Chores....

This week we are busy getting farm chores done. While it is hard to think about winter when it is 88-degrees, we know it is coming and we have to be ready.

The girls inspect limbs that will become kindling for the wood stove. 

Dead apple trees make the most wonderful smelling firewood!

Mister working on a pine.

Thoreau was right; wood does warm one twice!

Don't let the sky fool you; it was blistering hot!

Twilight walk. I love the evening light more than sunrise.

Uh-ho....too early to see this!

In addition to all the farm work, I am putting by garden goodies. My Grandmother's four gallon crock is full of cukes soaking in brine for icicle pickles. They are my favorite. Mister doesn't care for pickles, so the 14 pints will be Just Enough. Squash has been frozen and tomatoes are coming on in a week or so! Can't wait!

What have you been into this week? How do you prepare for winter?

No Lazy Bee Here!

Baking lots of blueberry - lemon scones for the Farmer's Market ...

Freezing dozens of ears of fresh corn. Grilling some, too! Yummers!

These come from a friend's garden. He had over 100 dozen ears this summer!

Canning peaches from a friend's orchard over in Cana, Virginia. If you can

get peaches from Cana, you will have something wonderful indeed!

It is an area well known for peaches and apples!

Making lots of salsa and pickle relish;

canning beets and tomatoes. I always note the weather

on the lids so when I open them in the winter, I know what

the day was like when I canned 'em. It makes the memory

That Much Sweeter!

Pulling honey supers and getting ready to extract honey.

We will have more than 200 pounds of Lazy Bee Farm Honey

this year! We are so excited!  

Making tons of castile soap to use for the goat's milk soap.

Last week I worked a festival and sold nearly 100 bars in a little under 6 hours!

I can't keep up!

My supervisor, "Sweet Pea." This is the little guy who

was set out and abandoned with his brothers. We

couldn't catch the brothers, but Sweet Pea was so

sweet and ready to come live with us. He loves when we let him

out of his home and play in the kitchen. He is even paper trained!

Gotta love that!

Enjoying the frequent storms we are having. The Mister and I love

to watch the rain and storms. He does it from the porch; I am not that brave.

Moose, Annabelle and I watch from the living room!

This is just a bit of what has been going on around here the past few weeks. I am still picking blueberries for the market and for special orders. Last week I picked more than ten gallons! I am updating (read: painting) my porch furniture. Pictures of that soon along with other Lazy Bee Farm doings! School starts soon.... I will miss being home every day!

What have you been into lately??

Holey Moley!

This past week has been a blur of activity, people, and surprises. Let's update and get to the fun stuff.

Done: More work in my studio. I am not sure why I have so much ribbon, but everything I do for the next seven years will have a bit of ribbon on it... Be prepared...

Cut out 24 children's aprons with my Cissie who is wanting to start craft shows with me. These are not like my friend Arwen's which are works of art and soooo very lovely! These are single cut aprons with ribbons for the neck and waist; they are sized for children two to six. They are reversible and sooo darling. Yes, pictures. I know. We got six sewn together. It was a tough learning curve, but we have it down pat now.

Finished the AngelWing Shawl AND Truly Tasha Shawl. Have nearly half of the Jane Eyre shawl (Ravelry) done. Started knitting sachets for a demo that I am doing at Grayson Highlands State Park the end of the month.

Made mint jelly.

Cleaned two more closets. Tossed more stuff. Again.

Picked up the things from Ikea and Container Store and put them to use Right Away. Bought a rolling tool chest to organize all the tools in the house. It will go under my stairs.

Mowed most of the yard between rain drops.

Baby chicks graduated to their new digs. They love it! And, they still split up at night to sleep with their "friends" from the brooder days. Since they were kept in separate brooders, they have bonded with a Certain Group. It is like teenage girls. What can I say? And, today,  a second order of little guys arrived, which I don't understand, so we start the cycle again!

Weeded most of the front flower bed until I discovered Polly the Pea Hen sitting on a nest of eggs. She is a pea fowl. The eggs are chicken eggs. There are going to be some very confused chicks one day...

Ruby the Tractor and I spent an afternoon together learning about each other,. We are going to be best friends. She hauls things. She cleans up messy places. She is going to make my life a lot easier! "Smooch" on your little diesel cap, Ruby!

This week... I am going to try to survive! Need to work on the little building, plant, weed, build a solar melter, and prepare for a Governor's School class that I just accepted due to the sudden illness of the instructor. The class has to be created from the Very Beginning, so I guess all things are going to have to wait while I do this. If it weren't for my Friend Bill, I would have not answered the phone! But, it'll be fun!

What's on your agenda!??

Finished my class.

Helped my friend Deniese prime her studio. It was a larger space than I thought. I got high from the paint fumes (Kilz oil based) in spite of the open windows and door.

A Little Cheese Please

Today I am feeling very overwhelmed.

This is my schedule nearly every week day:

5:15 Out of bed
        Feed all the inside animals and the outside dogs and cats
        Make coffee or tea
        Pack lunch
        Prepare breakfast
        Clean litter box
        Dress and leave for campus

6:30  Must be in the car and headed to work.

7:30  Arrive work: answer emails, phone messages, counsel students, check assignments

9:30-12:15  Class

12:30-1:30-2 Office hours --- more of the above

2:00 Leave campus and run all errands (feed, grocery store, post office, and so forth)

3:30ish Arrive home
          Answer college emails
           Change for barn
          Start supper
          Feed all the critters in the house and outside again
          Clean litter box

4 (usually)- 6
          Fill woodstove
          Hook-up water
          Dump compost
          Feed, water chickens and gather eggs
          Hay to the bucks
          Turn does out on fresh pasture
          Feed cow
          Clean goat yard, stalls (30 minutes)
          Feed does
          Give does hay
          Feed bucks

6     Finish supper
       Wash all dishes
       Clean eggs and put away
       Start laundry or clean about 1/2 hour
        Make soap, in spring
       Make bee food, in spring
     
7:30-9
        Check email
        Prepare for class
        Review assignments
       Assorted other homework or housework

9   Bathe
     Knit 30 minutes
     Read Bible, night-night book

10-11 Lights out

1:30 Wake up to put the dog out....

No wonder I am so tired. Just once in a while, I'd like the Mister to beat me home and do this list. Just once. Oh, well, I leave to see the Airman and his bride in Okinawa on Tuesday... And I can rest then... Right??