Sumac Is Starting

Today I was out with my husband. I saw several maple trees already have a large cloak of orange around their shoulders. With the dry summer we had, it looks like the trees lost lots of leaves. Their cloaks are very thin this year. The two pictures here are of sumac leaves starting to turn. They turn bright red and then where a dark burgandy seed head like a stocking cap on top. In the second picture there is also a dogwood tree on the left. It is showing forth its red berries.

The weather was hotter than it has been, but still very bearable. The high was supposed to be 85, but I think it got hotter than that.

Tonight we need to trim the goat hooves. We bought peanuts to see if the calves will eat them. We like to keep them friendly with us and we are no longer giving them bottles. We don't feed grain, so we are going to try an occasional treat. We went to get some alfalfa cubes, but they only sold them in huge bags and we are not sure they would even like them.

We have a buck worked out for this year. He is the same one we used last year. He is very sweet although extremely smelly. I do believe of all the animals I have been around, a male goat in rut is by far the grossest!!!! I now need to work out a deal on a ram. We breed in November for April babies. We like April because it is not bitter cold anymore and the flies are not out yet.

It is very quiet on the farm today. I picked some comfrey leaves and some echinacea leaves to dry. I need to get out there and get some jewel weed as well. I will mush it and freeze it in an ice cube tray. I am hoping to add it to my home made salve recipe. I also put the dried onions and tomatoes in the food processor to chop them up. I did the onions first. They taste like candy. The tomatoes came out pretty well. They are not a really fine powder, but I would say they came out as a powder with some chunks and that will work.

I want to ask everyone that reads this post to please leave a comment about one thing you are thankful for. I am thankful for a God who gave us beautiful seasons instead of one black and white one.