Red Dirt Farm and Studio

I eat too many potatoes, that is why my rear end is the size of Texas.  Yesterday while I was in the grocery store the clouds parted, a stream of brilliant light shone down and angels began to sing.  There – right there –  in front of me was a bin of colossal football sized potatoes, stocked full with a large sign advertising the enormity of such potato bliss.   Oh my goodness, I had gone to potato heaven.  I stood there just staring, apparently losing all sense of time and place as I finally snapped to it when I heard a woman say in a frustrated voice  “EXCUSE ME – You’re blocking the potatoes.”

Seriously, I wanted to fill my cart with said colossal football potatoes and make a u-turn straight to the butter isle.

 I did not, however.

 

 

The Red Dirt Farm Stand.

 

At a yard sale this spring, I purchased these vintage curtains and sheet, using it as a table cover, giving the farm stand a fun little retro vibe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, things just don’t work out the way we want.

 I mentioned some time ago, that it was my goal to expand my flower farming business and offer more flowers for sale at the farm stand.  It just isn’t happening this year.  It has been one thing after another as far as setbacks go.  The biggest being that both the tractor and the garden tiller are not working.  No fields got plowed, no rows got tilled.  Seeds did not get planted and there will not be any vegetable garden this year either.

 

 

Earlier in spring, I cut buckets of perennial blooms. I created lovely arrangements and offered cut flowers by the bunch for sale in the farm stand.  They did not sell.  Eggs sales have been brisk, so good actually, that I don’t even have the farm stand open.  We have standing orders for eggs so that as soon as they are laid, they are sold.  I count my blessings.  Soon, I’ll have more girls laying eggs and I should be able to fill these orders and have plenty available for other people.

 

 I guess it is all working out, I’d be so sad if I had tons of flowers filling my farm stand and no eggs and no customers.  I realize too, that the location of the stand (two tents) in the hottest part of our property that never gets shade is not working out for keeping flowers fresh.  I’m not giving up on my dream of flower farming.  I just have to figure some things out.

 Fix some equipment.

Build a proper structure.

Find people who love flowers as much as I do.

Other Ramblings.

 

Mr. Cottage has finished the wiring in the addition and is now doing the tv cable and telephone lines.  Soon we will be ready for our first inspection.  Fingers crossed that all is as it should be and we pass the inspection.

In chicken land.

To accommodate our expanding flock, we added new nesting boxes.  Some assembly required.  There may or may not have been some foul language used during the assembly process.

 

 

 

 

Now comes the hard part of convincing the girls that this is where they are to lay their eggs.

 NOT the garage.

 NOT the dog house.

 NOT the garden.

 NOT in the cat bed.

NOT in the flower pots.

 NOT NOT NOT!

 If you have free range chickens, you know what I am talking about.

Momma Doris Day, brought her babies outside to free range for the first time this week.

 

 

Lucky Duck.

 

Lucky duck is growing and doing well, although I think a bit lonely.  He learned how to escape his temporary box house this week.  In anticipation of this happening,  I purchased a nice soft sided pet kennel, same kind as I use for my chick brooder.

 

 

 

Inside his “house” he has a nest made from towels, a box to hide inside of or stand on top of.  He also has a mini pond, which he loves. At night or when I can’t supervise him, he gets zipped up inside for his protection. He really loves wandering the living room and swimming in his big “plastic pond.”

 

 

Thank you for being here today.

xo Kim

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Red Dirt Farm