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.

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.

Playing in the Dirt

It is a wet spring in the Ozarks and that means gardening time. 

Time to plant flowers and veggies and get dirty.

Some neat small pink flowers I found at a greenhouse.

My chicken proof flower bed.

I use 6 ft bamboo poles to hold up the chicken wire and for bulb placement. 

Dahlias, Iris, and more are all waiting for more rain and warmer weather.

My constant gardening companion, Melon.

April Auction Chicks

These are Ameraucana chicks I bought at a local livestock auction. I was not wanting to raise anymore chicks for a while. But the price was too good to pass up for these chicks. And I do not see them for sale very often. I usually see Barred rocks and Comets or meat chicks for sale. 

These make wonderful hens and roosters. And the eggs are so pretty in shades of blue and green. I like how this breed handles the summer heat well.

I have some older hens of this breed and they get broody and hatch well for me. And what is spring without some peeps coming from my house.

Bunny Freedoms

Here is Moe and Curly playing in their outdoor yard.

Gray Larry, Brown Curly and Moe in front all taking in the warm breezes outside. They all have Revolution flea and tick on them to keep them safe. Revolution is safe for rabbits where other flea treatments can kill your rabbit.

Spring Rocks

My pear trees are blooming

Every spring I flip the garden rocks over and dig out the encroaching grass.

This year I added chicken wire to keep the poultry out of my garden. Digging birds, cats and dogs unearth all my seedlings and bulbs.

Now they can't mess with the seedlings. I will remove this once the seedlings are big enough to hold their own. The bamboo stakes show me where the bulbs are planted.

Pink Redbud in bloom.

My Melon

Pulling The Purple Plum

Last weekend was the perfect time to pull up the diseased  ornamental purple plum tree. It was a lovely tree that began to die last summer. I think some beetles got to it.

My husband chains up the tree.

Up and out the hole.

Going to the dead pile.

In the plums hole a Japanese Persimmon has been planted. I hope it takes hold and grows well. 

My Chicken Gang

Here is a group shot of my girls crossing the creek.

Dark Cornish taking a dip.

My alpha rooster Leghorn/Game, Junior, watching over the next generation.

Very sweet and watchful rooster to have. We eat the bad roosters. I started out with 19 roosters this fall and 5 made the cut to live on the farm. The rest have been sold or in my freezer.

Junior and his best hen. Junior is going on 4 years now and holding his own.