The faster I go, the behinder I get.

You won't be hearing a lot from me the next week or so.  I am canning my hiney off and trying to keep up with the endless list of to-dos outside.  I thought I would give you a quick update so you didn't think I had fallen off the edge of the earth.

My tomatoes were very "meh" this year.  Since I have access to a cornucopia of tomatoes and peppers at the farm field, I think I may restrict my tomato-growing to a couple of cherries and an heirloom or two.  (Would someone volunteer to remind me in the Spring?  Before the seed catalogues arrive?)  My peppers are taking an ICE AGE to ripen, thanks to the weird weather this summer.  After going through a week of high, humid temps, we are now in the 40s in the morning.  My peppers are confused.  I have to yank the cucumbers this weekend - I am so over them.  Thanks to very little rain, my beloved popcorn is starting to topple - I am watering them morning and night now.  I kept waiting for Ma Nature to step in.  Fickle wench.

The small coop needs cleaning out this weekend, so that I can get it ready for the Screaming Meemies - also known as the Langshans.  I have never, in my poultry raising history, had such a hysterical bunch.  This should be fun.  The enclosure needs to be replaced, but there is no time on my schedule for the next few months to do it, so it's been relegated to next year.  We will all have to manage.

I am dehydrating peppers and canning various tomato products on a daily basis.  I think I may follow my friend, Fiona's lead and start dehydrating tomatoes with snipped basil on top.  What a great snack idea!  Also on the list of to-dos is to sort through my canning stock to see what needs using up.  My great plan to catalogue my canned goods was derailed this past winter by....who knows....so I am paying for it now.

Work has been exceptionally stressful these past two weeks.  It's a reporting period, which is bad enough, but now that I am a Team Of One, all the rest of the duties are keeping me hopping.  The good thing is that it makes the day go fast.  The bad thing is that it means I am quickly depleting my wine supply...

I went out last night to feed the sheep and, lo and behold, Linden was on the wrong side of the fence.  The gate was intact, there were no holes, lifts, pushdowns or other breaches of the fence line.  The only thing I could figure was that he managed to squeeze his 'fluffy' self through the bungee'd gate and pop out the other side.  He has always been my problem child.  I had to trot quickly into the barn and get a scoop of grain to lure him back in.  He must have been out for a while, as he was pretty darn thirsty.  I have now (I hope) Lindenized the gate.

 

All's well that ends well.

Hard to believe that THAT can fit through
this...



There were two heavy-duty bungees
on the gate.  There are now THREE.