Casandra Sweater

My Casandra Sweater from Shear Spirit.

It fits perfectly.  The forearms are too fitting….just as I expected.  So, I’m going to wet them and try to block them a bit roomier.

Our New Milking Stanchion

Honey has been busy as usual. He’s nearly finished with my outdoor milking stanchion. I’ve been training Josie to walk in on her own and she surprised me the other day by backing out all by herself. What a smart cow!

In my milking parlor we are going to pour a concrete pad with gravel sprinkled on the top. The gravel with give Josie some traction and the concrete will allow me to hose it off. Then Honey will build another stanchion there with a head gate from my farmers old barn! We have access to free brick, so we’ll brick the rest of the room. Until we can get that room done, the outside stanchion will be used. And I’ll pray for no rain, so we don’t get watered down milk!

(you know better than that….of course Honey will put a roof over me, when he’s let out of quarantine!!! )

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

What summer vacation???

Honey spent his day off on Friday in the office, working to finish up a project that is due on Monday. Deadlines are good, I suppose. He’s been quarantined for a couple weeks and no one was allowed to bother him without permission from his supervisor! FINALLY!

We both spent the 4th working all morning. But as far as a vacation….well, with a cow that will calf in a month….there won’t be one this year. Unless we figure out how to get him out of quarantine and find someone to watch the animals this month before the calf comes….well….it ain’t happenin.

But today….with that sunrise and 65*F weather, it almost felt like vacation in the North Carolina mountains….except for the car noises.

This is what I did on my 4th of July.

I dug potatoes. Almost 5 gallons. They are beautiful! Mmmmm

I was hugely disappointed with the seed potatoes that I bought. I averaged 1 potato per plant!!!! That’s disgusting! I will let you know if the company stands by their satisfaction guarantee. If not, I’ll be sure the publish their name and if so….I’ll be sure to publish their name!

The Yukon Golds at the top are from potatoes I bought at the health food store for a couple bucks! Why I buy seed potatoes….I’ll never know. I’m always disappointed. Make note to self: NEVER BUY SEED POTATOES EVER AGAIN! No matter what they claim!!!

My sunflowers are huge with squash, melons and pumpkins plants growing underneath.

It’s the first year I’ve planted the Three Sisters! Corn, Squash and Beans. I planted beans to climb the corn and squash and cucs under the corn to also climb. It’s working.

We’ve almost eaten all of our brined pickles from last year….all 2 gallons!

I hung the garlic under the deck to dry. I still need to dig half of them. The elephant garlic turned out great….in fact all the garlic did. I bought these from Territorial Seed Co. I’ll use lots of them in our brined pickles! Mmmm

I’ll probably cut the cabbage soon and make kraut. Last year I let them go too long and the worms got most of them.

It’s time to start planning my fall/winter garden with several beds emptying. I’ll start some eyes on my potatoes and plant them this month in the pea bed. Then they will be ready by the first frost in mid October.

I hope you had a lovely 4th.