Archive for October, 2008
October 31, 2008 – Snakes on the Table
This week was the elementary school science fair. Martin wanted to do a poster on “Iowa Snakes” and so he did.
He found photos of the 27 kinds of snakes native to Iowa, from the common garter snake, to the venemous kinds – Prairie Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, Massasauga Rattlesnake, and Copperheads. I was surprised to learn ...Read more.
October 30, 2008 – Thingamajig Thursday #139
Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig” entry.
Also check out the last thingamajig answer.
As always, put your guess in a comment below.
Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer.
one year ago…”Catching up on Old News”.
October 29, 2008 – Tractor Repair
The last few times I’ve used the 2510, there has been a smell of coolant – I was able to see that it was a relatively small leak, so I let it go until a later time. That time was today.
I hadn’t yet dug into the tractor, so I had to figure out how to ...Read more.
October 28, 2008 – Soap Cutting
It was another round of soap-making this week-end. I thought it would be a good time to show the final stages of soap making.
About 12 hours after pouring into the mold, this batch was ready to cut. You can tell when it is ready when the soap barely indents to a strong touch.
The soap mold ...Read more.
October 27, 2008 – Lucinda Williams
This week Linda and I snuck out to see Lucinda Williams play a grand old theatre in Des Moines. Lu is one of those artists that’s hard to put in a category, so she’s never on commercial radio. She plays rock, country (Cline, Willie, and Waylon type country, not Garth, and other hat ...Read more.
October 26, 2008 – Near Hurricane Force Winds
Today was a bit of an odd day. Here’s a snippet of the forecast for our neck of the woods.
These were winds not associated with a storm, but winds under a blue sky. It was too windy for the wind turbine today.
one year ago…”Hog Barn Progress”.
October 25, 2008 – One Side Painted
We were able to get the 2nd coat of paint on the south side of the house and the first coat on the porch level of the front – we’ll hope for another 60 degree day on a day we’re home to put the 2nd coat on.
Doesn’t she just shine!
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #92″.
October 24, 2008 – Fall Color
Since we are winding up fall, I thought I’d leave you with this shot looking up a red oak tree in the front yard.
one year ago…”Fall Leaves”.
October 23, 2008 – Thingamajig Thursday #138
Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig” entry. Again, what plant is this?
Also check out the last thingamajig answer.
As always, put your guess in a comment below.
Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer.
one year ago…”Attic Update”
October 22, 2008 – Growing Season Over
The last of the garden gleaning is almost done (well almost, there’s still swiss chard and some brussell sprouts and lettuce out there). But the main summer crops are all frozen out.
This bell pepper had some more to give, but it’s over now. We’ve never canned and frozen as much as we have ...Read more.
October 21, 2008 – Mortgage Meltdown and More…
I’ve restrained myself from commenting on the mortgage mess for some time now, but today is the day, so if you come here to read about the farm, skip this entry and hook back up with us tomorrow.
I work for a large mortgage company 30 hours week in addition to the farm and have some ...Read more.
October 20, 2008 – Garlic Planting
Today was a “must plant” garlic day. The weather is forecast for a turn to the very wet and cold and I’m not sure it would dry out before November. The last few weekend’s “free time” has been spent scraping and painting the house.
This year we are working with another farmer who sells garlic to ...Read more.
October 19, 2008 – Post Tomato Harvest Work
Now comes the unglamorous part of the gardening season (OK, some of you may argue that weeding isn’t particularly glamorous, but at least the garden is optimistic or colorful during the weeding season).
Here, we’re in the middle of the clean-up. Most of the tomato cages and some of the posts and left-over vines remain. I ...Read more.
October 18, 2008 – Ooops, Market Peppers
Last week I forgot to post the last peppers that went to market. Since I’ve already posted pictures of most other fruits and vegetables throughout the year, I thought I shouldn’t neglect the peppers, even if the photos are a week late.
Cayennes.
Habanero.
Jalapeno.
Sweet bells.
one year ago…”Visit to the Village of Arocutian”.
