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Malinda and Adam

Stiff, Sore, and Happy

The new coop. I told him we should just call it a chicken BARN. That is what it looks like to me. My Lovin' Husband does nothing in half measures. He just doesn't always measure... :) I don't encourage him to, either. Then we'd NEVER get done... Things like this amuse me. A bee in the beebalm. That makes me happy. Do you think that when beebalm was first called beebalm it was for this reason? I mean, bees like other flowers, too, right? So why was this plant INPARTICULAR called beebalm? Maybe they liked these flowers more than any other. I don't know. I'll have to look it up.

Peas for next year.

I am going to put a weathervane on the roof and hang a metal windchime from the "predator perch" as Adam calls it. I don't know why. I mean it's not like there is a cat climbing on the new coop as I type or anything... ;)

Squash, corn, sunflowers... and BoJangles. Let us not forget him... The garden is coming along nicely. We have been weeding like fools and have clean beds to show for it. Not pictures, though, because my backside was right next to Adam's and we weeded and weeded. We weeded so much that when I close my eyes I can see them!

We're off to a town far away to teach a boy who is learning to tear up the guitar. It takes both of us and that kid can flat play.. He is going to be a very versatile musician (already is) when he finishes growing up. I've never been so happy to have to leave and go teach. The weeds can just sit there and wait on us til tomorrow while we have fun with the kid and his guitar.

Dog Days in June...

The dahlia's have been blooming for a couple of weeks, but the red ones are always later. I found them yesterday... Are these persimmons?? And if so, do raccoons eat them? If you know the answer to my question, please email me!! www.music.farm@hotmail.com

Evening on the front porch.

Adam is calculating for his chicken coop roof building. He said to me yesterday, "Baby, this is gonna be the most complicated roof I've ever built." Watch out. When this comes together well, he'll be wanting to make buildings just to try different roofs! I love him... and am quite proud. Neither of us are any kind of carpenter and despite ourselves it seems as though we're building something that a)won't fall down b)will keep the rain and sun off of the chickens and c)has a cool roof :) and d)will, when we are finished, deter predators such as owls and raccoons. (Notice this is not the first time I have mentioned raccoons in this post...more on that later...)

We measure twice and then hopefully only cut once. That has been the case thus far. See the new coop in the back kind of? The walls are done and we framed out a door. Now for the roof. Today is gonna be a busy day, folks.

We could buy stock in kiddie pools. This is the new "pond" for the chickens. We put the block in the middle so that it didn't blow over and it has turned into a little island. ("No chicken is an island", ya know... ) I don't know why it makes me happy that they stand on that concrete block. It just does.

The chickens have been so SO HOT in this hundred degree weather we've been having. They just pant. Did you know that chickens can't sweat? Really. I'm not joshin'. When they get really hot the hold their wings out from their little bodies and let them droop. It looks funny, but they might catch a breeze like that. They drink lots of water (we add fresh water a couple times a day) and they open their beaks and pant and just sit or stand real still in the shade until it cools off.

Bee Balm Blooming By the Barn

Have a wonderful day!

M

Busy is Good

The peas are but a fond memory... They were good while they lasted, but I tell you I am GLAD to have the room in the garden. Adam took down one trellis and I (yes ME) took down the other. He tilled the beds while I was teaching yesterday. The chickens got the vines...

The little chickies did, too. They are growing like crazy and we are mostly done with the coop. Have to get some shade cloth and chicken wire and that project will be OVER. Thank the good Lord.

Here is the garden from the back. I'm excited about the corn... mmmm....

Adam planted a new kind of cucumber this year called White Wonders. They are groing well and we are excited to try them.

The bee balm by the barn is blooming. It is so pretty.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Love,

Malinda

Festival Time.... almost...

We played at our friends family reunion yesterday. It reminded me of how close we are getting to festival time. I love everything about it. How hot it is (I actually do wear sunscreen - I buy a can on the way!!), how there is music everywhere, the people who go to hear and see and do, the kids running around in their cute little square dancing outfits.... I have the most fun with the Lovin' Husband. We visit with our musician friends, look at the art booths, sit in the shade and pick, eat greasy food, and then start all over again!!

I try never to live for certain days, but I find myself so excited to attend these festivals that I'm thinking about them awfully hard!!
Have a good day!!!!

M

the other side...

I would just like to say one thing...

Birds of a feather... how do they KNOW that?? :) We will be eating this very squash today. Mmmmm...

and this lovely zuccini, as well...

We will not be eating Mr. Ladybug.

This is my first bit of echinacea ( I have no clue if I spelled that right) this year. They're fun to watch bloom and I think the middle looks neat. If you stare at the red part long enough, you can see all sorts of designs.

Adam's Dad is a yard-sale-aholic and found this lovely potato (all of the sudden I can't remember the name of it) fork? spade? All I know is that it is supposed to be used to dig up potatoes and it does a dandy job!! (Adam was proud of his pose, here...)

This is where our new deluxe scrapwood chicken coop is going to be. We sunk the posts and are now moving on to the framing out of it. We'll be able to do away with the coop you see, keep the old one that you can't see as a shady place for the chickens in the summer, and integrate our three separate flocks into one once we are finished with the new coop. I'll be able to help feed and water them more then. It has become a really fun project for Adam and I and we're looking forward to it being finished. I can't decide what to paint on it. I will agonize over this for weeks and weeks before we come up with just the right thing!!

The grass...

is always greener....

on the other side....

Happy day, my friends. Hug somebody today and tell them you are happy that they are your friend...

Much love,

Malinda

An Experiment

Remember when I told you that Adam bought me 125 pounds of potatoes?? We decided that planting them all in the garden would kind of limit us on space for ANYTHING else, so we started a couple of experiments. We have heard of growing potatoes in hay bales, spare tires, and so on and figured that with 125 pounds of potatoes, we had room for error. So here is the first round of creative potato growing. *don't think we're done yet, either** Mary is trying to see if the bins are dog proof. (Which they are. Cat proof, too! We made lids...)
So first Adam got some good compost/dirt out of what we call The Pile from out behind the shed and them made a 3 inch or so layer on the ground (which we did NOT turn under).

Then put the taters EYES UP in said composty dirt stuff. Speaking of... that is Adam getting the goodness from The Pile. *Note to self - get wheelbarrow*

Then cover with more dirt goodness (I think about another 2-3 inches or so) and finally cover with straw.

After the potatoes start growing up through the straw, you keep adding dirt/straw/dirt/straw until you fill up your bin. *In theory, mind you, we haven't ever done this before.*
We've heard that this is a great way to grow potatoes and that usually the yield is very high.

Guess we'll find out. I'll keep ya posted...

There is Hope...

Two months from now, I'll go out to the garden and see things like this:

There will be no more cold fronts - no more frosts. Now - am not wishing the time away. I enjoy my days, but I'm goin' CRAZY. I'm ready for the cold to be less frequent. Not that the weather should be based upon what I want, but I'm COLD. :)

We've planted potatoes, onions, peas, kohl rabi, and turnips and transplanted a TON of garlic. There are more potatoes in the house waiting for us to do something with them and I still have to get some broccoli in the ground. Lettuce too. Maybe a quarter of the garden is weeded and ready - our neighbor is fixing our tiller. We didn't want to use it, but will have to just to keep up for the spring, anyway. So we have garden prep to do, still, and getting beds ready (we do a funky kind of semi drought resistant raised bed system). We are also wanting to start some rain barrels this year.

There are five 3 day old kittens on the back porch (that will need a home in 5 weeks and 4 days) and 30 chickens on the deck in a pen that keep reminding us to build them a permanent home. They're not ready for it yet, but will be soon and we need to get busy! We are also looking for mutt homes. I have TOO MANY dogs and they are driving me NUTSO. If you need a mutt, let me know. I can help.

It is time to start tomato and pepper seeds and also time to be planting some apple, pear, and cherry trees, methinks. We're gonna cash in ye olde change jar and see how many trees that'll get us.

On top of all that is lesson preparations for students, lessons, house cleaning, window washing, church stuff, and music playing. One of Adam's friends down at Flat Creek Market gave us a four track digital recorder with an MP3 encoder, so we have a new toy to play with.

All this being said... I have plenty to fill my time until I can bite into a juicy, homegrown, bright red and purple heirloom tomato. That thought alone will get me through the spring time craziness!!!

I love life, I really do. I'm happy to be alive and see all that God has created - to be a part of it. There is so much to experience and do in this one short lifetime that I feel full of God's love and am in wonderment of His beautiful creation. I feel rich with all He has given my husband and I.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Keep warm!!!

Love,

Malinda

ps. I tried to separate my sentence groupings, but good ole blogger keeps putting them back together again...

I Miss Summer...

Make a wish!! (Please don't try to blow the seed thingies off of the dandelion. They won't blow away and you'll get your computer screen all dirty...)

I like how this is a perpetual wish. Kind of a wish in the making...