There's no doubt about it - of all the place I've travelled to, there is one clear favorite, and that is home!
Nothing makes me happier than spending a slow, peaceful weekend here on the farm, surrounded by nature. And though a fair amount of work goes into keeping the farm in tip-top shape, the benefits far outweigh the labor. There is never a day that we rise wondering what will fill our day, because there is always a list of things that need tending. But truly, none of those things feel like chores. They are opportunities to spend time outside or with our animal friends.
There's nothing like extended rainy weather to bring out all of the reptiles on a sunny day!
Luckily, we were treated to a sunny weekend and were able to finish up the mowing on Saturday. I worked a little in the flower gardens, planting a few more perennials - two cherry-red echinacea plants, some delphiniums and tall phlox. This year I am concentrating on flowers that are good in arrangements, and have planted quite a large cutting bed.
We've had over 5 inches of rain in the past week, so the addition of sun has made everything qrow quickly. The thing is... there's more rain coming this week! It's going to take a long time for us to dry out (not complaining!)
Yesterday, as I worked in the vegetable garden, weeding, Jack cleaned out our upper chicken coop. Last week, we closed off this coop to encourage all of our chickens to use the lower house, instead. Amazingly, both roosters now occupy the same house and no fights have broken out. there is a little daily chasing that happens, but nothing aggressive. The reason we closed off the upper house was to prepare for the 20 new chicks that we will be picking up from a hatchery about an hour from the farm this coming week. I ordered five chicks of four different varieties to add to the current flock so that our egg production continues through the coming year. We try to replenish our layers on a yearly basis, as the older girls go into retirement. We've eaten our own fresh farm eggs for over 16 years now, and I'd hate to ever have to go back to industrially produced eggs. There's just no comparison between the two!
It's so much fun to watch a new batch of chickens grow - stay tuned for baby photos later this week.
The equines have finally dried out, so a portion of Saturday was spent grooming them.
As I worked on the donkeys, I looked to my right to see Pete climbing through the fence. I patted Red's back and invited him to climb aboard... which he eagerly did.
Amazingly, Red stood still for the longest time while Pete rearranged himself into a comfortable position.
Ahhh, nothing like a kitty paw massage!
The two of them stayed like that for quite sometime, until Red decided to walk away.
At that point I picked Pete up and set him on Moonie's back as I proceeded to brush his mane.
Our equines are very agreeable, and never mind being fussed over. After grooming chores were complete, I gave everyone a little hay as a treat and went on about my day, satisfied that everyone once again looked clean and shiny!
Comments
Your flowers are beautiful with more to come.
Sounds like a fun weekend. xxoo