What's up with us....

I haven't been sitting around reading, or sleeping, or twiddling my thumbs ya know....

Here's our new "egg box". Quite an improvement over a cooler on a folding chair at the end of the road...

The cooler is in the middle section.  On both sides are some veggies.  Some are free and some we're selling.

Mr. D made the boxes and I painted the door.

Then on the 21st and 22nd we went and had some fun at camp :)

That girl out there grinning at me is my daughter.  Yup, she went with us and we had lots of fun.  What a great weekend.  It was sooooo cold that night... first frost... and though we were prepared we slept little.

Our speaker was Mardi Collier who came from SC to be our speaker was wonderful.  God was really working through her to say just what I needed to hear.  She spoke about the promises in God's Word and "100% words"  such as "...my God shall supply all your need..." Philippians 4:19  or "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" Ephesians 1:3  or another one of my favorites "...hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness..." II Peter 1:3  How cool is that?  Not just some things that we need, but all things that we need.  What a great God we serve!

I needed to hear this message. We've been through some unsteady times lately and it can be frightening, but God is my stability... He is my rock and fortress.

This is Mardi's book and if you have a chance you should find a copy and read it... well worth your time.


So glad that my daughter could go with me too.  It was fun to share a little mother/daughter time.

We've got more stuff to get in from the garden.  I pick lots of green beans and all the corn. We do not have all the squash in yet, but probably will stack it under tarps for a little while... it's going to get cold tomorrow night and probably will frost.  Don't want the little squashes to get rashes :)

I made some stuffed squash blossoms on 9/30 for my Sweetie's birthday.  He had gone to pick up my daughter's camper that day and it was driving rain facing one challenge after the other.  First he had trouble meeting up with his dad.  He got questioned by the police while he was waiting to meet up with him.  He was stopped by the police after he and his dad got separated on their way back.  He had to replace all the tires before coming home with the camper 'cause they had dry rot.  I'm telling you, my Sweetie has huge amounts of patience... after all, he puts up with me.

So a special dinner was in order.

first I sauteed some onion, mushrooms and fresh herbs in a little olive oil

I picked about 12 squash blossoms... not going to produce fruit now anyway

I removed the insides, they give the flower their sweet smell and I just don't care for them in my casserole.  Watch out for bees if you pick them when the weather is a little cold... I found about 5 or 6 tucked down inside.  I washed the flower to get any sand/dirt off.

I took a small container of ricotta cheese and mixed in the sauteed vegetables, which I had cooled off a little then added some Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)





Then I stuffed the blossoms with the cheese and veggie mixture and laid them in a small baking pan.  I did not fry them first to avoid all that step and all that oil which neither of us need.

I then laid a little sauce over the top, not too much and this is organic spaghetti sauce I buy at Price Chopper grocery store.  I could have used some of my own, but had this open already.  I put on some mozzarella cheese and popped them into the oven. and this is what we got....



This was really yummy.  I noticed we have lots more squash blossoms out there... maybe there's still some time to make more before the end of gardening season.

Hope you have a great week.

God Bless!

Fall Ducklings.

Because the summer was so hot our poor Momma ducks did not have an easy time incubating their eggs.  Although the coop is in the shade and we keep it ventilated, it still is quite warm in there during the summer months.  We have one Momma duck who has tried several times unsuccessfully to raise a family.  She seems a little spooky too and we thought this year she'd be headed for the roaster.  Well, good thing we kept her around a little longer....

make way for ducklings.... 15 of them to be exact.

She was not going to be unsuccessful this time.  She hatched 15 little yellow ducklings.  We are keeping them inside until they get feathers since it is getting cold at night. 

Doesn't this just make you smile?

Busy Days

I know it's been a long time and probably most of my followers have given up on me.  I also don't like it much when someone doesn't write for a long time and after a while just don't visit anymore, but hope you can empathize with me when I say it has been very busy. 

Brandon stayed with us until the first week of August.  We had a good time, but he was really ready to go home and missed his mom terribly.  There were many changes for him at home and I think he was getting nervous about what was waiting for him there.  I've talked to him several times since he went back and he seems to be settling into the routine and is now back in school. 

We've had a good harvest from the garden.  Picked 2 bushel of Jacob Cattle beans and then while I had pneumonia it gave me something to do with my hands.  I have recovered for the most part, but still feel a little wimpy.  I have found that my stamina took a nose-dive and we're working on that. 



shelled Jacob Cattle beans



We put up 15 quarts of dill pickles.  The tomatoes have been pouring in and I've been enjoying them so much... nothing like a sun ripened tomato!  This weekend I'll be picking the remaining shell beans and also the Romano beans and getting those put away.  Also want to can the tomatoes for soups, stews and sauces (those that I don't eat fresh). 

We didn't have a huge crop of beets this year, but it's OK since I got a bunch from another source and Mr. D put them up for us already (sweet man!). 

Our corn is almost ripe and ready to pick.  We'll enjoy that fresh since we do not freeze or can corn.  Mr. D won't eat frozen or canned corn, but he will eat it roasted fresh.  Because of that we don't plant much and we invite folks over during corn season for a corn roast and fellowship... great times.

Well, now that I seem to be recovering and the harvest may be winding down a little, maybe I can get back to blogging.  I have been collecting pictures to share with you of the flooding that we had around here from Irene

I go over this bridge twice/day.  The water came up and over flooding on either side.  See all the debris caught in the underside of the structure.

This is the shopping plaza in West Lebanon, NH  it was under 6 feet of water.  Where I am parked to take this picture was in front of a grocery store in the same plaza... it wasn't touched, but all the other stores were flooded.

The next morning after Irene, the sky is blue, sun is shining so innocently and this is the mud that used to be a beautiful green soccer field and dog park.  After 2 weeks it still is like this... so many lost houses this is not a priority for cleanup.

God is so good!  We didn't have a lot of damage here on our property from the hurricane.  The eye went right over us, but a few miles to either side of us they received a lot of rain and there was much damage from flooding.  Some of the folks from work were stranded and couldn't get out.  One girl had her mobile home flooded and is still living in a camper till it dries out and she can replace the carpet and wall board.  She lost a lot of other stuff even though it was only a few inches of water and the insulation underneath had to all be torn out.  So sad to see all the destruction.

Here's a few links so you can see the damage around VT and NH...
http://www.mansfieldheliflight.com/flood/

http://www.cvps.com/Jobs2.aspx

I've been calling customers this week that are in the damaged areas.  It is amazing how nice everyone is.  So many volunteers out there helping to clean up.  The mud is so thick as you can imagine.  This is not an area that floods very often.  In fact some of these places have not flooded in recorded history.

Well, I am very grateful and humbled too that God would spare us as He did.  I am ever mindful that these things happen to the godly as well as the ungodly.  It's all for His purpose and plan. 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Keep looking up!

CAMP IMAGES 2011

Brandon had a really fun time at camp.  Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures here....

reading and meditating on God's Word

tube tug... he said this was one of his favorite games



don't know if he's in this picture, but this was his team.



The Wilds of New England (view from the road)

this is the chapel - dining hall and kitchen to the left, snack shoppe and nurses office to the right

another place he spent many fun times.

Great camp and hope he can come again next year!

Welcome to the Jungle

Well, it has been a dry summer here, but the Lord has allowed the garden to do relatively well anyway as you can see from the following pictures.

a sea of squash

The most wonderful thing is we had 2 rainy days in a row and the soil needed moisture so badly.  Our cucumbers are coming along now and the vines are covered with tiny fruit and I was so concerned that they wouldn't develop 'cause it had been so dry. 

Judging from the way nature is hurrying this growing season, I expect there will be an early frost this year.  We'll see how that prediction comes out :)  OK I'm not a prophet, but you can tell sometimes by the way things happen in the garden.  The plants got a late start, but they are really rushing to produce seed.

funny, I didn't see this leek flower when I was taking the pictures
this morning.  I was thinking that the leeks must have gotten buried
in the wild flowers, but they must be holding their own.  The parsnips are
coming along well and we'll be having some of those either next year or
the following year.... yum.

The corn is growing quickly now.  Looking forward to having a corn roast in the late summer.  We are about 2-3 weeks behind in the growing season from the Upper Valley where I work.  Our summer squash hasn't done much, but folks at work are bringing in extra summer squash.  Funny how a few hundred feet of elevation can make such a difference.  Even on our hill we might get a frost at the house, but the garden get nothing.

You must disregard the weeds please.  Amazing since I just weeded
last weekend.  The rain really makes the weeds perk up as well
I guess.

I love wild flowers as you can tell.  When we get the house together I will have a wildflower bed, but now they reside in my herb garden... they have lots in common, so it's a good match.  The only thing that didn't grow for me this year in the herb garden was the lavender *sniff, sniff*.  I'm not sure why except we had a dog come and dig up a part of the garden and that may have been where they were planted, but I thought it was above there.  I don't mark my sections very well as you can tell. 

Our poor Muscovy mommas have had a really rough time hatching eggs.  In the old dog house we had two setting hens.  Between the two they managed to hatch 4 eggs.  One died right away, another was lost... probably to a cat or dog, and the other two are so small.  The hens are really curious about these little yellow balls of fluff...

not even sure if you can see them... they are under tha ladder.
Their two mommas are behind the board, but are right there keeping a close eye

then Poppa steps in and chased away the curious hens.

see how tiny... we hope these two make it.

Poor mommas they tried so hard to hatch little ones.  It was just too hot the past few weeks and they were not able to keep the eggs cool enough.  We opened up the coop, but there just wasn't any relief.  They finally abandoned their nests.  We usually have two settings per summer and it has been much cooler, so they may be successful next time.

Hope you are enjoying the summer.

Busy Summer Days

I'd have been writing up a storm if I was "bored", but there seem to be no days like these summer days to keep a person busy.  This weekend Brandon (grandson) and I painted the green house to my specifications... red with white trim.  If you do it yourself, you get to choose the colors.  There's always the garden to weed and for some reason, though the plants are sluggish this year, the weeds are flourishing.  We have new fencing to put up for the chicks who needed to get out of the brooding area  and meet the great big world outside. 

On top of all the normal business there has been a little "trama".  Several who are very close to me are going through some deep water.  I don't feel at liberty to share too much.  It makes one stop to think... does God forget us and let us flounder?  NEVER!  Don't ever for even a nanosecond believe that lie.  When trouble comes, that's opportunity to lean on the Lord and He is always there.  I used to think that
the reason God sent trouble was because we had not been faithful in some area, but I no longer think that lie either.  Of course God allows trouble for a reason, but think of Job.  When did trouble hit him? 

Job 1:8
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?


OK, I certainly am not as perfect and upright as Job, but if I were, would I even suspect bad times were on their way?  Well if my thinking were messed up I might think that trouble would never overshadow my doorstep.  That's what Job's friends/wife thought.  "Well Job, what did you do to bring this on yourself? " 
 
Yes, I deserve all the trouble I get, but even if I were a perfect person, trouble would come as it does to all people.  All people face trouble and if we have trust in God it will cause us to draw even closer to him.  
 
OK enough about trouble, here's some fun pictures from around the farm.  I don't get to blog much, so there aren't so many pictures this year.  
 
A friend gave us a goose that was "naughty" terrorizing his wife, kids, and dogs.  So he ended up here...


Brandon's first butchering.  Not sure he was too impressed.
Don't think I'll raise geese for meat... not that great.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

The garden had a slow start, but through the past week has recovered quite nicely.  In an earlier blog I posted pictures of the garden, so you can compare if you like. 



This is the shady area.  We have peas, kale, Jacob Cattle beans,
pakchoy (which has bolted due to heat) and a few winter squash in
the front.





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the top of the garden.  Things grow the best here.  More
Jacob Cattle, tomatoes, and pole beans, and of course more
squash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the herb garden from the back, plus lettace, carrots, corn..
I took a picture from the front, but for some reason the camera
didn't save the picture.  It's pretty from the front because
the wild flowers are in bloom right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the chickens are growing like little weeds.  Don't know if you remember the last picture...

Beginning of June.  This was the day after they arrived.  They
have long since graduated from this tiny tub/heat lamp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These bad boys will be ready for butchering in a month, maybe even
sooner.  They would lay in their feed and eat all day if we let them,
but have been supplementing with fruit and veggies.  Hopefully
the meat will be leaner and they will stay healthier this year.
So far they are doing well and we've lost only one... he got left
out in the cold accidentily when they were just little chicks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The little Rhode Island Red hens depend on the big boys for warmth
at night.  Even when the temperature dips to 40, this room stays
about 50-60 because of body heat.  It is all opened up during
the day to keep them from cooking in here.  This coop was a camper
trailer that we got for free.  Works very well as a coop for us and
it's moveable.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that's the news from our neck of the woods.  Glad to be able to let you know we're still alive. 

 

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Update garden and new little chicks

So yesterday we got the new hens... well iddy biddy hens they are....

not even sure you can see them too well but the bigger white birds where the iddy biddy ones from the last post.  The Rhode Island Red hens are about the same size here as the meat birds were when we got them.  It is easy to see how fast they grow. 

We have had soo much rain the past week that the garden hasn't done a lot of growing.  We need more sun.  Today is nice and the next couple.  The next update will probably show more progress.

from front to back - pak choy, radishes, jacob cattle bean, kale, peas, rhubarb,and behind that are some winter squash



front to back - winter squash, to left jacob cattle to right cherry tomato (had a little space to stick in a few more items)
behind that more pak choy and the strawberry patch behind that is the slope where cucumbers, summer squash, beets and more radishes live, then along the fence at the bottom of the hill are some sunflowers. 



in the foreground is the herb garden - camomile, basil, oregano, caraway, wormwood, rue, more basil, lavendar and various sorts of wildflowers - not blooming yet
behind the herb garden to the left are carrots, chard, parsnips, our blueberry bushes, then corn
and behind them the pole beans.

My grandson will be here next week, so maybe we'll work on a little weeding expecially in the perennial bed and then I'll post some pictures of flowers.  The peonies are blooming and iris and columbine too.  I'm just too ashamed on the condition of the beds to post pictures just yet.  I went down on Tuesday and did a little work, but they're in bad shape because of neglect.  The flowers bloom reqardless of my lack of attention, but they look a lot prettier if I spend some time there weeding and fussing over them.

I'll write more later.

Have a wonderful weekend!