A blog dedicated to informing people about our family farm, farming practices, and our pumpkin patch, Pumpkins and More A-maiz-ing Farm.
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Muddin' and Shootin'
Cousin E and Bubs
What do farm kids do in the winter? Not to sound too redneck, but, of course, they go out muddin' and shootin.' 😀
This Colorado January has had such crazy weather that it goes from three inches of snow to sunshine within two days. A few weekends ago, it peaked at almost 52 degrees, so we decided to head to the farm for some fun. The kids hadn't been out to the farm since harvest ended which meant they were very excited to play.
Near the end of July, we upgraded our bench Gator to a two-row Ranger. While we were shopping, we bought the girls a little four wheeler for all of the hard work they had done over the summer. They were troopers out there every day helping us irrigate, giving up a family vacation to hoe pumpkins, and hardly complaining at all.
Family-sized ride
Since we bought it so late in the summer and then got busy with back to school and the opening of Pumpkins and More A-maiz-ing Farm, they didn't have much time to play with it. But they had a blast muddin' it up all over the farm thanks to the recent snow fall.
E and Aubs
While they were busy riding (with big cousin E), Boots and I had a chance to do some target practice. A few months ago, he bought me my very first gun, a Walther PK380. I never would have imagined I would enjoy shooting, but after taking a tactical skills class and practicing, I really truly enjoy it. Boots likes hunting as well, so it is something that we can do together. There is nothing like the sound of gunfire and nailing your target to get the adrenaline rushing. This winter, Boots has upped his hunting game with a group of friends. They have been out multiple times shooting pheasant and coyotes. So far, he has shot four pheasant and two coyotes. Thankfully, he lets his friends keep them. I am not quite ready to dress a pheasant or skin a coyote, but maybe eventually I will be.
During our January excursion, I focused most of my camera attention on the kids and didn't get any good shooting pictures. Yesterday, though, Boots and I went out with family and had a great time shooting a variety of guns at our new targets. The best part is that thanks to the Holyoke Friends of NRA banquet last week and a Boots and Mike being so lucky, we added some new toys to our collection. So thankful for 60 degree February days and the crack of a gun!
Fresh fruits and vegetables are my favorite aspect of gardening. I am NOT a green thumb by any means, but with the help of Boots and the kids, we make it work. We have a rather large plot in the back of our yard and fertilized it with pig manure all winter. To prepare the area, Boots tilled the ground (like five times due to rain) to mix in the the fertilizer and break up the weeds that grew over the end of last season. After that, he raked out the big chunks, and leveled the ground. The girls get a hand in picking out what we plant, and love going with us to the local greenhouse, Marty’s Yarden. This year, we planted extra fruits and vegetables because the pig and chickens will be able to eat any excess that we cannot keep up on. We bought the following seedlings at Marty’s: Cantaloupe Watermelon Cucumbers Strawberries Bell peppers Sweet peppers Hot peppers Zucchini Tomatoes Brussels sprouts After some trial and error and performing some research, we we
I can't believe summer is quickly winding down. Here are some of the fun things we did in July. Kool-aid Dyed Hair This was a “girls only” activity because Bubs’ hair is too short. So he was a helper and liked playing with the gloves. After looking at a few recipes and strategies online, I came up with this technique. Supplies (per person/color): 3 packets of Kool-aid (the kind without the added sugar) 1 cup boiling water 2 tablespoons conditioner Old towel(s) Saran wrap Hair clips Gloves Hair dryer Steps: Isolate the hair that you plan to color. The girls wanted to just dye the bottom tips of their hair, so no isolation was needed. Put on gloves Mix the Kool-aid packets into the water Add the conditioner Make a garbage bag dress (which the girls thought was funny). If dipping, sit back in a chair allowing the ends of your hair to rest in the mixture for 5 minutes. If saturating, begin applying the mixture to the entire strand of hair
We spend a lot of time on the farm over the summer since neither the kids or I have school. However, June is packed with swimming lessons, baseball games, and the summer reading program, which means we spend more time at home than at the farm. Even though we keep a fairly busy schedule in June, we still have downtime that I like to fill with fun backyard activities. Hopefully, you will be able to try some of them too. Fairy Garden This is our third year planting a fairy garden. The first year PICTURE it was a small, container garden, but last year we expanded so that there would be more room for plants and accessories. The girls enjoy taking care of it and playing in it, but last year Bubs especially enjoyed sitting in it and destroying it. I don’t think he will be as concerned with it this year, so we should be able to expand. Our area is just blocked off with leftover pavers from the patio. We have built up our accessories from my mom, grandma, and great aunt. Last year, w
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