Creation and Destruction

"Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates," ~ Marquis De Sade


Lotta of both going around here.

I destroyed one of my pot toms (with a little help).  I was in a suckering frenzy and suckered the live growth off this poor tomato.  It valiantly made tomatoes, despite the destruction until, not one, but TWO hornworms stripped most of the leaves and even ate a bit of the tomatoes.

poor old tom

But the chickens got to eat the worms.

I am of mixed emotions about these pot toms.  I can't seem to get the water right.  Some are curling from too much water and some are drooping from too little.  And the toms in the garden seem to be doing alright so far.  So I think I will go back to the garden next year.  The garden is almost all strawed in now except the beet row.  Lots of work but worth it.  I have to weed much less.  I did have to water yesterday since we haven't had rain for about 4 days and the soil drains so fast.  But the pump wasn't working well so we checked the filter and it was toast.  I had to build another filter with hardware cloth and screen mesh.  And I did it all my own self.  Then I waded out into the pond to drop the filter in.  I didn't wade out very far though cause it was mucky and I was losing my shoes.  Jim will have to take it further.  Anyhoo, the garden got watered.

Yesterday the chicklets got moved into the big house because I have 4 new chickitas.  There are still three eggs not hatched so I stuck them under another broody on the off chance they will hatch today or tomorrow.  The chicklets were NOT happy to be pushed out of the nursery, but you gotta grow up sometime.  I had a big fight with chicklet mom and JW to get everyone in.  Now the nursery is going again.

Chickitas

I think that will be all the new ones for this year.

And, announcing the return of.........

BUG ART!!!!

They did Muskett.

Bugs profile Muskett

And one last bit of news.  It seems that my own chick is getting hitched. Alrighty then.




Well, time to go to church.

bak bak

Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruity Fruit Fruit

Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. It's where all the fruit is.
Shirley MacLaine

I am swimming in fruit.  I am rolling in fruit.  I am writhing in fruit.

I'm fruity.

My peaches are ripe, I have strawberries and blueberries and peaches from last year in the freezer, I've got the promise of gallons of blueberries this week and the market rejects of the FNOF are coming fast and hard.

And I have new hen fruit due to hatch around Friday.

I racked my strawberry wine for the second time yesterday and sugared it up.  Now it just has to age.  I think this is going to be my best batch ever.

**********************

Well, the peach jam is done.  I used the last year's peaches and a few of this years.  I was going to can the fresh ones, but these peaches are eating peaches, not canning.  So far I have gotten 52 peaches off the tree and there are more left.  A good year.

We got the freezer in the shed defrosted and found some more bluebs in the top icecube.  I think I will give these to the chickens.

Jim also brought about 5 gallons of garden peas home yesterday, and as much as I like to shell peas, I just didn't have time, so he and one of his workers sat on the porch for three hours shelling.  I was inside canning jam and salsa.

So I will spend today finishing the strawing of the garden, setting up nursery number two, freezing peas and going through last year's preserved food to see what to keep and what to toss.

bak bak