Update 5-13-14

Hello there friends...

Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged.  I do miss you all and miss hearing about your lives and goings-on.  Just thought I'd check in and update you all.

My sister Lisa is still fighting her ovarian cancer.  She's one tough cookie.  Keep those prayers coming please.  I know several of you are keeping in touch via email and I really appreciate you!  Lisa has exciting news ~~~ SHE'S GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER IN JULY!!!  Her son and his wife are expecting her first grand baby!

Where should I begin... hmmm...

My daughter Hayley, just graduated from nursing school with her BSN and already has secured a job at a Ft Worth hospital.  YEA!  Nursing school is tough - those folks are on the front lines every day - I have a new respect for them - they are definitely Florence Nightingales and sometimes spend way more time and thought with their patients than the doctors do!  So proud of her!

Adam Fears, my country musician son, is still in Nashville and on the road touring, and his video, "Middle of Nowhere"came out TODAY on GAC Great American Playlist program at their "one to watch".  He made it.  It's been his dream since GAC's beginning to be on there!  Take a listen and a gander at his new video... If you're interested, the same show will repeat on May 22, 23 at 11:00 am Central time.  His songs are available on ITunes, too!

He's doing great!!!  If you like the song, pls go to www.gactv.com, go to videos and click "emerging artists" in the left column. Scroll down and you'll see Adam's video in the listing.  There's a place to send email requests and comments, too, if you're so inclined.  The more comments/requests he gets the better his songs get in the ratings!  Thanks!

In other news...

I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER IN OCTOBER!  Can you believe it's finally happening??? It's MY turn!  And me and my sister Lisa are BOTH expecting our first grand babies!  Lisa's first comments were "YEA!  We'll have babies at Christmas-time!" and "Vickie, it's just something else that we can share!"  We've not had any little ones at Christmas since my daughter and her son were young!  And they are 25 and 26!  My son and his wife are expecting - my New Zealand/Denver kids. Mine and Lisa's two kids that we thought would be the least likely to have babies, much less get married!  Couldn't have planned it if we'd tried...

Farm life is going ok, I'm still in the chicken business and working on my garden, altho it's smaller this year.  It's been a weird spring - the weather has been crazy up and down in temps.  We got a late freeze and it got my plum tree, but not the peaches.  Cut my grapevines way back and it looks like we're going to get ALOT of grapes this year. Been doing a little painting, too.  Will have to update my art blog...

Well, that's all the news for now.  I'll try to get around and do some visiting as I can.  The best thing that's going on (besides the babies) is that I'm getting to spend LOTS OF TIME with my dear little sister/best friend!  She is my heart...  Take care friends - will try to be back soon!

This and That...

THE ONIONS ARE IN THE GROUND.

(Please do not tell Tony I took a picture of him in his baggy shorts.  He said it was too warm for jeans, so he put on his saggy shorts.  He's got others but these are the ones he wanted.  He says it's his farm and he can do whatever he wants on his farm.    Tony's tilling, and Dad's raking some weeds out.  It was GORGEOUS day!  I helped Dad a bit with the weeds, and then...

...Dad poked holes for me in the ground so I could plant the onions in them.  He made this little "poker" so make several at a time instead of just one at a time.  Then he backs up and goes inbetween the first holes.  Onions don't take much room...

This does hurt his back a bit, but not as much as the actual planting, so I did that. (and boy am I sore today!)  Another thing we did was move my garden boxes to an area closer to the house. Of course, I'll still have my rows of bigger items, but I thought it'd be nice to have the boxes alittle closer, so I could do salad/patio tomatoes and some smaller items that'd be convenient to the kitchen... maybe some herbs, flowers, etc...

We put old hay on the ground, a double layer of landscape cloth, and I will fill the boxes with compost, peat moss, vermiculite, etc.  I don't think grass is going to grow up through that.  Last year, I bought some cheap landscape cloth trying to save money, and all it did was promote the bermuda!  It thrived on that luscious mixture and the cheapo cloth. This year, I went to the nursery and paid the extra for nursery grade cloth.  I think in the long run, it'll be worth it.  Some things you get what you pay for... 

Thought I might even do a box of some lettuces and cool weather things before it got too warm. Most of the other crops won't go into the big garden until sometime in March after the danger of frost is past.

Here's a coupla pics of my onion starts in the ground. I put out 5 rows of about 97 each.  Some white Noondays, yellow granex, white super-sweet and a bundle of candy red onions.  I think we'll have plenty!

I also rotate my plantings every year to help the soil out and to prevent nematodes.  Look that up cuz it'd hard to explain.

I was out feeding the chickens some stale tortillas yesterday, just tearing them up and throwing them out in front of me.  They'll also come and take food out of my hand.  Gypsy wanders up, wags her tail, whines, and asks me politely for a tortilla.  Gypsy smiles, did you know that?  She "talks" to me, too, with all kinds of whimpers and sounds - if you heard her you'd understand. We can carry on quite a conversation.

Anyway, I asked her if she wanted a tortilla, and she answered that Yes, she did please.  She flopped on the ground and rolls over on her back and said, "see how cute I am?  I really need a tortilla".  So I gave her one.

Now, I don't know if she was actually hungry or not - she does have a little winter padding.  But she laid on the ground, on her back, with her tortilla for awhile just enjoying the sun.  Then, she laid it down and just lay there grinning at me and watching the chickens.

Well, the chickens noticed that she laid it down.  They looked on with interest and kept inching a teeny bit closer humming a little bit.  Step by step, and Gypsy watching them but playing like she didn't care.  Then, the chickens decided to have a go at the tortilla, so the chickens AND Gypsy charged the tortilla all at the same time!  Gyp grabbed up her tortilla and promptly moved to a different location and ate it, looking up to smile at the chickens every few minutes.  Oh this was well thought out, let me tell you!

OK, you chicken people.  Tell me if you have any idea what's wrong with this chicken's eyes.  She has been this way since late last spring.  The red skin in front of both eyes has swelled and remained so.  Sometimes her eyes seem watery and sometimes not.  I have isolated her a couple of different times and given her antibiotics by mouth and drops in her eyes.  Nothing has helped.  I wondered if she might be allergic to something like the bedding or could just be something in the air at our farm.

I don't know if it hurts her - she eats and sleeps and poops and lays eggs and does everything all the other chickens do, shakes her head sometimes, seems to scratch with a toe sometimes.  I don't know what else to do.  She seems otherwise healthy.

My question is:  Should I let her live like this even tho she might be itchy or bothered by her eyes OR should she be culled?  I would think if she felt bad all the time, she wouldn't eat or would gradually weaken, or something!  None of the other chickens have this problem so that's why I'm thinking allergies.  If y'all have any ideas, please let me know.  I don't know if she's suffering or not, and it pains me to have to think about culling, but chicken raisers sometimes won't fool with a problem chicken. They cull immediately.  I'm not really a chicken farmer, but I wanna do the right thing by her.

Gotta run - we're off to a superbowl party!  I don't care who wins, just getting together with friends that we don't get to see often is fun - the men will be in front of the tube, and the ladies will be in the kitchen catching up!  Isn't that the way it goes?????

Keep your dress down!

It's OFFICIAL!!!

GARDEN  2013  HAS  BEGUN!!!

It's that time of year!  Still winter, but spring is around the distant corner and it's time here in E Texas to put the onions in the ground!  Ever heard of "Noonday Onions" and the "Noonday Onion Festival"?   Google it if you're interested. You can even order an official Noonday Onion Cookbook from Amazon and AbeBooks.  I learned that the Noonday farmers around our parts plant their baby onions between Thanksgiving and Christmas for softball-sized big-uns - here's ya a link...

http://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/industry/noonday.html

http://tastingspoons.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/noondayonions_thumb.jpg

http://www.tylerpaper.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TP&Date=20090504&Category=BUSINESS01&ArtNo=905040306&Ref=AR&MaxH=300&MaxW=330

Where we lived prior to the farm was about 10 miles from  Noonday, which is within the 10 mile radius of official Noonday Onion growing.  I suppose we're too far away now to be official Noonday onion farmers, but I'm still raising Noondays.

Anyway...  here's one of my buckets of starts.

They are about 6" - 8" tall right now.  Sometimes I've gotten them around 3" - 4" tall, but these babies have already got a good start on 'em.  I will set out about 250-300. Dad's raising them, too. We love lots of green ones so they won't all make it to maturity.  They were scheduled to go in the ground this past weekend, but it rained and was nasty outside, so I've put it off til  HOPEFULLY this weekend.  I feel like I'm late to the party on getting MY onions planted!  I'd like to get some cool weather greens out, too.  We did break ground on the garden, but still have some tilling to do - that's the plan anyhow.  Yesterday and today the temps are around 75-76. (can you believe it?)  I turned on the A/C to clear the stuffiness.  It's about 98% humidity, too.  Good ole sinus headache weather... And it swells up the old wood doors in this little farmhouse and they don't wanna shut OR open.

Shout out to Kathy B. at Cedar Pond----  it's gopher season!!!  Well, it is on Sand Flat Farm all year long, but it seems that the gophers (bless their lil ole hearts) are being very prolific here lately and it's time for me to get out there and get to trapping!  Tony has kind of designated that as MY job.  He can do it, but I guess I do it better. (Why did I do that???  hmmmm...)

The chickens are pickin' up on their laying, too!  The hideous molt is over and the days are slowly but surely getting a teeny bit longer - which makes them lay more.  I did not light their coop through the winter - just gave them a rest.  We got 6 eggs yesterday from 10 hens!  They're all laying a bit EXCEPT the Ameracaunas.  Altho they are pretty and I love the green eggs, when I go to replace hens, next time I'm hanging with the Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks.  My RIR has laid all winter long, thru the molt, AND her eggs are HUGE jumbo sized.  She's scraggly looking still, but she's the best layer I've got. I don't know if all RIR's are like that or if she's just a great layer. (I don't know - maybe I'll keep an Ameracauna - just GOT to have some green in the mix...)

Tony asked me the other day if I still liked my chickens.  I gave him a resounding YES.  They are not pets (only one of them has an official name) but I have really enjoyed them, enjoyed taking care of them and learning all about raising chickens, handling eggs and all that stuff.  I haven't asked him, not one time, to do anything for the chickens. It's been totally MY responsibility and I've been glad to do it.  Don't even mind cleaning out the coop!  I keep it as clean as possible, doing a light clean-up every other day or so and once a week a good cleaning.  When the weather warms up a bit, I'll empty everything out and wash it all down and start all over again.

Well, it's supposed to rain later today, possible storms coming this way, so...   Luckily I'm home today, I'm cutting back on work again from time to time. I'm trying to get some painting done, and am working on a couple of paintings for my husband's office.  Fossils. (He's a geologist)  Yep, that's right - fossils.  Pictures to follow in another post.

Hang on to them skirts today girls- it's a windy one!

If interested, hop over to my art blog - a few new paintings for you!

We Interrupt This Program...

Sorry for the hiatus in my New England trip, but ....

WHAT'S UP WITH THIS???

Got a couple of girls that are moulting and everybody is off with the shorter days.  This is egg is about an inch long and perfectly formed. 

Guess I have a slacker in the group...

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

Back At The Farm...

Hey there!  Just stopping by to say hi!  All's well on Sand Flat Farm...

Chicken update.  I have 9 hens.  Twice this week I have gotten 9 eggs in a day.  Is that amazing or what!  I would think that it would not happen often that all of one's chickens laid an egg on the same day.  Different chickens breeds lay at different rates.  I doubt that ANY chicken lays every single day.  You who've had chickens longer can tell me if that's true or not. (I'm sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong! :- )))))

Just LOOK!

Have you EVER seen any eggs more beautiful???  I know I'm silly - the chicken-thing is still new and I still love going out to collect the day's eggs.  Of course, Tony and I can't eat this many eggs.  We give some to son and his wife, her parents, my parents, and eat quite a few ourselves, and sometimes have a dozen or two left to give to friends.  Thanks for indulging me...

Gypsy says hi!  She's got her a big ole hole dug around at the back of the house.  It had gotten so hot, so I would run water in the hole to cool the dirt.  Gypsy LOVES to lay in her hole!  

The hay's all in. I don't know if they'll get another cutting or not - depends on the weather perhaps.  Hay was much better this year.  Still could have been better, but we got some late rains that helped the ranchers and farmers out some.

I love to watch the raking.  You know, these ranchers and guys that actually take care of the hay have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in their equipment.  You should see some of the machinery that our hay guy brings over to our place!  It's amazing!  

Well, girls - gotta run - work tomorrow.  Painting later this week! YEA!  I need to put up some of my little paintings I've been doing over at my South Light Art Blog  click my button on my side bar if you're interested!   I also added a link to my website where you can view more paintings of mine.  Take care - see you soon!  Keep yer dress down!

Autumn, Aprons, A Rose is a Rose...

What a glorious morning!  The last couple of days the temps have been in the upper 60's first thing in the morning when I go out to feed and water my chickies.  I feel a little "fallish" coming on!  I don't wanna rush but it makes me long for cool days, sweaters, soup on the stove, and one of Becky's soy candles in Pumpkin Spice burning on the table.  You know that delightful shivery feeling of autumn?

Well, we've got upper 90's again coming back, but it sure is nice! What's going on in your neck of the woods?  I'm trying to get a little painting done today.   Something new for me - I'll be sure and post pictures over at South Light art blog later - link on my sidebar if you're interested...

Here, at the farm, let's see who's minding the henhouse....

Well, for starters, Mr. Black/Yellow Garden Spider is keeping watch on the back side of it, and...

Miss Gypsy is guarding the front.  Actually, I had thrown some rolls to the chickens and she tried to do some digging to get one of them and I had to shut that down.  I even gave her one of her own and she buried it behind the AC unit outside.  Silly dog.  She comes to the back door every morning and asks for her dog biscuit.  Sometimes, she eats it, sometimes, she buries it.

Did I ever show you  my vintage apron collection?  Well, if I did, you're gonna see it again.

I didn't mean to have a collection, but it just happened.  I had a couple of aprons that were my grandmothers' that I'd saved through the years.  As I visited garage/junk sales, vintage aprons kept drawing my attention and were so cheap (most of the time).  When I looked at them, I immediately thought about the women who wore them, the work that they did to feed their families, the hands that dried themselves on them, the eggs and garden goodies that were collected in them, the children who grabbed onto them pulling at their mom for some attention, and perhaps even the tears that were shed on them.  

One by one, another worn and faded apron came home with me on my forays.  I now have 18 - EIGHTEEN - yes, you heard me right, 18.  It just happened.  But you know what's fun now?  When we have friends over to the farm for supper, I shall have all the ladies put on one of my vintage aprons while we're getting everything ready.  It'll be fun for all of us!  The aprons all hang on the door in my kitchen so they're easy to grab one up and go.

See what my sweet husband brought home last night?  He stopped and bought me 3 bouquets of Tyler roses!  They are so beautiful.  "Just because..."  And they smell heavenly...  I had enough to make two pitchers full.  I love roses - I don't care if they're not the swanky long-stemmed ones.  I think I actually prefer the little Rose-stand roses - they're lovely, really smelly (  :)))) and easy to put in my vintage pitchers and vases.  He was so thoughtful!  And I'm so lucky!

Take care, friends - you coastal folks look out for that hurricane a-comin'.  And by all means, no matter what you do, Keep Your Dress Down!

# 273 of 300 Ways to Catch a Snake (and other foolishness...)

When you live in the country, you're gonna run across critters.  Critters abound out here and if you don't like critters, then don't live in the country.  Critters are different from your good buddy pets.  Critters eat your garden, dig holes everywhere, come in the house even when they're not supposed to and are a general nuisance. We're always trying to get rid of critters - mice, rats, gophers, armadillos, moles, skunks, hogs, possums, 'coons AND last but certainly not least - SNAKES.

Now I don't cotton to these kinda critters too much myself, but they're not going to keep me from loving my little farm and enjoying every minute I'm here!  You just live with 'em and deal with 'em.

This morning, we had a some excitement here at Sand Flat Farm.  I went out early - 6:45 to feed and water my chickies before work. Fresh water, fill up the feeder, strew a little corn to scratch, clean out the night's poo... you know, the usual. Upon exiting the run, I happened to glance to the side, right by the doorlatch, and lo and behold, I saw THIS ------>

WARNING - Graphic photos - not for the squeamish nor faint of heart!!!

I MUST HAVE JUMPED BACK TEN FEET!

This fellow slithered into the coop probably a couple of days ago. I wondered why the chickens only laid 2 eggs that day when they usually lay 5-6.  I thought it was just too hot outside.  Evidently, the snake had come through the small gauge chicken wire and ate his fill and then couldn't get back through with such a full stomach!  He was a good 4 to 4 1/2 feet long

Rat snake, right?  At least I hope so. We've seen him a couple of times around the yard.  He'd always shoot up under the house when he spotted us looking at him with an evil intent in our eyes.  Can you count the bumps along his stomach?  SIX, there are six bumps! Horrors!

Slowly, I eased out of the coop trying not to disturb him. I started for my hoe, but decided to go get Tony out of bed and have him come out. He dressed quickly and got the hoe ready.  Tony took the snake's tail and carried him twined around the end of the hoe out to the orchard and neatly whacked his head off.

Good job!  Another farm critter bites the dust!  Glad that was all he bit!  Tony got a plastic bag to dispose of this booger and I went to check the coop just in case there was an early egg or an egg from the night before.

GUESS WHAT!  That dumb snake swallowed all six of my golf balls that I'd put in the nests to show the hens where to lay!!!!  I imagine he did eat a couple of the previous day's eggs, and then later decided to eat the rest of them!  JOKE'S ON YOU MR. SNAKE!  I'll bet he had a major case of indigestion!  Now, don't think us bad folks for killing this guy - he would have died anyway trying to pass those golf balls.

Sooooo,  we retrieved my golf balls...

Lookie there ^ - see all six lined up in a neat row!

Kinda gross actually, but at least I got my balls back - to be cleaned and disinfected for sure - reptiles have really nasty mouths - full of germs and bacteria.  Yuck, maybe I just need to get some more...

Now, have any questions?  Well, then you've just seen #273 of 300 ways to catch a snake.  Great way to trap a snake in your chicken coop!  You're very welcome.

Keep yer dress down.

I Guess I'm Done... This Is The End...

Scared ya, didn't I?

I'm just talking about my garden  :)   It's over and done with for the summer!  I'm always sad and always GLAD!  So much fun, but so much work.  This was a great garden year for us.  Alas, my volunteer pumpkins did not make it.  Well, they matured and I had some fine specimens, but just too early for fall decorating... they started rotting and then got attacked by squash bugs.  Yuck.. oh well...

Tony's tractor made small work of the remains of the garden.  Still needs a little care, but all the vines and everything have been piled up to burn after a good rain. Wonder when that'll be?  I thought for SURE we'd get in on the tail-end of that storm that went through far northeast Texas yesterday, but it dried up before it got here.

The last of my fresh tomatoes... Boy howdy, I hated to pull up those tomato vines.  But it was time.  Yes, there were still a very few small 'maters on them, but the heat is in the 100's again, and it was just a matter of time.  It's been hot and they were beginning to get spots on them that would rot before they got good and ripe.  So these were the last of the lucky ones... Maybe a big salad with chunks of tomatoes in it for supper. Maybe hamburgers with a couple of big slices.  Maybe I'll just stand over the sink and sprinkle a little salt on 'em and eat 'em and let the juice run down my arm and savor every last summer bite!

My freezer is full to overflowing, the top, the bottom, the door, AND my fridge freezer - not to mention all the canned goods from this year's harvest.  The good Lord has really blessed us here on this little piece of land this year!  Just look at the hay up there in the top picture!  It's been lush and green and abundant, too!

New Topic ---  I can't walk outside or open the back door unless THIS happens...

Of all the cluckin' and fussin' and pushin' and shovin' - you just wouldn't believe.  I'd like to think they love me for me, but NOOOO.  They only love me for what treats I bring!  Or they wanna get out and roam and look for bugs.  They fall all over themselves at the door to the pen.  When I open it, they jump and try to see what I'm bringing.  Lately (and you may have seen it in the freezer) I've been giving them watermelon - FROZEN watermelon in the hot afternoons.  They love it - it's cold, it gives them something to do, and I'm hoping it helps keep them cool.  They also love when I spray water into a corner and make some puddles.  They get in that mud and pick around and I guess it cools them off, too.

Well, my dear ones - gotta run - one last thing...  here's what's on my easel... just a sneak peak - I'll be posting over at my art blog, South Light, in a short.  Have a great weekend! 

Oh yeah - and keep yer dress down...

I LAID AN EGG!

Well, I feel like I did!  Just Look!!!

A DOUBLE-YOLKER!!!

My Rhode Island Red hen laid this egg and believe me - it was JUMBO in size.  I've worked so hard at taking care of the chickens and making sure they get lots of scraps and greens and ranging about in the yard - And I guess it's paid off!  They haven't been laying that long!  It was a huge egg, and I saved it and fixed it for myself this morning.  I figured, I've done all the hard work (except laying the egg :) so I get to eat it!

Been working on a few little pieces of artwork.  These were some quick little paintings I did today.  I'm trying to do some to sell if I can.  Hayley's having a sale on her re-furbished vintage/western style furniture and she wanted me to do some things for her sale.  Only problem is - she wants to keep whatever I paint!  That defeats the purpose - I'll do her some after her sale is over...

I didn't take pictures of the process - they were moving rather quickly and I just went ahead and hurried them done.  See whatcha thank.... the first is a 12x12, gallery-wrapped 1" sides painted, stapled in the back...

Next up - "Longhorn"  16x20, 1" gallery-wrapped sides painted, stapled in the back...

Trying to get a little funky with the colors here - trying my best to loosen up - I paint SO TIGHT!!!

Well, That's about all for tonight.  Going to a birthday lunch tomorrow and then I'll come home and try to get some more painting done.

Have a good 'un!

Goin's On...

Continuing the canning and putting things in the freezer around here on Sand Flat Farm.  My freezer is about full.  I guess I need to learn to can veggies.  I've been a bit leery about it.  I need a pressure cooker, for sure.
Not much else is happening around here.  We've been blessed with several rain showers this spring and the temps have not reached the 100's yet, so my garden has done the best it's ever done since we've been here. How nice!

We've been enjoying plum jelly on homemade bread AND blackberry.  I can't ever decide which is my favorite!

Back up... I'm so sorry I haven't been around much.  I have been SO busy.  It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged.  I've read a few of your posts, but not commented much.  I miss you all!  Surely this will let up soon!  Also, this summer has been the summer for weddings that we have to attend. Friends at church whose kids are getting married, friends of my kids, and of course we have to go.  A funeral, a birthday party for an 80 year old mother of my dear friend, baby showers, wedding showers - it's been non-stop since the beginning of May.

In other news, my Kiwi Kids - Josh & Lindsey - have made the decision to come home to Texas from New Zealand!  Lindsey's mom and I are elated!  We have missed them SO much.  They moved over their way back at the beginning of November. I don't know what their plans are - I'm not sure THEY know yet - but they are coming home! I think they are a little bit homesick...   Can't wait to see them.  They will be home in July!  Their church is going to miss them I know.  I'm sure they were hoping Josh & Lindsey were going to stay there in Wellington for a long time.  They were becoming a vital part of that congregation.

Kathy over at Spot on Cedar Pond raises Jacob Sheep.  Most of you who are my friends know her.  Well, let me show you what she sent me in the mail...

FOUR of these felted balls that she made from her sheep wool - you throw them in the dryer and they keep the clothes from getting all wadded up.  A cute chicken candle (she knows what I like) and another little fuzzy chick!  Wasn't that the nicest thing!  I love these felted balls - she said you could use them for a kitty toy, too, but since I don't have a cat right now, guess they'll just have to go in the dryer.  I'd hate to give them to a cat anyway!  OR, you could put them in a bowl for decoration, too! Thank you again, Kathy!  SO nice of you!  I love them - I actually have something that an artisan shepherd made from her wool!


We had an attack of horn worms on the tomatoes, but the chickens helped us end that little problem.  They fought over those nasty things.  Last year, Tony picked them off the bushes and let them stay in a metal pan in the sun.  He said, "There, take that!"  Worm cruelty I guess...  You think worms would rather have a sun tan or get eaten by the chickens and pulled apart into different sections?

 

BUT the tomatoes have managed to survive!

Below, I got my first eggs from my young pullets that I've had since they were 3 mos old.  They were small - I think the New Hampshire Red laid both of them and I missed the first one.  See the one with the crack?  It was very thin-shelled.  They were laying on the floor of the coop and I only looked in the egg boxes yesterday, so probably one yesterday and one today.  YEA!  Anyway, don't know exactly when they were laid, so I cooked them and gave them to Gypsy.  She smiled and said Thank You...  :)  I will be watching tomorrow to see if I can spy who is now laying.  By the process of elimination, I think the NHR is the one.

Speaking of the chickens - I think I may have a rooster or two.  My Buff Orp has little spur nubs and has been exhibiting rooster behavior.  Hasn't crowed yet.  But she's big and heavy and has very thick legs.  My hubby and I both saw "Hazel" doing the rooster thing this evening when I let them out.  Also, my Brahma, BB, is acting weird, too.  They are both approaching 6 months.  Nobody's crowing.  Do hens act like this, too?  Hmmmm.... OK, you chicken people, look at this Buff and tell me what you think?

You may not remember, but I posted previously that we had some rogue volunteer pumpkin vines come up this year amongst the corn and in other random places.  Well, they have pumpkins on them, now - those ghostly white ones!  Do you think they'll last til September?  I'll bet we have 6 or 8 of those things right now. It would be cool if they lasted and I could use them this fall!  I'm just going to leave them on the ground and let them continue to grow.  One of the vines has attached itself to many of the corn stalks, so I guess I'll just leave them.  I'm scared that I'll break the vines if I try to take them off - they tend to put down new roots wherever they touch the ground.  Wish there were some orange ones, too, but I think they are all white...  I'll have to buy a couple of orange ones.

There are several watermelons, too - still small but they're there.  I hope Gypsy will keep the coyotes away so we can enjoy them!  In the past years, the coyotes seem to know when they get ripe, and they drag them off and eat them before we can get to them.  I hope Gypsy doesn't like watermelon!

Well, I guess that's about all right now.  Just gardening and chickens and such.   I hope things are going well for you all this summer.  I miss you!  I'll be back when I can.  Hopefully, things will slow down before too long - I know of 3 other weddings that will have to be attended.  Young folks are still falling in love!

*Speaking of falling in love - Josh &  Lindsey have 3 new posts over at their blog... See their button link on my left sidebar if you're interested!  They spent their first anniversary trip in Auckland and at in the Sky Tower, went to a volcano, through lava caves, went to a multi-cultural event!  Lindsey is an amazing story-teller - I love all her little nuances into their sweet married life!  She's a peach!