~ A Walk around the Homestead ~

Between the April showers , Little Froggy and I took a walk around the homestead yesterday. Just as we were getting to the chicken coop , I saw a big bird flying up to a tree at the end of the garden. I thought it was a buzzard , but then I saw the long tail feathers. I believe it was a wild turkey , I had my camera , but by the time I got close enough to get a pic , it flew off. I think it may have came by to visit the guineas and the hens, maybe it will come back. The hens are enjoying their freshly , cleaned coop.

The blueberry bush I moved last fall , is putting out leaves and buds. The other two aren't sprouting , hope to get some more blueberry bushes this weekend to replace those.

Little Froggy thought it might be fun to feed Jazzy a stick , she wasn't to thrilled , although she does love apple tree sticks.

Have you taken a walk around your homestead lately ?

~ Spring Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ In the Garden ~

Tuesday I spent most of the day in the garden. I cleaned out the small bed behind hubby's garage , found some surprises. Catnip is growing there and a couple of spinach plants. I planted mixed leaf lettuce there last year , so I guess that's were the spinach seeded from. I may have planted the catnip year before last , not sure why it's just coming up or maybe it was in the lettuce mix from last year. I sowed more mixed leaf lettuce in this bed.


We've been working on the other raised bed , raked and added leaves to it. I also added a bucket of rabbit poop , will probably buy a few bags of compost to put on top , since I've used what I have and the other compost is not ready.

The garlic is showing out , but so are the weeds. Next week I'll be weeding and adding some fish emulsion to it. We planted onions on Tuesday too , almost a whole row , no worry about vampires around here (LOL).

The mixed leaf lettuce is growing well , sowed more in the bare spot Tuesday. The spinach I planted in this bed didn't germinate , so I planted another kind of spinach and some carrots in that spot , we'll see how it goes.

My seed starting has been a real disappointment this year. First the cat made a bed on my lettuce seedlings and destroyed them. Now the broccoli , brussel sprouts and cabbages have just stopped growing , so I guess I'll buy some plants next week.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~~ Violets ~~

The violets are blooming , they're so beautiful. I harvested some of the blooms yesterday , and made violet jelly. This was the first time I've made violet jelly , the flavor is mild and delicate , it taste wonderful on crackers. Making it was fun , it turns 3 different colors through the process. If you're interested in making violet jelly or want to learn more about violet as a herb , check-out the links below.

Recipes for violet jelly ...........
http://www.prairielandherbs.com/violetjelly.htm

http://spring-recipes.suite101.com/article.cfm/violet_jelly

The April issue of Herbal Roots is about violets ........ http://fieldoftansy.blogspot.com/2009/03/herbal-roots-april-2009_30.html , I haven't purchased it yet but I'm sure it's full of wonderful information.

Great blog entry about the herbal uses of violets .....http://garlic-breath.blogspot.com/2009/03/violets.html

~ Violet Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Prayer Requested / Nursing Home Shooting ~

Yesterday , Dh turned on the t.v. , to the tragic news about the nursing home shooting. We live about 30 minutes away from this small community , it was stunning to hear about the shooting. My Uncle and his family lived in Carthage when I was young. It's a small , quiet community , I spent many summer days in that quaint little town ~ http://www.oldbuggyinn.com/carthage.htm ~ .My Dh knows one of the guys who lost his Mother , such a sad way to lose your loved one.


Please say a Prayer for everyone affected by the shooting .........

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ * ~ Little Tree ~ * ~

Yesterday , I kept all three of the little Grands for awhile. Enjoyed having them , but I was a worn out Nana by the end of the day.

I gave the baby his nickname , he will be called " Little Tree ". He will be 3 months old next week , he's growing fast and is such a sweet , content baby , cooing and smiling , such a joy.

Little Missy , helped Nana closeup the chicken coop. She stood and watched them for awhile. Then she got excited , let out a squeal and stomped her foot , the hens ran to the back of the coop , so we locked them up for the night (LOL).

~ Blessings to All ~

JoyceAnn

Confused by Compact Fluorescent Lamps ?

I bought a pkg of CFL bulbs , before I realized they contained mercury. Please read this blog ~ http://doing-it-naturally.blogspot.com/2009/03/compact-fluorescent-lamps-cfls.html , she has alot of info about these bulbs and why we should reconsider using them.

I will not purchase anymore , I'll save energy by keeping the lights turned off , unless I actually need them. I for one , don't believe there is a safe way to dispose of them , sooner or later they will harm the environment . I see no reason to save energy , but create another problem in the future. Do you think everyone will dispose of CFL's properly?

Hopefully , there will be a better solution in the future. What are your thoughts about CFL's?

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Planting Potatoes by the Moon ~

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac , yesterday was a good day to plant potatoes , dark of the moon phase. So we got down & dirty ( literally ) and got those potatoes planted. Dh broke up the garden and got the rows ready. My Mom and I cut-up the seed potatoes on Monday , so they could dry out before we planted them. It was a little windy Monday , so that worked out well , they dried quickly. We planted 2 rows of white potatoes (Kennebec) and two rows of red potatoes (Red Pontiac).

Curious J and Little Froggy came to help , we were just about finished when they arrived. They got a chance to drop a few potatoes , play in the dirt and a ride on the tractor for Curious J.

We finished planting just as the sun was setting , it's suppose to rain for the next few days , so that should give those potatoes a good start ..... glad they're planted.

~ Garden Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Meet The Chicks ~

We finally gave all the hens names. Curious J has changed his hen's name , her name is Mya now. So , let me introduce the ladies.......................

Jolene

Ju Ju (Black Hen )

Jenny

June

Fern (Red Hen )

&

Mya (aka Little Toya)


They're growing fast and a joy to watch.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ On the Second Day of Spring ~

On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth.I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar.–Helen Hayes (1900–93)

~ Spring Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

*~* On the first day of Spring *~*

On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth.I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar.–Helen Hayes (1900–93)

With Spring begining today , my thoughts have been on wild foods/herbs. I want to try cooking dandelions this year , so I did a goggle search for recipes and this one caught my eye ~ http://southernfood.about.com/od/collardgreens/r/bl30319f.htm , although the dandelions aren't quite ready to harvest in my neck of the woods. I'm looking forward to trying this recipe , very simple and garlic makes everything taste good.

~ Spring Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

* Asparagus *~* Strawberries *

I bought my asparagus and strawberries last week , they arrived yesterday. I'm looking forward to get my asparagus bed started. My Dad always had a small patch of asparagus , basically enough for him and my Mom , we kids didn't like it. Over the years I've developed a taste for asparagus and love it. So , I decided it was time to get my own asparagus bed started. I'll be planting 15 Mary Washington asparagus crowns , as soon as I get my raised beds ready. Here's a great link with info about asparagus if you're interested ~ http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/asparagus1.html.

My paternal Grandmother raised strawberries and sold them. We lived across the road from her , sometimes we helped pick the berries. They were small and delicious , nothing like you get at the grocery store or at the strawberry farms these days. She sold them for .50 a quart , already picked , her business was brisk during the season. She loved working with her berries , she would be out there everyday with her sun hat and hoe , weeding that patch. I hope my strawberries grow as well as hers , it'll be great to have homegrown berries again. I've got 25 Red Chief Strawberries to start my strawberry bed with. I bought my plants from http://cgi.ebay.com/15-Red-Chief-Strawberry-Plants-Free-Ship_W0QQitemZ300295845929QQihZ020QQcategoryZ20536QQcmdZViewItem they have great prices when you consider the quantity, you may want to check them out.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~~ Curious J Spends the Night ~~

Last Saturday , Curious J ( my oldest grandson ) spent the night. We played the new game I created , called " Help Hop Hop Bunny find the Egg Basket ", he won the first game ..... sooo it was a fun game ( lol ).
Sunday morning we made homemade blueberry muffins , he loves to cook. That evening we braved the rain and made our way to the chicken coop. He choose the barred rock as his hen. Her name will be " Little Toya (Victoria ) , he named her after a friend at pre-school. He can't say Victoria well , so he calls her Toya ...... so cute. He fed the chicks and watched them awhile.

I had Little Missy , Little Froggy and Baby T for awhile on Saturday , so I got to spend time with all the grands this past weekend , they bring so much ........ joy with their little smiles.

~ Joyful Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Happy St. Patrick's Day ~

May Blessings of Happiness Be Yours Today !!

JoyceAnn

~ Herbal Folkart ~

~~ Wild Ginger ~~

~ Mishaps ~

Thursday , I smashed my pinky finger with a piece of wood. It was very sore and bruised , so I soaked a piece of gauze in pine oil and wrapped it overnight , most of the soreness was gone yesterday. I'm so pleased with the pine oil I made , it has wonderful healing properties. I use it to polish furniture with , great to have a non-toxic product around with dual purposes.

Another mishap took place on Thursday , Lily Bell the new cat , decided to make a bed on my seedlings. I guess it's warm under the lights , she destroyed the lettuce seedlings. The broccoli , brussel sprouts and cabbage are o.k. , need to find a better place to put them.It's suppose to rain all weekend , so gloomy , but I'm thankful. The garlic has grown alot this week , with the rainfall , it should continue to grow at a good rate.

Curious J will be spending the night , looking forward to spending time with him. I created a new game for us to play , will let you know if he likes it. He loves the " Help Santa find Rudolph " but it's almost time for Easter , time to put Christmas away , he has to play it ever time he comes over (lol). I plan to let him pick one of the hens as his own and name her , it will be his hen at Nana's house.

~ Hope Your weekend is Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

~ Garden Journal & Raised Beds ~

Last week during the snow I decided to collage my Garden Journal , since it is a simple 1 subject composition notebook , thought it needed a little sprucing up. I try to keep notes about the garden , names of plants , date planted , notes about growth , when to fertilize , how well they produce and many other things about the garden. Last year I didn't well with my journaling , this year I plan to do better. I did jot notes on the calendar last year , so that was helpful , just never entered that info in my journal as planned.

Yesterday , Dh & I worked on the raised beds. I put cardboard down in the bottom , added mulched leaves on top of the cardboard , then added the compost. I planted mixed leaf lettuce and spinach. We have some old windows my brother gave us , Dh helped dig one out and wash it off , we put it over the raised bed to act as a cold frame.

The weather has been so nice , but it's suppose to get cooler starting tomorrow. The little chicks have been venturing out into the fenced area the last few days and the guineas have been roosting in the trees again.

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ What a Difference ~

~ Marsh Blue Violet ~
~ Common Elderberry ~


~ Deer Skull ~

~ Cleavers aka Goosegrass ~

Wow ~ What a difference a week makes , last Monday it was cold and snowing. By Friday the temps were in the 70's , signs of plant life beginning to emerge everywhere. Today the high was 84 degrees , almost to warm , but I enjoyed it.

Yesterday , Shadow and I hiked through the woods , he loves exploring as much as I do. I was looking for herbs , he was looking for something to chase (lol). Shadow and I both spotted this little deer skull , he got to it before I did , I thought he was going to take off with it , but he didn't. I plan to hang it up on the outside building.

I spotted many herbs starting to peep through the dead leaves , chickweed , cleavers , elderberry , violets and wild onions. There were also some plants that I couldn't identify. When I take my next hike , I plan to take my herb guides and see if I can i.d. them. This year I plan to make some violet jelly , also want to learn more about cleavers and elderberries.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Weekend Happenings ~

The weather has been wonderful this weekend , I had Little Froggy yesterday so I didn't get much done , just enjoyed sharing life through his eyes. He climbed up in a chair and found Pa's cap , boy .... did he think he was grown (lol). We spent time in the chicken coop , watching the pullets. One of the black chicks found a worm and a fight was on , all six fighting over the one worm , it was a cute sight. I tried to get a pic , but they all were blurry because of so much movement.

DH and SIL cut more firewood , hopefully this will see us through the cold weather for this year , and supply our hot water for the summer months.

The seedlings look good , need to thin them next week . I'm ready to get the garden started , but know I need to be patient , to early yet. I do plan to get some leaf lettuce and spinach planted in my raised beds this week. The garlic is growing and looking great.

So , what's everyone else doing this weekend ?

~ Simple Blessings ~

JoyceAnn