Farm update

I can't get out to take pictures as there is a monsoon outside right now!!!  But I sure do love the rain we are getting, especially for our garden!  Our pumpkins and cucumbers are starting to flower now.....yay!!!  We have weeded several more rows.  The rows always look so nice after all the grass and vines have been picked out.  There are quite a few rows that we really can't weed because we can't find any produce growing....ugh.  We don't see any peppers or strawberries, can't find any garlic or carrots (bummer!!!)  and our cantaloup look pitiful.  Still need to weed the corn and green beans.  Next year we will definitely need to take a different route to help with the weeding issue.  Sitting in 90 degree heat picking weeds has not been fun.  It will be worth it and I think we will definitely appreciate the food a whole lot more as we eat it, knowing the work that went into growing and maintaining it!  I have found the canner/pressure cooker I want.  It  has excellent reviews so I'm excited about getting it.  Now to find some good recipes.

We have 3 hens that are setting right now.  I think we should be getting close to hatching pretty soon.  Our baby comets are getting within several weeks of starting to lay eggs.  We are going to have an explosion of eggs pretty soon.  Hubby has been starting to build the new chicken coop/area for all our eggs layers.  The guinea are getting close to being let loose (they are caged right now).  I have a feeling we are going to lose quite a few once this happens.  They do fly and wander far away so we will see how many stick close by.  The ducks, geese and goats and so much fun to play with.  They love attention!  We did notice a big problem with our pond the other day.  We found about 50 dead fish floating all around the perimeter of the pond.  We did some reading and found that during a heat way the balance of the oxygen in the water changes and then when a thunderstorm comes along and mixes up the water it can cause oxygen depletion.  That is exactly what happened last week.  Right after a big thunderstorm is when we found all the dead fish.  I didn't realize how many bass we had in the pond!!!  Sad to see, but hopefully there are some left in there to replenish the stock.  So many new things you learn living on a farm!!!

The kids are still doing their end-of-year testing trying to finish up their grades.  It will be such a great feeling to be done and ready to start the new year!  We are heading into grades 7, 5 and 3 with a kindergarten/grade 1 ready to start full time.  I'll have to do a post about our curriculum for the new year.  Always exciting starting new books!

That's about it.