Yesterday ...

Yesterday was very hot!!! But that's not all ... I slept in until 10:30am! I must have been tired. All weekend I worked at the Cans from Fans food truck at Muskegon Summer Celebration, but that's another story. So, after finally getting up and doing the chores of watering the chickens and opening their window and feeding and watering the goats, I decided that I really should have a shower, tho the rest of the day's activities would leave me sweaty, damp and dirty! I made a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast for Kellie and I. Chris had to work. Then, finally, at around noon, we set ourselves in front of the new herb garden and pulled weeds. I did start tarragon from seed, and found some growing there under all the grass and such that has grown up around my nice herbs. The lavender I seed started is greener than the lavender I bought. That is silvery green. The mints are doing well ... the chocolate mint is starting to send out runners. I didn't know it would do that. I had let the chickens in my garden. They did fine for the first hour or so, but then it seems they all got excited to chow down on the june beatles that are eating up my spinach, and the chickens trampled my onions. I hope the onions stand back up! They aren't quite ready yet. Other than that, they did well! After we planted the sweet potatoes out back and covered the yukons, we decided it was just way hot and went inside to have a bagel and watch Pride and Prejudice. Now that she understands it, Kellie actually likes it. After that I cleaned my garbage heap of a car looking for my debit card. I left it at Number 1 Chinese after all and had to go get it. Kellie cleaned up the interior of the house. When I returned, we watched a Little House episode as it was still VERY hot! Finally, at around 7:30pm we ventured back outdoors to rototill a new strawberry patch. I was able to till 2 shortish rows. I had hoped to till around 5, but the doggone thing is clogged with dirt again and won't start. I have to tear it apart. Kellie's job today is to finish pulling all the green out of what I tilled and to plant the 24 plants I recently bought. Last night, we found spaces for the free tomato plants I picked up (putting our total tomato plant count up around 20). She also planted 4 green cabbages. I don't know where I'm going to put the other 8 plants if I can't transplant my strawberries!

Hens and Goats and Gardens

We finally sold little Faith, who's not so little anymore. We got $65 for her. I'm thinking we're going to need to build a disbudding box and get a burner to disbud our babies, and then we'll be able to sell them easier to 4-H kids. I think that might have been part of the problem why we didn't sell her right away. Then I got to thinking about if our girls have little billy goats, and they should be disbudded because they can get agressive. Either way, I think that is something we're going to have to look into. They paid for her on Friday and picked her up on Sunday. She is going to be the most spoiled pet!

Saturday, when I returned home after working all afternoon at the Cans from Fans food drive at Muskegon Summer Celebration, I found OH (Ornery Hen) dead in the chicken coop. I buried her under a pine tree in the front yard. Chris and I decided her orneriness and her old age is probably what killed her. The Bards are outside more and seem to be enjoying themselves more. They are coming out of their shell, so to speak. Since OH died, I've seen them out in the chicken coop's little yard rather than huddled inside. I think OH was trying to have her own little flock and very much kept them where she wanted. Oh, and since Chris put the window in the chicken coop, we've gathered 8 eggs per day.

Now - last night I weeded more of my garden. I weeded the rest of the onions, the carrots and the peppers. My garden is starting to look more like the gardens of people who don't work full time! Kellie is going to finish weeding the tomatoes today. That leaves the lettuce and the spinach and between the turnips yet. I can't believe how big everything is in just a few short weeks!!! Look for pictures soon!