Let's Stay Out All Night and Dance: 

The Farm Report 8-9-2018

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The 'Two Henrietta's' likes them some watermelon! Of course the reason they gets them some watermelon is 'cause Tim likes him some watermelon, too! - but he gets his first.

The Replacement Platoon, 'F Troop,' is beginning to come of age. At least they are of an age where they need to stop spending the nights in my wood shop, and get outdoors full time. Maybe they will dance the night away, who knows, but it is certainly time for them to stay outdoors all night. The chicken tractor has been sitting idle since June, and the weeds found it. No worries though. Zoey and the Ranger pulled it out without a struggle.

If Zoey only had thumbs, she could drive the Ranger. She knows she could. Couldn't she please try? Please??? Then after the new chicken digs were set up and the idea was to put out some irresistible oats to lure them inside, we ran into trouble. 

Can you see anything wrong in this picture? Zoom it up and take a closer look.  'F Troop' escaped, and the Two Henriettas went in! Oh No! O.J. was out and about, and he thought it was a great way to begin the day for him.  Mmmmmmm everybody loves to eat chicken; tender young chicken.... Sorry O.J. not today.

The onions were pulled and allowed to air dry for a few days, then it was time to 'put 'em up' for the freezer. I've never had luck trying to store onions until my Mom said one day, 'I just put them in the freezer and use them all winter.' Thanks Mom. So that's what I do now. 

The summer kitchen in the shop is great. Peel the onions, slice three or four times through the equator, and Bam! they go through the french fry cutter and spray out into the catch tub. 

 18 bags later, we've got fixin's for soups and stews and whatever else for the winter - when it will be much cooler.

The scraps go back to Mother Nature. The Two Henriettas do not like onions. And I clean up with the air compressor and the power washer.

Enough complaining about the battles of farming and gardening. Beauty is where you find it. Right now, the roadsides are beautiful. The yellow flower is Partridge Pea - a fav for the bees. I'm not sure what the white flower is; maybe Queen Anne's lace but I'm not sure. Is that some timothy blooming there? Could be.

And to know the seasons are beginning to change, the last rose of summer, the Rose of Sharon, is blooming. Also known as Althea, it is an hibiscus actually. It loves it hot and gets its blooms in before the season collapses. The corn is dented and drying; all is well at Oakdale Farm.