Try It Tuesday!

Good morning! I hope this finds you well, do you have a busy day planned? It seems that time of the year when we are all so busy trying to get plants started or planted outside. I  hope its warm in your neck of the woods as it was cold here yesterday with the wind just a blowin'! It only got around 37 or so here and it was windy!

So you are wondering hmmm its Try- it Tuesday what has Raine been up too now? Well let me first tell you the computer has been acting up so it has been hard to post anything! I think it should be good now, but you never know!

So today I am posting on planting some things. No they were not done today, I had to do it on a nice warm, no wind sort of day! Mikhaila as well as some of the other residents here on the farm helped me out. So here we go.

Olive- yes he is a boy! Checking out what his mother is planting!

Some of the empty hanging pots that we put  seeds in.

Mikhaila planted marigolds in the one basket.She is the marigold queen! Those are the first flowers she goes for! Any color- just marigolds!

Here she is planting my johnnie jump-ups! What can I say I love pansies and johnny jump ups! The easiest way to make me smile is to look at one of these plants!

So Celeste (the dark one) had to come and check things out and she brought Annabelle ( the buff goose)

Celeste likes big buckets of water! LOL

Pepper plant

Mikhaila loves her peppers! The hotter the better!

They thought the crinkly bag had food in it.... it was potting soil! LOL

She was having so much fun helping out!! LOL

She was talking the entire time. Probably saying hey thanks for the water! You should try this!

We planted morning glories, johnnie jump- ups and sunflowers around the base of the feeder pole.

Threw some soil on top of the seeds and watered them.

Dahlia out there seeing what we were doing.

Dutchess taking a break after running around the yard like she was a crazy woman! She thinks she is the protector of the yard- she chases the robins and even the butterflies off the lawn!

I have to say the bucket was the favorite watering hole this day!

Here she is planting heirloom tomatoes- yellow pear. She loves these tomatoes. Can you see all her helpers?

I hope you have been able to get some plants started. Even if it is just a couple trays of some different plants that make you happy. Like Mikhaila and her marigolds, me and my morning glories and pansys. I am sure there are some flowers or  veggies that you have to have! Try to plant some out around the mailbox post ( we put morning glories out there) or by a fence- they don't always need to be in a pot. Make sure that you go see what others have been trying out at Jo's Country Junction. Mke sure you tell me what you are trying.Have a great day!

Happy Easter!

I just want to take this time to say Happy Easter. I hope you have a beautiful day with friends and family. I am sharing some pictures Mikhaila took yesterday of the sunrise- I hope you enjoy them. I pray it reminds you of the one that loves you the most....God! He sent His Son to die for you....me and everyone else. Why because He LOVES US!



Jesus, as we celebrate your resurrection this Easter Sunday, we give thanks to you for dying and being raised from the dead to give us the good life (John 10:10). Amen



This is the Easter message.  When Jesus went to the cross for the sins of the world, He went for you and for me.  His blood was split for the remission of our sins, and it was a perfect and finished work.  Through the cross, He gave us all the opportunity to be saved by simply asking for His forgiveness and receiving His salvation through His redeeming blood.   He rose from the dead three days after His crucifixion.  His work as a man was complete.  He’d lived our way and successfully sinned not!  He had not fallen for any temptation from the devil.  He had successfully become the perfect sacrifice for us.  When He rose, it was an open display of victory over the devil.  What had happened in the Garden so many years before had been rectified.  Man could once again know God in a personal way.  Christ had won that victory!  He had conquered hell, death, and the grave, and opened the door for all of us to have real access to the Father.
Then, He ascended into Heaven to take His rightful place at the Throne of God. Today, the scripture tells us that He is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession on our behalf – in other words, He’s praying for you.  That’s right, you!  His physical work on the earth may have been finished, but He continues to work from the Throne, even today.

Excerpt from the 2006 Article, The Greatest Proclamation: "He’s Alive!"
From Jesse Duplantis

Jesus, your Word tells us you endured the cross for the joy set before you (Hebrews 12:2). You gave your life willingly! You are God's love in action (John 3:16). We give you thanks, Amen

All verses are used from Jesse Duplantis Ministries. He is an awesome Teacher, Preacher and Funny! If you would like to go to his minstry he is on FB as Jesse Duplants Ministries - it would be well  worth your time! 

Be aware of the BAD Rhubarb

Since we may have some freezes still coming/ or have had some already,  I thought I would pass this along. I got ths info from a newsletter that was sent to me. I LOVE rhubarb- could eat it for days! LOL They are a wonderful food, paired with strawberries they are divine!!! You can also make really cool birdbaths  by using their leaves. I always like to freeze some rhubbarb to have during the long winter- but I hate to use it because I never get enough from the little plants that I have. So hey if anyone has an over abundance of rhubarb that they do not want or can't use please let me know.

 "In response to freezing temperatures, the oxalic acid in the leaves will translocate (move) to the rhubarb stalk. Once frozen, the leaf tissue will initially appear 'water soaked' and then wilt, and eventually blacken along the edges or where tissue was damaged. Once the plant experiences a damaging freeze, the stalks should not be eaten, and should be removed from the plant.
 "Eventually a new set of leaves will emerge, and no permanent damage is done to the plant. "
U of I Extension Specialist Warns Against Eating Frost-Damaged Rhubarb

"Rhubarb should not be harvested when the leaves are wilted and limp after a hard freeze," warns Elizabeth Wahle, University of Illinois Extension horticulture specialist. "Not only do the leafstalks acquire a poor flavor and texture, but the leaves and eventually the stem may become toxic."

Wahle says rhubarb leaves should never be eaten, and petioles (the part you eat) should be harvested ONLY from plants that have suffered no frost damage. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, a toxic substance that may move into the petioles after frost damage. When consumed, the oxalic acid can crystallize in the kidneys and cause permanent damage to the organs.

All petioles that have been exposed to freezing temperatures should be removed and discarded. The re-growth is safe to eat. As normal harvest begins, always leave at least one-third of the petioles un-harvested to sustain the plant.

Asparagus harvest has been interrupted by the recent cold weather as well. Unlike rhubarb, asparagus does not become toxic after exposure to freezing temperatures. In fact, rhubarb is one of the few crops that have this characteristic.
My final word of wisdom would be- when in doubt about anything plant like call your local Ag station or extension office. We have a wonderful Ag station here in the Spooner area that covers Sawyer, Washburn and Burnett county and they can answer so many questions. Also the Master Gardeners are linked through the Spooner Ag Station- they are always a WEALTH of information! If something has eaten the plant- dog or child then call poison control and get them to a doctor.

Until next time... enjoy your day.

Beatiful Scottish Highlanders!!

Good morning! I have missed talking to all of you! I have been so sick with a cold that it has been a real chore to breathe let alone do anything else! I hope all of you out there are healthy and enjoying the spring weather.

The birds have been busy here making their nest. I sure am glad that I cleaned those nest boxes out! There is a bluebird family looking into the one that needs a little fixing,  we hung a bag of feathers and fabric scraps out there. So I guess we will see if they use any of it.

Mkhaila was a dear and went and collected a bunch of various feathers. She thought it would be fun to tease the geese that she was going to take the feathers out of their tail area- well they gave her the stink eye and went elsewhere! A friend of ours needed them for a project- she goes to the Art School- it will be fun to see what she creates! The left overs all went back out in this little onion bag for the birds to use for nesting.

I left some feathers hanging out so that they can just grab them easier. My step mom, Sharon always had a bag of nesting stuff out for the birds in the Spring. It is something I think of every year at this time. She would have been excited to hear that the birds are working on their nests.

So we went out to a farm for a cow/calf seminar the other evening. What people do is come out to see your farm and your animals, ask questions, see what you are doing that maybe they could do on their farm. There is a supper served, some great speakers/ presenters and lots of info handed out. A good time!
So Rachel and her partner Rob had us all out to see their Highlanders and can I just say I  have NEVER seen such a BEAUTIFUL and CLEAN farm in all my life! People were even saying that about the pen areas- NO COW PIES! Very nice arrangement in the barn, beautiful landscaping in the yard and wow nice pasture area for the cows as well as the bulls. They were beautiful animals! I just wanted to put one in my pocket on the way out that night! LOL So anyway lets get to some pictures!!

My artsy kid takes after her mother. Got to take pictures of "cool and unusual things!"

Isn't she awesome????? She is pregnant right now.

BEAUTIFUL!

One of the bulls checking things out. Nice barn huh??

Yes she is a girl...love them horns!

I just love the whole bangs thing! LOL

Rachel put hay out so they would come by the fence and eat so we could see them better.

She came around the corner of the fence and then realized we were NOT her mom! LOL She froze!! What a cutie!

Talking about the fencing.

Talking about how she sits on the cows, brushes them. They were very calm, friendly cows!

Just in case they need the shoots, however they have very healthy animals so they haven't needed to use them. Also the troughs weren't really needed as the animals are all grass fed.

Talking about being able to load them for butchering with just a little grain in a cup. She also can have the vet vaccinate while she is just brushing the animal! Cool huh?

This one has the cutest teddy bear face! Very expressive eyes!

The birthing pen. That way the babies are not born out in the pasture. Sometimes the mom will hide them out in the trees- doesn't make it easy for the humans! LOL

Ok that is what I have for the first part of this blog. We took so many pictures that I can not put them all on one entry! Also Rob likes to restore tractors and well we HAD to take pictures of that as well!
All  can say is that they did a great job of hosting! Their animals are wonderful!  Thanks so much for having us all out there to your farm!