A Weekend, Filled To The Brim

Do you remember the beginning of June,
when we went to the auction and brought home 7 adorable ducklings 
that we were told were Ancona ducks?


I might not have mentioned how excited I was to have a new breed of duck
join our family.

Well, those duckling have grown up into fine adults.
However, they are definitely not Ancona ducks.
I just noticed in the past week how their faces are changing,
and red, knobby skin is now growing above their bills.


Our sweet fluffy ducklings are growing into Muscovy ducks.
I have to mention here, in a very hushed and whispering voice...
that Muscovy ducks are definitely not the cutest duck in the pond.


They have faces that only a mother could love.
Thankfully, I love them all.

The good news is... our sweet little white Muscovy down at the pond,
who is never looked upon as an equal by the other pond ducks...
(I have witnessed them often looking down their bills at her!)
...is about to join a group of ducks that are just like her.


We are moving her up to the duck house at the barn to join the others.
She never joins the other ducks in the pond, but prefers to remain on land.
The duck house at the barn will be just right for this little misfit.
Here she will have lots of non-prejudiced company,  plenty of pools to bathe in,
and a warm house when cold winds blow.

I have not seen Mama Guinea and her little charges since Saturday morning.
She has been very good about keeping them away from everyone... dogs, cats, people, etc.
I am hoping they are doing ok... time will tell.


I may have mentioned that guineas can be very haphazard about where they lay their eggs...
as is obvious with this one... laid on top of the duck pen.


We had a very busy weekend with our Littles.
Saturday was Mackenzie's third birthday.


And Sunday was a day spent with Grammie at the farm.



With the time not spent in the company of Littles, 


I harvested more carrots...


I harvested speckled cranberry beans and Jacob's cattle beans
and dried them for winter use...


picked basil and made pesto to freeze...
(I flash-froze them and popped them into a container in the freezer for use this winter.)



made yogurt (we've been making yogurt several times each week lately in an effort
to decrease the amount of throw-away (plastic) containers we purchase)...


and cleaned and froze several quarts of farm-grown, organic peaches.
(Dr. Becky has a very productive peach tree.)


I also ordered supplies for cheese making and plan to venture into this culinary area
in the coming weeks.

I took the dogs for a walk in the woods,


in search of autumn mushrooms.
I found several of what I was hunting for...


"hen of the woods",
but decided not to use them this year.
We've had way too much rain, and they are quite soggy.
Last year was a perfect year for this particular fungus, and I still have a couple in my freezer.

Remember last week when we went to get some young geese from a local couple?
Well, we may not have gotten any geese, but we did get a really great tip.

There are devices called solar predator lights which are apparently
quite helpful in keeping predators away from poultry.
I ordered several and we will be installing them at the pond, around the barn ducks' house,
and around our chicken coops.


I can't believe we had never heard of these before!
They get excellent reviews for keeping animals away...
even deer out of your vegetable gardens!


Comments

colleen said…
You always have so many things in one post that I want to comment on and it's hard to choose just one or two. I will be waiting to see how "misfit" makes out in the barn. Mackenzie is THREE already.... hard to believe. What a perfect name "hen of the woods" Now a cheese and yogurt maker, just how many hours are in your day???? We get Nite Guard solar lights and swear by them.
Good luck with the solar predator lights!
Patsy from Illinois said…
Can't believe Mackenzie is three already. Time flies. How is Sammie's leg?
This N That said…
Looks like you have your all your duck in a row!! Love those solar lights..Do they work for rabbits? I could use one in my garden for the deer...Don't they get used to them??
Cheese ...yummy
Unknown said…
A bit worried about all the rain in your area. Pray that everyone has a high and dry spot to stay safe! Lisa G in TN.
Bee Haven Bev said…
We are very lucky, personally, as we are mostly at the top of a hill. The low point is the pond... so that works out just fine!
diane in northern wis said…
What a fascinating post Bev. Love it...and all the pics too. What a beautiful birthday cake for the big 3 year old...and dinosaurs too? She and her brother are soooo cute. Glad you've had such a good weekend. We love cheese here....can't wait to see what kinds you make. Thanks for a great post.
deodar said…
Good luck with the predator lights. I actually saw a raccoon preening himself while he was sitting right in front of mine!
Unknown said…
That is good to hear. Stay dry. Praying for all of those in harms way. Lisa G in TN
Lynne said…
Passing the light info on to a couple of friends. . .
Thank You!