Good News and Bad News

The good news is that I did get my chicken coop weeded and the roses planted. The bad news is that it is supposed to freeze tonight! Oh my goodness!! On the way to school this morning it was raining with snow mixed in. I told the kids to enjoy the flowers now, they might not be there in the morning. I guess I will have to protect my roses, but the peas should be okay, as well as the spinach and onions. I'm not sure about my strawberry plants. More good news, the grass is sure growing because of all the rain the past couple of days. Sheep are happy!

Bad news, Claudia has an ear infection, and a bad cough. Plus some itchy bumps all over in random places. I know the kids like to roll down the hill in the grass, so maybe that is the culprit. Anyway, I did send her to school today with some hard candy to soothe her cough,plus some cough meds and her antibiotic.

This weekend is the Sheep and Wool Festival in Maryland. I love this festival. So many things to see and eat. The sheep dog demos are really interesting, and the sheep are so cute. Even if it rains I suppose it will still be fun, at least it won't be so hot like it has in the past. I really must get my camera batteries for sure.

If my brother reads this, I need advice on a digital camera. I need one that has a considerable zoom, and good print qualities. I would love an SLR, but I think it is out of my price range. It is not urgent, of course, but I love experimenting with photos, and my current camera is pretty limited. I bought a tripod at a second-hand store, and it helps.

Temp. is 42 and rainy. Good duck weather. Too bad they are still in my bathtub.

Cheap Roses

My camera's batteries died, so I can't take pictures. I really meant to get those yesterday when I was at (bleh) Walmart. Forgot...but I did get some climbing roses for really cheap on clearance, so my dream of having a romantic chicken coop is becoming a reality. I just have to weed the area - ha!- and plant them. I also want to plant out carrots and leeks and maybe more lettuce today. But I feel so sleepy, or emotionally drained. But I need to re-charge because it is officially the weekend and let the fun begin.

My dilemma: I need to get 3 dogs and 3 cats to the rabies clinic all at the same time, and my girls, also. Last year I took just the dogs, and that was bad enough!! Capone almost bit the technician when she tried to lift his @#@** butt onto the table. He is getting so old. I noticed he limps for awhile after he gets up after a nap. That's a new thing. Clara, the youngest dog, insists on digging a
2 ft. hole to nap in. Any suggestions? And Homer, the co-dependent one just looks at me longingly all day. Ducks are good: eat,poop,eat,poop, etc.

Another beautiful day 80 and sunny. Put on your sunscreen and wear a hat!!

Quack

The ducks hatched!! They are so adorable (so far), and small and fuzzy. Maddie and Claudia just love to hold them and play with them. The dogs are VERY interested, maybe TOO interested! I have them in a plastic tub in the bathroom with a light on them, container of water and food. I lined the bottom with old towels and rags, to prevent slippage. It's very cozy.

I've been working outside this morning. Working some raised beds to plant beets and kale. The sheep are out grazing, and all I have going through my head is "Sheep May Safely Graze" by Bach?? Anyway, I'm trying to train Claradog not to chase them. She's been pretty good at listening to my voice, by she wants to run after them so badly, you can tell. I also weeded some in the border around the future chicken coop. Martha Stewart had/has roses growing around her chickens, and it looks so pretty. I want to copy that look, but in order to do that I must dig out all the weeds. I'm not sure what kind of weed it is, but it is like a rope with all these little plants on it, and the roots go on forever.

On a sad note, Maddie is getting a cavity filled today. We tried to get it done at the regular dentist, but she had a total panic attack. So we are trying it with happy drugs this time. I told her I will sit on her if I have to. She is a bear at the dentist, doctor, or anywhere where she in not in total control. Say a prayer for us both!!

It is heavenly outside: 65 and p/cloudy or p/sunny, depending on your mood!!

Here a Chick, There a Chick, Everywhere a Chick Chick

Well, we have finally lost it. For JP's birthday he wanted chickens. So I have just ordered 25 baby chicks. I have to say, I am very excited. I ordered all different varieties, Bantams and Large sizes. Now I just have to figure out what to do with them!! They will be delivered on June 16, so that gives me a little time to read up on how to not kill them. So - Happy Birthday to my husband of almost 14 years!!

Here are the pics of the baby goats. They really are cute. My friend Misty just got 2 baby goats, also, so I can't wait to see hers. I can't think of the name of the genetically small goats, dwarf? midget? little people goats? for goodness sake...anyway, that's the kind she got. I MIGHT consider a small breed. Maybe they'd be less likely to jump fences. Reminds me of another thing I MUST do. I have to call the lady to shear our sheep. They look so hot. It is 75 outside, and only April 9. I wouldn't want to wear a wool coat today, would you? I don't think I have mentioned the baby rabbits...long story, try to make it short. We had 3 bunnies originally. They grew up, and one died and two escaped. We were under the (mistaken) impression that they were males, but now we have babies in the barn. They are so cute, but I can't catch them. The girls are just out of their minds, they want to hold them so bad. If I could catch them we would put them in the cages again for another go. Then there are also the duck eggs, which are doing fine. They feel heavy, which I think is a good sign. I read that a couple days before they are scheduled to hatch you stop turning them. Maybe this really ticks them off and pushes them to peck out of the egg. Anyway, the due date is April 18, so I will definitely be very busy that day. Just standing. Looking. Waiting.....

I'm trying to finish laying the stone pathway. I'm running out of flat rocks. Need a round rock? We got 'em!! I've been scouring the creek bed and woods for suitable shapes. It doesn't even have to be really "flat". I noticed when I was outside that lots of flying things have hatched and are everywhere. My daughter Maddie will LOVE this. She is petrified of any buzzing sound. I'm always saying "It's only a fly". Well, the carpenter bees are out, and they are BIG. But the good news is that we love to hit them with badminton rackets.

I don't think I completely understand how to import photos to my blog. I'm sure Heather will help me with that....!!

This weekend is JP's birthday, you know what that means!! CLEAN HOUSE!! Yes, the in-laws are coming. I'll just leave it at that.

Mom, Watch Me Jump Rope

This is Claudia's new skill. We practice A LOT.


It is supposed to rain today, so perhaps I will do inside things. Like nap...

Happy Manure Dance

The duck eggs seem to be doing fine. You can see little dark dots moving around when you "candle" them, so I assume that they will hatch. Misty said that they will always have a home at her place, so this is good!
It is a Saturday...I don't like them. My kids seem to think that they should be doing really exciting, fun things with all their friends. I think that they should clean their room. In any case, we both want to go to Charlie's and see the baby goats, or kids, I should say. We used to have the females, but Charlie took them and bred them. Maddie's goat, Carol, had some kind of sickness while pregnant, and consequently her babies didn't make it. But the other goat, Ketchup, had 2 (3?) that are doing great. PLUS Charlie has horses, which means MANURE!!!! Yay, do the happy manure dance.

On the garden front, I erected 4 teepees made of the prunings from some over-grown shrubs. I have planted shelling peas around 2, and am going to plant snow peas around the other two. I also planted somemore spinach (the first batch didn't do anything), and planted onion sets. I amended the soil somewhat by adding sand from the creek banks. In my mind there should be lots of good organic matter in the sand,right?

I am going to take pics of the goats, so keep posted. I may even take some manure pictures!!

Last night was family game night in the household. Unfortunately, we played Monopoly. JP always wins. I guess I just don't understand this game. I always feel like a complete idiot by the end of it. I just went to bed, after he took all my money, but Maddie stayed up until 11 playing. We need some new games....We also played "Guess Who?" and that was fun. Before games we took a hike to the BIG ROCK and the kids found some grapevine to climb and swing from. I sometimes forget that there is more to explore and do...I seem to hole-up in the house and surrounding garden so much. But it is really cool out there. EXCEPT for the LITTER. I just don't understand why fisherpeople would throw junk and garbage out in nature. Aren't they trying to enjoy the beauty of the earth? For the beauty of the earth....lalalala. We found cigarette butts and nightcrawler containers, and some daffodils that they picked and just threw on the ground. WHY? It gets me so wound up. I want to print out flyers and put them all around, but I wonder if that would make it worse.

Anyway, I am taking a deep breath and doing my Happy Manure Dance once again.