Melting!

As many of you already know we are living through one of the HOTTEST summers in a long time. We have lost two chickens to the heat, but all of the other animals are doing well. We are checking on the animals several times a day in this heat, making sure that they all have cool water to drink during the day. The garden didn't do as well as I had hoped this year, but that is OK. I am getting ready to plant my fall garden. I grew a new type of cabbage this year that is actually doing very well, it is called

Couer De Beouf Des Vertus. I have NO idea how to pronounce it, but it is growing well, though it is very vulnerable to the c

abbage worm so I have to go out and hand pick the worms and eggs, but I am about to harvest the cabbage and I bet that it will be worth it. I just love cabbage and I am so excited to try this one!

Here is what it looks like. Please be sure to support you local farmers, without you we would soon cease to exist!

Happy New Year!

I can hardly believe that another year has gone by. 2008 flew by as if it were only a month long. It is true that the older you get, the faster time goes by. Life is still busy here, even in winter. The chickens are still laying eggs, though not as many. I am busy composting and putting leaves on my garden to protect my soil from the freezing temps. The chickens love to scratch it off just so I can put it back again! We have adopted a few more chickens and a duck as well. We also had our first clutch of ducks hatch and that was SO exciting. The babies are now larger than their mum. We have one chicken named Pumpkin who is very friendly. She will walk into the house if you hold the door open and she will fly up onto the couch or into your lap and sit with you. We have been adopted by a large rooster we call Captain Grey. My neighbor lost almost all of her chickens to a pack of wild dogs in the last two months, and I guess he was lonely so he has been coming down here each day. In the morning we went into the barn to let the chickens out of the coop and there he was, waiting for the girls! At first he would leave every night but now he sleeps in the barn, we leave a door open for him and he flies up there. He won't go into the coop, but all the better I say because we have three roosters in there already. I imagine that would be a bloody mess, as roosters love to fight! We have also added two dogs and two goats to the farm. I love the goats, they are very friendly and fun to have. I have also become a dog person. I just love dogs more each day. My favorite are still the chickens though. I can just stand outside for hours and watch them and listen to all the noises they make. When I go outside with the compost bucket I look behind me and find at least 15 chickens trailing behind me. Yes, country life suits me.
The seed catalogs have been coming in since before Christmas so I am often dreaming about growing a very large garden. It has been very warm lately but I find there is nothing that fills me with sunshine on dark and cold winter days then pictures of tomatoes, cukes and flowers. My favorite are always Seed Saver Exchange and Baker Creek. What are you planting this year?
It's never too early to start planning and composting so start today!
Don't forget to feed the birds and provide them with water this winter.