Thank you! I have plenty of the above on hand (no pun intended). Somethings, I never seem to learn! What the old joke about a goldfish swimming circles in a bowl.
"Oh, look a castle!"
"Oh, look a castle!"
"Oh, look a castle!"
"Oh, look a castle!"
Star-spangled time on the July homestead
LOL!
Capsaicin is also soluble in alcohol (you could use rubbing alcohol) but fat is much better for your skin, and what alcohol the body absorbs goes to the liver...
Colt was out this morning. A shake of the feed bucket brought him on the run. Or I should say on the rack. LOL Cleaned out his stall and fixed the fence. Also sprayed him down with fly spray. They are bad this year. Have to spray the goats and the dogs too. Poor dogs. I have to put sulfur salve on their ears.
Turned out one pen of chickens and let the goats out on the hillside. Still no babies from Dusty, the other doe.
Put some sevin dust on part of the garden. Still have to get the taters done.
Pulp is soaked so I can rest a bit.
Anybody have any idea what kind of squash this might be? The seed was supposed to be Flying Saucer but that didn't happen. It's bigger now and darker green. Looks like pumpkin but the bush is wrong.
Cajun ~ that sure favors a canteloupe or pumpkin. It will be interesting to see what matures.
Cocoa ~ are the hands better? Did you apply some on the cow teats too? I haven't tried it but was told toothpaste would work. Now, I would not swear to it.
Pepper spray also has capsaicin in it and police officers are told to wash with milk if sprayed.
Oh wow, I didn't know rubbing alcohol goes to the liver..don't use it much tho, it's always in the barn when I think I need it in the house.
Cajun, melon was my first thought too. But the skin looks more squashish.lol Whatever it is, I hope it's tasty!
Yes, Pod, thank you. Much better. I thought milk would work as well. That's what I used yesterday on my hands and udders when I felt it 'heat up'. I milk into two buckets, one for us, the other for chicken feed. Since the chickens stand in their clabber, I didn't think they'd mind if I stuck my hands in it.lol
I used butter a few times, then used the cream off the top of yogurt later in the day. That seem to work the best..it was also the coldest feeling. I sorta wish I could bath in it.lol
Sally's udder seemed really irritated this morning and it looks like she walked threw some brush trying to scratch at her udder yesterday. Despite my firm "NOs"! She kept taking swipes at me with her hooves. I switched gears and started singing to her. She completely quit her kicking...gotta love a animal that responds like that...short teats and all :0)
I cleaned her up with some yogurt the best I could and she seemed to enjoy it. I have some herbal balm that would help with scratches, but worried that oils in them might make the capsaicin remain active?...don't know
If I sang, she'd just kick harder, LOL!
Oils in the balm should act not much differently on the capsaicin than the fats in the yogurt.
LOL, as much as I would like to claim it was my voice, it was probably just a more annoying distraction then the pepper!
That's what I was worried about. Lard is used in cayenne balm for mastitis, I thought it was used as just a 'carrier' but can see now how it would keep the heat sensation active. I'll keep my eye on her udder, hopefully I removed enough of capsaicin this morning. The cayenne balm is used to get blood flow and milk moving in a mastic cow. I haven't had mastitis issues or used the cayenne balm, but I did get a quart more milk from her this morning. So it works!
I do feel guilty, I'm putting her thru this for no good reason.
hey, maybe massaging with yogurt before milking will continue to increase yield?
cocoa= i thought the fish bowl was funny. I never thought about it like that.
My extra EE rooster has found a future home. My sister thinks I have Ameraucanas and not EEs. The rooster goes to her house. She has an Ameraucana hen but no rooster. She is going to set up a house just for her Ameraucanas before the rooster goes home.
Cajun= I don't know what your fruit is. It looks like a green pumpkin squash right now. Interesting. I like surprises.
Our bull has not gotten out of the fence in a week. That's a record. If he would stay in the fence, we wouldn't be in such a hurry to butcher. I ran out of fly spray. The flies are heavy on the bull but not on the dog.
I took a picture of a melon the other day when I took pics of the chickens but i was in a hurry and forgot to post it.
I am trying the Banana Melon. Got the seeds from Baker Creek. That is a huge melon. I don't remember how big they are suppose to get. I grew it in one of the raised cinder block holes==3 holes deep plus the roots wonder into the main raised bed area too......but anyway. The other day it was about 16 inches long. Today it is much bigger but no current pic.
I just placed my first order from Baker's Creek last night, for fall seeds. Don't know why I haven't ordered from them before now, except maybe because not all their seeds are organic, just heirloom. Anyway, I made notes along the way of seeds to consider next year. :)
So far I am happy with the Banana Melon . The plant growth is great. The production is a little low but not bad considering melon production in general. So far I have 5 Banana Melons on one plant and more trying to pollinate. I just had to try it. Huge melons. I will let everyone know how the fruit turns out.
I really like Baker Creek. I have no complaints. I have tried many melons from Baker Creek. There is one that I know I will not grow again but only cause I was not impressed and thats the Snake Melon. It's aroma was weird and interesting at the same time but I never ate it . The aroma turned me off. It didn't stink but it was weird and my taste buds did not crave that aroma. Plus= i didn't know what to do with it. lol.
Tried many of the Mini cantaloupes and I was shocked to see how small they actually were. They left you wanting more. The flavors were great. Too tiny.
I am running behind on getting Fall plants ready. Some how= some where= I lost my cole crop seeds. I had to order more seeds today:::::: Premium Crop Broccoli, Snow Crown Cauliflower, Jade Cross Brussel, Red Perfection Cabbage, Golden Cross Cabbage, and already have Graffiti Cauliflower. I like Brussels. Grew brussels once and that didn't turn out too well but I grew them in the Spring. Hoping a Fall crop will do better. I read Golden Cross is suppose to grow spring through fall without bolting. hmmmm I will have to remember that. Of course I will be growing all of these for plant sales also.... Ordered plant tags too.
I also lost my carrot seeds cause they were in the same bag as the cole crop cause i plant them about the same time. Lost all my lettuce too........Guess I have to go seed shopping for my carrots at the Feed Store.
My white pattypan squash and yellow crookneck seedlings are doing great. Aching for a good Squash Casserole.
Transplanted the tomato seedlings into small packs for the Fall produce sales. I been cleaning up the greenhouse and trying to get those beds ready for the new tom plants. 432 Big Beef and 36 Brandywine.
My little chickens sure do eat a lot. I thought chickens ate less during summer heat? I been feeding the 21 chickens 1 and half gallon of feed every day====divided into two feedings. Off to feed chickens.
I raise banana melons most years. They are very tasty once the skin turns a tanish brown colour. Sweeter than spun honey, I swear. I dig a shallow trench, fill it with well rotted manure and plant my hills in the well rotted manure. Then I mulch with cardboard and old straw. They are awesome melons. This year I went with a different type and they aren't doing so well/ The vert e blanc (green and white) patty pans are doing well. And I'll have so many 'maters I won't know what to do with them!!
Hey... I got zucchini, does that count??? LOL.
Actually for as little as I planted, my veggies are generally doing fine. The volunteers are doing the best... don't they always?
I am disappointed with my garden to this point. Hope it gets better. My first year for SFg and I am learning a lot. Time to put in the fall crops now.
I am learning that once I find something that works for myself, I better stick with it. Such as veggie varieties. I been growing the Big Beef tomato for 10 years and at the same time I been trying to find a tomato to beat it but all I end up doing is wasting money on other plants. Have decided to stop looking. I have also tried to find an heirloom cherry tomato that meets or beats the Sweet Million. Haven't found one yet and I been growing the Sweet Million at least 13 years. My all time favorites are The Big Beef, Brandywine, Better Bush, and Sweet Million.
I am glad to hear the Banana Melon taste great. Even more impatient to try it now.
I took in a stray dog. She had a great personality and didn't have an aggressive bone in her body. She was here for only a month. Lately she insisted on being in the house while we were gone. She tour up a screen on a window that was at deck-porch level. I replaced it and corrected the dog. Even used one of those dog training collars. She tried getting in the house through a bedroom window and only tour the screen at the bottom cause she couldnt reach any further. We took our son to his aunts house to spend the night and while we were gone she tour the same screen up that she did before. I had to keep all the windows shut so she wouldn't come in while we were gone. Last night while were gone to get son, she ripped the screen door to shreds. Keep in mind that we are building a new house and she is tearing it down. I refused to let the dog in last night cause I was mad at her and I was thinking=======what else could she possibly tear up. She has torn all she can reach already.........went to bed. Got up this morning and she had finished off the window screen.........Plus= We dont have the back door installed yet but I had greenhouse shade cloth stapled to the door way to keep the flies out until we installed the door and screen door. She ripped it to shreds and there wasn't any steps at the door way either. I found her sleeping on my new love seat............I was fierce. She doesn't live here any more.
Might be why she was needing a home when she came to you.
Give Galena's Yellow Cherry a try. I wouldn't garden without it. Extrenely prolific and delicious.
After the dog was gone, I felt bad that I just threw her away. After I got past my anger and thought about it, Hubby went back and got the darn dog.....................sigh She's just a mutt and other than her destroying the screens to get in the house, I really like the dog.
You may have to tie her up when you leave or maybe crate her in the house. Does she stay in the house when you are home?
The dog is indoor outdoor. AT first when we didn't have walls on the house she came in and out as she pleased. There was no stopping her then. Then When we got walls - we had no doors and she came in and out as she pleased. But then we had a door and a screen door but the screen door did not latch. It has spring hinges and closes by it self. The dog would grab the bottom corner of the screen door with her teeth and open the door and come in and went out as she pleased. She does not potty in the house. She goes outside even when she is closed up in the house during the night , she does not use the house. She follows me every where. To the bathroom, to the bedroom, to the kitchen, to the chicken coop, to the pond, to the neighbors...........she is my shadow and she sleeps on my side of the bed every night. I think I am more angry cause I like the dog. We did talk about a few things we could do when we leave the house====chain or leave her in the house.......But the next problem will be winter. When cold weather sets in , all the main doors will be shut all the time. So = hm= LOL , It's crazy. I would have to open the screen doors and leave them open all winter. Frustrating.
Put in a (lockable) doggie door before the inside walls are finished and before the siding is installed.
I agree: the doggie door should solve the problem
I wanted to take a picture of the Dog named Lilly. I call her name so she would look up at me and she jumps right when the flash went off. She is young dog. I am guessing she was about 5 months old when she showed up so I am guessing she is about 6 months old now.
brat
Lab. Nuff said. She won't grow out of it for years.
Cajun= you think she is a Lab? I think she got some hound in there somewhere too.
She looks mostly Lab to me too.
Lab
I think a lab cross but I wouldn't guess hound by appearance. Definitely hound by behavior and more destructive than 'just puppy'. This dogs' behavior is an aberration.
We have bred, raised and kept labs for almost 40 years. In this case, I could guess it to be separation anxiety or abandonment from a previous caretaker. If you like her well enough to work with her, she will be a devoted protector for you.
I'd suggest kenneling her (in or out) while you are gone. I'm afraid a doggie door would only open the inside of your new home to her destructive nature.
Cajun, I was looking at the victory seed website and this caught my attention..sure looks like your summer squash. http://www.victoryseeds.com/squash_tatume.html
Oh no, Cricket! You have so much on your plate right now without a destructive pup. I hope she's a quick learner, and double drats,... she has a sweet face!
Def a mix but lab for sure.
We got 2 more goat babies yesterday morning. Another pair. These are much larger than the other 2 were and they are hairier. The buck was hairy too. I have named the buck Bruiser and the doe Woolene. They are doing well this morning.
I picked 6 ears of corn this morning. Looking forward to having it for supper. I wish I had planted lots more. It is very tasty and has done much better in this stony ground than I ever thought it would. I will see if I can borrow a tiller in Spring in put in a couple of rows or so.
We are definitely hurting from lack of pollinators. I am going to look into getting a hive of bees. We have plenty blooms but not much fruit on anything.
It's time to be putting in fall crops here so I have to get busy cleaning up other stuff to make room. Also need to decide whay I am going to plant. I know I am going to grow a cood crop of Sugar Ann peas. I really loved those. Leaning toward Bok Choy and Chinese Cabbage too. And some lettuce. Maybe the tomatoes will be ripe by the time the lettuce comes in. Sure wish I had a GH. My eggplants have not even bloomed yet. The peppers are finally getting into gear. The beans are doing well. Here is likely a dumb question but I'll ask it anyway. I have planted Black beans from dried beans I bought at the store. They are doing great. Do I leave them to dry on the bush if I want to eat them as shell bean or can I pick them when the shells are full but not yet dry? I love fresh shell beans. I let the Cherokee Wax beans fill out the pod then eat them as shell beans. My carrots were full of worms. :(
Going to check out the summer squash link. Thanks. Maybe I will find out how to cook it if I can find out what it is.
I looked at the link and it is similar. But mine is shaped more like a pumpkin. It is still very dark green and it's not a vining squash. It has a plant like a straightneck or zuchinin squash. It has spread out a bit from center in one direction but could not be called vining. I am at a loss as to what to do with it because I don't know what it is. It is taking up far more than it's share of room in the garden and I need to get things cleaned up so I can get my fall stuff in. I will try to get a new pic of it to show you all. I think I will also post it in a couple other forums. Mayhap somebody will recognize it.
Caj, you might look into building a 'nest box' for mason bees and see if you can attract and keep some of them. They are good pollinators, no upkeep but no honey, either.
Is a mason bee the same as a carpenter bee?
I have a compost tumbler that rotates on a stand. I have put it on the ground to roll it around. I hope it doesn't
damage it. I been mowing the lawn for two days. Have tons of grass clippings , now both dry and green.
Have tons of manure from horses, cow, guineas, chickens. I need it to compost within 6 weeks so I can put it in the raised beds for the fall crops. I don't plant my fall crop until 1st week in Sept. I have never used the compost tumbler as instructed. It is very heavy when full. I was suppose to turn it completely 5 times every day for 2 ? weeks and have instant compost...............I am not woman enough to keep up with it. It's dreadful. I thought putting it on the ground and rolling it would be easier=======whatcha think?
Before I put the horse and cow manure(dry) in the tumbler= i will run it through a Mulcher to chop it up. I have a large Troy Shredder Chopper. I like to run the fall crop stalks and debri through the shredder. It looks like green cole slaw. I add it directly to the raised beds during the winter. By Spring it is ready to plant. I tried something new with the raised beds this year. I had built a trellis system on the back side of the raised beds. I did not like it.
It eventually crowded out the plants in front of it.. Sigh. Or maybe I was just soooo busy with other things that I never took the time to prune. I am also planting another crop of corn this week. The first crop was great. I only plant a few 4x4 beds and help with pollination.
Off to work again.= later.
No, a mason bee is not the same as a carpenter bee... They are also called Orchard Mason Bees
http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse006/inse006.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee#Management
They will sometimes nest in the holes in wood made by carpenter bees (after the new C. bee crop has hatched). I don't like carpenter bees... they are so destructive, and so hard to eliminate. We have them in the barn poles.
Darius, I think I will get right on building a few of those nests. I had seen that on a show once where people got help turning their yards into certified backyard something or others. It was a daily show on Animal Planet. I had forgotten all about it. They drilled holes in some blocks and nailed them to the wooden fence. They also cut some lenghts of hollow cane and tied them together before hanging them in a tree.
Building some is on my list, too.
I have city friends who have certified backyard wildlife habitats. Pretty cool idea.