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Fall 2008 Archive

12/29/08  Wow!  This year has flown by and it's been fun!  I look around the farm and see a million things I need to do...I survey the aches in my aging bones...and I just laugh!  How can I still enjoy this all so much.  But I do.  I enjoy seeing the critters grow and change as well as the battle of the weeds for a few precious vegetables in the spring.  It's the renewal and sharing of God's blessings for us all.  I am thankful for a loving family and good friends.  I'm like a kid on Christmas morning year round with all the little suprises the farm brings.  It's just like living at Grandpa's year round...except that sometime shortly in the future maybe...I'm the Grandma figure...until then, We're Aunt Ginger...and Uncle Richie...and just enjoying the simple life...

     It scares me that I think so many people have forgotten about where our food comes from...Big business has pushed many small farmer out of business and there are fewer and fewer folks who can raise a few animals even for their own family's use.   What happens if the big farms fail us America?  Can we pull it together...

    What can you do?   Teach some youngsters about planting a few back yard vegetables...even if it's a tomato plant or two.  You'd be suprised at the enjoyment from a squash plant or bell pepper plant...as you fix a early summer meal grown from the soil...

    As for myself, I can't wait for the spring.  I'm counting the months and making plans for a big garden this year.  Super excited about "Big Blue" our dump trailer to help me battle the weeds with some good mulch...

    Pick out a spot in your back yard that will be in the bright summer sun and make a bed to plant in early spring.  Start planning now...A small raised bed could give you much pleasure for only a little work...smell the earth...feel the richness...share the joy with our children.

    We've seen what has happened with the big industry, the big banks, the big auto makers, ....doing a little backyard gardening could help preserve a lost art for our children!

 

12/2   We put the Thanksgiving photos on the events page. 

          Land Christmas Dinner (extended family) will be this next Sunday, Dec. 7th

11/25  We're adding a recipe page to the website to start recording some of our family recipes...it will be a slow process...but these first two are for you Clay.

11/24 We are getting ready for the Thanksgiving get together.  Here is the initial list.

Ginger and I will be making Turkey, Ham, Rolls, Sweet Potato Souffle', peas, fried okra, greens, dumplings.

Lynn will be making dressing, giblet gravy, deviled eggs, and cranberry sauce.

Amber will be making a fruit salad.

Anyone else.

10/10  We finally got a little rain...Hammie has gone to the butcher...we've sold a couple more goats, only two young bucks left to sell from this year's bunch.  The greens are growing...and we hope the rain will send them on to be a good crop....some turnip and mustard greens will go well with a delicious hammie steak.  Chopping a little wood to get ready for the cooler temps right around the corner... Richie got into a yellow jacket nest yesterday...ouch...story on the blog...

9/30  We've got the fall greens planted and they are sprouting up.  We still have a lot of cleanup to try and get the morning glories  under control in the raised bed garden.  Hammie the steer has been quite mischievious of late...check out recent blog postings for more of the Hammie Saga...Fall is coming quick... Soon the leaves will begin to fall.  It's time to get everything ready for winter right around the corner. 

9/16 We had a beeusy weekend...check out the bee page for pictures.  We went and removed some wild honey bees from a hunter's camper in Alabamba.  It was a learning experience for us.  We also planted greens this weekend and moved the turkey's to a bigger pen. 

9/10... Tilling the fall garden... a few pictures to share...

 

9/06... added a slide show of flowers and pea fowl...along with a few other pics on the Pea Fowl link  (bottom left of this page)

9/04  ...Added some more mushroom pictures...Stopped by Gran's house and she had colorful ones everywhere...orange, red, browns, one with a green underbelly...  What's happening on the blog...Ginger and kittens chase run away chick...

8/30 ... Mushrooms are everywhere...new guinea keets have hatched.. We've got two new bunny rabbits on the farm..

8/23  We've been doing most of our postings on the blog.  Summer is flying by, school has already started.  Drop by and subscribe to the blog to keep current with our goings on around Pate Farms.  Our little goats have been growing a lot, and it's time to put a few up for sale.  I wish I could keep them all, but you can only have so many billies on a small farm.  Morning glories have taken over the garden...we've planted a few late tomato plants, and some squash ...hopefully we'll get a little in before the first frost... We need to clean out all the weeds once again and plant a few fall veggies...turnip greens sound good, and a little brocolli,...But It's a rainy day to day...so it'll have to wait a while longer...

 

7/29  The rain sure is making the grass grow...no complaints here...but how are you mowing your grass...check out our four-horse mower system on the blog...

7/22/08 Lauren came over for a visit today.  She wanted to learn how to make homemade biscuits. Click here to see more pictures about her biscuit making adventure.  How did you get that flour on your toes Lauren?

 We had lots of fun!