Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Garden and Farm and Home

I have been going full speed last few days. Right now it's over 90, so I am taking a break in front of a fan. I am mulching everything I can, this so helps with less weeding, and holds water in longer. I canned more quarts of milk and quarts of green beans. Froze milk and eggs, and some cream(the only things you can not do with cream that has been frozen, is whip it. I make butter, ice cream and cheese with it as time allows). Thank you Lord, for a great garden and a milk cow who is giving more milk ( over 3 1/2 gallons a day, now)than I can keep what with, and 80+eggs to eat and eggs to put under hens( meat this winter). I hoed up another row of potatoes. One of our hens hatched 3 more chicks ( total so far this spring 11 chicks). I have got to find time (somewhere) to make strawberry jam, and I'm almost out of butter. The Lord has really blessed our farm and garden again. I am putting up everything I can get my hands on. Our daughter is bring in more blackberries than I can keep up with and finding them in places they were not in before. I know it's going to be a very long, hard winter. And the Lord is providing food now to put up. Usually, when our garden and farm do above average, the winter coming has been hard and long. It has happened three different years, here. So that is why I am preparing more than I normally do, not just because of our economy and our income dropping to a third. This blog, Becky's Farm Life , has gotten some many hits, from people looking to stock up on food and stretch their money, I know the Lord is trying to prepare them too. I am just trying to help all I can. It's becoming my mission for the Lord. People, I talk to face to face think I'm crazy for telling them to stock up and get ready. So the Lord showed me to start this blog, and they will come, and they have. Please if any of you have ideas to add, please do so. As we are to help one another. And again, I don't have all the answers, just telling what I know and what has worked here on our farm for years.

Tommy still has not gotten the gas line fixed under the house. So I am glad I have a gas stove top outside( this is where I can in the summer). In a way it's a blessing, I can cook simpler meals,and the kitchen does not get so hot. Last night, we had eggs and bacon and toast and milk. I just have to keep an eye out for the cats, they think it's their dinner. I am checking all my stored things as I go to the store next week. I have cut going to town to every two weeks, it would be once a month but I don't have room to store that much animal feed. As it is I get 700 lbs, every two weeks, this feeds 3- cows, 30 chicken, 4- dogs, 4- cats, 6- kittens. Do you need a kitten? And many food we need for the next 2 weeks, I am so blessed to have a truck big enough to carry it all. When I come home from a day in town, the truck is packed tight. And usually takes us about 3 hrs. to get everything put up.

The milk cow has been giving me a hard time. She was in her worse heat the other night. She want to play with the bull more than she wanted to eat and get milked. It took me 3 1/2 hours to milk her out, usually 20 min's. She a great milk cow for it being her first year milking. Tommy says, It's a female thing, men think they know it all. I have another chicken wanting to sit on eggs, I will let her in a few days. I have strawberry runners to cut off, and sucker the tomatoes, clothes to wash and hang out side. Hope every one has a blessed day. So I better get up from in front of this fan and get more things done today.

Becky

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