May 29th, 2006

Guess I have been busy again. It has been what.. a week since I blogged last?We got the lawn planted on one side of the house. SO hopefully it will resemble a lawn in a month from now. We have been getting some good rainstorms, but the clay soil is not holding the water very well. I am hoping I can run the washing machine water out there to help. That is how my parents used to water my mom's formal rose garden with well over 500 roses in it.

Between rain and thunderstorms, all else is going pretty well. The greenhouse plants are growing excellently. The half of a garden I have planted is starting to sprout. Today we are planting corn, squash and other warmer weather type plants, like cucumbers are going in.

I have been working on a couple projects for the magazine for the Summer issue (finishing touches) and one for the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 issues.

Did I mention previously that my milk goat came into milk without having a kid this Spring? Evidently she is a precocious milker. I have her up to about a quart a day which is not alot, but it is enough to help supplement my friend's baby, who seems not to be tolerating formula very well and it is not possible for her to breastfeed.

My baby chicks are a little over a month now and got to go outside for the first time yesterday. It was just a short outing, but I had to kick everyone out of the barn. I sat out there with them in the fresh grass and I was trying to figure out why they kept 'tap-tap-tapping' me. Apparently they are very good mosquito and whatever else bug that likes to eat humans. I could barely feel them peck them off. I have one Barred Rock who is petlike (here is your replacement for "Survivor" WD), who always hops up on me or will perch on my hand. I have that bird double banded. It is the largest of the Barred Rocks and has good patterns to its feathers and seems to have a deep breast at this point, so I wanted to make sure we did not eat him if he is a him.. (Not sure on anyone's gender yet).

I have to go tally them up, but I think I only have 3 pullets out of 11 of the Dark Brahma. That means we have more to eat, but I was REALLY hoping for more hens. I cannot tell on the other breeds yet. It is a mystery still.

I was outside for one of the projects for the magazine and while I was sitting in the field, I saw a large black bear. I came up to the house and showed the guys. We are pretty sure it is the same HUGE male that we saw a week ago on our fenceline. Thankfully this was across the way, but when I was outside later, I was keeping an eye out for him. There are so many bears this year. Needless to say I got alot of the housework done which had been neglected for a good week.

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