Happenings on the Homestead

                                                                        Rats!

Dear Friends,

Sorry to gross you out with the rat photo, but our cat thankfully caught this one in our garage, before it made its way into the house (eek!). We do have brown rats and wood rats in our area

Early spring is springing here in the Ozarks of Missouri! I honestly feel like I'm still recovering from Christmas, but it's time to start getting the garden in order and spending lots of time pulling weeds and preparing beds. We invested in a couple of fancy "garden towers" to hopefully have a place that chickens and cats can't get into, and deer and rabbits won't eat. Plus it will save my back from bending over!

I have also been going through my apothecary, sorting jars and bottles of tinctures, and consolidating and formulating them. The formula we use the most is "Being a Girl is Fun," a blend I came up with to help my girls with monthly menstrual cramps and hormonal woes. I have soooo many herbs! Every year I plan on getting a building made for them. Lord willing, this year will be the one! 

 

On Valentine's Day we indulged in some yummy chocolate treats, including chocolate-covered strawberries. I think I ate my years' allotment of chocolate in one weekend!

On Valentine's Day morning I slipped and ran my big toe into a board by the back door, so I have hobbling around, but still getting things done. Having a mortal body can be hard!  At least I tend to injure different body parts when I do, so they're not all out of commission at once.

Our Thanksgiving cactus has sure been putting on a show lately! The Christmas cactuses I inherited from my grandmother haven't bloomed at all this winter, so I was grateful to at least have a little color on the windowsill during the dull days outside.

The ticks are already out, along with the mosquitoes, flies, bees, hornets, and every other insect you can think of. Rebecca was stung on the shoulder by a bee whilst enjoying some fresh air. Such is nature!

I hope this finds you well, in whatever corner of the world you may be at the time. 

Love,

Marqueta

Christmas is Coming (Already!)

 

Dear Friends,

It's cold outside! Just when we thought that summer was going to hang on forever, Mother Nature decided to put the AC on. We even had a little bit of snow this week, which is unusual for this part of Missouri.

Two of my girls passed their learner's permit tests and are now able to work on receiving their driver's licenses. Once they're done with that, I will only have one child left to teach to drive!

We cleaned our front room and put up the little pre-lighted tree, along with the garlands for the stair railing, etc., last Saturday. It was very eye-opening to see how much clutter and dust had collected under the couch since the last time we cleaned (I will spare you photos). With us all so busy running here and there, thank goodness for Christmas to have a chance to deep clean!

Mr. Graham has spent quite a few weeks suffering from a bad cold and pneumonia, so he hadn't been able to meet our daughter Tasha's new baby Gideon. He was very happy when he could finally hold the little bundle of joy! Children are such a delight and blessing, even though they come at great sacrifice.

I hope that you are staying warm if it's cold where you are, and if you're in the Southern hemisphere, I hope you're staying cool!

Many blessings to you,

Marqueta

A Little Chicken Catastrophe on the Homestead

Dear Friends,

Greetings from the Ozarks! I hope this finds you well.

The oak trees in our area have been getting diseases and dying. We had what looked like a nice healthy tree in our goat pen when we first moved in, under we were going to build a goat barn. Thank goodness we did not, because I noticed a few years ago that it was dying. It rotted quickly and I knew it was not going to be good when it fell.

One of the large trunks fell a while ago, crushing some of the fencing between the goat and chicken pen. Then this week, I had just gotten home from work and was washing the dishes when I heard a loud crash. Evangeline saw it from the upstairs window, and we both ran outside, fearing for the worst. Mercifully, the chickens were all still out in the yard, except for one hen that was broody in the nest box. 

 The nest box was completely destroyed, and the hen escaped with quite a few feathers torn off her breast and what looks like a dislocated jaw, but she seems to be doing all right. This chicken coop was the first one we built (with the grateful help of a few friends), and so was given the name "the old coop." Thankfully we do have other coops the chickens can sleep in until we can get it rebuilt.

We'll be heading to the building supply center soon for new lumber to replace the nest box, and sheet metal to replace the roof. The only dilemma will be, what do we call the "old coop" now? :)

Love,

Marqueta

We Have a New Home on the Internet!

Dear Friends,

Just popping in after a long absence to let you all know that I have a website for my herbal business, with a blog featuring stories and information about herbs and nutrition. The website is https://blossomandbirdsong.com/

I hope to see you there!

Love,

Marqueta

 

Midsummer Fun

Dear Friends,

Happy summer to you! We have been busy working in the garden, and keeping up with all the crazy places that the chickens are trying to make into nests!

 

 

We've been learning about bumble bees, and watching them make their way through all the flowers.

Fairy houses were made for Midsummer's Day. They were made festive with various flower petals and leaves.

This last picture is a swing made for the fairies' benefit. I'm sure they enjoyed it!

We hope that you are having a lovely summer, and we pray for those of you who are suffering from extreme temperatures. We know it must be hard!

Love,

Marqueta

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To Summer

William Blake - 1757-1827

O Thou who passest thro’ our vallies in
Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat
That flames from their large nostrils! thou, O Summer,
Oft pitched’st here thy golden tent, and oft
Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld
With joy, thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair.

Beneath our thickest shades we oft have heard
Thy voice, when noon upon his fervid car
Rode o’er the deep of heaven; beside our springs
Sit down, and in our mossy vallies, on
Some bank beside a river clear, throw thy
Silk draperies off, and rush into the stream:
Our vallies love the Summer in his pride.

Our bards are fam’d who strike the silver wire:
Our youth are bolder than the southern swains:
Our maidens fairer in the sprightly dance:
We lack not songs, nor instruments of joy,
Nor echoes sweet, nor waters clear as heaven,
Nor laurel wreaths against the sultry heat.

 

Summertime on the Farm

Dear friends,

It has been a hot, dry summer here in the Ozarks! We've been busy watering everything, along with harvesting and processing the vegetables from the garden. 

Here is a video tour of our big garden out back~ https://youtu.be/MW8N9AnM3wI

The kids are getting bigger and more naughty than ever. Their mothers went back to our friends who have a place to keep them now, so they have decided that if their mothers went somewhere, they're going to go somewhere, too! They were jumping over the electric fence to get into the garden, so I became desperate and started hiding in the garden and popping them with a bb gun every time they jumped over, hoping they would think if was the fence and not I. It seems to have worked, since they haven't gone in for about four days now, as opposed to every time I turned around, like before. They also like to join the neighbors' cows in their pasture, which is completely eaten down and only has grass.

Books are on the menu today~

On the bunny front, we caught a cottontail bunny out in the field a couple of months ago and raised it up, but it really wasn't happy, so we released it in a good spot away from other people's garden.

My, what big eyes you have!

Our second doe rabbit had nine bunnies, and we've found homes for seven of them so far. When it's hot, rabbits have a hard time cooling off, so we've been freezing jugs of water and placing it in their cages to lie next to.

The butterflies have been quite abundant this year, especially on the wildflowers and zinnias. We love raising flowers to bring in the pollinators, because it helps us to have a better garden overall.

The lemon squash and burpless cucumbers have done the best out of everything in the garden, so far. For a month now they've really been putting out the fruit, and I've had to get really creative with hiding squash in breads, pancakes, etc. Out of fifty tomato plants, we had an okay harvest, but between the hornworms, goats, and a blight, they are limping along. Thankfully we've found other sources of tomatoes to put up salsa, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and juice.

And last, but not least, my oldest son has made himself a shirt, to advertise his own Youtube channel. How clever is that!

May you be blessed as you finish the rest of this summer. Stay cool, dear friends!

Love,

Marqueta

Spring Time Is Here!

Dear Friends,

My apologies for the long absence! My computer was being naughty, and then my firewall said my blog had a virus and wouldn't allow me to access it. Hopefully we'll have better luck from now on.

We've been blessed to have lots of farm babies lately.

We're taking care of our friends' goats until they find a new home, and they had kids (one had 5!). Our dog also had five puppies (anyone want one?). And our rabbit just had five bunnies!

 

I hope that you are doing well.

Love,

Marqueta

The Doll's Faire

Dear Friends,

Our family's dolls recently had their eleventh Autumn Faire to celebrate the harvest and handicrafts.

There were displays of various kinds, such as this one for savoury food~

A doughnut stand with delicious chocolate-covered pastries~

This is "C&D's Eat Place," where one could buy yummy sandwiches and bubbly drinks!

The hand-made book display is always a favourite!

~And don't forget the handicrafts and botanical displays (I helped make the orange pajamas and nightgowns)!

I hope you enjoyed our little Faire. We certainly did!

Love and blessings,

Marqueta

Cannin' Days Are Here

Dear Friends,

Happy September to you!

The long, hot days of summer are beginning to wane at last (although this week we are seeing temperatures near 90!). The slant of the sun has changed, making us squint when we go out at mid-day.

We have been harvesting and drying as many herbs and greens as we can, to last through the winter. Our "temperate tulsi" from Strictly Medicinal Seeds has grown into a sea of leaves and flowers that taste clove-like and sweet. I am very pleased with this plant, and highly recommend the seeds.

I also ordered a Japanese Potted Vine (Immortality Plant) from Strictly Medicinal Seeds, and it is finally starting to take off onto its tomato cage trellis. This one is not cold hardy, so we will have to bring it inside soon.

There are always a few surprises in the gardens (evidence of the existence of fairies?). This year we have a lovely melon plant growing in the middle of the herb garden!

And our pullets surprised us by starting to lay eggs at five months of age, instead of the usual six.

We've been canning tomatoes and peaches, and drying and freezing pears the neighbors gave us, and plums from the local Mennonite bulk store. Our small Bartlett pear tree had its fruit stripped by some creature in the night (probably raccoons), while this pear is still loaded with fruit, which we will be canning soon. We think it is a Comice pear, since it has a grainy texture and thick skin. If we can get all the fruit, there would be enough for around 100 quarts or so of sauce and preserves. Time to buy more jars!

I hope that you have had a fruitful summer as well, in spite of the heat and bug bites!

Love,

Marqueta

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Canning Time by Edgar A. Guest

There’s a wondrous smell of spices

In the kitchen,

Most bewitchin’;

There are fruits cut into slices

That just set the palate itchin’;

There’s the sound of spoon on platter

And the rattle and the clatter;

And a bunch of kids are hastin’

To the splendid joy of tastin’;

It’s the fragrant time of year

When fruit-cannin’ days are here.

There’s a good wife gayly smilin’

And perspirin’

Some, and tirin’;

And while jars on jar she’s pilin’

And the necks o’ them she’s wirin’

I’m a-sittin’ here an’ dreamin’

Of the kettles that are steamin’,

And the cares that have been troublin’

All have vanished in the bubblin’.

I am happy that I’m here

At the cannin’ time of year.

Lord, I’m sorry for the feller

That is missin’

All the hissin’

Of the juices, red and yeller,

And can never sit and listen

To the rattle and the clutter

Of the sound of spoon on platter.

I am sorry for the single,

For they miss the thrill and tingle

Of the splendid time of year

When the cannin’ days are here.