Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The Country Homemaker Hop #62


Happy Wednesday!  I hope your Mother's Day was full of hugs and time spent with loved ones.  My day was great.  While traveling back home from the Chino Goat Show I managed to sneak in a few short visits with my Mom-in-law and my own Mother and sisters.  Everyone is well and my entire family fell in love with my baby goats.

California, like much of the country, has been experiencing strange weather again this year.  Our temperatures have been hovering near twenty degrees above average every day, near the century mark. Gasp.


Around the homestead lately, things have been buzzing.  My NWC honeybees threw off a swarm that appear to have killed/taken over the small hive of feral italian bees that I pulled from the house wall a few weeks ago.  I am sad about the loss of the feral bees especially since they were so gentle compared to my carniolans, but I do now have a thriving second hive.


My baby dairy goats are thriving.  I recently cut them back to two milk bottles per day since they've been eating alfalfa and minerals really well for a while now.  I introduced a grain mix (just a bit) to expand their palette.


My shih tzu dogs think they're little lords.  They'd run wild up and down the mountainside if I did not kennel them.  Unfortunately, they are on the menu of some of our large predators so until the main front yard fence is finished, they're imprisoned.


My garden is growing well in spite of the countless gophers and even moles. Ick!  I have lost count of how many I have killed this month, but I know it's now more than 15.  These last few are pretty smart though.  I am going to have to figure out how to outfox them soon.



Yesterday, we found a bird nest full of chicks under a wall mounted air conditioner unit.  I am not sure what kind of bird they are yet, but the mother bird is nearly as tiny as they are.  Amazing.  Just a hair larger than hummingbirds.

We had to move them gently and thankfully Mama has been tending them still.  I just saw her bring back another flying insect critter to feed her hungry brood.

Well, I am off to weed whack.  I have 5 acres of pasture to knock down this week.  My hubby got me a neat contraption.  It's like a weed whacker built onto the wheels of a lawn mower.  It really speeds things up for me and it seems to find all the downed, long lost barbed wire...  it sure is a blessing.

Have a great week on the homestead!  

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4 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry about your bees! The new ones must not like competition ! The goats are adorable, no question about it. We've so up and down on temperatures that the garden doesn't know what to do. I just got in some plants and then temperatures fell to frost levels. The next day it was 90. The bush cucumbers are shriveling, frost/heat stroke? The 100s can be so bad this early too. Good luck with that weed wacker! Is it a DR Trimmer?

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    1. Hi Kathy!
      It was sad watching my bees kill off the others. ;( I did get a second hive out of it all though so I guess I should smile about that, free bees. She could have decided to swarm far away I guess. Sorry to hear you're experiencing this strange hot and cold weather too. It's been awful for the plants and animals and on us too. My body has more insulation these days and it does not like the warm ups. The trimmer is nothing as fancy as a DR Trimmer. Its a Husqvarna wheeled weed cutter. I am really enjoying it. It keeps me far away from any snakes as I push it so long as they're ahead of me. Lol. Have a good week and stay comfortable, if that's even possible in this weather.

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  2. You sure are busy with the new place but just think how lovely it will be before long! Maybe the dogs could go after those pesky moles? ;)

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    1. Hi Candy!
      You're so right. I am sure looking forward to relaxing eventually and enjoying this place. I'll have to talk to the dogs and see what they think... hehe

      Have a great week.

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My email address is whitewolfsummitfarmgirl@gmail.com.