Our Mary Jane Farmgirls Garden

Gail & I have been busy working on our MJF "Charming Chicks Chapter Garden" You may have to enlarge the picture to see the palnts growing.

We go there every Wednesday to plant & weed & eventually Harvest. We will share the labors with our chapter members who participate in the maintenance and the land owner who generously has allowed us to use his garden space , He will water it and also share his harvest of strawberries. So far this is what we have done in two weeks time. What fabulous soil & these plants love it. We have planted all organic & heirloon seeds & plants of Corn ,Green beans, Squash, Carrots, Beets, two different lettuce varieties, Chard, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Jalapino Peppers, Hungarian Wax peppers and Brocolli.

It have avereraged one and 1/2 hours of our time and about $50 in cash. We think this is a great project to be involved in. The excess harvest will be donated to a local food bank after we share among our families. We plan to make salsa as a group project and I will teach a canning & jelly class.

Life goes on....It is spring

See the flowers, Finally Spring is here in Southern Oregon. Life is renewed and as I walked deep in thought through this open land tucked in amongst the yellow carpet of wildflowers was this lone blue flower. (I love wildflowers.) I couldn't help but to think how it had struggled through the long cold winter, drinking what it needed to thrive and then popped through when the sun warmed the soil so it could unfold and show its face and take a strong hold in the dirt, living life to its fullest, bracing against any harsh wind blowing through the juniper trees growing strong around it. Too soon it will fade and drop its seed to start the process all over again. I feel a bit at odds this week as I learned of my ex husband's sudden death. Every living thing in life has its own journey and as we grow and develop the best we can by the blueprints laid out before us, we do not not know when the life as we know it will end. Like that flower, I lift my face to the sunshine and feel life warmth around me and brace for the future whatever that should bring. Happy to be here, where I am surrounded by the things & people that mean so much to me, and the earthly elements that nurture me I am aware of breathing and being alive. Lucky to have brought my camera along on this special day to capture this living growing beauty.

Front patio Inspiration

I bought this fabric a few months ago, I painted one chair and then other projects took priority. So today I decided I do not want to sit on those nasty old cushions any longer. ( plus we have company coming) So I painted the second chair this morning and just whipped up the covers. I now need a new table covering, an umbrella for the table a few colorful plants and we will be set to entertain, as well as enjoy our morning & evening meals here. What a difference a bit of fabric & paint can make, and dont ya think it looks nice?

Daytrip fun & we went swimming

This was a fun day, My mom & dad took me and Auggie for a daytrip to look for really nice camping areas for the summer. This is Cottonwood Meadow. We also went to Cottonwood Lake where there is a dock for us to run on. Mom took this picture of the creek that we were able to play in. Here Auggie and I are waiting for a stick to be thrown in the water for us to fetch.

Ready! Set! Go!
He is bigger than me but I am better.
See, I got it first cuz I am faster than he is. He tried to take it away from me too. I swam back and my mom & she & dad took turns tossing it back in the water for us to fetch again. Auggie and I had fun.

The water was nice and cool, we played hard and Auggie didn't want to share the stick very much when he got it. He took it away from me many times.

Here we are waiting on the dock for mom to take our pictures while we dried off on the dock. Auggie doesn't always pay attention, see here he is looking away when Mom said for us to "say Cheese" for this picture.

When we got home, I was really tired from running and playing.

But, We will be ready if they decide to take us again tomorrow or whenever the next time we go cuz then we will go camping overnight. We really were good in the car my mom said and I got to sit in front on mom's lap so I could see where we were going and Auggie had to stay in the back and watch out the window. I think I am still special.

Home Garden Planted

Today Clay & I finished planting our home garden.

It is going to really be nice when everything blooms & produces vegetables for fall harvest.

Now planted corn, yellow wax beans, green peppers, aneheim peppers, jalapino peppers, tomatoes, beets, peas, potatoes, artichokes, asparagus, and rhubarb.

The two trees in front of the garden on the lawn are a cherry with 4 varieties and a golden delicious apple. We also have a MacKintosh apple tree, blueberries, blackberries, marion berries, strawberries, raspberries and watermelon and sunflowers. It was a perfect day to finish planting but just as we completed the temporary fence to keep our chickens out the wind came up and it has turned a bit chilly. Temperatures are to remain inthe low 70's for the remainder of the week with lows inthe 40's. Tomorrow I will join my friend Gail at the Charming Chicks Co-op garden for our routine check of plants and any weeding needed. I sure hope the wind doesn't blow out there. All in all a very productive day for the Severeides'at Blue Sky Farm.

Meeting of the Farm Chicks!

Mary, Tina, Joann ,myself, Faith & Gail

The Klamath Falls Charming Chicks drove to Grants Pass Sunday morning to meet the Rogue River Chicks for Lunch and a wander around an Antique Street Fair. What a delightful group of gals they are. We then stopped at the city park where we were able to sit & Chat under these gorgeous trees, a welcome break out of the 98 degree sunshine. We will be joining them June 26 to build a float to ride on in the Rooster Crow Parade June 27th. Then we will have the pleasure of sharing time with them at the Mary Jane Farm Fair 2009 Buggy Barter Boogy July 3 4 5. We are going to really have fun with them and hope too host them ion our fair city in the future.

Oh, I am in trouble.....again

Gail & I were finally able to go plant some vegetable seed & onions at the Charming Chicks Co-op Garden patch yesterday for a few hours. It was a gorgeous day & will be just as nice & nicer the rest of the week & next...Then we drove out to her house so I could see her new "trailer " she is going to "Glamper" It really is cute and she has adorable girly girl plans for it. I can't wait to go Glamping with her. Well the trouble I got into was on the way to her place, I was following her in my car when she quickly made a u-turn to stop at a new AntiqueCollectable Shop. Well of course I followed her and My Oh My! What a darling shop it is.. and the prices are unbelieveable.. I saw this window shelf and pictured it immediately on my diningroom wall with my other Chicken stuff... as you can see it fit in nicely! What a bargain for only $15.00.

Tomorrow I could be in more trouble we are going to Grants Pass to meet up with the Rougue River Chapter for lunch & a street fair... I better go count my pennies...& blessings

The Sign says it all "Welcome"

Finally the freshly painted posts were set in concrete and after many, many coats of sealer on the blue sign after my dear son Dennis & daughter in law Michelle sent this to me for Christmas after they had already spent hours creating it. I will add our House numbers soon and it will be nicely seen from the driveway entry to our home. I will plant some pretty bright colored flowers too when the weather warms a tiny bit more, to accompany the white tea rose, grasses & lavendar plants. We might offer fresh eggs, wildflower honey & fresh produce this fall but the U-Pick blackberries are going to take a couple years. The sign has a few other offers that will probably never be put to use like Sleigh rides, where they came up with that one is beyond me.. However Clay has requested one more and ( if they do make it) it will go right up there under Fresh Eggs " "We Don't Rent Pigs!"quoted right from one of his favorite books"Lonesome Dove". Yes, he has quite a sense of humor matching that of the sign creators.

Checking in on the Bees

Do you see those happy bees? How many do you suppose are on that frame? I have no idea but they sure looks good, and they are buzzing and doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing.. The frames are filling with eggs, larvae, pollen and nectar . We noticed several frames that have cells that are being capped off where brood & honey are sealed off with a thin waxy substance.
There is so much more to raising bees than one can imagine. Clay seen here, is checking this frame for the queen, and making sure that the cooler weather has not hampered the growth of the hive. The warmer weather & sunny days has made the pollen source here made us believe it truely is spring. He will periodically must check the frames making sure there is no contamination of any disease in the hive and so far all is well. The first year goal is to maintain a healthy hive and not so much to harvest honey, but you can bet that we will get a sampling by the beginning of Fall.

Home again..and ..Back on the farm

Home a few minutes checked out my baby chicks that are now big baby chicks.. I decided to put them in the coop with the Dottie, Queenie, & Miss Goldie of course Big Al . The 7 new chicks * unnamed at the moment* were

not bothered by sharing their quarters. I put up three new nesting boxes and two perches in the "Studio" to accommodate the flock.

I planted 7 strawberry plants outside my kitchen window all within the first 3 hours home. I had a fabulous time with my sisters.. and SanDiego is still in there. We didn't do any damage. We went to a local presentation of an Agatha Christie play "The Spider web" and it was good. We shopped and walked everywhere so I got plenty of exercise before we ate and enjoyed the local wines. You know...It is always good to be home. There is just nothing like sleeping in your own bed but We are planning another Sister Weekend next year. But now its back to work & play here at Blue Sky Farm..... and the weather looks great for gardening this week! Horray! It is going to warm finally....and now I have laundry to do & bags to unpack...

Packed just in case....

I am sure you know that some airlines don't offer meals or snacks when flying coach.. * the only way I can afford to travel by air. I always hope for an upgrade.. doesnt happen ever.*...so I am carrying my own treat. I am going to meet up with two of my younger sisters and enjoy 4 days in San Diego , where the sun is hining and warmer than here in the PNW . No husbands, no pets, no kids... Fun Fun Fun. I have had such a craving for these bars for weeks.. I bought 4 last trip to the store. My friend Rene' from Mary Jane Farmgirls is cheering me on while another friend Carol...and also MaryJane farmgirl is telling me to "just say no!" I am sure she would understand now that she knows why I packed them.. You all know (just in case) they do not offer snacks....

These are my favorite treat .. they melt in my mouth and leave no chocolate mess. I do love chocolate of course but it can get messy... I seem to always end up wearing a tiny bit that dropped on my shirt or worse on my pants while seated & when it melts , oh Boy.... well You know what that looks like.. So I will be safe.... I am excited to travel with my sisters .. we have not had a "Sisters weekend in 15 years" I do see them both probably 4-5 times a year but not nearly enough sister bonding time.. and we really do appreciate these times together, when we can be silly, drink wine , play cards, & sit our on our Candy Butts around the pool, eating dinner

out and splurging on thsoe gotta haves while shopping... I'll be posting when I return next Monday.. and I hope all of you Moms have a super Happy Mothers Day !

Off to the Beauty shop

I have so much fun running and playing outside and once again I got really dirty chasing bunnnies and Auggie around the pond again .

My dad said my coat was too long again, and then he said I was going to see "Ronna,"I like her she is my hair dresser/groomer.

I was so happy I danced with joy. I love to go to town to HotsPaw. Auggie cannot do this trick.. but he can sit and watch me and doesn't get dirty playing in the mud like me because he doesn't have naturally curly hair. His is straight & Mud & water falls right off him.
So here I am now all shampoo'd and wearing my summer cut.. even though its raining outside still and I can't wait to go back to the pond to watch the ducks.



Don't you think I look handsome now?

Bees in their New Home

This will be their permanent location. Straw bales were placed to provide protection against any northern wind. Each frame has busy bees working to provide food for the "Queen " so she can lay eggs for future worker bees.. Only One queen reign in a hive.

The completed hive holds the frames securely and the bees will start gathering pollen from wildflowers to produce honey.

Our Bees are here!

They arrived in a 10"x 21" box buzzing. Each "Nuc" contains about 10,000 bees including the "Queen".

They were transported in the back seat of my car for the 5 hour drive from Portland.

The box of bees was quiet and only a few managed to escape in the car when they were initially placed for travel. Yes there was an open screen area on the end so they could be comfortable. Bees produce a lot of heat inside the hive when it is cold outside. Fortunately because it will be only in the 50 degree range for the next couple days and and rain is forcasted most of the week. Clay is preparing to put them in the hive, *their new home*. Since it is raining and no flowers are blooming today he will supliment their supply of nectar with sugar water and a pollen patty. I am sure I will become more knowledgeable about Beekeeping as we begin this adventure. Clay has read many articles and we took a class back in March to begin this project.

I will post more pictures tomorrow of their permanent home location. BeeKeeper Clay will handle the bees and I will be the beekeepers helper from a distance

for now. I only hope that they are happy and remain outside and not at my front doorstep at the "Welcome mat."

"Sprucing up" the Patio furniture

A spring project in the works, so far I have painted one of the 2 old sun faded chairs a dark green and picked out this pretty floral print fabric to cover both of my chair cushions. I have to make a pattern first and I sure hope I bought enough material.. I ran out of paint so muct get more this week...I will post before & after pictures when I finish them..and you can come sit and enjoy the sunshine with me...with a cold glass of lemonade...or chilled wine?

Recycle Crafting

This is what the trunk in my car has in it right now.. Lots of treasures from Thrifting.

I am not sure what all of it will become, but Gail & I had to get it all. We are crafting some cool stuff to sell at a Street fair in June. You know how it is, your mind starts whirling and you can't stop the creative side from working on overload... we both know we can come up with some great inspirational pieces..... for decorating and recycling these items into really cool things. We will no doubt go searching for more items before we are ready to present our creations.

A bit of sun & peace & quiet

" So I came into the sunroom to enjoy a bit of rays that were shining in on my favorite spot and Dad was reading the gardening section about when to prune trees, I was totally not interested because I was reading the front page of our local paper. I had to pretend to be listening until my mom came & took the picture." I smelled breakfast cooking and I was just relaxing. Then I jumped down to follow her into the kitchen where she had burned the bacon.. I hate it when she does that..."

She was not happy either...and just where is Auggie? I bet he beat me to it. He must have gone out on the porch to eat it. I was too late...."

Maybe I will just go back to reading and watch him out the window..

He sure is "Purdy" Big Boy

Well, We did it we got us a Rooster!

Yesterday Gail & I were out in her country neighborhood scouting out a "pretty" rooster for my husband. We came upon a few in a pasture so we bravely pulled in a driveway knocked on the door & asked If this gentleman had any for sale. He laughed & said "nobody pays for a Rooster around here," If you want one I have a few I can let you see. You can take your pick.. So he led us out to the back of his house and showed us a few gorgeous birds. I saw this one and immediately knew he was the one. We had to go back last night after dark to get him and brought him home. He is getting familiar with the girls..I am not sure what kind he is, only a mix of some. The previous owner said he hand led his birds a lot and he was healthy and not a fighter. Now I have to re vamp the Studio to allow him the Perfect Roosting place if honor. His presence moved our broody Miss Goldie aka Queenie right out of the nest today and she is out with the other girls foraging for whatever... ( and staying away from the Big guy.) We have not named him yet... but have a few in mind...I really think we are gonna like him.

"Read the smallest print...."

Today was the day! I went to the Optometrist. It has been 3 years since I have had an Eye exam. I have several pair of reading glasses around here everywhere. *The kind you get at the dollar store, you know the kind.. (just in case I loose a pair I have back ups..) but I can't always find those either. I have worn contacts, readers and prescription lenses. I am notorious for leaving them at home when I go to the store because I only need them for reading and close up work.
I noticed I need stronger ones as of late, so I decided I better go in and have the good Dr check out the health of my eyes. My Dr. put those drops in to dilate my eyes and I endured the good old exam questions 1? or 2? 2? or 3. This or this?
I thought for sure they would have come up with a different way to test with all the new technology by now but not at this Office. I did get a good report, No health issues.
After spending 45 minutes sitting in the chair answering those questions I do need stronger glasses.. so with prescription in hand I am sent right out to pick out a pair of frames from three wall displays of plain or color or plastic or wire where I get to choose .which one looks best on me . Another big production as well, The good looking, young sales assistant started showing me many designer frames, and asking me "something for fun? or for Fashion? Plain? Fancy?" I made my choice after trying on at least 14 pair before decided on something Fun? right, How can wearing glasses be Fun? and then came more questions, "Do you want scratch resistance, no glare coating? Do you want progressive lenses? Do you want ultra-violet protection?" Oh MY ...now I was getting confused. Wondering just how much all this was going to cost, "the complete package deal")
I decided to get only the scratch resistance coating and held my breath when I asked how much are the frames?bifocal lenses? and with the coating? Yikes $400 total! All I can say is Thank Goodness my insurance covered the exam.. Now I must wait 10-14 days for them to be ready, I left with my own sunglasses and dilated eyes to go pick up a few groceries.....I was glad there was no reading required buying avocados, tomatoes and fruit. I could feel those for ripeness..and the produce man didn't ask me any questions.

All in a Good Gardening day

It started with these three salvaged old wood posts used for steps down to the garden site. My dear friend Gail & I worked our tails off today hauling, planning, & planting . It was a gorgeous sunny day. The dirt was delivered and my wonderful husband and the neighbor spread it out on my garden site with his tractor and we planted 6 rows of potatoes, 3 rows of peas and 2 rows of beets. More vegetable seeds & plants to be added .
We found some old corral posts in the pasture area next to our property and hauled them to the back yard, cut them to length and worked them into the terraced yard where they step down to the garden level. Now to keep the chickens out, tomorrow thats the task at hand as we decide what kind of fencing to put around the garden. It will be a project in the making as we landscape the back yard. Picture of work in progress will follow. For today we are stopping while I rest my tired muscles after a nice refreshing shower & a cold beer. Clay & I will be making a trip to towntomorrow in search of the perfect flowers & trees next to plant...

That Puppy tires me out!

Hey there, Buster here....

"Boy, Am I pooped.. I needed to come sit in my Dad's chair to get away from that silly Auggie. He is a bit too big for me to play very long with. He is always ready to jump on me...see him in this picture? He is always waiting to play.

He sure does like to chew on things, I don't remember If My Dad had to yell at me to stop doing that. He chews on my ears and runs at me so hard he knocks me down. My Dad says he is very clumsy too. He finally lost his baby teeth and now it doesn't hurt so much when he nibbles on me to get me to play. He teases me with my rawhide bones & when I get them from him he really wants them back quickly, We play a take away game a lot. Auggie sleeps in the utility room every night and he likes to lay in the sun on the porch too. He is finally getting potty trained. I told him the our mom & dad were gonna make him stay outside unless he got with their program..He is doing lots better.. I got to go with Mom & dad yesterday to get the new chicks . Auggie had to stay home, but he did get to watch them awhile when Mom & dad were making room in the studio... I guess we are gonna keep him cuz he got his license when I got mine last week.. I will keep you posted as to how well he behaves....or not!"

Cluck Cluck Cluck...

I overheard the girls talking yesterday, after we moved their nests and filled the "Vacant space" in the Studio....

"So, Lucy, you go ahead make her move... She can't sit there all day long!
"Ok, Dottie, I will give it my best shot..."Goldie, Can We talk?"" You gotta move so Dottie & I can share the nest too...!"

"Nope, I am perfectly fine right here... go find another..."Clucked Goldie...

Now as their Chicken mama, I do know they can find another nesting place... I even baited a couple great spots with fake eggs....

I hope they settle in another one so we can gather an egg or two this week....

No Vacancy...Chicken Studio Full

All snug and happy as can be

My babies are home. We had to reorganize things in the studio.

The cage for the 7 new babies takes up 1/2 the studio floor. I had to remove a nesting shelf and the "Miss Goldie's nest" was placed just inside the door on the floor under a shelf. Here she likes the dark corner. I filled A nice big basket with straw and she settled right in. The other two were not so quickly settled and were curious as to what those babies were doing there..We shall see how they manage through the night. It will be nice to have all 10 girls together and after a couple more weeks I will let the babies go out side in the caged pen. They really liked sitting in the sunshine outside while their new home was being re-vamped.

The cage is a loaner from Gail...*A dog kennel no longer used . Thank you so much farmgirl!

Georgia Farm woman Giveaway!

Hey all, The Georgia Farm woman is giving away a great prize, two of her hand made Nesting boxes check it out.. http://georgiafarmwoman.blogspot.com/2009/04/chicken-nest-box-giveaway.html

Pullets are growing quickly

Our chicks are really growing, I went out to Gails' this morning to meet with the charming chicks hen party for a craft a nice lunch meeting. We have two new gals interested in joining our flock. We worked on our Chapter Journal and just had a nice chat time. I had to go see my chickies and take their photo. I want to bring them home as soon as I can.. but need the weather to be a bit warmer & make an area for them in the coop. All but 4 of the Buff orphingtons are ours. They have really grown and look very good. Gail has done a great job as their Nanny.. and I am sure she will be happy to move her chicks also into a permanent coop that her husband is building. Our weather is warming this week up into the low 70's by next week. We have our truck load of soil coming Next Monday so perhaps we can move the chickens & start the garden by end of the month.