My Week

My seedlings are getting frequent mileage as I move them all over the porch and vehicles to get some sun.

These are all different squash seedlings.  The big one is a zucchini. 

I intend to win the Giant Zucchini Contest in September!

I went to visit my friends Linda and Brad.   All those tree limbs in the background are going to be turned into hugelculture gardens.

 

Brad is big into hugelculture.

Basicaly its all about gardening with sticks and limbs and building a very fertile, moist garden that can tolerate drought.

Here is a quick snapshot of the procedure.

 

Linda & Brad built their home from straw.  Its a very comfortable home. 

They burned almost a cord of wood this winter.

Most folks burned 6-10 cords.

I love rock piles and had to grovel through the one by the future gardens.

Do you see what I see?

If you are a hopeless romantic, you will see it immediately.

 

My other seedlings got moved to the porch when it got too hot...and they keep happily growing!

These are my Brandywine heritage tomato plants.    I purchased them from the neighbor who had a ton of them for sale.  Thats my zuchinni plant in the forefront growing into a contest winner.

I love spring with all the sweet smells from the blossoming cherry and apple trees and lilac bushes.

 I especially love the different shades of green on the hills and mountains that surround this little piece of heaven.  Today they were a lemon-lime color.

And everything is so green and lush after 2 days of rain, that I fully expect a leprechaun to be dancing across the field any minute..

The chimney guys have been here for a week repairing the 250 year old chimney that Hurricane Sandy blew down last year.  They have the best view!

My farm friend and I went to the grain store and picked up our pre-ordered chicks.

 She got 25 red sex link layers and 25 meat birds.

They were a week late coming in and they did not get any Barred Rocks! 

I had ordered two and instead they substituted black sex links.

The grain store lady had big orders presorted into big boxes. 

 

There were thousands of chicks there taking up the entire warehouse space.

 I had ordered 2 red sex links and 2 barred rocks.  Had to take 2 black sex links instead and really didn't want/need them.

 

 So.... when I carried out my friends box of layer chicks to her vehicle..........

 I put the 2 little black sex links in with her new flock.

I do not think she will notice unless she counts them.....

We are still feeding the last of the hay. The herd is still happy to see me in the morning even though I have been wicked sick all week.

I was so sick I called my wonderful neighbor and asked if he could help me for an hour yesterday morning.

I did not have the strength to unroll the big bale of hay and there was no way I could capture, hold and ear tag the new calf alone either.

Yes, I did remember to SHUT THE FENCE OFF before we entered the pasture. Its bad etiquette to electrocute neighbors.

Richard regularly goes to exercise class and walks a lot and even he was exasperated over what a workout it was to unroll the hay!

He made it into a huge figure 8.   I never thought to do numbers~ Bravo!!

I gave him a dozen fresh eggs from my happy hens as a trade for his kindness.

I wish I had taken a photo of him down on the ground holding the calf while I ear tagged her, but the entire herd was so upset and screaming that we had abducted a calf that I thought it wise to get the job done as fast a possible.      Next time I will.    Richard said he would help me do the next calf too. Since there is another one due to arrive any day and I still am too weak to do the calf rodeo alone.

Every person who lives rurally should know how to wrestle, move, capture and hold calves, pigs, chickens and sheep. Since these are the species that tend to create the most chaos when they escape, get born or get hurt.

There should be a test.

How was your week?

~