The Never-Ending List

 I love these long spring days of puttering around.  I have a list as long as a roll of TP, I swear.  But, what farm life has taught me is - it will get done eventually.  So, each day after necessary chores are complete, I start puttering around... ticking items off my long spring list.

The mowing is done (day before yesterday), so yesterday I did a little whacking-of-the-weeds - not all of them, because that would take me a week - just the ones that were really driving me crazy, around the barn.

  Now everything looks nice and crisp... just the way I love it... if only it would stay that way!

Next on my list was to begin weeding the blueberry patch.  For whatever reason, weeds seem to love to grow around the trunks of each blueberry plant (of which there are presently about 75).  I sat on the ground at the base of each plant, pulling out dandelions, crabgrass, and tons of birdseye speedwell.  About two third's of the way through, it began to rain a little and became very windy.  At that point I decided that the completion of this task could wait for a nicer day.  I am happy to report that the blueberry bushes are loaded with flowers - each one destined to become a delicious blueberry.

Our guinea flock (almost too small to call a flock) has dwindled quite a bit over the past year.  Last summer the group numbered ten.  At the present time there are only six.

  Sadly, one was hit by a large truck two weeks ago.  A feed truck went flying down our road and our poor guinea could not move fast enough.  This infuriates me on a few levels... enough said.  Then, two mornings ago, I found a guinea lying, dead, beneath the tree in which they roost each night.  There was no obvious trauma, it looked as though his time had simply run out.   Earlier in the spring, a fox had taken another's life.    We would like to keep a consistent flock of guineas here on the farm because of their invaluable skill at pest management. 

 So, yesterday we drove a half hour north to the local livestock auction hoping to find some young guineas.  Our trip was unsuccessful.  Four adult guineas were for sale - but not knowing their age, we decided not to bid on them.  

Hopefully we will find someone local with fertilized eggs that we can have "the girls", Maggie and Macy hatch out for us.  You may wonder why we don't just let our guineas hatch their own eggs.  Guineas are good at laying eggs and hiding them, but not terribly good at mothering them.  Usually, once a summer I just happen across a huge clutch of eggs hidden somewhere on the farm.... sometimes in a field, sometimes in the garden.  Only once did one of our guineas hatch out chicks, but they did not survive the first night (thanks to predators.). It's a tough world out there!

Just this past week, Maggie and Macy incubated and hatched out three chicken eggs.  

They sent me daily progress reports.

Eventually, these chickens will come to live on the farm.  

(Note the teddy bear in the cage with the chicks🥰)


The girls are coming for a visit tomorrow and are going to take runner duck eggs home with them to hatch.  This is the perfect way for us to add birds to our flocks... and the girls love raising the babies.  We've been getting at least three duck eggs daily!

For some reason, the chickens have begun to lay more eggs again... almost a dozen, two days in a row!  And now we have another 38 layers in the wings.  If anyone needs eggs in about 4 months... I can hook you up!

The chicks have found the nesting boxes.  I swear there is no inch of their house that they have not investigated.  

These are the busiest bunch of chicks I have ever had!  We have to be very careful when opening the front door of their house... to make sure that none of them fly out into a very unsafe world for little chicks.  

And though the big wide world might be unsafe for little chicks, I must say, it sure is beautiful these days!

The last of the daffodil blossoms are hanging on as the perennials begin to bloom.  

The little cottage garden in front of my She-shed has filled in beautifully. In a few weeks, it will be full of brilliant colors.  I'll be sure to show you!

And lastly, Lynne, you asked where I do my painting, and do I have to set up each time I paint.

This is my painting station.  I use half of my cutting table in my sewing room.  I have a good high-intensity light that I paint by, as well as natural light from the large windows in this room.  It's so much easier to sit down and paint a little here and there when everything is ready to go.

And just in case you wondered:

The shawl that I showed yesterday is the Zimstern by Melanie Berg.  You can find it HERE if you are interested.  I can think of so many color combinations that would be spectacular in this pattern.    Remember... challenging oneself leads to improvement!  My attitude is always "what do I have to lose?"   PS, it's really not as complicated as it looks.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I am up so early and all I can think about is all the outside things that I have to do!!!
Love seeing your farm babies. This time of year is beautiful and exciting. Our fruit trees are putting out tiny peaches and apples. The blackberries are in blossom.
Those little chicks sure are explorers. Soon they will be looking like teenagers with their fluff gone and feathers filling out. The to do list gets longer everyday here it seems. Have a great day!
jaz@octoberfarm said…
i hope you can get more guineas! i need some here. we have so many ticks and now willie has lyme. my poor little boy has been sick. he is on meds now and we hope he will be fine soon. our vet said that 75% of dogs with lyme show no symptoms. i have not found this to be true.
sheryl h said…
i was raised on the farm where my grandfather and mother were born. my great great grandfather settled the land when my great grandfather was a child so our roots run deep. my brother now lives on the farm and he and my nephew raise cattle and crops and have a few horses, lots of cats and and dogs. your 1st paragraph brought back memories of my childhood. i didn't realize how fortunate i was being a farm kid until recent years. i love my childhood but at the time, i wanted to be like my in-town friends where their dads had day jobs and their work was done when our work never ended. their families ate at 5:00 instead of 8 or 9. my in-town friends rode bikes, played at the park and played ball when i did chores and helped in the garden and put up hay. now i love yard work, gardening and caring for my little corner of the world in town. i cherish my childhood and work values being raised on a farm.
phyllis Schmitz said…
love your sewing room.
This N That said…
Griz looks skinny..the sheep...not!!
Sorry about the Guineas..They just put themselves out there..hopefully the girls can help out if you find some eggs.
Our Daffodils are long gone..Glad you still have some to enjoy..
Enjoy the rest of this beautiful week..xxoo
Karen said…
I'm so sorry about your little guinea - what is with those drivers anyway? We have a hay truck that floors it on our little road - actually it's the farmer's road above us. And this road is full of potholes - you'd think it would slow him down (not). I always know he's coming because the birds I feed all scatter when he shows up . . .What ever happened to just plain common sense?
Bev I just love all your farm critters and your beautiful flowers...and I must say that picture of your sewing room where you also paint makes me swoon. You have such a beautiful house....I think I love everything about it....including the people. Thanks for an always great blog. Happy to hear the girls will be hatching out runner ducks one of these fine days! Sorry about your guineas...hope you fine some more soon.
Lynne said…
Oh my . . . the ever lasting list . . .
I have one too . . . it never seems to end.
Part of the fun . . .

Liking the EGGS . . . and the colors too.

Perfect set up for your painting . . . thanks . . .
I have been thinking of recreating the “dining room” . . .
We don’t use it like we used to . . . might be a “good ‘dea!”

Love the shawl . . .
Perfect addition, change up the look to a dress . . .