he wants to toss the egg too.

Curious J tosses an egg and Little time does a flip , yep I would say a goodtime was had by all.

Hope Everyone had a great Easter !

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

May Your Day be ..............................

Blessed with Beauty , Happiness and Love ~~~

Happy Easter !

JoyceAnn

So Blessed ............................

Saturday was a very stormy day , we had rain and a little wind , but about 20 miles south of us tornadoes touched down and left a huge path of destruction. Although we weren't in the path of the storm , it was a very tense day because my daughter and niece were working in the area Saturday as the tornado hit. It touched down a couple miles from my daughter's workplace , my niece was about a 1/2 mile away from the Lowe's that was destroyed , thankfully they were o.k. and there was no damage at their workplaces. I also have family very near the area , after several calls , we finally found out everyone was safe and had received no damages. My friend Peggy is about 60 miles south of us , she has pictures on her blog of damage in her area ~ Click Here ....... http://hiddenhavenhomesteadtoo.blogspot.com/2011/04/tornados.html , thankfully her family and home weren't in the direct path of the tornado. Her friend was in the path of destruction , but she's safe and wasn't hurt. My Aunt's sister had a tree fall through her house , but everyone was safe there also. It's really amazing to see all the damage left behind and hear of so few deaths. My heart breaks for all the people who lost loved ones , please say a prayer for everyone that has been affected by this storm.

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Battling Cabbage Worms ............................

Farm Friend Friday ~ http://www.verdefarm.com/

I've been battling those dreaded cabbage worms this week. I handpicked all that I could find , dropped them in a plastic container with a little water then feed them to the chickens when I was finished. It brought back memories of helping on my Grand Daddy's farm , he raised tobacco and looking back I guess he did it organically. Each summer he would give each of the grands an old recycled tin can , our job was to pick the tobacco worms aka horn worms off the tobacco plants. We would go up and down the rows grabbing those worms and throwing them in the can. When we were finished , he had us pour them out on the ground , he would inspect them. He paid us a penny for the small worms and a nickel for the large worms ( LOL ). Yep , that's why we were so eager to help gather worms. It was fun and put a jingle in our pockets. I realize now that Grand Daddy was also teaching us a wonderful lesson in life , he taught us good work ethic and organic gardening before it was hip ( LOL ).

But , I have became a little lazier in my old age , so I make an organic dust to help with the problem now. I put about 2 cups of all purpose flour , some garlic powder and ground red pepper into a plastic coffee can. Shake it well to mix , punch a few holes in the top and sprinkle it on the plants. It works fairly well , but I've still had to handpick a few worms , but that's o.k. , cause I'm not afraid of no worm (LOL).

~ Farm Friend Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Little Joella ..............

I finally named Baby J , she'll be called Little Joella .......

although at the rate she's eating , she will not be little for long.

Look closely and you'll see she already has little spikes appearing.

She looks like her Daddy , but she's sweet like her Mom.

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Spring Flowers & Collage ..........

One day last week I had to pick Curious J up from school , his Mom had taken Little Froggy to the dentist. As soon as we were back at the house , he wanted to make something. He was going to show me how to make a Japanese Fan like they had made at school , but he decided to do something different and that's how these beautiful flowers bloomed (LOL).

Little Missy created this mixed media collage last week. I gathered up some odds and ends , then gave her the elmer's glue and she commenced to gluing all the things she liked on her paper. She really enjoyed the project.

Hope everyone's doing well. I've been really busy , it's that time of year , but I hope to get around to visiting your blogs soon.

~ Be Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

Tasty Fried Dandelion Blossoms

Farm Friend Friday ~ http://www.verdefarm.com/

Each Spring these beautiful yellow blossoms start popping up everywhere , dandelions are probably the most well known wild herb. But most people consider the plant a nuisance and unsightly on their well manicured lawns , that's a shame. Dandelions are very nutritious and can be used medicinally for many health problems. If you would like to read more about their nutritional value and medicinal properties , click here ~ http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html ~. Today I'm sharing a recipe I tried for the first time last Spring and they're absolutely delicious. Dandelion blossoms should be gathered in the middle of the day when they are fully open and dry. You should always harvest from areas that haven't been treated or sprayed with chemicals. You may get a few bugs as you gather , so be sure to wash well. I bring them inside and emerge in a bowl of water for a minute , make sure you remove any bits of stem that may be attached ..........................

spread them out on a cloth and let them drain while you're mixing up your batter.

You'll need .......

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

Cooking oil

Add the 1/2 cup milk to a bowl , add egg and whisk well , add your favorite type of flour and whisk. You can add salt and pepper if you like , it's optional.

Dip dandelion blossoms in batter , cover completely .......

I use olive oil to fry , but it should be heated on a low heat , my oil got to hot the first time I made these. Start on med-low heat , watch closely , you may to need to adjust heat depending on your stove. Drop your battered dandelion in and let them cook until browned on each side. Remove from oil and drain on paper.

Fried dandelion blossoms are delicious with your favorite dip , we love them with ranch dressing. They're also good as a dessert , served with honey , maple syrup or my shag bark hickory syrup for dipping.

Hope you'll give them a try , I think you'll like them.

~ Farm Friend Friday Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ First Garden Harvest ~

I gathered our 1st garden harvest yesterday , 4 beautiful little radishes (LOL). Ms. Lame Lucy the guinea also laid her 1st egg of the season yesterday. The hens have been laying well , considering they're 2 years old now. I was planning to put the older hens in the freezer soon , but I've decided to wait. But I will be getting some new chicks soon. The leaf lettuce is also ready to harvest , looking forward to a homegrown tossed salad. What are you harvesting ?

~ Garden Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Springtime Swap and Trades ...........

Our Spring weather has been like a rollercoaster ride , lots of rain and the temps are up and down. But , the flowers are blooming and the dog lot looks beautiful with it's wisteria canopy.

My neighbor took up his Mother's rosemary bush a couple of weeks ago , he gifted me with half of it. I planted it right away , so far it looks like it will survive.

I joined a Spring swap a few weeks ago , my swap partner sent me the wonderful little blank book with herbs on the cover. Another blog friend and I traded some plants and seeds. I plan to increase my herb garden this year and thanks to Juli I've got lots of seeds to get started with.

~ Spring Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Make A Wish ....................

May all Your Wishes be Fulfilled !!

~ Be Blessed My Dear Friends ~

JoyceAnn