Weekend Hodgepodge

 We've had a cooler than typical Spring, and it's been wonderful.  This weekend, however, gave us a taste of early summer and it was magnificent!

The garden is soaking up all of the sun and warmth and the plants are growing like a jungle.

The most wonderful part of this is harvesting fresh vegetables.  We cut them and eat them immediately!  You just don't get any fresher than that!

We are getting the farm ready for a couple of events happening in the next few weeks.   The local Head Start preschool class is coming to the farm for a field trip, and we are having a big family picnic in two weeks.  Hubbs gave the grill at the picnic pavilion a once over to make sure it was working perfectly, and found this guy curled up inside keeping warm.

Later, I found this guy next to the old log cabin.

We either have a lot of turtles, or we keep finding the same one over and over!

It's that time of year... critters of all types are out and about - enjoying the warmer weather. 

We made the most of our weekend starting Saturday morning at Easton's T-ball game,

 and spent a little time with this one, Elijah, as well.

Saturday afternoon, after chores were finished, we took a bike ride through the countryside.

There are beautiful places all over this world, and yet, to me, the most beautiful place is right here in my little corner of the world!

Hello sheep!  There were some very pregnant sheep in this herd.  We'll return in the coming days to see the lambs.

Sunday morning, Tyler and his Mama joined us for farm breakfast.  

I don't get to spend as much time with this young man as I would like, but he's at that age where he likes to spend time with his friends.  I totally understand.

The rest of the afternoon was too beautiful to miss, so we threw the kayaks in the truck and headed to the river and spent a couple hours paddling downstream,

Hubbs and me,

and were treated to a wonderful wildlife show.  In keeping with all of the reptiles that we found around the farm, it was only fitting that we would see this...

at the river.  What a line-up!

As we floated down our lazy, peaceful river, we saw several species of goose - Canada and a couple of domestic geese.   I'm pretty sure these two were domestic at one time.

 We spotted a mama merganser and her brood sunning themselves on a fallen tree...

so sweet!

As My eyes scoured the trees above the river, I spotted a bale eagle perched on a dead tree.

And last, but not least, we got the biopsy report back on the growth inside Chester's nose.  He has a condition called Discoid Lupus Erythematosis. 

 It is an auto-immune disorder where the body fights itself.  We are going to try a course of several medications that should help to keep this disease in check.  The good thing is, none of this seems to bother Chester.

We are hoping that the medications keep the disease from progressing.

Today is Memorial Day... official start to my summer.... and a day for remembering those who lost their lives in service to their/our country... the ultimate sacrifice.  

We'll probably be spending today doing some mowing around the farm.  With this season's plentiful rainfall, the grass is growing like crazy!