TruWest Farm

The face of evil

2011-07-15T13:05:00.001-05:00

Finished this today. Got the bowl 70% off when Target cleared out their patio furniture, and then just "had to" go by Northhaven Gardens while in Dallas, which coincidentally had a good selection of succulents.

2011-07-14T14:05:00.001-05:00

Not as much mowing to do right now

2011-07-14T08:55:00.000-05:00

It may seem like foolish weather to plant a new tree, but the birds seem to appreciate this Tuscarora crape myrtle that Paul planted for me on Monday. It's a good size nest.

2011-07-13T20:10:00.001-05:00

Gotta love Texas

2011-07-13T14:12:00.000-05:00

2011-07-09T09:14:00.001-05:00

Life is rough for us puddy tats

Lantana is such a workhorse! I only watered this twice when I first planted it in April, and the front bed is blooming like crazy today....in full sun no less!!!

2011-07-06T15:18:00.001-05:00

Pretty Fourth of July arrangements from the Green Acre in Van Alstyne. Their 1/2 off sale starts tomorrow!

2011-06-29T14:27:00.001-05:00

Brining a one gallon jar of cucumber pickles....thanks for the tips Ann!

2011-05-30T17:56:00.001-05:00

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So far we have forty pounds of wheat that we've hand cut and thrashed. A lot is wasted on the ground, but so far I don't see a way around that. We prob got four times that left in our little plot that we hope to finish this week.

2011-05-29T23:04:00.000-05:00

Lots of bees on the squash and cukes today. Keeping a couple of hives is worth the trouble for pollination....just wish they could be trained to take out squash bugs :)

2011-05-27T10:08:00.001-05:00

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Starting to get a few peppers, kind of surprised since we've been abnormally wet and cool.

2011-05-23T21:02:00.001-05:00

Got another half inch plus of rain, but no tornadoes thank goodness. There has been a lot of bad weather this spring.

2011-05-23T17:33:00.001-05:00

Found fresh apricots at Albertsons yesterday. 15 pounds made 19 half pints of Apricot Honey jam. Used pomona pectin so it would keep the taste of the fruit and not be overpoweringly sweet.

2011-05-23T17:22:00.001-05:00

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What a dilemma....got one per dill plant and one on the only fennel...which I relocated. Need some sacrificial herbs!

2011-05-23T09:38:00.001-05:00

Y-Star Party Pan

2011-05-22T14:34:00.001-05:00

Painted Mountain Corn

2011-05-22T14:32:00.001-05:00

Tiny little eggs in Jessamyn's Black Spanish grapes....hope the fire ants don't find them.

2011-05-21T12:22:00.000-05:00

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We got two and three tenths of an inch yesterday. The garden looks like a jungle. Have started the squash bug patrol.

2011-05-21T11:05:00.001-05:00

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I'm really enjoying my new cheese and yogurt making station that Paul built for me.

2011-05-20T13:03:00.001-05:00

This lettuce has really bolted...its two and a half feet tall!

2011-05-19T20:05:00.001-05:00

Negative mastitis test courtesy of CA Mastitis Test Kit

2011-05-19T09:10:00.001-05:00

Cleaning out the barn is no fun

2011-05-17T16:03:00.000-05:00

Don't like getting up when its dark and the moon is still up.....those things mean its nighttime! Taking 3 cows to be AI-ed again, after this its back to a bull.

2011-05-17T06:25:00.001-05:00

I learned a lot at my class today

2011-05-14T20:27:00.001-05:00

Taking a food preservation class at Homestead Heritage today

2011-05-14T11:49:00.001-05:00

Buried treasure

2011-05-14T11:18:00.001-05:00

Pea pickin say

2011-05-13T15:01:00.000-05:00

Enjoyed my morning with the Grayson County MGs at Eisenhower's birthplace sprucing up the beds for the big garden tour this weekend. Come join us Sunday at 1:00pm and be prepared for a treat!

2011-05-12T22:51:00.000-05:00

2011-05-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

Stirring curds on a batch of feta.

Ed's Cherokee Purples are doing quite nicely in my garden

2011-05-10T20:05:00.001-05:00

My 17 year old filling out her first job app says " I feel so old" !!!

2011-05-09T18:03:00.001-05:00

Fun day on the farm....disbudding and tattoos.

2011-05-09T16:01:00.001-05:00

Jessie my youngest baked sugar cookies to take on our lake outing, then she surprised me with a handwritten book called Poems for each Month, based on a lesson we did in homeschool. Made me feel pretty good :)

2011-05-08T21:41:00.000-05:00

Anticipation

2011-05-07T23:35:00.001-05:00

Anybody else adding supers yet? I drove through a swarm on hwy 75 yesterday.

2011-05-06T11:12:00.000-05:00

We've been eating lots of salad lately, but I'm not complaining cause there will be a serious absence of greens once it heats up. Meanwhile it's chicken caesar salad, steak salad with basalmic, cobb salad, lettuce wraps...

2011-05-05T15:42:00.000-05:00

Whew....no freeze last night. Don't think it dropped below 42.

2011-05-04T15:21:00.001-05:00

Hardy Amaryllis, St. Joseph's Lily Hippeastrum x johnsonii. I got this from a neighbor in McKinney.

2011-05-03T20:58:00.000-05:00

So glad the sun is out today

2011-05-03T08:51:00.001-05:00

Feels more like November...cold temps and a steady downpour. Have gone from drought to flood in no time flat. Will be happy when tornado season is past - been spending LOTS of time in the closet packed like sardines.

2011-05-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

Yum

2011-04-26T22:32:00.001-05:00

Got an inch and three quarters since last night....and lots of wind. Much of my wheat is flattened, and it's at soft dough stage yet. Will it make it?

2011-04-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

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Bean sprout bouquet....thinning out the row

2011-04-22T15:39:00.000-05:00

Hickory always has a beautiful spring coat

2011-04-22T10:09:00.001-05:00

Cutie-pie

2011-04-21T20:27:00.001-05:00

I started these from seed in jiffy pellets. So far the bugs and the bunnies haven't found us. Organic all the way too!

2011-04-21T13:35:00.001-05:00

The beans are up and it's raining now as I speak....life is good

2011-04-21T11:51:00.001-05:00

The little boy is colored like a doberman pincer

2011-04-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

The little girl needs a good name

2011-04-21T07:58:00.001-05:00

My cute kids....happy 17th birthday Savannah!

2011-04-21T07:56:00.000-05:00

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My cute kids

2011-04-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

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The first pea's blossom of the season. Not to be confused with Peaseblossom, cause I don't need any strolling players in my garden :)

2011-04-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

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2011-03-16T13:35:00.001-05:00

Jessie's reaction coming off Batman ride at Six Flags.

2011-03-16T11:11:00.001-05:00

Savannah and I seek out the baby rides while the rest of our group rides Batman at Six Flags.

Having fun at the Dallas zoo. The arboreteum parking lot was full so we had to skip that.

2011-03-15T13:38:00.001-05:00

Spent the afternoon at Homestead Heritage in Elm Mott. Found this beautiful Painted Mountain Corn seed, and some blue Hopi corn. Love that place!

2011-03-10T22:18:00.001-06:00

Just finished planting 36 homegrown tomato plants and a flat of lettuce starts. Now we are assured of another frost!

2011-03-08T17:49:00.001-06:00

Got a few lettuces and tomatoes planted before the front rolled through.

2011-03-08T15:29:00.001-06:00

Fyi - arugula germinates easily.

2011-03-04T18:58:00.001-06:00

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The pic may not look like much, but its a marvel of modern engineering! My third 4x80 ft row without help of a tractor....just a small tiller, a shovel and my husband's back!!!

2011-03-04T16:37:00.001-06:00

The count is up to seven. We've had about one a day hatch and we have six eggs left from the initial sitting that we confiscated from the turkey hens....a couple were not fertile and two went bad. We also started collecting for a second hatch and these won't be staggered.

2011-03-04T13:24:00.001-06:00

Potted up tomatoes, peppers and tomatillos today. Getting ready for the MG plant sale in April!

2011-03-03T21:54:00.001-06:00

Peas are popping!

2011-03-03T17:16:00.001-06:00

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Phew....nothing was damaged in last night's drop in temps. Only two to three more weeks of walking in eggshells.

2011-03-01T21:46:00.001-06:00

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Took the whole family to the Dallas World Aquarium yesterday for Nate's birthday. Neat place to visit.

2011-02-28T19:12:00.001-06:00

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Sprayed fruit trees with Greenlight today, pyrethrins and neem oil.16 gallons took care of all the trees with a little left over. Most trees except pear are in bud swell. The pluot and one peach have open blooms. The temp is forecasted for 29 tonight, so I wonder if we will lose everything. Three more weeks untol average last frost.

2011-02-28T18:40:00.001-06:00

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Aaaagh, it's too early little peach tree....go back to sleep!

2011-02-26T15:37:00.001-06:00

Enjoying the winter rye

2011-02-23T16:01:00.001-06:00

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Yeah!!! First successful turkey hatch.

2011-02-23T07:33:00.001-06:00

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The turkeys had their chance and were not doing well with hatching. So far, two dead chicks of unknown causes. So the hens lost custody and the eggs were put in the incubator. We candled as they went in, and we've got a possibility of 16 good eggs.

2011-02-21T19:35:00.001-06:00

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Onion planting time

2011-02-07T17:07:00.002-06:00

The snow has melted and our place looks like it got hit with 4+ inches of rain all at once...I'm talking monster truck mud rally :( There is another cold snap and ice expected this Wednesday and wouldn't you know I got my onion and leeks in the mail today. Don't think they will be getting in the ground any time soon!

Popping up peppers

2011-02-06T15:02:00.002-06:00

Can't believe that I got peppers coming up in this weather. My thermometer says temps have been as low as 20.5 in the barn. Guess the heating pad did the trick.

Goat AI round 2

2011-02-05T16:30:00.004-06:00

Paul and I ai-ed goats for five hours today and oh do I have a crick in my neck! Here he is checking slides for motility and to make sure we weren't using dud straws.

Dinnertime

2011-02-04T18:50:00.001-06:00

AI-ing cows second round

2011-02-04T14:30:00.006-06:00

The vet AIed the cows at noon on Wednesday and 8am Thursday morning. They are ready to be picked up but the roads are so bad I don't know if I can get enough traction to pull a trailer. We've been house-bound for four days and aren't expecting a thaw out for another day.

Day 4 cold snap

2011-02-04T14:30:00.004-06:00

Four inches of snow, very soft and very pristine, and it's still snowing. Think it maybe insulating the house cause it doesn't feel so cold inside this morning. After three plus days with temps no higher than the teens that is amazing! I have NEVER experienced four days in a row of school cancellation.

Yep its still cold outside

2011-02-04T14:29:00.005-06:00

Barn cat decided he rather be a barn plant and found an empty spot under the lights to hunker down.

Too cold for goat work

2011-02-04T14:29:00.004-06:00

Removed cidrs and gave 2cc of lutelayze to goats at 7am this oh so very cold morning. The overnight temp was less than 10f. We will AI at noon on Saturday and 8am on Sunday.

Ice

2011-02-04T14:28:00.002-06:00

Outdoor skating rink - Texas style!

Scared of my coat

2011-02-04T14:27:00.002-06:00

Grouchy ole Hickory didn't want his pic taken while he was eating. Spent extra time tonight breaking ice and dragging straw bales to keep the goats cozy. How do you keep your poultry waterers from freezing?

Getting ready for peas

2011-01-30T18:12:00.002-06:00

Trellis is up, row is tilled and mounded and I'm all ready to plant sugar snaps. That's the real reason we have snow in the forecast!

Seed starting

2011-01-29T12:26:00.002-06:00

Testing all the lights on my grow cart. It's seed starting day!

Too early for chicks

2011-01-27T13:32:00.002-06:00

I think it's waaaay to early to be thinking about chicks. I can't imagine having to brood them right now with as cold as it has been. We would have to bring them into the house, because even the garage feels like the north pole. These three turkey hens must think otherwise because they are all sitting on one nest. The silly award goes to Paul for letting them keep their eggs and entertain such silly notions.

Bad place for a nest

2011-01-25T12:11:00.003-06:00

The silly turkey hen made a nest right behind the door. So far she is sitting on nine eggs. Anyone in the market for turkey chicks?

Zero for zero

2011-01-24T15:44:00.002-06:00

Golly gee I'm frustrated. All four cows pregnancy checked and all four are still open. Redo!

Old chicken

2011-01-24T14:30:00.001-06:00

I'm not dead yet! We set this geriatric buff orpington hen outside to soak up some sun during her final days. I' ve had her for years and will miss her when she is gone.

Maggie

2011-01-23T18:09:00.002-06:00

My top Nubian doe who took the first time we AI-ed. She is bred to Price of the Fields Berth's Hodge Podge Henry. That is an old buck, but the line is a good one. I can't wait to see her kids in April.

Extracting a straw

2011-01-23T18:07:00.002-06:00

Straws inside a cane inside a canister inside a tank. The trick is finding the one you want, and extracting it without burning your thumbs in less than 5 seconds or else you ruin that straw and the others around it.

Fishing for straws

2011-01-23T18:04:00.002-06:00

Cooooold nitro

2011-01-23T16:55:00.002-06:00

Success! Picked up 38 Nubian straws as part of a swap and trade with another dairy.

Turkey nest

2011-01-23T13:09:00.002-06:00

We are letting the turkeys keep their eggs. So far one bourbon hen and one white midget hen are taking shifts sitting on the nest, they are both very attentive.

Road trip

2011-01-23T12:12:00.002-06:00

I am off to pick up some Nubian straws in Midlothian.

2011-01-20T12:42:00.001-06:00

Lining up for breakfast

Toe trimming

2011-01-19T14:16:00.006-06:00

It was very cold standing in the wind holding the horses still for the farrier today. I feel like I was gypped....the weather forecast was for 58 degrees today and it's at least ten below that with a strong southeast wind. The horses decided to be difficult today too. Our mild mannered sorrel Te was intent on nipping my gloves, and he is never lippy. The only thing I can figure is that he didn't like the smell of the deerskin. Otherwise it was fun standing in the cold, scolding the horse for trying to bite my hands and then paying for the pleasure. Three horses, three manicures every six weeks....it adds up.

Test results

2011-01-17T17:38:00.003-06:00

Not happy at all. I got the pregnancy test results back today, and we only had one out of six goats that was pregnant. Bad statistics for sure. When we did the AI in the first place, we followed the instructions for the CIDR implants and shots exactly. BUT when we actually did the AI-ing, I took notes of what stage of estrus the goats appeared to be in by looking at the visual clues such as color and position of the cervix, mucus, and also the does' behavior around the bucks. I would have guessed that Maybird would have been the one that took, but I would have been wrong. And I thought that Mary would have had a good shot since we gave up trying to AI her and put her in with a buck. But no, it was Maggie the senior doe who had a positive test result. Go figure!!!

So back to the drawing board. I have a nitro tank now. I need to drive down to Midlothian this weekend to pick up straws from a goat friend, and I also have to order a gun, speculum and light before I can start all over again. I have got to hurry too because the goats will stop cycling in the next month or so. Sigh...

Sneaky Speckles

2011-01-17T12:14:00.004-06:00

Paul has been feeding the cows extra alfalfa for protien, and Speckles decided to help herself! It is time to check the cows for pregnancy and see if the AI took. I will be making their vet appointment for later this week. I think I've seen the two younger jersey heifers (Speckles and Spunky) go into heat, so I am not holding out a lot of hope that everyone got bred.

Hilltop Oregano

2011-01-16T16:38:00.003-06:00

This variety of oregano is supposed to be really outstanding for culinary use. I was on the lookout for it after reading the Jan/Feb edition of Texas Gardener. They had a tribute article about Madalene Hill of Hilltop Herb farm, and the herbs that she particularly liked. I found these at Northhaven nursery yesterday. It is a hybrid of sweet marjoram and oregano, with the fragrance of the marjoram but the winter hardiness of oregano. Now I just got to get out in the cold and the mud to plant it!

Sammy and Maverick got shots today

2011-01-14T21:20:00.002-06:00

I am ashamed to say that they were over do and then I panicked when we started having a stray cat make frequent visits to the farm. Sam got into a fight with him and that is when I realized that I better take care of their vaccines. The stray which Jessie calls magic forest cat, (strange since we live on a sparsely treed pasture), is going to find himself relocated wih the live trap if he tries off drive off my barn cats. He looks just like our declawed tabby Buster who lives indoors and we are always thinking that he has escaped.

Terrific tool find

2011-01-14T17:00:00.003-06:00

What woman needs diamonds or pearls when she has her own mortar mixer - i.e. goat soap mixer?! Found it at home depot for half price when someone internet ordered it and then returned it to the store. I've just got to research and see if I can mix soap in a plastic container or if I will have to replace it with stainless steel. All I remember for certain is that aluminum is out.