Saturday, June 6, 2015

Things Happening on the Farm

The hot and humid twins have arrived and will stay with us until around October.  I try to remember how beautiful it was in March.  It's hard when it's 92 and you're sweating buckets...  However, life (and it's good) goes on.

We are putting final touches on the coop and run.  Predators will try anything to get our babies, so we need to put netting across the top of the run, too.  Hawks, crows and eagles love little chicks as appetizers.  Not my babies!


The stunning Stella at one week

They love their new roost in the box.
 Of course, we Skyped with the grandkids that couldn't make it to see the new babies, but a couple lucky kids - Lauren and Graham - got to stay with us.  Lauren holds Arabella the proper way.  Middle finger between the legs and scoop up.

Graham is holding Luna
 Of course there were other activities.  The boys made a fire pit while the girls got the s'more stuff together.  Need I say they were delicious?
Lauren also is crafty, and she wanted to make a fairy garden.  This is what she came up with after MomPom scrounged around for fun things to use.  Cute, eh?  That was so much fun, we made five more Fairies.
Memorial Day was coming up and we had a flag, but no holder.  Gary found one, and he and Graham attached it to the front deck.   Happy belated Memorial Day to y'all!
 After the kids went home, it was time to get back to work.  We need a fence around all our 5 acres, but the back half is too wooded right now.  But the front half is doable, so we chose our three gates, fencing and posts appropriately.
 Unfortunately, the 8 foot telephone pole post that I wanted was near another one, and when I pointed it out, it fell against another with my hand in the way.  That kinda squished it and broke the bone.  Ouchy, ouchy.  Off to the ER for x-rays and stitches.  That was 10 days ago and the 5 stitches (2 on other side) come out tomorrow.  It is just a pain in the rear right now.  Kinda hard to type with a huge bandage on, but I can manage.
 There is always a silver lining (besides Gary doing the washing up) and this rainbow reminded us of how beautiful our front yard can be.
Soon after Gary made this bluebird house, there were tennants. Only 21 days ago there were five eggs.  Bluebirds lay five eggs their first time, then four the second, then three the third and last time. So this was not the bird who nested in the eve of the garage earlier in the season.  That nest prompted Gary to build one (out of the free pallets we found).  They hatch one each day in order of being laid.  That doesn't sound so good.
Two little ones, and three to go
 These little guys, mockingbird babies, I found by accident as I was tending our strawbale garden.  The Mom flew out of the nest and nearly knocked into me.  A quick search, and there were four blue speckled eggs on a branch I don't even have to pull down to see into.  So cute!
 Chicken TV is our new past time.  We take a drink out to the run to our chairs, give the girls something to play with, and giggle.  Tonight it was corn cobs on a string. Each new treat we give them is curiously inspected then tasted.  Usually they wipe their beaks immediately because of the new taste, but if it's good (and it's ALWAYS good), they have at it.  I used to spend an hour catching grasshoppers with a net and jar, but I'm not into bugs anymore.  They are gross to handle.  We raise mealworms in a plastic shoebox, and I have to use a spoon to sprinkle them on the ground.  YUCK.  So I make them egg custard, fresh herbs, frozen watermelon and creamed corn.  Gary gives them red wigglers that he raises.  But the girls are big enough now to find their own bugs.
 Another spectacular evening's natural display.  I LOVE thunderstorms, and Gary let me take shots of this one because it was so far away.  See the streak exiting the left side?
Anyway, we love our small homestead and continue to work hard and play hard every day.  Thanks to God.

Life is wonderful.