Update-a-palooza!

I finally had a harvest from my garden! I'm not really sure if you'd call it a "harvest" but I got two small tomatoes yesterday. I was so excited I couldn't even wait to take a picture! I just wiped 'em off on my t-shirt and popped 'em in my mouth. Yummy! They tasted amazing! I think these are called Tom Thumb tomatoes but I can't remember the variety for sure. I've still got the seeds so next year I'll pay more attention. I've got a couple more orangey-red small tomatoes again today!

There pictures to the right are my Amish Paste tomatoes. This is a new variety for me and I'm noticing that they take a while longer than regular varieties to mature. I'm hoping they get nice and red soon! :) Also, sorry it's a sideways photo! LOL

This is my Three Sister's bed. It contains two varieties of corn (Yukon Chief and Orchard Baby), Small Sugar pumpkin's and Scarlet Runner beans. They are all doing well and the pumpkin's have left the bed and are crawling all over the yard now! The runner beans have produced a hand full of beans which I will be picking as soon as I have enough for a dinner. The corn have a few baby ears on them which hopefully will be ready to eat by the middle of September!

Sorry again for the sideways aspect...think of it as abstract. Abstract is art...right? LOL This is my soap box...literally! The soap that I made and highlighted in an earlier post has finally cured and was ready to be wrapped. I went the freezer-paper, scotch-tape and marker route. I wanted to get all fancy and creative but didn't want to spend the money it would take to do it that way. This works great and now I have a lot of soap and one more batch to make and cure.

So remember my last post about the coupon extravaganza? Well I have started my mini-stockpile. I have also started a list of when to stock up on certain things, like in June you should grab pickles and condiments.I'm already planning some more couponing and price-matching at Wal-Mart. I'll keep you posted!

My baby chicks are coming in the mail this week. I ordered 5 hens from Cackle Hatchery and I picked the Silver Laced Wyandottes. A post will follow when they arrive! I'm headed home for the last week in August through the Labor Day holiday. It'll be nice to be home for a bit and do some catching up! Well that's about it for my updates. Have a great day!

Productivity is an amazing feeling...

I have had one productive weekend! The new additions - Bug & Spatz - required a new living environment because they squished a baby chicken and a baby turkey. So I took all weekend to build their pen mainly because I ran out of energy to do the physical work. On Saturday, I drove the T-posts and ran one roll of wire. Then I had to make a Big-R run because I needed more posts and wire. The pen cost more to construct than the friggin' goats did! LOL After I returned from Big-R with my fencing supplies and other various sundries I finished the third side of the pen but just plain ran out of oomph to do the rest so I relaxed for the evening. This morning I moved my old chicken coop and took the front off to create an A-frame house for the girls. I also had to make a run to WalMart today to purchase a tarp, carabiners and some bungee cords because the girls needed some shade! So by 3 pm today the girls had a finished home with shade, a tub for their feed and mineral block, and had been vaccinated to prevent goat diseases!

One thing I do wish I had taken the time to buy (and I still might buy it) is this great book called, "How to Build Animal Housing." It looks amazing! I also recently purchased Storey's guide to raising dairy goats and a self-sufficiency book. I am excited for them to arrive!














I woke up this morning with some serious sun burn! I'm still not used to being this far North meaning a higher UV index. I checked yesterday and today's UV index - it was 8 both days. Out of 10! No wonder I burned...I had bug spray and no sunscreen on. I did buy some Banana Boat this weekend though and will be sure to wear it!


I also did some planting of my containers. I planted my little BBQ with cucumbers - the Bush Crop variety. I planted my wheelbarrow with zucchini and I chose the Black Beauty variety. In my 4' by 4' raised bed I planted two varieties of corn (Earliglow & Orchard Baby), two hills of pumpkins (Small Sugar), some Six Nation heirloom dried beans, and a mix of marigold seeds everywhere! They are an excellent bug repellent and pollinator attractant. I have several lilac bushes in my yard and they are blooming like crazy! I picked some and put them in a Pace salsa jar - don't laugh it's the closest thing I had to a vase - and put them on my kitchen table. Gorgeous and they make the house smell great!

I stared a small herb bed near the house and am hopeful that I can keep it growing well into the future. I brought some Libson Bunching onions from my mom's garden and planted small Rosemary and Onion Chive plants that I bought at Walmart. I also planted some parsley and basil from seed. The parsley is coming up well but I had to replant the basil since there has been such cool & wet weather. Here's to hoping it comes up!

I've mentioned  how my dogs are my kids right? I always make sure they are spayed and

up-to-date on their vaccinations. June marks their annual vaccination time. I gave them a 7-way that covers parvo, distemper and Leptospirosis to name a few. Yotee did OK but didn't want to come to me so I could pet him for a while. Lil Guy did great but he didn't want to get his shot which resulted in a cat and mouse game for about 5-minutes. I tricked him by coming in to the mud room then nabbed him! :) Ruby on the other hand did not do too well. She struggled big time, had to be stuck three times and bent the needle but she got her shot! She must have struggled enough to make me hit her muscle because she's limping around and in obvious pain. So I called my resident farm vet (my mom!) and we decided to give her an aspirin and I started icing her neck. She's now resting comfortably!

Next weekend I plan on getting the chicken coop's outside run built! I love warm, sunny weather and the ability to be outside being ultra productive. This evening I let the goats and chickens out to run a bit before they got put back in their pens. As they grazed, I sat back and reflected how peaceful and content I am here. The middle of June will mark my one-year anniversary of being a Hi-Line resident. I am thankful for the chance to work at a job I love and with people who are great! All in all it's been a difficult but amazing year! :)

Making a home in the mud...

So once again I beg your forgiveness - the rain has made my desire to write null and void. However, we had 65F and sunny today so here I am with some writing ambition. :) I know the title of this blog entry is interesting to say the least but all the rain has resulted in standing water, massive flooding and mud, mud every where!

I have done some updates around the Muddy Manicure. I planted the window box with lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomato plants and my one surviving eggplant. I mainly keep the window shut because it's still quite cool here at night - around 40F, sometimes lower. The cold frame concept really works well up here in the harsh climate of North central Montana.

My strawberry bed is thriving!

The big one's are the geese.

I have also watched my Homesteaders Flock grow. My chicks now have feathers and so do the turkey's. The duck and two geese are still peach-fuzzy; who knows when they'll get some feathers. I took them "swimming" every day while they were in the house. I had to teach them but they got the hang of it and love to swim. While dad and brother were out over Memorial Day weekend they helped me move them outside into the coop. I will be adding on the "run" part on later when the birds get big enough.

Today I picked up my newest addition to the Muddy Manicure - two baby Nigerian Dwarf doelings. I haven't named them yet and would welcome name suggestions. They currently weigh around 19 pounds and the breed standard says does grow only to be about 30-40 pounds. Currently, the two babies are out in the chicken coop since there is a heat light out there but I'm hoping shortly the nights will warm up enough to keep them outside. I plan to do some intensive grazing with the girls around the outbuildings when they're older.

Sorry it's sideways - I'm lame ;)

              
 The girls were born on March 7th and their breed is a recognized dairy breed so if I do decide I want a dairy goat one day - BOOM! already got two! :) I'm thinking that the girsl would also be useful for my 4H kids in case any of them want to show something at the fair but can't afford it. Other than that they're just going to be spoiled goat pets! :)

Sorry it's sideways again!

Spring is making itself known around the Muddy Manicure and the Hi-Line. My container gardens are doing really well. My bathtub has Walla Walla sweet onions, yellow onions, shallots and Scarlet Nantes carrots in it. They are doing awesome! The pig feeder planter is chock-full of yellow onions and they have been loving the rain and cool weather. Too bad I'm not! :)  They've rocketed from a dried up set to beautiful green, alive baby onions! Gotta love it! I need to get a bunch of other stuff planted but some of them I'm going to have to buy like the squash. I'm going to get peas and corn planted this weekend. The weather and package planting information should be just about right. Here's to hoping it doesn't rain like the dickens this weekend!

I'll leave you with a parting photo that brings a smile to my face and thoughts of spring followed by summer to mind. The lilac bush closest to my house has begun to bloom! :D

Soapy Tables and Chickens...

So sorry to be tardy on my post...I've been busy! I got a bunch of extras from my mom when I was home; strawberries, Libson bunching onions, mint and Lilly of the Valley. I also purchased Walla Walla sweet onion starts, yellow onions, shallots, garlic and raspberries. I have planted the Walla Walla's, yellow onions, shallots and raspberries; all except the raspberries went in the tub (my cast iron garden planter) with carrots. I read in Carrots Love Tomatoes that onions and carrots do well so I thought I'd give it a try. The raspberries went along one of the fence lines and the strawberries went into my small strawberry bed. I planted the mint in two places near the house but I'm not sure how well it will do. Keep your fingers crossed. :)

I recently got my Homesteader's Delight order from McMurray Hatchery. I was super excited but kind of unprepared for the 'lil critters. They took up residence in my bathroom for a day and a half and it's taken me at least that long to remove their poo from the floor! I moved them to a big box I snagged from work and they have since taken up residence in the mud room with the heat lamp keeping the snuggly warm. I received 10 hens (tentatively identified as Black Austrolorp and Buckeye), two geese (absolutely no idea what kind), two turkeys (one bronze, one white) and two ducks (again no idea on the variety). Sadly one ducky "went to the other farm" not long after is arrival on Crazy Woman Ranch (my pet name for this quasi-chaotic place). He will be missed. They all got to go outside for a bit today. The geese, duck and turkeys have imprinted nicely and I've been handling them all multiple times daily to insure they don't get mean when they grow up. Also, I figure the little 4H kids could show them at the fair this summer.

Honey Lemon Soap

I have made two batches of soap from my purchased bases. One is honey lemon and the other is goat's milk and oatmeal. The honey lemon was the first time I tried to make this stuff so I tried it out and it lathers-up really well and smells wonderfully like sunny spring honey. I added extra honey to the mixture from my home neighbors Hibbard, Massey & Hibbard. They soap is kind of sticky but works great! The goat's milk and oatmeal is still curing in the form. I will cut it next week and wrap the honey and lemon bars. If Zurich has a Farmer's Market this year I'll be taking soap and various other things.

Base Unfinished

Another project that I started a while ago was my round, oak kitchen table. I have since finished the sanding process, assembled top and bottom and applied two coats of stain to the table-top. I will be putting another coat of varnish on the table and then it will be ready to use. A recent antiquing trip provided me with three beautiful and mismatched chairs for my set. I also just bought a pine buffet which should arrive at the end of the week. I am slowly amassing some nice things and it makes me happy. :)

Table Top Unfinished

Sideways Semi-Finished View

Well the Beagle is outside in the dark barking at who knows what and my chicks are peeping away. They want their mom to come check on them. By mom I don't mean me, I mean the Beagle. She truly thinks she's their mom. While the baby turkeys were outside today she tried to play with them Beagle style - I had to put the kaibosh on it but it was still cute!

Have a great night!

Some photos from around "Crazy Woman"

So I have decided to dub my little slice of Northcentral Montana the "Crazy Woman Ranch" courtesy of my favorite Louis L'Amour movie. This post isn't much but photos so come on over and take a look.

Can you see my lake?

The river is high, the slew is full and the surrounding creeks are out of their banks. This water is all from snowmelt.
Thankfully the nearby canals haven't filled with water and the barrow ditches around the house are blessedly empty. Everything here is just a bit more difficult so I do not want to have to face flooding issues.

This is a picture of me and my pooples that dad took when he was out for a visit. Notice no one is looking at the camera but me. We were facing a bit of cabin fever induced ADD that day. From left to right - Lil Guy the Chihuahua, Yotee the Mini Aussie and Ruby the Beagle.

And because I simply couldn't stand not having something growing green in my presence I started my garden plants this year. From left to right - jalapeno peppers, sausage tomatoes, Tom Thumb tomatoes and Black Beauty eggplants. You can kind of see my cabbage, broccoli and wong bok in the foreground.




And just so you don't think Extension Agents stick to the book please enjoy this video of a wonderful little song written by one of my fellow brethren. Turn up the volume and enjoy!

Research, planning and strawberries

I have been researching up the wazzu people! Not only did my last two classes before I start my Master's project but I am researching varieties for putting in a mini-orchard up here, chicken coup designs, greenhouse designs, and more. I am also trying to get some raised beds planted as soon as possible because I have garlic coming that needs to be planted this fall. I am also trying to build a couple cold frames so that I can have some greens and carrots throughout the winter.

One thing I've learned really quickly is is you want to eat week up here you have to grow it and can it yourself. So thank goodness when mom and dad come over they are bringing vegetables over so I can make spaghetti sauce, salsa, butternut squash soup and sundry other things. I am so thankful for this because there was no time for my container garden to grow!

I am making plans for more permanent growing structure. I found a great, small and cheaply built, greenhouse. I am hoping to construct it this spring and use it all season! I cannot stand not having fresh vegetables but I am REALLY missing the fresh fruit so I've gotta get some growing up here! There are varieties that will work because hey if Canada can do it so can we! :) I also have an idea to create a hedge/boundry line along my sidewalk and pitiful patio with all the strawberries I have. It could turn out pretty cool looking if I can get my sprawtberries to survive the winter.

I am going to finish putting a run on my chicken coop so I can be ready come spring for my girls and then I can have eggs and then meat in the fall. But I might figure out a way to insulate the little house I built so I don't have to chop any heads. Don't get me wrong I can chop their heads off, it's the smell that comes from the scalding and plucking process that grosses me out. I am toying with the idea of getting a milk cow and starting a milk cooperative. There are some ladies in the area who would be down for it and then we could have beef in the freezer from the calf. Could work...hmmm.

I had 23 people show up, or rather stick around, for my gardening clinic. This is a huge change since I have done two events and not a single person has showed up. Needless to say I almost started crying in happiness when I saw all those people waiting there for me! :)

I finally got Internet at the house - about damn time I might add! My net book showed up the same day the Internet did. However, the FedEx guy left it with neighbor Hillary, which is turns out I have two! One I've made friends with but the other I've never laid eyes on. Guess which house it was at. I stopped buy and grabbed it quick since that Hillary wasn't present. I can now do my homework at home instead of at work on a Sunday afternoon.

I am still arranging my office; however, the two extra desks are out and I have put up my pictures on the walls. Now I just have to find a place for all those ribbons and trophies. It's going to be a challenge but I want the kids who show up to realize they can accomplish things if they try.

Well, I'm off to do some more research on the MSU Master Gardener's program. Have an excellent day!

My goodness! It's been over a week since I last posted and I have to say that's a good thing. I have been busy preparing for workshops, coffees and visitations out with entrenched community members.

Next week I teach my fist clinic on fall garden clean-up and am hoping to get a couple people to show up. Sad statement to me but I'm hoping the longer I'm here and the more I hammer away at the concept of workshops the higher the attendance will begin to be. Keep your fingers crossed!

I am also scheduled to head out with a new friend, Hillary, and the Fort Belknap Community College book-mobile. We're going to load up her trunk with books and bring the library to the other remote communities. It sounds like a fun activity and time with Hillary is always time well spent. :)

I filled out two job applications for Scott today, here on the Reservation and am hoping he gets one of them. I am struggling terrifically with homesickness. I have "clicked" over into my fall mode and I just want to sleep. I am a bit worried about slipping back into depression but knowing the signs is a step ahead of where I was last time. I am going to call my doctor, who is great by the way, and ask for a referral to a counselor/psychiatrist because I feel like that is something I need to do. Please keep me in your thoughts because I'm feeling as though I need a lil pick-me-up lately.

I am excited at the possibility of my aunt and uncle from Kansas coming up for a visit while my parents are here over the Labor Day weekend. I haven't seen them in a very long time and I have to say they are some of my favorites! :) Another set of fingers crossed please for this event.

Mom and dad are coming over Labor Day weekend to visit, drop off a load of firewood and a truck, and help me fix some stuff around the house that we didn't get to last time. I am really, really looking forward to this! Scott is set to visit the third week in September and words cannot describe how happy this makes me! My friend Jenna is always telling me Scott and I are disgustingly close for siblings and I am grateful for that closeness. :)

I have a pumpkin! One softball sized Sugar baby pumpkin has emerged and I think there might be some other ones on the way. I will have to get some row-cover material because people tell me it freezes good in September but October is beautiful. I hope so because my acorn and butternut squash are just now blooming! I've put in an order with mom and dad to bring over a bunch of produce from home when they come so I can can, freeze and dry my brains out! Living in the Yakima Valley has really spoiled me with regards to fresh produce - I miss it!

I was invited to a memorial this weekend by a co-worker and am excited to be included in the community. It came a bit quicker than I thought. Traditionally a show of acceptance like that takes quite a while. The memorial is more like a wake than what a white person would equate as a memorial. The family is hosting a kids rodeo, an 'old-man roping', a feed and a give away. Not quite a party but a happy time to remember the good things about the person.

In addition to the memorial, I have big plans to mow the lawn and let me tell you what this is going to take all day Saturday I think. I have been OK with mowing the inside of the fence but the outside has been neglected due to a lack of funds for gas. It takes two tanks to mow the outside and one tank to mow the inside. I tell myself I'm lucky to have a nice big lawn but when it comes time to mow...sometimes I forget! LOL I also am thinking of planting some garlic and onions in pots that I have so I need to get some soil for that. Busy Saturday - thank goodness!

I ordered a new mini-laptop and it should be here next week. Now if only the communications company would get their but in gear and hook-up my Internet. School starts on Monday and I would like to be able to do my work at home! :) Also, when mom and dad come up they are bringing Lil Guy over and I am not only excited for him to get here, he's got a great personality, but I'm hoping he'll wear Yotee out so they all sleep at night. Yotee has been waking me up in the night because he gets bored and wants petted, or to play. It's wreaking havoc on my sleep schedule! :)

Don't Forget to Feed the Chooks Bandicoot!

Howdy ya'll! I have been remiss in writing I know. Sad thing is no computer at home and no Internet their either. *tear* LOL I have been busy at work with cleaning the office (almost done), organizing (my fav...seriously) and working on programing for the upcoming months. My boss, Dave, was up here on Tuesday and helped finish cleaning the stuff out I couldn't lift. He's a very nice guy and we get along well. He's very lax and OMG trusts me to do my job, which as most of you know is a very welcome relief after the last two jobs and year I've had. I am thoroughly enjoying my job and meeting all the people. I do get lonely when I get home but I'm working on that too.

I signed up for a quilting class starting in September and plan to do one each time they become available. I joined the Zurich Garden Club which is full of people who are passionate about actually gardening and not the elevation of their social status. I participate in the Friday Zurich Farmer's Market. It's super tiny but people always show up to see what's there and it's another time to meet people and socialize. I've met Hillary M. and she's great - formerly of NY she gets the new girl thing and has some awesome thoughts along the same line as I do. Plus the Native like her a lot so that might help me in the long run but mostly she's just a cool chick to talk to! :) Another lady, Laurel, owns the coffee shop in Chinook and she's a spunky gal...I like her too! With the frenzy of haying season swiftly followed by wheat and barley harvest it'll definitely be late fall before the neighbors get around to visiting. I have much to do in the house yet so that is OK with me. Speaking of the house - there are some Heuterite girls coming tomorrow to scrub the house from top to bottom. They are well worth their $15/hour in my view. One less thing I have to do! :)

I mowed the inner lawn Tuesday night which turned out to be a good thing because it rained almost all day yesterday. I'm telling ya; I hardly have to water my veggies at all! I got a single bloom on my sugar pie pumpkin yesterday but without other blooms I think he probably won't germinate! the winter squash wheelbarrow is growing like crazy; however, the summer squash BBQ is lagging behind - not enough warm weather for them I guess. My hideous strawberry planter got moved into a more sheltered spot and is again producing strawberries. For first year plants they are doing amazing in the production department. I went "junking" in the out buildings and came up with three more containers and a cast iron bath tub that I resolve to use somehow. I just need to wrestle it out of the grass.

Snake update - since killing that last one I've only seen one snake (he was big for a water snake) but he was too quick for me and the snake killer. Sadly he escaped under the house. Thank GAWD I do not have to go under the house much! LOL

I have decided to get some chickens. I am in the process of building a hen house for them to lay their eggs in and roost at night. Otherwise I just plan for them to run around and eat bugs. Get those grasshoppers under control! I heard of a lady who wanted to get rid of seven hens on Tradio (kinda like Craigslist but on the radio) and gave her a call. I will call her back after I get the house built - hopefully this afternoon - to pick up my Oscar White chickens. Seven hens is way to much for me; however, there is a bulk discount and ya never know when one or two will disappear. :/ Soo I will post pics of my hen house and chooks when they are done/arrived!

TTFN!

Lean, mean snake-killin' machine!

I did it! I did it! I killed a snake - with an uber heavy post tamper but who cares they are dead and gone. Between my dad and I, four of the lil' bastards are gone, but there is one more lurking under the porch so I am conducting constant vigilance with the post tamper near at hand!

Mom and dad were out this last week helping me with fix-its around the house - thank goodness! I now have a usable light in the bathroom; trim to cover the gaping hole where it wasn't and a functioning door knob on the entry door! Amazing what deteriorates after two years of no-one living there and very little maintenance prior to that. The parental units also brought my furniture, and let me tell you that first night in my own bed was heavenly! :) We got the old furniture moved around and my stuff moved in. Aside from the teal walls and the yellow/brown colored carpet it looks pretty good in my attic bedroom! Ooooh yes, teal and affirmative I am planning on painting. A nice sage green will go on the walls and some searching for a new carpet remnant will be done. I swear this house is getting a serious update just because it's got a serious 30's-70's vibe going on! :)

As for the good part of work, I started a new blog (hopefully people on the reservation use it) and have met a lot of people. I am still learning my way around here and the paperwork that has to be navigated is astronomical - universities, I swear! I am enjoying the freedom to set my own schedule and not have someone breathing down my neck! It's glorious! :) I am still working on becoming a Montana resident and have to wait for my newly ordered birth certificate to get here before I can get a driver's license, the apparent key to everything, before I can vote, buy a car or just about anything else. So we're in a waiting game with that one!So far so good! I've been busy cleaning out the office I've inherited and when I say inherited I mean it. There is crap in here from the 60's that I'm purging. This office was gone thru about two years ago but the dude's doing it were not as judicious about throwing things away as I am being. There are original versions of the textbooks I saved from my Bachelors! Now you tell me what good is that? Anyways - venting over! :)


The weather here has been hit or miss for sure. While mom and dad were here it was sunny and in the 80's. Today it is windy and grey. I am wearing a fleece and running the heater in my office and by the end of the week it's supposed to be sunny and in the 90's...go figure! LOL My wheelbarrow and BBQ planters are doing really well, but my strawberries are getting wind-whipped. I need to move them ASAP before they go TU on me. I am excited because I kind of get to start all over again with the garden because it is so much later here than at home.

Well, I am on my way out for the day but wanted to get a post up. I am helping at the Blaine County Fair tomorrow and Friday I plan to rest a bit and then clean this office some more - only two more floor-to-ceiling stacks left. Oooh but then there's the two other storage rooms! It's ok....they'll give me something to do when spring/cabin fever hits in March! I am out like trout ya'll - hope ya have a good day! :)

Silent Sundays - A Homemade Strawberry Planter

So I thought I'd take Sundays and use photographs to highlight something I am doing or working on. Here is this week's Silent Sunday topic - a strawberry planter.

I took an old, rusted-out single hog feeder and had Scott cut slots to slide the license plates into. We had all the plates laying around from our plethora of vehicles and bent the plates inside the pockets so there are no welds on them. It took little more than an hour to complete the construction, and another hour to fill and plant it. I have two day-neutral varieties (TriStar and Seascape), as well as three ever-bearing varieties (Quinault, Sequoia and Hecker). Looking forward to those yummy berries! :)