"Home" Improvements...

We've finally seen a few projects completed that we've been anticipating for a while!

One project was our side porch...

In the almost twenty five years that we've lived here, we've replaced the wooden floor boards on this heavily used porch at least twice...maybe three times.  The tongue and groove boards looked nice, until they began to rot from moisture over time.  We tried to keep them painted, but over time there wasn't much option but to replace them. Again.

This time we decided to go with a composite material, from a local Amish company that we've used before for PVC and hi-tensil fencing.  We lined things up in late April, but with the rainy summer we've had, things didn't get underway until last week.

They ripped off the old porch boards on Thursday afternoon,  and came back on Friday morning to install the new floor...

The dogs couldn't stay off the porch even while they were working in it.  I overheard one of the guys commenting that "it looks like she's reclaiming her porch!"

Yesterday the came back to finish up.  They put hinges in the door to the basement, and replaced the pump trough...

...and they finished the other part of the job.

This section of fence around the barnyard was begging to be replaced for a while, and it looks so much better now!  We opted to also put up a section of fence to block off the skid tanks that hold our diesel and gasoline.  I would say it was a great improvement!

You know what would make it even better? 

Some SUNSHINE!  I was just looking up rainfall totals for Lancaster County this year...
Lancaster County usually receives about 41" of rainfall per year.  We've already reached/surpassed that amount, with four months to go in 2018. 

SUNSHINE...please?

Canning Update...

My garden is tiny this year.  In fact, so tiny that I'm sure the local tour guides who pass by in cars with tourists, use it as yet another way to distinguish an "English" garden from an "Amish" one.  Years ago when my garden was big (by my standards) it was regarded as small by said local tour guides, so I can't imagine how it's regarded now!  (yes, it ticked me off a little bit when I found out, can you tell?!  :)  Oh well...)

It's also very overgrown with grass right now, and I will be the first to admit that an Amish garden would NOT look like mine in this regard.  In my defense, the 10" + of rain that we had in the past month did nothing to help with weed control!

Regardless...I'm happy with the results of my canning efforts this summer!

First came the pickles... 

I only got two batches of banana pickles processed before my cucumber plants wilted, but these will hold us over for a while!  The  pear butter on the top shelf is from last fall...

Next came jellies...

Raspberry jelly, blackberry jelly and white grape jelly.  I like to give these as gifts, and we'll still have plenty leftover for ourselves...

Then came tomatoes...

I have four tomato plants this year, and they were doing great until the monsoon season hit.  Now they're suffering from blight, although there are still enough tomatoes out there for a small batch of sauce now and then. 

I made two batches of salsa so far this year...eleven jars each, and I still hae several jars left from last year.  I'd like to do another batch if I get enough tomatoes at once, because I like to gift these jars as well.  We eat a lot of salsa ourselves, so I want to have plenty!

This year's salsa is on the top shelf, the second shelf is several batches each of pasta and pizza sauce.  I use Mrs. Wage's mix for those sauces.  It's quick, easy, and we like the flavor!  My go to Sunday lunch lately has been french bread pizza.  Just slice a loaf of french bread horizontally, spread some sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice, bake it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400*, and you have a quick lunch!  Bake it on a stone, and the bottom even gets a little crispy.  Mmmm...

Our white grape vine overachieved this year, and I got what I feel like is a huge amount of grape juice on top of the jelly that I made!  I have sixteen quarts of juice on the bottom shelf that I made "the old way", and twelve quarts of juice concentrate on the middle shelf that I made using my friend's steamer.  THAT, friends, is a nifty way to make grape juice! 

The other things on the shelves are things from last year that I need to use up!  I don't have any canned beans, and that disappoints me, but it's my own fault!  We won't be starving anyway this winter, that's for sure!

What kind of canning/preserving do you do?

Grapes, Grapes and More Grapes...

The grapes are ready!  I guess they really liked all the rain we've had this summer, because the vines are that heavy that they've fallen off the top wire, and have begun pulling one of the posts over!

This bucket full is from a section only about three feet wide...

Yesterday's outcome, from one bucket full...two batches of white grape jelly.  I never tried it before, but just followed the directions for Concord grape jelly in the pectin box.  We had some on English muffins for breakfast, and it got a thumbs up!  (that's salsa in the jars behind the jelly.  The tomatoes are just as happy as the grapes!)

If you need me today...or for the rest of the week...I'll be standing at the kitchen sink!

A Quick Getaway...

It's been a long, long time (10 years!) since Jim and I have been able to both be away from the cows at the same time!  Other than just a couple (4, to be exact!) of times in the last few years where we've missed a milking together for a couple of graduation parties, a wedding and my parents' sale, we've had to divide and conquer when it came to taking time off.

This weekend, while we are in between hay cuttings,and before Jenna heads back to college tomorrow we were able to take a quick trip to Ocean City NJ with Jenna and a friend.  Eric would have gone along, but already had made plans with some college friends.

We left the cows in the trusted and capable hands of our friends Ivan and Victoria, and neighbor Daniel for three milking and we skedaddled!

Ocean City NJ is a short three hour drive.  We tied up the cows in the morning, and pulled out around 6 am.  Before lunch, we were relaxing on the beach...

Within the hour, thunderstorms rolled in, and the beach had to be vacated.  We hung out at the music pier for a while...

...saw a beautiful rainbow...

...and went to an Escape Room for some entertainment.  We were paired up with another group of four, and we found the pirate's treasure before the time was up!

The beach was closed for the rest of the day, so we checked into our boarding house and cooled off, and then headed to the boardwalk for supper .

Later, Jim and the girls rode the ferris wheel...

We bought our salt water taffy and walked the boardwalk for a while before turning in for the night.

This morning was beautiful!  Jim got up early (his body clock just wouldn't let him sleep in!) and went to the boardwalk for coffee.  Later, we all took a walk on the beach...

 The water was warm!

While Jim and I packed up the car, the girls headed out to the water for a quick swim before we headed home again.  It was just a quick trip, but it felt so good to finally get away from the farm for a bit of relaxation!

A Bright Spot In a Dreary Week...

Let's face it...too much of one kind of weather gets old, no matter how much you've needed said weather...

Earlier this spring we had ten days straight of rain, resulting in +-7 inches of rain and soggy fields.  Crops were planted late, first cutting of hay was late, but eventually it all worked out.

Then we had several weeks straight of hot, dry weather, resulting in stressed crops and worried farmers.

This week we've had four days or so of rain, resulting in +- 6 more inches of rain.  I don't want to be a complainer, because in the long run, all the rain is great for the water table!  Needless to say, it's been a little frustrating.  "Feast or famine, so the saying goes". 

The rain lilies, however, are quite thrilled! 

Yesterday...

Today...

Their true name is Zephyr Lilies, but we call them rain lilies because they push up shoots and bloom right after a heavy rain.  You can trick them into thinking it's rained, by dumping a bucket...yes, a whole bucket full...of water over them every few days.  In the fall, you just take them to the basement before the first hard frost and forget about them until spring!

They are a bright spot on these dreary days!

3rd Cutting...

The weather, the weather...it's all about the weather! 

We've had such a unique summer, weather wise.  A cool, wet spring got the corn and beans in late...1st cutting of hay was a little later than usual...and now we've gone about three weeks without any measurable rain.   Earlier this week we had less than 1/10th of an inch while folks almost within sight had at least 1/2" or more.  The crops are getting a little bit stressed, but the forecast is calling for rain over the next week.  We sure hope they're right!

One thing positive about having no rain, is that Jim was able to get some dry hay baled this week.  He mowed a couple of fields on Tuesday evening, and baled it this afternoon...

I never seem to time my pictures right, so that the bales are in the air between the baler and the wagon.  Oh well...

I had the easiest job...

We're very thankful for several loads of nice, dry small square bales of hay.  Yes, balage is easier and faster to bale, especially when the window of nice weather is short...but no one likes to feed it...and we liken dry hay to gold.  There's not much better than dry hay to keep a cow's rumen happy!

Now it can rain.  Please?!

Susquehannock State Park...

Yesterday afternoon, on a beautiful day, one of my "oldest"  (tee-hee) friends and I took an afternoon excursion to Susquehannock State Park.  It's a beautiful park/overlook close to where I grew up in the southern end of Lancaster County.

Disclaimer...rant ahead...

The "southern end" has lots of gems that people who live in the central or northern end of the county have never been to.  I remember as a teenager, many people would say I lived in the "boondox" or "way down there", so far away.  But they didn't know what they were missing.  Ok, enough of my rant...  :)

A bit of background...the Susquehanna River is the longest river on the east coast, and flows through Pennsylvania, draining into the Chesapeake Bay, and then the Atlantic Ocean.

Looking south, if you enlarge the photo you can see the Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant on the west (right) side of the river...

looking north...

You can see Peach Bottom more clearly on this picture.  There were lots of boaters and jet skiiers enjoying the water yesterday...

We took a short "hike" ...

...to another overlook where we could see the Holtwood Hydroelectric Plant below us.  In the distance to the north is the Norman Wood Bridge, which crosses the river to York County...

The wineberries were beginning to ripen...

My friend Sue and I...

She and I grew up together  and I'm glad we've been able to keep in touch.  She's a rockin' school teacher!  I used to always remind her when we were kids, that I was "older" than her.  A whopping 4 months older, but I was a year ahead of her in school because of when our birthdays fell in the year.  Now I'm reminded that I really am older.  Ha!  Love ya, Sue!

How the Garden Grows...

We're in a lull between hay cuttings, so I thought I'd do a post on something non farm related that's growing here.  Warning...it's a little picture heavy, but I just love seeing things grow, so I won't be offended if you breeze through quickly!  :)

I seem to be having another good tomato year.  Those plants in the middle have taken off after a poor start, surviving ten days straight of rain.  There are green tomatoes galore.  The cucumbers in the foreground are doing the same!  I put them in a cage so that they can climb up instead of sprawling out, and as a result I get straight cucumbers, rather than curly ones...

Can you find the cucumber?  It's well camouflaged.  I plant Burpless #26.  The cucumbers are long, thin and straight, and have few seeds...

I haven't grown patty pan squash for a couple of years.  This plant survived the wet weather and being nibbled on by a ground hog early on...

Sweet Heat peppers are a new addition this year.  I'll use them in my salsa.  They came in a 4-pack, so if anyone local wants some, let me know!!

Sweet Baby Girl...my favorite cherry tomato ever!  It's almost as tall as my head!

 So far so good with the zucchini, too.  I know that one morning I'll go out and it will be totally wilted, but for now we're enjoying the bounty...

I had several extra railroad ties when I lined the garden a year or so ago, so I made a small area where I like to plant sunflowers.  I have a lot of volunteers in the garden, but this patch was planted from a variety pack. I'm curious to see what all colors I have?  There's a good variety of sizes...

Speaking of volunteers...a bunch of dill came up along the south edge of the garden, so I left it grow.  I had to pick some caterpillars off of it early on, and now it's enjoying life...

Last but not least, there's a row of zinnias for picking along the edge as well.  Such cheery little flowers they are!

How does your garden grow?

First Heat Wave of 2018...

I'm done.  I've had enough.  I think I'm ready for fall now!

This was the temperature at 5 pm, in the shade...60 % humidity...

 Call me a wimp, I don't care, but my energy level (and my attitude) goes way down when it's like this for more than a day or two. 

The barn actually felt better than I expected tonight.  With all the big fans running, it stayed pretty steady around 78 degrees during milking.  The cows are really feeling it though...milk production has dropped a bit...which is to be expected in weather like this...and a few of them needed to be cooled off with the hose this afternoon...

Today was a milk truck day, so the tank was empty when we started milking tonight.  I like to guess what the interior temperature of the tank will be when we first turn on the compressor.  I'm rarely correct, and tonight was no exception.  I guessed 94...

This is one way the dogs keep cool...

I also tried to guess what the temperature inside the house would be when we came in for supper. Oh how nice it would be to have central air, but I'm thankful for the window unit in our bedroom so that we can sleep well!

On the bright side...I had to borrow my parents' car today to go to an eye doctor appointment.  My Mom rode along, and we went to the dairy store where Jenna works for some delicious ice cream cones...

And another bright side is the breeze coming in the window beside the desk...and the shower that awaits me! 

Stay cool wherever you are!