yes, they do. During the plandemic I stocked up on several types of canned goods. Of course. the prices are a bit higher now, but still good prices.Vitacost also carries some food items
Morning y'all. Chores, meds, breakfast done. Mowed part yesterday, finish back today.
Then wash ups and this evening take grands to meet new band.
Got the spraying almost all done again.
Oh! While I was in bed last night, a moth or something flew in my ear. It was way down there. I finally gave up and after an hour it came out. Kind of freaky feeling it flap and try to get out. Ug.
Ostrich is really good meat. I always liked it.
I got the garden areas sprayed again. Next week see what I can get in there. The lilacs have bloomed so that's my sign.
Hip still hurts so have to be careful and not pivot. Trigger thumb is bad in morning but eases up through the day.
Doc appt tomorrow in big city. Infection doc. Last med ball goes in in the morning.
Then see when he can get the central line out.
Onward and upward!
Lots of rain here last night, heavy rain, it's overcast and everything looks green and heavy from the rain. I just saw one of our larger goats reach up, standing on her hind legs and grab some leaves off of a tree limb. They must taste delicious to her.
Our bad boy goat got out yesterday, a lady down the road texted me about a goat being out. People around here are very nice about letting us know when they see a goat out. This particular goat's mother was stolen when he was just weining. He's been an odd boy ever since, he's a handsome fellow with long angel ears. DH found him and put him in a pasture by himself to punish him, they prefer not being alone. DH found the hole where he got out and patched it. Our wonderful dog digs the holes to get in and out of the goat pasture and this wilely boy finds them and gets out too.
I can see the chickens running around and flapping their wings. We are getting upwards to 20 eggs a day. DH sells them at church for $2 a dozen and gives the left over ones away.
The only thing we have planted are tomatoes. DH may plant some squash and zucchini at some point, maybe.
Sheree I hear ya on the coop. I was lucky to get a 10x10 dog kennel back then, $198. Can't get that today.
I used an old picnic table that was broke up, to attach a shelter. 3 plastic panels on the roof frame Scot made. They really like the old dog house in there to lay eggs in.
I still have limited energy, but it's getting better. I'd like to have 3 hens, but I don't think I have the energy to manage them, so I'm buying eggs from neighbors, and I'll buy some whole, dressed chickens when it's time for them to go to freezer camp in the fall.
Still rainy here. I'm trying to get work done before the next round of storms.
I have limited energy too, but I think I could take care of the chickens and ugh gather the eggs if DH couldn't, but then again its all set up for them. I say ugh about gathering the eggs because I'm not fond of going in the chicken house because the floor is full of chicken poop, and I hate chicken poop.I still have limited energy, but it's getting better. I'd like to have 3 hens, but I don't think I have the energy to manage them, so I'm buying eggs from neighbors, and I'll buy some whole, dressed chickens when it's time for them to go to freezer camp in the fall.
Still rainy here. I'm trying to get work done before the next round of storms.
We are right at the edge of town, and keeping chickens is slightly problematic. They can't smell or neighbors will complain -- and rightly so. I would need to be a little farther out, and then I could basically free range them.
In general, it's too cold (sometimes getting down to -10) to over-winter them, unless one already has a barn. It's more cost effective to send them to freezer camp. Out here, they aren't pets or treated as such, although they do receive good care.
I live down the road from working farms: dairy, pig, and growers of soy and corn. There are some chickens. Given the tight cash flow, chickens have to pull their weight financially, and lots of families forego having them because they have to be carefully managed and with the potential bird flu problems, more farmers are just saying no.
That said, there are "invisible" small flocks that are kept far "out back" and butchered in the fall. In general, these eggs are kept only for the family, but I get gifted periodically. I also help with clean-up and running older children and elderly to appointments. These are just not large, rich operations, and I'm seeing first-hand why the family farms are struggling so hard to hang on.
I live in a very rural community, very few folks in my generation and younger have gardens, or farm animals. Everything comes from the grocery store. There are a very few exceptions though, my young friend Morgan and her husband, and I have a cousin my age that has always done what a country boy does, garden, and he has all kinds of feathered animals. He's been an avid hunter, but like most our age is slowing down.
He has several hunting dogs, for deer and squirrils. He had this pretty and sweet little dog to train for sauirrels. She didn't work out so he took her for a one way trip to the woods. I was really pissed at him for this, I would have gladly taken her. I called him dog killer for awhile. he's the one I called to put down my two beloved goat killing dogs. It took me years to get over it and just thinking about it still makes me sad. But once they get a taste its just very difficult to break them of it. It was also heart breaking to see the two dead goats that had been brutilized. Hard choices on a farm.
SouthernBreeze, around here you can rent a tiller at Ace Hardware. Or maybe see if you could hire it done. Some of the equipment rental companies might have one also.
Sheree, if you can't do the tiller, you can always do no till. How I do it is cover the garden area in the fall. Use plastic, tarps, boards whatever you have. Throw tires or rocks bricks etc in top. Leave it until your ready to plant next spring. Lift up the cover and the soil is beautiful and just needs a hoe for the farrow of seeds, or just where you plan to put your seedlings.
It's too late in the year now. But I used to do this every year and it worked very good. All weeds gone and soil just perfect.