The Weekend Wrap-Up

Last week I introduced you to our new little female duck and her 9 ducklings.
They arrived at our farm, courtesy of a neighbor.
It seems these 10 had taken up residence in their pool!


 Our ducks are quite sectarian...treating new arrivals like unwanted squatters.
I have noticed this week, however, that the new duckling and their Mom
hang pretty close to the old guard.
And surprisingly, the oldsters don't seem to try to avoid them.


In fact, I have noticed that Mama duck has taken on the role of Alpha Duck.
She is quite protective of her babies...
which is probably why all 9 are still remaining one week later.


As her babies eat their meal, she lowers her head and hisses at the others to stay away.


And as the babies finish and the others get in line for their meal,
she jumps in line ahead of them by flying in and landing right next to the food.


Only after Mama has finished eating are the others allowed to partake.


And so it seems like we might just have a happy ending here on the pond this summer.
As for Mrs. Waddlington, our not so maternal duck...
her nest was destroyed and her eggs eaten by some varmint.
(Which, in the end, is probably for the best...seeing what a careless Mom she is.)

Yesterday's garden bounty looked like this...
(note the two unusual types of eggplants...I love them both and will replant next year)
(You can read about them here and here.


This pan was full of heirloom tomatoes, but I roasted half of them...


and made roasted tomato basil soup....yummy.
(You can find the recipe for that HERE.)
As for the Chinese Red Noodle beans at the top of the pan...
we have enjoyed this variety so much.
If you are looking for a great pole bean...give them a try!


We have tons of carrots and beets.
Golden beets...


The darker orange carrots are actually a red variety.
They are quite sweet and juicy.

A rainy summer is always the best blackberry summer.
It takes a fair amount of moisture to make blackberries grow big and fat.


So, if you have blackberry bushes...water them and your berries will be big and juicy!
Luckily, it seems to rain every other day lately, so I have not had any watering to do.


Last Friday I shared with you that Amanda and I were going to the PA Organic Farm Fest.
I wish that I could tell you that the festival was exciting...
but, alas, it was quite small with less vendors than last year.

But, we did have a great trip.
We took the road less traveled and stopped whenever we saw anything of interest.
Like...this cave...


We toured Woodward Cave...which is quite small, quite quaint,
but full of the usual cave interests.


This is a charming place...a throwback to the 1960's...
not touristy at all....
There were only four of us in our tour, so we had quite a lot of fun with the tour guide.


We drove through Amish country and stopped at an Amish bake stand.
We stopped in a quaint town with a micro-brewery for lunch...yum!
The farm festival was our last stop...
and by that time we had had so much fun, that we didn't even mind that the festival
was a little disappointing.

I have to admit, I have a bit of gypsy in me.
I just love road trips...through the countryside to charming old towns.
I like to have a loose itinerary,
but the ability to stop wherever I please...
To me it is the best kind of adventure!

Comments

Well done Mother Duck! Maybe Mrs W wasn't well taught by her own mother? I have noticed with my hens that the ones who had good mothers became good protective mothers themselves.

Kathy
Lynne said…
Sounds like so much fun . . . I like trips like that too.
Happy the ducks are settling in . . . and safe!
Candice said…
Sounds like so much fun. That's one of the many things I miss about living further East. So many fun things to do and see in a day trip. Thanks for sharing!
Junebug said…
Love road trip with time to stop and wonder. I need to do more! Oh Mrs Duck, you are a good mommy! Enjoy the day, Hugs!
jaz@octoberfarm said…
good duck news! this is exactly why i love to wander the countryside. it's one of our favorite things to do.
This N That said…
Seems like your docs are figuring it out. Your suit looks yummy. I'm sorry that your festival was a disappointment. It looks like you made the best of it though. You always seem to find neat places to visit. You said that you drove through Amish country. Where were you? Glad you had a fun adventure. Have a great week.
daisy g said…
That cave building looks charming! We love road trips too. There is so much to explore! Glad the ducks are working themselves out.
Joyce said…
Your blog is better than ever!! Wonderful photos and insights! I hope you went to Elk Creek...what a gem!!
Jen said…
I love this blog! We just started our chicken coop this year and we are hoping to get some ducks next year.
Wish us luck!