My Garden – Mon Jardin – Mi Jardin – Mein Garten – Daily Adventures & Thoughts

No matter the language, my garden is my paradise. To watch the lovely birds that nest in the trees and bushes. The bees, butterflies are such a joy to see.

Tag Archives: goats


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It was the first time that I’d seen a warning sign for corn …

Yesterday, driving around town on errands, I decided it was time to go the the Silver Rill Farm to buy some corn!

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They grow quite a variety and I buy corn from them every year.  Yesterday, mid-morning, was a quiet day there so I was able to take some photos.   I usually buy Peaches & Cream corn, but yesterday I noticed the signage for these two types of sweet corn, in bins.  They each had a sign listing that the corn was sweet and crunchy.  The sign on the right, though, had the wording “warning, extremely crunchy”.  After discussing this with a fellow shopper, I sought out a knowledgeable employee for an explanation.  Luckily I was able to find the guy who grew the corn!  He explained that the corn was his favourite and suggested I take a few home!  And so I did.  Cooked some up for DH & myself and it was delicious.  Another shopper at the farm, who used to farm for most of his life, also recommended this corn and commented that Peaches & Cream do not even come close to tasting as delicious as this corn!  People, he snorted, just like the name because it sounds pretty.  Yup.   That is pretty well why I would buy the P & C corn.   It’s all in a name, isn’t it.  But now I know better!  A bit of education on corn doesn’t go amiss.

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I spent a few minutes, taking advantage of the temporary lull in customers, to take a few photos.  Loving the antiques that were displayed on the walls.  Items that had been in daily use years ago .. now proudly placed so all could see them.  Sharing.  Nice.

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On the weekends, you could not get near these displays, there are so many customers.  Great to see locally grown produce, reasonably priced.

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Love the variety and rustic look of these venerable objects, now resting after many years of use on the farm.  Metal watering cans, buckets .. all types of things.

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Funky art .. well done .. I wonder if these creative paintings were done by a family member?  They certainly add to the fun atmosphere of the farm!   Wouldn’t it be fun to be this creative and paint some rooms in your house like this?  I think it would be.

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More corn .. here is the Peaches & Cream.   Lots of it … I expect it will be gone in a day or so.  The nice thing is that corn will be available until Thanksgiving .. yippeeeeeeeeeee!

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In front of the shop.. I think this tractor still has years of life left in it!

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And the goats, peacefully resting in their play area, calmly gaze at all the activity in front of them, enjoying the sunny morning.

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Finished with taking photos, I picked up my fully laden shopping bag of corn and veggies and left the farm.

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Back home, out to the back  yard and spending some relaxing time in my bean forest.  The rain is pouring down right now so I expect there will be more beans to pick tomorrow!

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More bounty yesterday, a mix of Spanish Musica and Blue Lake Bush beans.  Honestly I am just amazed at the quantity of beans available.  I look through the vines so carefully, but a lot of the beans just hide away till they are so big!   All chopped, bagged and in the freezer!  I wonder if it is the good energy of the music that encourages the growth of my plants.  It is proven that plants grow better with music.  The best is Indian music (the tone) and I play lots of that, including “music for plants to grow”, lots of classical, a ton of world music.  And lately, I just cannot get enough of Adam Sutherland’s “Squall” .. such beautiful, loving music ..

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My favourite bean .. already tiny beans are appearing … these are very similar to the shape and texture of the Blue Lake Bush Bean.  Yum.

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Little JaneE Kat finding her kitty crunchies .. before wandering over to the sump-pump water fountain .. to have another outside shower.  What a cat.

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Off to enjoy this lovely rainy day ..and time to  practice my violin.   So happy I’ve begun to learn properly and excited to rediscover my pile of beginner violin books .. within which is a treasure trove of fingering exercises, happy little tunes to play with.

And a time also to play with my wire and beads and create some funky Kumihimo bracelets.   It’s been days since I’ve been able to enter my creative world of beading and I’m looking forward to this good energy!

🙂


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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

This past week has really been a hodge-podge of weather.  From rain to sun, throw in a bit of snow, bring back a bit of sun and then revert back to rain.

I’ve been searching for alternatives to cow and horse manure, deciding to try Llama manure. And searched Used Victoria .. there were three choices.  The first choice was a very interesting place.  The owners had a lovely farm, many llamas, most of which were mini-Llamas.  And so I purchased a number of bags of manure from them.

The second place I went to on Saturday and what a delight this was!  A young family live here and the atmosphere was very reminiscent of a property in France, and what do you know, this family was from Quebec, and thus the French atmosphere.

What do I mean by that?  Well, for one thing, the property was naturally beautiful.  There were flagstone pathways, natural looking gardens.   And this lovely pond.  The owner turned on the lights and the water feature motor so that I could see how it looked.

1Then he invited me to the back of the property, and I passed through a vine-covered archway, a cloche-covered raised bed and then ….

2I couldn’t help it .. I just started laughing at such an unexpected tableau!  I was expecting to see a few Llamas, but instead, was treated to the sight of these darling little goats!  How very sweet.

There was this magnificent rooster, who strode up to the front and puffed out his feathers … yes, you are handsome, I said.

9Just then (coincidentally???) a female turkey (ok, I don’t know the terminology) flew over the fenced area and, waving her wings .. walked away from where I was standing.  In Turkey language, I think this must translate to “oh, for heaven’s sake” or something like that.

8Then I took a closer look at the goat … who seemed to be thinking .. well, they are at it again .. .so, look at me, aren’t I the clever one!

3Then I noticed some movement at the back of the paddock, and it seemed that the Llamas had noticed my presence.   The owner explained that they were a mix of Llama and Alpaca, same father, different mothers.  I missed the rest of his explanation as I was totally drawn into watching them, watching me, watching them, etc.

4Llamas are naturally curious and they started sauntering over to where I was standing ..’ello, ‘ello, ‘ello … . they seemed to say …

5Ok, by this time I was laughing so hard at their antics that I really didn’t focus the camera that well .. look at their expressions .. so curious, so friendly , so  .. well .. goofy!  How could you not laugh!  If only Llamas didn’t have such a reputation for spitting .. they would be the ultimate therapeutic animal to bring laughter to anyone!  Such a mood elevator they are!

6Then I tried to pet one of them, I was still laughing so hard and wondering if they would bite, that is why I was so hesitant .. I really love these guys, they are so sweet.  So the owner took a picture of me so that I would have a good souvenir, isn’t that great!!

7The owner had built this little shed for holding various items for the care of the animals.  He was also teaching their sons how to build things and I think they had been involved in this structure.   I just loved the look of this building, and would love a larger version for a garden shed.   A gal can dream, eh?

10Oh, by the way, I purchased 5 bags of Llama manure, they each weighed about 50 lbs., quite heavy and they fit quite nicely in my Echo car, on a tarp, neat and tidy.  He assured me that they do not used medications or pastes so that I can use this manure in my food garden.   He also told me that the manure is magic for the garden.  So now, armed with the power of EM and the beneficial Llama Manure .. I will have the best garden yet.

When I arrived back home, parked the car and started to get ready to unload the Llama manure.. my attention was caught by the emergence of the Lupines at the front of the house .. they start off small with accordion-pleated leaves and in just a short while, they grow into plants that are at least 3′ high, with many blossoms for the bees.

11Grow on Lupines!!!  They self-seed and are a lovely addition to the flower garden.

🙂