Spooky!!!!

This is the storm that went through today. Doesn't it look weird? It just sucked the fog from the hollers right up into the storm. If you didn't know any better, you would think it was a tornado. It wasn't though.

Well, the last two days have been pretty busy. Me and Mom canned beets yesterday. They turned out the most beautiful dark red. I just love pickled beets. We used my great aunt's recipe. I'll post it on here one of these days.lol Canning beets is easier than I thought it would be. I don't know why but, I was expecting something hard. Not at all!

Then I made some peach butter. That was easy too. I just peeled the peaches and put them in a blender. Pulsed them a few times. Not much, I didn't want them to be peach soup. I added a bunch of sugar, and boiled them down. Then I added cinnamon to taste. I honestly didn't measure any of it. It was all done to taste. It is soooo good. Hubby swears he hates peaches, but he loves the peach butter. Go figure.

Today I made pickles. I used Mrs Wages pickle mix again. I found some that was a little cheaper. It's easy too. And since I wasn't really planning to do pickles this year, easy is a good thing.

I also froze my cherry tomatoes. YUUUUMMMMMMY!!!!My own tomato flavored jawbreakers. Nothing like tomatoes in the middle of winter. I can just pop a few of them in my mouth in the middle of Feb, and that will hold me for a few more months. I also froze some summer squash and zucchini. They freeze very good. Just toss some in a skillet with a pat of butter and some salt. Maybe add some onion and garlic too. Wonderful!!!!I can eat my weight in these. ( and that's a lot!)

I was sitting on my front porch this morning, wondering why I wasn't getting many cherry tomatoes this year. I see the green ones, but it's like they just disappear. As I was sitting there. My dachshund(Skeeter) was sniffing around the tomato plants looking for critters.Or so I thought. I looked down at her and she had a ripe cherry tomato in her mouth! The thief!!!!! I yelled her name and she looked up at me like "What?" Nothing funnier than seeing a long black nose carrying around a small cherry tomato. I just had to laugh. The case of the missing tomatoes has been solved.

So until next time.....


Small Farm Girl, detective.

Right as I was writing this blog, Hubby asked if I wanted to go to his dad's house. Me, always up for a change in scenery, said yes. So we go down for a little bit. While we where there, someone stopped in and said there was a horse, a colt, and a burro lose down on the road. He thought it might belong to Hubby's stepsister. So we all get into the trucks, and go off on a horse wrangling mission. Sure enough it was her horse, so Hubby's stepmom led it back to her daughter's house. When we got there, her daughter told us that she didn't own a burro. We had to find a home for this 2 1/2 ft fall burro. I wanted it. But oooooooh no, right when I had Hubby convinced we needed it to keep coyotes and dogs away from out cattle, the owner of the burro shows up. He had no idea what to do with this burro. They had just bought it a few weeks ago for $60. It was his 5 year old girls birthday present. He didn't know how to lead it, or how to even put on a halter. He told us he had it in a tiny lot up by his house. He said his kids loved it like a dog. What he don't understand is, these animals are still able to kick and bite. Just because they are little doesn't mean they don't need respect. I sure hope that little girl doesn't get hurt.

Now for a brighter note.....

Hubby and my dad got the roof on the shelter. Looks pretty good, huh?



See Hubby can do it all. You would think he would have employers flocking to his door.

Oh, and Roz helped again.

This is what Dad is going to put under the shelter.

Oh, and this one too. Hey, notice that beware of dog sign there? I think it's funny.

Could you be afraid of this? I'm sure you could.

So until later......

Small Farm Girl, burro wrangler.

The Mystery is Solved.

I canned 9 quarts of beans today. I love canning beans. It's sooooo easy. If I had enough beans, I could can all day long. My Dad always told me,"You eat what you can, what you can't, you can." Smart isn't he. lol

I also picked my first tomato out of the garden. A real tomato, not a cherry tomato. It was the only one. The rest are still very green. But, it won't be long now. This year I am concentrating on tomatoes, particularly tomato juice. We go through tomato juice so fast in the winter. Soups and chili, although, I can drink my weight in tomato juice too.(and that's saying a lot.)

Hubby has had a few bleeps on his job radar lately. I hope something pans out. Although I love him being at home, extra money is nice too. He has been laid off since back in December.(and hasn't done one dirty dish. Go figure.) If he gets this one job, he will be staying out of town for a whole 28 days. But, he will be home for 28 days after that. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I guess we'll just wait and see.

Oh, the other night when I couldn't sleep, well, I couldn't sleep last night either. But I did figure out why I couldn't sleep the night before. I was a human smorgasbord for mosquitoes. I am covered with mosquito bites! Did I say covered, I mean COVERED!!!!!!I stayed up last night scratching. I'm dying here. I believe someone could connect the dots and they would form a masterpiece. If anyone has a suggestion as to how to make these things quit itching, I am all ears. ( well actually I am all mosquito bites. But you get my point.)

Until later.....

Small Farm Girl, scratcher.

Sleepless in South Shore.

Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night and just can't get back to sleep? (like now) There is absoutley no way your body can lie down and even consider going to sleep. (like now) My mind jumps from one thing to another, nothing really important. I'm not really stressed about anything, I'm not hot or uncomfortable, and Hubby's not snoring THAT loud. It's just I can't sleep. If I don't though, I am going to be worthless tomorrow. It's funny though, out of all the things that my mind could be thinking about in the wee hours of the morning, I'm wondering what that skunk is doing. Okay that's it, I've offically lost it. I had better go back to bed.

Until later....

Small Farm Girl, insomniac.

Me and Hubby haven't been home much this week. He has been helping my Dad build his garage.



See that gizmo on the front of the tractor? Hubby and his dad designed that just for the purpose of putting up trusses. He's soooo clever.

Roz, Mom and Dad's dog, was helping too.

I don't want to make all of my friendly bloggers jealous, but the temps that day were in the lower 80's. See how nice and blue the sky was? It felt wonderful.

"Are you done taking pictures yet?"

Yes Roz, I'm done taking pictures. You can go back to "helping".

I hope I can get more time to blog this week.

Until next time.....

Small Farm Girl, contractor.

A Week Of Firsts

Just like the title says, this is a week of firsts. It's the first time I canned pickles. I wasn't actually planning on canning pickles, but, our 6 small cucumber plants kept producing pickles and more pickles. I figured we would just eat them in a salad. But, there was too many of them to just eat. I can go out once a week and come back with a 5 gallon bucket full, I mean REALLY full. So I got a few packets of Mrs Wages pickle seasonings and went at it. One packet said it would do 7 quarts. It actually did 4 1/2. And at 2.98 a packet, that is too expensive! So I am looking for a recipe that I can mix myself. But as I said earlier, I wasn't planning on canning pickles this year.

Another first this week, I canned green beans. They are actually easy. A lot easier than I thought. I only did 5 quarts though, so far. I expect more to come. Now the problem is I want to eat them as soon as I can them.

I also made peach butter this week. I had a few VERY ripe peaches left after we bought some from a local orchard. I removed the pits and the skins, added sugar and cinnamon, and boiled them down until they got thick. Hubby doesn't like peaches, but he LOVED the peach butter. I only had enough for one pint. But, the yellow peaches will be ready in about one week. So, I plan on buying a lot to make some more.

Last but now least, I picked the first ripe tomato!!!!!! It was a cherry tomato, but that still counts. It tasted soooooooooooo good. I took a knife and cut it in half and me and Hubby shared it. It was the smallest bite I have ever taken of a tomato, but probably the the best tasting. Although, the first tomato of the summer always tastes the best.

Since this is Wednesday, I wonder what other first I can pack into this week. Skydiving? Bungee jumping? Driving a race car? Naaa, I'll just stick to vegetables.

Until next time.....

Small Farm Girl, first time canner.

P.S. Why do they call it canning when you are using jars not cans?

After The Storm

We had a pretty bad storm around here yesterday. A few miles north of here, a tornado was reported. We got a lot of rain, about 3 inches. That would have been good if it had come over a few days instead of 45 minutes. Anyway, the wind was pretty bad around here too. Our corn got tipped a bit, but I think it will pull out of it.



Hubby's dad's corn did not fair well.





They said they are going to try and plant some more corn. They hope they still have time. I guess we'll see.


Anyway after the storm, the temperature dropped quite a bit, so me and Hubby decided to go a pick some blackberries. We picked for about 20 minutes when Hubby said he had to get some pruning shears at the house and he would be back in a little while. No problem. I picked and picked for about another 20 minutes. I got about a gallon of blackberries. They weren't at their peak of ripeness yet. I was picking away, minding my own business enjoying listening to the cattle munch on the grass a few yards away from me. Out of the corner of my eye I notice the stray black cat that runs around our farm. It was about 15 feet away from me rummaging around in the berries. I didn't pay it much attention. I kept picking and picking. I ran out of berries that I could reach at the spot where I was standing, so I glanced around for more berries. The black cat caught my eye again. Still 15 feet away, still rummaging in the berries. "Oh," I thought, "That cat has a bit of white on it. Right down its back!" SKUNK!!!!!! Back away from the berries! Back away quietly! Once I got a berry bush between me and the skunk, I sprinted up the hill(Yes, this fat body did sprint.)to get away. When I got to the top of the hill, I could look down and still see the skunk. It was acting like nothing ever happened. It was still eating the berries. After I finally caught my breath, Hubby came back with the pruners. I was officially done picking berries that day. lol I had my adrenaline rush for the day. But, we did end up with a gallon of berries. I hope they are worth it.

Until later....

Small Farm Girl, sprinter.

Just work

Not really much to report here right now. All I've done is work off farm. It's funny, doing nails is not really a physical job. But, why does it make me sooooo tired? I could work all day around the farm and still have energy. A few hours sitting at a desk talking to people and I'm worn out. Maybe I'll have more to blog about this weekend. I know I'll have more energy.

Until later....

Small Farm Girl, tired.

Busy Day

We had a very productive day today. I got up early today(which is a feat in itself). I went out and picked a gallon of green beans, a 5 gallon bucket full of zucchini, and a 3 gallon bucket full of cucumbers. Our garden is doing really good right now. I know that any day it will hit full speed, and I'm going to cry. Yes, I know that this is what it's all about, having a lot of good produce, but I can see me getting over whelmed with the canning this year. This is my first year of actual canning. Sure, sure I've helped Mom can a few times growing up, and last year I did put up 12 quarts of tomato juice.(ooooooooohhhhh applause here please.) But, this is the first time that I have actually canned a good amount. I guess I'll just jump in with both feet. Why not huh?

Well after the garden, I fixed Hubby and me breakfast(yes, he was just getting up) bacon and home grown eggs. yum, yum. Then after cleaning up after breakfast a did a few loads of laundry and hung them on my new clothes line. I just love hanging my clothes outside. It's very therapeutic. I would suggest that if any thing is bothering you, hang laundry. If you don't have a clothes line, you can wash and hang some of mine.

After the clothes were hung, me and Hubby went to pick black berries. The berries weren't real ripe. We just picked a few. But, we did notice we have gigantic black berry bushes in the cattle pasture. The bushes have to be at least 10 feet tall! The berries are huge too. We held one up and it was as big as Hubby's thumb! It won't take many of those to make a pie. lol. When they do start to ripen real good, I know what we will be doing. Picking and picking and picking and picking. Oh, did I say picking? One of the best things about these berries is, they are in the cattle pasture. There is no weeds around them. It's like walking in your yard and picking berries. There is the thorns though. I guess if you want big berries, you have to have big thorns. At least on the wild berries. Hey, maybe I'll get some thornless berries. Are they as good? But then again, these berries are free. Can't beat that.

After picking berries we went to my Mom and Dad's to wash a load of clothes. I wash our good clothes at my Mom's. Our water causes stains on them. It's either rust or red clay, either way it's not good. It doesn't do it all the time, but sometimes it does. Why take the chance. Anyway we got to play with their baby goats that they just got. A billy and a nanny. We think the billy has angora blood in him. His coat is sooooo soft and has a little curl to it. I'll post pictures later when I get some good pictures of them. Now I might be able to get some goat milk. yahoooo! I want a milk goat and milk cow soooooo bad. But, I know, right now, we really don't have a place for them. Plus, with me working, I don't know if I would have time to milk them twice a day. Maybe later. I can dream for now.

So for now I'm going to get ready for bed. I have to work tomorrow. Yea! (dripping with sarcasm)

Blog ya later.

Small Farm Girl, dreamer.

Celebrating the 4th

Every 4th of July our little community of South Shore has a parade. For a town of 2100 it's a big deal. People come from surrounding towns and cities to see, and be in, this parade.

Do me a favor, DON'T bring your dogs to things like parades. This parade is known for a cannon that is let off during the parades route. This poor dog was going CRAZY! Not just because of the cannon, there were police crusers and fire trucks blaring their horns and sirens. The lady just laughed and tried to keep the dog quite. I know some people love their dogs, but for the dogs best interest, please, keep it home. Okay I'm done preaching.

We had to have things like this in the parade. I mean, we ARE in the Appalations.

People will do anything to be in a parade. Notice the deer antlers on the front?

I've never seen anything like this saddle add on. What a great idea!

Oh, don't forget this little feller. How cute! I wanted to go get me one right there. Good thing we only drove the car. I would have stole it.

Well I hope everyone had a great 4th. We sure did.

So for now,

Small Farm Girl, parade watcher.

Okay, those of you that know me know that I am a manicurist. Yes, I have the meaningful job of putting fake fingernails on people. If it wasn't for me ladies wouldn't be able to go out in public. Oh the shame of having short, chipped nails! Anyway, I'm writing this because I am having thoughts about quiting. Not right now, but maybe a year or two down the road. Right now we need the money too bad.

A year ago me and Hubby weren't in the same mind set that we are now. We were the people that had to have the best car, the best four wheeler, the best tractor, etc. We didn't save money. We live pay check to pay check. We ate out at least 5 times a week sometime more. Then like many people in this great nation, Hubby lost his job. He has been out of a job since December. Sure he gets unemployment benefits, but they will run out soon. This part of the country is a depressed area to begin with. There really wasn't any jobs before the economy went bad. Now there are just less jobs.

Anyway, we started talking and trying to figure out how to make more money. We thought and thought until, we decided we didn't need more money, we needed less bills.lol If we would get rid of all of the unnecessary bills, we wouldn't need to get more money. We don't need the new car. Sure it gets good gas mileage, but so wouldn't an older, cheaper car.

We also started our garden. Not just to save money, but it's soooooo much healthier. Have you seen what they put in food these days? If I can't pronounce it, I'm not going to eat it. My family and Hubby's family both have a history of cancer. Why not eat as natural as we can? It's got to be healthier.

Another reason we have decided to do the homesteading thing, is this area is so full of crime. Drugs are more prevalent here than they are in Columbus Oh. Columbus is at least 25 times the size of the small city that is closest to us. Scary huh? If the economy gets worse will the crime? It usually happens that way. If it gets where people can't get their drugs that they think they need, what happens then? More crime. If we don't have to go to town as often, then we won't be as close to the crime.

So now you know the reason that we have decided to homestead. What's your reason?

So for now.......

Small Farm Girl, homesteader/manicurist.