The Flicker Haven Farm Files-Holy Hollyhocks!

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Well, in true peak of growing season fashion, everything is exploding and yielding around these parts!

In fact, so much stuff is ripe and ready that I am in an all out struggle to keep up with it. Manic Produce Panic days of August it is!

This morning the hubs and I went and picked blueberries with @scribblingramma up north, and had an absolute blast, which was a nice reprieve full of stained fingers and delightful conversation.

But on the inside I knew what awaited me at home.


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The green beans are just about ready to go full green beaning. Luckily I got learnt a few years ago and seeded them in two plantings so I might have a week or two in between onslaughts, but honestly, plants really do have a mind of their own.

Not that I am sad, I love green beans.

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Another plant that is yielding like gangbusters in the garden is my calendulas. One variety that is doing splendid is the Resina, a cultivar that I tried this year because it is supposed to have more resin than any other type of calendula. I have a bunch of salve and cosmetic diy aims to accomplish this fall, so I have been plucking and drying calendula flowers like a mad herbalist.

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And I can report, that the Resina flowers really do have a high resin content. I have sticky fingers anecdotal evidence!!

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In the middle of my calendula patch are a few hollyhocks that I started from seed, and I have been anxiously watching them start to bloom all week. I'm sure my homesteading pal @goldenoakfarm will be happy to see they are not the black purple ones lol!

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I so love hollyhocks though. Their stately stems and delicate yet large blooms remind me of my grandma. I grew her one and gave it to her for Mother's Day this year, I bet hers is the size of a tree, she has an affinity for fertilizer...

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Every year I also put in a few Mammoth Sunflowers as I just adore them. With all the heat the past couple weeks, they have just exploded and are much taller than me now. Okay, that doesn't take much, but I still enjoy ducking under their giant leaves and pretending I am in a tropical rainforest somewhere!

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And how bout those hops! The one plant is well over fifteen feet in height now (and still growing), but what's the most exciting is my beanstalk-like friends are loaded with hops berries. SQUEE!

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And that brings us to the final thing that I have in excess at the moment: KITTENS.

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Good lords and a double edge sword is nine kittens a lot once they get mobile! Thankfully two of the little toe-biting heathens are heading to their new home on Thursday as I have the first batch of four all potty trained and eating solid food. They are Olympic athletes I tell ya!

The younger five are in the cute toddling stage, capable of wobble-walking under your toes as you carry zucchini into the kitchen and mewing like they are dying if their mom goes even two feet away from them.

I remember those days...


But dang if they aren't precious. My hubs likes to spend the evenings playing Skyrim and vegging on the couch, and every night his veg sesh includes a sprawling patch of kits all over him. It's pretty cute.

And this little guy is Jasper, he, and one of his as of yet undetermined siblings, is going to go live with my parents. I think my mom picked a cutie.

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Okay, they are all cute. Just look at this pile of floof laying in my windowsill:

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And on that note I am going to leave this garden (and kitten) update missive. I've got green beans to pick and process, zucchini to blanch and freeze, and a whole heck of a lot of weeding to do....


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And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's probably blueberry flavored and most likely destined to be a cat toy iPhone. The text divider image was made in Canva.




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26 comments
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The blueberry picking was a delightful way to start the day! I loved meeting the cuddly kittens, the escape-artist pigs, and the handsome steer. Thanks for the kale and the zucchini. I think my zukes will kick in soon, and then I'll be well supplied.

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It was a lovely outing for sure😊 And I am happy to fill in the zucchini gap! lol lol!

Two of the kittens are going to their new homes on Thursday, we'll be down to 7!

!PIZZA

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Ahwww, those kitties! They´re so cute. And your hollyhocks are gorgeous! Love to see your homesteading updates. You have such an awesome garden!

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Aww, thanks my friend! I am always happy to see you have dropped by😊 I'll be reminded of your words when I am knee deep in green beans to process here shortly lol!

!PIZZA

!CTP

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bradley approve 3.gif

!BBH

!ALIVE

!CTP

I threaded this post

P.S. Came here from ListNerds

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Awww Thank ye!

You are kicking flintlocks at the whole #threads thing! I am so impressed!

Until after Fair in a couple of weeks, I am going to be barely able to keep up with posting, Listnerding, and replying, so I am glad one of us is being awesome on the thread front, yous is awesome!!

!CTP

!PIZZA

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Thanks my friend 😀 may not be so good at it when I go back to work. It happened to launch during my holidays. But I will do my best.

Take care, don't wear yourself out to bad.

!BBH

!ALIVE

!CTP

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Because this is such an awesome post, here is a BBH Tip for you. . Keep up the fantastic work

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Because this is such an awesome post, here is a BBH Tip for you. . Keep up the fantastic work

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I am glad my green beans are almost done. And I did look to see if there were any unduly dark flowers... :)) Just love seeing all the kittens.

I hope to finish the beets tomorrow and then on Thursday when it's supposed to be cooler, I hope to tackle elderberries, if the birds, squirrels and woodchucks left me any...

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I am so glad for you that yours are almost done too, they are a ton of work, but I so love eating them😊

Every time I see a black flower I think of you and start chuckling! And I should go out and take a picture of our big dog's bed, there are nine kittens piled right in the middle of it, they are so dang cute!

Elderberries! Ack! I am not ready for that yet lol! good luck and happy harvesting😊

!PIZZA

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Don't you just love it when everything comes in simultaneously?
Your crops are certainly in abundance.
!CTP

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You know, even though I try to plan it out where it all isn't ready at once, I swear that Nature stacks the deck against me with extreme weather, delayed Spring warmth, etc., ad. nauseum! LOL!

In the end I am just thankful for all the abundance, I just ate a bunch of sauteed, minced zucchini in my scrambled eggs and I am not sad about it😉

Hope you are having a most splendid Tuesday back yonder!

!CTP

!PIZZA

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Everything looks great! Green Beans are the best!! :)

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Oh I so agree! I love green beans and thanks so much!!

!CTP

!PIZZA

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I hope you are resting up after the hay adventures!

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Rest? What is this word that you speak of? I know not what it means.

LOL! Thanks so much! I really am trying to get some rest in, it's just a bit challenging these days!

!CTP

!PIZZA

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Beautiful @generikat When I was a child one of my favourite flowers I grew in my own little garden section were my Hollyhocks so thanks for reigniting these fond memories. So lovely and those kittens are adorable.

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Oh! That is such a beautiful gif! And I am so glad to have ignited happy memories😊

!CTP

!PIZZA

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Those flowers are so amazing! Wow, and so big! Love them!

Had to laugh about that leaf on your head haha, but yeah, pretty HUGE!

And then finally, these little cute fluffballs, I especially adore the grey one as that's one we dream about lol. Every time that we see one of these we want to take it home :) I do wonder if we eventually end up getting one though, it may not be the best idea as sleeping patterns are off and these little balls of happiness can have their crazy moments during the nights. I remember how they used to race through the house jumping up and off the couch and bed and then waking you up. Currently, we have the bedroom door open with a fan on the floor, I have had an accident myself where I had my finger stuck in one (bending the blade, ouch) and I would have for a kitten to end up in the fan (poor thing).

I think we must at least wait until the heat wears off a bit. Let's see by then. I really really miss some sweet cat love though, so hoping we will decide on getting one :)

Thanks for sharing your little fluffballs!

!CTP

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Hi!!

And you and I share an affinity for grey tabby cats! I adore them so much and have three of them already here on the farm. That little precious one is going to my daughter's best friend's mom (who's an awesome lady!), so I am pretty excited about that!

I sleep with my bedroom door shut for reasons like you lined out above. There's so many animals about the place that I would never get any sleep with all their rampaging about if I left my bedroom door ajar, and I would especially hate some kitten fan carnage!

That said, I wish you were closer, I would have sent that little floof to live with you all after the heat abated a bit, I can tell you miss cat loves and cuddles😊

!CTP

!PIZZA

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(Edited)

PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!

PIZZA Holders sent $PIZZA tips in this post's comments:
generikat tipped lisamariesworld (x1)
generikat tipped beststart (x1)
generikat tipped hetty-rowan (x1)
generikat tipped bradleyarrow (x1)
generikat tipped jaylatour (x1)
generikat tipped scribblingramma (x1)
generikat tipped goldenoakfarm (x1)
@generikat(11/15) tipped @thisismylife (x1)
generikat tipped mypathtofire (x1)

Join us in Discord!

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