Wordless Wednesday

 

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share the goings-on 

here in our Piedmont homestead.

This will be short and sweet,

as I am still having difficulty loading pictures

onto the computer from my phone,

and I don't have the first clue how to fix that.

The good news is...

the monarchs are back in FULL FORCE!

We are absolutely crawling in caterpillars,

and you won't hear one complaint from me.

Making it even sweeter, is the fact that I 

didn't plant any milkweed this year,

these are all volunteers!

By the time this is posted, there will be many

caterpillars searching for a cozy spot

to form their chrysalis to make

the transformation into the beautiful

orange and black butterflies we love so much.

What a thrill to see all of these

critters devouring our plants,

knowing that there will be a few more beauties

in the world.

There were more pictures to share,

but it's so frustrating trying to post them,

that I only added a few.

Have you seen any monarchs where you are?

The other not-so-good news,

is that our dear Saffron is dying.

She took sick suddenly,

as most chooks do.

Chooks are known for hiding illness,

lest they be preyed upon by other animals,

or even their own kind.

I did everything I knew to figure it out,

and treated her with several natural remedies.

I finally found a vet that treats chooks,

but they were not available for 5 days.

When they finally did come,

the vet told me she thinks it might be

a tumor that is affecting her internal organs.

She gave us some pain meds,

and we've been treating her daily.

To her credit, I really didn't expect her to live this long.

She was on death's door just a few days ago,

so I will do what I can to keep her comfortable.

I'm happy to report that yesterday,

she took a walk in the woods with her sisters,

and seemed to be breathing easier.

I know we don't have long with her,

but I'm glad to know that at least

I did what I could and that she's had a good life with us.

Her buddies have been keeping her company,

which just melts my heart.

Sorry for the short post,

there are some things to report in the garden,

but along with the technical issues,

I haven't much been in the mood to chat.

I hope your weekend brings you all good news...

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings.

Our Piedmont home and garden is coasting toward autumn.

Here's what's been going on around here.

The zinnias and other beauties keep on comin'

and adding a touch of summer to the indoors.

The container is actually an old pitcher

my momma used to store milk in when I was young.

What a treasure!

The squash vines just keep on-a-sprawlin',

and are invading any bare ground they find.

We haven't had rain in a couple of weeks,

but you'd never know it by these crops.

It looks like we'll have a nice harvest

of red ripper beans.

This variety is always easy to germinate,

has no pest issues,

and provides months of pods to pick.

We let them dry on the vine,

so they are ready for storage for the rest of the year.

The teepee turned out well and will definitely be repeated.

Although we've had a fairly mild summer,

this week's higher temperatures

boosted the growth of the loofah.

We once again have gourds growing on our gazebo frame,

providing much needed shade for the chooks.

Although these can be eaten when picked small,

we will most likely leave them to grow

so that they can be given away as loofah "sponges".

Pumpkins keep showing up,

in various sizes, shapes and patterns.

Seminole pumpkin

Some were planted,

and some are volunteers,

and I have absolutely no idea

what variety they are.

It's the most success I've had with squash,

so I'll gladly give them a home.

The nasturtiums cheerfully fill in

some of the Birdie's beds.

The flowers added to the veggie beds

attract pollinators to work their magic.

Next season, more flowers will be added

around the veg garden.

It's a win-win!

Some time was spent this week

harvesting herbs from the designated bed.

There is no dark room in our home in which to dry them,

so I simply use paper sacks to accomplish the task.

Here, we have oregano, which will be placed in the food processor

so that we have it for the entire year.

The Monarchs butterflies are here!

One was spotted early on in the week,

and we have the milkweed plants to support them.

Here you can see the aphids that are covering the milkweed,

but not to worry.

After some observation,

I noticed that the plants where this lil' mystery guy (gal) resided,

the aphids were gone.

So, I've been moving them from plant to plant

in hopes that they will take care of the aphid problem.

This will create a healthier milkweed plant

whenever the Monarch cats decide to show up.

I choose to use the natural approach to gardening,

and don't spray or otherwise interfere with Mother Nature.

She knows what she's doing.

Once our baby chooks started laying,

they have been cranking out eggs like crazy!

We are getting almost 2 dozen weekly,

although they are smaller than the average size egg.

They will increase in size as the girls get older.

Feeling very rich, indeed!

3 out of 4 of our baby olive eggers

Speaking of the babies,

would you look at this?

There are three nesting boxes in our 

Omlet Pro coop,

and yet, they all want to lay in the same one

at the same time!

They seem to be working this out,

but now we have one broody hen 

who refuses to leave the box all day!

Every two hours, we take her out,

so that she can eat and stretch her legs.

It's always something,

but our lives are richer because of them,

so we will deal with any drama that comes up.

The three older girls, or as they are also known,

the bullies, get free range time at least once daily.

They live in their own run,

as they are merciless with the babies.

They seem to be enjoying their freedom,

and are very good about staying close to home.

Betty eating homemade applesauce

I'm sorry to report that our sweet Betty passed in the last few weeks.

She was a good friend to our beautiful Queenie,

her twin sister Wilma, and dear Ruby. 

I hope they are all together somewhere 

and catching all the crickets they can eat!

With each chook passing, I am getting better

at dealing with it and giving them some comfort.

It's never easy losing a beloved pet,

but I know that they've had a good life with us,

and I send them off with love and peace

(and a boatload of tears).

May September usher in for you

new adventures and a peaceful heart.

Homestead Happenings

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on here

on our Piedmont NC property.

Tropical storm Debby made Her way through our area,

bringing over 3 inches of rain, fierce winds

and a short loss of power.

All is fine here,

and the chooks were all kept on lock down

for the event.

 

Speaking of chooks,

our babies are now laying.

We had a full dozen eggs last week,

after months of having to purchase eggs

from other chicken keepers.

The girls are earning their keep!

The gorgeous olive-colored eggs will get bigger with time.

In the veg garden, the sweet potatoes

have been savoring every drop of rain.

The vines are now overflowing from their bed.

Looking forward to having sweet spuds in the fall.

A couple of new Cushaw squash have been spied

on their trellis.  The Seminole pumpkins are growing,

but have not yet ripened to harvest.

These two squashes will be staples in the garden

from now on.

Red ripper beans are coming along on the teepee,

along with some stringless green beans.

I have enjoyed watching the teepee fill in,

and will likely add a few more next spring.

All of the volunteer squash vines are sprawling

in every available spot.  

Thankfully, there is ample space,

and we'll see what we get by season's end.

A volunteer pumpkin near our pollinator bed

is starting to change color.

I have no idea what it is,

or how big it's supposed to get,

so I guess we'll just watch it and take our best guess

for harvest time.

Another volunteer,

near the sweet potato bed,

seems to be some type of melon.

There are quite a few fruit on the vine,

and I fear that the trellis I secured will not be enough

to hold them all.

It's so exciting to see all of this mystery food appear!

Last week, we had temperatures in the 90's,

and we took full advantage of the new

mister fans we picked up.

Here, Betty is getting some much-needed relief,

bless her skinny lil' self.

I've also used them for myself on the front porch,

not only for cooling, but to keep mosquitoes at bay.

The fan can be used without the mister, if desired.

The spiderwort border near the chicken run

had been cut back severely a couple of months ago,

as they were looking mighty raggedy.

With the ample rain we've had,

they are coming back strong.

It's so nice to have fresh blooms

when other things are looking so tired and worn out.

Speaking of fresh blooms,

the zinnias are popping up

in every shade imaginable.

The combination colors are one of my favorites.

This display is just under my bedroom window,

and it brings me such joy

when I open up my curtains in the morning

and am greeted with this beautiful sight.

It reminds me at the beginning of my day

just how blessed we are.

The cactus zinnias are another favorite

and grace our garden every summer.

The milkweed plants must be 6 feet tall,

but so far, no monarchs have been spotted.

We'll keep an eye out though,

as it should be within the next few weeks

that they will start devouring these plants.

This year, there were many volunteer milkweed,

so we have an abundant supply for the caterpillars to enjoy.

What wonderous things are happening on your homestead?

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday,

where we share what's going on in our

Zone 7b Piedmont homestead garden.

Between nursing my injured back

and some technical difficulties,

it's been a while since I've checked in.

Fall is in full swing,

as the colors and temperatures are showing us. 

As I write this, it's 30 degrees outside.

This picture was taken at a nearby park,

where sister and I enjoyed a long hike

before the frosty mornings hit.

 

 

The mums in the front porch bed make it known

that autumn is indeed here to stay.

These are paired with a purple version,

and are spilling over onto the walkway.
 

 

This goldenrod recently came up in our yard,

right over the septic tank area.

It's a bright pop of color in a sea of oregano

that had been planted there by someone else.

Some surprises are a good thing.

 

This clematis had been moved from

the back of the house, which was much too shady,

to the fencing around the chicken run.

It finally decided to grace us with a bloom!

 

Garlic was planted in one of our 3X8 beds

last week.

I bought garlic seed from Sow True Seed this year,

as the last two years,

our heads have been on the small side.

 

We had enough to fill the entire bed, 

with a handful of smaller cloves leftover.

This harvest is always shared with sister.

The leftovers were added to a flower bed as a border.

 

Placing some welded wire stakes across the top of the bed

should deter the squirrels from digging in the soil.

This bed has drip irrigation, which we are still able to use through the colder months. 

Cover crops were also sown in a couple of beds

and germinated within 3 days!

 

The sweet potato harvest was a bit disappointing.

We got about eight and a half pounds.

The foliage was not as abundant as in past years,

so I wasn't that surprised.

I'm thinking maybe I didn't water enough.

 

They are curing in our coat closet for a few weeks.

Then they will be ready for eating!

 

One of the pots of turmeric had cracked open,

so I replanted it in a bigger pot.

I will do the rest in the spring,

as they are all in need of repotting.

For now, they will spend the winter in the garage,

along with the aloe vera.

 

A few of the tubers were removed for use.

It can be used as a tea, or grated right into any dish.

Turmeric is one of the best things to aid with inflammation.

Poor Wilma.

She is molting something fierce,

and with this cold snap,

I pray that she will be okay.

Several of the chooks have already gone through

the molting process, so our egg production

has gone down just a bit.

They are enjoying their greens and cabbage every week.

Sometimes I think I need to grow these things just for them.

They are worth any trouble it might be.

How are things in your fall garden?