Busy Dayand

Another one of those days where I have been on the run all day and don't feel like I accomplished anything.

Started the day dealing with eggs.  Had orders for 4 dozen that had to be delivered to Forest.  While washing eggs,  I found 3 that had small holes in them.  Can't sell those so went to the hen house to see if there were any eggs laid this morning or last night.  No matter how much I talked to the hens (and I do on a regular basis anyway) I could only get one hen to help out.  So one order was two eggs short.  Explained it to the lady and she was agreeable to getting other two next week.

Washed up all four dozen duck eggs also.  When I was at church last night Sandy, the head of the kitchen, said they didn't need them for any up coming events but to bring them in and people could buy them out of the kitchen.  So today while I was in Forest, Lisa took them to the church.

Decided I needed to put labels with my name on them to attach to the egg cartons. Tonight Lisa and I designed the following label:

Something Special Homestead

Bedford, VA

Chicken Eggs

Best by:

Kay Bivens

cell: 540-309-5705

I offer a variety of products on my "Something Special" Facebook page and you can visit my farm at

http://ssefy.blogspot.com 

I decided I like Something Special Homestead instead of Something Special Farm because I produce more than farm items here.  Anyway I try.

Things are coming together for the cub scouts to plant trees tomorrow night.  Miss Utility  came today to mark the utility lines so they don't cut a line.  Twenty of the trees came today.  Now if the weather cooperates, we will be all set.

The warm weather and the small amount of rain is helping the potatoes recover.  My daughter that moved to Wy had a chicken coop that had not been cleaned in over a year so Lisa and I decided that would be good fertilizer for the potatoes.  Almost killed them.  It was too hot (not decomposed).  Took it off the best I could about a week after I put it on.  Thought the potatoes were done for but guess not.  They look pretty good if you ask me. 

Lisa was out checking on the female ducks that are determined there are not enough ducks living here. Lucky had visitors.  Lisa shot the following video:

Had to put the animals to bed early tonight.  Lisa happened to be in the yard when she heard the male animals like the drake and roosters start making a strange sound.  All the females started gathering together.  Lisa looked up for some reason and there was a hawk flying overhead.  

Hope you had a good day.

Did you know?  A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

Another project completed

The garden paths are all mulched.  It will so nice not to have to weed the paths in the garden.  Keeping up with the vegetables is enough work.  Going to start planting tomatoes tomorrow morning.  Master Gardener's Annual Plant Sale is this weekend in Bedford, VA at the community college campus. Have to send Lisa since I have a craft show at the Masonic Temple on Shadwell in Roanoke.






Hope you had a good day.







Did you know?  The early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising sun on the spring equinox.

Moving right along

Got a couple of projects finished today.  Finished mulching the orchard with wood chips.  It looks so good.  The weeds were coming back.

The load of compost is completely unloaded.  Still need more but it is suppose to rain for a week or so.  Think we will wait til it stops.  The compost is heavy to begin with and then it gets heavier when it is wet.

Got wood chips around the rhubarb and strawberries also.

Nothing too exciting around here today. The mother duck has decided to take over the small chicken coop.  Last night one of hens that normally sleeps in there ended up sleeping with the baby chicks because Mama duck won't let her into the small coop.  Tonight I was a little late closing coops.  The recovering rooster (Big Boy), and both the hens had been allowed into the small coop but Mama duck (Lucki) has her corner with her eggs.  Guess I don't have enough ducks.   The other Mama duck's (Silver) eggs should be hatching any day now.  Last count there were 7 eggs in her nest.

Wait it never stays calm here for long.

Did you know? Asia is the home to 7 out of the 10 most populated cities in the world.

Sad Day

My prayers are sent today for my friend Jewel and her family.  They were eagerly awaiting the arrival of a daughter.  Eva was due the end of this month.  We received word today that she died.  Don't know what happened.  The lord must have needed a very special baby in heaven and she was chosen.  

Not a good day here either.  There was a crate in the baby chicks run which fell on one of the babies.  So now we only have nine.  We took down the fence dividing them from the two hens and a rooster and all went well.  No one got picked on.  

One of the female ducks invaded the pen.  "Lucki" decided the house that the 2 hens and the recovering rooster sleep in is now hers.  She kept biting the hens tonight when they tried to go to bed. Lucki has two eggs in the house.  Guess she thinks we need more ducks.  Interesting thing is that she wasn't sitting on the eggs, the rooster was.  She had laid them in his corner.   

Planted my green beans tonight.  It is suppose to rain tonight and tomorrow so decided it is a good time.  Our last frost day is in the middle of May so may end up having to cover them.  

Hope you had a good day.

Did you know?  Apple has more operating cash than the U.S. Treasury.

Planting time

Got some garden time in this morning.  Planted the asparagus and strawberries that I brought yesterday.  Daughter is sick so I took her children to school and stopped on the way home and brought some brussel sprouts (which have been planted also). Planted some sunflower seeds that we harvested last fall and some dill seeds that I harvested 2 years ago.  We will see how successful that is.

Jelly and Jam time came next.  Made some coffee jelly.  That is for all my customers that are coffee lovers or know someone that is a coffee lover.  Not too bad tasting.

Went to cub scouts and T-ball game after supper.  At cub scouts Aiden received awards for the work he has done.  The weblos crossed over the bridge to boy scouts.  It was a nice ceremony.  It made me think about how so my two younger grandsons are going to  leave their boyhood and become young men.  After cub scouts Aiden and I went to Stewardsville where my other grandson was having a T-ball game.  We were too late to see him play.  Just before we got to the field a lady coming up the path from the game told us the game had just ended.  We said hi to everyone and headed home.  At least he knew we tried.

Hope you had a good day.

Did you know?  Three important Eagle Scouts all have names beginning with “A.” The first Eagle Scout is Arthur Eldred (1912) of Long Island, New York; the 1 millionth Eagle (1982) is Alexander Holsinger of Normal, Illinois; and the 2 millionth Eagle (2009) is Anthony Thomas of Lakeville, Minnesota. 

Have you ever tasted?

Newest jelly - Strawberry/Banana Jam.  Wow!  I have never been a great jam and jelly fan.  Loved to make it but not a must have food.  Until lately.  There is so much more than plain grape jelly.  That is what I was fed growing up.  

Last week someone asked my daughter to make a cake with Strawberry/Banana filling.  So we started looking for a recipe for jam for the filling.  Found it on the Kraft website and made it today.  The cake is going to be great.  The jam is great. 

Went and got more cement blocks today.  Only need 19 more to get the two block high level.  That means at least 2 more trips to my son's to get blocks.  Our goal this year is 2 blocks high.  Maybe 3 high next year.  Sure will save my back and knees to have such a nice raise beds.  



Also went on a shopping spree.  Got some more asparagus, and strawberries.  The poor asparagus that I got from my daughter's garden had a rough time as the chickens kept uncovering the roots. Had to have more strawberries for that strawberry bed that I enlarged.  Also brought 3 rhubarb plants.  It is hard to find in the store.  Last year my daughter-in-law went to a specially store on her way home from work to get me some.  This year I just happened into Kroger's and was able to get some.  The produce manager said it is a seasonal item and when they do get some it is gone within the day that it comes in.  So I will grow my own. 

Hope you had a good day. 

Did you know?   The redder the rhubarb stalk, the sweeter the taste.

Cake is finished

This  picture does not do the cake justice.  It is the latest my daughter created.  The bottom layer has variegated blue frosting.  The next layer has brown sand like coating and the top layer has a tiki hut on it.  



Busy day.  This morning I went to a 4-H event and helped judge presentations.  It was amazing the great job that the 10 and 11 years did.  Such great experience for them.  

Got another load of compost today.  Decided to expand the strawberry bed.  Quite a project. 




First I arranged bricks around a piece of black landscaping cloth.  Three bricks high. 

 Then I added a layer of hay for drainage and for future compost for the strawberries.  Just happen to have old hay setting along the side of my field.  




Next came the hard part.  Adding the compost to top of the bed.  As you can see I had a lot of help. 

Some of the animals said to heck with a small amount they went for the larger amount. They were eating the worms out of the soil. 



A little later a lady traveling from Richmond had a flat tire so she pulled into my driveway.  She called the friend that she was coming to visit and the friend's husband came over and changed the tire.  She didn't have a jack so loaned her one of mine. 

Hope you had a good day.

Did you know?  Heart attacks are more likely to happen on a Monday.