Mrs. David's Garden Seeds®


Life On The Mini Farm

Life on the mini farm has been good so far, except for the unpacking of the house. Today (Monday), I worked outside after lunch before it got cold. It was 76° this morning and humid. Now it is 3:45pm and it is windy and so cold. It is supposed to hit 32° tonight.


Life On The Mini Farm This Week

Monday, November 11, 2019

David of David's Garden Seeds® is a veteran of the United States Army. Wasn't he so handsome?David of David's Garden Seeds® is a veteran of the United States Army. Wasn't he so handsome?

First of all, Happy Veterans Day to all of the United States Military Veterans. Thank you for your service. You may know that David is a veteran of the United States Army. I am very proud of him.

This morning, our trees that we bought on Saturday arrived at the farm. Some went into the greenhouse because it will be 32° tonight. A cold front started moving in after lunch. The rest of the trees are sitting in our yard waiting to be planted. Our tree guy went hunting but later this week he will be here to get our 33 new trees into the ground. All but four pine trees will be put into the orchard. We are very excited about the orchard here on our farm.

An orchard is something I have wanted since I was a little girl. I grew up in upstate New York and we would go apple and cherry picking at local orchards. About 25 years ago, David's parents put an orchard on their ranch with 300 apple trees. It was fun to pick apples off the tree. They grew big and were delicious.

Part of a field of recently planted strawberries growing in Poteet, TX.Part of a field of recently planted strawberries growing in Poteet, TX.
About 20 cows were right next to the strawberry plants and I wanted them all, including several sweet calves.About 20 cows were right next to the strawberry plants and I wanted them all, including several sweet calves.

Also this morning, we went to a local strawberry farm for a tour and then we were given 300 Ruby June strawberry runners. Thank you to Donovan Garcia! We really enjoyed seeing your farm and the variety of cows next door.

Ruby June hybrid strawberries are planted in the row cover to keep weeds from growing in between the berries.Ruby June hybrid strawberries are planted in the row cover to keep weeds from growing in between the berries.
A close up of the Ruby June strawberries.A close up of the Ruby June strawberries.

After lunch, David let me drive the tractor/mower over to our mini gas station area and he showed me how to fill it with gas. It was so fun. Then David mowed the back forty (really three--ha ha!) acres while Bethany and I went after cutter ants spreading all over the property. They were all over one of our baby oak trees and I spotted some of them yesterday while inspecting the orchard. I finally got too tired to do anymore but Bethany continued.

I was sitting here working at my desk by a window that faces the back of the mini farm. All of a sudden it got very windy and the cold front is blowing in. It went from 76° down to 62° quickly. I just stepped out on the deck and it feels like 40° but Alexa says it is 62°. I think she is wrong and I am normally hot but the cold wind slapped me good so it is a lot less than that.

I made us a pot of coffee and I put chocolate and whipped cream in it. It is perfect for the way it looks outside right now and it is a bit chilly in here.

It was 41° on the mini farm when we finally went to bed.

I woke up at 11:34pm and heard rain coming down on the roof.


Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Our colorful electric fireplace was on all evening and part of the night.Our colorful electric fireplace was on all evening and part of the night.

I awoke at 5:54am to rain and 33° out here on the mini farm. It dropped down to 32° around 7am and there was freezing rain. Sure enough, there was ice on the decks. Right now it is 8:30am and the temperature is 33°. We told our workers to stay in San Antonio today so we were on our own at the mini farm.

We stayed in all day as it was so cold. It warmed up to 43°. We got a lot of computer work done in the house. Then I unpacked a few boxes in my craft room. I am still trying to decide what to keep and what to toss. I have way too many craft supplies.

Dinner came and I roasted potatoes with mushrooms and onions and served it with sliced turkey. It was so good!

Then it got back down into the 30s again so we watched TV and stayed warm.


Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Clouds over our greenhouse and raised beds with hoops and shade cloth.Clouds over our greenhouse and raised beds with hoops and shade cloth.

I woke up to 35° on the mini farm and a report of freezing rain in Atascosa County this morning. I fed the dogs and Kitty. David made an omelette for breakfast. It is now 8am and I need to get ready for the day as I think two of our team members will be here this morning. We will be leaving a little later on to go have lunch with some of David's family as one of his brothers and one of his sisters just had birthdays.

I hope our yard guy is back from his hunting trip because we have a lot of trees that need to be planted soon. We also have to get those strawberries in the ground. Maybe it should warm up a bit first.

198 strawberry plants went into our raised beds today as well as four pine trees, 15 fruit trees and three pecan trees.

Lunch at Hermann Sons in Hondo. Right to left: David's brother Johnny, sister Reba, father John.Lunch at Hermann Sons in Hondo. Right to left: David's brother Johnny, sister Reba, father John.

David and I met with David's father, his two brothers, and one of his sisters for lunch at Hermann Sons Steak House in Hondo for two birthdays--his sister and his brother. The food was mediocre at best. We used to enjoy eating there once in a while but over the years it has gone downhill. The mashed potatoes were glue-like and the gravy was thick glue. The waitresses are also getting worse and worse.

After lunch, we went to Castroville to look at a large shed that we could purchase to use for a store here in Rossville, Texas. We found a large shed that would be perfect with room for all of the seeds and some of my handmade items. Hopefully, we can get it set up soon. Then the store will be out here and our crew can concentrate on getting the job of counting, packing, and shipping instead of having to wait on customers in San Antonio. I was the one who took care of the customers when we lived in San Antonio. Since we have moved, I have been working at home on the mini farm.

We got home and found the all of the trees except for seven in the greenhouse plus the blueberry bush.


Thursday, November 14, 2019

A portion of our new row of trees in the orchard. These are citrus trees.A portion of our new row of trees in the orchard. These are citrus trees.

Good morning. It is raining and 43° on the mini farm. I am getting a bit sick of the rain but I know it is good for the 18 new fruit and pecan trees that were planted yesterday, along with the 22 previously planted fruit trees, the four pine trees that were put in yesterday, and our ten oak trees that have been in the ground for about a month now.

Note the pink blossoms on this redskin peach tree when temperatures have been in the 30s.Note the pink blossoms on this redskin peach tree when temperatures have been in the 30s.
Note the white blossom on the same redskin peach tree, just on a different branch.Note the white blossom on the same redskin peach tree, just on a different branch.

I went out and walked the orchard on our mini farm, checking out each tree. One of our peach trees is confused. It is flowering. Not only is it flowering, but it is flowering in two colors on different limbs! How is that possible in the cold? I am thinking that two varieties of peaches were grafted in on our Redskin Peach.

David decided that he is going to take the three dogs to be groomed tomorrow. There is a place about 18 miles away in Pleasanton. In order to do that, all three dogs have to have kennel shots. For some reason, the vet did not give those shots to Annabelle, just to Lucy and Ethel. So David took Annabelle to the vet for two shots before the groomer would touch her. $106 later, Annabelle is cleared to go to the groomer tomorrow.

Tonight, we went into Poteet for dinner at a Mexican place. I had the flauta plate and it was pretty good. We met some new friends there and had a good time.


Friday, November 15, 2019

Today was a full day on our mini farm. It started early this morning when David left with the dogs to get groomed for the first time out in Pleasanton. David dropped them off and about 90 minutes later, they were all ready to come home. The groomer said they were very nervous. Lucy did number one and number two on the floor. When David brought them home, they felt so soft and smelled wonderful. They came home with neon green bandanas and look so cute.

The girls are in the library sporting their neon green bandanas after getting groomed. They are adorable!The girls are in the library sporting their neon green bandanas after getting groomed. They are adorable!

Then David had to leave to meet up with someone a few towns over. Bethany came to help me today and she was a huge help. She vacuumed the house and then she began hanging photos and decorating. She did an awesome job!

Phil spent the morning in Home Depot picking up things for David for the greenhouse. He showed up after a while and worked outside. We all had a late lunch.

Meanwhile, Bethany and I emptied several boxes throughout the house, finding more pictures to hang up. She also filled the decorative high shelves in the kitchen with canisters and other decorations.

Trying to hook our well up to electricity, they cut our city water line. We were without water for 2 hours. So glad they got it back on.Trying to hook our well up to electricity, they cut our city water line. The mini farm was without water for 2 hours. So glad they got it back on.

The electric people who installed our large generator showed up today to hook our new water well to electricity so we can actually start getting water out of the well. It has an electric pump. I went out to talk with them and then came back in. A little while later, there was a knock on the front door. The guy asked me if we had city water. I said yes and he said they broke the line with their backhoe. He came in and turned off the breakers for the hot water heater and washer and dryer.

The FedEx lady drove up and knocked on the door. I was expecting a cabinet to be delivered and she said my sack of dirt has some holes in it so she wanted me to come out and inspect the dirt that David ordered for the greenhouse. I looked and not much had spilled out so I accepted it. She told me she did not have a cabinet for me. Then I saw a tall box out at the gate by the road. Phil went out and got it. It was my cabinet.

Phil put it together and it looks great. I will keep my linens in it.

A few hours later, David came home and they finally got the water line repaired after going to get parts. Then they hooked the pump up to electricity. Now we have to wait until next week for the well people to come back out and inspect the electrical hookup. If it is okay, then we will be able to use our well.

Everyone was gone from the mini farm by 6pm. I have hung up some more wall hangings throughout the house and will try to get things organized better tomorrow.

Of course, while all of this goes on at the mini farm, Jay is handling things in San Antonio at David's Garden Seeds® for us.


Saturday, November 16, 2019

This morning on the mini farm, it was 34° Fahrenheit. It got up to around 60° and now it is cold again at 8:30pm. We stayed home all day. David worked all day and is still working in his office now. I unpacked more boxes and sorted out all of my clay colors as I stored them in my Dreambox. I unpacked all of my kitchen linens today and washed them because they have been packed up since July. I found my fall tablecloths and dish towels and decorated our new table. I also hung up a few wall hangings.

This blue fig felt very soft so I picked it to try.This blue fig felt very soft so I picked it to try.

I did four loads of laundry and walked all the way out to the mailbox two times but there was no mail. I went to the orchard and inspected all of the trees. One of the blue fig trees had a very soft piece of fruit on it so I picked it. There are about 12 figs on each of the blue fig trees.  I have never eaten a plain fig before, just in cookies, so I was not sure how a ripe fig would be. I peeled it and ate some but it is not sweet yet so I don't think it is ripe yet. I will have to do some research on figs.

The rest of the trees look good considering how cold it has been over the past two weeks.

Our neighbor who owns the lot next to us showed up today with some other guys and put up another section of the fence. It is about halfway down the hill now. David has seen some deer coming into our yard from the lot on the right and going over to his lot on the left to eat acorns off of the tree. The fence at this point won't matter because it is only about four feet tall. Deer can easily jump that. You need at least an eight foot tall fence to keep them out, or you need an electric fence.

The fence line between our property and our next door neighbor is about halfway finished.The fence line between our property and our next door neighbor is about halfway finished.

I spent most of the day reflecting on my life because tomorrow is my birthday and it is a big one. That is all I will say on the matter.


Sunday, November 17, 2019

I let the girls out this morning and saw this incredible sunrise on the mini farm.I let the girls out this morning and saw this incredible sunrise on the mini farm.

Good Sunday morning and Happy Birthday to me! I caught some gorgeous colors early this morning in the eastern sky--so pink and pretty! It was a lovely birthday gift to me from my Heavenly Father!

Happy Birthday to me!Happy Birthday to me!

David made me breakfast which was very sweet. I started getting ready for church and heard the faint meow of Kitty in the kitchen. I fed her this morning, but she was not there. I didn't think much of it, but then I heard that meowing. She loves to go into cabinets but she hasn't figured out yet how to get in them in the new house. I started opening cabinets but couldn't find her. I called her loudly and heard another meow. I looked out the kitchen window and there she was, freezing out on the back deck. She must have slipped out in the dark this morning when we let the dogs out but did not have the sense to come back up on the porch when we let them in.

Turns out Kitty loves Ethel's new bed.Turns out Kitty loves Ethel's new bed.


I think we are going to get some grape vines for my birthday after church. Yay. When we went tree shopping last week, we forgot to ask for grapes. We really need a grape arbor on our mini farm. The other trees are doing well, although David says he found ants molesting one of our apple trees yesterday. I did not see that when I walked the orchard yesterday evening.


Now the day is done and it is time for bed. We went to the church down the street here in Rossville. After church, the SUV would not start so we left it, went home, got my car, and headed in to San Antonio.

First, we visited Fanick Nursery again to pick up a few more trees and bushes for our orchard. We got another blueberry bush, some raspberry and blackberry bushes, as well as some more pear and plum trees. The seedless grapes were gone so we got one variety of seeded grape. In January, they will have a new shipment of grapes so we will go and get some then. Nacho will plant them in the orchard on our mini farm next Tuesday.

The fried mushrooms are our favorite appetizer at Salt Grass.The fried mushrooms are our favorite appetizer at Salt Grass.

We arrived at Salt Grass for a very late lunch at 3:30pm. I was starving but not for long. I had a delicious birthday lunch. We did a few more things in San Antonio and got home around 7pm. We stopped where the SUV was parked and, miraculously, it started so David brought it home to the mini farm.


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Hi! I am Juanita aka Mrs. DGS. This photo was taken in our commercial kitchen during a potluck.Hi! I am Juanita aka Mrs. DGS. This photo was taken in our commercial kitchen during a potluck.
Mrs. David's Garden Seeds in the greenhouse with Lucy the lap dog.Mrs Davids Garden Seeds in the greenhouse with Lucy the lap dog.

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