(DF) FREE COLD FRAME?

Maybe not totally free, if one considers the time and a little work as a cost. The materials were, in fact, about as free as it gets. The blocks are some of those I spoke of in a previous post on salvaging blocks, the only money spent was for the amount of gas to drive the tractor less than a half mile. The glass, (one tempered glass panel from a sliding patio door), was free for the taking, simply because the previous owner did not want to pay someone to haul it away after replacing it with a new one. Even the prop stick for the glass, (the broken handle from my wood splitting maul), was free.

The hardest part of construction was getting the blocks level. I had to dig down a few inches on one end because of the hill. The blocks had to be leveled in both directions so the glass would sit flat on top. With the digging done, stacking the blocks was quick and easy. I stacked them without mortar, (in case they ever need moved to another location). The joints are offset for stability.

After digging in a few inches of composted hay, I placed the glass on top and the cold frame is ready for seeds. The addition of the broken handle allows for the glass to be lifted on hot days so there isn't too much heat build up.

Now if I can just find some kale and/or Swiss chard seeds, (or some of the lettuce seeds Anna has left over), to go with the green onions, it could be Christmas salad in the making.

(AF) Dandelion

Hello, all! By now you may be wondering if I was ever going to write again. I have so many posts in my head that I want to get written, but putting up pears and preparing my little farm for Winter has kept me so busy that I start working the second I hit the floor in the morning and don't stop until I sit down somewhere late at night and accidentally fall asleep.

One update since the last time I wrote is, unfortunately, a sad one. On Halloween morning I lost my wonderful and faithful Billy Goat, Dan (short for Dandelion... I name my goats after flowers). Born the same day as my first grandchild, and the last remaining sibling of a set of triplets, Dan, 9 years old, went very suddenly and unexpectedly.

Dan appeared to still be the picture of health. His weight was good, he was always the first one to the food at feeding time, he was very active and energetic, and he was faithfully doing his job with the Nannies that had just come in season. Everything was as normal as usual.

Then the night before Halloween, when I went to toss the goats some pear trimmings, Dan acted like he was really tired and didn't run for the food. He instead came over to the fence, looked up at me with weary eyes and gave me kisses. At my encouragement, he finally nibbled on some of the softer pears. My beautiful, energetic Dan had never acted like this before and I knew what was probably coming. I stayed up late keeping an eye on him, but I finally had to sleep for a few hours.

In the morning I rushed to get outside to check on Dan. But sadly, the leader of my small herd was gone. All the other goats slowly and quietly met me at the fence. They seemed so lost. Dan had instinctively gone into his little house, laid down, and went to sleep for the last time. It appears he probably had a heart attack or something of the like. My heart broke in two!

Not only were the other goats and me ultra attached to Dan, but so were several of my cats. It was heart wrenching to watch a couple of them nuzzle up to his neck and chest in an attempt to get him to wake up and play with them. One cat even perched herself on his neck, gave him a cat bath, then sat there on his shoulder for a long while in a protective stance. She was going to protect her best friend until he woke up. Oh, it was so sad!

My beautiful Dandelion was the most wonderful Billy Goat anyone could ask for! He got along well with other billies, yet let them firmly know that he was 'boss', occasionally getting a little too rough to get his point across if one of them tried to take the lead. He was gentle, loving and very protective of the nannies. He loved his ladies! During breeding season, nothing stopped him from getting his job done, not even cattle fencing .... he would go right through it (I still need to get a couple of spots repaired). And as for me, he was the most loving, caring, gentle 'farm friend' a person could ask for. He loved cuddles, hugs, kisses, and, best of all, back rubs (which he so often adorably begged for). Before he got too tall, I could ride him around the yard (yes, my feet still touch the ground, so no weight was on his back), and he let small kids ride on him, too. He would sit still for as long as I wanted to and tolerantly let me braid and play with is beard, lol. He had a long beard that I just loved messing with and he was so patient with me, never fussing or complaining at all. If I was out in the goat yard and needed something to lean on (such as to get a rock out of my shoe), he was there for me, standing still and firm as I leaned on him, never complaining or faltering. If I fell (and often times I do with all the arthritis in my legs), he was usually the first goat there, nudging me to see if I needed help getting up. He was one of the best, most loving and faithful work animals I have ever had!

I could never say enough positive things about my wonderful, beautiful Dandelion. There aren't proper words to express the value he was to me and my little farm. He was my faithful worker, protector, and loving friend. We love you Dan, and we will forever miss you! You have well earned your rest, rest peacefully, now.

(DF) UNEXPECTED COMPUTER DELAYS

On the farm, there is always something coming up to change one's plans without notice. It is always necessary to be able and willing to roll with whatever comes up and make the best of it, no matter how much it interferes with the flow. Yesterday provided just such an opportunity.

It was my full intent to work on some outside projects as soon as the much needed rain stopped, then to write another post after dark. Instead, as the rain let up, I left my computer alone for a few minutes and returned only to find that it had become infected with a nasty virus. Off to the computer shop I went to get it cleaned up.

A few hours and some cash later, (OUCH!), I made it home in time to feed the animals, eat a bite, enjoy the earthquake, (yes, I did say, earthquake and it WAS small enough to enjoy), and do a few things in the house. Honestly, there was time for a post, but I was too fried from dealing with the computer all day.

The good news is that my computer is now clean and updated, and better still, it didn't transfer anything to anyone else. After cleaning up some unused files and changing some settings, it is also faster. So even though it was a delay, expense and annoyance, there is still a bit of a bright spot, as usual, and with this morning's rain starting to let up, the work I intended for yesterday is still there waiting for me.

(DF) SALVAGING BLOCKS

By now you may have noticed that I am a confirmed tightwad. Cheap is good, free is better, (as long as an item is still usable of course). With this in mind, you can imagine my joy at the opportunity to pilfer a pile of debris filled with old concrete blocks.

The pile of debris in question is from an old block building that had burned and been hauled away and dumped. BURNED is an important term here because the heat involved weakens the blocks making them useless for building structures. However, they are great for low retaining walls, compost pile boundaries, cold frame sides and any number of other projects. The trick is to know whether they are burned or not, since the ash and soot soon wash away with rain, making them appear the same as any other blocks. The rule of thumb is that if you don't know if used blocks have been burned, consider that they have been and don't use them for buildings.

Unfortunately, free isn't always exactly free. Yes, I acquired the blocks at no cost, but the catch is that they are not cleaned and neatly stacked, or better yet, delivered. I had to dig them out of the pile, haul them and chisel the old mortar away. Not as bad as it sounds, but if I had something I could use that time and energy for that would make a lot of money, it might have been cheaper to buy new blocks. There is also the potential for smashed fingers and toes in the process. The good news is that it doesn't all have to be done the same day. Once the blocks are on site, they can be cleaned a little at a time when there is a spare minute, and with gloves and caution, the blocks end up free for the hauling.

As with acquiring any material, it is important to know how much you will need. With used blocks it is a good idea to get several more than you will need. A certain amount of breakage is inevitable in the cleaning process, and in the end, a few extras will come in handy for other projects. Don't feel too bad if a few get broken. They aren't wasted because the ones that have one half intact can be used for offsetting the corners, and the small pieces along with the old mortar can be used as fill stone in other projects.

In the end, I have enough blocks for a couple of projects here on dave's farm, and maybe even a few for use on anna's farm as well. The only cost was a little gas and some work. That is a hard combination to beat.

(DF) WHAT IS IT?

Recently, Anna and I found this item at the grocery store. Neither of us knew what it was but we couldn't resist, (it was cheap after all).

What it is not, is a pumpkin or winter squash, judging from the flesh. What it might be, is some type of zucchini or zucchini crossed with something else.

I baked it as I would an acorn squash and it was edible though likely not as good as if it were cooked some other way.

If anyone knows what it really is and/or how to cook it properly, please let us know. We are certainly looking forward to finding new information, and recipes.

In any case, I have saved the seeds and it will be interesting to see what those seeds produce, depending on what was grown nearby that it may have crossed with.