Attack of the killer turkeys ..

Holy cow! One of my homesteading books has this to say on the raising turkeys section .. "Don't . " . Now I remember why. Got mine as 3 day old things, now they are three months and getting increasingly aggressive. This morning trying to do food and water I stood up to fill the water container and they were LEAPING from the floor up at me, one got hold of my finger and took a good grab, dangling by her beak around my finger for a moment. (ow, ow).

I have one large room in the barn with the birds in a section and then the rabbits in cages against the wall. Trying to adjust the food server in the bunny cage and suddenly had one Turkey on my shoulder and one sitting on my head .. and they promptly started pecking at my ears / eyes / sunglasses atop my head. .. GEEEETTTTTTTT OOOOOOFFFFfFFFFfffff!

Cripe. These things know no fear and are aggressive. New routines and housing opportunities coming soon I do believe. Quinn is furious with me as I have now banned him from the small animal area until I solve the problem .. I foresee big trouble (or an earlier-than-expected Thanksgiving) on the horizon without adjustments.

Julie

Independent Shaklee Dealer

Green clean in the garden

I keep thinking that this blog should start with something inspirational, but the only clear thought in my head at the moment is “ow.” Next year remind me to get off my duff and do something a little earlier in the season.

Garden is going in today. Nothing ambitious, just ½ acre of weeds and brambles going to turn into an heirloom and wild edible garden in the space of a year. We will see what happens. I did run some soil testing and found out the pH was 5.3 and nutritionally there was nothing in the soil. Not the greatest place to start, but knowing is power so back in March, when we got the tests, we did spread a large quantity of “fast lime” (about 200 pounds) as well as taking about a ton of manure out of the stacking area and spreading that around. In my heart of hearts something is screaming “rototill!” The teachings I received this past late spring and looking at the old ways says no. Tiller parked firmly in the barn (if I am successful at this, there may be a nice Troy- Built pony tiller for sale in the future) we begin with part one.

For part one head to the store and buy lots of Roundup. Okay, so much for chemical-free, but the Conservation District and several other people I talked to said Roundup is basically a salt complex, and totally inert the moment it hit’s the ground, or within five hours anywhere. I need a good kill and a bit of hope so on goes the spray. What I will do is assume a good initial weed kill with that, and for the rest of the year use white vinegar in between rows as needed.

Roundup sprayed yesterday so now on to plant today. I will begin my three sisters area. All the directions I have start with a good tilling and then spending days making hills .. 4’ apart and 20” across. Well, making hills is tilling so to speak .. And in no-till they inject the seeds so here is what I tried. In areas about 4’ center to center I took my digging tool and jammed it in the ground. Inserted an orange spray painted popsicle stick and planted four heirloom corn kernels around the stick, about 8” apart in a cross formation. I did this right into the 9” high grass that was sprayed yesterday. In theory, the grass will die in about 10 days, right when the corn should be sprouting, so one going up and one going down for a nice mulch mat. We will see how it works out. When the corn is about 4” high, I will add the bean seeds near each corn stalk and the squash about a week following the beans.

The other thing that went in today was the acorn squash .. A family favorite. Same theory applied. I have about 20 that were started indoors, and those were planted right into the tall grass (sprayed yesterday). My thinking is that the 6 to 10 days the grass takes to die will be a good hardening off time for the seedlings to recover. I did plant about 40 more from seed in the front area that did not have as much grass. Will continue to document and check the results come harvest time.

Three things planted in a day does not seem much, but those three (I forgot spinach, planted in between the squash rows … just sprinkled the seeds direct to ground at the grass roots with the same hope ..the dying grass will provide enough cover and mulch to give them a great start). Anyway, three items does not seem like a lot for one day .. But I planted a LOT of those three things in rather difficult conditions. Again, the theory is that in a few years the soil and conditions will be much easier in the long run than if I went till .. So we’ll plant, document and see what happens

Essential Oils 101

Quick facts

Why use essential oils, read my post on The Because Clean Should Not Hurt if you have not done so.


NEVER ever ingest essential oils. They are a pure and natural product made by concentrating the active components of pounds of plant material down into ounces of oil. A very small amount of some oils can kill if ingested. Likewise, essential oils are generally too strong to use undiluted on the skin, most must be first mixed into a carrier oil such as almond, grapeseed or olive oil in a ratio of drops of essential oil to ounces of carrier oil to be safe. If you are interested in using essential oils either internally or in direct application to the skin ALWAYS consult a knowledgeable source first to prevent possible serious harm.

Essential oils are volatile (as are many toxins) - that is they evaporate quickly and completely into the air. They are not friends with heat, which can quickly break them down and dilute their effect. Placing a few drops in a small dish of water will release some nice fragrance to the air. Use of an atomizing diffuser will reduce the molecules in to such small particles they will remain suspended in the air for hours. One of the fastest and most effective delivery methods of a substance is via inhalation and the lungs (another being through contact with the skin), so always carefully and completely check the historic use of any oil unless you like surprises. One example is Ylang-ylang, a wonderful scent with a reputation for being calming and a stress reducer. It is also reputed to be a fairly strong aphrodisiac, so scenting the air with this to calm yourself as you help you teen get ready for the prom is probably counterproductive.

Take a moment and think aboout the pthalates (and 150 other unregulated chemicals) in your laundry detergent, fabric softner, soap, shampoo etc., you are wearing them on your skin 24/7. Delivery of substances through the skin is one of the fastest ways to get a substance to the whole body ... Here is an experiment, slice a piece of garlic thin and place on the bottom of your foot, tape or a sock helps. Wait 5 - 10 minutes and smell your breath ... how is that for a fast delivery system, from your foot to your lungs in minutes! Back to oils. As an
Independent Shaklee Dealer I carry the original non-toxic way to clean and be clean.


Essential oils can give you sticker shock when your first begin to investigating their purchase, expect to pay $10 to thousands for an ounce (30 ml). Never fear, an ounce contains approximately 580 drops if using the standard of a burette or medicine dropper. Due to the concentration of essential oils you will rarely use more than 2 - 3 drops for any given purpose, after 232 uses of any one scent you will probably be tired of it anyway. Most oils are sold in 1/4 ounce or smaller containers for 1/4 of the price. We will also discuss a few easy methods to make your own oils and floral waters. The prices are set where they are because of the sheer volume of plant material needed to collect an ounce of oil, the closest I can come to a true and valid source estimates it takes 60,000 roses to make one ounce of rose oil - thus the $2,100/ounce price tag, quite the bargain compared to purchasing 5,000 dozen rose bunches at $10 - $30 per bunch and processing them yourself.

The cost of essential oils can bring out the worst in some people. You do have to check around for a reputable dealer, which will take a little leg work. The best bet is someplace local that you can hold accountable for quality. Some will “cut” oils, i.e. the inexpensive geranium can come pretty close to faking a rose, and only a chemist or a well-trained nose will sniff them out. A few will dilute oils in a carrier oil such as grape seed or jojoba, and this is easy to detect, and honest EO dealers will lable them as such. Again, essential oils are volatile (many are flammable as well), this means they will evaporate completely when exposed to air. Take a piece of paper and place a drop of oil on it. Wait a few minutes and check the paper - a pure oil will leave no mark at all, but the scent will remain. This quality makes essential oil a fantastic addition to home made laundry soaps and cleaning products. There is probably a fabric that I have yet to run across out there that can be stained by them, but I haven’t found it. It also makes essential oils wonderful additions to home made or purchased (nontoxic please! ) cleaners as they leave a scent behind, but no residue.

Please do note that many reputable sellers do dilute their oils in a carrier oil and label them as such - i.e. 10% Melissa (Lemon balm) is 10% pure Melissa officinalis oil in 90% jojoba or some other listed oil. These oils are much less expensive to buy, but you need to use significantly more for the same effect. I would also not recommend them for addition to cleaning products as the carrier oil is not volatile and will leave a stain and/or residue. The are wonderful for home made skin care products.

A naturally clean home will not harbor odors; scents are options for your enjoyment, not necessary. Do not replace with chemically-based “air fresheners” thinking you will save a dime (they cost the same, many oils are less due to the small amount needed) by putting toxic chemicals in the air of your home! If you really enjoy “on the spot” air fresheners, try mixing about 5 drops of pure essential oil in two ounces distilled water, put in a fine spray mister and have a party.