Aug 29, 2011

Covered in Straw


BoyKinStrawcraigslist find from my mom
Friday: I bought my new Stud Bunny. His name is Boykin. I drove up to Lake Orion to get him. I answered an ad from Craigslist. I grabbed my friend who lives in the area, so I didn't have to go alone. He's not pedigreed, but I don't care. I'm just doing this for my own use.

Saturday: I moved Boris to her new Digs. Ma & Dick bought this for me from Craigslist a couple weeks ago. I busted my ass cleaning and removing the wire floor.

It's hard to find straw in the metro area. I saw a sign off the freeway service drive on my way to work one morning. I grabbed my mom and we headed over there Saturday afternoon. 2 for $10.
I came home and covered everything is straw.

Sunday: Very lazy day. I bought a new electric lawnmower! Ours finally bit the dust. I have a glorified vacuum cleaner. It has a bag & mulching option! We grilled Chicken, Beef & Lamb Kabobs for dinner.My mom bought them at Eastern Market on Saturday with my Aunt. I made whole wheat couscous for our side from "How to Cook everything". Dinner was so good.
My brother, Dick & I took a 6 mile bike ride after diner. We rode all the way to Lake St. Clair. It was a beautiful ride. The hurricane sucked all the moisture out of the air.





Aug 24, 2011

Early Pie Pumpkins

Early Pie Pumpkin
I love pumpkins!

Baby Pumpkin
I have a total 5 pumpkins as of Sunday!

garden update 8-21-11Pumpkins are out of control!
One surviving seedling has exploded and spread across the back privacy fence. I didn't know pumpkins sent off vines and replanted themselves into the ground! At first the seedling was only sending off male flowers. Then one day, two vines from the mother plant rooted themselves into my potato bed and the back grass. Their flowers were female! I was in shock. I almost ripped the lone pumpkin out of the ground, figuring it was only a male. I am so glad I didn't!

Aug 22, 2011

Weekend in Pictures

I'm stealing Weekend in Pictures idea.
I had to use my cell phone at the show and it takes terrible shots in the dim lighting.
What a great little bar, I hope they play there again! You could smell Slow's BBQ wafting down Michigan Ave.

Richard at Pj's before show

pj's

In the Alley

Detroit Fire Guild

Aug 19, 2011

Sugar Baby

These suckers actually grew! I am not a watermelon virgin anymore. I planted sugar baby melons memorial weekend. I checked on the vines and the smallest one split open. I checked each melon and pulled the largest ones. I didn't want to lose all of them from splitting. One melon is still left on the vine.


Aug 17, 2011

Pickles

Small Batch Pickles

I used the recipe "My favorite Pickles" from Small Batch Canning book.
I subbed pickling spice for the mustard seed.
I also put 1 clove of my garlic in each pint.

Aug 12, 2011

Rabbit Tractor

Boris's tractor

A month ago,I bought a bunny off Craigslist. We made her a temporary tractor to drag around my yard. It is made of pvc, chicken wire & those metal coated cubes. I saw that people were making indoor cages from those cubes. I figured I have some leftovers upstairs and it would work for the bottom and lid. Well, the wholes are a tad too small. So I clipped one section so i can pull it up so she can graze.

Meet Boris
Her name is boris. She is an 8 week old mutt Mini Lop mix. I love her tri-colors. She is a doll and very friendly. I think, she thinks, she is a dog. We are two dogs and she is in their domain. She sniffs them thru the fence and bounces around the tractor . She doesn't seem stressed. She lays out next to the fence next to my dog Iggy who is laying down also. In a couple weeks, I am going to pick up a Stud Bunny to start my breeding pair.

We are dispatching my 3 quail hens this weekend. We've been eating more duck eggs than quail lately. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the quail. I'm sure this fall my incubator will be filled with hatching eggs again, but only for meat. My co-workers chickens are starting to lay and I'm still getting free Muscovy duck eggs from another co-worker. I am covered in the egg department. HAHAha covered in egg.

My pumpkin plant has exploded out of its patch and is taking over the back fence line. Wow, these suckers are huge! I love the flowers. I've never cooked fried blossom, so I'd like to try.
I pulled the remaining carrots out last night and two were mushy. Time to plant more lettuce radish & carrots! Two weeks my melons should be ready.


Aug 9, 2011

pretty batt

Oooo Ahhhhh... New spinning project!
I couldn't help but stop everything I was working on and start this batt. I purchased above fiber from Wonder Why Alpaca Farm booth from the Wine & Wool festival. It about 3 oz. of Suri Alpaca, Silk, firestar and merino. I've spun almost all of it. I split the batt in half, then drafted the roving alternating light & dark strips of wool. I have spun the single pretty thin. I should have finished yarn by the weekend!

I looked over at my ravelry stash. Wow, I need to take some photo's of my finished yarn. I'm such a slacker!



Aug 1, 2011

Melon Update

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Looks like there is 6 growing Sugar Baby Watermelon growing.
You can see one in a sling on the fence.

Saturday:

Had a great time at Sand Hill Crane Winery. I bought two bottles of wine; blushing crane & Seyval Blanc. I also bought some fiber, but I'll post about that later!

Saturday night was our annual block party. The street was blocked off, a live band was playing classic rock music. There was a giant inflatable water slide on the neighbors lawn. We picked up some pizza slices from the party store with a "tall boy" of PBR. I took a nap and was ready to go by 8pm. We hung out and drank in our front yard with everyone else. Very nice party! Dick told the neighbor we are going to raise rabbits instead of the quail. He was very excited. He loves rabbit meat. His parents are from Sicily and they eat a lot of rabbit.