Taking The Winter Jacket Out of Storage

Yesterday was as spectacular as the preceding day...

with one little exception.

It was 37 degrees (F) yesterday morning when we awoke.

So, at 6 AM, as we were outside doing morning chores,

I was wearing my winter jacket once again.

It's hard to believe... June 4th... and I am in a winter jacket!

It's local strawberry season.  I found organic strawberries, locally!

It warmed up quickly, once the sun's rays kissed the land.

Thank goodness!

Shortcakes made from scratch (easy and delicious!).

By afternoon it was only 70 degrees, still a little chilly for June.

I set off to clean the front pasture of the manure from the morning's grazing,

while Hubbs used the tractor to mow the front pasture.

The sheep and pigs were out grazing...

giving the tractor wide berth.

And of course, when they saw me out scooping poop,

the pigs came over for a visit.

As I moved about the pasture,

the pigs moved along with me...

following Sammie as he sauntered across the pasture.

"Hey!!  The pigs keep following me!" Sammy called, nervously.

For some reason, the pigs freak him out just a little.

What he doesn't realize is that they just want to be friends.

Because we were out mowing and there was so much activity around the farm,

we decided that it would be safe to once again allow the chickens to free range.

(If you missed a post a few weeks ago about our fox attack...

then you may have missed that we lost 2/3rds of our chickens to a fox family.

It was devastating to us all.)

It's funny, though...

when I opened the gate to their yard and told them they were free to leave,

they were quite hesitant.

At one point, one hen said, "No... that's ok.  We like it just fine in here."

But eventually they all headed out into the lush green pastures 

in search of insect protein.

The garden is bursting at the seams now.

Every meal includes fresh veggies from the garden... even breakfast!

We are feasting on lettuce, kale, chard, spinach, asparagus and broccoli.

It won't be long until many more veggies are ready as well.

In a few short weeks we will be picking, eating and freezing

a huge crop of blueberries.

One of eighty bushes that are just loaded!

Not long after that, raspberries and blackberries will be ready.

I love this time of year when we can eat off the land.

Recently I have been asked the question of how we manage ticks with our dogs.

Amazingly, for the last two years we have not found any ticks on our dogs.

We use Frontline every month on the dogs.

The cats are treated less frequently... not so much for ticks as for fleas.

Ticks do not cause any problems for cats... they are just a nuisance.

However fleas carry the larvae for tapeworms in cats.

Several years ago, Hubbs and I did a several-injection-series

of Lyme disease vaccine.

(It is no longer available.)

I get at least one tick bite every year and have never had Lyme disease.

I do have my physician test for it every so often... and luckily have not 

contracted the disease.

Hubbs had read a Mayo Clinic study that reported that a single 200 mg. dose
of Doxycycline is effective

in preventing transmission of the disease if taken within 72 hours of a tick bite.

So... to be safe, we do take a dose if we are bitten.

There is no way to know what has kept us safe from Lyme disease, but we have been lucky thus far.

"Knock on wood."

I got a kick out of a comment yesterday that I reminded someone of Mr. Rodgers.

You may call me Mrs. Rodgers... and I won't be wearing a sweater until I get this one done!

Have a great day!!

I hope to do a follow-up this week on some of the changes we have made

in living a more carbon neutral life.

Hopefully I can get a video together on that subject.