New animals

Merry

Some pics of LaVern's 8 piggies

Orphan lambs...Po and Merry (Katahdins)

4 white turkeys

Went to the draft horse sale in Maryville, MO. and sold my draft mare, Peggy Sue. Made a couple Amish farm stops on the way home and I traded her collar for the 4 turkeys and two orphan lambs!! lololo The little feeder pigs are LaVern's project! I actually don't mind them as we have them turned out into the small pen that the goat used to be in so they are hardly in the barn. Took me a while to finally get a picture of them. These guys can run!! Free range pigs almost! Hope to get the turkeys out free ranging also but giving them alittle time to adjust. They want to be "up" at night to roost. Last night one was on top of the coop and then 3 of them were balancing on the gate. We finally ordered Pritchard lamb nipples and I picked them up today. Going to toss the ole hard black rubber ones. Both lambs are eating grass and drinking water from the bucket so shouldn't have to feed them long on a bottle. They are really alot of fun.

LaVern got the wood cookstove chimney in this past week. Today he is working on windows and putting up new storms. Went to his sister's last Thursday and saw some relatives. Came home with a trailer load of wheat straw bales. We still have to set the chicken house and get it ready for winter plus the turkey's coop. I am going after some apples this week and put up some applesauce. I have been driving Knight every day with the buggy. His speed has slowed down since I've gotten him home from our Amish friend who used him. Will try to get a picture of him posted as I don't think I have even done that.

I have sewing that I would like to get to and of course rug hooking. Might try to get to a rug hook-in up near Omaha next week so should hook something new to take. This morning I washed two loads of jeans in the old Maytag wringer and hung them out on the line. That machine washes so much better than the conventional I can't believe it. All in the aggitation I am sure. Did you enjoy the full harvest moon? Fantastic night for a walk! My sister in law, Patty, in Colorado called to tell me she went for a walk one of those nights! I knew she would get the bug!

Must get going and head home as LaVern will wonder where I am! Oh, to have the Internet at home!

Have you lost your marbles?

LaVern hasn't........he has found them!! It all started several years ago. I think maybe when we bought our last old home in Oberlin. The lots were empty so the digging for landscaping began and LaVern was constantly finding marbles. Then on every trip we went on, he would find a marble. One time he was underneath the RV at an auto parts parking lot and he found a marble. Since then every place we have been he finds a marble. We were out in the front yard and he was spading up the dirt for all those discounted plants and bushes that we had bought. He gave me a funny look and I said, "Oh no, another tree root?" No......just a marble!

Fall gatherings

Oh the weather outside is delightful! Good thing as we have Soooooo much to do before winter. We have started cutting firewood and stacking it in the pole building. We sure are going to need alot of firewood to keep two stoves running this winter. This morning LaVern borrowed a big bush hog mower to run behind the tractor. He is busy out mowing the three small pastures as we want to put in additional seed. Might tear up one section (it is mostly weeds) and plant some clover and grasses for my bees that I hope to have next year.
And yes I purchased a bunch of flowers, shrubs and bushes at True Value! 75% off is too good to resist. Of course that led to cutting down the second cottonwood tree which resulted in cutting down the one next to it after it broke off a big branch. Not sure what the tree was but the entire thing was leaning way over towards the road as the cottonwood was taking all the sun. But we managed to get everything cut up and stacked and the twigs hauled to the big hole. Then LaVern got our limestone put up, the iron wagon wheel and the ole wind charger. We planted all around those. Looks really nice and I think the plants will be fine. I went back to Creston this morning and bought 4 trees. No clue what they are as no tags!! ha ha But the cost was $8 per tree so we didn't much care. Going to plant them out by the pond and will plant them as though they were going to be big trees.
We sold the lambs and ewes AND Hercules (the buck goat) last week in Creston. Had no idea what those 90 day old lambs weighed. Would you believe 80 pounds each!! They brought $1.41 a pound! The ewes sold well also. I think we doubled our money on the deal without the lambs. Then the goat even brought more money so we did okay on that adventure. Not sure what our plans are next. We are leaning towards Katahdin ewe lambs and then one milking dairy goat. Both of my horses are "farmed out" to the Amish. Hope to trade Peggy Sue for some hay and labor with a young Amish farmer. I may try Knight again when I get him back. He is being used by another Amish farmer right now. Two other Amish have told us they want to buy him so I guess I should give him another go. Well, go is the problem. He can outright get going!! ha ha
I have three buckets of apples to put up yet this week. Lumber for living room is still sitting in the trailer yet to be unloaded. I want to try to make homemade crackers so if anyone has a recipe they like let me know. I tried ground cherries for the first time and they were tasty but I'm not sure I want to raise them!
Oh dear, the time has gotten away from me. I best get home as I have more plants to put in yet this evening. We discovered some buckeye trees on one of our adventures so I want to get over and pick them.
Charlotte and Marlin............Sparks, Kansas flea market was a blast!! We hooked up the teardrop trailer, threw in a change of clothes and took off Thursday afternoon. We are now only about 2 hours from there. Beautiful night to camp at the site. Got up early Friday and shopped. I was surprised at the amount of people that were there on a Friday!! Hit the one up at White Cloud also but Sparks is better. People were buying from what I could see including us! ha ha Anyway just wanted you to know we made it. I'll go again next spring since it is so close to us now.

Planting fever

Oh my, I am in at the Java Shop in Creston where I am sipping a chai Latte and taking advantage of the free wireless access. LaVern is next door to the chiropractor. We came in with the trailer to pick up wood for the living room. I am itching to get started on that. Should have tried to get pictures of the kitchen so I can get them posted but didn't even think of it. We get up here to the True Value store (Java is located in it also) and they have 75% off trees and shrubs and they have alot left! So...........we may go home with more work than just the living room. I have a picture in mind as to what I want the yard to look like. Similar to what we did in Oberlin, cottage style, mirandering, and all periennial. I'm not having to worry about drought tolerant here in Iowa though! On a trip back to my folk's I drove by our old place. I should have taken a picture. It was fabulous! Just exactly as I envisioned when we started the landscaping years ago. I actually felt like stopping and meander through the flowers!!
I am thinking I will go home with some very reasonable periennials today and get my hands dirty this afternoon. Simple pleasures, much joy.