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Hi Everyone,
When I woke up Monday morning I knew that I would be milking cows, harvesting pumpkins, and cutting up chickens—but I had no idea that I would be spending my afternoon with my dear friend Lydia. She got a job at an assisted living place a few years ago and we have not been able to spend my birthday together, or have our “Summer Friendship Camp” for a week in the summer. Lydia had finally saved up enough vacation days and was fixing to cash them in and come for a long visit—but her company sold out and to our dismay she lost her vacation days. A visit was not in the near future—until her sister gave birth to a new niece and she was so excited about it that her boss gave her the rest of the day off. To my delight she decided to spend a few of those “off hours” with me—since I only live 12 minutes from her sister (and Lydia lives two hours away). Lydia arrived just as we were setting up to finish packaging and cutting up the chickens that we had processed the Friday before. Lydia loves to help out on the farm, so she pitched right in and her job was to package the parts after I cut up the chickens. Mama and Jessie ran the vacuum sealer and labeled the packages. We talked and laughed, and the work went by pretty quick—until I angled the knife just right (I mean wrong) and stabbed myself in the forearm. Lydia and I then headed inside to get the bleeding to stop—after I made sure it blead real good since I had been cutting up chicken with that knife. Once again one of my salves came in real handy as I coated the wound with my Black Drawing Salve (it had the strongest of herbs to deal with bacteria) and Lydia applied the bandage. Then I will admit we took great advantage of about 30 minutes of time to ourselves to talk as only girls can do. Then we headed back out to finish up the chickens and see some pictures of her niece before she headed over to her sisters for the evening. I told her that I thought her sister should have a baby a month so that we would have a good excuse to visit with each other—but don’t tell Emily I said that because I think that she would brain me. Ha! Ha!
Growing potatoes, onions, and pumpkins are three of my favorite vegetables to grow in the garden. I am already making plans for the fall onions that I hope to plant—three kinds: red, yellow and sweet. Last Monday, I harvested 27 Seminole pumpkins and have them curing in the barn. It will not be long before I can plant some red potatoes for a fall harvest. I have a whole basket full of potatoes that I harvested last winter that I was not able to get canned and they have sprouted—matter of fact their sprouts are a good two feet long. When I harvested the potatoes last winter they provided a side dish for the Winter Farm to Table Dinner, and a soup for the Spring Farm to Table Dinner. I wanted to can the rest, but that never happened—but they are not a loss because they will make great potato plants and should produce an abundance of new potatoes. I also harvested a few baskets of potatoes in May and we did manage to get one of them canned back in June. Trying to find the time to get the other basket canned was a bit challenging—and I was getting a little stressed out about it. I washed all the canning jars one day—but something came up and we didn’t get to can that day. I made plans for another day—but once again something came up. Last Tuesday morning I was really distraught over the lack of time to can potatoes—and to my delight the Lord sent some rain, or should I say a rainy day! I seized the opportunity and as soon I was done milking and Jessie had finished cleaning up the milking parlor we came inside and started peeling potatoes. We were able to get all the potatoes peeled, and some of them cut up, loaded into the jars and filled with water before it was time to join the egg packaging party. Then after we were done with the eggs Jessie headed home and I finished cutting up the potatoes and packing them in jars. Then Mama ran the canners—we had 32 pints which was enough to fill two canners. I was a very happy camper when all those jars came out of the canners.
I have so enjoyed my summer helper. Jessie has been such a help on the farm these last two months—but to my dismay this will be his last week working before he heads back to school August 11. What is really nice is when he sees what needs to be done—he does it. One day the chickens needed to be placed in the freezer, and when I went outside to help him move the chickens I found him coming out of the walk-in freezer just as I was entering the walk-in cooler. The shelves were empty—he had just finished transferring the chickens from the cooler to the freezer. What a blessing! Then he offered to transfer the cut up parts from the chest freezers to the walk-in freezer—and I didn’t deny him. Jessie will be greatly missed.
Getting to visit with friends seemed to be the theme of last week. We spent Monday with Lydia, and Wednesday with Amelia. It is always nice to spend time with friends, it just doesn’t get to happen as often as I like.
Thursday morning as soon as milking was done I heard a noise out to pasture and found my brother-in-law, Gary, driving an excavator over for Mama to use. Our drainage area for the milking parlor drains was well clogged. Digging it out by hand is not easy, and when Gary was loaned an excavator for a month Mama talked him into letting her play with it too. Gary gave Mama a crash course on how to use it and then Mama spent the next five hours moving muck. Papa spent his day cleaning out the Poultry Barn where our new egg layers are growing up. Jessie and I spent the afternoon playing pick-up sticks. A few years ago the top of the mimosa tree in the Poultry yard broke and fell in the pasture—and there it lay. A few years before that a mimosa tree was cut down on the back fence—and there it lay. Last year some trees toppled on the fence surrounding the Poultry yard, and Papa cut them down off the fence—and there they lay. Everyday life keeps us pretty busy—so it can be hard to find time for the odd jobs that nature throws our way. The chestnut orchard still needs a good pruning after hurricane Helene last year. Anyway, while I had a strong man working for me I decided to take a break from gardening and do a little cleaning up. Mama hasn’t been able to mow those areas because of the log piles. There is an advantage of letting trees lay on the ground for a few years—what was once heavy is now light as a feather (at least most of them were, the strong man took care of the heavy ones). It was kind of fun to look like I as picking up something that was real heavy—when in reality it was very light. We filled the back end of the truck full of dead trees and branches. At one point I let out a pretty ear piercing scream when I picked up a log and a large rat came scurrying out. I think that we wrecked his home.
Friday Mama and Papa both spent their day mowing—Mama the lawn, and Papa some of the pastures. I harvested some cayenne peppers and got them on the dehydrator, and I harvested some tomatoes. I am amazed at how well they are producing this year. Then I spent the afternoon grocery shopping. I didn’t get home until 5:30, and Mama noticed that I didn’t have any meat out for dinner--no because it was my parents 51st Anniversary and I had my heart set on serving them steak—but alas we had already eaten all the steaks from our last cow we had butchered. I had hoped to find some in town, but the only grass-fed beef in town was ground, and since of course I waited until the last minute to go searching I ran out of time and energy before I could check with the other local farmers. So Mama decided to have frozen pizza for dinner—and I didn’t complain!
We had a Baby Shower to attend on Saturday for a friend of ours who is due to have her 14th child next month. The Baby Shower was an hour away—at the same time that our Gainesville/Alachua deliveries take place. The van has air-conditioning, but the truck does not. If it wasn’t 100 degrees outside, Mama and I could have taken the truck—or Papa could have taken the truck, but it is too hot to drive that far without a way to cool off. So the idea was that Mama and I would take the van and go to the Baby Shower, and then after the Baby Shower we would make the deliveries. To our delight our customers were more than eager to pick up their orders at a different time so that we could attend the Baby Shower. Papa was more than happy to be able to spend a whole afternoon outside on the farm mowing and fixing hotwires—something he has been trying to find the time for.
Time—we have a sign in our Garden shed that says, “Never enough Thyme” and it seems to be so true. There is so much to keep one busy for 10 days a week and 40 hours a day, but God was wise when he created only seven days a week and 24 hours a day with a good portion of those days being dark so that we can rest and renew our strength for the next day—and that is just how I plan on using the next eight hours. I hope you have a blessed week!
I almost forgot—this morning when we were milking I just about got a bath. Emma was eating (the cow that survived a rattlesnake bite) and I was leaning up against her when all of a sudden a gush of water came out of her. I had never seen so much pee come out of a cow that fast and of that much volume. Then we noticed some mucus too. Emma was due to calve last Monday—so she was a week past due. We realized that the gush of liquid was not pee—but that her water broke. A little bit later when she was done eating Emma went poo—everywhere and then she left in a hurry. When I finished milking the last of my cows I headed out to pasture to check on her and she was mooing softly and looking for a place to lie down. Papa then took all the cows back to their pasture and Emma went too. Right before we sat down to eat breakfast Mama checked with the binoculars and was able to tell that Emma had calved—boy or girl we didn’t know but that knowledge would have to wait until we got back from church. I was talking with a lady at church about Emma and she asked if I wanted a bull or a heifer and I said that it really didn’t matter. She then asked if we needed cash or a heifer more. I told her cash—the new building is costing way more than planned. When we got home from church I jumped in the golf-cart and headed out to check on Emma. I found her lying down under the shade with her calf by her side. It was a cash cow—and he is so cute. When I emailed my friend she sent me back a Bible verse found in Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Perfect!
Serving you with Gladness,
Tiare