A Snapping Turtle

Saw this guy wondering around out on my dirt road maybe lost by all the rain. I decided to take him to one of the creeks on my property. He is about a foot long and likes to snap at you, looks like a snapping turtle..

More Garden News

From news of the strange and weird, I picked this tomato from the garden, that has a very red back end..

Tornadoes and Rain

The rain has been unrelenting all month and is really saturating the ground. I had a little scare today of a tornado that passed a few miles from me. My garden made it though with minor flooding however I have some very wet chickens..

El Nino strikes!

El Nino is doing a number in my area, record rain, tornadoes, and flooding are everywhere around me. I live on a hill with creeks on both sides of me, so I am fine right now, but the creeks are now rivers...

The Strange and the Weird

I sometimes get the strange and the weird from my garden, here I was pulling carrots today from the garden and I got "Miss Stiff Legs", now I know I have rocky soil, so I assume you have to "ride" those rocks..

Tomatoes From the Garden

Now picking tomatoes from the garden!

Garden News

Since the rains, the lettuce has grown into "towers" that are up to 3 feet tall, never have seen this lettuce do that. And the tomato plants keep growing, where some plants are 6 feet high, growing over the fence, hell everything grows bigger here. And the sunflower plants are about to flower.

Huge "towers" of lettuce 

Tomato plants 6 feet tall

Sunflower plants 5 feet tall and are about to flower

The Pumpkin Patch

The pumpkin patch is now flowering so I hope to see some baby pumpkins soon..

Mead and Me

Relaxing in my rocker on my front porch this late afternoon and drinking some Cyser (Apple Cider Mead) that my good friend LA sent me, Not sure how long this bottle will last but it don't get any better than this today..

Spider At Home

I was just walking to my Studio when in the corner of my eye I saw this spider and his/her web which I think only was visible because of the rain that just fell. A magnificent huge web with this spider feeding on his latest meal. I really have to watch where I walk out here.

More Eggs

Checking the hen house this morning and picking up eggs, no snakes this time, hope that means I killed the only one last weekend.

Squash Anyone?

I picked this yellow squash from the garden this morning. I measured them at 7.5 inches long, they grow fast out here..

My Snake Encounter

I was doing some routine stuff on my property this afternoon and decided to check the chicken house for eggs. As I went into the back door I saw this snake eating one of the eggs, he was preoccupied enough where he did not notice me. I went and got my hand hatchet and I hit him hard in his midsection. That got his attention and he turned to me. With my left hand I took a stick and cornered his head. and then I drove that hatchet further and cut him in half. I then dragged him out and then drove my hatchet behind his head. This snake is known as a Texas Rat Snake or also as a Texas Chicken Snake and are not venomous but do have a mean bite. We have had a lot of rain here lately so no surprise seeing this guy. Great fun out here in the woods.

This snake is one of the common snakes in my area 

Garden News

I have pulled the first ripe tomato out of the garden. I cut it into slices and tried one, it was not bad, There were some green seeds inside in part of it but overall good.

Time to Harvest

Just decided today to harvest a few of the veggies from the garden..

Fresh carrots ready to eat 

Fresh squash, think I will fry it in slices 

Fresh turnips, these are sweet tasting and love the greens

Wildflowers

They are everywhere on my land, different varieties growing and growing at different times, it is quite the show..

News From the Garden

Was taking a look in the garden, and killing off the few remaining beetles, when I started looking at some of the squash and turnip plants. The squash is about 5 inches long and 2 -3 inches in width, I think within a week it will be time to pick the squash. This photo of a turnip green looks like it is about ready to pull.

Invasion of the Japanese Beetle

This morning I went to war against the Japanese beetle which has descended upon my garden. I took a sprayer bottle with soapy water and a tall cup of soapy water, and in between spraying them I was grabbing them by hand and loading up my cup with them. Looks like thousands have left the garden..

Bird Watching

I love to do bird watching, and around here in these woodlands I find many different kinds of birds here. I have a feeder outside my window so I can get a better view of them, here are two more interesting ones..

The Painted Bunting 

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Eggs and More Eggs

I have about 5 dozen of eggs in the fridge, and with even giving some away, those chickens I have keep laying more than I am eating, well I am going to eat more eggs, besides my pasture raised eggs are the best..

My Front Yard

I like to sit out on the front porch of my cabin often and drink a beer and just spend some time bird watching and taking in the greenery, woods as far as the eye can see. Think I will take another walk tomorrow down one of the paths with my walking stick and of course my 22 rifle..

Gotta Have This Phone

I can say that I like m&ms candy sometimes so when I found this phone at a thrift store with the m&m guys, I had to have it. Now when the phone gets a call, yes it rings but the "fellas" also dance a jig. Amazing what they make these days, but I have found that I have an active phone land line when I got my DSL line. So I now have a place for the "fellas"..