Wow.
Well, here it is.
One year ago today, I made the very first post on this blog.
At this point, my husband and younger daughter had already been at the farm for over a week. My older daughter and I were purging and packing like crazy until we could join them.
What a year it’s been!
Thank you to those who felt this little window into our lives was worth visiting, following and commenting on!
The Re-Farmer
The outside cats are certainly entertaining.
First, they tried to kill my husband this morning. !!! As he went out to feed them this morning, they were all at the door. The usual tripping hazard! As he started to step down from the concrete stairs at the door, Doom Guy dashed under his foot. He moved to avoid stepping on him, and ended up stepping on one of the glazed bricks that are along the side of the entryway.
It was slippery.
Down he went! Continue reading
Today was a day for visiting.
We even got a visit from my brother’s dog, this morning. :-)
I think we need to add “dog” to the list of critters we’ve been feeding – he does seem to enjoy the cat kibble! :-D
Then it was time for me to go and visit my mother. Continue reading
Today was very much a kitchen day for me. We roasted three chickens yesterday, ate most of one for supper, then I de-boned all three, saving the bones and skin to make a stock.
Since I was tending the stock for so many hours (which will be a separate post), I took advantage of the time and started working on cleaning the kitchen. You know, the pull out the microwave, clear everything off the counters, wash the knife blocks, kind of cleaning.
Our 20 gallon fish tank is in the kitchen, and I decided to do a complete water change on that. Which meant taking the plants, and our three lonely fish, out completely.
That is the last neon tetra of the 10 I bought, last year. :-( The algae eaters were sold to me as Siamese algae eaters, but that’s not what they are at all. I believe these ones are Chinese algae eaters. We had a pair or Siamese algae eaters when we moved, but when we found we couldn’t set up our 90 gallon tank right away, I quickly picked up the 20 gallon tank we are using now, and transferred our plants and fish. Sadly, the Siamese algae eaters did not survive. They survived the drive over, but in the time it took to get the small tank, I think their water just got too cold. I do want to pick up more; they eat a different kind of algae than the other types of algae eaters. Plus, I want to get more neon tetras again.
My goal had been to set up the 90 gallon tank with enough plants to not need to use an aerator at all. With the number of plants I have now, we are able to do that with the 20 gallon tank. I do have the portable aerator, just in case, but haven’t needed it in months.
Unfortunately, a piece broke when I was disassembling the filter for our 90 gallon tank in preparation for the move. It’s a connector for a hose. I figured I could just pick up a new part after the move, but no one carries the brand out here. It’s not even available on their website. I can do without an aerator (though we do have one), but not without a filter. A filtration system for that size of tank is not cheap, so it’s not like we’ll be able to replace it anytime soon.
So the big tank, on its stand, sits in the corner of the living room, taking up space. :-( My older daughter and I were talking about what to do with it. We might just put a board across the top, then cover it with a cloth, so it looks better. :-/ I’m sure there’s a piece of plywood we could use, somewhere around here! :-D
Meanwhile, our little fishies are now back in their home, with fresh water and re-arranged decor. :-D
The Re-Farmer
A new sourdough.
And it has a name.
I put a Post-it note on the cover, with the date I started the starter. This is what I found added to it, this morning. :-D
Our girls are too funny!
The Re-Farmer
So the weather is turning a little cooler, and the kittens are getting big. I’ve been getting out almost daily to both feed them as well as interact with them to try and get them as social as possible.
I am happy to say that even the most skittish in the bunch is now comfortable enough to come within a few feet of me when I’m feeding them, and even take care of their own activities while I’m around.
One of them is so socialized that he readily accepts being picked up being petted and tried to follow me into the house the other day. Personally, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.
P.
How the day was going to go was a bit up in the air, to be decided after we picked up our van. It ended up being a much longer day, but we got the bulk of our monthly shop in, after all.
In order to get the van home, my younger daughter and husband had to come along. Now, my mother’s car isn’t a compact car, by any means, but my husband tops 6 ft. Even with the seat back as far as it could go, he had to fold himself in. He was basically wearing the car!! Continue reading
Ah, what a day!
Before I get into it, however, I will share some adorableness! :-D
I was outside and decided to check the sun room, to see if it was safe to close up the doors for the night.
It wasn’t quite there yet…
I got a serious of photos while the birds were flitting on and off the feeder, including several of a couple of nuthatches. This one came and went quickly, so it wasn’t until I uploaded it to the computer that I found myself wondering.
Is this really a nuthatch? In all the other photos, the nuthatches are completely white around the eye, but this one is different. It was there for just a moment, and it looks just like any other nuthatch, except for how the black is on its head.
Now I’m curious.
The Re-Farmer
