Farm Auction and Gardens

This past Saturday, hubs and I went to a farm auction, the entire contents of a farm that had been lived on by the same family for over a 127 years was being auctioned off.  We got there early for the preview, and there was some wonderful farming equipment spanning the last hundred years horse drawn on up.  They also had some household goods available.  Since this was the first auction that the either of us had ever been to, we were as excited as 6 years olds on Christmas morning.  We had decided on a budget before arriving (highly recommended as you can get caught up in the moment of bidding) and during the preview made a plan of action on what we really wanted or needed and things that we might like to have but were so so, set us a limit on each item, and thought that we were ready.... well, once the bidding starts it's fast paced and they move through items very quickly and so you may get caught up in the moment and there were several times I just wanted to stick my card up and bid on something cause I was so excited.  I managed to control myself though there were several things that I was like oh I'll bid it's not going for very much and then thought where will i put it or what will I do with it pop into my head, so I wouldn't bid.  But, really by the time all that went through my head they were done with the item and on to the next.  Guess, I didn't really want it anyway.  Out of our $200 budget we only spent $80, we did however have to leave early for a wedding and didn't get to bid on some stuff that we had really wanted.  The items, that we did get: 4 old leather horse collars and the harness sets to go with (really I only wanted 1 but they sold them together, so... good news though we already sold two of them for $10 more than we had paid for all 4 so it all works out) hubs got a hand crank meat grinder and my favorite item we got is a WWII ration books that still has some stamps in it.  I love all things historic or old items, especially if they have a story behind them.  "One man's junk is, another man's treasure".

My gardening plans did not really go as I planned, I have pea's galore though.  Which the turkey's love to eat, and so do I.  The strawberry plants that I got from my aunt did not transplant well, they are all limp and laying on the ground.... gonna leave them though in the hopes that next year they will come back.  Hubs built me another raised garden bed so I am going to attempt corn again (the cat ate the stuff I had started earlier) and put in the tomato plants that I started but, seem to to growth stunted.  Hopefully when I plant them in the ground they will spring up.  I think I am going to attempt to plant some pumpkins too.  Wish me luck on that.  One of these day's, maybe we won't have so much going on and I can actually make it to one of the two local farmer's markets.

Farming, even the small scale we do here at Ridge Top, really agrees with me. I love looking out over the farm... seeing all our hard work in action, the pens for the turkey's and chickens.  The orchard full of little apple tree's with the start of little apple's on them.  Butterfly's, grasshoppers, and bee's buzzing around all the wildflowers and tree's.  The evening lightning bug show is truly fab! Makes all the fields look like they are on fire.  It makes this gal smile.





Chickens and Apples

Saturday night, we moved the chickens from their brooder pens to their new coop and yard outside.  A little timid at first, they mostly stayed huddled together near the door to the coop, but after a few hours they seemed to be enjoying all that space to run around and flap their wings.  The first night in the coop went well and they all came running down the ramp Sunday morning, all was good with the chickens..... Sunday evening rolls around and we discover poor little chicken had been eaten (not sure by what), we found her in the silo.  We filled in some holes around our barn with concrete and set a trap for whatever animal it was.  We have not lost another chicken, so I am hoping that it has moved on.

I have some exciting news for you all.... our baby apple tree's have baby apples on them!!!!!! Here at the farm we are so excited.  We were told that most likely we wouldn't get any apples till next year at the earliest.  Not sure if they will get big enough to eat or anything.  Guess we'll find out in the fall.

I got some more pea's off my vines, but the strawberries are not bouncing back from their transplant and two extremely hot day's out of the ground.... I'll have to find a u-pick place around here so I can try my hand at canning jam.  Hubbs is going to make another raised bed for me on Sunday, so I will tray again with the corn, beans and watermelon, hopefully Romeo won't eat them this time.

Ridge Top Farm in Pictures

New Puppy

Meet our New Addition Rasputin the English Springer Spaniel.

Thursday night, was a perfect ending to an early summer evening.  The air was starting to turn chilly after a warm day, and the hubbs, DJ and I had a bonfire and a S'more.  After DJ had gone into bed, The hubbs and I were sitting in the twilight watching the fire when we saw 2 deer in the field behind us we watched them for a bit and those little buggers crept right up to our apple tree's.... I scared them off when I got up and walked toward the orchard for a closer look at the deer.  Oh well it's better for the tree's that way.  That was the first time we had actually seen deer on or around our property, though we see their tracks all the time, along with raccoon's, cats and other assorted critters.

Our new arrival that I mentioned in an earlier post, is a 6 week old, English Springer Spaniel puppy who the hubbs has named Rasputin.  We picked him up last Saturday from a breeder on the west side of the state, we drove 2 hours each way to pick up the little guy.  Napoleon is being a good "big brother" to Rasputin, playing with him and allowing him to cuddle up with him.  Romeo, in true cat fashion is spitting mad that we have brought home another wee beastie, and I admit that I was not the happiest person when he dug up my mini rose bush, and tried to bite one of my chicken's heads off. (the chicken is fine however).  I'm sad to report that George and Martha Washington do not like him, no they do not like him at all, however I believe that has everything to do with Rasputin chasing them around and grabbing ahold of their tail feathers.

Let's see, what else has been going on, OH!! I finally have pea's on my snap pea vines, and they are super super tasty. but, I have a question (please, leave a comment if you know the answer) will the pea's continue to produce all summer or will they die off?? do they come back in the spring or will I need to replant???  Now, strawberries I know come back every year, and I was lucky enough to acquire some from my aunt's front yard (with her permisson of course).  They even have some green berries starting and 1 that is turning red.  I am super excited that my garden has produced actual food, when prior years, I have managed to kill everything I tried to grow.  Unfortunaltey the cat is eating the corn and green beans I had started and keeps tearing up my sunflower sprout.  I am hoping to save the corn and green beans I think the sunflower is a wash.

The weather this week is awesome in the mid 70's and cool at night.  hopefully more bonfire nights soon.