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Monday, August 20, 2018

Some things got done, some didn't.

After a rather tumultuous start to the weekend - a humongous thunderstorm complete with ear-deafening thunder and lightning and torrential downpours on Friday evening - Saturday was only a half-washout with another inch-plus of rain.   I decided that, weather or not (snort), things must get done.

Tableful of goodness

Next on the agenda

Brick bat?  Baseball bat?  Primitive
vegetable club?
As I heard the rumbling of the oncoming thunderstorm, I dashed out, did evening chores and madly clipped nettles.  I managed a few handfuls (gloved handfuls, need I say) in between shuttling hay to the sheep shed, setting rat traps (they're baaaaack!), collecting eggs and feeding dogs, before the skies opened up and chased me inside.  I love a good storm, but am very respectful of lightning.  I had also managed to haul my garlic from the barn, where it had been aging for two weeks.  I now have a big, packed jar of dried nettles and my garlic is cleaned and stored for use over the year.  That leaves the brick bat.  Or the baseball bat.  Or the giant's vegetable club.  Due to other obligations, Marianne and I did not do our farm work this weekend.  She did leave me a basket of produce with her apology for the zucchini.  I will say, it is the largest one I've had to deal with.  It's a good thing I love the stuff, because I have, over the weekend, made two gluten free zucchini breakfast cakes, a double batch of zucchini feta fritters, vegetable fried rice, featuring - you guessed it - zucchini, three zucchini pizza crusts, many quart bags of shredded zucchini...you get the idea.  It's a nice problem to have, too much zucchini.  I am not complaining.


My arugula and planting of salad greens is coming in and I will be planting one last round of salad greens this week.  I ventured out in Saturday's downpour to visit my friend that raises Randall cattle (and took in Bertie) to get 15 pounds of marrow bones for the pups - we had a nice, albeit damp, visit and Bert looks fat and happy.  Sunday was setting up the electric net on the bank for the sheep - it's getting tricky making changes to their grazing, as Apria the llama is now almost totally blind.  There is a lot of voice leading, "Come on, Pri-Pri, that's a girl - this way, this way..."  She eventually works out the right direction but I have to be sure not to have impediments in her way and to have gates open wide enough that she won't get spooked by banging into one. 


I'm spending an inordinate amount of  time watching hummingbird drama.  It's like Star Wars on a very tiny scale - much zooming and squeaking in high dudgeon.  I was relieved to finally see two hummers on the same feeder, but my hopes for détente were dashed when they took off after each other, each one accusing the other of trespass.  I am also enchanted by the evening ballet performed by the dragonflies.  There must be at least 20 of them, whirling and zooping and looping around each other.  I'm not sure why they do it, but it sure is fun to watch.


This week is all about ironing and weeding.  Oh, joy.  And finding someway to keep the crows from destroying my yard.  While I'm happy that they seem to be making it their life's work to rid me of grubs, my yard looks like some maniac went at it with a drill.  Make that 10 maniacs.   I pulled the netting off the currants and had to face the fact that there will not be a harvest this year.  And it's all my fault.  While the red ones were gone, the black ones were riddled by earwigs.  Luckily, I found last year's harvest still in the back of the freezer!  Saved.  Although I am nowhere near winning the battle with the weeds, I am not giving up.  I have my wheelbarrow parked in the back and will spend some time every morning yoinking them out by the handful until I make some headway.  I will spend time in the evening working on the front, which is marginally less bad than the back.  Still pressing on the to-do list is skirting two more bags of Norman's fleece.  That will give me a large enough quantity to make it worthwhile to schlep it to the processor.  There's still plenty to go, but I may be processing some of that myself - much sorting is on the horizon...



20 comments:

Elaine said...

When do you sleep? It is amazing how those zucchini manage to hide until they become enormous, but they do! Good luck with the weeding, all our apples, pears, figs and grapes are small this year, but that's alright, the weeds have decided to go big! I bet the dogs love those marrow bones.

Theresa said...

Oh yes, hummingbird wars! This goes on in our neck of the woods from May until about now. The boys come early, sometimes end of April. Both Rufus and Calliope, maybe some Anna's. We peek with at least 12 or so around and now, they are leaving to begin migration down to Mexico. My world is much less enchanting without them We keep one feeder out through October, for those passing through north of us. Your Ruby Throated variety are abut 1/3 larger than our tiny little Rufus. But all are like flying gems.
Pets to Pat. Mandykins would love a marrow bone to suck on......

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

We were entertained with the birds being fed, but they are gone now. I'm right there with you weeding. I am yanking the garden and the flower bed weeds.

Goatldi said...

So I am standing in my kitchen and the recipe for feta says "stir for 20 minutes ". Mundane moment no audio book on hand but better way better I spy your new post.

Now that is a zucchini lady. And it all sounds devine but alas I still have not filled my recipe quota with the last ones I borrowed from you.

Sweet Apira what is her vision lost due to? Love llama galama and share a photo please . My memory may fail me but I don't believe I remember seeing one of her.

Great description for us visual types on the hummers. You do have a way with words.

Sorry about the current currant disaster but good find in the feezer. I personally love a freezer stuffed full. They always seem to yield forgotten treasures.

What a wild weekend girl!

Susan said...

That's my secret - I don't! :) I can't imagine missing something that big - but she has big, healthy plants and it's easy for them to get away from you. Marrow bones are a gift from the goddess - nothing for hours, but the sound of gnawing!

Susan said...

Oh, I'd love to see a Rufus! It must be the size of a large bumblebee. Aren't they the most amazing creatures? They do love their marrow bones - and I know these are clean. Other than the incessant gnawing, peace pervades...

Susan said...

I'll have to take a more recent pic of the old girl. I believe she is in her early 20s - she came to me with badly scratched corneas. She was totally misrepresented by the woman who sold her, but I could not turn her away.

Goatldi said...

Of course you couldn't and why would you? We all have worth. Pity it took her so long to find you. She is loved. .

Theresa said...

I mistake them sometimes for the Hawk Moths at dusk and dawn, but the moths are MUCH quieter. The Rufus are lovely little hummers, they are like the brightest copper penny on their backs. Flashy little fellows and very aggressive. When I bring the feeders in for a cleaning and refill, I get all sorts of shade when I bring them back out.

Mama Pea said...

Nah-nah-na-nah-nah! I have a bigger brick bat, I mean zucchini, than you do! Don't cha wonder just how monstrous one would get if you left it on the vine to grow, grow, grow? Kinda scary just to think about.

We have had next to no dragon flies this year. But then again we've had next to no mosquitoes so maybe that counts for the absence of dragon flies?

Also, not our usual number of hummers. Yessiree, the very strange summer continues.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I used to work with a woman who made the most DELICIOUS chocolate zucchini cake . . . . mmmm, I miss it!

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

I make carrot/zucchini muffins with half oil, half applesauce. Very moist. I have a question: what do you do with the nettles? I've seen the swoopy fights between hummingbirds - I always wonder, could they actually skewer one another? -Jenn

Susan said...

OMG - bigger than that!?! We need to see the evidence! Lucky you, with no mosquitoes. We've had our share of biting insects and then some. I would have a dozen feeders up if that meant I could have wall-to-wall hummers. However, we have had more than usual bear activity, so I don't want to be feeding the black bears, too!

Susan said...

Mmmmm. Chocolate zucchini cake....it's on the line-up.

Susan said...

Oooh. Would you share the recipe? I love carrots in anything and I also have a bumper crop of them - thanks to Marianne. I was wondering the same thing, as they sometimes get awfully close to ramming each other.

ellen abbott said...

if I could only be that busy outside! it is so hot here, any activity after about 5 minutes or so and sweat is rolling off me. I go out in the mornings and evenings to water and that's about it besides listing the things in my head that I should be taking care of. as for zucchini, they triple in size overnight the little bastards.

Susan said...

I think you're right about the zucchini. It's a conspiracy.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i would leave a long comment here but i have house guests arriving and my week has been crazy. i just sat down for the first time all day. i'm going to need a vacation after this long next week. however, it is the beginning of my busy season. i cooked for 24 hours over the last 3 days. i need sleep!

Ed said...

True story. My neighbor with three boys all roughly my age always complained how she planted squash and zucchini every year but they never seem to set on fruit. Years later I happened to find myself up on the roof of a building near the garden which had a fairly flat roof and found a fairly thick layer of a weird looking substance all over it. When I poked my finger into the substance I found it was full of squash and zucchini seeds. I finally solved her riddle though I never told her. Now that her kids are grown and have moved away, I'm guessing she can grow both in abundance.

Susan said...

What a bunch of enterprising boys! I'm surprised she didn't get a crop on the roof...