Milk and Honey Acres

A Must Read -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 01:23:00 +0000

"Mark Steyn is the stand-up comic on the deck of the Titanic of western civilization."
-- Bill Allen

Click Here

They're So Fluffy!!! -- posted by Sarah Grace

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:44:00 +0000

So I've FINALLY taken some pictures of the kittens! I've wanted to do this for weeks now, but they were originally too skittish to even attempt a phone shot, much less a real camera. But now that Poppyseed moved them down to the house a few days ago, they've become quite comfortable around us (thankfully the clicking of my shutter doesn't bother them either), and I was able to take some up-close pics at playtime.

This is Harvey... named after Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, from Batman. Spencer and James are totally responsible for that name.

You see the kitten in the front with the orange tuft on its forehead? TinTin.

This is Kiwi... he loves to polish our shoes.

His name is Fluffles. Richard named him Fluffles. Richard has "dibs" on Fluffles.

Fluffles and Kiwi wrestling on my lap.

Momma taking a nap while I babysit.

Fluffles loves to lounge on our laps. There are way too many L's in that sentence.

We haven't named her yet, so we just call her The Little Brown One in the meantime.

Peek-a-boo!

Supper time.

Daddy's home!

Ladybug Fun -- posted by George

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Mom and Sarah go out to check the garden every morning, and they always look closely to see if everything is all right. A few days ago, they found what they thought were clusters of what looked like ant hills on the peas and beans, but it wasn't. Ants were herding bugs called aphids, because the aphids eat the plants and produce nectar that the ants eat! So the ants collect the aphids into one place, and they pile on top of them to protect them and to milk the nectar from the aphids.

We have two organic methods of getting rid of the aphids and the ants. One is neem oil, which makes the aphids act drunk so they forget to eat and mate. The second method is to order a bag of 1,500 ladybugs!

Yesterday the whole family went out and released the ladybugs in both gardens. Normally when you order ladybugs, some of them die during the trip. But amazingly, all of ours LIVED! And even though they didn't immediately start eating the aphids (they were waking up from being in the refrigerator after their trip), it sure didn't take long. I was holding the bag of ladybugs, and lots of them started crawling up my arms!

A couple of the ladybugs started to mate... so they must not ALL be ladies.

Here's the ladybug that crawled up onto my neck... even I'm getting some ladybug love!

On Second Thought -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:52:00 +0000

As good Southerners we should refer to our mint patches as julep gardens rather than mojito gardens. What was I thinking?

Update To My Update -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Sarah's computer issue was merely a common HP phenomenon where it gets stuck between sleep mode and off... an easy, no-charge fix. So... thank you, Lord, for that! Plus, we get to hear about Billy's trip to Ireland on the best Skyping laptop afterall.

Garden Update -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:35:00 +0000

I don't know why this picture turned out so light and dry-looking, because the garden is currently a luscious green, not the crackly brown thing we end up with in August. Maybe once this is posted and can be clicked to enlarge it'll show up better. This picture also showcases the great job James did (leading the little boys) by cutting down and stripping tall saplings to stake more awesome pinwheels from the dollar store. Oh my gosh just the sight of them spinning makes me not only psychologically cooler, but also makes me feel like I'm at some kind of crazy-fun carnival garden!

This picture shows part of the container garden we planted in food grade buckets. Most of the buckets were free from restaurants and also Walmart and Sam's bakeries. We have a couple from Lowes that are food grade which cost about $4 but we like the price of the free ones better. Plus those from the bakeries smell like butter cream icing! They smell much better than that icing tastes actually.

James and Spencer made this huge, sturdy trellis since we are growing squash, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and honeydew vertically this year. Even though I've seen videos of folks growing watermelons vertically, I chickened out and planted them to spread out in the back garden.

We mulched our garden this year by laying down wet sections of various business journals and The Wall Street Journal (from guess who), and also USA Today (from the hotel Guess Who stays at on business trips), positioning them on the sides of the rows. Then we spread straw over them to hold them down. We're experimenting with different organic methods, and no, they no longer put metalics or toxins in the ink... perfectly safe, and it breaks down to compost fairly quickly. We had one copy of Free Times (local pinko rag found in discarded newspapers) and I'm keeping my eye on those poor beans.

ANOTHER PINWHEEL AND OH GOOD GOLLY THEY'RE RAINBOW-COLORED AND EVERYTHING!

Macchiato-ing it up.

Blueberries.

This is the vining red-stem Malabar spinach we bought at the zoo plant sale. It's one of the few leafy greens we can grow in our hot climate during the summer. We also have the regular green stem.

Mrs. Derrick taught us how to easily turn compost-- just let the chickens do it for you! When all of them are in there together they scratch and dig like mad. She said we'll have compost in a couple of weeks with this method.

Here's George, our tongue model, demonstrating how rich with pigment black violas are. Despite the bottom picture, they don't taste bad at all-- he's just hamming it up.

John The Garden Slave can be seen slaving away.

This is a papyrus we bought at the plant sale at the zoo. It's not edible; we just bought it for fun since we've studied it in our ancient history studies. It is an annual here unless you bring it in during cold weather so that's why we have it in a pot. To propagate it, you just snip off that Dr. Seuss-looking pom-pom when it bends over like in the bottom photo, and then just plop it in some water head first.

Here are some more edibles. These are mixed impatiens with a rainbow of pigments.

Here's one of our mojito gardens. This is sweet mint, I think. The chicken wire is to keep the cats from using the bed for a litter box. As the plants spread, we remove the wire. It's placed in there in removable pieces.

This is peppermint. We also have chocolate mint, orange mint, and spearmint. They shouldn't be planted together or they will cancel out each other's flavors. That's why I said mojito gardens, plural. They are everywhere! I can't find pineapple mint though... in case anybody needs a Mother's Day tip.

Many thanks to poor Sarah Grace who took the photos but also crashed her computer in the process... or better said, experienced a computer crash while dealing with my photo request. Sally Girl, you may have my computer while Will fixes yours, or until we get you a new one if he can't. :*( I feel just awful about it. Maybe I should go for a stroll in my CRAZY-HAPPY PINWHEEL GARDEN!

Summer Buzz, Makes 'Em Feel Fine -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:47:00 +0000

Every time the boys get their "summer buzz," I can't resist singing this song replacing "breeze" with "buzz."

The Young Guns have been camping out on the property while the weather is still cool enough, and I'll be joining them again tonight even though there is a 40% chance of rain. Tonight is a supermoon, and since there is the possibility that the weatherman is wrong, I wouldn't want to miss it. Besides, I love love love camping, and unless there is lightning, I love love love sleeping outside even in the rain. Especially in the rain. We'll see.

The other night we camped out in two tents with the doors connected screen to screen with all four heads pressed against said screens while we ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the moonbeams and stars we were gazing up at. We later fell asleep while working a crossword on my Nook, which lit up both tents. What a fun way to increase their vocabularies. They learned a New Zealander is a Kiwi, a native of Baghdad is an Iraqi, vile means repulsive, gyro bread is pita. They learned the meaning of quid pro quo, glee, ogle, and that joe is another word for java which is another word for coffee.

Dang we smart.

The Illuminati -- posted by Sarah Grace

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:50:00 +0000

Edible Flowers -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:53:00 +0000

So, now we're into edible flowers. It's not just for beauty on our plates-- evidently edible flowers are loaded with nutrition. Just make sure they are edible because lots of flowers are POISONOUS!

Also, Sarah Grace is into house dresses, or better said, jeans are out-- unless she's digging in dirt, birthing a baby goat, or letting a manure toad perch on her knee. Even though we have patterns for similar dresses, Walmart is selling these for $16! That's cheaper than she can make them! She looks like a Grecian goddess to me.

These are Delphinium. They are NOT edible.

These are Dianthus. They ARE edible.

These are black Violas, and they ARE edible. The darker the better since American diets lack the darker colors.

Macchiato schmoozing it up with Sarah.

Sally and her green thumb.

C.K. and Margot trying to woo her into their pen.

Here is one of our Fuchsia plants which is also edible.

Uncle Bob's Fanboy -- posted by Sarah Grace

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:15:00 +0000

We found this cute little guy living in a reserved bag of Uncle Bob's manure by the back garden... but he seemed completely unashamed of that fact as he perched on my knee for a photo op.

James: The MacGyver of Gardening -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:54:00 +0000

Since we decided to use the back garden this year, and since our precious heirloom garden was planted there, we figured we should make an effort to foil the deer thievery we've known from previous years. And since we've become masters of gardening on the cheap, we got creative.

Although the existing fence is adequate in hindering bunnies and turtles, it's a couple of feet too short to keep the deer out. So, we stuck an 8ft T-post in the corner and ran a cord to the existing posts around the two exposed sides of the garden (the other two sides are bordered by the chicken coop on one side and the dog pen on the other). We wanted to put something on the cord to alert the deer and convince them they wouldn't be able to clear it no matter how tempting they found our luscious Eden.

We decided to check out the dollar store since the price is always right. And what to our wondering eyes should appear, but a three-pack of pinwheels for a buck! WHO DOESN'T LOVE PINWHEELS? And they rattle in the breeze as well... surely enough sorcery to spook the wildlife!

The only problem was that the pinwheels were top heavy and tilted in a way that they couldn't spin. And what is a pinwheel if it can't spin?!? So, ~~MacGyver~~ James thought to zip-tie a rock to the bottom of the pinwheel stick! So far, they have seen strong wind and heavy rain and they are still just spinning their little hearts out!

We already have some baby tomatoes.

Margot Tenenbaum:

C.K. Dexter Haven:

Goldilocks -- posted by Momma

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:20:00 +0000

For a girl who would rather shop at Tractor Supply than the mall, her hair looks downright regal for gardening. I snapped this with her phone because I was mesmerized by her golden waves in the sun, and that pretty little ribbon she tied around to hold the flyaways. I wish it showed up better. Oh, and she's saving a squash plant in the bottom picture. She's a plant whisperer ya know... and goat, dog, cat, sheep, etc., and ESPECIALLY a chicken whisperer. She literally saved our flock from certain demise over a respiratory thing chickens rarely survive. I love how our vet asks for her opinion on things. Okay, that's enough bragging on my girl!

In the background you can see the raised beds the little boys made for us. We're using rock dust in them this year for mineralization since it won't wash away in raised beds. We're having so much fun, but we eat supper and literally fall in the bed each night. I'm actually sleep-blogging at the mo.

So Far So Good -- posted by Sarah Grace

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:40:00 +0000

A Little Gig -- posted by Sweet Mommy

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:21:00 +0000

PSYCH's Shawn Spencer (James Roday) found Easter eggs hidden by his father, Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen), buried five feet deep covered with a camouflage tarp and broken glass on top.

Hint: The Allen Family golden egg is simply hidden in our friendly family room (the den)... not buried or anything... as always.

What She Forgot -- posted by Sarah Grace

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:19:00 +0000

Cinnamon basil.

Allen Family, Allen Family, Where Have Y'all Been? -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:21:00 +0000

Well, we haven't been to London to see the queen, BECAUSE THAT DOESN'T RHYME NO MATTER WHAT BILLY SAYS!

We've "bean" planting our garden-- that's where.

We've planted:
Silver Queen and Merit corn
Henderson Bush butterbeans
jalapeno peppers
red, yellow, orange, and green bell peppers (we couldn't find purple anywhere)
green beans
yellow wax beans
purple wax beans
pink-eye purple hull peas
Better Boy tomatoes
straight neck squash
zucchini
cantaloupe
watermelon
chives
cucumbers
Super Fantastic tomatoes
marigolds
Stevia
nasturtium
orange mint
chocolate mint
rosemary
strawberries
four o'clocks
lavender

John and George have been cutting down trees that have grown up around the back garden area so Sarah and I can plant interesting and heirloom tomatoes in the raised bed they made for us. The ones I can remember:

Mr. Stripey

Yellow Pear

Cherokee Purple

Homestead

Lemon Boy

Chocolate Cherry

I know I'm forgetting something. We're bushed. We'll write about it as soon as we get everything in the ground!

No One Has Found The Golden Egg Yet -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:50:00 +0000

Just sayin'.

Easter Pageant (where ugly eggs are winners too) -- posted by Sarah Grace

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:04:00 +0000

The Ugliest:

The Bluest:

Go Gator-est:

The Pinkest:

The Turquoise-est:

Will's Weirdest:

The Lord Directs The Steps Of The Godly. He Delights In Every Detail Of Their Lives. Psalm 37:23 -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:27:00 +0000

We made our annual Easter trek to the cemetery in Florence to decorate the graves just like my mother insisted I do even though I boldly declared I WOULD NOT, which was promptly followed by her saying oh yes I would. So I did.

I really don't mind going as much as I thought I would. Even though I grew up going with Ma, and we took her the last few years of her life, I imagined this Easter/Christmas tradition becoming a lifelong biannual pain in the neck at two of my busiest times. Turns out it's kind of nice for the family to be a captive audience of each other for the afternoon, and then enjoy supper at Cain's Barbecue when they're open... which is only Friday, Saturday and Sunday. After supper we decided to be sure to make the trip on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday regardless of when the holiday falls!

Oh I have to tell you about the delightful Good Friday treat the Lord gave us in the morning before we left. First, you should know that our daily family Bible reading is not preplanned. We simply read the Old and New Testaments straight through and then we start over and read them straight through again. Although I saw the crucifixion on the horizon, I had no idea we would be reading Matthew 27 on Good Friday! But that's not the end of it! Our Old Testament reading included David's messianic compenetration (double prophecy) in Psalms 69! Coincidence? Nah, He's our daddy! Our steps are "ordered by the Lord," even in the sweet little things. Heck, he saves our tears in a bottle and records all our prayers in his book! Oh it was just the touch I needed on the second anniversary of Webb's passing to remind me that while we may see through a glass darkly, he sees clearly, and his timing is always perfect!

WARNING! Watch At Your Own Risk! (especially Dick Van Dyke's part) -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:28:00 +0000

I love turning the kids on to old movies and sitcoms from back in the day, but this scene from an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show has taken on a life of its own around here.

WE CAN'T QUIT SINGING OR DOING THE TWIZZLE!

Jewelry by Ricardo -- posted by Sarah Grace

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:04:00 +0000

It's amazing what he can do with a pipe cleaner, a plastic orange juice carton seal, and some sunny dandelions.

I totally feel like Drew Barrymore wearing these.

The Most Important Supreme Court Case of the New Millennium -- posted by Dad

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:52:00 +0000

It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of the current case before the Supreme Court. The tragedy and travesty known as Obamacare is having its constitutionality or rather, the lack thereof, considered before the court.

The first heartbreak in this sad chapter of the country's history was witnessing the utter contempt that so many elected officials have for our country's founding document. It's one thing to think that they don't care about limited government and individual liberty, and another thing to hear them openly mock the Constitution and those who understand its genius and centrality to the concept of freedom in Western civilization. A piece of legislation as grotesque as Obamacare, enslaving the citizens of this country to an increasingly tyrannical state, should have never been conceived, much less enacted, by a legislative body in a supposedly free society.

The second is that this abomination is now being considered by the Supreme Court. After all, this is the same branch of government that, in 1973, somehow found in the Constitution the right that women have to kill their unborn babies. As Charles Krauthammer wryly notes in the article in the link below, how precarious is the thread of human liberty such that decisions of such overwhelming magnitude can be determined by which side of the bed Justice Kennedy alights in the morning.

The links below provide an excellent summation of just how high the stakes are in the case about to be argued. When the final history of the United States is written, this will be one of the small handful of major inflection points in the struggle between tyranny and freedom.

Obamacare: The Reckoning
By Charles Krauthammer

Liberty and ObamaCare

Good One, Tooth Angel! -- posted by George

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:15:00 +0000

First, you should know that we put our lost teeth under our pillows for the tooth angel, not the tooth fairy, because of course there is no such thing as a fairy. There are angels, which means messengers, and there are both celestial (heavenly) and terrestrial (earthly) angels. (My mom is all for having a good time, but she doesn't like telling us wild fantasy as truth because she wants us to be able to trust her. So anyway we have a tooth angel.)

Well, the night before the last one, I lost a molar and I had the great idea to play a prank on the tooth angel (not that I want to get in a feud with the tooth angel, but I thought it would be fun). I made a little piece of foil in the shape of my tooth and put it in a little tiny Ziploc baggie. I figured since it was so dark in my room, she wouldn't notice. Sure enough, the next morning I got a dollar anyway!

Last night I had another great idea to put my real tooth under my pillow to get another dollar. When I woke up this morning, my tooth was gone, and in its place was... the molar-shaped foil from the night before!

I tricked the tooth angel, and the tooth angel tricked me!

Overheard -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:01:00 +0000

Richard, at being caught washing a piece of cheese in the kitchen sink: "I sure do love the taste of stinky cheese. I just wish there was something to do about that terrible smell!"

Overheard -- posted by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Allen Family) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:51:00 +0000

Richard, as he emerged from his personal Bible reading time: "Do you suppose 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John were related?"