HOME IN THE KNOBS - Or Life in the Hills of Kentucky - Personal - http://diamondmachine.com/kentuckyharrod

Welcome to my little home page. I've added a few new pages recently, all pertaining to my family's genealogy. Feel free to check it out, and if you find any long lost ancestors, please let me know. I may have additional information such as exact dates and places of birth, death and marriage or personal histories about particular relatives.

On the gardening front: The weather was dry in the first part of spring but late rains have helped get the garden going. I've cut back a bit on the amount I've put out this year. I'm getting a late start with ground cherries and scallop squash as the seed was hard to find. Ground cherries are related to the tomato, but bear sweet, small gold berries within a paper husk. When ripe, they fall from the plant and sweeten within a few days of falling. The husks keep them from rotting on the ground. They make good pies, syrup, jam, can be dried, and are as addictive as grapes just for snacking. The harvest is bountiful, to say the least. The seeds for these heirlooms can be found at http://www.johnnyseeds.com and at http://www.abundantlifeseed.org/ . Johnny seeds has a search engine which will find them if you search "cherry" and Abundant Life has them listed under Tomato Relatives. I raised them for the first time last year and my garden will never be without them again. Fantastic little natural treats! I did find that gathering them from under the bushy plants was a chore, so this year I intend to take some lettuce cover material and lay that under the plants so I can periodically gather it up, with the harvest, them relay it after collecting my booty.

The critters are all doing well. I lost several hens last year to coyotes, and had to replace them with more Black Sex Links (my favorite layers) , a couple Arucana's (which lay blue or blue green eggs), and a couple Rhode Island hens. You'd be surprised at the number of people who will give you empty egg cartons in exchange for an occasional dozen fresh eggs. Cootie, the old red foundling, and Silkie are doing well enough. Cootie is almost eight, old for a dog I suppose, and likes nothing better than to lay by the house and watch the world go by. Silkie is my little white pit, who has a form of skin cancer. Her surgery on the most malicious tumors has reduced the number of smaller ones as well. It's not malignant and she seems happy and healthy. I've added to the managerie one Lucy, a registered Akita. She's three months old and has hit the terrible two's stage. Wandering if I don't watch her, not coming when I call. I'm eager for the next stage of her development, whatever it might be. She's a darling though. Pooter, the aged patriarch of the clan, still rules the roost, holding the dogs in his velvet clad, declawed, feline fist. Heavy Metal, my appaloosa, is fat and satisfied on his clover.

Deer season has come and gone. I harvested six deer this year, including five does and one seven point. I gave two does to friends. One doesn't hunt and the other friend's father had eye surgery and couldn't hunt this year. It was a wonderful season even though I didn't get to bow hunt, having injured my hand early on and not being able to draw my bow for several months.

Well, that's really all the personal news. For those of you who don't know me, I hope you forgive the family newsletter-like prattle and please, continue on to the recipe page and other areas of this web site. If you're interested in back to basic living, check out the magazine Backwoods Home at http://www.backwoodshome.com As my guestbook is full, please feel free to e-mail any comments or suggestions.

heatherofthehill@dcr.net

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Page Updated Sat May 19, 2001 7:59am EDT