My roots

The other weekend I had a wonderful time at a local Iroquois Indian celebration. There was alot of fine hand made goods, beautifully beaded medicine bags, wooden carved bowls, horsehair pottery and soft animal pelts.

These antler knives with their beaded cases are really cool.

There was also several displays on what the Iroquois used, cooked and wore every day. I also enjoyed the traditional songs and dances.

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Chicks gone wild

With the gang stuck inside all yesterday they were a holy terror when we let them out this evening. They kept going over the neighbors and up on the patio furniture, on top of the neighbors shed roof and harassing the kitten in the window. Our back yard was quite a sight, chairs knocked over and girls up on top of the tables, though I think the rooster might have liked his little risque chicks.

Chicks Gone Wild. Look for it in a store near you.

We were given some unwanted tomatoes, so with those combined with the bowl full we have and the neighbors we're gonna have a bit of tomato sauce to stick in the freezer or in some cans. YUM!


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Irene who?

Irene came and went and we came out unscathed, just a bit water logged. The gang was locked up nice and cozy while the wind blew and the rain fell. Even the garden didn't suffer any damage. Irene simply ran out of steam by the time she got to us.

Unfortunately others suffered downed trees, lack of electricity and even flooding. My father lost a few pet koi when the flood waters came two feet above the top of his ponds, all but four fish got swept away, sadly one died. His basement and barn all suffered much damage due to water as well. My heart goes out to those who experienced damage from the storm and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

The temperature turned cool and being stuck in the house I got in the baking mood. There was brownies and my favorite angel food cake, pound cake and for dinner a delicious Swiss Chard Tart with a fresh garden salad.

Risky

Life is full of risks, and the last week or so I've taken a risk every time I have put something in my mouth. I have been so sick and have no clue why or what it is I have. I've basically stopped eating all foods except yogurt, fluids, fruit and some veggies and I've been up most nights feeling sick, sick, sick. My pants fit better but weight gain and this freckled faced girl don't get along so well, meaning a struggle to put even half the weight back on (thanks to the genes from my father's side).

To top it off we awoke to a warm fridge yesterday, so we ended up not going to our prior arrangement. Surprisingly the thing is working again, though I'm not exactly sure just what it was I did to get it working, but I am awesome like that ~grin~.

So, here's to the weekend and hopefully kicking this (whatever it is) butt and devouring some food with substance. Mangia!

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Hurricane?

All the talk is on Hurricane Irene lately for those of us 'in her predicted path' those lucky fortunate bunch that we are. We have had enough rain already to drown a wooly mammoth and I'm starting to think I should have built a bloody Ark than that chicken coop that's now surrounded in swamp water. Only time will tell if we get enough water to swoop up the coop and have it barrelling down the creek out back. I'll tell you though I don't have that same fear living here as I did when living in Florida since there's really only one road in and out of that sea level, death trap of a state. I'm a country girl at heart. I'll take the mountains any day.



With the deluge of water coming our way our whole flock of characters have been free ranging most of the day today. Though the Turkeys really decided for me to let them out since they were on top of the coop roof already, with the Tom standing on top of the open window puffed up showing off his cockeyed tail, he's such a tart.


I just hope we don't get too much wind which will likely damage the tender leaves on the remaining plants, eapecially the long squash that has about ten of them growing now and the Luffa's (pic of luffa flower above) that have finally taken off.


Oh well, there's always next year.



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Where the sidewalk ends

The cukes in the side flower bed are thankfully taking off which I remembered to plant later in the season. The first planting of cukes in the garden are pretty well done for the year. We harvested quite alot of the porcelain white beauties. 

The tomatoes, which seeded themselves from last year, have green fruit on them and are doing alot better than the ones in the garden. The marigolds that I pulled out of the trash have given my daughter many blooms for the picking. All in all things are starting to wind down and die off thanks to the massive amounts of rain around here.

Pot o' potatoes

What's a person to do with limited garden space? Use pots!

 Well my little science experiment is growing strong. A few store bought potatoes started growing before I had a chance to use them (thanks to the heat), so I stuck them in a temporary pot. When I transplanted them into this bigger one there were a couple babies already growing, so even tho I can't see what's going on down there, I know it's got to be pretty good. You better believe these Irish eyes will be smiling all the way to the kitchen sink...hopefully with an armload of taters.



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Watch your step

Apparently now you not only have to watch where you step around here but also where you sit!

When we are home we try to let them free range in the yard as much as possible. I love it when they are first let free as they make such happy little sounds- especially the Turkeys!

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Mr. Studley

Here's our rooster Rod (as in Stewart). He looks good from the front but has a big bald spot on the back of his head from the girls pecking at his pin feathers. We've separated him but somehow he always manages to get back with his flock.

So I put his feathers in a ponytail with my daughters hair band to cover up his bald spot. He liked this even less than being separated from his women. It only lasted about two days but it did give his feathers more volume!

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Tom boy

Here's the little guy my daughter calls Tom Boy since she learned that a boy turkey is called a Tom. He's the one that got a chunk of his tail bit off by a dog. He's healed nicely but his feathers aren't coming in there and he's looking a little lop sided. I don't mind as long as the rest of him works so he can be a daddy (hopefully) next year!

The girls are so lucky to have such a handsome little chap!

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Woven lavender sachet

This Woven Lavender Sachet is for all my crafty comrades, who I've been neglecting lately here's a easy craft project that smells heavenly! 

For the Braided lavender sachet you'll need lavender (fresher the better) and 1/8" or 1/4" ribbon ( I used 1/4" grosgrain ribbon) and scissors.

First gather an odd number here I used seven pieces of lavender and lay them down with the bottom of the flowers even. Any clumps below this line simply remove.

Then knot the ribbon just below the flowers.

Carefully bend the stems over the mass of flowers. Since we will be weaving the stems you want to make sure the stems are spaced evenly all the way around. Don't worry if a stem breaks off ( I had a broken stem) just try to weave the first go around over the broken stem. Once you've weaved a couple of rounds the broken stem should stay in place.

Just be careful when weaving you don't break the stem also be aware of your tension on the ribbon, you do want to make sure the flowers are contained especially when nearing the end of the flower mass.

Continue weaving down the stem a bit and then cut the ribbon and the ends to even them up. Cut another piece of ribbon and make a bow at the end of the weaving to hide the ribbon end. Enjoy!

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Homemade bubble concoction

Well I took the plunge recently and entered a new level of homemade: Laundry Detergent. That's right folks I got a vat of the stuff.... well really a five gallon bucket of the gelatinous goop. And so far it's worked as well as the store bought stuff. I admit I've been wanting to try my hand at it for quite some time now and I was worried I'd have a bunch of useless bubbles that I'd have to some how get rid of. I did some research online and decided on making  a batch after the Duggar's recipe found at  http://www.duggarfamily.com/  just click on family resources and then recipe's.

I added 1 Fels-Naptha Laundry detergent bar (grated) to 4 cups hot water and stirred til dissolved (very strong smelling so don't store in a Tupperware container it won't come out- trust me) on stove over medium heat.

I also put hot tap water into a 5 gallon bucket (I used an old paint bucket thoroughly cleaned with a lid) but filled it less than half way (it's easier to stir that way) with 1 1/4 cup Washing Soda and 1/2 cup Borax and the melted soap mix, stir til dissolved.

Then I added hot water til almost filled and covered it with a lid and let sit overnight.

In the morning I stirred it with a extra long paint stick till mixed and then ladled it into a empty laundry container. I filled it 3/4 of the way and decided to NOT add any more water, but decided to just add less than the suggested 5/8 cup (or 1/4 cup for front load machines). I then added alot of Lavender and Peppermint oil to give the clothes a slight hint of clean smell. Just remember to shake the detergent before use, it separates.

The Fels-Naptha is REALLY strong (I'm not a fan of the scent) but my homemade detergent only had a slight hint of it, so don't get all worried. If 5/8 cup is used the Duggar's site says you should get approx 180 loads and if using 1/4 for front load you're looking at 640 loads. The only drawback I can see is storing the goop.


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Buggy

These bugs, the cicada, make really annoying sounds but have the most beautiful iridescent green wings. This one just came out of it's shell and soon that's all that will be left behind.

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Fourteen

Fourteen years ago today I said "I do" to the love of my life....looking forward to what the next fourteen will bring!

A good read: The help

For my final pick of a last minute summer read before the kids start the new school year is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The year is 1962 in Mississippi when it was common to have black maids. A time where segregation between blacks and whites is rampant throughout the south and a black person's life could be at risk just going out on the street. First there's Skeeter, a young white girl who is trying to find her place in the world and what to do with her life. Then you have Abileen a black maid who is now raising her seventeenth white child and Minny also a black maid who is fiesty and a force to be reckoned with. These three women together can create something great, but will they risk their lives doing it?

I loved this book and really enjoyed the outcome. This one was hard to put down, quite a page turner!


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A sad day

Sadly today my favorite rare Silver Sport Turkey died. One minute baby girl was alive and the next she was dead on the ground. The spunky little girl that she was gave her all fighting to get better. Unfortunately the head trauma she suffered did her in.

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Chicken coop update

Well the girl's coop is finally looking good! You would have never guessed looking at it that this coop started out as two shipping crates... not bad!  Shipping crates are posted here:  http://sewcarey.blogspot.com/2011/04/score.html#links

  The main things are complete but there are a few odds and ends that could be done on it. Now all we need is a couple loads of top soil so there won't be a pond in front of it every time it rains! We will also need to add a couple nesting boxes before they start laying in as soon as 1 1/2 months from now. Can't wait to eat our own fresh eggs!



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Ants and eagles

In Life sometimes you feel like the Ant and other times you feel like the Eagle.

 Either way the view is great but it's up to you to stop and enjoy it.

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Yet another

Well another long squash was picked and it measured 43" long. It tasted good sauteed with some water in the pan and sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper. It reminded me of potato with the consistency.



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She's better...almost

The rare Silver Sport Turkey is better and was let back in with the other three yesterday, but unfortunately today they let her know she was at the bottom of the food chain a little harshly. Her head is so badly swollen and bloody we had to seperate her. In a couple of days after she heals up a bit we'll try letting her be with them for increasingly longer periods.

A good read: Caleb's Crossing

Here is another fine summer beach-y vacation book to read that I couldn't put down. The Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brooks latest book Caleb's Crossing begins during the year 1660 on what is now Martha's Vineyard.  A young English Puritan girl named Bethia becomes secret friends with Caleb who is one of the American Indians there. Caleb's journey goes from not being able to read to becoming one of the first Native Americans to graduate from Harvard.


There are many struggles in this book including her father who is a minister trying to get the local tribes to convert to Calvinism. The characters seem so real even though the majority is fiction. There was however a Native American called Caleb who did graduate from Harvard and a copy of the actual document that he had written in Latin is in the book which I think is just awesome in the simple fact that It had survived undamaged for so many centuries. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Caleb's Crossing.



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Farm drama

What a day I had today. I'm so glad it's over. Not sure who's worse the kids or the animals.


The good news is theTurkey Tractor can now safely hold animals and all of the Turkey's are in their tractor but there are no wheels, so technically it's not really a tractor yet. The four of them were reunited today since the rare Silver Sport was brought inside to the ICU about 2 weeks ago. The reunion wound up not going smoothly- they ganged up on her to the point her head was all bloody. To remedy the situation I separated her using wire fencing I had on hand and put some Bag Balm on her wounds so they would heal. (Bag Balm is miracle cream- it helps heal wounds quickly- get yourself some).


The wire ended up not being a good thing for the other three due to the fact they kept pacing back and forth and the male injured himself rubbing his neck/ chest area so he too was bleeding. To remedy this subsequent situation I clothes pinned some weed screen so he'd rub on that instead and applied Bag Balm to him also.

Shortly after treating the Tom one of my son's comes outside and says he accidentally threw something and his brother was bleeding. Before I could put down my paint roller the injured son comes out and say's "I'm ok Mom, it's not deep. I don't need to go to the hospital"  (while holding a bloody kitchen towel to his head).

just great.


There's blood all over the floor in every room in the house (gotta love those head wounds). He's ok and doesn't really need stitches but man it sure does make your heart stop!

To top it off we are having issues with the computer, so if posts or pics are non existent you know why. I will post them as soon as possible, right now it's half working.

Definitely going to wake up on the other side of the bed tomorrow morning! Good night.


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The Cleverly's

These guys are all related and as you can see very talented, one of them is even blind. I really like their sense of humor with this song that they wrote about their friends funeral.

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Pansy salad

Tonight we had a salad fresh with pansy's from the garden and boy was it good! Everything was grown on the property: lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and pansy's. It almost looks like something Martha Stewart might serve up. I wish we could eat fresh salads like this year round.


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My garden buddy

Here's my little garden buddy, although I'm not sure just how much help he is in the garden other than killing the mice. He was hanging out while I pulled weeds (and the chickens waited patiently for them) and picked yet another big bowlful of tomatoes this evening.

He claimed his own spot right in the herb bed totally flattening the herbs planted there and thus killing them. Though I guess he figured it was his bed to begin with since it had his massive catnip plant in there (which is now drying). He also likes to hang out with the chickens as well. He's quite the character!


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The will to live

Here's a video from the Farm Sanctuary which is the very same company who's book I had highlighted in one of my 'A good read' here:    http://sewcarey.blogspot.com/2011/06/good-read-farm-sanctuary.html . 

In this video they eventually saved little one year old Maxine from the slaughterhouse. She had the will to live and had escaped from the slaughterhouse and was on the run in New York (the city not upstate).

While watching this video did you wonder what happened to those sick animals that are lying on the ground unable to get up on their own?

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Cock on the block

Our most annoying and thankfully only rooster, who crows not once or twice in a row but five to seven times consecutively wants everyone to know he's the big bad cock on the block. I am now certain every ear within a one mile radius can hear the annoying little bugger. Judging by his big bald head the girls want him to shut up as well, but being like some members of the male gender is hard headed and just hasn't gotten it.


Hey my little cocky rooster more isn't always better.


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A good read: Maine

Well, it's August now (where does the time go?) and for those of you planning on visiting the beach this book Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan is a good one to bring with you. All three generations of The Kellehers go to the family's beach house in Maine for the summer, which became the family property when a bet was won. It touches on female family relationships and the trials they face and how they put up with each other. I enjoyed how the story goes back and forth from the 50's to present day to help unfold the story with Alice being the main character. There is also some struggling with alcoholism, an unplanned pregnancy and a tragedy that has been kept a secret for decades, whether it comes out into the open or not, well you'll just have to read it. An easy read that I couldn't put down. I'm sure you'll find one of the ladies you will really connect with.


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Today's harvest

I finally harvested one of my long squash today. So excited to cook this bad boy and dry some of the seeds! There also were a bunch of Roma's ripe for the picking and five Black Krim which I'm eager to taste which originated in Russia, my ancestors home place.

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