October 06, 2011
The problem with this time of year is that you are tearing around trying to keep up with everything. My tomatoes got the blight so I made green tomato relish from my Grandmother's recipe.. We will have to put the plants in the burn pile as the spores spread, otherwise.
The local tomato guru is going to help me with appropriate tomato plants next year.
The wind storm blew down a lot of Gravenstein apples so we have been picking them up. We hope to borrow a cider press this weekend and clean up the orchard.
The bees must have came out when the sun shone from the South as the South side of the trees were quite heavy with fruit.
We hope to get the bees ready for winter this weekend - probably with this year's honey. I would like to think it is kindness but it is just better for all of us.
Of course this is our Thanksgiving weekend so apples, squash etc. will be on the menu.
Sept. 07, 2011
We had a very warm and super summer like weekend. The garden is overgrown with weeds and this fall I will take some definitive action via cardboard and newspaper. One of my strawberry plants which accompanied the Rainier's is producing strawberries again and the newly planted guys are surviving. A friend gave me volunteers - celery, perpetual spinach (looks like swiss card) and borage( for the bees). The honey will be pulled next weekend as the bees hadn't fully capped the honey. All going well I should have 50 lbs. of honey.
We had fires on both sides off us on Monday and had a lot of smoke. The paper says one was a campfire not put fully out and the other by 3 boys using W40 as an accelerant for their fireworks. It's very scary to see fire truck after firetruck pass the farm. William is cutting the long grass to de-accelerrate any
August 22, 2011
On Friday, Marie was surprised to see a "coyote-kill" hen come out of the grass behind the house with 3,2-day old chicks. Our young rooster is now a Pappa. These are our first hen-raised chicks and is she ever a fierce Momma. She takes on all the other hens if they get near the chicks.
Gypsy welcomed our Great-nephew, Austin, this weekend. I think he tired her out and he was delighted that she liked him. Little "Riley" a four mo. old Dachshund-German Shepperd mix was not as enamored. She was bossy and won't learn "no voice". I guess it's called being territorial.
Pam ( the master gardener) and I visited a neighbor for new strawberry plants. He experiments with tomatoes, peppers and strawberries to find the best for the climate. He gave me Rainiers last year and now I have plants that will produce twice a year.
AUGUST 17, 2011
Gypsy is recovering from "female surgury"" and spent a quiet weekend with a towel wrapped arouind her neck. "Bella", a senior visitor, thought her still too active and did not want to play!!
The Fair was enjoyed by all and our Bee Club had a microscope to look at a bee. The children wanted an "alive" bee from the demo hive but we confinced them that it wasn't a good idea!!
Marie won a couple of ribbons and the Araaconda eggs came in second (they were smaller than the the other entry). We have found this breed very unsociable and not willing to be in the house at night. So we are down in numbers as well as 2 of the Sexlink pullets have been grabbed by the local coyotes. The chickens are into an early moult so egg production is down and feather loss is up. However they don't look bald yet.
We hope to pick Cascade berries this weekend to freeze for jam making. Our broccoli is producing but the cukes look ill and the squash plants look healthy but have few flowers. We had two ripe tomatoes off the vine this weekend but they were both split. Lots of garden resolutions for next year!! Will be buying vegetables locally this year, fortunately there are lots of producers around us.
AUGUST 04, 2011
Our new dog, Gypsy, has been with us 3 weeks and she continues to delight us. Our friend is t and she really wants to make us happy. She is very territorial so lots of barking and tail wagging. We are in the process of planning a training course with obstacles and such to keep her and our four legged visitors busy.
The cats are finding that if they walk slowly and give the evil eye, they are not chased. They are still busy with keeping thee rodent population down and now flush and hunt together.
The goats have a game of bunting heads that they are encouraging Gypsy to play, however, she's to smart to get set up!!
Marie is getting eggs and doll clothes ready for the Fair next week.
Busy week ahead.
JULY 14, 2011
Another nice weekend. Those of you who have visited us before will notice the painting being done on the cottages. This wet season has put everything behind. We are not too far off of opening Cabin #2. It will be inside working this weekend as rain is predicted.
Sunday we met our new dog - a 1 1/2 yr. old Australian Sheperd. She will be coming home with us from Port Angeles. She is submissive with other dogs so all our four-legged friends will be welcome to meet Bandit.
Marie is selling the excess eggs so you might like to try some for breakfast. Everyone jokes about green eggs and ham when thet see the color of the eggshell !!
Sequim's motels are full with people attending the Lavender Festival - we still have some cottages open.
July 08/11
We had our first really nice weekend and were rewarded by fresh strawberries from last years planting. Marie and I hope to fill our freezers for later jam making.
We have had problems with keeping roosters alive and healthy but now have. a young beauty. The 5 old hens still rule the roost and are keeping all the others in their places. Our eggs hatched and we have 3 hens and 2 roosters but the roosters are to be named Dinner1 and Dinner 2. We will start culling the hens once the sexlink chicks start laying eggs. Anyone for stewed chicken??
We are still looking at dogs and hope to have information soon. The cats are enjoying being "dogless" and reward Marie with many mice!!
I lost a beehive last month and have split the other in hopwes they might make a queen. I should know in about a week how it is going.
June 21, 2011
Somehow the gremlins removed my last 2 postings, so I may apologize.
May 25, 2011
It has been a busy winter and some things have remained undone.......... In March our nearly 13 yr. old Beau collapsed and after 10 days of care, we let him go. Our gentle giant will always be remembered.
Since Camilla needed a companion immediately, Diana, at Whiskey Hill Farm, introduced us to another Nubian born in Jan. 2011. Dickon (or Dickens to Walter) is the smartest goat we've ever had. He keeps us in stitches.
A mother coyote has picked off Hennypenny, Lucille and Salt these last months. As a result, Emma, our Animal Shelter adoptee was returned. Marie chased the coyote with a broom while Emma watched from the steps!! It was the last straw as Emma had many faults show up as can happen in a stray with no history.
We are being introduced to Daisy, a six year old Australian Sheperd Cross whose owner died recently. She sounds perfect for us. She has lived with cats so Jewels and Elvis can still hunt safely and they are so active now. that they don't have to worry about Emma attacking them.
We have 12 chicks right now and are buying 6 hens to add eggs to our domestic circle. Our friend, Judy, has 6 of our eggs in her incubator with an expected hatch out of May 27.
The garden is ready to plant and we hope for a dry day this weekend.
The bees came through the winter very healthy and I am looking for a sunny day to smoke them and fully check the 2 hives.
Hope to see you all this year.
Jan.07, 2011
I have no excuse for no December news except the old one Christmas preparation, etc, etc.....
I was able to salvage some celery leaves and sage from the garden for the turkey stuffing. This weekend, I will pull some of the carrots I planted in August. The goats are getting the collard plants as grazing is not that good. However, last weekend when it was sunny, they found some newly emerged blackberry vines and were very busy.
The chickens have not produced one egg, not much of a surprise as they are all over 3 years old and need a pot to stew in. We plan on a new brood for spring.
Jewels has almost welcomed "Elvis" a short-haired black male that was found in December and given to Marie. She later discovered that he had been abandoned by an owner who "couldn't afford to keep him". So you just throw him out??????
Emma still wants to persue cats but her manners are slowly improving and now she always wants you to shake her paw. She loves her daily walks with William and is quite good around the goats now.
Walter has found several leaks in our 50+ yr. old cedar shingle roof. The holly tree shades the roof and it doesn't dry. Unfortunately we didn't notice until late December and cut down enough holly to supply the county - after Christmas!! We were told it was the second highest in the county, but I am not sure it is now. We will be sporting a green metal roof on the southern exposure in the near future.
Happy New Year
November 24, 2010
I have had a holiday from my duties but this cold spell has made me sit down at the computer. I still had celery, parsley and sage in the garden on offer to neighbors for the stuffing for the Thanksgiving turkey until this weekend.. Not any longer!! I am interested in how my fall carrots and beets will make out as I hadn't put mulch around as yet.
The chickens' water had at least 2 inches of ice yesterday AM, Walter will have to look up their heat lamp this weekend.
This year the goats were unconcerned with snow on the ground and demanded to be let out after they scoffed their hay.
I put Emma, the dog, in one of my work vests, as she was shivering outside. Walter bought her a new one yesterday with more of a wind and rain cheater on the outside and lined with fleece. The goats will be jealous so I might look for "gost coats" in the catologue. Beau is over 12 years old and deserves some spoiling.
The chickens have been moulting but are putting feathers on again., but hardly any eggs are being laid. This might just be moulting but more likely age. We will be getting some chicks
next Spring and may purchase some egg-layers before this. It is expensive to feed them through the winter and some people might want to sell some. If only I could find someone to take our old girls for stew chickens, I'd be happy.
Walter and I have decided to put insulation around the beehives next weekend. Several in the club have tried it and I will at least try my 2010 hive.
Hope to get out in the garden and spread some goat bedding straw over some plants this weekend if not too cold. If too cold, It's better to be inside in the kitchen with Christmas baking and be cofortable.
Oct. 18, 2010
This will be my last posting in October as my sister and I are visiting family in CA. Another marvellous weekend but we had frost on the ground Sunday AM and the temperature at 8:00am was 28.5 F. The zucchini vines were hit but they were on their last legs. I was able to harvest enough rhubarb to make 2 pies in the future. My late move of the rhubarb plant really paid off as I have never picked rhubarb this late in the year. The herbs and celery are still healthy and will try to pick for drying in Nov.
I visited the Chimacum Farmer's market and bought some seeds for next year from "Oatplanter". I am going to try Kale next year and finally found parsnip seeds. It is nice to have such healthy organic seeds and plants available from the growers.
The building at Chimacum corner will continue the "local" flavor with organic beef and such. I hope it can help the farmers through the winter months.
My bees are still very busy and noisy as I approach, so I'll take the honey in Nov when there are fewer bees and spin it off at a neighbor's place..
The Fruit Club has their "do" at the Fairground, Sat. Oct.23. I an sending Walter in with two of the "homesteader" apples for IDing. He might even press some apples for cider.
We hope this anticipated severe winter doesn't hit too soon!! Remember to chech the antifreeze level in your vehicles!!
Oct.06, 2010
Well Emma, despite having behaviour problems, will stay. Jewels and the goats still think she is a wolf as she will chase them and not obey us. However, she and the chickens have had a truce and she keeps away from them. The vet says she probably is two years old and so we have some chance at training her. She doesn't stray and keeps us always in her sight. She behaves as if she has been abused.
It turns out that meny people have been dissappointed with the late blight attacking their tomatoes and potatoes. It seems to have happened from Forks to the Coyle Peninsula. So not even any green tomatoes this year for us.
I have put my 2010 hive to rest and had hoped that the older hive would be done on Sunday but the weather was so cool that they stayed in. On Saturday, some bees were coming back with a bright orange pollen. It doesn't look like the weather will be good this weekend so another week for them. Then I may be able to pull some honey.
We will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend so Sunday will be a turkey day!! Our American friends enjoy turkey at this time of the year so we have many takers!
Sept.28, 2010
We adopted a 4-5 yr. old stray from the shelter this Saturday and Emma is training us very well. She is a golden lab cross and once she has Jewels and the goats used to her, things will not be so harried. They offer a 2 week trial so she has time to show us her stuff.
I was very dissapointed this weekend as all my beautiful tomato plants and their fruit are blighted. as are the potatoes - they are both members of the nightshade plant family. I am told the wet, cool weather helps this. We are told not to put in the compost as it can survive a winter. I doubt we can save any of the green tomatoes.
At least the greens are doing well and the winter carrots and beets are growing. We had two days with warm southerly winds and all that helps.
We had pumpkin in red curry sauce at a Thai restaurant with red & yellow peppers, basil and chicken. I found it rich. But what a nice dish.
The bees are still busy so will wait to pull the honey on a nice day next weekend. Wish me luck.
Sept.16, 2010
The past weekend's weather was nice enough to attack some of the weeds in the garden. I am trying to grow carrots and beets for the fall harvest and the weeds were hiding the small plants. The potato plants are dying off - I've read that once they do that, you wait for 3 weeks so the skin can harden on the potato for storage.
My mega zucchini plant offered the 3rd. enormous zucchini. All the other summer squashes exhibit self control and keep me in moderate pickings. We are getting a great blackberry crop around us so I must pick some for jams.
I'll also drape the tomatoes in clear plastic as the nights are cooler and it should make them ripen on the plant.
This is the Farm Tour weekend and I will be visiting a few of the ones closer to me. It is a great chance to see what others are doing.
They are showing a movie about bees at the PT Film Festival but at 9:00 pm, not for farm people!!
Go out and find a Farmer's Market this weekend and enjoy the fresh taste.
Sept.09, 2010
We had a busy weekend with lots of visitors and no rain until Sunday night. Marie found 2 full buckets of blackberries - bring Ziploc bags for fruit for the freezer, she says they are ripening all over.
A young family picked off the sugar plum trees in trade for picking some for me. I gave her my grandmothers pickled plum recipe and she's already done the canning. We have a ghardening group that shares their excess crops. Some are looking for zucchini - I have just the right amount this year. We ate our first ripe tomatoes from the garden this weekend. Brother-in-law Mike said he could taste the difference.
Hardly any apples but I noticed that the volunteer tree in the field has a loaded branch. So much for pruning and care!!
Saturday is "Show and Tell" at Bee Club. I hope to learn a few new tricks from other members. I am not sure where the bees are at now. Again they were not coming out with the weather or rain so hope to get a "window" of good weather this weekend and check out the honey.
This is the "Wooden Boat Festival Weekend" so PT will be hopping. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!!
Sept.02, 2010
We had a great weekend with good working weather. I had to drive to Port Angeles for mower parts and used it as an excuse to visit Sunny Farms in Sequim. They have the best priced local vegetables and WA fruits as well as grass fed beef. It's on the North side of Sequim on Highway 101.
Our summer squashes continue to thrive as well as cucumbers. There is no sign of the carrots and beets we planted as a fall crop. The bees are getting less busy and I am going to pull one frame so Walter can take honeycomb to a potential Chinese client in California. Otherwise, I'll probably spin my honey in the next 2-3 weeks.
The fruit club is having a cider press at the Fair Grounds so I am eyeing the homesteader tree for apples. We have very few apples this year. I guess we'll have to provide the bees with raincoats and umbrellas next spring!!
I am looking forward to gardening as I have 4 days this weekend to putter. Let's hope that the rain isn't too heavy for that.
~Gail
August 25, 2010
We have been busy trying to do the necessary work on the weekends. Attending Grad reunions and working hard the next day, I am way too old for!! Hello to all of the class of ’61!!
This weekend, I noted that my volunteer potato plants had wilted. I started digging them up and found that the wet soil had created a fungus-like deposit on some of the potatoes. Somewhat like a mini-Irish famine.
We are busy lifting the potatoes and doling them so they can be used immediately.
I found out yesterday that the small squash rotting are female un-pollinated squash – not from the wet ground as I presumed. Apparently, the female flower has a little swelling behind it and the “gentleman” flower has a swelling on top of it. I am not keen to look for the difference and attack with a Q-tip!!
My one hive is very busy yet and I will be “spinning” honey by mid-Sept so hope to get 30+ lbs. for sale and our use.
Our fruit trees are not very productive this year ( no one’s are). I hope to be able to take the few apples we have to the fruit show and make some cider. Walter has collected so many 1 qt. Plastic containers that I am frustrated for storage.
The blackberries(Himalayan) are doing well. We had 2 families from AZ picking them and canning jelly!!
We have a winner for “Name the Rooster”. Fiona of Sequim named him Rufus but we call him “Dufus” most of the time as he has no sense of time.
Hello to all who visited the East Jefferson Bee Club’s exhibit at the Jefferson Co. Fair. Marie and I hope to enter produce next year as we could have won several of the categories.
Hope you all are enjoying this extra summer weather.
~Gail
July 20, 2010
We had an enjoyable weekend temperature and all of us were outdoors, either gardening(me), threshing(William with his new B&D weed eater), fixing windows and fire ants(Walter and Alex) while Marie labored doing the housekeeping(inside).
Our somewhat automated garden watering system is now functioning so with the warm weather and water, we are seeing progress. The sugar peas are thriving and the bush peas are starting to fill out. I have found some more strawberries to plant and hope to have a nice patch next year. So all ready the gardeneer is planning for 2011!!
We were amused this weekend when we realized that "Ethel", the fatter red chicken, now goes through Jewels cat door and jumps up and eats her cat food. We were sure a chicken would never think it out. I guess those critters are smarter than we think.
We had Autumn and her grandmother return for the Lavender Festival this weekend. They had such a good time last year that Autumn brought her brother and cousin. They picked some peas to eat on their way to Forks!!
Our neighbor keep his horses in our pasture. He said that any visiting child can help him with chores and feed the horses if we arrange a time in the late PM or early evening. The horses like both carrots and apples but, please, no bread. However the goats and chickens will be grateful for most all goodies.
The bees still are mad at me and I guess I'll have to follow the 6 week rule. In six weeks you get a hive turnover so no one is there to remember when you angered them. Hope to smoke them and see how well they are doing as I want some honey too this year!!!
-Gail
July 13, 2010
I started the weekend with Beekeepers club. The guest lecture told us about beekeeping Africanized bees in Panama - they are merciless! I went home to view my bees hanging around the front of the hive trying to cool off. I decided to not look at them without the smoker this weekend. Our club has a booth at the Jefferson Fair Aug.13,14 and 15th. Look for us there as we always have an interesting booth.
William found the hidden nest of Lucille and/or Ethel in the grass behind their coop. We found 8 eggs but are carefully breaking them in a bowl before we use them, as we don't know how long they had been there. The girls are still hardly laying 1 1/2 dozen eggs a week , much to Marie's consternation.
Jewels, the cat, had brought Marie a dead mouse for praise (and probably breakfast). She was told to eat it and later we found she had put it in her food bowl. Quite brilliant, we thought.
I cleaned out the radishes and found out that I should have pulled them last weekend. With radishes, bigger is not better - I hope the goats enjoyed them. The peapods and peas are filling out and the volunteer potatoes are really bushy. Unfortunately, so are the weeds. Walter devised a watering system attached to the fence so we don't need to drag a garden hose around. William is the automatic part of the system as he turns it on and off.
We have a surplus of sage and wild mint, so come by and pick some as they both dry well for future use. We have a hot pink poppy volunteer that Marie and I will be heading for seeds. Marie is afraid the goats will get them before we do. I said "not to worry as they can broadcast them all over the place in their droppings". She was not amused!
We hope this weather stays warm for the garden and for our visitors.
-Gail
June 29, 2010
We had another lacklustre weekend however it meant that we could attack weeds in relative comfort. I enjoyed hacking at the weeds in our planter box and cutting back peony blooms � their scent was all that remained.
We feasted on radishes and peapods from the garden and look forward to some salads next weekend. I will have to help Marie weed the garden next weekend as that is looking like the cash crop!!
I decided that the weather was warm enough to check the bees and declined the offer of a smoker. I put on my veil and investigated both hive (which were really busy laying down wax) and decided to look at the new hive closer. I accidentally jarred a frame as I was examining bee larva on the top of the frame and about 6 kamikaze bees made a direct attack on my hands. Fritz assures me my hive is fine and that it won�t swarm and that I am unlikely to have arthritis in my hands with 6 plus stings!! Walter says my right hand looks like a boxer�s fist!!
Despite a clean house and lots of attention, Marie hardly gets more than 1 egg a day now from the girls. She has been checking them when they cackle like they are laying an egg but it is all noise. We will look into buying chicks in the next two weeks. Oh the joys and expense of farm life.
-Gail
June 22, 2010 - NAME THAT ROOSTER CONTEST STILL ON!
The name that rooster contest is still on. See below for pictures. Please send your entries to info@valleyviewmotel.com.
We have had such cool, wet weather it is disheartening to look at our sad garden. Why is it that the weeds thrive and the plants stand still? Marie and I transplanted climbing sugar peas the previous weekend. Unfortunately, last week, she found out that if you do not close the garden gate, goats will come!! She turned her back and Beau tore into the garden and snatched a few of the tender plants. After she got him out, she released him and he went directly to the fence where the plants are climbing and grabbed a last bite. The plants hadn�t taken root yet so it was easy �pickins�!!!!! My garden friends are having problems with raccoons, mice and squirrels so at least it is easier to keep goats out.
I had attended a bee meeting and decided to become a beecarer instead of a beekeeper and work the hives without gloves. It worked well until I realized I had a heap of dead bees outside my older hive. In despair I went to our Group website and found out that I had likely starved them out. The season has not been kind to the bees so we are having to supplement with sugar water this late in the season. They also had hatched out a new queen so next week I�ll see if she is laying eggs. Long Live The Queen!!! Both hives are back to maximum activity so I think I caught it early enough. You feel awful thinking it is your fault so I am happy at their comeback.
The �no-name � rooster is crowing at all times of the day but egg production is still down. The girls seem happy enough with him so we will continue offering him board and room.............
Looking forward to a drier weekend so we can do some more planting.
Gail
June 11, 2010
Name That Rooster Contest
