Update from around the "Homestead"

For the past few days it has been gloriously overcast- the temperatures have dropped from the 100s to a much more comfortable mid-80s.  Yesterday, thanks to the impending rain, it was cool enough that I could open the window of the barn and let some fresh air circulate for the rabbits.  They were appreciative and so were our noses!

The rain is helping cool off the garden- what is left of it.  The super high temperatures and the unrelenting sun have combined to kill some of the plants and wither a lot of the produce on the vines.   I am not sure what is going to make it, but the cantaloupe is at least doing well, so something is surviving.  We are starting to get roma tomatoes ripening.  Unfortunately, the peppers are withered, so I am not sure how well this season's salsa-making is going to go.  In a fit of frustration, I told Tim we may just go to the Farmer's Market next year and buy a ton of tomatoes- it is heartbreaking to put so much work and care (not to mention money) in to a garden and have it burn up in the sun.  Part of the problem is our location, as the people that lived here before apparently felt the need to cut down 90% of the trees.  Way to go, brainiacs.

I am expecting a shipment of chicks in at the end of this week.  They should have been here two weeks ago, but the hatchery royally screwed up my order- I don't even want to blog about my frustrations with that!  We'll be adding 5 Americaunas and 5 Black Australorps for more (and full sized) eggs.  I will probably grow out the eggers a bit, then sell six or so, hopefully to make back a little of my investment.  I will also be receiving 25 Black Broilers- meat chickens.   This is our first attempt at raising a solely meat breed of chicken (I failed once with rabbits due to the doe's inability to kindle).  I am hoping to keep the breasts for regular meals, the legs and wings for specialty nights (like when Tim is really craving hot wings!) and the thighs will go in the crockpot and become dog food.  We don't particularly care for thighs and with the excess of eggs, I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt for the chickens to supplement and stretch the dog food- which is getting more and more expensive, by the way.

In a quick update on the baking soda shampoo:  I switched back to my regular shampoo today and oh my gosh, my hair feels wonderful.  The shampoo really lathered up well and my hair was much less tangled than usual.  The curls are a bit off- I think it's my hair readjusting itself, but it doesn't look bad and could also be chocked up to the humidity in the air.  Overall, I'm a big fan of doing a baking soda cleanse occasionally.  Since I paid around 50 cents for a box of baking soda, it is going to last me forever.  Sounds good to me!

So that is what is going on currently, other than my working on my novel and planning our October vacation.  I've set a deadline of October to finish the novel, so we'll see what happens!

-Kristen