The weather remains warm and mild reminiscent of New Jersey, “The garden state”. It’s great for growing plants but also suits mosquitoes.
Sister Barby phones to tell me that her son Jon’s family have decided to pass along their recently acquired puppy to her. They live in a 4th floor condo and it wasn’t ideal for a puppy. I feel sure that Barby and the puppy will get along well as she is very much a dog person and has a well fenced yard. The puppy is a very small mixed breed..
Nancy H worked long and hard brimming the grass Impinging on the electric fence. Abby gardened for hours and made three loaves of bread. Marcia worked digging over more ground for another raised bed in her flawless veg garden..
Aided by some long distance help from Sally, I worked on my talk.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
The hot humid weather continues. Things are popping out of the ground.
I started some home grown baking yeast. All it takes is fresh raw milk and flour about 40/60 in favor of milk. In this weather it will be ready by tomorrow.
Abby and I joined Marcia and Abby Rose for dinner. She grilled turkey/shrimp patties with home made feta. Truly excellent. She also made rhubarb ginger ice cream.
My sister Barby has taken over on the puppy that her son Jon and family recently acquired. Nobody was very happy with the puppy living in a condo I guess. Barby adored the pupp, a miniature Schnauzer X Australian silkie. Never heard if either breed but it it's tiny and cute. Barby has a big fenced yard and adored the puppy.
Monday June 25
My computer wouldn't work at all this morning. I tried everything and finally in desperation turned it off at the power bar; this worked. When I turned it back on again it behaved itself. Hot weather continues, it got to 88 today and is dripping with humidity. Abby went to a job interview for a caregiver job today, she is still making up her mind whether to accept the position. The garden is growing like crazy and everything looks absolutely beautiful, the flowers and vegetables. All the roses are blooming now, including Fantin Latour which is a little later than the other roses. This is the rose that an overzealous helper cut off at ground level three years ago and it has come back with five foot high canes. I cleared out around a favorite pink peony that was getting strangled. The animals seem to be doing very well in this hot weather. There are a lot of huge mosquitoes but the black flies don't seem to be too bad this year, or the flies. Fern is giving about two gallons a day and all is going well there.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday night was the appointed time to take four sheep to the butcher. I re-thought the number which included two tams and two ewes, all about 15 months old, and ended up only sending the rams. So far as any of us ingnorant shepherds know, thhe ewes were not bred but I would feel pretty bad to later learn they were pregnant.
I cooked food for a dinner at Martin’s camp for the volunteers taking the two rams to Castonguay, I braised the last two lamb ribs from the freezer and made a batch of brown rice. Amy made a sald using Marcia's fresh lettuce and Abby made a custard. Brett Shifrin, Martin’s friend and helper with the sheep, made a layer cake. Before dinner the men, Martin DS Mark and Brett, and kids went swimming. After dinner the men came to the farm and loaded the rams. I took the precaution of running out first to the barn to call in the sheep before they detected the presence of strangers, so the sorting and loading went pretty well. The rams were very heavy, maybe 200 lbs each.
Mark spent the night here.
Here are some chickens supervising the sheep loading operation:
And here is where we drop off the sheep (lit by brake lights from the truck):
Today I made the depressing discovery that my upright freezer where I expected to store the new meat had quit. Bloody melt water greeted me when I opened the door. This nearly pitched me into clinical depression
It is at least 20 years old and the gasket is shot and the freezing coils have to be propped in position so I doubt it is worth repairing. I If we all have to go Medieval I intend to be a good sport about it but I admit I picked up the phone and offered thanks for living in a time and place where I can count on a new one by Friday. I ordered a 15 cu ft as my other freezer is at least as old. I stuffed everything into it for now. All my new strawberries were thawed. Sigh.
Marcia came down to garden but then the sun went in an it rained torrentially for a long time. The mosquitoes remain truly awful.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Abby took the dogs for a walk over to her field. It was a wet day and they all had a fine time running around. The dogs went swimming in the river. Milo has been trying to get his courage up to climb up on the couch which he now has done. I don't think he is allowed on couches at home but this is his vacation. He's been coming along and putting his chin on the couch to see if I was noticing. No doubt he sees that Willie is allowed on the couch. Martin and family are off to Montana.
The mosquitoes are awful this year. The cows don't seem to be too bothered though fortunately.
Abby brought in a fine bouquet of sweet peas which are in bloom now. They are an old-fashioned mixture and very sweet smelling.
I worked on my talk for the Nourishing Traditions conference in Atlanta where I am speaking on November 9th, which I worked out on the calendar is the exact due date for Fern. Today I worked on carbon sequestration.
It rained and drizzled and everything is wet.
Friday, June 28, 2013
I went to Farmington with Marcia. We stopped at Agway again which has wonderful plants for sale. I bought a Flame elderberry. The leaves are a beautiful lacy chartreuse resembling a Japanese maple and it should have beautiful berries. I also bought a hydrangea with puffy pink flowers. I've always wanted a hydrangea. I haven’t decided where to put it. It was raining hard all day and we didn’t need anything at the Farmer's Market so didn't get to see Mitra. Marcia was endlessly patient in helping me to buy new sandals.
My new freezer was delivered today. The delivery people were very helpful and took the old freezer out and put the new one in, first finding some pallets to set it on . My cellar floor is often wet.
Fern was saucy this morning and production was down about a quart.
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