A Mini Farm

I want to live on a farm, grow veggies, raise cattle, ride horses….Someday that is. I also want a fun retirement home that I could use as a rental in the meantime. I stumbled upon this gem a few weeks ago.

Its actually located in the city of Verdel – population 58 – about 15 miles from Niobrara. It sits on about 16 acres. Has a red barn which is a must (hello pig roast and barn dance!).

Gravel roads occupied mainly by tractors.

The interior is small and filled with character.





And also in need of some major renovations as you can clearly see.


I can picture myself enjoying relaxing weekends here, hunters setting up camp during hunt season, a garden in the yard, clothes on the clothesline, and cattle…

Well seems the neighbors cattle already enjoy the yard. Just waiting to hear if the owner is willing to part with the entire parcel (the home is available for sale if you are willing to relocate it) at a reasonable price.

Knox County Fair

I love County Fairs. So simple and so fun. You have all the fair entries for produce


Quilts and crafts

Very Healthy fair food


Cowboys

Games


And the grand finale of most fair evenings – a great concert.
Knox County Fair in Bloomfield Nebraska was a lot of fun. The night we went Rory and Joey performed. They were very entertaining!



One of the funniest concerts I have ever been to – there songs were super quirky. Check them out if you haven’t already – Cheater Cheater is a classic.

Long Country Runs

I love being able to take off for a long run (or ride) knowing it will be more or less total solidarity and pure wildlife. Usually time is not a factor so I can relax and enjoy the run instead of worry about the next task I need to complete. I am greeted by green pastures

Bales of Hay


Cows


Horses

Wildflowers

Views of the Missouri River

I wish every run could be this blissful!

Refrigerator Pickles

I first read about refrigerator pickles on this Supermom’s blog. Her adorable kids and constant stream of fun activities pull me in even though I am far from being a mom (she reminds me of my mom when we were young as we always did fun creative things). Then this stylish guy also blogged about pickles so I knew it was something I had to try. Since the pesky deer have ravaged my cucumbers I purchased some of the Main Street Market.





It was a very quick and easy process and within a few hours we had tasty pickles! I highly recommend this recipe.

Amy Rosen's Quick Pickles (via These Roving Eyes)

3 medium-sized fresh pickling cucumbers
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt
Half a cup of white sugar
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped dill
Mustard Seed (I added this)


Slice your cucumbers length-wise into spears.
In a sauce pan, bring to a boil the vinegar, water, salt and sugar. Pour the mixture over your cucumbers and toss in that fresh dill. Allow it to cool on the counter for an hour-or-so. (The cucumbers will go from that fresh green colour to a more pickly tone.)

Wildflowers

How does Thee Garden Grow?

This was my first year for a garden. I ordered loads of seeds from Gurney’s, had my dad till up a great space for the garden, and my mom showed me how to plant the seeds. Then I waited patiently for things to spring to life, and waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing?? I either have some weird bug/animal that eats seeds or they washed away. So Plan B was buy plants. Some were a success:





Others not so much:



Turns out deer love peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, and tomatoes.
Luckily my patio tomatoes and herbs are growing well



Hoping next year I have more success with seeds – thinking raised beds – and find a way to keep the deer away! It has been fun to harvest the veggies I have been able to grow! Every day its exciting to check on the progress.

* Photos are a few weeks old so garden has more veggies now.