The 'culvert' roadway over the ravine has been eroding away over the years. It wasn't bad enough to warrant a complete makeover just yet, but it was getting a little too narrow for our liking. The boys, Mom, and I, cut down a few trees, filling the washed out side with tree tops and branches. We laid logs across the road, extending over the washed out end, then Husband covered them with a few buckets of composted manure. It's a work in progress, that will need to be repeated over the years- somewhat of a continuous hugelkultur mound. The logs allow the water from the spring run off to seep through, without completely washing out the roadway on top.
I ended up making two batches of strawberry jam, using some of last year's homemade crabapple pectin. I had to cut the sugar down- actually, I added more strawberries after adding the sugar- because it was so incredibly sweet. Fresh, ripe, pick-your-own strawberries make a world of difference!
And we're back to fencing. Dorie and her crew were missing yesterday morning. They casually came sauntering up the driveway around 11am, like it was perfectly natural to let themselves out for an early morning stroll. She had Mindy, Nelly, and Sharlotte with her. Toothless was alone with the horses in the pasture. She took her new calf along too, but she didn't come back at the same time. Dorie called her back an hour or so later, and the boys managed to get the skittish wee thing through the gate.
#1 replaced a couple of rotting fence posts.
The Littles helped nail the fence back in place. I unfolded the sections wrapped up accordion style. We only got the road side done yesterday, so we'll probably be working on it for the rest of the week.
Meanwhile, Mildred and her crew broke into the garden and all but demolished my peas! The boys get the blame for that one though- when the gate is not latched securely she just pushes it open. Previously it only had to keep out goats, who haven't been as determined to gain entry.
The blueberries are just starting to ripen. Raspberries look a couple of weeks behind schedule this year. I'll soon be busy picking, canning, making wine and jam.
Hahaha, I can see mildred now giving you the look of...what, I took the girls for a walk...
ReplyDeleteSorry about your peas! It's frustrating to do the work and others neglect cause damage GAH! Sounds like extra chores to me
We only had ten acres, but Daddy would mow trails through the part that had thick stuff growing. The trails were only about four or five feet wide, mostly enough to to make a nice little place to walk near the house. I don't think they particularly went anywhere. He certainly did not mow through to the plum thicket or the dozen or so pecan trees. Oh, no, we fought our way through thorns and chiggers and snakes and shoulder high weeds. I was shorter then. I like trails.
ReplyDeleteHey Girl - I've missed commenting for a bit. I was sorry to read about your dad. It's sure tuff losing a loved one. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteI think you're going to have to changed the "littles" to maybe the middles. They're getting big.
I can sympathize with your peas. My Big dog went to work and ate her way through the whole patch this year. Boy, is she a crappy pea picker. She ripped things to shreds and nothing was alive after she got through.
Congrats on that sweet little golden calf too.
Hmmm, your jam sounds good. I think it's a good thing to taste and adjust accordingly. The packages of commercial pectin are so exact in their measurements, it can make a girl scared to think outside the box (heehee, the pectin box that is :-)
ReplyDeleteSue,
DeleteThis year, I quit following those pectin recipes closely. I just dump some, dump sugar and get jam/jelly, no matter what I do.