Uncontacted Amazonian tribe

Wonderful pictures of an uncontacted amazon tribe. These people have lived this way for 1000's, maybe even 10's of thousands of years without our interference, but looks like that is about to change. If history follows through as it has with other people we have "found" ( as if they where ever lost in the first place ) we will first send in a priest. His job will be to convert them or have them killed, second, we need to find what valuables they have that we can extort from them. And the third and final blow will be "Democracy" ( if they don't take to well to it at first, that is no problem, we will just force it on them as we do all others ). I feel such deep sorrow for these people, they have no idea the weight of the "Shackles of Freedom" they will sooner or later be issued. If my views offend anyone, please, excuse me. I just have such a hard time dealing with the way the world forces it's ideas of freedom upon those who "truly" know it. Use the link below to see more pictures of this tribe that atleast knows to be afraid.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Uncontacted-Amazonian-tribe-photographed-indigenous-peoples-Acre-Peru/ss/events/wl/052908amazontribe/s:/nm/20080529/sc_nm/brazil_tribe_dc/im:/080530/photos_sc/2008_05_30t092104_450x306_us_brazil_tribe/;_ylt=AgEk7gLGn4o7U5ECGI1a4TAiANEA#photoViewer=/080530/photos_sc/2008_05_29t164731_326x450_us_brazil_tribe

Strawberry Day !!!!

Found out about a place just outside of town the other day that lets you pick your own strawberries for $5.00 a gallon. So, the girls where heading that way today and thought it would be alot of fun to check it out. They picked a gallon and a half and we made strawberry jam tonight. Here are some pictures of the days adventure.


This is the strawberry field. Man that looks beautiful.

Momma and Katie picking the best of the best.
I know I seen one in here somewhere.
Look mom, there everywhere.
Savannah and Katie with the days harvest.
In the basket and on the way home.

First we had to cut off all the stems and rinse them good in cold water. Preparing the jars that they picked up at BigLots. They have the best price, $6.50 for the pints and half pints and $7.00 for the quarts.
Savannah in the MIX of things.
Hey, thats me, pouring the jam into a cup and then into the jars.

Later that night, beautiful Strawberry Jam. The house smells so good right now, wish you could smell it too.

Random Pictures around the Farm

Just some random pictures that I wanted to share with everyone. If you have dial-up you are gonna hate me. Sorry.


View from up the drive way a little piece.

Looking down through the front yard.

Nieghbors colt that I just had to add.

Me running the tractor.

Nice pic of the pond that is right beside the house. It's larger than it looks. Stocked 150 catfish a few weeks ago.

Ducks taking it easy.

Mountian Laurel in bloom beside the drive way.

Blackberry's in bloom too.

View from about halfway up the drive.

My father-in-law, Ken, in the for ground, me in the middle and Katie near the back planting corn.

Tried some potato's in old tires this year and man are they doing great. Never found a bug on them either. The leaves are picture perfect.

View from one side of the corn rows.

The goats thought that I was bringing feed.

Compost pile working.

Garden Update

We are very happy to have good neighbors here where we are. Ed, who is also Olivia's uncle, came down the other day with his tractor and said he heard that we needed someone to plow up some ground to plant corn. Not only did he plow for us free of charge but went home and put the disc on the tractor and brought it back and said for me to use it as long as I need. This was really my first time using a tractor ( had driven some around some ) and man it was great. I love that thing. The kids got on for pictures too. The tractor was not running while the kids where on. Got a pretty nice spot ready to plant corn this weekend. We are going to raise for ourselves and the stock, cows, chickens and goats.

Savannah taking her turn on the tractor.

Now Katie Bugs turn to make a round or two.

Me and my little house dog Honey Girl just crusin around the farm. She loves to ride. Man I am looking old. I guess it beats having the groundhogs bringing your mail though.

Katie Bug wanted to play in all the nice dirt. She and I will be planting corn other the next few days.

The Royal Steer

Ladies and Gentlmen, this is our new ( and our first ) Steer. We have named him Sir. Loin. His weighs about 350 - 400 lbs right now. We are not really big meat eaters but if we are going to eat any we would like to have control over what goes in it if you know what I mean.

This is our neighbor, and Olivia's uncle, Howard, that we bought the steer from. He raises cattle and we decided that he was the guy to buy from. Here we are unloading Sir. Loin. Man that is a cool 6 wheeler he has. We hope to put a few hundred pounds on him and then to the slaughter house. Should have plenty of steak around for a while. I'll keep you all posted on this new project for us.

4-Wheeling Goats

I spent the weekend working on the goats area, cleaning up dead branches and stuff. The wife bought me a new trailer to pull with my 4-wheeler and I put it to good use the last few days. The goats as always loved the company and it gave them a chance to play on the 4-wheeler. I can't keep them off that thing. This is Chief in the drivers seat and Daisy waiting her turn. Goats are great to have around the farm and the are gentle with the kids. We love them.

Bloggers and their Friends

Information, Inspiration, Dedication and Meditation, these are the things that I get from reading my fellow bloggers entrys. I get a lot of good information on subjects that interest me, I am inspired by their dedication which makes me take a hard look and my own and I spend late nights thinking or meditating on the various subjects that have crossed my monitor. I really enjoy reading my fellow bloggers thoughts and experinces and I consider many of them to be friends even though we have never met nor talked on the phone. That is just one of the many things that blogs provide for me. I hope that I too can provide some needed information at times but either way I enjoy writing about the things that happen here on the farm and in my life. So if you find something you enjoy or were informed, inspired, became more dedicated to your own cause or just found something to keep your mind busy, let them know. Bloggers love input from their readers. Be sure to check out the blogs I visit often. They provide a lot of good stuff.

Food Storage

Here are some of the used buckets that we are going to use to store flour and meal in. Each hold about a 5lb bag, wish they were a little larger, but hey, they were free. We try to use as many things as we can that are of little or no cost. All buckets were hand washed first and then ran through the dishwasher.

Just some of the stuff we have added to the stock pile. There is much more this is just what was left on the table when I thought to take a picture. All items were on sale or bought with a coupon or both. We only buy when things are on sale or atleast that is the plan. With food cost going up everyday it is only wise to buy all the extra you can afford, belive me, you may not be able to afford it the next time you are in town. We have found that with gas prices the way they are that it is probably cheaper to go ahead and buy the things you are gonna need (on sale or not)when you are out. It's cheaper than driving back again.

Stocking Up On Grub

My wife went to town to increase our rations for the pantry and came home with a boat load from Kroger. They had a great 10 for $10.00 sale and she really got some great stuff. We loaded up on dry goods also, pinto beans, pasta and sauce ($1.00 per quart), cereal and ofcourse peanut butter. She got a large bag of rice and when she got to the check out counter the lady told her they had got a notice to pull the rice off the shelf because they were going to start rationing very soon. Not sure if she knew what she was talking about but it sounds right. After that news my mother-in-law had to got to town and thought she would stop by Wally Mart and pick up some rice just incase. We called and ask her to pick up 4 - 5lbs of flour (2 bread flour and 2 self-rising). After getting home Liv talked to a few folks on the phone and learned that flour was on the raise again so thought we should get a little more for storage. Well when her mom came home she had, now get this, 70lbs of flour. She said she thought we better get more. She said she wanted to pay for it all and let us keep it because Liv bakes all the bread. LOL So if the SHTF we will have plenty of bread for our peanutbutter and jelly sammies.
We are planning for a cow here on the farm VERY soon. More on that in a few days.

Suburban Renewal - One Backyard at a Time

Take a little time and watch this video. This guy has got it together. Take notes and live a better life.

Possum Removal 101

First you need a possum that is in need of removal. I had one today thanks to my mother-in-law who found one trapped in her trash can. We just didn't have the heart to kill this little guy, we are not that hungry just yet. So I found a cardboard box and dumped him and a little of the trash along with it into the box then placed the box on the front rack of my ATV and off we went. A gravel road goes by my driveway into the Daniel Boone National Forest. After about a mile on this road I found a spot that I thought he may like better than the trash can or the cardboard box he was now riding in and turned the box over beside the road and away he went with a real story to tell all of his buddies.





I left some of the scraps that got him into this mess beside the road just incase he stays around for a little while he will have some easy food.

Mayapple

Found a nice patch of mayapple on the way to relocate the possum.

I will be sure to go back and get another picture when they are in bloom.

We just found a recipe for Mayapple Jelly. Hope to try this one once the fruit sets.

Wash ripe mayapples, cut away the stem and blossom ends, and any waste parts. Cut the fruit into pieces and place in a large kettle with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer until mayapples are tender, mashing during cooking. Strain the juice through a cheesecloth or let it drip through a jelly bag. To the strained mayapple juice, add lemon juice and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then stir in pectin. Again bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil hard until the jelly stage is reached. Remove jelly from heat, skim, and pour into hot, sterilized jelly glasses. Seal at once with hot paraffin. Double the recipe if you have plenty of mayapple juice. The amount used in this recipe is the yield of about 2 cups of sliced mayapples simmered in 3 cups of water. Yield: Four small glasses of pale amber jelly with an almost tropical flavor. Serve mayapple jelly on hot breads or for a dessert with cream cheese and soda crackers. Note: While the author says to seal the jars with paraffin, I think this method is no longer recommended by canning experts, and I'd process in a hot water bath instead. From _The Wild Flavor_ by Marilyn Kluger. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1984. Pg. 245. ISBN 0-87477-338-5. Electronic format by Cathy Harned.

Good days harvest

The chickens have really stepped up to the plate so to say. Got 8 eggs from 8 hens today. Now that is some happy chickens and owner.

Goats are fenced

Finally got the goats fenced in and the predators out, I hope. 160 feet of cattle panels on the front and electric on the sides and back. In all about $600.00 in this project but well worth it. Goats are happy and secure.

My Mower

This is a picture of the mower that I use here on the farm. Does a great job in the yard and in the field too. I have mowed over some pretty good sized trees with this thing and it still keeps going. Plus I get to ride my 4-wheeler at the same time.