Not Done

We never actually seem to finish projects, but we have made some major decisions, I think, about how to inhabit our space in a little more sane way. Of course, implementation will be off in the future.

When we haven't been planning, I have been finding lots of inspiration from Collette Patterns spring wardrobe challenge. Check it out. I am in awe of the energy.

The weather promises to be fantastic this weekend. I may even put some seeds out since my early starting has been foiled by a malfunctioning heating mat and a confounding timer. The best laid plans, no?

It is time to feed the bees. I am looking forward to checking in on them....

Slacker

Wow, I have totally been slacking off in the blog department. So, let's catch up with a list shall we?

1. Went to Reedville for a long weekend with some girlfriends and their small children at the end of September. It was lovely. The children were lovely. We had much fun with small children in the water, which is one of my favorite things. Children are exhausting, how does anyone have them 24/7?
2. It went from summer (90+ the weekend we were in Reedville) to in the span of about 14 days.
3. It went straight from socks required in the AM, to really-I-should-be-wearing-my-woolie- slippers-if-I-only-knew-where-to-find-them.
4. I have a wedding to go to today and nothing to wear. Shocking.
5. I am back to making cornbread every week and still searching for the perfect recipe. Feel free to hook me up if you have one that is not too dry and not too sweet.
6. We went to the urban goat keeping workshop. Wow. Those goats got some cute goin' on. We didn't get to stay for a lot of the hands on stuff b/c things started late and the SB and I both had evening obligations. Maybe spring on the goats.
7. The SB has taken on putting up the ducks at night most times. He volunteers as he is up much later than I and the ducks like to be out as much as possible. And we like that too as it makes for a less messy duck house.
8. The ducks are molting, and the production seems to be 1 or 3 eggs a day. Interestingly, rarely 2.
9. Work is busy.
10. Dark evenings mean that before long, we won't be working outside much in the evenings and I can start sewing again. Woot!
11. We have tons of spinach, chard, carrots, Chinese cabbage and very spicy arugula in the garden.
12. We will be planting the garlic soon.
13. An interesting article about Colony Collapse Disorder in bee populations.
14. A couple weeks ago something knocked my hive over. The SB called at work to give me the heads up. The bees were actually pretty cool about me coming to pick things up. It didn't look like anything had been rummaging around in the hive. I suspect it was a deer that crashed into it in the middle of the night. Those things are clumsy and their startle response is way over developed. I am just hoping the queen didn't get killed in the jostling and repositioning. I didn't look through the hive for her, I am not that good at finding queens as they pretty much look like every other freakin' bee in the place. Though my bee mentor (who rocks) would totally disagree.
15. I am finally coming to terms with the fact that I am well on my way to being "that crazy lady down the street". I just came in from letting the ducks out and I realize that I went outside (that would be appearing IN PUBLIC) in capri length yoga pants (grey), blue socks, black clogs, a maroon shirt and a purple and green anorak. Right. I would much prefer to be the crazy lady down the street in vintage patched Chanel jacket and 19th century granny boots with blue jeans. Maybe that is what I can aspire to for my golden years. So if anyone finds some old totally too far gone Chanel, send it my way, K?

More sweltering

"They" say that there is a cold front coming through. Temperatures are going to plummet into the 90s. Brrrr. Pull out your parka's people, cuz it is gonna feel like winter compared with the last week. At this point, I am all for anything that isn't triple digits.

In honor of the coming cold snap, I planted some fall crops in the garden. I was drenched in sweat by the time I finished (before 9AM). Beets, chard, kale and carrots this time. I'll wait before heading down the lettuce, spinach, mache path. Still a few more of my favorite varieties to plant. Italian Silver Rib and Scarlet Charlotte Chard. The silver rib overwinters amazingly well and is mild and sweet, and the Scarlet Charlotte is just so beautiful. In the cold, the red ribs turn into a palette of luminescent red, magenta and tomato colors.

My green grape tomatoes have started to come in. The are most definitely an interesting tomato. They are very sweet, really like eating grapes. Odd. Nice for a change, but it wouldn't be the only thing I would grow. But then again, you know I don't roll that way, right? If I don't have half a dozen types, it ain't worth doin'.

My experimentation has really bitten me in the butt on (at least) one item. I ordered this variety of tomatillo for the large fruits. I don't know if it is that our soil is too good or that I have been watering them, but the production is TERRIBLE. I had a teeny flush early in the year and since then almost nothing. Last year I stuffed our freezer full of tomatillo sauce and we use it for cooking chicken or pork in the crock pot. I thought these would be great, as the EVERONA dairy isn't so far from here. This year I have had enough only for a couple small batches of salsa. This just goes to show you that you can never put all your eggs in one basket. I started a tried and true variety "Verde" but never got around to putting them in. In all fairness, the ones that have popped up willy nilly around the compost heap aren't really producing either, so maybe just a bad year. I'll have to try multiple varieties next year.

I am really wondering what is happening in the beehive right now. It is too stinkin' hot to put on the bee suit and check it out, though I know I have to. The bees have been all over the corn tassels. Which makes me think they are hungry. I need to find out now if I should start feeding the little buggers. Which I will if we don't get some rain and blooms here soon.

Also, today I think the SB and I are making ginger beer. I'll make him take photos.

Winging it

So we (i.e. the SB) decided that it actually is too hot to work in the yard. Even at 8:30 in the evening. The benefits of 100 degree heat. I knew there had to be some. So I caught up on a little blog reading and decided to do another post. Two in the same week. You can thank me later, cuz I know this stuff is R.I.V.E.T.I.N.G.

As you may know, I love to grow some potatoes. As you also may know, seed potatoes are absurdly expensive. So for the past few years, I have been saving my own. Yay me. Last year, in addition to the spuds I had saved for seed, a bunch of our La Ratte spuds sprouted in storage. For the record, they don't really store for crap in less than ideal circumstances. So we had LOTS for planting. So many, that I had leftovers even after giving away a bunch to SHG (for her excellent housemate) and Tay of Tuesday fame. Rilly, I mean a LOT. The long and the short of it was that we didn't get a chance to plant them all. The leftovers have more or less been sitting around in the way since, oh, maybe April. I was going to throw them out, but the SB insisted we try to plant them. So we hastily dug a "bed" where one of the future garden beds will be, added a little compost and fertilizer and some very dehydrated, very unrecognizable potatoes. Today (though we did the digging yesterday. When it was just about as hot.) In case you aren't a gardener, this is totally non standard practice. Potatoes are planted on St. Patrick's Day. Or as close to there as possible. We are not very close to St. Patrick's Day. But if we get anything at all, perhaps we will be that much ahead since we had to dig that bit anyway. We shall see. The moral of the story is don't hoard your potatoes. Eat them early while they are still firm and delicious.

We are eating tons of them. Cold boiled potatoes with smoked salmon. Tonight maybe with some tuna/white bean salad and green beans and boiled duck eggs. A sort of modified salad nicoise.

Edited to add:
OK, dinner was delicious.

On the unorthodox subject, I also played fast and loose with the bees. I checked on them a couple weekends ago and they had totally filled their honey super (woot!) and so I decided to put another on. Of course, because I was in a rush, I didn't put new starters in 4 of the frames. I left the edges where I had cut out the comb over a year ago, which had been totally cleaned, and then alternated the starter and non starter frames in hopes that the bees would do some mind reading and fill in the frames instead of building comb willy nilly all over the place. I'll keep you posted on that. I am pretty much the laziest beekeeper ever. Whatever happens, I can deal, even if it means just yanking it all out and melting it down. I suspect what is going to happen is that with this dry hot weather, honey production is going to come to a screeching halt so there likely won't be any issue at all. I do need to pop out there and check though and see what is going on. To be honest, I don't really like this hive. I think that my last hive spoiled me with their docile personality. These are a little more, well, impatient. Not so much what you need as a beginning keeper.

I have become a fan of the asparagus bean. These babies take a while to get rolling (75 days as opposed to 50-60), and you definitely need something for them to grow up, but I am right now getting about a half a pound of beans a day. No sign of slowing down, despite the heat. We trellised them up a bamboo grid we put against the duck yard in hopes of providing shade for the ducks during the hottest part of the day. It doesn't provide as much shade as I was hoping for, but it is definitely giving it a go. It being right outside the door, the ducks have paid a little attention to the beans, but luckily after they got established, so no harm done with a few lost leaves. We lost much more to the munching rabbit than the nibbling ducks.

Wow

It has been a wild couple of weeks here... Mostly work related. My schedule ebbs and flows with the coming and going of the new physicians. The first half of June is most definitely a flow. No complaints, it is all good stuff, just lots all at once. The welcoming of new friends and sending off of old ones coincide and make things a teeny bit easier.

I have a bunch of posts that have been swirling around in my brain, but I can conjure none of them at the moment. So we will have a list.

1. Flea beetles totally suck.
2. I am excited about the tomatoes.
3. The ducks have cut back to 6 eggs a day. No complaints, nine is a lot.
4. We got our garden sink installed. Woot! Pictures WILL follow, but the SB has the camera.
5. Our asparagus beans are finally starting to bloom.
6. I really need to do something with the bees.
7. We are growing corn beans and squash. Can't wait to see if it works.
8. We put in a new bed on one side of the house. All the orphan tomatoes ended up there. Don't know if they will do anything or not, but at least they aren't suffering in their tiny six packs anymore.
9. We have tons of Thai basil.
10. I made my first batch of rural salad, cheating only a little with some of the tomatoes
11. Peaches. Need I say more?
12. BIG ASS STORM yesterday.
13. BAS (#12) resulted in me being out of work most of the day b/c the hospital didn't have all its power back. Surprise long-ish weekend. Yay me!
14. Delightful gathering at the Urban Farm last night sans power (due to BAS) but with friends and lots of good food. Love me some dark nights. Without power (i.e. fan) I was able to enjoy many many hours of the darkness since I was up all night sweating.
15. I made potato salad from the fingerling potatoes and used boiled duck eggs .... Thanks to the Diner for telling me that the info about boiled duck eggs being rubbery doesn't hold up... Pretty delicious.
16. I had to restrain myself from digging all the potatoes. You know I love to dig me some potatoes.
17. The cukes can just go ahead and start producing any time now. Ditto peppers.
18. Very close to starting some of the fall crops. They will go in where the garlic came out. Garlic harvest was somewhat disappointing, but can't complain too much. It was a very rough and very wet winter for them.

OK, hopefully I will be able to post something other than a list soon. Maybe even pictures.

Where to start?

I had a few days off before the holiday weekend. I planned to do all kinds of house and garden work and multiple blog posts. As usual, the list was longer than the vacation...

Where should I start....
The two frogs, courtesy of The Bad Cat on the doorstep? Only one entirely dead. No, let us not start there.

The 3.5 inches of rain Friday night (in two hours) causing basement flooding? No, that really isn't a good place either.

The three nights of babysitting? While. On. Vacation. No. Not there.

I did have a very nice wedding luncheon to attend for some of my coworkers who were just married. They are Indian, so we met at Royal Indian. Yes. That is the place to start though it was in the middle of the vacation.... I really MUST recommend the eggplant. Spicy and delicious.

I washed a ton of sweaters. The Switching of the Clothes is one of the most dreaded of tasks. At least the winter to summer side.... I hate the washing and hanging of sweaters and I procrastinate. So even things unworn need to be frozen (48 hours kills moth larvae) before storage.

I hung out my laundry on the porch. (I *heart* Starr Hill Girl who always hangs her laundry). Because I have a drying rack and not a line, I compromise by hanging the bigger stuff (towels and shirts and pants) and drying the smaller stuff (underwear and socks). It works for me - hanging small stuff seems more trouble than it is worth. Of 5 loads of laundry I dry only one. Yay me.

We continued to work on the corn, beans, and squash planting. We ordered a "kit" from SSE. We are planting about 20 hills of 4 corn plants and 4 bean plants and then interspersing this with hills of squash (actually pumpkins, but who can tell the difference, I mean, really?) We will improvise on some of it as we will run out of bean seeds and it would be nice to have a variety of squashes. This is the planting that is occupying the new ground in the garden. It is a good compromise, as we only have to dig mounds and not the whole thing.

My garlic is looking AWFUL. Too wet this year. Hopefully I will get some good storage worthy bulbs. Right now, things are moldy, though if you peel the outer layer, the insides are fine. I am trying not to panic.

We have some potato wilt. The La Ratte potatoes seem to be the first to succumb. We have eaten some tiny ones already, but they are dropping like flies. Luckily, the smaller beds look very healthy and happy. No solanaceae for the infected beds for a veeeeeeery long time. Dammit.

I have fallen head over heels in love with my tomatoes. I know. They will probably succumb to wilt like the do every year. But for now, I could spend many contented hours staring at them and smelling the green tomato smell. Green Grape, Principe Bourgese, Winter Keeper, Yellow Pear, Pink German, Black Plum, San Marzano, Celebrity. Bring 'em on. A dozen plants aren't too many for two people, right? Remind me how much I love them if we are fortunate enough to be buried in tomatoes this summer.

The garden is pretty much in a holding pattern. The greens have been harvested and frozen, the potatoes, tomatillos, peppers, eggplant and garlic aren't ready. The squash and cukes and beans are really just getting their footing. The herbs are the only thing producing. And remarkably, despite the heat, I still have some lettuce.

I am plotting for the fall garden though.... garlic, leeks and onions to replace the potatoes. Cabbage, broccoli and brussells sprouts, carrots and beets to replace the garlic. Greens to transplant out as the okra and tomatoes and peppers begin to fade.

I also cleaned the bedroom. That took days.

I took some pictures, but the SB stole them. I will see if I can get him to send them to me. They were of our most adorable bean trellis, which will soon be providing shade for the duck yard. Woven bamboo. Sweet. And Free (even better - thanks Cho!)

The bees seem happy and active, and I am wondering if I am missing out by not having a second super on the hive. Must. Find. Out. Soon.

Tomatoes

(written Sunday, but I forgot to post...)

So we finally got the tomatoes in. Just in time for the threatened frost which MUST be the last of the season. There is going to be some serious covering of things this afternoon. I don't have enough straw to cover the potatoes with fluffiness like I did last time, so I think I am going to have to resort to the Remay and sheets to keep the cold off of everything. It is a bit nerve wracking as all of the basil eggplants and potatoes are in the ground. No back ups. But I will cross fingers and hope for the best, which is all I ever really do anyway.

The wind has been fierce over the last day, that in combination with some serious dryness has made watering our A #1 priority lately.

I did go to Fifth Season and purchase some organic fertilizer. I have high hopes. We have this very lovely but very porous alluvial soil. Great for growing things except that all the soluble nutrients leach out of it pretty quickly. So I am making a concerted effort to add compost and some pelletized organic fertilizer every month or so. I'll keep you posted.

I have been struggling with flea beetles in the eggplant. My garden friend from work says sprinkle the eggplant with flour and when the beetles eat it they blow up. I also got some diatomaceous earth to cut the little critters to ribbons. Either way, I will be happy. I really just need to get them going, then the beetles won't be so critical, but here in these early stages, it is tough on a plant to have lace for leaves....

It was supposed to be bee day, but it is pretty windy and not so very warm.... If things go better, I'll be out there a bit later in the day.

Whirlwind

Things have been busy despite the fact that there isn't really anything going on. The grass is growing like crazy with the rain and cool nights. The seedlings are growing like crazy with the fertilizer and heating pads and 18 hours of light a day (we are working on hardening them off now). The first wave of tomatillos are in, with more to come. I have ripped out a bunch that reseeded from last year in the wrong place. The garlic is growing along. The strawberries are bursting out of their beds. The ducks are laying 9 eggs a day. I pulled out the bolting kale and rutabaga. We still have chard from last year. The potatoes are growing great guns. I can't wait to figure out what the hell I am gonna do with all the tomato seedlings that I have.

I had a jet set little trip to NYC, up on the train Saturday and back on the plane on Sunday. Less than 24 hours. Went up to fly back with a sick friend. All is well. My friend was staying in Chelsea and the train dropped me off mere blocks from the fabric district, so of course I had to shop. The big stores are totally overwhelming and a little too spendy for me. Who wants to ruin $120 worth of beautiful fabric? I found this great little hole in the wall shop where the China silk is $4/yard and the 60 inch linen? $5. I restrained myself but will be keeping that one on the books.

With the unexpected trip, I didn't get to do as much this weekend as I had planned, but I did get some delightful empanadas and Murray's bagels to bring home. New York.... so much food, so little time. Walking down 8th Ave, I was tempted by an Italian deli with Zagut signs outside boasting of their home made sausages. I ducked in thinking I would bring some for the SB, but then realized that if you can't get on a plane with shampoo, they probably wouldn't let me on with fresh sausages and a bag of ice. And to throw away lamb sausage would be a SERIOUS crime.

The SB took care of the ducks for me while I was gone. They seem none the worse for wear.

It is amazing to see the changes in the garden in such a short time. ' Tis the season I suppose. NEXT weekend is bee weekend and the planting of some warm season things. And rearranging the bees.

I also picked up some raspberry plants from the garden swap list serve and promised to trade tomato plants... They weren't ready when the raspberries were, so I need to take them over. And I need to plant those raspberries. Cuz you can't have enough of those. I think we have figured out where to put them... up by the orchard, which, BTW, looks like hell. Two of our new trees didn't make it over the winter. $60? Bu Bye! GAH.

Oh, and look at this stunner of a dress I saw over on Sew Retro.

Hal a freakin' luja

So I think the duck is now well on her way to being better. No doubt it is all due to the SB's dedicated physical therapy regime. Several times a day he would stretch her foot and toes. That and the antibiotics and the neosporin seem to have put us on the path to health. As a reward for all the time and energy we have been spending, we got 10 eggs this morning. From 9 ducks. I don't know how that happens.... But whatever. The duck still isn't strong enough to be loose with the others. Ducks don't know the meaning of personal space and so just run over one another willy nilly. I am afraid her good leg will be injured if she is left out in the fray. But hopefully it won't be long. Now that she is feeling better she is considerably less inclined to spend time quietly alone.

Big day at work tomorrow and Thursday. Hopefully after that a few days off to enjoy the beautiful weather and get the potatoes in the ground. The seedlings are coming up nicely in the basement and in the garden. We have a bit of leftover kale in the garden. We also have spinach, but every time the ducks get into the garden, they run right for it and eat all they can before I shoo them out.

So far the bees are OK, but I need to keep feeding them....

Still Waiting

So I came home mid day yesterday to meet my friend H. She is trained as a vet tech and she met me to discuss the duck foot issue. The duck was no better. After a thorough exam, she found a thorn in the joint above the foot. The joint was swollen and warm. The diagnosis, joint infection. The remedy, 1/2 ml of Tylosin (an antibiotic safe for birds) twice a day. Lots of water and treats, special time in the garden doing things she likes and warm compresses twice a day. I love that part of the treatment plan includes "special time". The good news is that it isn't a slipped tendon, which could have been REALLY bad news. The duck, I am pretty sure now that it is Louisa, just got her second dose of antibiotics. No change as of yet, but hopefully we will see the swelling go down soon. Have you ever tried to give antibiotics to a duck? No? Apparently neither has anyone else as there is very little about the logistics of getting liquid into a duck. With cats, you can brave teeth and claws and pry the mouth open, or at least you can start there. Or better yet, bury a pill in a treat. With ducks, the lower bill fits snugly inside the upper bill. I tried Open Sesame, but that didn't work. The other complicating factor is that you don't want to shoot liquid into the mouth b/c it can get into the lungs, which is very bad indeed. Birds don't do well with liquid in their lungs. Even antibiotics. So, although I am relieved to have some idea what is going on (and eternally completely and totally grateful to H for coming to our rescue), it is hardly the end of the anxiety. I did manage to dose this morning on my own, and remarkably, the duck doesn't seem to hold a grudge. I am putting the liquid in her mouth at the front of the bill so that she can swallow it. I think that is the right thing to do, though I am still concerned I might get the liquid down the lungs. And, I am afraid that too much time has passed and getting her to use the leg again is going to be difficult. Hoping that when she feels better she will give it a try again. We may still need the physical therapist.

In other news, I put my spring seeds in this week. Broccoli raab, mustard, lettuce, spinach, beets, chard, kale, turnips and parsley. I may need to water today. It has been so sunny and the weather SO delightful. Truly, it is the perfect time to be in C'ville. The flowers are making up for lost time and blooming without regard to standard timing. We have the earliest of crocuses still blooming with the daffodils.

The bees are flying. They don't seem to be taking any of the syrup I have left for them though. This is an independent lot, I must say. I think I may need to re-queen this fall ... That is going to take some research and a little hand holding I am sure. Have you ever tried to find the queen

We have a large project of rock moving happening this weekend, so I expect I will be pretty much incapacitated for the majority of next week. Oof. The SB has been moving lots of things around to get ready for the installation of some gabion walls that are coming via "the network". Seems like we find salamanders under just about everything. Which is nice. I don't know where they have been hiding in the last years of drought, but we have seen more in the last 6 months than we have in the previous 5 years. We loves us some salamanders here at the Urban Farm. The first two on this page is mostly what we see....

This time of year, especially, I think of the goats. I think of what an excellent thing it would be to have a dairy goat. I don't know that it will ever happen, but I dream on. Right now, I think that chickens might be the next step. The ducks don't do that well with kitchen scraps, and it would be nice to pass those along to some chickens. Though I guess we could get into some worms. They are definitely not as cute as some exotic chickens though. I have entered a couple of drawings for free chicken coops. I figure, if I win, it will be A Sign. I don't know what we will do with more bird poop though. Truly, a garden can hold only so much... Any interest in a load of poopy straw, just email me.

Signs of Spring

1. The snow is melting, though the garden beds are still covered.
2. Monday there was no ice on the duck water. And I say three daffodils blooming on the hospital campus.
3. Tuesday I got two eggs!
4. Wednesday I got no eggs.
5. Thursday it was damp bone chilly and windy.
6. Saturday we got 6 eggs and the bluebirds were flying around the yard with some serious intent, of what I know not. The daffodil fronds are starting to come up.
7. Today I collected 4 eggs and shall feed the bees and watch the sun shine. I am encouraged that the bees are still taking short flights in the warm weather, though I know this is the most vulnerable time for them. I will keep stuffing them with sugar water and hope for the best. Last year I bought a bag of "pollen substitute" whatever that is. Apparently you made up little cakes of it for the bees and it provides extra protein for them while they increase the brood. Now would probably be the time to get rolling on that as April is when things start blooming and I think it takes about a month to raise a bee. Cross your fingers for the little ladies. Not only is it a big setback to start all over again honey-wise, it is freakin' expensive at $65/3# box. They need all the help they can get right now. Especially since I am still in the steep learning curve of beekeeping.

Misc.

I have about 8 posts floating around in my head, all with themes, none of them written. I will abbreviate them with a list (for SHG) so as to get them down and free up some brain space. Heaven knows I need it.

1. Today the SB and I will head to a secret spot to purchase hog jowls for 99 cents a pound. Why secret? Because I don't want everyone and their brother muscling in on "our" cheap hog jowls. What are we going to do with 15# of hog jowls? Make guanciale, of course! We were going to start with pancetta but apparently jowls are cheaper and easier to come by than pork belly. One step at a time. Actually the place we are going is no secret, they are a regular business, just out of town a bit. They pasture raise their meats without genetically modified grain and without antibiotics. Technically, I guess it is "natural" though I expect it is closer to organic than some of the organic stuff from the grocery. I'll tell you where if you want but you have to beg.

2. I have made two small adorable sun dresses which I will post pictures of soon. No. Not for me.

3. I am making 2 loaves of bread a week these days. Time allows because I am on vacation. I yearn to be a housewife.

4. I am making a list of projects for the new year. Inspired by, but not as motived, as some other folks.

5. I just sorted through the seed packets. I am simultaneously pleased and disappointed that I won't have to order too much this year. This of course, won't keep me from ordering too many seeds, but I don't have to.... It is always nice to have choices.

6. The days are getting longer. Whee FREAKIN' ha.

7. Regardless of the weather and the dark, I love duck tending in all weather. I feel fortunate to be up at a time when you can see the sun rise. There is something about the sunrise, brief and indescribable that makes it precious.

8. I made this kick ass pork and beans thing the other night. Soaked dried limas cooked with some bacon and a onion/carrot/celery mix with a couple of pork shanks and a few bay leaves and some black pepper.... Some broth but mostly water. In the dutch oven in the oven at 375 (after heating it all to boiling on the stove). It totally rocks. Been eating it with some fresh corn tortillas from La Michoacana. Dee lish.

9. The SB and I saw the bees out a few days ago doing short flights. It seemed too cold, but I guess they know what they are doing...

OK - that is the current round up. Now I can start over on filling up the brain with loose items.

Hive check

I am a little behind in posting, but a couple weekends ago I went out to check the bees. All in all, a bit of an odd situation. There is an very nice sized colony. Bees covering the frames, a large brood section. The honey super, however, has not even a drop of honey. The bees never even made wax this year, the slackers. Odd. I emailed my bee mentor (who rocks) who did not comment on why my bees may have decided not to fill a super this summer despite a record breaking honey year for most beekeepers. He did address my thought that perhaps my bees didn't like the foundation I had provided for them. He said it was unlikely the cause. Anywhoo. I am going into winter with significantly more bees than last year and am hoping like hell they don't eat themselves out of house and home. I still need to do another check and make sure the brood is in the bottom box with some nice honey stores on top. That'll probably be the first weekend in October. Good thing I still have honey from last year. It would really be a bite to have to buy bees AND honey this year....

I got three eggs this morning which became the SB's breakfast. I haven't heard yet how he liked them. The ducks seem to be eating more, I don't know if it is because they are beginning to lay eggs or because they haven't been out as much lately. I really wish I had a video of the "incident" the other day when the cat was very casually walking down the driveway, playing it totally cool and the ducks noticed him. The ducks, being both quite curious and impressively dumb, took off after him, en masse, to investigate this new animal. The cat, upon noticing the interest of the ducks, took off like a rocket. I think the ducks were somewhat disappointed. The SB reported they were trying to have a conversation with our resident groundhog the other day. The groundhog was more interested in lunching.

The fall garden is coming along, some things better than others, but one really exciting thing... I saved seed from my lettuce plants this spring and planted them among the cabbage seedlings and what do you know, they came up and are now sprouting like gangbusters! With luck, there is going to be some serious lettuce in a few more weeks....

For your viewing pleasure....

But before we get to the duck photos....

This article has a little good news on the bee thing, at least that is how I read it.... See what you think.

In other exciting news the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has begun a new online classified service. Which allows people interested in breeding, keeping or eating these old breeds to access the many small farmers who have valiantly keep the breeds alive despite plummeting demand in the face of agribusiness. I found out about it here. I have read about the ALBC before and am in awe of the people who have organized around this. I, of course, would love to be a part of the conservation efforts. I am not sure how likely that is, as I am not going to be able to have a breeding flock of chickens as roosters are banned from the city. Perhaps my goats can be of a heritage breed, though sending a goat via post seems somewhat more difficult than shipping chicks or hatching eggs.

This is the SB's approach to the duck house and the mid day freeing of the ducks....

This is them (they?) just hangin' out....

And more with the summer...

I think we are getting toward the end of the summer heat. Not that we had much of it this year, but in the same way that having a long vacation doesn't actually make you want to go back to work, having a cool summer doesn't make you glad to see the heat. In reality, I could deal with the heat if it weren't for the voracious mosquitoes that stalk me now day and night. I have to slather myself with stinky bug spray before even attempting the simplest of garden tasks. There is so much to do out side and it is brutal. Last night the bugs were biting me through my pants. Pretty underhanded. Oh, and we have yet to turn on the AC this year. Not that I mind really. I just feel kinda butch.

Things have gotten frisky in the duck pen. There is a great deal of cavorting and flirting and ... well, I am sure you can imagine the results. Two boys, nine girls all reaching sexual maturity in the summer around a pool. It is no less dramatic than you might - who is flirting with whom, who has his/her advances accepted or rejected, etc etc. The boys aren't actively fighting though, which is good. Sampson chases Cyrus, who seems happy to run rather than confront him. He is a lover (every chance he gets) not a fighter. Duck eggs in about 3 weeks I think.

I have been making tomatillo sauce. We have lots of peppers and tomatillos. I planted sugar snaps yesterday. Still waiting on other things to come up, though the mustard and kale are going great guns, as is the rutabaga. A few other less identifiable things as well.

Tomorrow, I think, must be a day to visit the bees. They have been sorely neglected and I have to see if 1) there is any honey and 2) if I need to do anything to get them ready for winter. Wish me luck, I am a little out of practice.

The SB and I spent about a week digging and moving 4 ENORMOUS boxwoods from a yard a mile or so away. THAT will set you back on the housework.

I have been making watermelon agua fresca lately. Fill the blender container with watermelon chunks, the juice of a lime, about 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Blend until smooth, run through a strainer, add more water or seltzer and some more lime juice and/or mint. Mmmm. I'll even give you some if you come mow the lawn.

Eventually

I am a total loser. But here, in brief, is some of the last month or so in a list (because SHG loves a list and I miss her).

1. The SB is home. Woo hoo.
2. The ducks are still in the basement. It is like the Peabody Hotel around here in the evenings. Absurd.
3. Hopes of finishing the duck house over the long holiday weekend - dashed.
4. Harvested delicious varieties of potatoes, some fennel, yellow squash and lots of basil and parsley. Some jalapenos, some blueberries (unfortunately these are a fav of the ducks).
5. Working my ass off on the duck house and garden. Rest of house and garden going to hell.
6. Unbelievably fantastic weather. I wore a sweater ALL DAY. In July. Gimme a shout out people, this rocks.
7. Roasting a chicken with some beets and potatoes now. Woo hoo. It is 10:25. Boo.
8. Not as social as I used to be.
9. The ducks rock. They were out grazing all day today.
10. Haven't talked to the bees in months. Wondering if there is honey I should be collecting.

Soo much more, but need pictures for the rest. Soon. Rilly.

Livin' the Farm Life

This livestock raising thing is freakin' exhausting. Saturday morning, first thing, I cleaned out the duckling cage. In a word, disgusting. Everything was totally soaked. The ducklings are changing daily, and Saturday's trick to see how fast they could empty the waterer. I know it shouldn't be shocking, but these ducks totally love water. I thought they were drinking the majority of it. Until I came home at 11PM Saturday night after a babysitting stint to a lake of duck runoff in the basement. Too tired to do much about it, I laid down some news paper to sop it up. Then I went upstairs to read about ducks.

Sunday at 6 AM I woke up and began to devise and implement and environmental management plan. The platform the ducks were on had to be lifted off the floor - luckily we have lots of bricks from our chimney demolition 10 years ago (and no, you cannot have them). The platform went on bricks... Luckily we thought in advance to put a shower curtain on top of the platform then the cage on top of that. The cage also had to be lifted so that it could drain properly. I used the overhang of the shower curtain to create a gutter that drained the runoff into a bucket. By Sunday afternoon there was about 3/4 of a gallon. I am pouring it into the compost pile. Sunday afternoon, I had to go get a new gallon sized waterer because I watched the ducklings empty the quart one in about 45 minutes.

I got up at 6AM this morning, with some help from Kitty. I went and fed and watered the ducks and then did a few small chores while the feeding frenzy took place. The only thing sharks have over ducks in a feeding frenzy is teeth. It gets a little ugly and the ducklings are all covered in food and water by the end. When they settled down, I put some dry bedding in the cage and refilled the food and water for the day. I was a little worried that the gallon waterer might not be enough so I left work a little early and was pushing to get home, thoughts of gasping ducklings in my head.... When I opened the door, the smell of ducklings greeted me. All the way from the basement I could detect the sent. Not overpowering, but certainly recognizable.... I went down and found some water in the waterer (whew!) and set about to cleaning out the cage again.... If it were warmer, I would have opened the door and aired the place out, but with the temperatures falling, I didn't want things to get cool in the basement. I think I am going to have to scrub everything with bleach when they move out...

I think the ducklings are getting bored. I am devising a swimming strategy for the weekend when it is supposed to get warm. I think a little paddle and play time in the water will exercise them sufficiently, and provide some rockin' photo opps. In the meantime, here is a link to CHO's photos from Sunday morning. I think people are getting really tired of me using the word "cute". I will have to consult my thesaurus.

In other news, I am neglecting both the cat and the bees. The garden looks pretty good for the most part, the potatoes are amazing and one plant is actually budding already. I picked the last of the fall/winter chard as it was getting ready to bolt, and got some lettuce for a few salads this week. My arugula has already bolted. It is too cold for the tomatoes and peppers and eggplant to be doing really well. It is a banner year for slugs, which makes it an even better year to have ducks. I bought two whole flats of plants this weekend which I needed not at all and now do not know when I will find time to plant.

Thunder!

So here in central VA we have managed to go, again (SIGH), directly from early spring to mid summer. Wednesday there was a frost warning, and yesterday, today and tomorrow are all in the 90 degree neighborhood and now it is thundering like we'll get a summer boomer. It went from too cold to put the summer stuff out, to too warm to transplant anything. I am betting/hoping late week and weekend may be more reasonable for such things. I hope so as I bought a flat of impatiens at the market.

I dashed out in the cool of the morning and planted a couple types of cukes, some watermelons and zucchini and summer squash. The seeds will probably love the heat. I was then obliged to go out mid day in full bee regalia and put the honey super on the hive. It was probably a little over kill for the job, but last time I went out I got stung so I was being overly cautious. Of course, when I got stung I was being underly cautious so it served me right. So now the bees have someplace to put all the honey that is theoretically flowing right now (end of April to Mid June in this area).

ETA for the ducklings is the first Wednesday in May. But they won't say for sure. I guess we have to wait for them to be hatched and there is some lee way in all that. Below are some names I am tossing around. Feel free to chime in with votes or additions. I need 10 names so don't be shy.... The rule is that they can't be named after anyone in particular....

Jackson Carlisle (the one boy) or Levon Devonshire
Rosaleigh Bates
Iona McKaulsky
Maria Helena Garcia Fuentes
Honey-Jane Purslane
Anabell Klein
Josaphine McFadden

You see I need some help....

Check It Out

You probably heard about the organic garden at the White House. But did you hear about this? Hip hip hooray for the support from the top.

The News

I don't know how the rest of March got away from me... Other than I have been recuperating from illness. I was better a long time ago, but finally feel like I am hitting my stride again. Sheesh... This recovery thing takes a lot longer when you are, um, a certain age.

The most excellent news is that the ducklings have been ordered. Yup. Ten baby runner ducks will be on their way to me the first week in May. Don't know what a runner duck looks like? Check 'em out below via YouTube. And did I mention I will have 10? That would be Ten.... And yes, we will have a champagne reception for them. You bring the champaign because all my cash is going to fencing and duck crumbles.



The SB is coming home for the weekend to work on the duck house. And the Market opens this weekend. THANK GOD.

The bees seem to be well and get the next hive body on tomorrow if it is warm enough. The cat found the first snake in the yard (yes, I was able to save it, but I didn't get a good look at it). I have decided that the day the cat finds the first snake in the yard is the REAL first day of spring. After that (it was Sunday) we are highly unlikely to get an additional serious frost. Of course, I am making this all up, but that is par for the weather course, I think.

The chard I planted in front of the house has started to look like it is growing and there are blossoms on the peach trees. My my. Real spring indeed.