There's a cool breeze today, bringing welcome relief from the dog days of summer...yay! Let's take a quick walk around the farm and I'll share some of our summertime surprises.
We had so many heavy frosts this past spring, we were certain the buds on our fruit trees wouldn't survive. But taking a tip from a friend, we kept spraying them with water...
all. night. long.
a happy surprise..it paid off and now we have pretty Fuji apples on the trees!
My mother-in-law calls these beauties Surprise Lilies...and are they ever! They pop up in unexpected spots here and there - just when we need a bit of color.
And who doesn't love a surprise volunteer pumpkin plant...looks as if it's about to take over!
Now these aren't surprises...in May we couldn't resist adding some new chicks to our little flock! We have just successfully mixed them with our older hens (whew) and I'm happy to say there is peace in the coop...which is a surprise!
THIS is our biggest surprise...meet Bandito...
First of all YES it was a surprise the first time we heard that sound.
No, no, no...those little chicks were supposed to ALL be pullets!
I did my reading...okay, sometimes a hen will crow to show off her position as head hen. Then more time passes...
NO, NO, NO...
it kept happening, the crowing became stronger, and soon the tell-tale signs appeared.
Saddle feathers - check Hackle feathers - check
What's a girl to do? Sigh...
I do like the sound of a rooster crowing, and for now, while not overly friendly, he seems to be calm. Actually, one of our older hens has been seen bossing him around...that's fine with me, maybe she'll keep him in check. Crossing our fingers.
And looking for the bright side...it could have been worse, they could have ALL turned out to be roosters!
a goat wrangler, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse. I like simple things, old things, old ways. I'm the definition of "homebody" and you can always find me in an apron. Welcome to my world...stick around, I hope you'll find it's fun!
Things I love...
Sunday dinners
tire swings
the laughter of children
cross-country train rides
barn sales & auctions
old farmhouses
small towns
porch swings
country clotheslines
old-fashioned barbershops
John Deere 4020's
farmers' markets
living in the Heartland
twinkling fireflies
simple country pleasures
the comforts of home
Now Open!
fresh from my farmhouse kitchen...simple, homemade, cottage foods!
I cannot conceivably influence the world's destiny, but I can make my own life more worthwhile.
I can give some help to some people, that is not vital to all the world's problems, and yet I think if everyone did just that, we might see quite a different world in our time!"
-Gladys Taber
"It is not the things you have that make you happy.
It is love, and kindness, and helping each other, and just plain being good. "
-Laura Ingalls Wilder
"The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest."
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."
-Mark Twain
"In all of living, have much fun and laughter.
Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."
-Gordon B. Hinckley
"Life is short,
and it's up to you to make it sweet."
-Sadie Delany
"The real things haven't changed...
It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder
"Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots."
I ended up with four roosters this year! I am still in denial....
ReplyDeleteOh no, four?! Next time I want chicks, I'm making sure I choose a breed where male/female can be determined by their color!
Delete