We’ve had a busy few weeks, and today on the 4th we’re going to enjoy having to do nothing much… and I welcome the quiet with open arms. Might even catch up on some reading.
We attended another Quarter Horse Show two weekends ago. K and Max did OK, but they weren’t on top of their game. Sometimes it’s not all ribbons and that’s a good lesson to learn. My thinking is… we’re there to enjoy the relationship with the horse and work together as a team on a goal. It’s the journey, not the reward. As long as the journey is a safe and enjoyable, we’re doing what we set out to do.
Right after the Vineyard trip there was another Dog Days Adoption Event
at Bishop Orchard in Guilford, CT.
More on that tomorrow…
And here at the farm the humidity is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
We’ve had rain and more rain.
The perennials and vegetable plants couldn’t be happier
but we humans are feeling like we oughta be amazonians in the rain forest.
So far we’re harvesting zucchini, cucumber and peas.
Not even going to show you the corn, because we haven’t figured out
how to make corn grow happy around here yet, apparently.
The cone flowers are in full bloom…
..and the barn swallow babies who live above our kitchen sliding doors
have hatched and are feathering at an incredibly rapid rate.
I don’t think anything develops more rapidly from start to finish than a bird,
truly it’s amazing.
I have new chickens! One of my Buff Orpingtons, her name was Blanche…
thought she was a rooster. At the very least, she was the BOSS, and
she routinely plucked the feathers off my other hens.
I hated it, bothered me to no end. I even thought of leaving her outside the coop overnight
for the coyotes to have their way. Yes I did.
But I didn’t. My conscience wouldn’t let me.
Someone told me about a woman who takes in wayward chickens,
and so I gave her a call. She was happy to take in my bossy bird
and she even had a few young layers I could take home.
FYI – Chickens only lay eggs for a few years, then their production starts tapering off.
So, if you want eggs routinely, it’s important to refresh your coop with young layers
from time to time.
If you’re local, Jessica also has an adorable little farm store called
The Cluttered Coop. Seasonal visits are welcome and you’ll love her little farm.
My new chickens are…
A Brahma – She’s a little dirty but we’ll clean her up once she’s settled in.
Notice the feathers going down her legs to her feet… a trait of the Brahma chicken.
Her name is Evelyn
Two Barred Rocks…. This here is Ethel… as my previous Ethel was eaten by a hawk
while free ranging.
Red is a New Hampshire Red and she is in the middle of the flock here…
all are getting along just fine.
Looks like Red had a run in with the rooster at the previous farm,
but her feathers… and the feathers of my original chickens,
will come in quickly now that there are no roosters
and Bossy b*tchy hens in the coop.
While visiting the Cluttered Coop, I bought a few of the pillows Jessica makes…
talented girl, she is.
It’s a new day, all… and boy is it a hot one.
Happy Independence day – enjoy, and be safe.
