Ewes Newes

Time for some babies.

Belle and Judy are getting ready to lamb.
This was Belle a few weeks ago.

And this is Belle now...
By the looks of things she will be having somewhere between three and thirtyeleven hundred lambs.

Judy looks like she'll come in with one forty pounder as usual.

Her last baby, Jesse, was so big she came out walking, talking and looking for the feed sack.

We've also had a bushel of baby geese...

And a batch of cats.
We only kept one.
He's brown.
Wendy's baby named him Chocolate and licks him every chance he gets.

I can't call Wendy's baby the Neighbor anymore because they moved one town over.
It was really hard for me to see them go, but our beloved little house finally gave out and it's no longer cost effective to keep it up.
I came home to that little house when I was born, so it has a very special place in my heart and it makes me very happy that Wendy's Baby had a chance to live there.
And his parents too of course.

This is Wendy's Baby on the tractor last summer.

This is him on the tractor a few days ago.

And in deep thought with the dog beside the tractor.

I think Wyatt and I are finally winning the yard wars.

When my sister was here a few weeks ago she helped us get a good start on taming the jungle that was encroaching on us 

And then taught Wyatt how to run the weed eater.

And now the yard looks like this...

All I do is ride the mower, but there's a lot to mow.

I'm making soap today, I'll get back to you on what kind I decide on.

Peas.

Natural Wonders

It's time to pick some weeds amazing plants!
So far I've found, growing in the pasture and around the barn, chamomile, applemint, nettle, foxglove and of course, the ever consuming, creeping wild blackberries.
It's amazing to me me, how as soon as I started looking around and paying attention to what was growing under my nose, I discovered a plethora of of goodness as opposed to what I had always considered a plethora of a huge pain in the as... Well you know.
Don't misunderstand, I think it can all still overtake me, but it's more comforting to know that the farm may slowly become overrun by herbal wonder disguised as evil green weediness.

Foxglove

Foxglove was typically used as a heart remedy and can be highly toxic, so I won't be using any of it, but it is beautiful isn't it...

Chamomile

I have chamomile growing out of my ears.

I'll pick the flowers as they bloom and dry them between layers of cheesecloth to be used later in teas for insomnia and headaches, in bathwater to relieve minor aches and of course in my homemade soaps.

After the last blooms I'll pick the leaves as well and cut the plant back for next year.

Nettles

If you have been a follower of the blog for long you know my ongoing battle with nettles...

They are overtaking the barn and sheds and it doesn't matter how many I cut back they come back two-fold.

Maybe I need to get into the nettle farming business and get rich on the stinging weed!

Nettles are used in teas, salads, stews and just about anything you would use a green in.

I'll dry the leaves and use them for tea and in my soaps.

In soap, nettle works for soothing eczema and psoriasis and helps with acne.

In tea it helps with arthritic pain and joint swelling.

Apple Mint

So...

I have this growing everywhere and had no idea what it was until one of YOU told me that it was apple mint!

Let me start by saying this... Apple mint smells amazing.

I walk outside on a warm day and the smell of the chamomile and apple mint is almost overwhelming.

I will cut and dry most of the mint, but I will also use some of it fresh in teas and salads.

Dried I will use it for tea as well but also, of course, in my soaps.

Blackberries

And finally, the Queen of all things, the blackberries.

They are everywhere.

I have tried goats, llamas, sheep and donkeys.

In the war on blackberries there is only one winner. 

The blackberries.

Of course an excavator and some Round-Up would would do the trick, I just don't happen have an excavator at my disposal and well we all know how we all feel about the Round-Up people.

So, I will become one with the blackberry and throw myself into the cobblers, jams, scones and soaps that the blackberry provides.

The following is taken from Alternative Nature Online Herbal

"Delicious Blackberries are edible raw or made into jelly or jam. The root-bark and the leaves are astringent, depurative, diuretic, tonic and vulnerary. They make an excellent alternative medicine for dysentery, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and cystitis.

The most astringent part is the root. Orally, they are used to treat sore throats, mouth ulcers and gum inflammations. A decoction of the leaves is useful as a gargle in treating thrush and also makes a good general mouthwash. The presence of large amounts of tannins that give blackberry roots and leaves an astringent effect useful for treating diarrhea are also helpful for soothing sore throats. A medicinal syrup is also made from Blackberry, using the fruit and root bark in honey for a cough remedy."

I don't think I'll be using blackberries for hemorrhoids, but I will be making some AMAZING soap with the leaves.

That concludes the weed walk around the farm.

Now to go out and get it and put it to use!

Peas.

*Sorry for the wonk of todays post, I'm not sure what went wrong with the formatting

Got Weed?

Here's how it all started.

It was around the time of the Kentucky Derby and all the talk was about mint juleps.

Who was drinking them, how to make them and the history surrounding them.

I decided I needed to find out what all this julep fuss was about, so I was off to the local "has it all" store and bought a small package of mint seeds.

I would grow mint for juleps on the deck.

Everyone supported my endeavour.

GK was excited because there's whiskey in juleps and Mike was excited because he is excited about anything I do.

I planted the seeds, I watered the seeds, I loved the seeds and it wasn't long until they started to sprout. Every day they would get a little taller lifting their tiny little heads towards the sun.

I would shelter them from the rain and fertilize every Tuesday.

I never stopped to think what an endearing attachment I was forming with this one little plant, but I needed that mint, just as much as that little Jr mint needed me.

When we lost GK at the end of June, I looked at my mint and felt sad because GK would never have a chance to savour the juleps that we looked forward to sharing together on the deck.

I knew it was up to Mike and I to see this Kentucky tradition through.

For Grampy.

About a week ago, Mike was commenting on how well the mint was doing.

How tall it was, how green an healthy the leaves were, but he also mentioned how curious it was that it didn't smell like mint.

I told him he was dumb and possibly congested.

How could it not smell like mint.

Duh.

That night as we sat on the deck, Maddy came out to sit a spell and commented on my lovely mint.

I told her how I had raised it from a tiny seed, watered it and fed it, and if she liked, she could take a small leaf and taste the wonderful minty freshness.

Her eyes lit up and her smile warmed my heart as she walked to my cherished plant.

She took one of the smaller leaves close to the bottom and gently laid it on her tongue.

Her eyes started to cross as she coughed up the noxious stem and looked at me and squealed "eeeeewwwwwww Marilyn, that tastes like weed"

What did she know I thought to myself.

She's just a child.

It's not a weed, it's MINT.

Let me just tell you, the kid was right.

It is a weed.

But it is MY weed that I have nurtured since the conception of it's weediness and I am committed to seeing it through to the very end. I will continue to pinch off the dead leaves and fertilize on Tuesdays.

Protect it from the rain and shelter it from the wind.

That's just how I roll.

In another week or so the weed will be ready for juleps, at which time you can expect to see me on the deck in a fancy hat and housecoat toasting my Grampy.

Cheers!

Look!!

Our new/old fountain resurrected for the first time since I was about three years old.
COOl huh!