Last Month On The Homestead July 2023: What's Growing, Updates, & Where I've Been!

 

Hello!  It's been a bit since I've posted, and I apologize for that.  July was somewhat hectic, and that rolled into the beginning of August as well.  So here we are, nearly midway through August already!  How have you been?  I'm hoping this finds you and your family safe and well.  We've had a very rainy summer but have been fortunate in that flooding has not been an issue as it has for so many.  

I'm posting a "last month on the homestead" rather than "last week" as I can't even remember what I did last week.  So, an overview it will be!

The garden is doing ok.  Yes, just ok.  The tomatoes and peppers are producing prolifically as are half of the green bean plants, the greens, beets, and most of the herbs, but the rest is, well, just ok.  The weeds began their annual takeover, but I was able to spend a couple of days pulling those, so we are back to being able to see all of the plants again (and any snakes that may be visiting).  I've planted more seeds for fall.  I had hoped to get some seeds started for fall planting but that didn't happen which might be ok this year as we are receiving a fair amount of rain.  I think they should germinate and get growing in time for a harvest.  And good news, my 4 sunflowers are still alive!  Because of their late start they aren't blooming yet but I believe they will.

Oliver

The hecticness of this past month was mostly due to Jay and Oliver being hospitalized.  Thankfully not both at the same time, and obviously both at different types of hospitals (Oliver is a dog although he doesn't seem to know that).  Jay was having kidney stone issues.  He has them fairly regularly (it's years between them but they always eventually show up) and is monitored annually.  So, while it wasn't a surprise that they began moving, it was a surprise when they got stuck and he had to undergo emergency surgery to have them removed.  

Once he was finally back up and running, I got sick, which is rare these days thankfully.  My illness only lasted a few days and then we had to take Oliver to the emergency vet because he suddenly began having severe breathing problems.  Thankfully all of us were back up and running before the next one was ill.  It certainly would have been even worse to have us all down at the same time.  

Oliver is still recovering and was diagnosed with an additional 4 medical issues during his stay at the emergency vet.  He's 13 1/2 years old and a French Bulldog, so no one was surprised when they continued to find new issues.  We aren't sure what it all means yet as we need to focus first on getting his breathing issues resolved and then we will meet with his regular vet to figure out the rest.

Jackson

Jackson is doing well as is our feral cat friend Felix.  We haven't seen much of the other two feral cats.  One morning one of the other cats and I believe Felix got into a fight over the cat food dish.  There was a lot of hissing and some tumbling into the flower bed right off of the front porch.  Felix must have won the turf war as the other hasn't been seen much since.  Jack was sleeping through the entire incident.  Too bad, he would have gotten very excited from his window seat view.

Somehow, we missed jam season.  I just realized this the other day.  How does that happen???  Usually, we go to a local u-pick for blueberries to turn into jam and can as well as stock up on strawberries when they go on sale for the same reason.  This year neither happened.  Bummer since we used up all of our homemade jam a month or so ago.  We can make it with frozen fruit maybe in early fall.  I actually haven't canned anything as of yet.  We still have some things left from last year, but I had hoped to be able to add to my cupboards.  There's still plenty of time, so I just have to decide what items to focus on.

I've been reading the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny in any spare time I get (or while waiting in hospital rooms, waiting rooms, etc.....).  I'm currently waiting for the next one to be available at the library.  I enjoy her writing as it is somewhat different from most that I typically read.  

What are you reading this summer?

coop girl Dorilla

We lost two coop girls the end of July.  Do you remember me telling you about sweet coop girl Dorilla and how she would put her wing around coop girl Stella at night on the roost?  Well Dorilla passed away one evening.  I found her laying under the roosts when I went to open them up for the day.  Stella passed away just a few days later.  Isn't that interesting?  They were so close and passed away the same week.  I'm sure that both are from old age, although Stella may have been old age and heartbreak.  I would check on her in the evenings after Dorilla's passing and she was all by herself.  It's sad but I'm so happy they experienced such a loving friendship while they were here.

I had hoped to have made the oregano pesto I wrote about in the last post and report back, but my oregano is the only herb not doing well this year.  Go figure.  I finally have a way to use a bunch of it (rather than just drying it) and it didn't grow much at all.  We were blessed with a plethora of cilantro, as usual, and I've been so grateful.  We eat it pretty much daily, so it's been wonderful to pick it fresh all spring and summer.  I know a lot of people struggle with growing cilantro and I have no idea why it does well in my garden.  I suspect because I don't have full sun.  I actually planted it in succession in just about all of my garden beds.

We are reminded that the next season is right around the corner as we make our fall products for our soap & mercantile company.  It's hard to believe that time is almost here!  I used to forget to enjoy the last of summer because I was so excited about the anticipation of fall, my favorite season.  But now, I make a conscious effort to fully embrace each day of the year, regardless of what it brings.

**Our thoughts are with all of the people on the island of Maui.   My husband and I lived on Oahu when we first got together and were later married on Maui. It is heartbreaking to see the devastation and loss.  

What about you, have you had a nice summer?  How did your garden do this year?  What foods are you preserving for winter eating?