July 2, 2009
Posted in Hobbies, Machinery
at 6:57 pm
by Ryan
Somewhere along the road the general population has lost it’s way. We’ve been convinced by advertisers and manufacturers alike that we are unable to preform even the most minuscule of tasks. We must fork over our hard earned dollars to take care of the simplest of operation for us when in reality for the same price you pay someone else you can purchase the tools and do it yourself. Trust me when I say that we too have been guilty of it in the past as well but I say no more. Simple things like changing the oil in the car, swapping tires, basic plumbing and wiring are not beyond our capabilities nor beneath our stature in the world. Previous generations would be ashamed at our ineptitude at solving our own problems and taking care of ourselves using our hands and minds rather than our wallets. The brainwashing is everywhere telling us that they can offer us pre-made meals just like mom used to make and repair your car for a low, low fee but I urge you to resist, dust off your toolbox and solve that problem yourself. You’ll thank yourself in the end.

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June 28, 2009
Posted in Gardening, Weather
at 7:21 pm
by Ryan
With all the craziness going on inside right now the weeds are slowly taking over the garden. I’m doing the best I can with the time I have but with the perfect growing weather we’ve been having not only are the veggies growing but the weeds as well. Since I don’t have the power to add any more hours to the day I’ll simply do the best I can and let the chips (or veggies) fall where they may. This being only our second summer here we are still learning what we really need to grow and how much of it. Strawberry season is upon us but there are still lots of preserves left from last year so that is one less thing to try and fit into the day. So far the garlic has been the crop of choice for me with little to no maintenance and it seems to be doing incredibly well. Last week the scapes were removed in hopes of bigger bulbs although I did leave a few on the plants with the intentions of growing my seed stock over the next couple years. With their easy care garlic could be one of the crops which we can grow a bit extra of for friends and family. Before we know it harvest time for the garlic will be here and I for one can barely stomach anymore of that bland store bought stuff. Hopefully the 125 plants all produce a big healthy bulb so we’ll be swimming in garlicky goodness all winter long!

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June 23, 2009
Posted in Kids, Special Occasions
at 7:19 pm
by Ryan
With that our girls curling team is complete. Both mom and baby are doing fine and will be back home with us tomorrow. All the big sisters are very excited and have had lots of turns holding her already.
Name: Molly Jane Worden
DOB: June 22nd 2009 @5:32AM
Weight: 8lbs 3oz
Length: 21 Inches
Hair: Black

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June 16, 2009
Posted in Farm Life, Gardening, Kids, Nature
at 6:33 pm
by Ryan
Just a plain old painted turtle but cool none the less. If I had to guess I’d say that this is probably the same one that the girls and I found not that long ago (or perhaps it was several weeks as I have no real concept of time right now). Apparently right next to my recently planted raspberry cane is a desirable place to lay your eggs if you are a turtle. Seeing as there isn’t much water at this end of the property I guess this place is as good as any. I told the girls that this was a good lesson, keep your eyes open as you never know what you may come across when you least expect it.

In related news the strawberry plants as also doing just fine and growing like gangbusters. About 95% of them have doubled in size and added many new leaves. A fair number of them are also sporting blossoms which are oh so cute. Grandma Murphy will remind me to pinch off the flowers this first year as it will pay dividends next spring with even more blossoms which will bless us with many berries. No news on the baby front but rest assured that we will post as soon as there is any progress in that area. Until then time marches on and Corrie is awaiting a ride into town for an ice cream cone. Perhaps I’ll take the bumpy road!

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June 7, 2009
Posted in Chickens, Farm Life
at 7:38 pm
by Ryan
I have a mystery on my hands and hopefully someone may have a bit of insight. Often Grandpa Rusty will collect the eggs in the morning and get doing something else leaving the bucket of eggs along the path to pick up on his way back to the house. A couple times in the last week he has returned only to find the bucket empty and no sign of the eggs. We searched high and low expecting to come across some sign of destruction, broken shells and whatnot. We found nothing which only made things more perplexing. Then by chance while grabbing some straw for the nest boxes we found a perfect nest containing all 16 of the missing eggs. Not a single one broken or eaten and each carefully arranged in the nest. Now what animal could carry this many eggs a fair distance and then go to the trouble of putting them together like this. The majority of predators would have simply eaten them and birds certainly hands to carry them. I mean seriously? We’ve put out the trap to see if would can catch the egg napper but for all I know it could be a damn sasquatch we find. Any ideas?

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