RJ Homestead

Yay! Our compost tomatoes have flowers! 😆 🍅

These could have either come up from last year's seeds or the leftover plants I threw in the compost.

Either way, I'm excited to see what we get from them!

Where do you have plants growing that shouldn't be there? 🌱

Did you know....?

Those fat white grubs you find while tilling or digging in your garden are actually the larvae of the Common Green June Beetle??

I've always known them as June Bugs; HUGE beetles with iridescent green exoskeletons that fly like they are on a kamikaze mission. I'm sure if you have ever had a garden, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Well, they are back! Great! 😆 Actually, the adults, while super annoying, aren't what damage plants. Damage is caused by the grubs, who eat the roots of plants.

I know our chickens LOVE the grubs when we find them and will even eat the adults if they manage to catch them. Last year, we caught them in jars then added just enough water to wet there wings so they couldn't fly, then fed them to the chickens! Cruel? Maybe...but because we don't use pesticides, we have to be creative in our pest control methods. 🤷‍♀️

Are you seeing any of these yet in your garden???

As I have mentioned before, I have the privilege of having my maternal grandmother's Bible. When she passed we found a bunch of Bibles in her house but this is the one she wrote notes in, both about scripture and to our family.

Today is her birthday. Earth side she would have been 102! But even more important than her birthday is her rebirthday! She has notes all through her Bible that she was saved on January 31, 1964. She would have been close to 40 years old.

According to her notes, God healed her breast that day at a revival in Washington DC and she was anointed with the Holy Spirit. I was born in 1980 and only ever knew her as a devout Christian so I love learning that there was a moment in her life that it changed and she was confirmed as a child of God!

She would always say the Lord was with her. Every loss, every surgery, every fall...she never got discouraged because God was with her.

I started my journey in a closer relationship with God about 2 years before she passed and I wish I had taken more time to talk with her about Him. I'm so thankful, though, that through her Bible and her notes that I still get to learn from her!

She truly loved the Lord with all of her heart and I aspire to be like her! ❤️

Darn that hot weather! Our poor blackberries are NOT happy! Just as they were starting to ripen too!

Ugh! The good news is, this is just one patch and the other two patches are farther behind in development so we will hopefully still get a good harvest this year. 🤞

How has the hot weather affected your crops?

Okay fellow sisters in Christ, what do we think about this?

In honestly torn, not because I want to show parts of myself that are only meant for my husband to see, but more the comfort factor. After a week of 100° weather, I just can't fathom NOT wearing tank tops and shorts.

But, should I/we be putting comfort aside and "suffer" because I am devoted to God? What are your thoughts? And what do you typically wear, all year long?

Aren't these the creepiest looking bugs!?!?!?

We have had at least one on the porch every morning for the last few days. Of course I had to look them up.

They are called Dobsonflies! This particular one is a female, as shown by the smaller pinchers, which they will bite with if threatened.

They are nocturnal and typically prefer to live near streams or rivers as their larvae are aquatic. The larvae can live for years under water and are popular as bait for fisherman.

The adults do not eat and only live long enough to mate, dying immediately after.

Pretty cool bug! ❤️

1 Thessalonians 4: 11 & 12

What a wonderful world it would be if we could all do this!

Let's be honest, it wasn't all that long ago that this is the exact life that most people lived. Work hard, raise your family, and take care of yourself.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the line (probably the same time God was removed from our schools) people became lazy and reliant on others to provide for their families.

There is a distinct correlation between a society that believes in and worships God and one that does not.

Correct me if I'm wrong....

I read that if you leave the root of your cabbage plant when you harvest the head, it will regrow smaller heads of cabbage.

However, I did not expect this small! Aren't they adorable?!?!?!? It's like little brussel sprouts!

Now to figure out when to harvest them...oh and how to eat them!

Does anyone have any experience or advice in this department?