Friday, May 29, 2015

To The Birds

We have been visited by a pair of Roadrunners. They have a nest and are raising their brood somewhere in our woods.


These are Rouen ducklings at 2 weeks of age. They were hatched under a reluctant hen, so they became indoor babies. But as all things go on the farm,they needed to be put outside.

Here they are outside in the bunny yard for a few days to acclimate. Now they are outside full time in the big coop with the adult poultry. They are holding their own. They like us but they like being free range more.

It Bleeds no More.

As a quilter I always buy fabrics when they are on sale. But, as you know some cheaper fabrics do bleed in the prewash. I always pre-wash my fabrics to remove the resin/sizing. I throw in a Shout Color Catcher and wait to see the bleed. If it bleeds you can still save the fabric with Retayne. A teaspoon per yard in warm water does the trick. I re-wash the fabrics again with a Color Catcher after treatment and no more bleed. Amazon sells this at a good price. Worth it to save the fabric you bought.
I bought a lot of red cotton yardage from a bargain bin and it bled. But just one wash with Retayne and it is now usable and I can trust no more bleeding in the future.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Shilling Spring

Here is May after a rainstorm on my Missouri farm.

The air is perfumed with abundant flowers.

These are shillings and paper money from our friends from Tanzania, Africa. The American coins show the cash value of their shillings.

Paper money only goes up to five dollars. So if you are buying somethings expensive, you will need some way to carry that cash around with you like a backpack. But most people trade instead of using cash.

I got to keep this one. It is so pretty. And it has the patina from all the people who have touched it far away in Africa. It has made a long journey from Tanzania to Missouri.

Technology Sunday

Here is young Joshua early Sunday morning playing his games. I like the photo in that its calm and quiet, the room is dim, he sits in a handmade rocker and wool quilt, next to the pile of luggage bound for Africa. Yet, he sits quietly focused on his computer game. Past, present and future.

Here is the Sunday reality. It is eight a.m. and I am feeding the rabbits, guests are finished with breakfast, the farm animals are fed, we are dressed for church, the computers are being consulted. The sun is finally out and the light of the new day shines through the windows. There is a pile of food headed out the door for travelers, empty boxes shed for weight and veggie snacks for healthy grazing. 

These are my friends Doug, Joshua, and Tamara next to the van belonging to another friend the Jeff, who is working on our roof this week.


I love the bright red van next to the bright colors of the African fabrics they are wearing. Very bright and happy photo of friends.


Saturday String and Sing

This past weekend our friends Tamara and she son Joshua took turns singing and playing guitars. 

Joshua took on the challenge of the 12 string.


Tamara told me about Guitar Tuna, an App that you can learn your chords with.

It was a fun way to spend the evening singing songs.

Joshua and the 12 string.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Game Day Out

My experiment worked a bit too well. I bought 4 game hens and let them go with the flock. Two of the hens went broody and hatched one day apart. One hen had five chicks and the other six chicks. The problem is that Game hens are tough moms. They attack anything that comes near their chicks, dogs, cats, other broody poultry. This is a good trait for good mothers that can raise their own chicks. This is something bred out of most most chickens. These chicks are half Game hen and half Americana since that is their rooster. Also, they hatched far away from the coop in the hay loft where other hens could not put their eggs. Now I wait to see if they grow up to be fighting roosters or good broody hens.


The black chick on the far right got stomped on my a duck. But even on one leg it keeps up with its family. 


Under Destruction


The old roof in a mega pile on the patio.

Our new metal roof looks great in the springtime.

Putting on under paper then the metal roof.

My old skylight is removed and roofed over until the new one is installed.

The Emerald Roof

Our contractor rented a lift to get everything up. Such a cool machine.

Putting on the edges.

Installing a new skylight that is better, smaller and has easy to install shade options.
First time I have had a clear view of clouds since we moved here. The old skylight leaked and got cloudy between the glass.

Our new metal roof after all the tar shingles were removed.

Our first solar panels and they work!

Husband supervising solar panel installations from the ground. Zilla happily chews her cow leg.


All panels installed and wired in.

Finishing up for the day. Still need to put in the electronics and finish the rest of the roof next week. The good news is that the roof will out last us.