Making Pickles Today

Hello everyone just wanted to make an update we are making pickles and we have 17 double batches happening. Soon they will be ready. Watch the Etsy store. 

We are headed to the UP State Fair next. 

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My Week in El Paso

The morning on the way to the airport the morning of the flight

             Hello and Happy Winter. Can you hardly believe it's been this long?? I can boy has my life changed basically in the wink or an eye.....no not really but it sure has been a long wild ride.....but I can sum it up in a few words. I moved to Michigan, I sold my farm and now I am enjoying the great white north for sure. Everyday even in the bitter cold and when I say bitter cold I mean those negative temperatures. I was used to cold and wet in North Carolina but Oh my cold in Michigan when the wind is blowing and the negative tempatures, It cuts ya just like a knife. BRRRR!! Just thinking of it. The heat is warm so warm I am basically living in tank tops in the house, no joke! Anyway I think I have summed up my life on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Love N IT!! 

           The picture is from the other day when I left for the airport on Friday morning of the 18th of February. I never slept that night. We had to be at the airport no later than 5am well the Suburban wouldn't start that morning it was -6 and the wind was blowing.....so Bruce took the air filter off and jumped the ol" girl he calls her baby and said "You can do it baby" as he shot the ether in the engine she started up. It was now a wee bit after 4 am and I was like Ah? Bruce I need to be there at 5 am and we live 80 miles from Green Bay. So there are quite a few folks on the road at that time due to milkers and farm workers. Needless to say we arrived at 5:20 am I basically ran in and made it for TSA and onto the plane. YES! Now we had to de-ice the plane and that seemed like forever and then a passenger after we are about to taxi unto the runway decided that she needed off the plane. My anxiety was running wild and I completely understood her need (although I have no idea of her need) I just assumed with the wait and the extra time that's what I was going thru. So we taxied back to the gate off she went and then we were off into the air. We arrived in Chicago pretty fast and I got out of the plane and found my gate. It was a really long walk I was getting my steps in for the day for sure. My flight got moved three times in the layover....I was beginning to think El Paso was not happening. I boarded the plane finally and had a nice flight to El Paso....a little turbulence but hey its expected. 

Well it warmed up to 2 degrees.......we never took flight until 6:37 am
Yep that's my computer and the stickers are Mindy Lacefield 

We arrived safely in Chicago and everyone went their separate ways. I was glad to finally sit once I arrived at my gate. The flight was changed three times while I was sitting patiently. I am not a traveler so I basically have no clue as to why.......come to find out they had to get a plane from Madison Wisconsin so it was arriving later than expected. Finally we board the plane it was so much warmer in Chicago so I was getting hot in my clothes.....which btw I froze in my own car as we drove to the Green Bay Wisconsin airport. I was so cold Bruce gave me his coat too. As we all were in line waiting to board the plane.....I was freezing again...haha. 

Wooohooo I was glad to get on the plane headed to El Paso. The flight was good there was a time of turbulence, but expected. I listened to my music with my headphones. I happened to have my headphones only because Cooper had me order them for him and then he said "he made a mistake" so I said I would take them. Worked out well for me....

El Paso welcome to the desert. It took me awhile to get off my back was in a bind and I kinda hung back so I could get off 

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Freeze Dried Cranberries

Hey y'all just wanted to let you know today I put up a video on Freeze drying cranberries. Happy Fall. If you are new to Freeze drying go to the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer website or reach out to Dave Barlow and tell him Bruce and Dawn Gallop sent ya. 

Thanks 

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It's Fall but here's what happened this summer at #9 Farms

Hello all can you believe its already the end of September ??? Well it has went fast it seemed like the summer was a blur.......we literally like never go anywhere and just keep busy here on the farm. This year I had a whole lot of tomato plants, a whole lot of cucumber plants I say a whole lot as it was so many I never counted. I had of course started all my plants and with no where to sell them I ended up planting them all......IDK if that was a mistake or a blessing. I took care of all these plants and spent what seemed to be every minute in the high tunnel or in the fields.  When we were in tomatoes and cucumbers which I actually still get some but not as much as June and July and really the tomato plants are maybe one to two tomatoes every few days and they are so tiny. Our huge greenhouse fan died and that's what helped with pollination. Tomatoes are self pollinators but they need wind or touching or air movement to pollinate. The cucumbers are parthenocarpic so these type I grow don't need pollination from insects or pollinators. So where I am headed to in this post is I feel like the summer was a blur as so much time was spent watering and picking this summer. I canned 112 jars of spaghetti sauce all quarts, 72 quart jars of enchilada sauce, 47 quarts of regular tomatoes, 84 pint jars of salsa. These are whet we did for our family, I had a lot of these jars just from my own stash from all our personal canning needs. We go thru about a 100 jars of spaghetti sauce every year sometimes I have even had to purchase it. The tomatoes I use for chili, beans, tomato pudding, butterbeans and tomatoes, soups. My boys have a already gone thru a case of the salsa....tacos, enchiladas, burritos...you name it chips and salsa. It seemed like we spent so much time canning and taking care of the farm. I keep on going despite the severe pain I suffer in my back and all over from the spinal stenosis and the fibromyalgia. I also dehydrated a ton of food for soups, and beans. We eat a lot of beans and pressure can black beans, pinto, navy, and kidney beans for soups, chili etc so with the dehydrated foods I just add them to the soups. I have done, onions, garlic, so many peppers I can't even being to tell you how many, and celery. I am still in peppers and actually have a dehydrator full as I type this. So as you can see this was a busy summer. Getting soap supplies, and canning jars this year has been a true struggle. There are no lids anywhere, no jars, no canning supplies....it's sad real sad. We raise our own chickens for meat and pressure can it and without jars we have NOTHING. I need these jars to feed my family so hopefully there will be some back on the shelves. Not to mention make my jams, pickles and elderberry syrup. 

Since this blog is supposed to be about my art I wanted to show you the last paining I was able to complete while Skylar my granddaughter from Alabama was here for 44 days this summer. It was a wonderful time with her she was able to ride her bike all day everyday. We went so long without rain from mid June to mid July that when it actually did rain Dusty called me on my cell phone to tell me "its raining."  So Skybear spent a lot of time outside. We had a blast with her making crafts and using Perler beads to make things. We did go to the bird park...we arrived an hour before closing and it was like no one was there. I absolutely love that place. Oh well trying to play catch up like I do most often and telling you everything I can remember since the last post. 

I love the painting. Of course I had a blast painting it....Skylar painted 13 canvases while I painted this...LOL! 

Some of the sweet peppers I dehydrated 

Just a few of the habaneros I have picked and dehydrated this year 

Some of the salsa we canned 

Applesauce we did it was like three cases, my boys add this to their oatmeal. 

Of course while Skylar was here she helped me in the kitchen here we were canning chicken

This was my BEST year ever of figs so that means lots of fig jam, strawberry fig, and cranberry fig jam. 

This was also the best year for grapes we ever had too SO THANKFUL

We hatched chicks while Skylar was here it was awesome and so exciting. She checked on the eggs everyday until the final day and it was one after another of hatched baby chicks. 

At the bird park

Budgies at the bird park (my favorite part)

Skylar at the bird park we had so much fun

We had an amazing time with Skylar she loves Snapchat and every night we played on their pic after pic 

We spent the Fourth of July together we decorated her bike and a cookout

Colten graduated this year Class of 2020 what a challenging year to graduate but he is very thankful as we are that he graduated. Well done Colten. 

As you can see it has been a busy summer.....glad to se fall. I have been making my bracelets too late at night.

Until next time....

Cyber Hugs,
Dawn Gallop 

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Week 23 of Donna Downeys 48 Week Journaling Workshop and the End of Second Semester ~Positive Intentions~ with a lot of Tam

Hello I hope all has been going well with you and yours. We have been working hard here as usual. We have planted even more than usual....which in turns makes for more duties. Colten has had a new girlfriend and he hasn't had time to help out as much. So Bruce and I have been working extra hard. The boys have had a lot of school work and are getting spring fever to get out more and ride their skateboards. Mother's Day was nice Bruce put up a storm door on the second floor door to the front porch so we could have a screen to get a nice flow of air. I have asked for this door for more than 10 years...no joke. Now as Colby said "this door is amazing" it allows in such a nice few of air and a tremendous amount of beautiful cascading light. We have now had it almost a week, so we have certainly enjoyed it to the fullest. I can see all the hummingbirds we feed now without looking out the closed front door potentially scaring off the hummingbirds. I love seeing them!! Well this one took me approximately two weeks to complete. I did not have the stencils for the one Donna did nor did I feel for that one. This inspiration actually came from Tam's book  or you can view her wonderful community at Tamara Laporte Willowing.com she is full of beautiful sweet calming words and a passion for helping others to see the beauty in ones self and getting rid of that inner critic. ALL I CAN SAY TAM is AMAZING!!!! I started her first Life Book 2012 and one of what I call my best painting was on she taught me. Love ya Tam! Every since I saw her painting in the book I have wanted to paint it. She makes it so easy and it is nice to actually complete a project from a book and being able to use the inspiration. I enjoyed the process immensely. My aunt came out for Mother's Day and I fixed her a good meal and a cake. I didn't invite her for Easter (hello folks we are in a Pandemic) however she thinks I should have and was actually crossed with me. She works at a pharmacy and is a frontline cashier with no mask, no shield and no gloves. Anyhoo she came here and it was a very nice day. So this week which I can hardly believe it is Week 23 and almost the end of the second semester. I am feeling so accomplished!!! YES! Go check out Donna's 48 Weeks. She is fun and a great teacher! 

I love making these oh my do I ever! I actually learned this technique back in 2010 at a Donna Downey Inspired workshop I can't remember her name but she was actually a mural painter. This is what we made in class that day, but I had to finish it home....

this is what I made in 2010 

This is where it hangs in my room....going out to make back porch. 

the full spread of the two pages I just love it so much fun and whimsical 

if you would like to see the full last 22 posts see below on each of the weeks 

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6 

Week 7

WEEK 8

Week 9 

WEEK 10 

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15 

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18 

Week 19

Week 20

Week 21 

Week 22

I can hardly believe I have made It this far....but so thankful and feeling so accomplished. 

Now on to week 24 and the end of the second semester 

YAY!!! 

Two more semesters to go

So basically I have almost completed half of the 48 weeks ~happy dance 

Dusty has been picking roses like crazy for our rose water we even have a new drying rack that hangs from the ceiling and is huge so now we have even extra room for drying roses and other herbs

I have been making bracelets again to add to my Etsy store GO HERE 

On the Etsy store 

So please if you would like to see Tamara Laporte go to her site Willowing dot com and you can find her book there and it was lesson 6 Looking Inward. 

I have been making more jams too getting ready for new fruits of the season to come 

Made raspberry again this is always a delicious jam 

its on my Etsy store too 

Love raspberry jam 

mango habanero 

Oh my delicious mango habanero 

I made a bunch more wintergreen salves these are excellent for my fibromyalgia pain and putting on your chest as a chest rub and for super dry hands and feet again on my Etsy store 

I already have beautiful tomatoes loving it!!! 

I have more than 300 tomato plants so we are hoping for an amazing year of tomatoes....it really helps our family out 

I planted a bunch in cloth bags this year a new thing we are trying just to see and easy on my back and my fibromyalgia pain I have fields of them too 

Go to see our pickle video on YouTube 

As you can see the fields are loaded 

Take care stay safe missing you all!!! 

Hugs to all and until to next time 

Love you guys!! 

Dawn Gallop 

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