Beauty Farming Life

Bet that got your attention, ha. John Deere out of gas You know, last weekend I got the mower back up and running and used it to clear a trail or two and of course to pull the cart while watering and moving stuff around.  Well, what WAS a full tank of gas when I started that, was about half used up.  I parked it, covered it and waited for the next use.  So this weekend, I was out on the Zen Machine, have a great time as usual and finishing up the mowing. While mowing along one of the fence lines, it sputtered to a stop. CRAP!!!! I checked the gas level.  Empty.  Sigh. I forgot when I hopped on it that I had filled it up the last time BUT had used up about half of it.  So, begrudgingly, I made the 3 acre walk from where it died to the shed with the gas can.  Then I made the return 3 acre walk carrying the nearly full five gallon gas can. Now I have gas!  Rest assured I won't be making that mistake again! On the ...

These corners are SO awesome, I can't sing their praises enough.  Now whether they will hold up for years, of course, remains to be seen.  But for now, they were a lifesaver.  I would put three pieces down (U-shape) and screw them together with two brackets and then... ...flip them up on one end, and lay the fourth and final board across the two side pieces and slip the brackets on.  Then I just screwed them in place and it was done.  I could move them like large square wheels and get them to where they needed to be. While the corner brackets are awesome...the screws they come with don't look very substantial.  So I splurged and bought these "Deck Mate" screws.  They are guaranteed for life against rust and that's important to hold the beds together.  The hardest part was getting them into the correct position and distance apart, because I couldn't just slide them into place once they were down for fear of pulling up the...

Over the weekend, a package arrived in the mail. Kylee over at the always inspiring blog, Our Little Acre  had a giveaway, I entered, and I won!  The above is a BIG THANK YOU to Kylee for hosting the giveaway, I promise to use it wisely! She sponsored it because it was "National Can It Forward Day" on August 17th (I had no idea, will have to make sure I remember next year). So I sent her my contact info and she forwarded on to Ball  and a week or so later, they sent me a box with this in it: Home Canning Discovery Kit It's the  Ball® Home Canning Discovery Kit .  It came with three jars and this rack that you can put into hot water when canning.  They also included a coupon for a case of jars, any size or kind I want, AND a copy of the ® Blue Book Guide to Preserving  (an awesome resource by itself). Progressive Canning Essentials Kit So this inspired me, I took it as a sign that I need to get started soon, so...

Who doesn't love a good roasted pork shoulder?  We do ours very simply and it comes out wonderfully every time.  First, we put a couple of sliced up onions and a few garlic cloves in the bottom of a large covered pot along with about 1/2 cup water.  Score the fat cap on top. Then, just simply put it in the oven, covered of course, and cook it at 350 degrees for about 3 hours. This is what it looks like after you take it out of the oven and open it (and the house smells wonderful). Just use some tongs to pull out the bone  It should wiggle and slip out easily, but if it doesn't, put it back in for another 30 minutes.  Peel off the fat cap and pull off any other pieces of fat that you don't want. Then just start pulling it apart, first in chunks and then into shreds.  You can use the tongs or a couple of forks to make it easier.  You shouldn't have to drain anything, it all just adds moistness to the meat. ...

A dear "online blogger friend" put up  THIS POST  where they were asking for advice on a memorial area for their pets.  It's the time of year up there where they live where the ground is frozen and they need some ideas.  They've lost several pets and farm animals and they are looking for memorial ideas.  They didn't get any comments and I wasn't sure what to suggest either. They've had a rough time lately with the losses and I wanted to see if some of our great readers might help give them ideas. Just sending a little blog love their direction. Their blog is  "Domaine Coquelicots" , and they are a self described young couple on a journey to self sufficiency.  Check them out if you can!

Garden plots, photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens, BHG.com This might be too organized to last, but wow, how pretty is this?  There is just something so neat and orderly about it and I'm drawn to it. Perhaps it's the clean lines?  The fence?  The barn?  Our veggie gardens will be away from our future barn site, but I'm thinking, since these appear to be flowers anyway, wouldn't this make a great cutting garden next to our barn?  Hmm, it could also give me that picket fence I've always wanted too! Hey, it never hurts to  dream  plan ahead, right? Be inspired!

Have you seen this? Ah so relaxing...a chicken coop, birdhouse, a nice wicker chair to sit in, the tools  you can use laying around, nestled amongst the trees... Photo owned by and courtesy of: The Mini Garden Guru No, this isn't an inspiration Thursday picture of some garden I'd like that have.  Well I take that back, I would love to have a garden like this...but only because it's not a real garden but it IS a TINY garden!   That's right, it's a miniature garden.  This is bonsai on a whole other level.  Here it is below, from further out, so you can see the scale. Photo owned by and courtesy of: The Mini Garden Guru Isn't that amazing??  Click on  THIS LINK  to visit the wondrous blog with some incredible pictures.  She creates miniature outdoor scenes, using real plants, and small chairs and statues and even ponds...almost like you would do for a large dollhouse.  Just incredible, and so detailed. SOMEDAY , w...