Flowers and Chicks.

 

I think raindrops on any kind of flower is as nice as "Raindrops on Roses."  I am on a roll, or "Raindrops On My Head." At least it isn't Rainy Day and Mondays right? Okay I will stop. I woke up singing I'm A Wanderer, but I only know the first part of that. I guess I need to look it up on You Tube.

How are you this morning? We have a "passing shower." You know that saying, "Rain before seven is gone by eleven." That will be our day I think. Just nice spring rain. I took some pictures of my chicks. Not good pictures mind you. I went in to clean their cage and I had my camera so I took a few pictures. They don't sit still like flowers do. So here it goes.

 

These two are bantams. I think the taller one is going to be a Barred Bantam Cochin. I think.
The little guy next to him is also a bantam and just guessing it could be a light Brahma Bantam.
As the bantams are getting bigger I spend all of this time staring at pictures of Bantam chicks online.
I guess the game I am playing is guess that breed.

 

 This is the bravest and cutest chicken of all. As soon as the door is open, she runs to be first and to be held first. Sometimes she gets a little over zealous and completely misses and ends up on the floor. I have no clue what they are but I think they will look like Red Stars when they are hens.

 

Not a very good picture but this one has me just wondering what on earth they are. I think I have a pair. I think this one is the rooster. The hen looks like a tiny dove. They are the color of doves. I call them my little birdy's. Just guessing but I think they are called. Old English Self Blue Bantams.

 

To the left is the one that I think will be the little hen. I could have nothing but Bantams. Except I need big hens for the eggs. I wish I could have this whole place filled with chickens, ducks, peacocks and guineas. I also would like a bunch of geese. Have you ever read the book by Gene Stratton Porter called Laddie?
I think I would like a place like that. Lots of fowl.

In the spring Farm Girl which is me becomes my dominate personality. When it gets to hot I go back to being the hooking-sewing- girl. I can't stand to be in the house when the new leaves are on the trees, the birds are singing and the grass is greening up. Every where I look there is something new to look at. I really have been thinking I wish I had a tree house. To climb up and lay on my back and feel the wind rocking the tree and listen to the trees talking to themselves and watch the dappled sunlight drift among the branches.

I have to remember, I am a mother of six, grandmother of nine. In the spring though, I forget it and become that girl who I really am inside. Just me. Not the grown up me I have become.

Thank you so much for stopping by out of your busy schedule and for reading this silly thing that is my blog.
It is a honor for me.

Have a wonderful and exciting day.

~Kim~

It really seems as if failure and hardship make more of a human being of folks than success.

 

---Gene Stratton Porter

Signs of Spring

 

Nothing makes me happier than when Ron has made paths and made everything nice and clean. We have rain in the forecast this week, starting today until next Monday. Does that mean anything? No, not really. We may gets some sprinkles and lots of shade, but its always nice to think about.

 

On my last trip to Tractor Supply, I found this hen treat. Do you see it says, " Sunflower and Meal worm?
Yum right? My hens love this. I really need to get some of the ingredients and make it myself. Its just the meal worms you know?
Here is the back side so you can see better. The only times worms are not a big deal.

 

 

Yesterday it was such a pretty day. I had been out back walking when I walked in the back yard. The tree has new leaves, the grass is green and the picture of my hens out there under the tree just made me so happy.

 

The other morning I had let my hens out. Sasha was watching the hens. The one thing I think is sad, that this proud Border Collie guards hens and not sheep or cows. The hawk has got really brave now. In fact last night Ron and I were having coffee and he sat in the tree and watched us not ten feet away.

 

 

Outside today is really pretty too. The clouds are big as full rigged sails on sailing ships. The air smells of orange blossom. One thing I love is smelling the different fragrance of blossoms. Lemon blossoms smell slightly sweet with a dash of lemon. Pink Grapefruit smell lightly of tangy grapefruit and well you know what orange blossom smells like. Blood orange blossoms are the loudest. They smell vibrant, and heavy and spicy.
I stand out there and watch the bees with little pollen sacks filled to overflowing. Sometimes I wonder how in the world they are even able to fly with the yellow pollen just packed on their little legs. The crab apple was just beginning to bloom on Friday when we were trimming trees. We had reached this tree in the line, and it really needs to be shaped. I asked Ron if he was going to trim it? As he stood and looked at it, He put his clippers back in his pocket and shook his head. " No, not today, its full of bees. I will do it another day when it isn't so busy." I love a man who thinks about little things like making bees happy. No matter if it means more work somewhere down the line.

 

I wanted a picture today of the sunrise from the back of the pasture looking toward the sunrise. I love being out here early in the morning.
Well between my fit bit, my work list and the chicks, its time to go outside. I hope your day is a beautiful one.

~Kim~

 

" I've been a great deal happier since I have given up thinking about what is easy and pleasant, and being discontented because I couldn't have my own will. Our life is determined for us;and it makes the mind very free when we give up wishing, and only think of bearing what is laid upon us, and doing what is given us to do." ---George Eliot

Racing Spring---Just Work

I forget how much work we do in the spring. The work to get to the fun part of planting. We have trimmed at this count 89 trees. Trees have been cut down. Which is always sad. The drought was just too hard on them.

There is always something to look forward to like getting more fruit trees. Ron trimmed 89 trees so far. That isn't counting his Bonsai garden which he trimmed a bunch in there or his Japanese maples.
I have moved so many limbs. We have made a huge pile of brush.

We are going to try and farm smarter. I know this looks like a huge mess, but really its going to be turned into gold. We are going to shred it to make wood chips and use it on top of the mulch  to keep in more moisture and put more minerals back into the soil.
So we have been saving every bit. I would call it gardening with purpose. I have to go to a wedding shower today so I won't be able to be a farm girl. Ron is disking while I am gone so when I get back I hope we have a huge jump on all of this spring work. We work until we can barely stand up and then get up and do it again.

To tell you the truth, I have never been happier. We have more rain coming so this has just been such a year of blessing. My chicks are growing like weeds. I should take some more pictures of them. Soon.
I spend way too much time watching them and fooling with them. They will all now get on the little door in the cage I use so I can hold them. They just make me laugh.

I hope you have a lovely day.
I thought I would check in for a bit. I need to get myself ready. Officially Spring is Monday.
So I haven't lost my mind completely. I haven't bought more seeds than we have land---yet!!!

Have a lovely day,
Kim

Our very first garden, when I first started this blog. When our oldest grandson was two. Our grandsons have just turned 10!! I think I know less now than I did then. Life goes by way to fast.

A Large Rooster

 

This will be a quick post as my work is calling my name. Its a big work day weed eating and tree trimming.
I had to show you in case you need a good laugh this morning. Yesterday I needed chicky food. I went to Tractor Supply. ( My favorite store.) Also to check out the chick situation. When as I am wandering around looking at every thing I came across this standing in the aisle.

 

Taller than me!! I giggled to myself a bit. Then walked around it. If I had a spare 200 dollars, I know just where I would put it in the yard. Isn't it grand? I took a picture of it just show I could show it to you.
I think it is magnificent.

I also found a bag of flowerbed cleaning motivation.

A whole bag of Zinnia mix. I found a bag like this the first year we moved here. I planted the whole bag in one of my flowerbeds. I had wall to wall zinnias!!! I haven't seen them like this in a long time. It was the last bag so I was so glad that it was there for me. Its too cold yet, but just seeing that bag sitting there really makes me push through the soreness.

Here is the rug that I am trying to work on. I have to fall back on the 10 minute rug hooker thing right now.
So I will get this finished 10 minutes a day.

Pattern by Julie at Old Tattered Flag.

I should get out there, Ron will start without me. I am limb hauler today.
Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

My wish for you today is that all of your rainy days may be filled with rainbows. That the dark clouds
will be filled with gold.
K.

It Looks Like Spring.

 

I have to admit that winter is pretty much over. Spring is winning. This morning I went to let my hens out of their house. It was still dark. The sun was coming up but it wasn't over the mountains. I checked the chickies. They were awake and ready for breakfast. I went out and took a lap around the pasture and I knew that spring is here. I have started my spring weeding.

On Saturday, Ron and I worked out in the boysenberries.  We took out the thorny ones and moved plants around. I think we made it just in time as this week with it being warmer they are starting to bud. Berries are just the best for jam. When I made jam at Christmas it was like having distilled sunshine in the kitchen.

Can you see that giant artichoke plant? Its already huge. I think there are really three there.
It has a smaller baby coming up to the right of it. I think we really should just grow artichokes out
here because artichokes are so forgiving to the heat and drought.

I have spent two days working in my flowerbeds. I finished the back one this afternoon. It was filled end to end with grass. I fed lots of it to my chickens then when they had enough I decided not to save it.

My rhubarb is growing so fast. We moved it here last year and kept it in those plastic containers. It really is too warm in Bako  so we have moved it all over. Since it survived here so well we are going to go ahead and plant it here in the flowerbed. When I was weeding I found so many earthworms. It made me so happy. This place was a cattle pasture for years and years and then we built the house here. There were no worms. So to see them now is so nice. I even have a new leaf on my Comfrey. I do love my herbs. I need to get more mint this year.

I started my front flowerbed that has my hydrangeas. They are really starting to bud out. You can see I am not showing you the other side of the porch. Lets just say that this next flowerbed cleaning is going to be done with a shovel. It is so overgrown. It feels nice to have a few beds cleaned.

 

Because its spring, I had to make a wreath. I have had this wreath pinned on Pinterest for years. I always remember it in the summer and tell myself, next year I am going to make it. Yesterday I sat down and made it. It makes me happy. Its kind of gaudy but I think spring flowers are in a way.

So that is a little bit of things I have done this week. You are asking yourself about now, " Can she move?"
I think this evening is going to be tough as I haven't reached my 10,000 steps yet. For some reason my fit bit doesn't know about gardening. I need to fix that.

I hope you have a wonderful evening, its time for me to go fix something for dinner.

Thank you so much for stopping by,
~Kim~

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Pictures from a Zelda Photo Shoot

 

Our daughter-in-law, Makenzie is a photographer. I think she of course is one of the most talented photographers I have ever met. She is also very creative. I love that I am surrounded by such creative, and talented people. Makenzie had this idea to do a photo shoot with Nik and Emilie. She wanted to do a photo shoot with the new release of the video game Zelda. Emilie has always played each game since she was a kid. Makenzie put all of this together and I thought you might like to see these wonderful photographs.

 

Emilie said it was so cold, that there was ice on the ground. It looks other worldly to me. The flowers are from the place that Emilie worked. The bouquet is stunning.

 

 Mr. Nik. I loved this picture so much! We told them they could be models. I loved that the boutonniere was so pretty. Notice the tie and the cuff links? Makenzie thought of everything.

 

 I will have to have this one on my wall. I think it is just so pretty. I just love the woods. The setting is gorgeous.

 

Isn't this table just incredible? I loved that Makenzie thought of using moss as the table runner. I told Makenze there wasn't anything this pretty in Lord of the Rings or in Twilight. Looking at the pictures I expect to see fauns and fairies peeking through the trees.

 

The bridal shop provided the dress and the cape. Poor Emilie said she was so cold that she was afraid that that she was shaking so hard that it would show up in the photographs.

I love the lighting and the trees and that little stream. It reminds me so much of Rivendale from Lord of the Rings. So did the dress. I just thought I would share these with you. I have loved seeing them and I thought you might like them too.

It makes me wish I played video games.

~Kim~

“Happily ever after is not a fairy tale. It’s a choice.” (Fawn Weaver)

Chicks---Life is Good!

 

Tuesday this week I went to Meg's for Muchie's fifth (eeek!!) birthday. I think grand children grow up faster than our children did. When I walked in the garage, Megan had her 10 chicks. You know how chicks work right? Even though there were 14 in the box, when you have chicks, numbers are just guidelines, because you can never have too many chickens. It started on my drive home. Bad!! I could feel myself coming down with it. Its called chick fever. I told myself for three days, No chicks you do not need chicks yet!!! Yesterday it was a perfect spring day. It was warm. The air balmy. I told Ron to talk me out of it. He didn't. I decided I would just go look at them at Tractor Supply. Then I came home with 10 which is really 12.

I just don't have enough Bantams in my life so I got six. Its a game I will be playing called guess the breed of the bantam. I asked the girl what kind of bantams were in the horse trough, and she said, " Bantams." I said, "I know what kind are they?" She spoke more slowly like I was having a hard time hearing." B-A-N-T-A-M-S!!" I said, " No that is the variety, there are different breeds. " So I explained about bantams and she said, " Oh, okay now I understand, she said it just says straight run bantams so I guess you will just have to wait. I think I have a few Coachins because they have feathered feet.  The big hens I bought are 3 sexlinks and a kind I am not sure but I think they will end up being Red Stars. I am like a Scarlett in Gone with The Wind, " When I have a new hat, I can't think of a thing!" Only I wasn't wearing a hat, and chicks make everything go out of my mind.

For Christmas Ron bought for me a game camera. We have moved it around the place and have taken some interesting pictures. This week we got some really good ones so I thought you might to see what we got the other night.

The first is our cat, catching what I think is a mouse. Socks is 18 years old and you would never know it. She still hunts and when I walk she walks like a little dog with me. She prefers Ron though and when he is out working she will be someplace close to him.

The next is the skunk invader. I thought for a game cam it took really clear photos. Every time we upload pictures there is always something interesting.

Here is the skunk.

 

You can see by the time stamp what time it is in the morning. Here is another one.

 

Hopefully we will get some more pictures. We have something that goes around out there and I have looked through every online and book I have of animal tracks and I have never found it. Its been here since we moved here and I would really like to see what kind of animal it is so hopefully we will get a picture of that. It comes around in the summer.

 

Today is Emilie's birthday.  Twenty-six years ago, I was sitting on the front porch watching the sun come up. I knew that I had given birth to the other three in the house, but for the life of me I knew I couldn't do it one more time. We had been in a 10 year drought then and it started raining as I was in labor, and Ron and I walked in the rain. We lived on a street, with lots of girls my age and I remember walking down the street in the rain and doors would open and women would stick their heads out and say, " Kim are you in labor?" Then they would shut the door against the rain that was coming down. It was a lovely day. It rained for 30 days straight then the drought was over. I thought that there is nothing better than new babies in the spring, or new chicks. It makes life just all the sweeter.

It is Saturday and I am the ranch hand and Ron is changing blades on the mower so I need to get out there and do my ranch hand stuff. His list of things he wants to get done today is longer than daylight we have.

Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
—Margaret Atwood

Happy March!!

 

Happy March! It looks like March will be coming in like a lamb today. Its chilly, but I know by the afternoon it will be a perfect day. Sunshine and no clouds. The birds have lost their minds. Twitterpated I believe is the word. We had frost last night so I won't be doing much seed planting yet. I am going to buy so many zinnia seeds this year. The chick fever is heavy on me. I went to Megan's house yesterday and watched her chicks. There is nothing that says spring like chicks. Megan has started a You Tube channel called Hollar Homestead.  Ben has made some very nice gardening beds and it is just a fun place to visit.

 

The almond tree is already getting leaves. I was driving yesterday and I couldn't believe how many trees already have leaves.

Would you like to see my His Eye is on the Sparrow? I sort of got overwhelmed by the amount I have left to do so I put it down to do something I could finish.

His Eye is on The Sparrow.

Pattern by Heartstring Samplery Design by Beth Twist.

I am on the fifth page finally. I really do love the whimsical animals. With spring though, I always exchange my needle and thread for a hula hoe.

Here is a little sampler I found in my stash. It is full of stitches I have never done before and I wanted to challenge myself.

A pattern by Blackbird designs---A sew along.

I never finished this when we were supposed to in a sew along. I decided I would finish it now. See those eyelet stitches? I am so glad I learned to do them.

 

I ended up really loving them. Just don't make a mistake because they are a bear to rip out. I made a few mistakes.💙

Here is a rug that I have on my standing frame Ron made for me. Its my own pattern I have done so many times but it is hooking and I love hooking and it is just background. I can hook and still talk to people. I hope to finish it up this week.

I changed the words on it from Feed My Sheep to The Lord is My Shepherd. I just love sheep.

After it warms up today, I am going to work getting my berries all weeded. Its so nice to be out in the sun and the fresh air and feeling the warming soil beneath my hands.

Have a lovely March First.

~Kim~

"The wind, the wild brave wind, has carried off the last of the ice and snow. How wonderful the ground looks! The sharp sunlight falls like a blade on the meadow grasses, on the brown lawn, on the huckleberry bushes in the swamp. All the browns are distinct and beautiful, and why are they different from the browns of autumn? Perhaps the new life under the bark, under the root, makes them more glowing. Perhaps it is the quality of March light, keen as an etching tool."  March---The Book of Stillmeadow, by Gladys Taber.