( Cut for those who don't give a crap about hunting. . . )

Fourteen eggs.

That's how many acogswell  counted last night when we moved the wee hen and her clutch into the greenhouse. The transition went smoothly. Like thieves in the night, I grabbed her while acogswell  loaded up the eggs in a basket. Then we moved the whole entourage into their temporary home.

It amazed me that such a little thing could actually sit on that ( Read more... )

 Anybody out there have an opinion on whether I should get the Mossberg 500 combo or the Remington 870 combo? I was heading in the direction of the Remington, but saw a nice Mossberg today at a great price that includes the scope. On the gun forums, it seems pretty much split down the middle with no one really saying the other is no good.

Anyone ( Read more... )

For the past few weeks,  I've been joking with my neighbors, advising them to keep a watchful eye on their chickens and to knock the broody hens off their clutches of eggs when they see them start sitting. The last thing we need are more chickens, I say. As of now, they have a hen who's sitting on two eggs. I laughed and said, you really are ( Read more... )

My morning chores.  I swear I hear banjos playing in the background.

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( A few photos behind the cut . . . )

On Wednesday, I got up at 4:30 a.m. to drive up to Lancaster, Pa., in order to pick up organic feed from McGeary Grain. This time, though, I had the privilege of driving a little north to see the mill where they make the feed. Their mill is one of the oldest -- if not the oldest -- mills in the country that is still in operation. It dates back to ( Read more... )

Yesterday, acogswell  came home with a brand-spanking-new 16-quart canner from Presto. Tonight, canning of tomatoes will ensue. We're going to just can the tomatoes whole, rather than turn them into sauce. It looks to be easier, and then we can do what we want with the tomatoes -- pasta sauce, jumbalaya, chili et cetera. I'll be taking some pictures ( Read more... )

 That was two hours out of my day.

( Click for the gorey details. . . . )

Bacillus thuringiensis. Remember that for next year. "When a caterpillar eats a leaf covered with spores of the bacteria, these spores revive in the insect's gut and begin to grow and reproduce."

Much of the corn I managed to harvest had corn earworms in it. No biggie for me. I just picked them out after husking and then cut out the chewed bits. I ( Read more... )