Blister Tomato

This morning I went to water my veggies and saw the ground moving under my feet. Legions of red and black stripped blister beetles were everywhere on my tomatoes, peppers, cabbages and anything with a leaf. And if you squish them they burn your skin. In a few hours they had eaten almost every green leaf in my garden. I hit them with chickens (they don't eat them) then every citrus and cedar oil I had.I used soap and DE and vinegar. And I topped off the dirt with cedar shavings. The beetles got the message and left. Leaving me with a decimated garden. I do not know if my tomatoes will bounce back from all this leaf loss. I think the beetles were attracted to the rich alfalfa I put on the tomato plants. Since almost everything else is dry and crispy in the yard.  I have learned to be more vigilant of my insects and note the circumstances of the invasions.  I thought after the June bugs, web worms and grasshoppers left I was in the clear, ha! 

Deer Driveway

It has been very hot in the Ozarks. Every morning I water for an hour all my veggies and the primary flower garden by our driveway and all the farm animals. I do not care about the lawn.We have drought tolerant plants that are struggling in this dry spell. So after fighting a plague of blister beetles on my tomato plants with DE earth, cedar shavings and oil spray I took a break inside. As I look out to find a doe happily nibbling on my newly watered purple phlox. Where is my guard dog and my guard cat? Not on duty, all napping under cars and kennels. This doe ate fallen apples and peaches and sampled a bit of anything she crossed. She was spooked by the curtains and ran off into the woods.

Finally Some Rain

Last night we got almost and inch of rain in the Ozarks. After two months of no rain and over 100 degree temperatures, it was great to have. I missed the lightening and sound of drops hitting the glass. It was the first time I did not have to water my crops. I hope we get more rain for a second cutting of hay. 

And with the extreme heat the copperhead snakes are out a month early. They are very mean during their shedding season and will attack at anything making noise nearby. They have limited vision while they are shedding and that makes them extra aggressive to noise. This time last year my dog was bitten on his face by one. He made a lot of noise barking and was attacked by one. He survived the ordeal. With all these temperatures a month ahead of schedule, lets hope fall comes early too.

Halloween in July

Even though it is 100 degrees in July I need to begin working on Halloween. Our theme this year at the mill is the Old West Ghost Mill. I am planning on zombie, skeleton and ghost cowboys and cowgirls to scare the victims this go 'round. I am scaring up costumes, skulls, hats and boots, cobwebs and a player piano for the mill decorations. We have the cowboys around here just need to make them the un-dead kind. I think this will be a fun blast from the past for the mill as a fundraiser.