These Two Things

It's a jungle here on the homestead.  This past week the temperatures have been hitting 90+ degrees.  The humidity is high too here in the woods and the weeds have shot up.  I am taking a breather as i have done frequently today.  a little burst of energy and then i take refuge here in the house, kicking off my shoes, propping my dirty feet up and cooling down so i can hit it again.  Two things brought me smiles though.  I did a succession planting of buckwheat in our vegetable garden today and instead of raking it in which usually does not come up very uniform for me, i dragged a little skid of plywood behind me that was carrying two good size paving stones. it pressed the seed in nicely and smoothed it out too.  i will remember that one and then as i was putting away the skid in the garden shed, i heard the familiar squeak of a mouse, i spied it up in an eave in plain sight, it's nest made of soft yellow lab fur from when i groomed out Gus' winter coat.  Vermin, i know! but it was so cute sitting up on that ledge squeaking a warning not to come closer and i could see the morning light through it's dainty transluscent ears.  well, back to the weeding! 

blessings,

b

Down by the woodshed

DOWN BY THE WOODSHED

here a most valuable tool pressed into service each fall.  i was thinking how often over the years my husband has replaced ax handles.  and of course they just don't make them like they used to.   even a good ol hickory handle will crack and break after a few years of steady use.  this was one of those years and it is one of those tasks i have never really paid attention to as to how one replaces a handle.  so my husband gave me a little demo, cause i always wondered how the heavy steel head stayed secure on the end of the handle.  am i the only one who feared a flying chunk of steel would go flying off the end of that ax handle and kill someone!???  once i learned the procedure my fears are at rest from flying ax heads.  the brand new hickory handle has a split in the top end that fits into the hole in the ax head, then a small wood wedge that comes with your new handle is placed in the split and hammered down spreading the end out and firmly securing it in the ax head.  it was neat to see how  quickly an ax handle is replaced and woodchopping resumed.  but i see that  crocus' are blooming,  daffodils are beginning to emerge and splitting wood will soon give way to garden chores.  people seem more lighthearted almost joyful with the unusually warm sunny weather we are having.  but not all as i found out when i greeted a gentleman who when i said "how are you?" replied, terrible!! he was gassing up his rig that had a beautiful boat hitched up to it. i guess those gas prices make it a little hard to enjoy those luxuries that require ample fuel.  these leaner days certainly have most of us homesteaders relying on those skills we value most and don't you just feel good knowing you can make do with less? the Lord truly does supply all our needs.

blessings,

bfitz

Black Walnuts

Is harvest time over?  Here it is almost Christmas and I have black walnuts drying.  I have always heard they are close to impossible to crack so I usually let the squirrels gather them.  Amazingly enough you will find halved shells lying all around the tree.  The grandkids find them and call them pig noses, and if you follow the familiar grinding sound you can spot the industrious squirrels up on limbs cracking those nuts.  But how am I to do it?  Any suggestions?   I thought maybe a hammer, but I am afraid I might ruin the nut inside. 

Driving home along one of my favorite routes, a graveled way through neighboring farmers fields, I spotted a tree among the hedgerows of mostly hawthorn and rugosas.  I am thinking it was a crabapple, but I can't be certain because I have never really seen one formally.  I stopped however because it was pretty full of  extra small dangling golden fruit.  I bit into one, and it was bittertart , if thats a word.  I thought wow this would make wonderful jelly so I picked about 5lbs.  Was it ever!   A beautiful amber jelly with just the right combination of sweet and tart.  I thought this would make lovely gifts for the holidays.  Then I got up the guts to knock on the door of little farm not far from the road who had a row of those orange pumpkin leaf bags stuffed full lining the drive.   But they weren't home.   I left a note offering to dispose of them if they would like, and mentioned that I was in need of mulch for the garden.  Truly, we have mostly fir trees and very little deciduous trees.  Leaf mold is a fantastic winterizer for garden beds, keeping weeds and grasses supressed,  and of course it's also great for the compost pile.   I haven't recieved a response yet but I will get a jump on this great idea next year for sure.  Dear homesteaders, God has blessed us with some awesome sunny weather which has lifted spirits immensely following the storm and flooding last week.  Many are still dealing with the destruction of homes, barns and livestock.  Please offer a prayer these kindred folk. 

Blessings always,

bfitz

My small pile of black walnuts, outer husks still intact.  The inner lining is mushy and very black making the walnut itself very black too.