We Are Deep In the Heart of Texas

Nomadic seasons of farming adventures with nature thrown in to include; a pinch of family, snippets of friends, counting our blessings, paying IT forward, home school, and the spicy things I decide to rant about.















Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hibbidity Dibbidity: Bug Porn

The boys and I discovered these moths on our back porch answering Nature's call to procreate.  They stayed like this the entire day.  My simple explanation to Saenz and Zephyr was they were making larva (babies).  Saenz is at the 'gross out' stage when concerning reproduction while Zephyr is really hooked on all things related to girls.
Our little farm garden is expanding.  Currently we have planted: cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, 2 types of carrots, asparagus, onions, cilantro, 3 types of tomatos, turnips, leeks, curly leaf lettuce, mustard greens, sweet potato, beets, raddishes, parsley, pole beans, cow peas, collard greens, okra, butternut squash, zucchini, crooked neck squash, jalapeno, habanero, oregano, 2 apple trees, 2 pear trees, 2 pomegranite, 2 black berry, 1 concord grape, 4 muscadine grape, and 1 lime (it survived the ice storm on 4 Feb).   

I have plans to add: corn, more variety of tomato, cucumber, watermelon, cantaloup, vine peach, chives, Greek oregano, Mexican oregano, basil, lettuces, garlic, spinach, and many others.  We have plans to add fruit and nut trees as follows: peach, fig, lime, lemon, orange, avocado, walnut, pecan and maybe a hickory nut if we can find it. 

One of our garden beds is only 15' by 100' feet, the other is 15' by 15', to have a garden the size to feed one person, a 1000 sq foot garden is required to feed one person for a year if crops are rotated -- or so the books say.  So this year, we are experimenting and will probably double it next year.  Since we are novice growers it is best to start small and manageable until you get good dirt stained nails under your belt. 
The one thing our farm sorely needs is rain.  Our area is in a drought situation already with a burn ban since last month.  So if ya'll will do a rain dance and push it our way; we would really appreciate it.  Those dark skies were full of promise yet, no rain.  SIGH

Now onto homeschool news, we have ordered and recieved our butterfly garden and ant farm -- just awaiting the occupants to arrive by mail.  Thanks to Jana C over at http://homeschoolingintexas.blogspot.com/; Zephyr was super stoked and wanted to try the same home growing experiments as her children.  We have also ordered the Lady Bug habitat, some bug models to build, and Story of the World Vol 1 & 2.  What I like about the Story of the World (history), is the lessons are short enough to keep even Zephyr's attention.  So thanks Jana for cluing us in our your finds from Nest Learning.

There are a few of resources, I would like to pass on to other homeschooling parents.  Time4learning is a wonderful site, that actually tracks multiple core subjects, progress reports, time spent logged in, unit studies; I use it when I don't have time to one-on-one and have to work about the place or just need a break.  Super Teacher Worksheets for printables and other down loadables like progress reports, report cards, lesson planning and such.  On April 11th, Super Charged Science's Aurora will be hosting a free tele-video class.  For her site, a yearly membership is $55 however, she has free class materials or videos from time to time.  I especially like the way she has her syllabus drawn out.  It is a schedule, I can keep with the materials I already have on hand.

I don't know about other home school parents but, I don't follow a set curriculum.  I just find most are far too expensive, limited in scope, or have a 'Christian slanted theme to the lessons.'  While, I don't mind religious based learning, I just find some subjects relating to Math and Sciences to be distracting when a subject is presented with a religious view.  I am a strictly the facts kind of learner and this hold true with Saenz as well. 

I just want to say, Thanks to all my followers for reading.  I know my posts have become sporadic.  I apologize; it is just a busy time of year for us with farming, gardening, and teaching lessons.  I hope you still find the content interesting enough to leave comments from time to time.

I just hope all is well in your slice of heaven! ~:> Mal

14 comments:

Kids and Canning Jars said...

I love the update. I am checking into the butterfly thing myself . One of the other blogs I follow as it listed as being for sale somewhere for less then 12 bucks!

Janet said...

Look forward to seeing you harvest all your goodies ! the butterfly farm sounds really good fun- always a good way to learn !xx

Texan said...

I hear ya on the rain girly, we need rain bad here as well!

My first thought about your moths was, oh my to be a moth ROFL ROFL tee hee... well now I am just sayin lol...

So anywho I am very interested to hear how your Vine Peach do! I saw the seeds for them in one of the mail order catalogs but now I have forgot which one! Do let me know how those do will you :O). and Save seeds girly off them! We can do a seed swap :O)...

I have put in 100 plus tomatoes. I know sounds over board but when you think of canning, whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste. Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Rotel (lordy I am a Rotel addict), spaghetti sauce, well the list goes on and on. I am trying some of those San Marzano tomatoes suppose to be so great. We will see! I am saving seeds from all varieties. I have been reading up on this. A bit more to it then I knew! :O)

Working Through said...

LOL At the bug porn !!! I love it !

I hope you love the kits from Insect Lore as much as we do. We are on our second one. I want all of them, except the spitting cock roach LOL. Can not do that one.

I adore SOTW, and love the short lessons. If you didn't get the Activity guide, you might consider it, there is a ton of cool activites and great book lists in it. We are having a blast with it for sure. ;-)

Unknown said...

Our caterpillers should be here in the next couple of weeks. We have had more than enough rain and would love to send some your way. We haven't seen the sun in 5 days.
Blessings
Diane

Nekkid Chicken said...

No Way, 12 bucks? You have to tell me which blog. LOL

Hey Janet! Hope all is well on your side of the pond. Will post pictures of the garden once the plants are large enough to really show well. I hope Zephyr gets more excited as we go along but, doesn't spill the ants in our house. LOL

Texan, I was like dang --- is there such a thing as entoviagra? LOL I will let you know about the vine peach. I still have not picked out a spot for it. Oh and I understand about 100 tomatoe plants. Hubby gave me a weird look when I said I wanted 50. :O

Thanks for the SOTW blog. That is so cool and I don't think I could do a hissing cockroach either. YIKES!

Diane, Just push the rain over our way will ya? It is a pain not to have enough rain. 2009 was a horrible year for us, 2011 is shaping up like it. We lost many of our hens that year to heat stroke....... :O(

Jen said...

I've just started our little garden. Not sure how it'll go but keeping our fingers crossed. Definatley envious of yours.
I'll be homeschooling the kids this fall and like you don't want to purchase into a ready made curriculum. Any advice on text books and websites to get started would be fabulous!

Jim said...

All is well here in Nova Scotia, Mal! Thanks for asking.
Now, how big is your place! I can't believe how much you have planted!! And more planned!! You made me chuckle when you said that you didn't have time to do all that you wanted.....that's OK and I understand why.

Nekkid Chicken said...

OH Jen, I will have to put together a 'serious' list of links for ya. It may take me a few days; sometime next week perhaps. Tomorrow we are going to be busy with butchering a sow. Or I would start work on a doc for ya, today.

Hey Jim, We have five acres -- just a small farm place. Not big enough for a herd of cattle but, big enough to make us dangerous. LOL

Sharon said...

No garden at all this year, says DH, it costs us more for the stuff than we normally buy and we don't get enough of anything to make it worth while. He has no time to work it and I can't do the labor anymore. I hate to admit it, but I would like to try that tomato tower one more time, with some diapers or something. We'll see.... know of any "safe" diapers?

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