Life and times of a new farmer/homesteader
My beautiful day {
03:01
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
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Now I know I need a new outdoor thermometer. It certainly wasn't
80 degrees F today, but it was probably close to 60. Such
sunshine, after so many weeks of long underwear weather. It's a
nice change of pace. Here in the Pacific North West, we often get
a week or two of really nice weather in late January, early
February. I hope this is it. Two weeks would be nice,
before the rains really start.I got two more eggs today, and I've come to the conclusion I really need to get some good egg recipies. I'm a little nervous making my own mayonaisse, but I think it would be a good start, as I am out of mayo. I haven't made quiche in years. My breakfasts have been truly delightful though. Still, I've been getting more eggs than I can eat so far. 2-3 a day, when I eat two on average. Plus the ones I gathered after coming back from Portland. And I only have three hens laying so far. Six more to go. Right now I have ten of my own eggs in the fridge, plus about a dozen I had bought the day before Olive started laying. I have, it seems, an abundance of eggs  I pruned a couple apple trees, or should I say apple bushes, with all their suckers and waterspouts. Only 13 more to go! I left a few branches for grafting onto. Pretty soon I'm going to scrape them and get some neem oil on the more insect prone ones. I have a really old cherry behind my house, and I have to look into how to prune it, as I remember reading that it's different that apples, and you have to be more careful. I didn't touch the trees in the orchard that the mennonite family that owned this homestead before I had planted, as I don't know what they are, and I wouldn't want to prune a, well, a prune (read plum.) I think you are supposed to prune them in the summer. Don't quote me on that, as I have to look that one up too. One things for certain, when I finally build my smoker, I will have plenty of apple chips. I love apple smoked bacon, can't wait to try it with jerky and sausages too. I bought a disposable camera (I know, I know, it's disposable, and that's bad, but I can't afford a good digital camera right now,) when I was in Portland, so I spent some time taking pictures. I plan on going back into Portland on Friday to visit my mom and get some groceries, and hopefully I can get it developed then. 27 pictures isn't that many. I did get some of the farm: the barn, the house, the swamp, my garden plot, my fields, Polly, the view from my porch of the river, many of my chickens (No Queen Cluck, I couldn't get a good view of her, but I got King Crower, Little Peep, Olive, Robin, and several unnamed roosters and hens,) and one shot of my eggs in an egg carton. Hope the color turns out on those. When I get another disposable camera, or a real camera, I will take some pictures of the inside of my house, the stream, some better pictures of the river, the town of Birkenfeld, and some of the surrounding area. The largest blue spruce in the United States is right down the road, and there are many beautiful mountains, rivers, streams, farms, animals, and lots of other stuff. I live in a great area. I really want to share it with you all. Apparently I had an elk come through last night. There are a few new tracks over by the barn. Seems to be the same elk I have been seeing tracks from for a while now. Same size tracks, and a significant chip out of one of it's hooves. I would love to see it in person, and I may have already, if it's the same one I saw back in early December. One huge cow elk. I can't wait to hunt this fall. I'm going to need a real freezer though. I think that I can get by with what I have for anything I get fishing (I'm not that good a fisherman,) but if I slaughter a couple pigs and get a deer or an elk, I'm going to need a big one. I think I know where I can get one cheap though; I'll keep you all informed if it works out. It's early, but I'm getting hungry. Now that I think of it, I haven't eaten since breakfast. How unlike me. I totally missed lunch. I was out enjoying this beautiful day, minus coming in to check messages every once in a while. Well, I did have an apple. None the less, I'm getting hungry. I would like to welcome those of you who are new to my blog. Enjoy! I've met quite a few new friends in the past week or so. Feel free to post comments or message me to let me know what you think. And congratulations to Mrs. Burns for being blog of the week. I have enjoyed reading your blog for some time, and I have always found it to be quite entertaining and informative. You deserve to be recognised, as all who have come before you have as well. Blessings and peace to all, Raymond { Last Page } { Page 89 of 181 } { Next Page } |
