Sassy & Sweet Notes

Pretty Sunset

Happy FRIDAY!! We got a bit of rain last night ... about 1/2" ... and are hoping for a bit more this afternoon/evening. Cross your fingers for us! We can use all the rain we can get!

Big plans for the weekend!?

Happy Earth Day!

Hope you have a wonderful day today, and take at least a moment to appreciate Earth. Yesterday evening, Alan helped me "refresh" the garden bed where I had spring peas planted, so today I get to plant some new seeds, water them in, and watch them GROW! Also in celebration of Earth Day, I did some video clips of the garden, and will post the video shortly.

Promises to be a gorgeous day here today ... a Sunny 81* ... a perfect day for a sundress, sun tea, and relaxation.

An April Storm

A rather large spring storm passed through today, and I stepped outside to take some photos. The clouds were dark, and active. Areas in and around Dallas experienced tornado damage, but we got by with just some heavy rains (not quite 2" of rain fell), a bit of hail, and lots of wind. The only casualties on the farm were in the garden. A banana pepper plant was snapped in two, two newly planted Juliet tomato plants were demolished, and the larger leaves on the zucchini plants are torn and filled with holes. Aside from the pepper and tomato plants, everything else will survive. My next trip to town will require a visit to the garden center to pick up some replacement plants. Here are some photos from this afternoon, as the storm rolled in.

An Anniversary, and a Sunset

First, here's wishing Mom and Dad a wonderful, happy anniversary! 42 years, if my math is correct! Wish we could be with you to help celebrate ... or, at least have some cake!

And, what a lovely sunset we had this evening as the last of the big storm moved off to the west of us. Thought I'd share it with you! Going....

Going.....

Gone.

Thanks for checkin' in!

Garden Update & the Weather

After the bit of rain we had over the past few days, I was happy to be able to get some work in the garden done today! I'm really happy about it too, because by the look of our 10 day forecast hopefully the seeds will get some much needed rain! There's still LOADS of work to do in the garden, but at least I've made a small dent.

Here's what got planted today:
Zinnias
Sunflowers
Onions (two types)
Spinach
Carrots
Radishes (two types)
A little bit of lettuce
A few broccoli (never grown here -- just a test)
A few cauliflower (never grown here -- just a test)
Peas
Garlic Chives

I didn't get tomato seeds started yet (I had hoped to get them started a month or more ago), so I will most likely just pick up a few plants at the store one of these days.

What's left?
Zuccihini
Cucumbers (several types)
Tomatoes
Beans
Squash
More Spinach!
More Radishes!
...what else? ... I'm sure I'm forgetting something...

High Hopes Spring Release

High Hopes is celebrating March with a small spring release. Get all the details on the High Hopes blog. I hear there are some prizes being given out as well! I do love prizes, don't you!?! My card features Laurie's Garden Angel. She's pretty cute, I say!

Pop on over to the High Hopes blog for all the details.

We're expecting a big storm to roll through over the next few days ... we can use the rain, for sure! And lucky for Alan, the clouds are blocking the full moon. I get a little crazy during a full moon, so maybe I'll be a little LESS crazy this month! Haa!

More Winter, More Rain. Please!

I'm finding it difficult to move into Valentine and spring themed projects for some reason, wanting to hold onto snowmen and snowflakes and cocoa and woolies. I don't want spring to come just yet, even though I think it is the best season in Texas. We haven't had enough winter, and we desperately need more rain before the onset of summer 2012. Lately the weather has been very spring-like, minus all the lovely wildflowers that bloom in Texas. Hopefully the weather gets a bit colder, and we get some of the rain that the weather-people say is coming our way tomorrow.

If I MUST think about spring, let it be of baby chickens. That I can handle.

Several years ago at a local auction house, I bought several photo albums (5 to be exact), each one of them FULL of vintage postcards - someone's collection. One of the folders is all Easter cards, and soooo many of them feature chickens or chicks. The above image is from one of the postcards I bought that day. Maybe flipping through those old cute postcards will put me into the mood to work on spring projects...?

I'll sip hot cocoa while I do. *grin*

Mother Nature and the Garden

I found images of a project I created in October using the Lifetime of Happiness cling set, and thought I would share them with you.

It's kind of timely that I came across these photos tonight, because we've got quite a windstorm happening and I'm hoping that some of the garden debris finds it's own way out of the garden and into the pasture with the donkeys and cows. Nothing like a little helping hand from Mother Nature when it comes to getting some of the farm chores done!

I really like how this project came together. The peachy colored paper I hand dyed using various distress inks and pearl colored Glimmer Mist. It really is quite pretty being slightly shimmery under the image, which as you can see also happens to be dressed up with even more glitter.

To add the top sprinkling of glitter, I gave the card a light spray of adhesive (spray adhesive comes in a can, like spray paint) after the card was all assembled. While the adhesive was still tacky, I lightly sprinkled crystal glitter here and there. A light hand is best for this technique ... it's easy to get carried away and add too much adhesive, and glitter! (Do you believe me?) *grin*

After the adhesive dries it's no longer tacky, so you don't have to worry about random things sticking to your project after the adhesive is dry.

I dressed up the inside of the card too, using a sentiment from the same set. I chose to add faint butterfly stampings, as well. And more glitter!

... I do believe we're sneaking up on a Friday! ...

Thanks for checkin' in on me today!

We got RAIN!

Alan has a rain gauge hung on a fence post out at the barnyard. It actually came in handy today! Even though I was gone all day, Alan left the rain water in the gauge so I could see just how much rain we got today while I was gone. Yahoooo!!! I just had to get a photo!

And would you look at that pretty sunset in the background, too!

September Thunderstorm Photos

A storm brewed up north of us this evening, and put on quite a light show! I put the camera up on the tripod and took some photos. I couldn't decide on a favorite photo, so I'm sharing a BUNCH of photos! I am posting them in the order they were taken. And, I encourage you to click on the photos to get a larger, clearer view. Pretty cool!

You can see our neighbor's house in the distance. I did move the camera a few times because sometimes there were just more bolts in different parts of the sky, but I kept the neighbor's house in every photo.

What was strange was for the longest time we couldn't even hear the thunder. In fact, it wasn't until the last few frames that it became a distant rumble we could actually hear.

Once the storm got closer to us (it was moving very fast!) the thunder proved to be quite loud. Mister Farley had to get all nervous and scared, but eventually decided that his "safe place" under the coffee table was OK.

To take these photos, I put the camera on the bulb setting and manually held the shutter open for between 15-25 seconds. I had planned to use my wireless shutter release, but the batteries were kaput. So, all of these photos were taken with my finger holding the shutter open. I'm sure they're a bit "wiggly" if I inspect them at great detail, but they're not too bad considering!

In this photo, you can actually see how fast the clouds were moving ... the lightening made the storm clouds look double exposed in the upper right corner (right in front of that nice glow).

We even got a bit of rain once the storm made it over to us. Not quite a quarter inch. Better than nothing -- we'll take every last drop!

Enjoy the rest of the photos...

You can really see the rain coming down in this photo.

Something was getting hit! Zoweeee!!

This one might actually be my favorite. I love the curved arches of light in the center.

Hope you enjoyed the show as much as we did!

A Drive Through Texas Farmland (Video)

Alan and I made a trip to the farm supply store this evening -- join us as we drive home through Texas farmland.

Video has been edited to 3x time, and ends with a beautiful Texas sunset. It was 96 degrees.

Enjoy!

As always, if you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can also view it on my YouTube channel.

Enjoy the weekend!

Texas Fire Update

Thank you for all of the emails and comments you've left wanting to know if the Texas wildfires are burning near us or putting us in danger. I'm happy to say that no, they are not near us, and we are fine.

Our farm is located in central Texas. There are fires south of us near Austin, northwest of us west of Fort Worth, and northeast of us east of Dallas. The sky is filled with smoke, but thankfully none of the current fires pose any threat to us or our farm.

We've had a hard enough summer without the threat of wildfire, too. Not everyone is so lucky though, and we hope the fires are contained quickly, and safely for all involved.

Thank you for your expressed concern. {{hugs!}}

Northern Winds are Welcome

Today calls for a little celebration! Today will be our first day below 100* since MAY! And by the looks of the forecast, it might stay that way for the week. We get CLOSE to 100* towards the end of the 10-day forecast, but as long as we don't see triple digits on the thermometer I'll be grateful.

Enjoy the rest of your fun-filled, holiday weekend!

Pumpkins and Bears and More +100* days...

There's a challenge on the High Hopes blog today and the topic is "Autumn Colors". The challenge runs for two weeks, so I encourage you to play along! Get the details on the High Hopes blog. For my project I chose to use the "Angel Bear Jumping Out Pumpkin" image. I didn't want the angel wings on my project, so I quickly and easily snipped them right off. Sinful? Probably... *grin* The sentiment on this card is from my Whipper Snapper cling set called All Things with Love.

I got this pretty sunflower Scentsy warmer in the mail from my long-time friend Tricia, who knows I'm a craft/stamp/paper junkie. THANK YOU, Tricia!! A small 25W light bulb sits in the base of the warmer and heats the wax just enough to melt it, and the wax scents the room. She sent along a few wax blocks too: Cinnamon & Vanilla, Clove & Cinnamon, and Black Raspberry Vanilla. No matches, no fire! Perfect for my craft room. To get me in the fall spirit I put Clove & Cinnamon wax in the pot and got busy stamping.

Mmmm! The room was filled with yummy goodness and I couldn't help but want to dig out all of my fall and halloween themed stuff!! I had a ball coloring up this image, wishing for cool Autumn days, which are hopefully coming our way sooooonnnnnn.......

Speaking of "cool", let's check in on the weather forecast for the farm, shall we?

UNCLE, already... UNCLE!!!

August ... hot.

It's still blazing hot here on the farm. 107 as I write this. Looks like another 107 day tomorrow. Followed by 105, and then day after day of more miserable heat. We *might* get below 100 on August 26th. Forecast for that day is 99. I'd better get out the scarves and mittens!

Last year in August I had beautiful zinnias and sunflowers blooming in the garden, and loads of cucumbers and zucchini to pick.

This August is quite different. No butterflies in the garden, and certainly no beautiful zinnias or sunflowers!

How dreadful.

 

I made the mistake...

...of looking at our 10-day forecast. Ugh.

Monday, monday...

Thought I'd share a sneak peek with you today of one of my upcoming new releases with Whipper Snapper. They're gearing up for the Fall/Winter release; you'll find details on their Facebook page where they've been sharing more sneak peeks of images in the release. How exciting!!

There are 166 full days remaining in the year (off topic, do you count down to Christmas?), and it looks like what's about left of July is going to be nothing but HOT. Unfortunately for us, August promises to be just as hot, or hotter. Maybe September will show us some mercy... 

It's been difficult to keep the garden alive in this drought. In fact, I'm failing. I've got tomatoes still hanging on, but it's so hot that even though they are flowering, they aren't producing any tomatoes and they're starting to look rather tired. The okra is trying to produce, but even it wilts down in the sun (even with daily waterings). Then there are the ants, the aphids, the cucumber beetles, and the grasshoppers ... all doing their part in causing problems. I tell ya, it's exhausting. I'm planning on putting in a "fall" garden, and if I stick to schedule I should be starting tomato plant seeds about now, and getting ready to plant other seeds around August 1. But I'm not sure it will be possible to keep anything alive then, either!

How's the weather where you live?

 

This and That Around the Farm (Video)

We finally got some much needed rain last night. Oooooh it smells so GOOD! So, since I didn't have to water the garden this morning, I took the camera around to see what some of the critters were up to.

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can check it out here on YouTube!

Enjoy!

Oh, and I've added a link to my YouTube channel on the right in the Sassy & Sweet Stuff list. All of the farm videos are there for your enjoyment. *grin*

I do believe it's Summer...

Today and tomorrow's forecast is calling for highs of 94*. I can't tell you how REFRESHING that sounds! 10* cooler than it has been, and we're even seeing some clouds! Today is Summer Solstice, but I can't help dreaming of Autumn!! Of course, there are storms all around us and we aren't getting any rain, but at least the clouds are knocking the blister out of the temps.

Whipper Snapper is gearing up for the Fall/Winter release; you'll find details on their Facebook page where they've been sharing sneak peeks of images in the release. How exciting!!

991

By my calculations, looks like it's shaping up to be 991* for the next 10 days.

991*.

 

Welcome to June... welcome to Summer?

Today's forecast is promising a high of 99*. Tomorrow's forecast is promising a high of 99*, too. Jeepers... Time to get the frozen water bottles in the chicken waterers. I'd best gather eggs early in the day, too! Don't want those chickens brewing up any deviled eggs when I'm not lookin'!

The purple pole beans are putting on blooms, but no beans just yet. I think they're so pretty as they grow up the wire trellis.

We've got a wild mama cat who has 5 kittens under our shed. They stay out of the heat, and lay in the shade. Oddly enough, the girl kittens are the friendliest of the bunch. Usually the boys are. When they're old enough they'll go to the vet for a little snippity snip! Alan thinks he might be able to catch the wild mama next week now that the kittens are old enough to eat kitty food and spend the night away from their mama while she's at the vet's office for snipping! This little gal is a cutie, isn't she! I think I'll tell Alan her name is Tangerine. Unless you want to ADOPT her, and then you can name her anything you'd like! *grin*

There's a sweet little torty-grey female, too. She has the cutest nose and broken stripes.

But don't let these sweet faces fool you ...

ROAR!!

ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!!

The rattlesnake pole beans have almost all sprouted around the tee-pee trellis, and I can't wait to see them start vining up the poles! I took this photo two days ago, and already the plants look noticably different, now that they're starting to get more leaves. It's amazing how quickly things change.

Here was the garden on May 1...

And here is the garden as of June 1!  BIG difference! (Click image for a larger view...)

Remember our little house chick, Dolly? Well, seems that Dolly thinks SHE is a HE, and is practicing crowing. Yes, yes it's true. Just little squeaks, but that's CROW enough for me! Dolly lives outside now, in a fancy new brooder with two chick-sized friends. Happy as can BE, wild frizzled feathers, and all!

Dolly, looking down into the brooder at his friends, who are cheeping wildly, apparently lost without him.

So, speaking of summer ... did you see this image predicting how summer weather is going to progress? UNCLE!!!

I think that calls for daily dips in the pool. Bottom's Up!
Whipper Snapper Designs: Poolside Chicken - #CT954

RAIN!!

Our weather forecast for today suggested 40% chance of rain, but when you looked at the future radar, the clouds did their usual petering out routine just before they got to us, and faded to nothing. The wind kept the storm just to the west of us ALL DAY, and we weren't getting a drop!

Then at about 4:30, the wind shifted just a bit and the clouds moved slightly to the east, and right on in! We're actually getting RAINDROPS!! It's a fast moving storm so we won't get much rain, but we will take every last drop we can get!!

Rain, clouds, RAIN!!

VIDEO: Spring Storm & Around the Farm After the Storm

Here's the video I put together following this afternoon's storm. I'm sorry to have missed filming the earlier part of the storm -- I was so involved in watching what was happening! So, I missed the trees blowing sideways, tree branches blowing across the yard, the rain and huge HAIL blowing completely sideways. I'll be better prepared next time!

Here's a bit of what you'll see:
BIG HAIL (at 1:10 and 1:45ish)
My poor tomatoes and other garden plants
Chickens
The new calf having a milkshake tasting contest, and a RACE!
Rain, rain, RAIN!
5 calves eating hay
Dash on post
And more!

Enjoy!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can always check it out on YouTube!

Spring Storm

We've been watching storms in the area on the radar, and almost ALL of them have missed us. We soooo very badly need rain, that we welcome even serious storms! We thought today's storm might miss us, but it looped around and we caught the edge of it at least. The tornado siren in town was enabled twice today. Once before and during the first storm, and again for a second storm that soon followed the first. We saw rotation in the clouds, but nothing officially touched down that we could see.

These photos are presented in order that they were taken, starting with the one shown above.

Our neighbors are just finishing a new house ... last thing they wanted was a tornado to come through!

...then it started raining...and blowing...and hailing!

I did take some video, and I'll share that when it finishes uploading to YouTube.

Texas Fires...

We're about 125 or so miles from the closest wildfire in Texas, but the smoke is all around us. I took this photo this evening, well before sunset. There's not a cloud in the sky ... no fog either. Just smoke. You can see the sun, well above the horizon.

The smoke blew in thick and heavy late last night, and continues to linger. The smell of smoke was so strong (and so sudden) last night, we thought perhaps a nearby pasture had caught fire during the lightning storm we were having. We got a bit of rain with last night's brief storm, but it wasn't even enough to make the chicken yard muddy.

According to weather reports, March 2011 was the driest March on record since 1895...

I'm not kidding when I say we need LOTS of rain. Isn't it about time for a hurricane?

too hot, too soon...

While it seems that everyone else is having chilly weather and even snow, WE ARE NOT! The temp gauge on the porch this afternoon hit 88. And would you look at the expected temps for Saturday! In March!?! We are already almost 5" below average for rainfall this year, and temps are 15-20 degrees above average...

I THINK I MIGHT MELT!

We need RAIN! Please send rain...

Lovely!

Really, really lovely!

Chick-Chick-Chickens...and weather!

While the sun was low on the horizon this evening, I took my camera out to the hen house to see what I could see. What do you know, I saw CHICKENS (and ducks)! Shorty tried to show me where a good place to nest would be, "right here, in the tall grass!"

Laffy Taffy told me all about how they would really like more water in the duck pool. "The mud on my legs is soooo unsightly!"

Inside the hen house, some of the ladies enjoyed perching in the rays of sunshine that were coming through the windows. Ruby had the best spot! (And is it just me, or does she look a little bit like Conan o'Brien?)

The winter molt was a little rough for some of the ladies, but finally Curly Que is looking good! Nothing like new feathers to make a girl beautiful!

And of course there's the always dainty, always beautiful Dee. What a sweet little pint-sized chicken!

Chainsaw was looking lovely today, too!

I had to keep my eye on this Golden Comet... she was very interested in my camera lens. Just what I need, a chicken beak through the lens on my camera! Yikes!

Like most areas around the country, the weather here is supposed to get cold this week. Yesterday and today it was in the mid 70's ... Take a look at Tuesday and Wednesday in the above chart ... a low of 14* on Wednesday!? Ice and Snow!? JEEEEPERS!! Best plan on keepin' cozy!

Snow PLAY! (Video)

Here's another video from today, featuring Mister Farley and Miss Daisy playing in the snow. They had a ball!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can see the video HERE on YouTube.

Tonight promises to be a chilly one! Bundle up, snuggle in, and keep it cozy!

Snow Day (Video)

I went out earlier and took some quick video clips of the farm activities. The snow was really coming down, and still is! About 4" have accumulated now. Fun!

Enjoy the video! ...oh, and you might notice that there isn't a chicken to be seen! They were ALL in the coop. Sissies!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can see the video HERE on YouTube.

Happy Snow Day!

PS: For those of you with relatively slow internet connections (Mom and Dad!), start the video, then press the PAUSE button (the button with two vertical bars) and allow the video to download. You will see the download progress by watching the red/pink progress bar extend. Once the progress bar is almost complete, press play again. This will allow you to watch the video without lots of stops and starts.

Sure enough... SNOW!

 It started snowing at 11am, and hasn't stopped yet. The flakes are HUGE, and full of moisture. They hit with a "splat". I took this photo through the kitchen window about 40 minutes after it started snowing, and it just keeps coming down! Cool!

The goats are hiding in the goat house. The barn cats are all tucked in, snuggled up. The cows and donkeys were munching on a hay bale, but have since moved into the barn. And the chickens ... well, some are out in the snow, others are snug in the hen house. They're not used to this kind of weather! As for me, I dig it!

Snow?

Well... this should be fun. It's supposed to start raining this evening, and they're projecting that tomorrow afternoon/evening we'll get 2 to 4 inches of snow. Alan added more hay to the outside dog houses, and the goat house. Lollie (the rabbit) got more hay, and the chicken house will need to be closed up. Time to pull out the hot cocoa! *grin*

December Texas Sunset

Last night's sunset was nothing short of spectacular! I'm glad I was paying attention, and could snap some photos! This long narrow image was created by mashing together three different photos to create a panoramic. Click on the images to view them larger. Enjoy!

108. Seriously.

Today's high was suposed to be 104. But it didn't stop there. 108 is the current temperature on our back porch. *ugh!* It was 100 degrees at 10:30am when I stepped out to check on the chickens. And I'm guessing it will be 100 degrees at 10:30pm tonight, as well. It just doesn't cool off here. We are currently under a heat advisory. No kidding!

We've got hoses strung out around the farm so that we can water down all the shaded areas of the critter pens in hopes of giving them a cool (cool being a relative term) place to rest. Thankfully, they seem to enjoy our efforts. Lollie the rabbit got dipped in a bucket of luke warm water (the water never actually gets "cold" out of the hose, or out of our indoor faucets in the summer) and he really seemed to love it. I have filled the chicken water containers three times today. It's hot.

However, we're hoping that tomorrow is the last of the triple digit temps for us. Tomorrow's high is listed as 100 (I have no doublt it will reach a few degrees more than that), but the rest of the week looks to be in the low to mid 90s. What do you know... a cold front! Cross your fingers and toes for us!

In happier news, I took some photos today! This pretty butterfly (one of several) was busy drinking nectar from the zinnias when I went out to check on the chickens.

It flitted from flower to flower, looking for nectar.

There are quite a few zinnias blooming in the garden, so it had lots of flowers to choose from.

Such a pretty butterfly!

I'm still feeling sickly, but seem to be getting a bit better. I'm not coughing as much, and I have a bit more energy than I've had for at least a week. Thanks for all of your get well wishes ... seems they might have done the trick!

i don't find this humorous... not one bit.

This Evening's Sunset

 
Tonight we had a nice dinner in town at Alan's parents' house (thanks John and Sue!). This was our view on the drive home... pretty nice, wouldn't you say? Of course it was hotter than HOT, but at least the sky was pretty! As soon as we got home I ran into the house and grabbed the camera, and snapped some photos.

 
Few things in Texas are as pretty as the Texas sunset.

 
Of course, I would have traded this beautiful sunset for the rain that they're getting under that storm.

Want to see more Texas weather posts? Check out the Weather category!

i miss the rain

Until today, July has been cloudy with occasional storms, and it was delightful. Today, we're reminded that summer in Texas is hot. Temperatures have risen to the mid 90s again, it's humid, and well... downright HOT. There's not a cloud to be seen. The early July weather spoiled everyone, and everything, on the farm.

Today I've been able to work outside for an hour at a time before I have to come in and cool off in the A/C, and enjoy a glass of ice water. That's probably for the best, though. It is the perfect time to write a blog post! I started looking through the photos I've taken in the past week, and in them I see cool days, clouds, lush vegetation, and happy critters. The photos are making me really miss those cooler, drizzly days! Let me share a few with you, so you can see what I mean... all of these photos were taken on July 8, 2010 (not today).

 
Admiral jumps up onto the gate in the evening. His muddy toes remind me that the pasture and barnyard were damp enough from the rain for the thick, sticky, muddy soil to cling to anything and everything.

 
Mother Nature was kind enough to keep the water troughs full. Betty and Callio-Pea are happy to share the fresh water with Butthead, the barn cats, and the chickens.

 
Buddy Boy and John's Chicken sit on the gate drying their feathers, wet from the rain held in the tall grass of the barnyard.

 
The cucumber plant that I thought I would lose is doing much better. I added a few more inches of good garden soil to it's mound, and it really perked up. Perhaps it just didn't have room to stretch it's roots, and needed a little more wiggle room. And the cucumbers are now growing like weeds!

 
This is the first year I've ever tried to grow any melons, and WHOA NELLIE, we've got some little melons on the vine! Everything in the garden really enjoyed the break from the blistering sun and heat.

 
Admiral loves to crow, and let everyone within ear-shot know he's handsome, a good singer, and loves the ladies. He is such a good boy -- I wish all full-sized roosters were as good as he is. (Buddy Boy, not so much...)

 
Callio-Pea thinks he's crazy. All that crowing just seems silly.

 
The teenager-sized squash plants (I have plants at four different ages/stages in the garden, for a long harvest time) started to put on fruit. Little yellow zucchini and yellow crookneck squash will be on the menu soon!

 
The pumpkin plants are doing great! This photo was taken three days ago, and already the plants are noticeably larger. A few of the leaves got kind of mangled in one of the storms. We had some really large raindrops! I also have a mound of ornamental pumpkins (the little tiny ones). It has started to put out really long runners that I'm going to have to direct a little bit, so they don't take over the tomato and squash rows.

 
The squash pit and corn really loved the cooler temps and rain, and that cucumber plant in the middle of the corn has decided to make a run for the border... it's grabbing onto the grass along the side of the raised bed.

 
Yup, I miss the clouds and rain... it's official.

too good to be true?

 
It is July, right? I'm looking at the 10-day forecast, and am so EXCITED!! Not a 100 degree day to be SEEN! And look at the chance of precipitation numbers! This Pacific Northwest girl thinks it's time to do the dance of joy! But I won't get too excited... I don't want to jinx things. That's just my luck. *grin*

We didn't get rain the entire day, just sprinkles now and then, but the cooler temps were nice. At about 6:30pm I was out doing chores. A bit of sun peeked through the clouds just before the big storm for the night moved into the area. I took some time to snap some random photos just to document the day.

The ducks LOVE the rain. It's QUACK QUACK QUACK all day long, while they splash around in the puddles, and chomp at the rain drops. The chickens don't really like getting wet, but I think they're enjoying the much cooler temperatures we're having. They don't tolerate heat well, and neither do I!

 
I sure get a lot of attention when I bring the camera into the chicken yard. I'm pretty sure they all think it's a container full of treats for them to snack on. Keeping the duck bills away from my lens is sometimes a challenge. Keeping the duck bills away from my pants and pockets ... impossible.

 
The little feeder dish hanging in the garden collected rain water. I'll leave it for the dragonflies.

 
The echinacea blooms are pretty, and the butterflies sure like them! Today I watched the FATTEST bumblebee enjoying the flowers on one of the cucumber plants. Yay for bees!

 
The squash pit is growing like mad! I never got around to thinning the plants -- maybe I'll have time this weekend to snip out some of the stragglers. If I can find any stragglers.

 
I really do love zinnias...

 
This one just opened in the past day or so.

 
It's a good thing I strung some twine for the pole beans. They're climbing like crazy!

 
They move up the twine several inches each day. Maybe even more!

 
The cucumber plants (I found extra seeds in my pocket) I tucked into the corn patch have really taken off. ...and it's evident that I haven't thinned the corn yet, either.

 
The frizzle chicks are growing... we've got three boys, and this CUTE little pullet (female). I love her crazy little topknot and her big, dark eyes.

 
Dandy (our only male duck, thankfully!) doesn't have time for baby chickens. He is growing into such a handsome fella. And I noticed he's finally getting his little drake tail curl (no photos yet). He's off to find a puddle.

Promising...

The temps have been blistering hot here for a while... but the coming week promises temps in the 80s and very low 90s. I HOPE the promise of cooler temperatures really does come true! Work around the farm increases significantly when it's hot. It will be nice to have a break from the heat, for sure! I'm sure the animals would agree.

 
I snapped these sunset photos tonight as I was running around just before dark trying to get everything checked on after a bit of rain that came through (just a sprinkle, but we had some wind that was concerning). I thought it made a pretty panoramic, though amateur at best.

 
One of the zucchini plants took a pretty serious beating from the wind.

 
The beans seemed to LOVE the rain! They're getting eager to climb the twine trellis!

 
I expect with lower temps for a few days, things will really grow well this week -- hopefully the grass in the pastures grows some, too! We NEED a break from the heat. We NEED rain!!

 
I should probably thin the corn patch...

 
More zucchini and crookneck squash plants... I see lots and lots of squash dishes in my future!

 
Oh look! MORE zucchini plants! Yellow zucchini here.

 
More rain, please!!

Spoke Too Soon...

 
Seems like my little protest yesterday about it being 99 degrees this coming Saturday got me into a little trouble with the weather man. Now look what he's promising! The NERVE!

Belly up to the Bar

Hope you're all enjoying the holiday weekend. Yesterday, I managed to sleep in. After getting up with the dogs at 6am, I decided to crawl back into bed and snoooooooze away. Delightful! Alan and I spent the rest of the day doing farm chores, and trying to keep cool - at one point yesterday, the temp hit 96. That was not delightful. In fact, it was downright rude. I took a look at the 10 day forecast.

They're "suggesting" it will be 942 degrees for the next 10 days.

 
And take a look at this.... As if 96 isn't hot enough, I do believe Saturday, June 5th will be our hottest day of 2010 so far (it will get worse, I guarantee). And so it begins. *groan*

Today promises more of the same, followed by a nice BBQ dinner with Alan's parents. I'll be cooking up some BBQ'd ribs, homemade potato salad, baked beans, spinach salad, and roasted corn on the cob. I also made some fresh limeade last night that has been chilling all night long. I can't wait for that refreshing first sip!

 
The chicks are growing like crazy.

 
These photos are a week or two old, and the babies have already changed so much! I need to get out and take more photos, because I tell ya, they grow like weeds!

Oh! And for those of you who were concerned about the little grey colored chick in Edwina's Baker's Dozen, worry no more! That chick is doing just fine! Still a bit smaller than the others, but her papa is a little tiny pip squeak, so she won't get too big herself.

Be safe this holiday weekend!

Cheers to you!

Too Close...

This afternoon, our area was put under Tornado Watch, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, and Tornado Warning. They weren't kidding... I took all of these storm photos between 5:15pm - 5:30pm this evening.  They are posted in order of how they were taken.

 
This is looking northwest from our farm. You can just barely see the neighbor's place on the right side of the photo. Their house is less than 3/4 mile from ours. This is the field that I photograph the longhorn cattle in.

 
Then I went to the other side of the house to our back pasture and took this photo looking southeast towards town. I'm not sure which sky is more menacing. You can barely see the water tower in our small town, about 2 miles from our farm.

 
After locking up the chicken coop, I went back to the front of the house to watch the clouds. We knew that rotation had been seen in our area, so we were on the lookout.

 
We could actually see the large sweeping circle of the storm, with the rain coming down right out of the center.

 
There was a slight breeze, but I certainly wouldn't say it was "windy".

 
We could see the rain coming closer.

 
Closer still... at this point I decided I'd better lock up the goats...they don't like to get wet.

 
I took this photo on my way back to the house from the barn...Whoa...

 
Thankfully, it dissipated... at 5:30 the rain started and I was under cover. It rained for about 45 minutes or so, and then I returned outside to see what I could see...

 
Amazingly enough, we were given a beautiful sunset while the storm moved southwest of us. The clouds from another storm move west of us.

Sunset.

 

We had a beautiful sunset this evening, and I happened to be outside to see it. Thought I'd share!

   

I think it looks like Africa (if you ignore the fence line). But, it's just central Texas.

A Farm Update in Photos

We had a bit of rain last night, which always puts me in a happy mood. I love rain! Weather like we had to day reminds me so much of the pacific northwest. It just feels "right". I pulled out my camera and Alan and I walked around the farm to see what we could see. Here are a few photos for you.

 
This bush is blooming near the house. I think it's some sort of hollyhock, but I'm not sure.

 
The goats were enjoying fresh green grass.

 
And then Alan rattled the treat bag...the race was on.

 
It's nearly impossible to photograph BAD Boxcar Betty. I always get "action" shots (aka: blurrrrr).

 
Callio-Pea always brings up the rear.

 
CallioPea's wattles are really swingin'!

 
Lucy and Darcy were munching grass.

 
The other cows were munching grass, too. Notice all the wildflowers! Pretty!

 
The blue bonnets are really fragrant.

 
There are all kinds of flowers blooming, and so many that haven't started blooming yet!

 
The Indian Paint Brush are so neon! I think they are so pretty!

 
The neighbors have lots of Indian Paint Brush this year!

 
...look at that storm north of us!

 
Unfortunately, the poison ivy is growing like crazy, too... this particular plant (and it wasn't the only one like this) has wound it's way up to the top of a fence post, and will soon be more like a tree than a bush! YUCK!

 
Another horrible pest here are fire ants. Here is a small nest that has pushed up between two patio stones since the evening rain. Fire ants are terrible creatures! Be careful where you walk!

 
The hens are doing well, enjoying the cooler temperatures. They were busy in the chicken yard.

 
Weezie is always on a mission, squawking all the while.

 
Dot, a guinea hen, was watching wild birds flit around in the treetops.

 
Brown Manetta (a turken hen), looking lovely, as always...

 
Here is one of the Cuckoo Marans girls, watching me very closely, just in case I have treats in hiding!

 
Just-a-Minute was napping on this bale of hay. Shortly after this photo, he ran off.

 
The baby ducks are GROWING so FAST! Still without names (I know, I know...), these two are fascinated by the grass growing at the base of the chicken coop.

 
I might call this duck Nellie. I'm HOPING it's a girl. I've read that the girls are the most chatty/vocal, and this one is just that. But she's also a little Nervous Nellie... so, Nellie fits.

 
Mmmmm, water!

 
It's hard to believe that the two bigger buff colored ducks are only 4 weeks old! We brought them home on March 20th. The white crested duck and the khaki duck are now 3 weeks old. Growing like weeds! Remember when I brought them home, how LITTLE they were! They are the happiest little creatures!

 
Action shot! Nibble nibble nibble nibble...

 
"We love life on the farm!"

Hope you enjoyed your visit to the farm today!

More Wacky Weather

 
More wacky weather here today ... about an inch of snow so far, and it's supposed to snow all day and evening...

Personally, I love it ... the goats aren't too thrilled about it, though!

You might remember that it was 76 here on Sunday... wacky!

Wacky Weather...

 

A little over a week ago, we had a big snow storm and were put under a blanket of 8-10" of snow, which is quite unusual for our part of Texas. All the critters fared well (especially the dogs), but the bird netting on the chicken yard didn't take the weight of the snow too gracefully, as you can see from this photo of part of their yard.

 
Today it's a sunny 76 outside - lovely, just lovely! I spent some time fixing the netting so the birds could enjoy their big side yard again, but it might have been too soon, according to the weather outlook for our part of Texas... Snow, on Tuesday!? And look at the change in temperatures! Today we've got the doors and windows open on the house. The rest of the week doesn't look like we'll be doing that!

Playin' in the Snow!

This evening I took Miss Daisy and Mister Farley outside to play in the snow. They had a BLAST! Here are some action shots from their romp! (Like all of the photos on my blog, you can click on them to view them a bit larger.)

 

 

 

 

 

  

Mister Farley LOVES to spin circles...

  

Miss Daisy just runs circles around him ... they're a perfect pair!

 

 

  

Miss Daisy, all tuckered out...

Snow... Whoa!

Well, I never imagined I would see as much snow here as we've had fall today. I'm going to guess about 4" have fallen ... maybe more. And it's supposed to snow all night... we'll see. Alan and I walked out to the pond in the pasture, and I took my camera along with me. What a nice blanket of white, eh?

 

It's doing a number on the netting over the chicken yard. It will likely need to be replaced. Not a cheap item. Argh.

  

Brr...

The weather promises to be unusually chilly here today... 
The goats are tucked into the goat house, the chickens are milling around inside the coop, and the barn cats have tucked themselves in for the day. Brr!

Whoa, What a Sunset!

Tonight we had the most amazing sunset! Check it out! I took these photos with my little Canon point & shoot camera either standing in the driveway, or in the barnyard. The sky was so bright and colorful -- like fire across the sky!