Toads,Tiny Frogs and Evil Wieners

Look what, or maybe I should say who, I found in  my tomato seedlings! Can you see him? He thinks he is hiding!

Toady has made himself right at home in there!

Maybe he is hiding from Weenie on her endless lizard search! He doesn't have to worry, Weenie has learned the hard way about toad licking! Toad pee makes dogs foam at the mouth for anyone who didn't know! Now tiny frogs are another story! Weenie has these urges to kill...everything she can. Not eat them, just kill them and bring their cold bodies to rest on my bedroom floor....nothing like stepping on a cold,dead lizard corpse in the middle of the night!  Anyway...where was I going with this...oh yeah...tiny frogs! The only creature Weenie doesn't feel the need to wipe from the face of the earth are tiny frogs.If she finds one  she will catch it and keep it safe in her mouth and bring it in side and release it in the house...maybe she wants a tiny frog house pet? I have given up on trying to figure out the mind of this deranged  little  mixed weenie dog! She was my sons little boyhood best friend....that is probably the only thing that has saved her these last years....she has committed some pretty serious dogie crimes...

So our friend Toady is safe in more ways than one...she won't chomp him or kidnap him either!

 Hmm...I wonder if I can but toad pee and spray it on everything Weenie likes to chomp! Don't send me links to buy toad pee,I was just kidding! She is confined to the house and the containment field of the back yard where she can only stalk lizards and occasional tiny frogs!

One Sentence Wednesday

Here  we go again.....seedlings!

Good Things Come in the Mail

There are times when I am so addicted to blog land and  then there are times,like lately,that I hardly even go near the computer. I guess everyone who has been blogging for awhile probably rides the same roller coaster. It seems like my days are filled with doing things...but nothing that seems interesting to write about. Until yesterday! I got this great package in the mail from my blogging sistah ,Texan!

I think the best thing about blog land is the friends I have made! Me and Texan have decided we were sisters separated at birth,lol! The coincidences and things we have in common are amazing!  My friend is extremely talented in the sewing department and was so kind to make me these beautiful   pillow cases! Plus, she threw in a few packages of seed she saved from her garden! She has been caning up a storm so I don't know when she found time to make these!

They go perfect with my old bed. Am I a lucky gal or what!?!?

I think she should open herself up an ETSY shop! Plus, she  gives me tutorials on sewing and I need all the help I can get!

I thought I would throw in a picture of my morning glories...they decided to leave the post on my shed and continue their journey up the limb of the old oak tree!

Who Bit My Squash!!!

These are two butternut rogosa squash I picked yesterday. I couldn't find a ruler so I used an egg carton so you could judge their size!

What is that, you ask, on the bottom one? Could those be bite marks?

Yes,yes they are.What really aggravates me is they are not MY bite marks! Who then broke down the fence and ate all the vines and even tried to eat the big squash?

Do they look innocent?

Don't be fooled by their sweet faces! They are just fooling you,they are guilty, guilty I tell you! These are actually old pictures, the babies are almost grown now,but it is way to hot to go out and get new ones!

I had a great patch going,I had at least a dozen smaller squash in there.There was another big one but some poultry pecked it up good.I am suspecting a Guinea since I found a Guinea egg in there with the squash! I swear the critters have gotten more of my garden this year than me! Especially the squirrels ! I have put hits out on them and they are thinning in numbers!

Hmmm...I wonder how lamb and squash would taste or maybe squirrel and squash????

Chicken Days,with a little turkey thrown in !

I thought I would show you all some of the little bannies from the spring chicks all grown up! These are Silver Laced Cochins...aren't they lovely! They are so sweet and gentle,content to let you hold them. I just love Cochin bannies...If I could only have one chicken it would be them...of course they are a little small for eating!

These are the D'Uccles ...we got 2 colors in our order...

 Both types are beautiful! They are  smaller than I expected and I worry about them a little and contemplate on putting them in a pen...but so far they are doing fine out side.I never see them too much out in the open where they would be exposed to hawks.The hawks have been less of a problem this year thanks to the crows,that I assume nested near by, that keep them run off!

The little rooster looks like he is a tiny general  in his drees uniform! OK maybe I spend a little too much time watching chickens!

We got 2 of these buff girls...

Now for the little bit of turkey! Bourbon Red teenage turkeys!

I had these on Craig's list and probably got 10 responses but when folks found out where we were I guess no one wanted to make the drive. The first 7 I put on there went right away.I guess I need to put these on again.

If no one buys them  I guess we will be eating a lot of turkey this year!

Relatives,the Electrict Chair, Good By Goaties and Donkey Toe Nails

I'm back!  We had a nice visit with Hubby's family..his mom,brother SIL and 2 nieces and nephew! City Mouse was one of the nieces,her sister... we'll call her Shopping Girl is not a fan of country life, mainly because we have no place to shop way out here!  Little Nephew we will call Goatie Boy because after 5 minutes inside he would begin to repeat,"I want to see the goats!"  I think he has pretty good taste myself!  We did the usual running around that comes with family visiting from out of town. City Mouse wanted to go to Huntsville and see the prison museum ,the home of  Ole' Sparky the electric chair!

She wants to be a police woman so she was very interested in the museum and seeing the prison. She even got to see the prisoners out working the fields with the armed guards on horseback watching over them!

Of course everyone had their pictures taken in the jail cell! City Mouse...

Shopping Girl...

Goatie Boy...

Some things that went on around the farm last week....We sold 3 of  our little goats! The Nibletts....

Hoss...

and Tube Sock went to a home with 4 children! That really made me happy! Though my heart is a little sad that those two sweet,sweet goaties are gone !

While these two were on Craig's List a lady responded and ask did we have any bucks. I told her we had 2 but they were younger. She came out and bought Bo Diddly !

We also had the farrier out to do Sweetie and Bonnie and Clyde's "toe nails" and this time I remembered to get a few shots...well, I only remembered at the end and all I got was Bonnie the Donkey!

Sweetie and Clyde do pretty good getting their hoofs done but not our Bonnie! It is a Donkey wrestling match! She decided she couldn't get away so she would try and lay down!

Every time the farrier comes out he ask me why in the world I wanted donkeys! I love my donkeys! He is a great farrier  though and we pay a little extra for him to drive out from the next town over because no matter what he is kind to our animals...the local guy we used just once,he will never be back, was mean to our animals!

Just for the fun of it I thought I would through in a picture of Clyde doing his impression of a glowing eyed zombie donkey!

He's pretty good at it don't ya think!!!

Watermelon

Every critter loves watermelon! This is a Cuckoo Maran and her Buff Orpington chicks....

I put these rinds out by the coop ...I guess grass will probably never grow in that spot anymore !

I think my Hubby averages a watermelon a day so the chickens and their crew never have to wait long for some juicy rinds!

 The rest of the chicken yard,which Hubby said is about a quarter acre, is lush and green like this.

I though you all might like to see Crazy Daisy and the Quacklings again!

 I am going to be out of blog land for the rest of the week...I got a houseful of Hubby's kin coming for a visit!

Pineapple Day

Today I am dedicating my post to the delicious pineapple! Mainly because that is what I worked with yesterday!

I made some supper yummy pineapple pickles ! I found this recipe at Kids and Canning Jars!

 Now,I know you are thinking vinegar and pineapple...yuck! Just hold on for a second...yes, these do have some vinegar in them but you do not taste it ! You just taste sweet,slightly spiced pineapple goodness! These are so good....you could use them for eating straight from the jar or on ice cream or pound cake or ham or..dare I say, in some fruity rum concoction! As far as caning goes these were super easy and quick! So, next time I see pineapple on sale I intend to get some more and make up a couple more jars!

Now, on to more pineapple goodness! I am going to give you all a recipe for a pineapple meringue pie that was given to me by my Hubby's late and great Aunt Betty. If you are a pineapple lover like me you are bound to love this pie so here it goes...


Aunt Betty's Pineapple Pie

1   baked pie shell
1  c  sugar
dash of salt
4  TBS flour-leveled
1  c sour-cream
1  20 oz can crushed pineapple
1 TBS lemon juice
3 eggs separated


Mix sugar and flour and salt. Add sour-cream, pineapple and lemon juice. Heat on medium until bubbly,stirring constantly, then 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and mix a small amount into  the beaten egg yolks then add mixture back to pan.Return to heat and bubbly 2 minutes more, stirring all the while. Put in baked crust. Make a meringue using your saved egg whites and top the pie,be sure to get it to the edge of the crust so it doesn't shrink away when it is cool, and cook at 350* until brown.

Then,of course let it cool good before you try to slice it. That is the hard part for me..I usually don't make it and my first piece is a little runny! Mmmmm...a piece of cold pineapple  pie on a hot summer day....

Crazy Daisy has Babies

 Daisy is a mallard duck.We have 4 mallards here on the farm and she is the one and  only female and she is like a queen,the 3 boys follow her around quacking their constant affection for her. Daisy is a rebel! She wouldn't stay in the chicken yard with it vast amounts of grass, food, water and shelter! She would find a way out every day and sometimes bring a boy or two with her. I  would stalk her to find out her escape places....she is smart that Daisy, she knew I was watching and would not reveal here secrete places! I got a few places I thought might be her "escape tunnels" closed off and that kept her entourage in but not Daisy! I finally gave up and began calling her Crazy Daisy and telling her everyday, as she quacked around the farm, that something was going to eat her if she wasn't careful!

Daisy always came up at night to the coop to rejoin her boys to their quacks of delight. Then one evening no Daisy....well.I figured she had been eaten. Then she showed up.... and would disappear again...I knew she had gone broody. I tried to find her nest so I could move her to the safety of the coop because nothing survives the nights out side the coop here! Crazy Daisy was smart..no matter how long I watched she wasn't about to reveal the location of her nest! Every time I would see her it was a pleasant surprise....I always figured each time would be the last.....Then a couple of days ago I finally figure where she was! She wasn't out in the weeds or the creek where I had brave the poison ivy and chiggers to look for her! She was right up here by the goats in a secret tunnel under the hay! Well,I figured she had made it this long  so it must be pretty safe there and just left her be. Yesterday evening me and Hubby were putting up all the critters and here comes Crazy Daisy with 6 cute little babies in tow waiting at the gate of the chicken yard to go back in for the night!

I put her in one of the smaller coops with her babies until they get a little size on them...we have a lot of predators..so I want them to get big enough to have a fighting chance!

I guess Daisy isn't so crazy after all !

One Sentence Wednesday...

These are Spanish Mammoth Bell Peppers (an heirloom variety), that is a pint jar next to them!

Purple Basil

I just love purple basil ! I would grow it every year even if I didn't like it as an herb. It is so pretty and attracts pollinators!

Today I started dehydrating some. Mmmm...it smells so good! If you have never dehydrated your own herbs you are missing out!

I was thinking about, if I have enough extra, doing some up for Christmas gifts.....there are so many people that I  can't really shop for but I would like to give a little something to. I always make a extra jams and jellies just for that reason!

I have been saving my little jars with this project in mind!

My friend, Texan, has been making some super cute labels for all her home canned goodies!  I was thinking of doing that for these. Who wouldn't love a jar of organic homegrown herbs all done up with a cute  label on the jar!

Just look how pretty this purple basil looks!