We Are Still Here!

Whew!! Things have been so busy here at the Backwards Homestead! I thought when summer came to a close that things would be slower. It seems that it has not been like that at all! If anything it has been even crazier!
First off, Lee and Cayce bought a home of their very own! I know right? When did Lee even get old enough to do such a thing? The house is only a very short distance from ours, it even connects to our property. I will say that it was quite the ordeal as there were many hurtles to jump, and several issues that needed to be unraveled. But, it finally happened and with a little elbow grease, and a lot of teamwork it has come together.  Now they are moved in and happy as two bugs in a rug! Here are a few pictures, Yay! These are Cayces' pictures, which I snitched off her facebook, lol THAT is why there are none of her included. I MUST make them take a good picture in front of the house soon!

Here is the house!

Beautiful painting done by Lee and Cayce,

First supper in their new home! Yummy!!

Jayne is feeling right at home!

 We even captured a very rare picture. I think it is called: "Man Mopping" 

Look at Lee go!

We have also gotten a new addition to the Backwards Homestead! Katrina and Joy now have a new little colt named Baelfire. We call him Bae, and he is a real sweetheart. He is about 6 months old, so just a little sprout!

Yummy Grass!

Ciskgo is not too sure about the new baby!

Bae was trying to be friendly, but they were having no part of it!

He has already grown a lot, and is doing great. I think he will make an awesome addition to the farm. I know the girls are just crazy about him already. He has even captured my heart with his big brown eyes and total fuzziness!
As a quick catch up we have also:

Bought some turkeys!

Gotta Love a sale!

Made delicious ham broth and turkey stock!

So pretty!

Canned some Cabbage soup! Which I might say, was not a good idea. After canning it tastes SOO strong..Boo!! Very disappointed!

Soup!

And even canned some venison!

Mmmm!

Well, not too much of an update, but I hope that it at least fills in some of the blanks of how things have been going here on the farm.
I am planning a few posts in the near future that will be a bit longer, lol  Please, comment below with any comments, or just a note to let me know you were here!

Playing Catch Up!

Hey everyone! I know, I have been missing in action. Not that everyone has been just waiting for me to make a blog post, lol But things have been a bit busy. I still have to finish my wedding post. but until then I will update a bit on what has been happening around here.
The piggies are growing like crazy, it seems that are going to outgrow their pen very soon. Charlotte has at least calmed down so that we can get in the pen without her trying to eat our face off! These little guys are too cute and have already learned what a bucket of milk looks like from across the yard, they start squealing as soon as we step out of the barn!

OINK!

 These are some piggy little piggies! Charlotte is getting ready to wean then I think as she will flip them way in the air to get to the food first! Now THAT is one greedy Mama!

Nom Nom Nom

 They sure have grown! Funny how in a short 7 weeks they have grown to be such big piggies! The sure love their food! The bottom picture is pretty unusual, she is actually SHARING her bowl!

ClaraBelle is also doing so well, and hopefully will be having a little one in October. Joy and Trina have been working with her and she is learning to lead, let us touch her and stand still while we spray her with fly repellent. May not sound like much, but holding on the a lead rope with a nervous cow with horns is quite an experience!

Joy and ClaraBelle

Giving some huggies!

She is going to be a great little cow and hopefully she will have an easy birth and add another little calf to our growing herd!
Ok, so a few random pictures of things that are pretty normal here on the farm. I have to say, there is nothing better than the life that we life here on the Backwards Homestead.  Things may be hard, and frustrating at times. But all in all, I feel very blessed!

Yummy Flossie Milk! 2.5 gallons of creamy goodness

 Morning milk getting nice and chilly. Flossie is a milk machine giving us almost 5 gallons of creamy milk a day which makes lots of delicious pudding, butter and cottage cheese. So nice to have a a constant supply of delicious milk that is just a squeeze away, lol

Ace waiting for his bowl of milk

 Ace is quite the lazy dog! Many people think he is a meanie, but he is really just a cuddle bug! He still thinks he should be able to sit on your lap, and will climb his big butt right up there and smush you flat as a pancake!

The horsies in line eating supper :)

This is actually a rare moment. They are all standing in line, without fighting and nipping each other, lol

Pooter with his typical cat face!

This is possibly one of the silliest kitties. He is a bit special, and is a real sweetheart. He adored petting, scritches and cuddles. It is hard to believe that it has been a year since we brought he and Zelda home from the shelter to join our family. Now I can't imagine life without them!

Ellie and Ciskgo having their breakfast

Mom blowing out her candles on her 70th birthday!

Had a blast with Mom on her birthday! She kept thinking she was 68, and then when we would tell her she was actually 70 she would say " Well, time flies when you are having fun!" I am so very blessed to have her here with us and be able to care for her. I am also very blessed to have such a loving family that helps me and has such patience and caring with Mom. I am not sure I could do it alone, nor would I want to! My family is my saving grace and I love them all so very much!

Beautiful sunset

This is one of the things I love about the country and the life we have here. There is beauty at every turn. If you have a bad day, or just need a bit of time to catch your breath, there is always something that will show you that life is beautiful. The miracle Gods creation is awe inspiring and will boost your spirits and heal your heart always..

Well, as short as it is I guess that is all! I am working on the wedding post and since I got the pictures from Cayce I am hoping to finish soon! Hope you enjoyed the post and feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!!

My Wabbits Have Been Vewy Vewy Sneaky!

We have 3 rabbits, that all stay in separate cages. We have them in separate cages because, well, bunnies are known for their ability to turn themselves into more bunnies, very quickly! We were really not looking to have MORE bunnies, three was the perfect number!
First an introduction. We have Kera, Cayces bunny, who has turned into quite the diva! She growls every time you try to pet her, and will jump like a rabid dog to try and bite you..Not a nice bunny sometimes!

Cayce with Kera back when she was a snuggle bunny!

Kera today. She is giving me the eye!

Then we have Fred. We have had Fred for years, and I do mean YEARS! He was actually born here on the farm when we had lots of bunnies. We kept him and he was actually Paytons bunny for a while. He is old and slow, with long grandpa toenails. He is sweet though, and will let you rub his head gently. Just don't try to pick him up. He can use those scraggly geezer toe nails to fillet anyone who tries to lift his old booty off the wire..

Fred

Then we have Bun Bun. She is Trina and Joys bunny that actually stayed in the house a while until she became a RockBand killer and a serial cord chewer. She is quite huge! Her neck fat is so huge she can use it as a pillow. She is also not so sweet. A bit skittish and will retreat to her hut whenever you try to pet her.

Bun Bun

Ok, now you have met the players, and now to present the mystery!
When I went out to do the morning feeding I looked in each bunny cage to see if they needed feed, water ect. Also we check on each bunny to make sure they are not dead. Sounds like an odd thing, but I can assure you, dead bunnies look alot like living bunnies when they are sleeping in their hut, which has a small opening, and you can barely see them. At least to a person hurrying to get chores done! I am not saying how I know this little bit of information. Hmm. nope, not telling the story of the person who fed a dead bunny for a week...
Anywho. As I said,our bunnies each have their own cage. Bun Bun and Fred have a wooden house attached to the back of their cages and they each have their own apartment. SEPARATED by a wall...a wooden wall. Never ONCE have I seen anyrabbbit in any other cage/hut than their own.
But, as I go out to look at them I see a massive amount of hair literally filling Bun Buns hut. Hair everywhere! IN her hut, spilling out into her cage...Which if you know bunnies, they pull hair when they are about to give BIRTH! Birth, as in after pregnancy, which only happens after "two bunnies who love each other very much lay really close and share a very special hug". Which cannot happen from separate cages..can it?

What the HAIR!?

After standing there staring at the offending pile of hair, then at Bun Bun, then at Fred. Who I must say never even twitched a whisker. Even when I asked him if he knew ANYTHING about this pile of hair! Nothing, he was totally silent.

I know nothing!

Bun Bun just looked at me...looking much skinnier than before, and bald...

What hair? I don't see any hair?!

 I grab Cayce, and we stare at the fur together. Hmm. Since all the other animals are still waiting for breakfast, and we can't stand staring at the fur forever, we have to forge ahead. Cayce did bring up the fact that Bun Bun and Fred were separated by mere wood...but Fred is old for heavens sakes! He barely moves! I thought hmmm, we should look into that, But, the mystery was still unsolved since duty called!
When we finish with morning chores we get Trina and Joy up to check on their funny bunny. After all, if this has been some sort of immaculate rabbit conception, we are gona need witnesses! Plus, Bun Bun is a scratcher too, and she IS their bunny! We also bring a flashlight, to shine on stuff.
We shine the flashlight in the hut, just hair. We shine the flashlight on the rabbits..still rabbits. Then, as we are shining the light IN Freds hut, we see light in Bun Buns hut. Hmm, pesky rabbits!
It seems, that they have gnawed a hole in the wall that separated them, and managed to have that special moment. Great. Wonderful. *sigh*

See, back in the corner, in all that HAIR! It is a HOLE!

 So, Fred, who looks like a old bag of rabbit skin, like a pee stained bunny slipper, is a ladies man after all. Now I know why he looked so tired all the time! It was all that chewing! It was like the Shawshank Redemption of bunnydom! No telling how long he sat in there, nibble nibble nibble! Packing the shavings out in his mouth, so nobody was the wiser!
 As of today, we are still unsure of whether we have babies, or not. Bun Bun is not willing to let us into her boudoir. We have shined the light, peered with total intent, and even tried to sit under the cage to see if she looks like she has been nursing babies. So, one mystery solved, while the rest of the story is still waiting to unfold!

Let The Canning Begin!

I just love summer! The sunny days, warm nights! It is all just too wonderful after freezing our butts off all winter long. I personally think about gardening ALL winter long. From the time I gather that last veggie out of the garden I am thinking toward the next spring. I am not sure what it is, but gardening, canning, dehydrating and freezing all the bounty of summer is just the best thing ever!
This week has been dill pickles, Clifty and Kosher. Clifty pickles are ones that I made by mistake one year and we loved them, lol They are pretty salty and quite sour. But yummy!

Cucumbers!

All sliced up and in the jars

Yummy seasonings!

Here they are fresh out of the Water Bath Canner

 The last picture is the finished pickles made by Cayce! It was her first time canning with me! She Loved it, I may have created a monster! She is practically hovering over the cucumber vines waiting for them to get big enough to make more, LOL! I love sharing the canning bug with others, as it is such fun and the rewards are so tasty. It really makes me happy to be able to go to the pantry and grab a jar of summery goodness.
During the summer garden time is a time to family togetherness too. We all troop out to the garden every afternoon to pick all the yummy goodness. It is like a treasure hunt for cucumbers though, those little boogers are nearly invisible hidden under all those big green leaves!
Joy has her eye on a couple of juicy watermelons that are coming right along in the garden!

Joys picture of one of the watermelon babies

Another thing that has been going on here at the Backwards Homestead is Haying. If you have animals, they have to have something to eat during the winter too. Since horses and cows won't eat pickles, we have to head out the the hayfields and toil away until we have sweet smelling rolls of hay for them when the snow blows!

One of Pud'nins trusty tractors!

Lee driving along

HAY!

With all this work, we still have to have fun! Especially when it is a billion degrees outside! Our pool is going through a renovation stage, so we aren't even sure at this point if we are gona manage to get it up at all..So we had to improvise when a couple of the grand kiddos were toasty!

Brr!

Water troughs are the best!

Today will be more canning, and if I am lucky I will pick enough blackberries to make seedless preserves. Last year I made 24 jars of preserves and it didn't even last until Christmas! That is like the Clifty pickles, I guess. I made 32 jars and thought I might be done. BUT, we have already eaten 5 jars, so I might ought to make at least one more batch, lol These things are addictive! Salty, sour and all crispy. Nothing like a homemade pickle on a sandwich! 

I am so blessed to have had so many people in my life to teach me the skills I would need to be able to live a self sufficient lifestyle. I remember sitting with my MeMaw at her kitchen sink on a stool "helping" her do peaches and tomatoes. We sliced the peaches and then she put them out to dry on a sheet of tin in the sun. Now days people would have a stroke if someone even suggested doing anything like that! One year the peaches were so wormy that it took forever to get anything substantial, but she persevered, and that stuck with me. She told me that " Any was better then none!" I sure miss my Memaw, she was one of a kind!

My mom continued the tradition, and when my kiddos were small I would go to her house and we would have all day canning marathons, lol We would start early in the morning, going out to the dewy garden to get things gathered before it got too hot outside. Then we all worked together getting it into a bag or jar, which made it go faster. It was always a time of talking, joking and sometimes tears if someone was having a hard time with something in their lives.  

My kiddos were always right in the middle of it all, learning the process as soon as they could, lol Of course, sometimes it was a bit harder with all their help, like the time Katrina sat her hiney in the middle of our dishpan of corn, and took a bite out of every ear! 

Canning days were more than just a day to put up for winter, it was time to spend with the ones that you love! Maybe that is why I love it so much! With that being said, I better get up and get busy! Here on the Backwards Homestead, there is no rest for the weary!

Mary Mary Quite Contrary!

How does your garden grow?
Anyone remember that nursery rhyme from when you were a kid? My mom used to read nursery rhymes to me all the time and I actually remember them from way back then! The reason I used that particular nursery rhyme is that is is Spring! Yep, and that means it is time to get out in the SUN, and plant your garden!
This year we have decided that we are going to try and make this farm pay for itself a little bit, and since we will have the Backwards Homestead totally paid off this summer, there is no time like the present to start some self sustaining projects like bigger gardens!
For several years now we have been fighting the same garden spot and the hard clay dirt that it contains. It is a nightmare. I am totally serious when I say that you could actually throw a pot with the dirt. When we till, it turns into hard clods that just rattle around your hoe making you so mad that you could actually pitch those clods at anyone who even doubted the depth of the clayness!

WATER!!! WATER!!

To make things even more needful as far as MORE garden area, Katrina and Joy had went to town to buy me some seed potatoes and onion sets. When they get to the store, the guy is overcome with seed potatoes! He offers them a 50 lb bag, with a BOGO deal!  Trina, being her mothers daughter, comes home with 100 pounds of seed potatoes! To be fair, she did call first, but I am sure knowing the answer. I mean FREE TATER! Who would say no to that? Not I! I now needed a tater patch. A big tater patch...
We had already decided that we wanted to expand our horizons, and till up a few more garden plots.... But! I was pretty nervous because taking totally awesome grass, and tilling it up gives me hives! After all, what if the dirt was the same?! What if it was still clay-e?! What if it washed, and made a huge mess of the yard?!? What if!?!? I could pass out just thinking about all the things that COULD happen.

The INHUMANITY!!

 So, one day while I was inside, Pud'nin just went outside, leaped on his trusty tractor, and tilled me a spot. I was a bit nervous when I saw it, and I admit I was a bit itchy. It looked great, but....what if?!
But, we forged ahead.
But, this digging thing is addictive, and like most farm things, is one enough? Is two enough?! What about THREE! Since I had gotten my hives under control, and the world had not ended because we had tilled up the grass, we decided to till yet ANOTHER garden spot! This one is even bigger than the original garden area!! Woot!

The original area, AKA the clay mine!

This is the third spot, ignore the grass, been too wet to till!

The second area where I figured out the world will go on even  if I destroy the grass.

It has been SO awesome having all that dirt, all the possibilities. We planted onions, radishes, tomatoes and cucumbers! We planted potatoes, green beans, horticulture beans and watermelons. We planted until there was not a single inch of unseeded dirt. It.Was.Awesome.
Well, unless you count that I threw out my back and I am still not able to walk totally right, it was awesome! Someone had to take one for the team, so what is a little back pain...or alot of back pain. Debilitating back pain actually. Looking back, if you decide to triple your garden space, you might wanna stretch a bit first, it can be a bit of a buzz kill when you are laying flat on your back crying like a girl for days!

But, it was worth it because now I have so much stuff growing that when it all comes in I will be under mountains of produce! Acres of squash, billions of tomatoes!! I can't wait to start eating and canning all sorts of yumminess. We ate so much of my stash last winter that I will be one busy woman this summer. This is the part of being a throwback in time. Feeding my family from the land and from the work that I do myself as a labor of love! There is nothing better than popping open a jar of home canned goodies. Or being able to give someone a gift of summer deliciousness in the middle of December.

Yummy!

Did anyone else decide to go big or go home? Expand a garden? Take on a new project that will make things way better for yourself and your family? If so, I sure hope you are as excited as we are with our venture into mega gardening!