Thursday, July 16, 2015

Out in the Garden, Beans 2015

It wasn't that long ago that we cleared a spot in the garden and silently planted green and yellow bean seeds into their neat little rows.  Dutifully weeded and watered when necessary, the bean plants have flourished.
We've planted four rows of each type, with each row planted just a few days apart from the previous row.  The reason for doing this was so that we could harvest beans thoughout the season rather than for just a few short weeks.  It's pretty neat seeing the different stages of plant growth.  The lovely purple flowers of the green beans with their tiny bean pods, compliment the delicate white flowers of the yellow bean plants.
It's so nice to be in the garden in the early morning.  The dew misted over the leaves and flowers.  The birds just starting to wake up.  It's a nice reminder of the real reasons why we keep a garden.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Little chicks not so little any more, 2015

As we've been working in the garden, weeding and prepping for fall plantings, the chicks have been spending more and more time outside.  Their playpen has grown from a four by six box to a 70 square foot play area corded off in the garden.  They can run and play and, for the most part, stay out of trouble, safely behind the plastic chicken wire.  In the early morning, Mom scoops up the chicks one-by-one, putting them gently into the carrier, to be toted out to the garden.  They've been growing so fast, that soon the little pet cab will not nearly be big enough to easily accommodate its feisty passengers.
Wow!  This is nice.  did you see all the hay and fluffy stuff in here?  It's like a big nest!
 In order to get them used to the idea of a new means of transportation, we've built a mini-chicken tractor using a much larger tote set on the garden wagon.  Bungee cords hold it securely in place while it goes bumping along.  Right now it is set up to allow the babies to explore and use it for a playhouse.  A bit of carpet glued to a piece of plywood makes a fine, slipfree ramp for little babies to run up and down.
Look how HIGH I am!
The only challenge remaining is little chicks like to try their wings.  Even the smallest can fly surprisingly high once they get it into their little chicky heads that that's where they want to be.  'Lookit me!  I'm an eagle!  Lookit me SOAR!'  In a sudden explosion of feathers and fluff they take to the air, followed by a lot of complaining about being on the other side of the fence and away from the feeder, the water, and all their little friends.  Guess this is why being in the garden is a supervised activity.
We're brave little chickies!  wait a minute...was that a bug?


 

Monday, July 6, 2015

Puppy love, goat style

Just wanted to say that there is nothing quite as nice as having one of your little goat girls come up to you to give kisses.  Especially on a morning when you don't smell like cookies.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Fourth of July party, 2015

Had a melon party at My Happy Acres.
yummy! melon!
 
I like it when moma holds it for me.  Then I don't get sticky paws.
This is one of the best parts of summer: sharing cool treats with our little friends.  Hope your fourth of July was a happy one!