Beautiful Day in Pictures

View of my "Garden of Eden" and the trellis I made from a recycled cattle fence.

This is the chicken tractor we are making with recycled materials.  The only cost is for the zip ties we are using to hold on the chicken wire.  I'll take more pictures when we are done.  This is where the chickens and turkeys will live that are going to be butchered.

One of the apple trees that we planted last year bloomed.

2 of the 4 rows of peas, noticed the grass I added between the rows.

The row with the radishes and lettuce.

The tomato plants and a view of the trellis on the right.

The lilac bush has finally bloomed, late this year because it has been a late spring.

2 stray huge tulips out by the front tree.

Garden and Yard Work

Yesterday I planted my yellow wax beans, green beans and cucumbers.  The only thing I want to add yet is 2 egg plants.  Would like to add a few other items but have run out of space.  I also took some scrap fencing  and made a trellis for the cucumbers to climb.  It is rather unique looking and will have to take a picture of it. The garden is doing very good and the weeds are few.  I think I'm going to love this "Garden of Eden" thing.
Today I mowed the grass, took 5 1/2 hours.  Have a lot of hand mower work and because it did not get mowed last week it was rather long.  I bag my grass and the bagger needed emptied a lot and the grass shoot kept getting clogged so that is what took me so long to get it done.  Ron did the weed whacking when he got home.
I put the bagged grass between the rows of things in the garden.  This will add nutrients, keep down the weeds and keep the soil moist.  I also did give the chickens some, it is good for them and makes their yolks a deeper yellow/orange.

Peppers and Tomatoes are in the Ground

After delivering 10 dozen of eggs to a new customer, packing up several Ebay and Etsy orders and taking them to the Post Office I came home and worked outside.  We have rain in the forecast for the next 5 days so I thought I better get it done.  I put in 7 pepper plants and 6 tomato plants.  Sure hope we don't get too much rain because I'm not sure they can do the backstroke.  Next week I will put in a roll of green beans, half a row of black wax yellow beans and some cucumbers.  The only other thing I want to get is a couple egg plants.
While I was out I decided to bring out the babies (3 weeks old Friday and Saturday) and put them in a portable yard cage we got at a garage sale.  At first they did not know what to think but after a while they had a ball.  They got to stay out for about 5 hours.  Doesn't look like they will get to go out again for a while because of the coming rain.

Over the top is a piece of black netting to protect them and to keep them in.

The 4 black ones are turkeys and the rest are 12 chickens.

Picture when I removed the netting.

Aren't they so cute.

Yard Work, I LOVE Yard Work, Really

Yesterday was a beautiful day so I worked outside all day long.  I started on the front yard first and part way through I managed to get the mower in a ditch in the front side of the yard.  I managed to get it buried up to the axle of the back wheels.  In my defense I usually use the lawn tractor to do that part but with all the rain the ground was way to saturated and the more I tried to get it out the worse it got.
I called my husband at work and asked if I ever got the lawn tractor stuck how would I pull it out with my vehicle.  He said no way could I do it and said it was almost lunch time and would come home and get it out.  He came home put a chain on the front of the tractor, hooked it to the back of his truck and in less than 10 seconds it was out.
While I was waiting for him I put together some recycled, re-purposed yard art flowers and put them out by my Fresh Eggs sign.  I thought it needed a little bling.
After the flowers I then went back to mowing and finished everything I could with the lawn tractor and then got out the push mower and finished the places I could not do with the tractor; like the ditch.

Today I pulled the few weeds from my garden beds, I have onions, radishes, beets, 2 kinds of lettuce and peas up. The potatoes should be coming up in a week or so.

My sign with my flower art.

Copper decorative bowl and jello mold on green rods with old spoons pounded flat for the leaves.

View of the front of the house, check out those neat straight mowing lines.

Side yard, the bush to the right is a lilac bush and next to it is the little ditch I got the mower stuck in.

View of my "Garden of Eden".  Potatoes are in the front end, big empty space for tomatoes and whatever, radishes, lettuce, beets and peas at the far end by the blackberry bushes.

2 raised beds of onions with some chives and other herbs in the bed on the left.  That is my guard rooster who watches over everything.

Ball Heritage Collection Jar, Product Review

I was contacted last month to see if I wanted to review some of the pint size Ball Heritage Collection Jars and I think I answered the email in record time telling them yes.  I received a case of 6 jars and have finally got around to using my first one.
I have to let them talk to me, have to let them inspire me and sometimes that takes a little time.
For my first jar I turned it into a light.  I took a jar light kit, small lamp shade form, vintage kitchen towel, vintage trim and vintage buttons and the lamp is finished.  It turned out real cute and could be used many places.  Use it in your kitchen on a counter where you need a little light and some decoration.  Use it on your desk in your home office or take it to work and use it on your desk there.  Use it on your shelf in your laundry room.  There are many places to use this.
I will be working on projects for the other 5 jars so watch to see what I come up with.  Better yet get yourself a case of 6 and come up with some projects of your own and share them with me.  The color is a little brighter blue than the original Ball Blue and I really like it.
I wish they would have made these in the quart size so I could use them for light fixtures.  I am going to try and use the pint size and hopefully next week will have it done.  The weather is holding me up as I need to spray paint the fixture and it hasn't been warm enough to do it yet.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it and no other compensation was received for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my honest opinions.

If interested in purchasing the lamp it is listed in my Etsy store.

Ball Heritage Collection  Jar made into a light.

Used a vintage kitchen towel and vintage trim for the shade.

Filled the jar with vintage buttons.

Amish Store By Our House

The Amish Bakery/Bulk-food store we used to go to by our house has closed and the owners are moving back to the community where they lived before moving to this area several years ago.  They had had an auction and several of the other Amish families in the area also brought stuff.  They had a lot of items that had no interest to us but did find a new in the box paint sprayer that I am going to use when it gets warm enough to stain the turkey coop.  Also picked up a couple small items.   We had homemade donuts for breakfast and hamburgers, hot dogs with a slice of pie for lunch.  All the food was by donation for the school.
The store/house will be occupied by one of the Yoder's sons for right now.
One of the Kaufman (dairy farm) sons has a piece of land on the main route and will building a bakery/bulk food store there.  He will be having a lot more meat and cheese and have a variety of different items.  Being on the main road should bring him more traffic.  Real anxious for it to open.  He just got his building permit so it will be a little while before it opens.  I wish them well and hope they do very good.

Weekend Update

The rooster that got a little tore up is doing beautifully.  His toes and head look good and the bleeding has stopped.  I will keep him in the "hospital cage" until we decide what to do with the offender.  Ron is asking some guys from work to see if someone wants him.
The 2 turkeys with the leg problems are doing much better.  The one who was always on his back is on his stomach most of the time and is starting to use his legs more.  The one who used to army crawl all the time is using both legs and is getting around pretty good.  At this point I really think they will make it.
In the brooder I have 12 chickens and 4 turkeys, not as many as I had hoped for but some is better than none.
The incubator with lots of turkey and chicken eggs has had no action and I have lost just about all hope anything else will hatch from it.  Tomorrow will be the last day I will keep the eggs in it and then I will give it a good cleaning and add some chicken eggs to it.