Well, here we go again, bedtime, and I haven't posted a single word. Where do the days go!
You would never know it from the picture, but Poppy and I both are feeling better. I have one more day on the antibiotic.
The days are busy. Always something happening. We lost another guinea on Wednesday. A young female. A neighbor's dog caught her and injured her pretty badly. I sure tried to save her, but it just wasn't meant to be.
Then yesterday a male guinea came home with an injured leg. We are down to five guineas. 4 males and 1 female.
Look how the little wild bunny has grown. It's time to turn him loose. I've just got to do it.
He trusts me a little more now, but still, this is a wild rabbit, and he needs to stay wild. I want him to survive when he is own his own.
and here's half of the Iris rhizomes all dried and wrapped in newspaper...just like the online instructions said do. Now I've got to keep them in a cool dry place. Guess that will be under the bed in the sewing room...the only place I can find where there's not something. As mama used to say, "there's not room to lay a pin down around here".
Better get up from here and get all the animals situated for bed. I will be around to catch up. :)
Love,
Henny
Mama's old Watkins Cookbook...
and Mama, back then...
I remember when the Watkins man used to stop by our house with his Watkins products. I'm sure that's how mama got the cookbook. She also had a set of beautiful glass ovenproof bowls she bought from the Watkins man. The middle size bowl was perfect for making her banana pudding...Daddy's favorite dessert.
Poppy is feeling much better...however, I woke up sick yesterday and had to see our doctor. Whatever this crap is, it's awful! headache, fever, sore throat, aches and pains...So, I too am on an antibiotic.
Anyhow, with us both being sick, I was reminded of a little poem. A poem that mama kept in this cookbook.
.....................................
When pa is sick, he's scared to death
an' ma an' us just holds our breath;
he crawls in bed an' puffs and grunts,
an' does all kinds of crazy stunts.
He wants "Doc Brown" in mighty quick,
for when pa's ill, he's awful sick.
He gasps an' moans, an' sort of sighs,
he talks so queer an' rolls his eyes;
Ma jumps an' runs an' all of us,
an' all the house is in a fuss.
An' peace and joy is mighty skeerce-
when pa is sick it's something fierce!
When ma is sick, she pegs away,
she's quiet though, not much to say;
she goes right on a-doing things,
an' sometimes laughs, or even sings,
she says she don't feel so extra well,
but then its just a kind of spell,
she'll be alright tomorrow sure,
a good old sleep will be the cure;
an' pa he sniffs an' makes no kick,
for women folks is always sick'
an' ma, she smiles, let's on she's glad,
when ma is sick, it ain't so bad.
(author unknown)
Actually, my sister Shelby found this old poem many years ago. Mama loved the poem, probably because it reminded her so much of daddy. She always kept a hand written copy folded and inside her old Watkins Cookbook.
Love,
Henny
Yesterday I dug up that big weed patch in the back yard...the one with the struggling Iris in the middle...
and in the center of the weed patch found a half dead Hydrangea fighting for it's life...
I read on line again how to start the "lasagna garden" no-till no-dig method. First a layer of newspaper, then a wheelbarrow load of waste from the goat lot and barn, old hay and dropping from the bunny cages, then topped with some rotted leaves. I still need to add a layer of green and some compost.
Funny how many years it has taken for me learn that you can't buy a plant, stick it in a hole in the ground, especially in this clay soil, and expect it to grow.
buckets and buckets of Iris rhizomes...
I've potted several and given away a grocery bag full. The rest have been trimmed and spread out to dry for a couple of days in the sun, then be stored in a cool dry place. Got this info on line too.
Peppers! Here we go again...
but look! Can't help but be proud. These are from the seeds I saved from those tiny little colored peppers you buy in the grocery store. So cute, and taste so sweet!!
and on a sad note...the guy who bought mama's car came yesterday and picked it up. A really sad feeling swept over me as I watched him drive away. I had to make myself get busy and think about other things.
Poppy has finished the antibiotic and is feeling much better. Thank you for your nice comments.
Better get busy.
Love,
Henny
See the little red transferware pitcher there in the center? I love it!
Poppy and I returned home Friday to find a package on the front porch, addressed to me.
It was from the sweetest blogging friend, Dianna, up in West Virginia. Dianna's blog is "Forgiven".
Dianna said she remembered my mentioning that I like the red transferware. Dianna collects the blue, so when the little red pitcher turned up in a box from an auction she and her husband had been to, well, she thought of me, and I am so tickled that she did!! Thank you Dianna! You make me want to be a better person.
While I'm on a roll with reds...and pinks...
this little pink checked apron has been half finished and taking up room at the sewing machine. Thinking it would get me motivated to start on other aprons, I buckled down and finished it. The pink checks look a little old fashioned, don't you think?
m'lady needs a new dress for modeling the aprons...
is this prettier?
Yesterday I started out the front door to take a picture of my new car (yes!!!) and dropped the camera. It hit on the brick pavement and cracked open just a tiny bit, the pictures are now a little fuzzy. :( Guess Poppy will be on Amazon looking at cameras tonight.
Oh my gosh! Did you catch that, "new car"?
a brand new Nissan Rogue!!!
I don't know how to act!! Seriously, I don't!! After driving mama's little 1998 Corolla for several years, and friends, you know what mama said about that Corolla..."it didn't come with anything but a set of seats". This new car even has a clock! :-)
One more thing to tell you...Some of you may remember about a year ago, September 2016, when I rescued a little mouse that was caught in a piece of wire. My post about it was called "mouse rescue". I thought, never again in my life time would I have to rescue a mouse, but it has happened again, except this time at the bunny's pen.
Thank goodness for blogging friends, because I could never tell Poppy that I rescued another mouse. You can see how I had to clip the wire. Poor little mouse, just like before, this one tried to go through the half inch square wire and got stuck, only this mouse turned and tried to go back through another hole. He was stuck twice. My heart felt like it would break.
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| image from Wikipedia |
I ran to the house and got my work basket which held the wire cutters, scissors, and pliers. Carefully, I had to squeeze the tip of the wire cutters between the fat little body and the wire and then snip. Then with the needle nose pliers, I bent the tiny pieces of wire up and away, freeing the mouse. He scurried away under a board and I walked to the house with my nerves shot, but happy.
Thank you, if you've managed to read all this. :)
Love,
Henny
We were at Urgent Care early this morning. Poppy woke up feeling mighty bad, running a fever, coughing, sneezing and very hoarse. The doctor says he has an upper respiratory infection.
The teeny tiny garden has given us lots of big red tomatoes this summer. We've had plenty of green beans, more peppers than we could use, beautiful eggplants, even squash and cucumbers, and now okra, but things are winding down.
We've had lots of help keeping those pesky insects out of the garden...help from the lizard who lived under the squash vines and
then two of these large black and yellow garden spiders built their webs in the tomato vines. When I reached around to take a picture of her back side, she disappeared. Twice I've caught my hair in her web while reaching in to pick the little sun gold tomatoes...
The Gomphrena or Globe amaranth has bloomed and bloomed. I've cut just a few stems and hung them to dry.
there were supposed to be light pink and red too...
anyway, I'm happy with these. Maybe there will be a garden next year and I will try again.
Have you started dreaming about next year's garden yet? I have. Yes, next year I want a row each of the large zinnias, cosmos, Gomphrena, sunflowers, and hollyhocks.
Gosh, Poppy may have to add on to the little garden fence. That should go over big! Maybe I will settle for half a row of each.
Love,
Henny
Never in my life do I remember having cool temperatures, low humidity, and a breeze, the last part of July! Not here! Not in North Carolina! But it's happening!
Maybe this unusual weather will stay through the end of the year. You know it started back last winter when we had spring in February. So could we have fall in August? Maybe! I mean, it was in the high 50's this morning and that is pretty cool, any way you look at it.
The teeny tiny sewing room is looking like a ghost town lately. I've simply got to get myself in gear and back to making aprons...and bonnets! Why, I've probably forgotten how to make a bonnet.
and, a new doll...my new doll!
it's Shirley Temple! Andee and Lynn were out together shopping and found her in a thrift store. Andee brought her home and kept her for me.
of course, I could not wait to take off her coat and see her cute little outfit.
She has a sweet face.
I never did get up to the garden today. The yard really needed some work after this long hot dry spell, so, I've raked up pine straw and put it around the azaleas, mowed, cleaned out hen's nests and added new straw, and raked the path to the shed. It almost felt like a spring day.
We have about an hour before bedtime so maybe I will sew a little.
Hope to be back soon...
the goats send their love...
Love,
Henny
Dear friends...
Didn't mean to be away so long...lots of things happening lately, but maybe I can now catch up.
this pretty deer was right outside the kitchen window, helping herself to the rose bush and peach tree.
She acted hungry so we let her enjoy herself. I don't think she could do any more damage than this hot dry weather has already done.
We had just about give up on getting any rain, but then late yesterday this big dark cloud formed right overhead. There was thunder and lightning and rain...two inches of rain!
Poppy decided to run out and help the old one-legged rooster get inside the hen house before the storm. On his way back to the house, it started to rain, so Poppy, being excited, stopped and did a little Indian rain dance. It was hilarious!! but as he was dancing around there in the driveway, lightning flashed and then it thundered...wish you could have seen him run for the house. Sure wish I had had my camera...I was standing on the porch watching.
Anyhow, we sure were happy to get the rain.
It's getting late and Eli is snoring. Hope to be back here soon.
Love,
Henny
Look how the little wild bunny has grown. It's time to turn him loose. I've just got to do it.
He trusts me a little more now, but still, this is a wild rabbit, and he needs to stay wild. I want him to survive when he is own his own.
and here's half of the Iris rhizomes all dried and wrapped in newspaper...just like the online instructions said do. Now I've got to keep them in a cool dry place. Guess that will be under the bed in the sewing room...the only place I can find where there's not something. As mama used to say, "there's not room to lay a pin down around here".
