Click on the link below to see recent photos from the farm.

https://picasaweb.google.com/102597985594428577815/MemorialDayWeekend2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCPOrgMmfoJu_Mw&feat=directlink



Cris and I both took Friday off so we could knock out some of the items on the “things that need to be fixed/touched-up” list so we can get our Memphis house on the market.  The best time to sell is in the Spring and we are unfortunately a bit late for that.  It’s really hard sometimes trying to maintain two households.

Saturday Cris went to the farm with Teddy Bear (wheaten terrier) and I stayed home to do some of the cleaning that never seems to get done….like wiping down the ceiling fans, baseboards and decluttering some more.  We are going to have a “living estate sale” after we sell the house.  Since we are downsizing from 2600 sq ft to 1300 sq ft, we won’t need as much furniture and other household items.

The other reason I stayed home was to take Nugget (labradoodle) to the vet….seems he ate something he should not have and at first he kept coughing and gagging trying to get it up…. Then he finally got it down but…. (no pun intended), he could not get it out the other end.  Poor pup kept trying and trying to go potty but nothing would happen.  The lovely vet aid gave Nugget an enema of warm soapy water and that was all it took.  He was such a happy pup after that!

Anyway, enough about that.  Sunday, Alex and I went to the farm and helped Cris.  Alex did some bush hogging and weeding; I planted 216 plants…. Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, red cabbage and green cabbage.  Cris worked on the irrigation system and he has it working great.  All we have to do is turn on the pump at the pond and the little sprinklers water the veggies.  It is such a time saver.

Seems like there is always something to fix around the farm.  The UTV needed a new fuel line….fixed that last week and now the carburetor sounds dirty.  Flat tire on the lawn mower, flat tire on the small spreader.  Had to get a new tractor tire last week.  I am just so glad that Cris can fix about 95% of what breaks down.

We made more mushroom logs this weekend too.  We have mushroom logs with Chicken of the Woods, Lions Mane and Reishi mushroom inoculated in them.  Next month we have a group coming over to learn how to make mushroom logs.  It is the Hardeman County Sustainable Living Association.  We have been members of this group for over a year and we trade techniques with each other.  We meet once a month for dinner and discussion.  Last month two of our members brought spinning wheels to show us how they spin wool into yarn.  I have 3 bags full of fleece that one of the members is going to clean for me so I can eventually spin my own wool.  When I ever have free time that is.  Sounds like a good winter project.

The really exciting news is that the well and septic will be going in this week.  We have electricity since about 3 weeks ago.  I can’t wait for running water.  The ac/heat pump may have to wait until later in the year but we have a couple window ac units for the time being.

GARDEN UPDATE (check out the link above)
Hoop House - as you can see by the photo…. Tomatoes and Green Peppers are loving the hoop house.  Plenty of buds on the tomato plants that should be sprouting tomatoes very soon.

Onions and Potatoes are fantastic.  We have eaten the onions raw…they are so sweet.  Cris brought some of the potatoes home for dinner….delicious but they still need to grow a bit.

English Peas - we picked some for dinner last night….Cris made a pasta dish with just linguine, peas, onions, Parmesan cheese and a little olive oil.  It was great.  I think we are keeping the peas for ourselves this year and will grow more next year.  Not enough planted to sell.

Okra, cucumbers, squash, limas, lady peas, butter beans… all growing but some had to be replanted.  We planted straight seeds and think that next year we will start them as seedlings in the hoop house and then replant outside for better results.

Next week we plan to chip the trees finally.  They have been scattered on top of the hill for sometime and we need to get them chopped and chipped.  The mulch we make from chipping will be used to create a mushroom bed to grow morels.

We are getting into the hot weather season.... makes for some long, hot days on the farm so we try to do the hard outside work either first thing in the morning or in the evening.