Summer Vacation

Time to play catch up again. It's been busy here. I think the lambs have all been born and the pasture is holding up ok. The garden is doing well in spite of the weeds. All is well.
I have a larger garden than last year. I'm trying potatoes this year. I've never done well with spuds but I'm trying again. I've redskins, yukon gold, kennebec and russetts. So far , so good but they're being hit by what I think is a virus. I expect to lose about a third. It should leave me more than enough.
The russets are courtesy of my friend Doug. He took the eyes out of the potatoes they were eating and started them in flats. He ended up with 4 or 5 hundred so he gave me a flat.
I've planted 27 tomato plants so far and my cousin just gave me some more. I'm trying to mulch them all but I can't seem to keep up.
The rabbits ate half of my swiss chard. I have several good recipes for rabbit.
I'm trying to get started on my winter garden. To explain, some plants, like cabbage , do better growing at the end of the year. I tried this last year and it worked pretty well. I figure parsnips, cabbage, turnips, brussel sprouts and other cole crops. If I can keep the potatoes and cabbage stored ok, we'll eat colcannon until spring.
We put up hay last Saturday. The weather was iffy but it went well. I pay my friend Brad to cut, rake, bale and pick up the hay. He has better equipment than I do for working with the alfalfa in the field. All we do is store it in the barn. That nearly kills us. There were 5 of us working and thanks to having a bale elevator, we were finished in 5 hours. Toward the end, I thought I was going to die. Right at the end, I was afraid I wouldn't die. I wrote checks to pay my cousins for their work and I had to rest in between checks. I now have enough hay to get through the winter and a new appreciation for my little cousin Sabrina who worked both older boys into the ground. I'll have to find her a nice farm boy.
Last week, I found myself doing traffic control for siren maintenance down in Beaver Valley, PA. I was impressed by the quality of Pennsylvania drivers. None of them tried to run me over or cussed at me. It was a welcome change from Ohio. I wonder if this is local politeness or because it's illegal to use a cell phone while driving in PA. I do know that the quality dropped considerably when we crossed into West Virginia.
That was Thursday and Friday, we put up hay on Saturday, I slept Sunday ( no choice) and a regular workday on Monday. Tuesday, it was back down to Beaver Valley to remove an old siren. It's now Wednesday and I'm writing this on a bus with a bunch of even older people headed down to West Virginia for a day of riding trains. I get a whole 3 day vacation.
Our ride down to W.Virginia was uneventful. I slept a good part of it, partly because we got up so early and partly because I've made the same trip several times recently for sirens. There were some beautiful views but mostly I read or wrote this blog while awake. We ended up at the Canaan Lodge, a state run resort on a considerably sized state park. The rooms are excellent, the food was good and there are many activities for those who can stay awake. We had a good night.
Today, we're off for a pair of train rides. I'm writing at the station now. I'll let you know how this works out.
We had our first ride. Standard diesel-electric locomotives and some 1940s style cars. We traveled along part of the Cheat River. Most of the trip was down in cuts so you looked up at trees. At one point, we went through a tunnel with very little clearance on either side. We stopped at a falls that was maybe 20 ft. high but pretty. I got a lot of sleep. They did feed us a box lunch which is exactly as you imagine on a trip like this. Now, we're back on the bus headed for our next ride. With luck, Stacey won't find anymore rocks to carry out.
Our next train is the Durbin Rocket and I'm writing this from the caboose cupola. It's a Climax coal fired steamer from about 1892 based on the maker plate. I suspect that it's an old mining locomotive. It's raining and the first car is open. I just overheard that the engine is from 1910. The view on this trip is much better We can actually see for a ways. Supposedly, there are bear around but we haven't seen any. The trip became more interesting as we returned and were hit with a thunderstorm. The open car cleared out fast, the second car became very crowded and I found a seat in the cupola of the caboose. Everyone agreed this was the most interesting of the train rides.
We were collected up and taken back to the site of the first train for dinner (good) and a show at the American Mountain Theater. I'm not a great fan of country music but it was ok. The head entertainer looked and sounded like Randy Quaid.
We're off to breakfast and then the Seneca Caverns. I'll try adding some random pictures.

Mother's Day weekend

The sheep have started lambing again. At least, I think they have. There's at least one new lamb out there so I hope they get on with it. The barn is empty of hay and I've started on the emergency hay that I stored in the sheep pen in case my job pulled me out of the area. I wanted something easy for Stacey to get to if she had to take over. We're trying to keep them confined until they finish lambing and I finish shearing them. It's going to be close. I've gotten more than half of them sheared but I'm trying to hurry as there is some outside shearing work to do. I don't really need the outside work but they're friends and there's not many shearers out there.
I've still got my steer. I should make a greater effort to sell him since we could use the money. I could spend a couple of hundred on some weaned Jersey calves and start over. I think one of the reasons I've been slow is that his stallmate has been tasting so good that I hate to give him up.
I'm working on a larger garden. I don't plan to plant that much more but I want the plants less cramped. The tomatoes are hard to care for when they're too close. That's not to say I'm not trying to overachieve. I'm trying to grow potatoes again. This is complicated by not having a clue how. I seem to have better luck with them raising them by accident than by planning.
We went to Doug and Mary Hildebrand's place to buy plants yesterday. It's only our first trip. We're going back for the pepper plants later. He's way too cheap. We left with a trunk full of the highest quality plants for $40. He keeps 250 types of tomato seed alone, growing some every year to maintain them. He's developing his own hybrids as well. I wish I had them for neighbors. He gave me 50 potato plants that he started as an experiment. That's another reason I'm expanding the garden.
Stacey got a job with the census as an enumerator. It's not working out very well. The people who didn't send in their forms are mostly people that didn't want to be found. Stacey is finding the whole thing to be pretty stressful. So far, all the dogs have been good dogs but Stacey is anxious.
We went to the opera Mother's Day. They did The Elixir of Love by Donizetti. I haven't laughed that much in a while. The stage setting and lighting were especially good. Having the quack doctor land in a hot air balloon was great. Not so great was the safety harness on the doc because of OSHA regs but it was handled very well. From our seats in the balcony, the orchestra overwhelms the performers from time to time but all of the performers projected their voices well. Bravo, brava.
After the opera, it was off to the mother-in-laws for family dinner. Hamburgers and Italian sausages with beans and pasta salad. Of course, this was after the appetizers. We finished with rhubarb pie and we were truly finished. I could barely move. It was a nice visit and back home to sleep.
That's enough of our boring life for now. Personally, I have to ponder why the barn cats left a half a mouse in the Great Pryennes food bowl. Was it a bribe? A threat? Are they just worried she's not getting enough to eat? Do cats worship dogs? Nah.

Just More Work

Gardening and farming continues at a breakneck pace. The weather has been superb. I think I'll try to plant beans in the garden this weekend. I moved the rhubarb from next to the shed and put it in a bed by itself. It seems to be taking well. Yesterday, I planted another bed of asparagus with both green and purple varieties. It takes 3 years to get a bed in production so Stacey will continue to buy store bought stuff. I suspect it would require at least an acre of asparagus to keep Stacey on pasture for the summer. Planting an acre is beyond my abilities. The 2 rows nearly killed me. I couldn't work the ground with a tiller as it is very heavy soil and a bit wet. I had to shovel and break the ground by hand. To plant asparagus, you need to shovel at least 3 inches of soil off the top and shovel it back on over the crowns. This means that first you must remove a full shovel depth so that you can bury the grass at the bottom of the row and have shovel capable soil to work with. I suspect that the simplest cure for the obesity epidemic the media talks about would be to make everyone raise all of their own food with hand tools. Shortly thereafter, we could begin work on the starvation epidemic.
Stacey brought home some seed potatoes . I haven't done well with potatoes so far but I'm trying something new. I can grow plenty of meat and veggies but I haven't done well with carbohydrates so far. I'd rather raise rice but I haven't found a dry land variety yet. I've read that they exist but I can't find a supply. Potatoes are my best bet if I can get the method down.
Stacey had her first colonoscopy yesterday. For those of you who haven't had one yet, it's no big deal. The doc removed a polyp but that's just procedure. The docs will check it but no one was impressed with it at the time. The hard part for Stacey was living off jello and broth for a day while the laxatives had their way with her. She made up for that at the Star Diner afterward with the Eggs Benedict breakfast there.
The lambs have started being born. So far, so good. I've gotten some of the sheep sheared which puts me way ahead of last year. I'll try and dedicate the weekend to it again.
We haven't looked at the bees lately. I suspect that we've lost hives over the winter but I don't know how many yet.
That's all for now.

Spring Surprise

We have had a spring surprise. Some of our garden wintered over. The left over Swiss Chard is coming back up. Our thyme and oregano made it through as well. One cabbage made it but it was too damaged and in a bad spot so I took it out. I've built a new bed next to our walkway framing it with rocks left over from the failed decorative pond project and transplanted the herbs to it. I'm trying to keep the herbs as close to the house as possible so that we use them more.
Last Saturday was great weather for working the garden. The soil powdered under the tines of the tiller. I'm taking the old raised beds that are falling apart and moving some rhubarb into them. They're in a bad spot right now in an area I just can't keep clear of weeds. As soon as I can, I'll move them and mulch the hell out of them. I need more rhubarb to stay ahead of my relatives.
I've ordered an asparagus special of 30 plants. Maybe in a few years I can get enough asparagus to stay ahead of Stacey. I've covered one of the asparagus beds with old hay and chaff in an effort to keep the weeds down. I don't know if the stuff can push to the surface but I have hope.
I haven't been able to start my seeds in my incubator yet. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
I've started shearing the sheep. My goal is 5 a day but I only managed 3 last night before my back gave out. I'm going to have to build my body back up to handle this again and my increase in age isn't helping. Thankfully, my sheep are only half the size of regular sheep. The worst of this is knowing that I'll be using this beautiful wool for mulch since the handspinners in this area only want alpaca. Mere sheep wool just isn't good enough for them.
There's fence repairs to do as well. I've got to replace the west side of the rams enclosure since one of them busted through. I'll add a small gate in the corner to make it easier to get them out when I need to. I need to do the same thing on the northwest pasture. You need to put the gates where the sheep want them not where it's convenient for you.
We still have a steer. I suppose I should try harder to sell him but I'm busy and it's nice to have that beef walking around. Sure, it will take a while to eat the 400 lbs we already have but it gives a nice sense of security.
I still don't have a working plow. My farmer friend may still have his tractor in hock so I can't pay him to plow the back of the farm. I wanted to plow the back of the farm to get the weeds in check and maybe plant it to something useful. Farming with no money really sucks.
Thinking about farming is depressing and writing about it doesn't help. I need to get out and farm to clear this funk from my mind. I need the sunlight and wind to clear my head. Some days, at work, I can almost smell the manure. Maybe I need to clean my boots.

Spring is coming

Spring is coming but it isn't here yet. Still, it's nice to have the increased sunlight and a warmer temperature. I've gone through my seed stores but I haven't made a seed order yet. I've got to get them while they are still available. I took some of my duplicates to a seed swap at Wildwood park in Toledo. I'm not going there again without a taser and an iron rod to beat a hole in the crowd. There were way too many people in too small a space. I picked up a few things, mostly greens and rutabagas.
Spring means shearing sheep as well. I plan on starting about the middle of the month. If I push a bit, I should finish by April. Then the lambs will be coming. The hay should last. I've got the steer for sale. If I can sell him, that's ok. If not, he'll still be good eating two years from now.
Spring means working the bees. We've got to get enough supers together for all the hives. Each hive should start out with 4 supers and I know we don't have enough. I still hope to plant buckwheat so I can harvest buckwheat honey. If not, there's a farmer selling cheap red clover seed. If I got lucky, I could harvest honey and hay. Red clover is tricky, though. It molds fast when cut. Unless you get a hot dry spell when it's cut, it can get dangerous to feed.
Spring means working the ground and I don't have the plow working. I just can't break the wheels loose. I've been trying every trick I know and some from other folks and they're still seized up. I'm going to try and scrounge some cash and buy a working plow at auction. The rototillers are still in fair shape so the gardening should go on. I've still got to burn the brush in the field. I need it gone.
Spring means songbirds, green grass and flowers but I won't have time for them. I've got manure to move.

A Waste of Snow

I've had this cold since last Thursday. It's really kicking my butt. I have to rest a couple of times when I feed the animals in the morning. I've been able to breath alright, my nose hasn't been stuffed up. I just can't seem to do anything. Yesterday, I moved a speaker in a truck and it was hard work. A little 10 minute job and it took me 30 minutes.
Stacey told me to go to the doctor. I wasn't going until the boss told me I should. He wouldn't go to a doctor if he was having a stroke. I figured if I was starting to worry him, maybe I should go. The doctor wasn't impressed. He'd seen 6 of me before lunch and none of us were likely to die soon. He did give me a course of antibiotics to hold off pneumonia. Normally, I'd worry about the overuse of antibiotics causing drug resistant bacteria but I'm taking them. This is a nasty cold.
It's beef stew for lunch. We've been cleaning the freezers getting ready for Jake the steer to return from freezer camp. Stacey found some steaks left from the old steer and used 2 to make the stew. The other two were pretty freezer burned and went to the dogs. We've been feeding the old sausage to them as well. The dogs are happy but I suppose I'll have to raise hogs again. Bah!
The snow went around us again. Our weather apocalypse consisted of maybe 5 inches of new snow. Typical, first D.C. takes all our money and now they've taken the snow. I know it's Al Gore's fault.
Stacey has been taking a class on how to deal with the dying and seriously ill. She says she wants to volunteer with a local hospice. Personally, I'm checking her cooking spices a little more closely.
I've got to get busy a plan my garden. I need to get the seed orders out. It's time to get the plant incubator cleaned up and in operation. I buy most of my tomatoes and peppers from our friends Doug and Mary over in Milan, Ohio but some stuff, I need to do here. I still hope for a greenhouse someday. Farmtek has some beauties for low prices but not low enough for me yet.
That's the news from Lake Erie. It's not nearly as exciting as Lake Woe-Be-Gone but I don't have a radio show either. I can make a good biscuit.

Winter is winding down

We're winding down on winter. It's time to pick out the seeds from the gardening catalogs and clean the trash from the garden. The lambs will start coming in another couple of months and the whole cycle continues.
I still can't get Stacey to take down the Moravian Star. She's threatening to leave it up until Easter. She always complains that I don't get the Christmas lights down ( which is true) but she won't take down the star.
Jacob the steer went off to freezer camp to learn to be small tasty pieces of beef. He'll graduate the 13th of Feb at which time we'll have a graduation party as soon as we can thaw some of him out. I hope Stacey gets the freezers cleaned and organized. Storing 400-600lbs of beef requires some space. I am going to give some away but not that much. This is going to require some substantial eating. I hope I'm up to the task.
I've been suffering from hay anxiety. This appears to be common among farmers at this time of year. Realistically, I know that I have enough hay to make it to pasture time. I've counted the bales but it just doesn't matter. There's less than when I started, there's an emptiness in the barn and I'll run out and all my animals will STARVE. I've got enough hay. I know I do but it just doesn't matter. I'm sure this will pass as soon as I can put the animals on pasture. Then I'll worry about the pasture.
I'm still trying to work on the plow that I pulled out of the hedgerow. I still haven't gotten the wheels to turn. I've found a guy who restores old plows and will probably buy one off of him. It bites but I have to change the way I do things around here and I'll need a plow for that.
I'm trying to cast candles again to have something else to sell at the farmers market. I'm using the old style tin molds and they are a bear to use. I don't know if I can make enough to be worthwhile. I could go to modern style molds but I want to learn the old methods.
Bye until next time