NEW ARRIVALS-CATNIP-SWEET PEA’S

GREETINGS

We had glorious rain over the weekend  and we still need more.  It perked the gardens up but didn’t fill the rivers.  The cooler weather the rains brought was welcomed.  We are in for another hot spell and my friend Susan will be at Brimfield during it.  She will be at Quaker Acres look for The Plant Lady.

NEW ARRIVALS

PRUDENCE

My friend Patti is moving to Ireland soon and I have taken her hens Prudence and Beatrix.  Follow her on brookwoodshire.wordpress and learn about her adventures.  The girls came on Friday and are settling in .  There was some excitement on Saturday when Prudence had to lay an egg and decided to go home and do it.  My grandson Tyler (the chicken whisperer) caught her in my sons yard.

BEATRIX IS EXCITED ABOUT NEW FRIENDS

 Now there are (hopefully) no escape routes and they are  both laying.  They are separated from the rest pf the group and there has been much bantering going on back and forth.  Soon I will  open the gate some to see how things go.  Olive my last hen to arrive has taken over the leadership role in the flock so it will be interesting how things unfold.

 

CATNIP

Patti brought me this wonderful bag of catnip.  I am drying it and the house smells wonderful.  The cats are enjoying bits and pieces of it too.

SAMMY AND THE ELUSIVE CAT BABY ARE RESTING AFTER SOME AFTERNOON CATNIP

Patti’s cat Merlin is moving to Ireland too so I will pack him a good supply of cat toys.

SWEET PEAS

 

Yesterday I needed to get hay and discovered these wonderful sweet pea’s that John’s Mother has grown for years.  Against the stone wall they are so spectacular.  She gave me a bouquet.  These don’t have the delightful smell of some but nonetheless they are beautiful.

SUMMER BOUQUET

Many thanks for reading my blog on this wonderful summer day.  I will be at the Tuesday Greenfield Market today from 1:30- to 6:30 located next door to Greenfields Market.  Carole

 

PICKING UP THE CATS-BEANS-MOLD-GREAT KITCHEN TOOL

GREETINGS

The beautiful cool weather has returned.  We had torrential rains yesterday with flooding and damage in many areas of Colrain. My barn remained dry with my attention.  I went out every half hour and had done some digging in the middle of the rain.  Thursday a company that deals with drainage problems is coming over to look over everything and give me an estimate.  I will be glad to have that work done.

PICKING UP THE CATS

After careful considerations I decided to adopt another cat along with Big Sam.  His name is Scrappy which will be changed to Owen.  He is an older cat which are much more difficult to place.   Big Sam and Owen will be coming home tomorrow afternoon.  David will be driving me down to pick them up.  If you are looking for a cat please consider adopting an older cat. They are usually trained and happy to have a forever home.

Really who could resist this boy.

BEANS

The beans are doing well and I blanched these and they are in the freezer.  These will be added to hardy soups during the winter.

 

MOLD

This bunch of Tansy was picked less than 3 weeks ago and put  to dry in my kitchen.  Even with windows open the damp, humid air in this house has covered them with mold.  Everywhere on the first floor there is mold of some kind.  We have had much rain this summer coming down in sheets and taking days to absorb into the ground.  The work that I am having done will help out but much more is needed.  The only alternative I can see is starting up the wood stove every few days.  I have a dehumidifier in the diningroom which helps but in reality I will need one in every room plus the cellar.

GREAT TOOL FOR THE KITCHEN

 

I bought this useful tool from the  Lehman’s catalog some years ago.  It is a great help for use in the  canning process.  It has a magnet on the end of for getting the lids and caps out of hot water.  Its works really well but I keep it out all year long.  If I drop some pins on the floor its quite useful.  It was inexpensive.

Many thanks for reading my blog today, I hope you are enjoying a wonderful day.  Carole