I haven't posted to my blog in quite a while. My Mom passed away on March 24th so it's not been a good spring for us. She loved to garden and even when she was bound to wheelchair she still had large pots with tomatoes, cucumbers and squash planted in them. She could work the vegetables by rolling her chair up to the planters to weed and water.
It's a hard time in my life. I miss her very much. People keep telling me that Mom had a long, good life (she was 88 years old) but I don't think we are ever ready to let a loved one go home.
When I look outside at our garden I always think of Mom and her love of gardening.
Our weather has slowed the garden down this spring. We had cool weather through the middle of May. We got the seeds in the soil but some of them didn't come up and had to be replanted. Those that did come up didn't want to grow.
Now that the weather has warmed up a lot everything is growing but it's still behind what we usually have this time of the year. No tomatoes yet, no squash yet and no cucumbers.
The tomatoes are blooming, the squash has baby squash on them but the cucumbers......Well, I've about lost hope for them. They are still about four inches tall and not growing much at all.
My biggest worry with the squash and cucumbers now are squash borers. Since the temps have gotten warmer the borers will be out in full force. I'm afraid all the work we've done and all the waiting we've done will be in vain.
The green beans are running up the stakes but there's no blooms on them yet. We usually visit my Louisiana Aunts and Uncles about this time of the year and we always take them fresh veggies. Not so this year!
We sold all of our birds. The only animals we have now is our little Shih Tzu, Sakura and the two cats, Tomomi and Fanchi.
William is still having a lot of problems with his knee. It was hard for him to do any work with the animals. I'm hoping to get some more chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and guineas a little later on; then again we may never get animals again because we lost so many to predators.
That's the update from Honey Bunny Haven. I hope everyone is having a good spring growing season and will be able to harvest a lot of vegetables.
See you next time. Bye for now!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Is Spring Just Around The Corner Or?
Are we just beginning to have winter here in our area. We've had colder weather the last few days than we've had all winter along with some snow flurries that came and went yesterday.
My fingers are all itchy to dig in the dirt but with below freezing temps that's not feasible.
There's only 17 days until the first calendar day of spring. I hope that in the next 17 days we will begin to have days that are warmer and nights that are above freezing. I'm craving a fresh fried green tomato, bacon and lettuce sandwich. I don't think that's going to happen any time soon what with this cold weather lingering around here.
Some of the flowers and blooming shrubs are covered with blossoms. The forsythia, purple leafed plum and daffodils are blooming. These bring some brightness into the dreary days of winter and gives me hope of warmer days.
About the only thing going on around Hunny Bunny Haven at this time is waiting out winter and hoping for spring.
I know we get spring before a lot of the country but it still seems like a long time since fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and squash were abundant. Here's hoping the time is coming again soon.
That's all folks. Only my plea for springtime to arrive and arrive soon. Please come again.
My fingers are all itchy to dig in the dirt but with below freezing temps that's not feasible.
There's only 17 days until the first calendar day of spring. I hope that in the next 17 days we will begin to have days that are warmer and nights that are above freezing. I'm craving a fresh fried green tomato, bacon and lettuce sandwich. I don't think that's going to happen any time soon what with this cold weather lingering around here.
Some of the flowers and blooming shrubs are covered with blossoms. The forsythia, purple leafed plum and daffodils are blooming. These bring some brightness into the dreary days of winter and gives me hope of warmer days.
About the only thing going on around Hunny Bunny Haven at this time is waiting out winter and hoping for spring.
I know we get spring before a lot of the country but it still seems like a long time since fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and squash were abundant. Here's hoping the time is coming again soon.
That's all folks. Only my plea for springtime to arrive and arrive soon. Please come again.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Men Can Be So Stubborn
William had surgery on his right knee last Wednesday (February 6th). The surgery went very well and he has been up and going strong. He has not had a lot of pain and has been up moving around a good bit. Yesterday, we went to the flea market in Union because he thought he could do it. We didn't get to stay long before he was ready to come home. There was no place for him to sit with his knee elevated therefore he started having pain. I'm happy that he's doing so well.
In the last post I told about being down to a duck and six geese. A dog broke through a tin barrier to get to the birds. He killed the duck and one of the geese. The duck died in the attack and the goose died the next night. We thought the goose was injured but she started moving around good and eating. She wouldn't let William check her out so we didn't know the extent of her injuries. We found out the next morning when we found her dead.
This made me angrier than I've been in a long time. We keep our animals up including our dog and cats. Other people let their animals run loose to destroy property that belongs to the community. I don't get it!
There's been stormy weather here in Mississippi today. A tornado touched down in Hattiesburg around the campus of USM. Some injuries have been reported along with heavy damage. Thankfully, no fatalities have been reported. More of the stormy weather is expected through tomorrow night.
There's not much going on here at Hunny Bunny Haven other than me playing nurse for my sweet hubby.
Thanks for coming by. Please come back.
In the last post I told about being down to a duck and six geese. A dog broke through a tin barrier to get to the birds. He killed the duck and one of the geese. The duck died in the attack and the goose died the next night. We thought the goose was injured but she started moving around good and eating. She wouldn't let William check her out so we didn't know the extent of her injuries. We found out the next morning when we found her dead.
This made me angrier than I've been in a long time. We keep our animals up including our dog and cats. Other people let their animals run loose to destroy property that belongs to the community. I don't get it!
There's been stormy weather here in Mississippi today. A tornado touched down in Hattiesburg around the campus of USM. Some injuries have been reported along with heavy damage. Thankfully, no fatalities have been reported. More of the stormy weather is expected through tomorrow night.
There's not much going on here at Hunny Bunny Haven other than me playing nurse for my sweet hubby.
Thanks for coming by. Please come back.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
More Changes Here On The Homestead!
A lot is happening here on our homestead. William is having a lot of trouble with his right knee. He has an appointment with an orthopedic doctor on January 31st to find out what has to be done to fix his knee. He has a tear in the meniscus, a cyst in his knee and bone damage in the knee. We think he is looking at surgery. It will be wonderful if we're wrong. However, we don't think we will be wrong. If we are mistaken, it will be a big surprise!
We've sold all our animals except for our six geese and one duck. Trinity will be taking the duck. We will keep the geese. I can take care of them. William doesn't want me in the pasture taking care of all the animals. The ground gets so slippery when it's wet and here lately we've had a lot of rain.
It would be hard for me to care for the animals and both the flea market booths. So far, the flea market booths are more profitable for us than the animals.
If William does have surgery we plan to purchase more animals after he recovers. He also has arthritis in his knees so recovery could be slow.
I know I sound pessimistic but I'm just trying to be prepared.
I miss hearing the roosters crow, the guineas carrying on and the turkeys gobbling but change is part of life. I still have the "honkers" to listen to!
We are still planning to have our garden. Although, it will be much smaller than what we usually plant.
I still call myself a homesteader. There's a homesteader's heart beating inside my chest.
We can still call the place Hunny Bunny Haven because one of our young rabbits escaped and it (he/she) is still hopping around here. It has survived over two months roaming around the yard and pasture.
Maybe we can capture it before some varmint makes the bunny dinner!
There's some of the changes that have taken place here at Hunny Bunny Haven.
Thank you all for stopping in for a visit. I hope you all will come back soon. :)
We've sold all our animals except for our six geese and one duck. Trinity will be taking the duck. We will keep the geese. I can take care of them. William doesn't want me in the pasture taking care of all the animals. The ground gets so slippery when it's wet and here lately we've had a lot of rain.
It would be hard for me to care for the animals and both the flea market booths. So far, the flea market booths are more profitable for us than the animals.
If William does have surgery we plan to purchase more animals after he recovers. He also has arthritis in his knees so recovery could be slow.
I know I sound pessimistic but I'm just trying to be prepared.
I miss hearing the roosters crow, the guineas carrying on and the turkeys gobbling but change is part of life. I still have the "honkers" to listen to!
We are still planning to have our garden. Although, it will be much smaller than what we usually plant.
I still call myself a homesteader. There's a homesteader's heart beating inside my chest.
We can still call the place Hunny Bunny Haven because one of our young rabbits escaped and it (he/she) is still hopping around here. It has survived over two months roaming around the yard and pasture.
Maybe we can capture it before some varmint makes the bunny dinner!
There's some of the changes that have taken place here at Hunny Bunny Haven.
Thank you all for stopping in for a visit. I hope you all will come back soon. :)
Saturday, January 12, 2013
A Little Of This And A Lot Of That
You all can see I’m not very diligent. Time seems to get away from me these days. Christmas scooted right on in and William has been having a lot of trouble with his knee. He’s been going to see the doctor and having tests done to find out what is causing so much pain in his right knee. We are hoping to hear the results of the MRI on Monday. We are praying for a good report.
We’ve had a lot of rain in the last few weeks. Along with the rain came some rather cold weather. Because of the weather we haven’t been able to do much painting. William does have the storage building organized so we can get in there and repair, sand and paint the flea market items.
We’re going to try some homemade chalk paint. I hope it turns out to be all I’ve heard about it. What I’ve read about using chalk paint no priming is necessary. That will save time and money.
We have several items to paint. One is a jewelry box almost three feet tall. I think it will be beautiful when we get it refinished.
William found some chairs (along with the jewelry box) on the side of the road. The people were throwing all this away. We are going to refinish the chairs to go with a table we recently bought. The seats in the chairs are in very good condition. All that is needed is painting the chairs and putting them with the table to make a set.
We are planning to redo our garden area. We have eight raised beds. We haven’t had a successful harvest in the last few years. We are planning to take apart the beds and make two double rows using the Lasagna method of gardening. We’ve made two beds using this method and both times we had a great harvest.
I think this year we will plant some tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers along with the herb garden. We’ve tried to grow green beans, peas and several other vegetables which have failed.
I’m watching our farm market bulletin for some Coronation Sussex and some silkies for sale. I’d like to have silkies old enough to go broody this spring. They are wonderful little incubators.
The Sussex may not be old enough to lay this year but we still have our Easter Eggers that we can put their eggs under the silkies and sell some of them.
These are some of the plans we have for our homestead. I’m hoping the plans work out for us.
We will be busy. We’re opening another flea market booth in a town about fourteen miles south of us. One of us will be working every Saturday to run this booth.
There you have another long rambling post. There’s so much I want to say when I do get around to blogging. Thank you for dropping by. Please do come again.
We’ve had a lot of rain in the last few weeks. Along with the rain came some rather cold weather. Because of the weather we haven’t been able to do much painting. William does have the storage building organized so we can get in there and repair, sand and paint the flea market items.
We’re going to try some homemade chalk paint. I hope it turns out to be all I’ve heard about it. What I’ve read about using chalk paint no priming is necessary. That will save time and money.
We have several items to paint. One is a jewelry box almost three feet tall. I think it will be beautiful when we get it refinished.
William found some chairs (along with the jewelry box) on the side of the road. The people were throwing all this away. We are going to refinish the chairs to go with a table we recently bought. The seats in the chairs are in very good condition. All that is needed is painting the chairs and putting them with the table to make a set.
We are planning to redo our garden area. We have eight raised beds. We haven’t had a successful harvest in the last few years. We are planning to take apart the beds and make two double rows using the Lasagna method of gardening. We’ve made two beds using this method and both times we had a great harvest.
I think this year we will plant some tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers along with the herb garden. We’ve tried to grow green beans, peas and several other vegetables which have failed.
I’m watching our farm market bulletin for some Coronation Sussex and some silkies for sale. I’d like to have silkies old enough to go broody this spring. They are wonderful little incubators.
The Sussex may not be old enough to lay this year but we still have our Easter Eggers that we can put their eggs under the silkies and sell some of them.
These are some of the plans we have for our homestead. I’m hoping the plans work out for us.
We will be busy. We’re opening another flea market booth in a town about fourteen miles south of us. One of us will be working every Saturday to run this booth.
There you have another long rambling post. There’s so much I want to say when I do get around to blogging. Thank you for dropping by. Please do come again.
Monday, December 10, 2012
It's been three months since I last posted to this blog. A lot has happened in that time. The most important being our grandson returned home from Afghanistan safely. We're so very thankful for that.
Another that has to do with our homestead is we sold a lot of our animals. We had an over abundance of both rabbits and roosters. We sold fourteen rabbits and sixteen roosters. This should make the feeding costs a lot less. We still have plenty of rabbits (7) and unknown number of hens with two roosters left.
The hens are laying good now. I'm hoping we don't have to buy anymore eggs for a while. There, for a while we were not getting any eggs. That doesn't set good when we were feeding all those fowl for nothing.
William and I are staying very busy. We clean a couple of houses, he's doing substitute teaching several days a month and we have a flea market booth in Meridian that really keeps us busy.
We spend at least one day a week "junking" for items to redo or repair or just shine up to place in the booth. Then another day is spent pricing the items and getting them set up in the booth. We're not getting rich but it's fun.
In the last post I mentioned William had caught a skunk in a trap. Since I last posted he's caught a couple of more skunks along with some possums.
Even with catching the scoundrels, we've still lost two of our Khaki Campbell ducks. I'm really not too sure if they were lost to four legged varmints or two legged thieves. Either way, they're gone. We only have one duck left. :(
This is a quick catch up post. I'm going to try to be more diligent in posting from now on. At least once a week. I now need to get back to addressing and writing Christmas Cards. So on that note, I wish you all a very blessed Christmas Season!
Another that has to do with our homestead is we sold a lot of our animals. We had an over abundance of both rabbits and roosters. We sold fourteen rabbits and sixteen roosters. This should make the feeding costs a lot less. We still have plenty of rabbits (7) and unknown number of hens with two roosters left.
The hens are laying good now. I'm hoping we don't have to buy anymore eggs for a while. There, for a while we were not getting any eggs. That doesn't set good when we were feeding all those fowl for nothing.
William and I are staying very busy. We clean a couple of houses, he's doing substitute teaching several days a month and we have a flea market booth in Meridian that really keeps us busy.
We spend at least one day a week "junking" for items to redo or repair or just shine up to place in the booth. Then another day is spent pricing the items and getting them set up in the booth. We're not getting rich but it's fun.
In the last post I mentioned William had caught a skunk in a trap. Since I last posted he's caught a couple of more skunks along with some possums.
Even with catching the scoundrels, we've still lost two of our Khaki Campbell ducks. I'm really not too sure if they were lost to four legged varmints or two legged thieves. Either way, they're gone. We only have one duck left. :(
This is a quick catch up post. I'm going to try to be more diligent in posting from now on. At least once a week. I now need to get back to addressing and writing Christmas Cards. So on that note, I wish you all a very blessed Christmas Season!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
A Little Of This And A Little Of That.........
I realize the varmints are only doing what varmints do to get ready for winter but we don't intend to fatten them up for hibernation. We are like Marie Laveaux....Instead of man it's "Another skunk done gone." :)
We have had a beautiful day today. The temperature was fifty-four degrees at seven o'clock this morning and the skies have been so blue they were breathtaking. The next few days are predicted to be much cooler during the day and sunny with nighttime temps in the mid fifties. Sounds like autumn is in the air, doesn't it? All three days of autumn that we have as my sister, Carolyn likes to say. Three days of autumn and then it's winter.
I hope Carolyn's wrong about this. The cucumbers and squash are beginning to produce and we have tomatoes that are starting to bloom. Winter would be early and our garden would be gone!
I hope to be able to get the kale and swiss chard planted this week. We have to remove some old tomato plants and some green bean plants. Then get the soil ready for planting.
We were looking for some ideas for using wooden pallets today. I found one that was used for gardening. Some good soil had been leveled and a pallet laid on top of the soil. The seeds were sewn in the spaces between the planks of the pallet. We are thinking of trying this for the collard greens and maybe some mustard, turnip greens and radishes while we're planting the other greens. I really like the look of the bed.
There you have the news from our little homestead. About the most exciting happenings around here at this time is watching the veggies bloom and hoping we'll get a harvest before frost. O.K....and trying to keep from surprising a skunk while we're outside is a little nerve wracking but we're still enjoying the outside....Thank you for coming by. Please drop in anytime.
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