Monday, October 3, 2011

31 Days of My Real Farm Life - Day 3

31 Days of Life on Our Farm!


Hi!  Welcome back!  Today was not a real "farmy" day.  Hope I don't disappoint you!  I woke up, and it was COLD here!  36 degrees.  That is cold in Alabama in October.  I was not expecting it.  I panicked and thought I would have to clean out the garden and move my plants inside this week.  But the weather is only suppose to be in the 40s at night the rest of the week, so that can wait.  The first night the news calls for a "freeze"  - temps at 32 or below, we are very busy.  We move the doves into the greenhouse.  I pick any blooming flowers and bring them inside.  I can't bear for them to go to waste.  I go through the garden one last time, and gather the last of the vegetables.  All the peppers get picked, no matter how small.  Any stray beans, cucumbers, etc.  We pick all the green tomatoes and sit them out to "turn".  The will eventually ripen and turn red.  It just takes time.  I was glad not to have to face that this week. 

I began the day by getting Pappy and Daughter #2 up.  Usually I'm the only one up, but we were suppose to move a mobile home today, so that was why Pappy needed up.  Daughter #2 was up because her college classes began again today for the fall semester.  So everyone was trying to get ready at the same time, and it was a little rushed. 

I went to work till 12 noon, like usual.  The mobile home mover had not called as he said he would, so I called him.  He said they were just finishing the home that was suppose to have been finished Saturday.  He said they would arrive shortly, work for two hours, and move the trailer in the morning.  Another day.  So Pappy and his helper went up to our trailer park to work on some projects.

I went to both PO Boxes.  No rent at all.  I had an appointment to pick up some rent at a mobile home occupied by a Hispanic gentleman.  I helped him to get a mortgage to purchase the home and land, and we took a second mortgage for his down payment.  So he still pays me some each month.  I went by to pick up his payment.  No one was there.  A fat puppy as wandering around the yard, and all the chickens were lose.  The door was unlocked.  No cars in the yard.  Very strange.  Alabama just passed a new immigration law.  Rumor is that Hispanics are leaving the area in droves.  I have four Hispanic families.  I'm not aware of any of mine leaving.  But I began to wonder as I waited to see if anyone would come home so I could collect.  I told myself I would wait till 6:30.  At about 6:15, a young man pulled up in a car.  He didn't speak much English.  He paid half the payment.  No one has ever paid except my client, so I don't know.  I'll go back in a few days, and see if I can find Jorge and collect the rest of our money.

When I got back to the farm.  I started some laundry and cleaned the bathroom.  I thought about dinner, but waited to do anything.  I planned yesterday to have a pork roast for dinner.  But I didn't know that husband has a meeting tonight, and Daughter #1 will be in bed because of the shift she works this week, and Daughter #2 will be at her boyfriend's house.  So I will eat pork roast alone.  No reason to cook accompaniments, I'll just have fruit, chips, and bread. Alone.

I picked some tomatoes from the last of our garden.  I check for eggs, but didn't find any.  Our hens have taken a break, I guess.  I did find a large rat with a long tail, running along the edge of the roof, in the hen house.  Have to tell Pappy about that.

I made an appointment with a new insurance company to come out Thursday evening to give us a quote on a farm policy.  There are not many companies who will write farms here.  So I would like to get an idea if this one has better coverage, and a cheaper price.  Usually, if your cars are there, you get a break, and this is where our auto insurance is.  The Cattle men's Association sent out an email about them, and I jumped right on checking them out. 

Last night Pappy asked me to price raspberries and see if we could order some for fall planting.  We have already ordered blackberries.  He wants to sell them next year.  So I will do that in a minute.

I'm trying to finish up the Bible in 90 Days program.  Saturday is day 90, and I am on day 72.  I have a lot of reading to do if I am going to finish on time.  I have read the Bible through before, in this program a few times, and in a yearly program.  I hope I finish on time.  We'll see.

Pappy finished juicing the grape for wine.  I've never made the grape juice to can for drinking, that I'd planned to try this year.  I always wash and throw my grapes in a bag, and put them in the freezer.  When they are all ripe and ready, I do them all at one time.  Well, the frozen grapes didn't look like they would work well for my juice recipe, so I decided to put that off till next year, when I have fresh ones that haven't been frozen.  All the grapes this season will go to wine making.  We got three gallons of grape juice today, and I will start the wine process later in the week.  I've already bought the sugar.  It takes a lot of sugar to make wine.

I think that is all the news here.  I hope your day was blessed, and that you will visit again tomorrow.  Honey

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