Farm Report

It's been a while, so I should have a lot to say. Hmmm...
The garden, while much anticipated, is a bust. I was able to get in a row of tomatoes and a row of onions. Other that that, it was so wet for so long that my little seedlings started popping out of their Jiffy cells and even dying. I gave up. I put some peppers in pots and did the same with herbs. Other than that, the garden is fallow this year. I really hate that. We did have some decent strawberries, although I realize I didn't plant nearly enough asparagus. I'll work on that next spring.
Along with the wet, cool weather came lots of grass. Since it was so wet, we couldn't cut it more than once or twice. We (I) did cut some today, but it was more like mowing hay. I'll have to get out and rake tomorrow, which is not my favorite thing to do. But there's that much.
We have two little does in the goat barn. They are very petite, which may not help Mary at the fair this year. But they are very healthy and strong, which will help in a year and a half, when they're bred.
We also have baby chicks! Remember that we had one that became a snack. Now, we always order some, so chicks around here are not all that new. But this time, as I've mentioned before, we let Mama Hen sit on her eggs. This Mama Hen



not only sat on her eggs, but those of other moms, too. (Note: The bar across her back is a roost, which is just above her. She is not being held down with a stick to keep her steady for a picture!) In fact, as they hatched, one of the other moms



was right in on the action as well. Actually, she had begun sitting on the eggs at the beginning of the incubation process, and was joined later by the larger, darker bird.
The larger, darker bird is an Araucana, one of the type called "Easter Egg" chickens, because they lay blue or green eggs. The other is a bantam Buff Orpington. (Those who know more about chickens than I will notice that I cheated, because I couldn't find a link to bantam Buffs, and put in a standard-sized one. Shhh. Don't tell anyone.) Buffs are known for being really gentle and sweet birds. This one was OK, until the chicks started hatching. We think she stepped on one and killed it. She was fluttering around quite a bit.
So. The chicks. There are three mixed-breed chicks. Two look more like an Auracana, and one looks more like a Buff. Since Papa is the bantam Buff rooster that shares living quarters with three Auracanas and a Buff, it's good one ended up looking like him, don't you think? I'll let you see how cute they are.