Fall is in the air

Summer has flown by..I think it was the chickens that made it go so fast. That and the simply beautiful weather we had. Lots of sunshine. I am so sad to see it go, but I do love fall. It is a favorite of mine in all ways except it means nasty old winter is coming. I hate the cold and the ice, the salt on the roads and snow. I love how pretty it is when it falls, but then you have to move it and with salt and sand it gets dirty. Anyway back to the glorious days of Fall.  The cool dry air, clear days and crisp nights. The smell of wood smoke will linger in the air. Pumpkin bread in the oven and apple cider simmering on the stove...ahh fall!

I notice how my gardens are passing by. The sedums are in full bloom and my grasses are getting their tassels. They look so pretty. I see a scattering of leaves on the lawn in the morning. We will need to close up the pool soon and I will miss the sound of the waterfall in the summer breeze.

Last weekend I got the cornstalks out and some mums planted. I got out some of my Harvest decorations. So come see what I have been up to. The mailbox is the first to get a little attention.

                           My old wheelbarrow got a bit of Fall color and a couple of pumpkins.

 Our project this summer was to add some large stones to the front yard. This one was placed so I could add some seasonal color around it.

 What do you think? It breaks up the large natural part of our front yard and gives me something to plant around.

 The garden I have shown you at different times this summer. The phlox are on the second bloom and notice the sedums. They are lush this year. This is my gardens last hurrah. I am sad to see them go by.

 The galvanized tub is passing by too.

 The cannas are looking good too. I love the red coloring.....

 The grass is showing her beautiful tassels and I love the green of my Annabelles.

 The babies are growing. Lucy and Pumpkin are 19 weeks old. They are the sweetest girls.

 The girls are giving us about 3 eggs a day. They have just started and the days are getting short so I just have to wait and see how that goes. My grandson makes himself eggs each morning. He just loves the fact they are so fresh.

So that is what has been going on at the country nest these days as summer ends and we welcome fall I continue to harvest my herbs for the girls and have been drying them for winter use.
Hope you come back to visit as our trees turn beautiful colors and those crisp days bring out sweaters and warm fires.....Can't you just smell it in the air?

Heavenly Blue

I planted some seeds in a pot with a trellis. There was a windy day and I lost my plants, so I stared again and it seems like forever, but we now have some blooms. No matter how many times I plant Morning Glories the flowers just amaze me. So beautiful, such a beautiful shade of blue. I will hate to see them go by. Do you have any favorites? I love the bright and vibrant zinnias in bloom right now too. They are like happy, sunny faces smiling up at me. The colors are like Fiesta dinnerware. They just make me smile.

 

 

The Morning Glories are climbing up the Hen House and the girls seem to like them too!

 

 

 

 

Away go the Summer dishes and out come my Fall plates. I know it is September, but man it is still hot here! I picked up  Pumpkin roll last week and that means Fall to me.

This week at the Country Nest

The weather here has been hot and humid. The chickens have been out free ranging to find some cool space under the trees. They love being out, but I usually supervise to be safe. They love stealing tomatoes from the garden and eat up lots of pesty bugs. The flowers are blooming nicely and it really is dog days of August.  Hope you all have nice weather where you are.

We have a project under way in the front yard, but I will save that until next time.

Chickens in the garden

These two rascals are Lucy and Pumpkin. They are still in the small cage so I like to let them out each day. They don't wander as much as the other four and they are just so sweet.

Pumpkin is the smallest of all, but the most loving....she loves to be held and she will coo and make sweet noises. I've already told hubby if they never accept her I want to build her own space. She can have peace and lots of loves from her humans.

 One of my favorite flower beds with my Limelight hydrangea peeking out behind the rest.

 She is a beauty for sure. We cut her way back last year and it looks like we will have to do that again.

 Lucy at the window waiting to be let out~she makes me giggle.

Here is Lily, the Black chicken and Molly my barred rock. We are almost 20 weeks so I am hoping for eggs soon. The nesting boxes are lined with herbs and hay and fake eggs. I check daily. I can't wait for our first egg!

P.S. It looks like Princess is here to stay!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jelly

Warm summer days and the fruits of the season had me craving a jelly my Mom used to make. I have always loved it. That and strawberry rhubarb pie. It must be all that Farm Girl inspiration from Deb over at Dandelion House.

My finished jelly. I love how it looks and let me tell you it tastes even better. 

It is really simple to make first I gathered and washed my jars and lids. Got out my big old canning kettle that was my Moms. I have had it for over 40 years now. My Mom spent many hours with this old kettle...canning jellies, blueberries, tomatoes, string beans. She would store them in the basement on these shelves my Dad had built just for her preserves. Oh boy my sister and I were just talking about Mom's blueberries and the time we spent picking them. It was a special treat when we had blueberries and dumplings for dinner. It was like dessert. You see I get sidetracked...happens all the time. You need 2 Cups strawberries and 2 Cups of cut up rhubarb, 4 TBSP of Lemon juice. I Pkg of dry fruit pectin and 5 1/2 Cups of sugar.

Anyway combine strawberries( I crush mine) and rhubarb along with lemon juice in a large pot. Mix in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat stir constantly. Add all the sugar at once return to a full rolling boil continue stirring. Boil hard for about a minute Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

Ladle the hot jam into jars leaving some head

space. Wipe any drips around the rim. I use a large canning funnel for such things. Keeps my rim clean, Remove air bubbles by sliding a knife down around the edges.Center lids and screw on bands until tight. Place jars in canning kettle and make sure they are covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for about 10 minutes. Wait a few minutes and then remove jars carefully, don't burn your self. I have special tongs, bought anywhere they sell canning supplies. Let the jars sit and you will hear the lids pop. Now my Mom used to put wax on top. I don't know why and I wish she were here to ask. After they have cooled store in a cool dry place and ENJOY!

I have been letting the girls free range a bit and they just love this old Rhody.

A view of the hen house from the pool.

The pool temp is at a balmy 82 degrees and is still refreshing on a hot day. So after we are done working in the gardens we jump in!! What do you do to cool off?


I am joining Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop over at Deborah Jeans Dandelion House!

New friends, because of hens~

The weather here on Sunday was cool and wet. Lots of rain and drizzle. A while back when chickens were my dream....my sister told me about a blog called Dandelion House. When I first opened the page I fell in love! This little red hen house was the blog header. As I read further Deb had lots of pictures of her hen house and gardens. I kept reading...scrolling backward. I loved everything and felt I had met someone with similar interests. The hen house....I wanted the same hen house. I saved her pictures, I should have named the Pinterest board Dandelion House instead of chickens. Then I started printing them out. My hubby actually said, yes I like that one. I think it will fit in.. So it started. He got supplies, the first of many trips to Lowes. I got the brooder box all set up. I got my feed. Then I got my first four chicks. Then through comments and emails I found that Deb did not live to far from me. Can you say delighted? Deb invited us down to view her hen house. HEAVEN!!
I was not disappointed! The hen house a delight, but best of all was the family we met. We talked and talked about everything and anything. Did I take pictures you ask? No of course not. While we spent our weekends working on our own little hen house. Deb gave me some valuable pointers on what she would change and it really helped. We are about complete, the hens are living out there now. We invited our inspiration couple over to see our house. Hmmmm photo op for sure, but did I take pictures? No. Deb did take a few. The flowers below were a gift from Deb and Boz. Straight from her pretty gardens. They are beautiful. Thank you!

So we had a light breakfast and passed what would have been a drizzly, raw, dark Sunday with friends warm coffee and pastries and great conversation.

 

What's happening at The Country Nest?

I just sat down tonight and I honestly can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted. I have been really busy with work and have not had enough time in my garden. Then there are the moments spent with my chickens.....I am hooked.

I don't want to bore you to death but my original four are about 13 weeks now and the two newer chicks the Araucanas are about 6 weeks now. They are still too small to let out with the larger hens. the larger girls peck and corner them then the babies squeal and I hurry in to the rescue. We keep them in the hen house in a wire crate. They are loving my herbs and lettuce.

Ok I woke her up for the picture, meet Princess. My grandson brought her home and said her owner was going to kill her. He had thrown her and my grandson couldn't stand it. So we now have kitty #3. She is about 5 months old and as sweet as can be. Her name was Smalls, but he renamed her Princess. It seems to suit her, she rules over the two male cats here. Already love her to bits.