Sunday, December 25, 2016

The Hens

I feed the chickens I have everyday but the one thing they always gobble down in record speed is greens and maybe mealy and earth worms. They will crowd around the greens dish and fight over the greens. I also put what I call a cabbage on a stick out in the pen as something they can peck at whenever they like. Always fun watching them and of course collecting the eggs...




Sunday, December 18, 2016

Coldest Air in Years

Air from the north pole has made it down as far south as central Texas where I am with winds at 20 to 30 mph and wind chills in the teens, and that is where I am. It is far worse in the states farther north than me. This morning I had to break up the ice every 2 hours in the chicken drinking bucket so they could get water. I think the fresh greens and feed I put out for them has frozen now at mid day and don't think the temp will get above freezing today or tomorrow. So have taken out fresh greens and seed to them, looks like a long day inside.

 Wind Chills
Temperatures Midday

Friday, December 16, 2016

Best Eggs Around

I was cracking some of the blue eggs from one of my hens and checking out the rich color of the yokes and the egg whites. Time to have some eggs and toast ...





Thursday, December 8, 2016

A Hard Freeze

The arctic has come down from Alaska, first this season and it will bring my garden to an end and bring a hard freeze down south where I am in Texas. I have pulled the rest of what I have in my garden including cabbage, peppers, and broccoli. I have some carrots still there, will have to see how they do...the cabbage will be good for the chickens../





Saturday, December 3, 2016

The Arctic is Coming

Polar air from the arctic is making its first plunge southward and will be taking over half the country by next Wed putting most people in the freeze. I think it might be the end to my garden except for the carrots, they should make it. I will pick the rest of the peppers and beans before then. I wonder if the cabbage could make it...




Tuesday, November 22, 2016

The Hens

The hens are back to laying more now that the weather has been cooler. They are funny to watch, there are some that come up to me and beg for something good and then there are some that keep their distance. Some are louder than others, and I have one that is a real pig, she far eats more than any of the others.



Thursday, November 10, 2016

The Road

It seems this high growing elephant grass was taking over part of my dirt road unto my property so I bushwacked it with my weed wacker. Now this is what part of my road looks like, like someone's lawn...


Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Time For More Carrots

Pulling more carrots from the garden and they are looking great. I still have carrots, peppers and beans still growing in the garden and will the recent heavy rains hope to pick some more beans before the freeze by December...



Thursday, November 3, 2016

The Deer

I watch the deer come by my cabin every day, some of them are regulars who come by everyday to eat the corn I set out for them. I took these photos the other day of a family of them.



Friday, October 28, 2016

More Peppers

Despite being late in the year and my garden not doing much now, my pepper plants have been producing a lot of jalapeno peppers. I have peppers and carrots growing in the garden right now...



Tuesday, October 25, 2016

There be Bees

I was taking a walk on my property and saw these autumn wildflowers and a few honey bees. I hope they are making a come back in my area and will be here next spring when I plant my next garden...



Thursday, October 13, 2016

Breakdown

It has been a rough week for me. My old 90 Chevy truck had brake issues and I knew it was going to cost me. But in addition to that I also had fuel issues, I needed a fuel pump and idle sensors. The sense of it is I ended up spending $1500 to get my truck running right again. At the same time my partner's car came to an end with a head gasket problem. She did not have the money to get another car, so with my great credit I borrowed from my credit union enough to get her a great car that should last her the next five years. Got a loan of $9645 at 1.5%, and that included a great warranty on a 2014 Nissan Versa with only 32,000 miles. I like old stuff and she likes the new computer stuff, but she can do three years of $200 a month to pay the loan. I think we might be back to some normalcy now...




Friday, September 30, 2016

Autumn is In the Air

Autumn seems to be bringing itself to the deep south and here in central Texas. This morning after a cool front came through our area the morning temperature was a nice 52 degrees F. I had the windows opened all night bringing in that cool autumn air. Today the temperature is at 80, a perfect day for a walk...


Saturday, September 24, 2016

Nature

I am always walking around my property and usually I keep an eye out for what I might see in nature. I live in a cabin surrounded by woods. I just happened to walk up to my shop building and on the screen door just sitting there was a stick bug. I always carry my cell phone so I can take photos, I know it is just a bug, but I love nature and am always impressed by how living things adapt and survive. I saw moma deer and her baby come up and eat some corn I put out and later I saw some turkeys on a neighbors property. I am always looking for other living things...




Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Jalapeno Peppers

The garden is still producing despite the hot temperatures of the summer. I still have carrots and peppers growing and picked a bunch of jalapeno peppers today. I think I will make some salsa from them...


Monday, September 5, 2016

The Hens

Since I lost two hens to a raccoon and have built a new coop, I have gotten more hens, one is an Americana which lays blue eggs and the another is a New Hampshire Red, now with six hens. I have not had any more problems and I have not seen the raccoon anymore who would go in the chicken pen and eat their feed. Since then I now cover the feed at night and have a light on out there that I can see from my kitchen window..


Thursday, August 18, 2016

Rain Update

In the last five days, I have had over six inches of rain after 2 1/2 months of drought which effectively shut down my garden. Most of it is gone, except a few tomato plants, some carrots and peppers that I kept alive. My pear tree also suffered but is back doing okay. The new chicken coop seems to be keeping the rain out (and I definitely am no carpenter). Now if I can get the new hens to start laying soon...

Friday, August 12, 2016

Rain Maybe

I have gone 2 1/2 months of no rain where I am, and have lost about all of my garden. But the forecast for my area has maybe rain starting this weekend, in the past rain has gone either away from me or around me, so I am hopeful that the weather gods will favor me soon...


Sunday, July 31, 2016

Heat Continues

No let up on the heat and with that now over two months of no rain. It looks like August will be no better with predictions of the same. It seems over half my garden is dead and only tomato and carrot plants are still alive but not really growing. My garden this year is done, maybe I can get carrots and a few tomatoes in the fall... I did get the chicken coop expansion done and have acquired two more young hens. I think I will get two more in the fall for a total of six for this coop.




Friday, July 15, 2016

The Heat

The heat has taken over here now with temps around 100 every day and no rain since May. Everything is dry and of course my garden has suffered even with the limited watering I do with a hose. I have harvested everything now except for carrots and beans which are still growing. Tomato plants are doing okay, just not fruiting with the heat...



Thursday, June 30, 2016

Bug Crazy

I have had scorpions in my cabin before, but I was in my cabin and happen to look over at the floor and saw this spider just casually walking across. I scooped up a young tarantula spider of about 2.5 inches and set him outside. Where I live you never know what you are going to see...


Tomato Fever

Despite the heat, I am still picking tomatoes from the garden. The plants are still flowering but the heat is stopping them from producing fruit..



Sunday, June 19, 2016

Pulling Cabbage

I have had my first cabbage plants out of the ground. I have never grown cabbage before and this one is looking like a curly leaf type of cabbage..


Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Heat is Back

It did not take long after the rains ended for the summer heat to set in. Within two weeks after the May rains, the intense summer heat came quickly with the humidity. For me the humidity was not as bad as that of the coastal areas in the south, but even the dry heat sent heat indexes well over 105. Now I am watering my garden every day to keep it alive, the tomatoes are doing well and still producing in this heat, that I did not have last summer. The garden has done better this year over last. I spend less than an hour outside at sunset and am drenched in sweat when I get inside. It looks like a long hot summer but with more humidity from all the rains back in May. That may end along with the insects if the rains do not return and that looks to be the case for a while...



Digging up Potatoes

It was time to dig up some potatoes from the garden that I had planted a few months ago. They had grown nice plant tops that had bloomed and a couple weeks later were ready to dig up. Sliced them up and fried them with some onions, they had a nice sweet taste.


Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Garden News

Broccoli and snap beans are finally coming forth. Cabbage should be ready soon also..





Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Mucho Veggies

The garden veggies are coming in now especially the tomatoes. It is salads and sandwiches every day now...

A salad every day is becoming a habit. 

Tomatoes taking over the fridge with more coming.