Yep, I been busy goin in big circles

I cant believe it has been so long since I posted last. Goodness, where does time go? I am almost convinced that the older we get the faster it flys by. Or maybe its just that we do things less fast. Not sure, but..

We did get to go see our son and his family and enjoy visiting with them for Liam's first birthday. That lil fellow is growing up way too fast. Hes not a baby anymore. So precious. And you would think this grammy would have tons of pictures to post, but by dang I took mostly videos while I was there. I must do some editing before I can get them to post here. Dang it!! But we enjoyed our trip and visit. Sadly tho mom ended up back in the hospital while we were gone and was treated for pneumonia. She was back at the nursing home before we got home, which was good. Then the staff noticed some bruises on her right leg on Friday last week and sent her to the ER for evaluation suspecting it might be a clot or bleed. Finally today they have decided she has a bleed in her leg from the TPA she got when she had her stroke. She was a very sick lady and still is. They had to give her a unit of blood last night due to the loss. She doesn't recognize me now which is sad because I don't want her to think I am not there. Hopefully in a few days she will improve to the point where she can at least get to come back here to the nursing home for continued care with people she is familiar with. Being an only child stinks in times like this when you have to make all the decisions.So please keep her in your prayers for a continued recovery.

The garden stuff we had planted before we left on vacation is up and looks really good. When we got home Rodger and Jason got our sweet corn, beans and the field corn planted. Now as soon as we get a day or so of no rain we can get the tomatoes and such in the garden too. I think we have got behind again. But we did get the Cornish cross butchered off before leaving as well. Got plenty of meat in the freezer. Now if I can find time between running back and forth to the hospital to make the chicken stock all will be good. I simply had to be home tonight. Must do laundry or tomorrow we be naked. Or at least I would be. So I am workin on that as I type. Hey, I guess I can multitask after all. I am planning to get my incubator started up again really soon, I sure need to hatch off more chicks to replace my laying flock. The ones we hatched before we left are growing and lookin good. I still need to fix a place for them to be able to get out in the grass and still be confined to a small area so they know where to go to roost at night. Have just not had time to get that done since we been back. But it will happen soon, I hope.

My strawberries are loaded with blooms in the bed by the driveway this year. Hopefully we will have plenty of fresh berries soon. My friend Anna had sent me some thorn less blackberry plants right before we left for vacation and I still don't have them planted in a permanent location yet. But they are doing great in the pots in the greenhouse for right now. I got tons of grapevines started too, most of them have leaves so should have roots or at least will soon. Then they get put in individual pots till fall planting time. I get tired just thinkin of all the stuff that needs doing here sometimes. Geez!!!

Has anyone else had a terrible time with allergies this spring or is it just me? I got a snot nose and all that junk when we were in Nevada and it just didn't let up once we got home. I have had a plugged up left ear, left sinus feels stopped up, itchy eyes, cough, the whole nine yards. I guess it don't help a lot to be tired, stressed and run down either. But I must keep pluggin along till the stress eases up. Hope soon, before I crash. We both had dentist appointments today and got teeth cleaned and both got good reports. Thas a plus I reckin. I had a good laugh with Sheila, our hygienist as I got to be her first patient that she cleaned using her new magnifying glasses. It was hilarious. The glasses are designed to make it easier for the hygienist to see without having to lean over so far and strain they neck and back all day. But she said she could see things she could never see before. She chose Rodger and I to be her first patients using the glasses. She almost lost her seat when I told her I would keep my eyes closed in case she mis-judged her distance with her instruments. I do think it took longer than normal to clean my teeth with all the laughing tho. But thas OK, I don't mind being a guinea pig once in a while. I guess that was my bright spot in the day. Being on the road has really worn me out tho.

Some day I hope to get my ducks in a row and post on a regular basis. Until then, bear with me please. Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

You can sure tell its winter

In this house it is not hard to tell its winter time. I tend to nest or hibernate in winter. I don't like cold weather and really rather stay inside and piddle around the house. I still have lots of sewing projects I want to do this winter tho. So it thinking about this, I thought "how nice would it be to have a room to set up the sewing machine and do crafts?" SO I proceeded to bring the subject up to Rodger. Our house has a den or family room and a formal living room (that is never used). So I got the big bright idea to put up a door at the end of the hallway and block off the den, move the furniture out and turn the den into a bedroom and use the smaller bedroom off the den as a walk-in closet. Rodger finally saw that it might be a good idea and digressed and agreed to help me make this possible. We first had to move a very large double book case that has served as a room divider in the living room to the wall at the end of the living room. Not a long move just time consuming as ALL the books had to be taken out and then move the case, then put the books back. Then we moved the sectional to the living room and attempted to move stuff around to get it in place. Now the big couch that was in the living room must go to Jason and Mary Kay's house. The chase lounge will remain in the living room soon as we get the couch out. I did get my bed moved last night and got to sleep in my new room. Seems kinda odd tho sleeping in the den. But I am young, I will adjust. Rodger went to bed, probably out of boredom because the TV is still in the den/bedroom and he don't want to sit on the bed to watch TV. We will move the TV as soon as the couch is gone and the cable to the satellite is moved. Probably this weekend. I stopped at the hardware store today and picked up 2- 8 ft sections of closet rod, yes I will have 16 ft of closet rods to hang stuff up. What ever will I do with all that hanging space. Oh my!! Anyway I have the large oak table in the "closet" now to use for my sewing machine and crafts. Tomorrow Rodger is going to put up the closet rods for me and then I can officially move into my new "closet". I think I will keep the dresser in the closet as it has a large mirror on it and use that maybe as a dressing room as well. Plenty of space for all this. I will have the table to use most of the time for laying out clothes, if I need to iron that can be done and the clothes hung on hangers, and enough room to put on lotion, makeup if I choose and space to spare. At least for now. Somehow I do think in the future I will end up with more stuff stored in there than I now expect. Only one drawback to having the den as a bedroom, the fireplace is in there. Now how nice is that. Not a problem for me at all. I love it. Hopefully by the weekend we will be moved and settled back to a routine.
We must get all this moving stuff done this week as when the weekend gets here I need to butcher some roosters. They are feeling their oats and making a pest of themselves with the older hens. And the hens want no part of those young studs. So as you might expect the young studs get whipped on a daily basis. So if I can get the roos killed and use them for stock and can it up I might get motivated enough to make a batch of bean soup and can that as well. We have learned to both like ( I alas liked) mixed bean soup with carrot, celery, and onion in it. I have some ham base flavoring that I bought in central Ky last fall that I want to add for flavor and the soup will still be kosher for Rodger. On weekends we most always have soup of some sort to eat on all weekend long. I have veggie/beef, gumbo, chili, plain bean, and will have mixed bean soup after this weekend. If we are not in the mood for one of those I will make chicken noodle soup or tater soup. Nothing beats a good bowl of soup on a cold weekend with fried cornbread. Toss  some chopped onion in the cornbread and it make ya take back stuff ya didn't steal. Its yummy!!
Its not long till the big wedding in Las Vegas that we have been invited too. And of course we both will be so happy to go because our lil boy Rob is marrying his sweet fiance Amoy. We officially get a wonderful daughter in law. I got my fingers crossed that we will get another in the near future. I do like Mary Kay, Jason's girlfriend. Trust me, I sure feel blessed to have those girls in my life and Mary Kay's daughter Miranda. Really looking forward to our trip to Las Vegas in February. Sure will brighten up the winter for us. So far, 2013 is looking good. As long as we are blessed with our health all the rest will be minor.
Not much else happening here, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.


Stella

Its officially time to hibernate

Our forecast is for snow and rain, freezing weather, the whole mess. I don't drive in weather like that. I stay home and hibernate when the weather turns to crap. But on the bright side I will surf the web and get my garden planned and heirloom seeds that I need ordered in. We already have our plane tickets and hotel booked for February in Las Vegas for Rob and Amoys wedding. Dang that is not long off either. This year is almost to its end and then we are on the down hill slide to spring and greenhouse preps and gardens. Kinda hard to imagine that with snow on the ground and corn still in the field.I think the older we get the faster time goes by. I have a birthday on Saturday and with that one I figure my life is half over at best. Kinda scary if ya think about it.
What kind of new years resolutions do you make? I am not big on making so called resolutions. I think I rather try everyday to be a better person. Be more patient with others, take more time for friends and family. Be kinder to my own self. Now that would be a big accomplishment for me to be kinder to me. I tend to over do every thing I start. I guess I have always kept going to finish any thing I start and sometimes my mind writes checks my body cant cash. That makes for a big crash to recover. But such is my nature. So I think I shall try to do better at pacing my self this new year. I will let ya know how that goes.
I do have several sewing projects that I need to work on this winter while I am in hibernation. Nothing big, just a few lil things. I also want to get into making my own body lotions. I know some oils are great for the skin and if I add herbal tinctures to that I should end up with a good healing soothing lotion. I will post recipe and directions when I get this all figured out. So I am off to look up lotion recipes and properties. Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Back from vacation and now we are getting caught up

Gosh hard to believe I have not posted since March 27th. As of last post the stuff was growing well in the greenhouse. I had 3 hens hatch out 8 baby chicks as we were leaving for Nevada on April 6th. Jason had the fun task of taking care of the chickens, cats, Luna and the greenhouse while we were gone. He obviously did a good job as everything is still alive and growing. The baby chicks are so cute. I let the big chickens out of the building today and the momma hens brought the lil ones out to scratch and explore. They walk funny cause their lil crop is so full it throws em off balance.
We got to Nevada to see Rob and Amoy on Friday night the 6th. They picked us up at the airport in Elko. We got to spend the week of Robs birthday with him and Amoy too. My lil boy turned 26 already. On Sunday we went to visit Robs job site and see the gold mine and the huge pits and the underground mines as well. We didn't go down into the underground mines tho. When I have that much dirt over me ya can say I am a goner.

Rodger got to see the drill rig up close that Rob had sent him a picture of earlier this year. That thing is huge.

This is a picture of the open pit mine where Rob works.

We also got to go see the remains of the old town of Cortez which the mine is named for.

 This is a picture of Rob and Amoy in front of their new house in Nevada. We got to help them put in some landscaping while we were there. I think it made the house look so nice.

Rodger and I standing on a balcony over looking the Hoover Dam on the Nevada/Arizona border.

Snow capped mountains in the distance on our drive to Las Vegas early last week. A long drive and a whole lot of nothing along the way. We had a good time tho, lots of good food, drinks and fun.

Before we went on vacation my friends Gretchen and Carl sent me this lil garden hopper. Dang this thing sure saves the back when planting. I am sure it will be great when we get started picking beans and garden stuff. I cant do a lot of standing and bending over to plant and this thing sure helps. And it has a place to hold my coke can. This is the new strawberry bed where I tore out flowers last fall and covered the ground all fall, winter and most of this spring with black plastic to kill weeds. Worked out great. We put down a weed barrier and then made holes to plant the plants. Tomorrow we will get the mulch put down and the hoops over the top with deer netting to keep the critters out. I got about 75 plants moved into this bed. And many more to go elsewhere.

As soon as we got back home Rodger mowed the yard and plowed the peas and onions out in the big garden. The peas and onions look great. The peas are vining and climbing the fence he put up before we left. Last evening we planted 2 rows of potatoes, 2 rows of carrots and some lettuce. After supper today we planted the cabbage that I had ready in the greenhouse. So we do have a good start on the garden. I hope I can move more strawberries tomorrow if it don't rain. There is rain and cooler weather in the forecast for several days. I have herbs that are ready to be cut and dried too and I must get started on that.

Before we left I did get my baby chicks ordered for meat birds. They wont be here till mid May tho which is OK. Sure don't think Jason would have appreciated them arriving while we were gone and him having to babysit them,  Not much else happening here, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Home on the homestead again

I am back home at last on the farm. I had a wonderful week visiting with my son Rob and daughter-in-law Amoy last week in Nevada. When I got there the weather was really nice and warm, then by mid week it got cold and snowed a bit. There weather changes more than Kentucky weather I do think. Good thing I had taken my long johns with me.
They picked me up on Friday night in Salt Lake City, we had a late dinner and then drove on the Elko and finally got the their house about 3 AM on Saturday morning. I think we all slept in on Saturday and then they took me for a drive to the mountains. It is hard to believe there was still snow on some of the higher mountains in Nevada after all the hot weather we all had this past summer. But here is proof.

 

You can still see the white snow on top of the mountains in the distance. And it was warm enough at this distance up the canyon for short sleeves. When we got to the end it was cold enough for a sweat shirt.

Somebody is pregnant! Guess who? Yes we are expecting our first grandchild in April. Cant wait to be a Grammy. But that don't mean the lil grand dog will get replaced tho.

 

It was a really nice drive and the weather was good that day. Later in the week, well not so much. This is the view from Rob and Amoy's back door. I was not ready for snow and winter weather on my vacation.

I am sure the yard will look different in spring after they get the landscaping done and have actual grass instead of tumble weeds. In the mean time its a nice sandbox for the dog. 

When I got home to the farm it was short sleeve weather here but we are to get some rain later in the week along with cooler temps. While I was away Rodger got our garden turned under and its ready to seed down. Jason had bought some hard red winter wheat to sow for a cover crop. The plan is to only plow under part of the wheat next spring for a garden spot and let the rest of the wheat mature and harvest it for grinding. Rodger also picked the last of the bell peppers before he plowed and I got those all sliced up and in the freezer today. They also got all our potatoes put in crates and in the cellar. The sweet potatoes are still in the barn curing before they get put away.Rodger also stored my butternut squash and cushaws in the cellar for me too.  Tomorrow I really need to spend some time cleaning up my herb bed and getting it ready for winter. And its time to sow onion seeds too. So that will be on my list for tomorrow as well before the rain comes on Wednesday or Thursday. 

Not much else happening here right now, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Blogging from across the country

It has been a while since I last posted here. Gosh I am so slacking. But just to update a little bit. Last Friday September 30th I flew out of Lexington headed to Nevada to see Rob and Amoy and spend some time with my kids. Should be back on the farm about October 9th. They picked me up in SLC airport on Friday night and we had a late dinner and drove on to their home in Elko Nevada. Kinda made for a long night for them not to mention me jumping time zones. But we arrived home late and went to bed. I vaguely remember laying down. We have had really nice weather so far. On Saturday we drove up to Lamoile canyon just sight seeing. It was a nice drive. It always amazes me to see snow still on some of the mountain tops after the hot summer we have had. It is a nice change of pace to see different places of beauty that God has created.
I am happy to know the kids have bought a really nice home in what seems to be a good quiet neighborhood. It is good that they have bought a home because now there is to be a lil one in April of next year. Might not be hard to figure out that I am gonna be a Grammy. Oh my!! I have the lil granddog Abby and now a real lil baby. I do feel so blessed.
Not much happening out here this week, this gram will just relax and enjoy my vacation. Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead on the road.

Stella

Home again

We are finally back home again. My friend Deb and I went to see another mutual friend yesterday and spent the night. So Deb got to meet Rosie and us girls went shopping today. Well it was shopping to us but actually we went to a flea market and stopped by a couple Amish stores. We had a good day and found some bargains along the way.
While we were at Rosies house we went with her to milk this morning. She raises goats and milks them. So Deb set out to help milk. The goats are so sweet and well mannered.

Above is Deb milking.

And Rosie finished up and we had fresh milk in our coffee this morning before we went off shopping. I always enjoy visiting with Rosie and her family. We got started home kinda later or at least later than I had planned. Home again and pretty tired. So its off the bed soon as we have some canning to do tomorrow. So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

stella

Road trip and closer to home

We are still traveling and sight seeing along the way. We left Albuquerque NM this morning headed on east. We stopped along the way to tour and go for a taste testing in a micro brewery.

This was a small mom and pop operation which I thought was really cool. The folks were really nice and we left with a case of beer.

I like this sign, would like to have one like this for my kitchen at home. We left here and drove on to Texas. Just outside Amarillo TX there was a sign saying this is the largest cross in the northern hemisphere.

This thing is huge, You can see in the pic how it towers a building nearby. We drove across the Texas panhandle so the distance was not too far as far as mileage goes. Pretty country to drive thru.
We hit Oklahoma this evening and I knew I had an aunt that lived in Elk City OK that I had not seen in about 4 years so we decided to give her a call. She came out to to the interstate to meet us and chat for a few minutes. Was so nice to see Aunt Wilma and Uncle Alvin. They both look great and are doing really well.

We left Elk City and headed on east toward Oklahoma city where we are stopped for the night. We will leave here in the morning and head on east and hopefully make it to Mississippi by tomorrow night. So till then, blessings from the McGuire homestead on the road.

Stella

Traveling, back tracking, goin forward

We are still on vacation and got started this morning from Flagstaff headed to the Grand canyon. Before we got there we came across a place called Bearazona. It was a wild life preserve that you could drive thru and view the animals up close. It was a neat lil drive to see some of the animals up close in their own habitat.

                                                                        American Burro

                                                                        Bison

                                                                        White Bison

                                                          Black bears having breakfast

                                                       Baby black bears in the trees

There were other small animals in the area for viewing but some were sleeping in there respective hide outs. We left here and moved on toward the grand Canyon. We had to do some back tracking from where we stayed. The Grand Canyon can not be truly appreciated in pictures, you really should see it in person. It is really breath taking in its own right.

We actually were on the south rim of the canyon. I am really glad we were not the ones on the north rim as they had a really big thunder storm roll in while we were there. You could see the rain in the distance and the dark clouds hanging over the area.
We drove back down to get back on I 40 and continue across the country. The scenery is beautiful and you can truly see for miles. You could watch your dog run away for days.
We stopped along the route to look at what is supposed to be the largest petrified tree. It was really neat to look at. Hard to imagine the natural creation of such a thing.

 These were sections on display and some of the colors were beautiful and almost glass like. We have ended our day and are now in Albuquerque NM. We are spending the night here and then on east tomorrow. More pictures next time. Till then, blessings from the McGuire homestead on the road.

Stella

Vacation and road trip

I told you I would share pictures from my road trip with ya so here ya go. We left Lexington on Friday evening around 5 pm for a hope to Memphis Tn. Then on the Las Vegas arriving around 9:30 pm local time.

A pic from 109 floors up on the open observation deck at the Stratosphere Hotel in Vegas. Then we went down to the bar.

Had a drink, my fav a pina colada, don't remember what the kids had.Then down to the casino. I actually put a dollar in the slots and won $60. OK so I am a quitter, I won and I quit a winner.
Then we had dinner at the Italian restaurant in the hotel. It was nice and not really expensive. Then back to the room for a good nights sleep so we could be up early an travel the next morning.
The morning we decided to see the Mojave National Preserve in southern California beings we were that close.

Needless to say we left our mark there. This was was from a marker of some sort that had earlier been taken down. It was covered with graffiti already.
We drove thru the Mojave National Preserve an came to a lil town and stopped to see what was there.

This lil town had in times past been an old railroad stop with a little general store. The store was the usual gift shop type thing but was nice to read some of the signs around marking the area.
Traveling on we were heading south toward I 40 and came to another cool place after we got into Arizona. We found a beach.

This was a nice little place to hang out but it was soo unbearable hot we moved on. We came across a sign that directed us to the infamous Route 66. We took the exit an ended up in a nice little place.

We stopped into the old general store and loafed around a bit and when we pulled out of the parking lot we saw a sign that said "Road Kill diner" and the had buffalo burgers. Well you know we had to have supper there. I had my buffalo burger and did enjoy it.

A cool lil place to eat. Left here and on down the road. We finally arrived in Flagstaff Arizona and stayed the night. Tomorrow we will see the Grand Canyon and trip will continue. As will the story. So for now blessings from the McGuire homestead on the road.

Stella

My loafin day, ready to fly

This has been a good loafing day for me. It started out when I went to get my hair cut this morning. Connie, the lady that has cut my hair for nearly 30 years has been a long time friend. So I got to visit with her for a bit. Then we went together to visit our friend Gene that had the stroke in April and she cut his hair. So nice to have a traveling hair dresser. She is a fun person to be with as well. I was planning on going to get my nails done after the hair cut. So she and I went together. Got me all fixed up and had a late lunch at Pizza Hut. My hubby don't like their pizzas nor does hers but we both do. In the time we were together today we were talking about how people never have or take time to spend with friends. We always think we don't have time or the energy to go somewhere or visit, but it really energizes you to get away from your own life if just for a few hours. Gives you a different perspective on things. And it is always good to spend that time with people who lift you up mentally, not drain you. So Connie and I have decided that at least once a month we need to get together and just visit. We were both tired when we got home but just felt refreshed. It is good to do that once and again.
So back on the farm nothing changed while I was gone. Not that I expected it would. Rodger got the yard all trimmed this evening and it looks nice. The weather today was just awesome, mid 80's, for the first time in forever. I got my jars of meatloaf all washed and Rodger got those in the cellar for me. He wont allow me to carry them because he knows how I am for over loading my self.  Gosh my cellar is getting full. He is going to try to get the tomatoes picked tomorrow evening after work. And I ask him to get the big yellow cukes from the garden as well so we can save the seed as they are an open pollinated variety. I now also have some watermelon seed that I saved from a melon that Jason brought home from work the other day. There is an older gentleman that used to work for the same oil company and is retired now. He lives on the road where Jason has been working. This fellow saves ALL his own garden seed from year to year. And the watermelon he gave Jason was the bestest. Needless to say I ate all of it in 2 days. Yeah I know, muh kidneys love me. Hope to have some green beans to can when I get back home from my trip. I am counting on the Tobacco worm beans as my green beans this year. The Kentucky Wonder bush beans didn't do squat this year. But that is life on the homestead.
I hope to be blogging from Las Vegas tomorrow night. I am guessing my post will be quite late but will do my best to post some pics to share with you all. I know I always love to see pics that fellow bloggers and friends post online, it is kinda like seeing the country thru someone else eyes and never leave your home. This was so cool to me when Jason drove a truck long haul. He would send me pics of places he traveled thru and it is like being there with him. Far better than any geography class you had in high school. So am off to Sin City tomorrow night. WooHoo!!! Imagine a country girl in the big city. I am more looking forward to seeing my lil boy tho. Last time we got to see him was in July when he flew home for a few days. I miss muh lil boy. It will be nice to spend time with him and Amoy, she is such a sweet heart.
So till next time, blessing from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Garden seed rip-off

I am so mad at the seed companies this year. I ordered my seeds from Shumway like I have been doing for several years. Up till now they have been good and true to variety. Not this year. First it was the sweet corn, the Golden Bantam that turned out to be anything but Golden Bantam. Now I am really mad about the tomatoes. I started mostly Rutgers, the few that are getting ripe are not anything like the Rutger that I remember growing up. The tomatoes are small and it is not the plants. The plants are healthy and have lots of blooms, just really small tomatoes. I am thinking I will be buying tomato products at the store unless the tomatoes improve and I really don't see that happening. I had this same problem a few years ago with white half runner beans. White half runner beans will get big enough to have a good sized bean inside them and the hulls will still be tender. Not the last ones I ordered from Shumway. OK enough of my rant.
Tomorrow is chicken killing day. So I have lots to do. Not to mention we have to stop by noon and get ready to attend a wedding. Then back home to finish canning the chicken.
I got 12 more pints of Paul's sweet lime pickles canned up today. This time I added a few cinnamon sticks in the pickling solution. Rodger likes them with the cinnamon flavor. I normally make 14 day pickles for him. These are much easier to make so hopefully this will keep him happy.
I haven't done a lot today other than try to keep my chickens from getting too hot. The heat was worse today that it has been all summer in my opinion. I pretty much stayed in and did get the house cleaned so it wouldn't get condemned.
I got to talk to Rob today for a bit. He will be finished with his internship on August 19th. He has invited me to come with Amoy to Nevada and take the road trip back home with them. I'm kinda excited about a road trip. The general plan is for Amoy and I to fly to Las Vegas and Rob pick us up there. The go south east thru Flagstaff Arizona and maybe to Roswell New Mexico just because. Then thru Texas and not sure where from there. It should be a fun trip. Don't think Rob is going to be permanently working in Nevada so this trip probably wont come around again in this lifetime. So I think we should make the best of it.
So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Home again

I have made it home again after being gone for a few days. I feel like I have been in constant motion since last Wednesday. I got my buddy taken to re-hab to recover from his stroke and on my way home I stopped to check on him and he said he is making forward progress and they are letting him eat ice chips now, so thats a plus.
We had storms last night and are posed to have rain for several days now. Guess I will transplant things between rains.
I got to spend a couple days with my aunt Ann and help her out a little bit getting things done on her place. Got a gas range for my summer kitchen as well. Stopped on my way back and spent a couple nights with my friends Rosie and Sam at their place. I always enjoy time at their place. They always have babies of some sort to tend to. The little goats were so cute. One had to be bottle fed because his mom decided she didnt like em and wouldnt feed em.

Sure dont take these little critters long to learn that humans equal food. I think I will have some goats soon.
My friend Rosie and her hubby take such good care of their little ones, the animals really have a good life. This lil boy enjoys the special attention too.
I came home with a clutch of turkey eggs to hatch in the incubator as well. I set some green eggs in there with the turkey eggs so I will have a few chickens to lay colored eggs. They are pretty neat. So all the eggs are in the incubator now and we wait patiently.
I arrived home to find my summer kitchen even closer to completion. The counter tops are in, as well as the stove now. All we need is to hook it all up and get the plumbing in and be done.
I checked my plants in the greenhouse and they have grown a lot in 4 days that I was gone. I have a lot of stuff to transplant this week between rain showers. Rosie gave me a thornless blackberry plant, and some Rugosa roses that will be planted and I have herbs in the greenhouse that will be transplanted as well. Lots to do this time of year.
So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

On the road

It kinda feels good to stop for a little bit tonight. I feel like I have been in perpetual motion since early today. I took my friend who had the stroke to Cardinal Hill re-hab facility today and dropped him off, he will be there for 2 or 3 weeks. Am just praying he is much better when he comes home. Then last night I got to thinking that if I needed to make a trip to my aunts to get a gas range then I may as well do it today while I was an hour and a half in the right direction. With a 5 hour drive I had plenty of quiet time to think and ponder, and jus listen to the silence and see the scenery. Our state is so pretty this time of year. Just seems to come alive with green and flowering trees and plants, live stock in the fields along the way with their little ones, large fields plowed waiting to be planted. You can tell its summer in Kentucky. I came across the Land Between the Lakes area and crossed both lakes, the water so clear and nice, a few boats out fishing. When I crossed Kentucky Lake there was a barge getting ready to go under the bridge. sigh............Oh well,  I got here this evening and had dinner at the local cracker barrel with my aunt Ann and 2 of my cousins and we came home. When I got here she told me I wasnt allowed to leave till at least Friday, so I will be leaving here on Friday morning to go see my friend Rosie and her family before heading on home on Saturday. I really dont have a lot of time this spring to be goofing off. I will need to get busy planting the rest of the garden and taking care of things at home. When I called home today to let the guys know that I made it here in one piece they told me they got my counter tops cut to size for my summer kitchen. So when I go home all we need to install is the range and we are set. I will be relieved to have this project behind me. Well the plumbing still needs to be hooked in, but thas a minor detail.
Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead on the road.

Stella

Home at last!

Well I finally made it home today, well this afternoon. Got home just in time to get the truck unloaded and Jason had to load up his stuff and head out to his new job. He is finally on the road driving a truck again. I am so happy for him to have found a job in these tough times but I know I will miss him being here all the time too. He is really doing what I have always wanted to do, truck drive and see the country. Maybe I can just live that dream through him. Robert, the youngest will graduate college in December and move on to make a life for himself. We are so proud of him for sticking with it and graduating college. Darn it seems like only yesterday they were both just little boys. This growing up sure does make it hard for momma.
Am glad to be home but I had a really good vacation with family and friends. Got to spend time with my aunt in western Kentucky and some friends there. Then on the way home stopped off to visit some friends in the central part of the state. I always enjoy time at Sam and Rosie's place, and she is such a wonderful cook. Last evening she taught me to make oatmeal soup. OK I know it sounds odd to most folks but you just have to trust me, it is really good and filling. Just hits the spot on a cool fall evening.
Tomorrow I will be trying to get some things done here on the farm before it rains again. I have some plants that need to be potted and brought in before heavy frost kills them. My rosemary for one thing has to be potted. If I get an early start I might get that done before it rains. So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Just relaxing

As you are aware I have been on vacation this week and have enjoyed it. I stayed last night at the guest house on the lake. Got up this morning and the sun was shining for the first time in a week. Was a beautiful peaceful setting watching boats and barges go by on the lake and enjoy my morning coffee. The temps are rather nice too for a change. Mid 60's here today in western part of the state. I guess tomorrow I will head in the general direction of home. But will make another stop half way there to visit some friends and spend the night with them before heading on home. I know I have lots to do when I get home. Only have a week to get all caught up and have surgery on the 29Th of October. Not looking forward to that at all.
Enjoy the photos and till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead on the road.

Stella

Seeing the scenery

The scenery on my vacation was just a bonus of the trip. On my way through Natural Bridge state park I took a few photos of the changing trees. So pretty this time of year. Its always good to visit my aunt and my friend that lives near her when I come west. Their season is a few weeks behind us so I can have the best of both worlds. The gardens are just finishing up here so I did get to help do some canning. We have made apple sauce and apple butter. Also made some cushaw butter for my aunt as well. Just the time of year to wind down and finish up with laying the garden by for the winter. Maybe I can get in a day of fishing on Kentucky Lake while I'm here as well.

Got an email from Jason back home and they have most of the sweet potatoes dug. So far 11 1/2 bushels with 3 more rows to dig. That's a lot of taters! I suppose I will have lots to do when I go home after my trip. Enjoy the photos of the scenery and till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead on the road.

Stella

The weather went crazy

I went out side earlier today and noticed a big change in the temperatures from yesterday. It was hot and humid, not like yesterday when you would be comfortable in long sleeves. Then I decided to watch the weather channel after seeing how dark the sky had gotten. We had a tornado watch most of the evening. These are the first storms we have had all year, no spring storms, just the rain. Early this morning we had some heavy rain and some wind. The wind has been erratic all day. Several times today the wind would gust and blew a few things over in the yard and then we would get a down pour of rain. At this point I think the storm warnings and watches are pretty much over for the night. We are due more rain tomorrow. And likely it will as I will be leaving on vacation. I will try to take some pics of the Natural Bridge state park area as I pass through and post those for you tomorrow night. Eastern Kentucky is just beautiful this time of year. Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Cool fall rains

It has been nice and cool for the past few days. With some rain almost daily. We have had enough I guess to settle the dirt down where we covered over the root cellar and contoured the hill. Jason got the grass seed sowed today and then we got another light shower after that. So the seed should sprout and not get washed away. We still have a good bit of clean up and raking to do to really call the area finished. But that will be after some drying time.
The trees are taking on their fall colors right now and are gorgeous. Next week our temps here are supposed to drop to the 40's at night. That's almost cool enough to turn on the heat. Well I sure am not ready for that. Where the heck did my summer go?
I made some of the Pina Colada jam today and dang was that stuff good. Was thinking it would make a fine treat on top of some homemade ice cream. Now if I just had an ice cream freezer.
I will be leaving here on Saturday morning for a couple week of vacation. Just need a change of scenery once in a while. I will be visiting some family and spending time with some special friends.
I do know that when I visit my aunt in the western part of the state I will have the assigned task of making some muscadine grape jelly. Then the following week when I visit some other friends, there is no telling what kinda projects we will undertake. I am really looking forward to this road trip. Then back home for about a week and I have surgery on my right elbow to fix the tendinitis that started 2 years ago when I got hurt at work. Not sure yet how long the recovery will be for that, but I have all winter. Just as long as I got Internet and can type with one hand, I will survive. Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Another day in paradise

Its just another day to try and get a lot of things done before the weather changes into fall. We have gotten most of the old farm house painted inside, still have 2 large rooms and a bathroom to paint and then the trim to finish. While out of town to a dentist appointment we had to do some shopping and picked up some paint at a discount store. It was a good name brand for $25 for a 5 gallon bucket. It was a light beige color which works great for the house. Also got 3 other gallon buckets of white paint for the trim. All really good quality paint and saved a bundle of money on it.
We have the dozer back here to get the root cellar covered over so we can plant grass on it before too late in the season. The top of the cellar will end up having about a foot of dirt on it to help maintain an even temperature all year around.
I have been wanting to get some pears off the tree to ripen so I can make pear preserves and haven't done that yet, so maybe I can do that tomorrow after I finish painting at the old house. The mustard and turnip greens I cut a week or so ago have grown back and need to be cut again. I have to get some straw next week and finish mulching all the plants that need to be mulched before winter. Dang I only have a week to get all this done as I am leaving on vacation October 10th and will be gone for a couple weeks. A much needed break before I have surgery on my elbow and am house bound all winter. Not looking forward to that at all.
Jason got the final mowing done on the farm yesterday and day before, it looks nice and tidy for a change. I noticed lots of fallen leaves got chopped up with the riding mower. The trees are starting to change into their coat of many colors for fall. And with the big full harvest moon, makes want to find a warm spot and curl up for a good long nap. Maybe that's a good plan. Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella