I'm Farming and I Grow It

This is a music parody video promoting farming!

These boys did a great job!

Yart

Canning Newsletter

The ladies over at Creative Chicks post this yesterday. And since some of you might not follow them I thought I would share the information.

The University of Minnesota has put all of their Home Food Preservation Newsletters on-line. They can be found here. http://www1.extension.umn.edu/food-safety/home-food-preservation-newsletter/

Right now there are 5 newsletters to read through.... Even if your a seasoned vet when it comes to canning there might be something in here to learn! ;o)

Yart

Camping Disaster

Or as some would like to call it family bonding time! I'm ready to talk about our trip. We got off to a late start last Monday because of some paperwork that needed to be notarized and mailed. So that put our start time about 2 hours later then it should have. We were fine and everyone was happy till we saw these clouds. 

This is what we drove though to get to our paradise for the week. It was dry when we finally got to the campground. As we were putting up the tents it started to rain. Not enough to be bad, just to make things difficult. So once the tents were up we went to our favorite restaurant for dinner. On the way back it really came down in buckets so we went to the camp store to hide out since we didn't want to be stuck in the tents. Of course once the rain let up and we could get back to the tents we realized that the rain had pooled up on the roof and leaked into our tents. So here I am in the dark mopping up water with a towel. Trying to save everything I could. Even though we have an air mattress the sleeping bags got wet. In the process of drying up the water every mosquito in the area made its way into the tent. Mouthy monster got completely eaten up. Poor thing looked like a plague victim in the morning.

In the morning we had planned on taking the ferry to the island to see all the attractions there. When we got back we were going to go to the laundry mat and dry everything. Well, on the island we watched a storm roll through. Luckily, I was smart enough to see it coming and got the family into one of the bars on the strip to have lunch. Once inside the sirens went off like crazy. The whole time I'm praying that the tents would be fine, since they were like 10 miles away from our location.

This was not to be the case. We came back to find this!

Needless to say our day was ruined. But I was not going to let this completely destroy the week. So Grim and I set off to find somewhere else to stay that wasn't a hotel. We were lucky, in so much as we were still in off season. We found a nice little place that rented cottages. And they had one available. The cottage was 24x24. There was a table and chairs, a fridge, stove and a bathroom off the back. There were also 2 full sized beds. Mouthy took the floor. We were warm and not yet dry. That took hours at the laundry mat to make happen.

The week was salvaged and we did quite a bit of site seeing. But a major decision was made that this was the last time we ever go inside of a tent. We are done. The loss of all 3 tents was more then I can bare. So we have to get the trailer up and ready as soon as possible.

We can now get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Yart

Flamboyant Afghan

I decided that I didn't want to talk about the camping trip just yet... Instead I wanted to share something that made me happy!

This is the newest creation of mine.... I found the pattern in "The Woman's Day Book of Granny Squares and Other Carry-Along Crochet". Copyrighted 1975. This is one of the books Grim bought me for my birthday. I only need to make 99 of these squares total... So it will be awhile before I get to show off more of my mad skills... LOL!

Yart

Alive But Water Logged!

We are back from our fun filled vacation. I wanted to let everyone know we are safe and sound, even if we are 3 tents lighter. I will post more about it later.

Yart

My garden

One day soon I will have to harvest.

Walter's Blanket

As you can see I was not only able to finish the blanket but all the ends are safely tucked away as well. He won't be getting it until the middle of July as that's when his birthday is. I still need to work on the fleece one. But if I don't get time then it will be a Christmas present.

Yart

Time came to soon

With the weird weather we have been having here lately, the berries are coming way to early. I'm not use to getting them until near the end of the month. But life is what it is. Grim took me and we were able to get 31 pounds of strawberries. I decided this year that I would just freeze all the berries. I still have a ton of jams and jellies from the last couple years still on the shelf.

Even the black raspberries that I planted at my mom's are going crazy. I didn't weight them but I know they filled up two 16oz containers. I should be able to get one more good pick off them before the season is over. Next year we will be doing something a bit different with the irrigation. It is a live and learn thing.

Yart

BitterSweet

This time of year has always been bittersweet for me. School is ending this week and summer will begin. When I was younger I would be getting all of my stuff ready to spend the summer with my grandma up north at the farms. See my grandpa was a farm boy and so were most of his siblings. So gram and I would go up and visit at the different relatives. My Uncle Phil had one and so did my Aunt Josie. Those were the two that we spent the most time at. My Uncle Phil's is where I learned to milk a cow.

Yep, see there is proof. I think I was 10 in this picture... Man o Man was a skinny... LOL!

I wanted to show you all my horse but I can't find the pictures... Any ways Uncle Phil had teams of horses that did tractor pulls and would be all done up in the leather and chrome.... they were absolutely beautiful to behold... Anyway, He decided that he wanted to breed Bell to get a really good show team. The first foal was named Blaze she was mine and the following year, Flame was born. So he ended up with the most magnificent show team... Blaze N' Flame!

I learned how to hay, to drive a tractor and almost lost my leg on the elevator. See we were putting the bales on the elevator and the motor had an exposed chain, my jeans had a bit of fray at the knee well I got to close and the chain grabbed the fray and ripped my pant leg clean off my body.... Thank God that's all it took. But a lesson was learned that day.

I continued to go up until I was 18, this is the last summer I spent at the farm.

I went about my life and didn't go back to visit for 10 years. But I had 2 monsters to take back with me when I went. Now everyone has passed over and the farms have been sold off. I have my memories and some pictures to help me remember.

Even though I don't go to the farms anymore.... I still plan and have to get ready for the camping trip we have coming up... I guess somethings never change! Summer is almost here and we are leaving, LOL!

Yart

Blogathon 2012

Phelan over at A Homesteading Neophyte is hosting the 2012 Blogathon. This year the money raised is going to a really great cause, Champions for Heroes. You can read all about it at her blog here.

Yart

Garden Craft

I don't remember where I saw this craft done but it is so cute I remembered it. So of course I had to do it for myself. You may never have paid any attention to the terra cotta pots that I had in a couple of the pictures that I posted of the garden. Well, those are the ones that I used.

First thing I did was paint them all white.

Then I put round stickers on the dry pot. Yep, yard sale stickers did the trick!

Next I painted with the top color.

Once the paint was almost dry I peeled off the stickers.

The only thing I will do different next time is get a can of clear to put on a top coat. Right now they are residing in the garden, I had wanted them for the trailer. But I might have to get more for that... LOL!

Yart

On the Hooks!

I am creating with yarn…. I can’t tell you all just yet what it is, but hopefully soon I will. I know the suspense will drive you crazy… LOL!

Nope, I didn’t start smoking again… the ashtray is out there for the burnt matches after I light the candles. I didn’t want the things all over the yard.

Yart

Northwestern Kind of Day

When I was a kid we traveled a ton. Every other year we went to the Northwest. We spent the entire summer living out of our full size econo van. My dad would build up the inside so that it was very much like a motorhome. I will have to see if my mom has any pictures to show you all. It would take us 4 days to reach British Columbia. Then we lived like gypsy's on the road. But the weather was different then here in Michigan. Even at the height of summer it could still get cold. Cold enough to need long pants and a sweater. That's the type of day I'm having now. It's in the low 70's with a decent breeze. The sun keeps trying to pop out but the clouds seem to be winning. The weather man is calling for scattered rain but I don't smell it in the air.

What a difference a couple of days makes. Over the past weekend were up into the 100's and this weekend we barely hit the mid 70's. I don't mind it helps to remind me that it is still Spring and Summer won't be here for another couple weeks. 

I can say though that I feel a little bit lost without having a garden. I miss it terribly. Which is funny because I have 2 tomato and 2 pepper plants. I have all my herbs. I have 3 fruit trees, grape vines and blueberry bushes. Not to mention the borage, yarrow and black currant that was added to the garden. I didn't get anything put into the ground over at my mom's house, to many other things came up. Maybe we will win the lottery and be able to get our of the suburbs and I can have a full acre of garden... What the heck.... If I'm going to dream I might as well dream big. Back to reality.... I have enough you pick places not to far from me that I will still be able to get all the produce that I want and can it all up for the winter.

I'm going to finish my lazy day outside and get some more knitting done!

Yart