Drain Pipe

We noticed some water coming up through the ground next to the driveway. It never occurred to us what it might be. We knew there was a broken pipe but we didn't know what it was for, until Lisa unearthed the original plans to the septic system installation. Maybe it's done like this all the time. We never would have guessed.

The Garden

It rained yesterday and today so I think the drought is finally breaking. The temperatures are better too, and everything is turning green again.

 Retard Chicken disappeared a couple of weeks ago. Lizzie found her out in the neighbor's pasture next to the fence. She had a nest under a big weed. The weed shriveled in the drought and heat so I made this little shelter for her. She's the black thing under the  wood thing behind the dried up brown things.

  I'm sorry for the offensive name but this chicken has serious mental issues and we call her Retard Chicken. She never roosts in the hen house but Darrel seems to like her. She has thirteen eggs in the nest and if they all hatch we may need to adjust her moniker.

 We picked all the onions last week. They are hanging in the mud room to dry and cure. We've eaten a couple of them. Not bad.

 The garden took a beating from the drought. We set up a sprinkler to irrigate but the intense sunny hot days were rough. It was a dry heat though.

 There is a lot of new growth on the tomatoes and cucumbers. The lettuce and the summer squash are gone. We still have the acorn squash.

 The "Better Boy" tomatoes are ripening. This was the first one we sliced. We need to make bigger burgers and get bigger buns, these things are huge. There is one out there that is almost twice this size.  We thought of you, Bill. There will be plenty more by the time you get here.

One More New Lamb

Tillie's Girl delivered a single lamb this morning.

We had some trouble getting them in the stall.

She delivered the little girl out in the pasture shelter.

She's doing well now.

Clip and Snip

Speedy went to the veterinarian to be gelded. While there Lisa asked them to leave him under sedation so she could clip him. It's been in the 100's here like the rest of the Midwest so he really needed that thick coat of fleece removed. 

 He was still standing for some of the action.

 Lizzie was a big help. Lisa was really thankful that she was there.

 Speedy in his shady spot.

 He looks smaller than Dolly now. No sock puppet for him. I told them to give him a poodle cut. They said no.

 The little ones were due for shots.

 Lizzie helped out again.

 We'll make a farmer out of her yet.

 Lambs are cute.

Ivy Mommy

Ivy had her two lambs last night. A boy and a girl. I don't know why they have to go into labor at midnight every time. Lisa stayed up with them all night. I went to bed after the first one started to come out in the right position. One has a black leg like Duane and the other has the big white area on its head like Ivy.

Daddy Duane

Corey White came over to pick up Duane last week. He'll be visiting Edith's ewes for a few weeks.

 Duane in the corral waiting for Corey.

 The cucumbers are coming in.

 Lisa's been making pickles.

 Pickles being made.

 Setting them out to cool.

 We had blueberry custard made with the blueberries Anne brought when they came up.

 We are on plan "C" with the ducks. They seemed to think they were barnyard animals instead of waterfowl despite our efforts to convince them otherwise. There are six left out of the original twelve. They have to stay in the cage now until their time comes. There are four hens and two drakes, if they start laying eggs they might live longer.

Another lambing season is here! We brought the pregnant ewes up to the barn. They are still grazing in the pasture but they come up to the barn to chew and sleep so we can keep an eye on them. Abbey and Libby went to the downhill pasture with the wethers and the other un-bred ewes.

 Lulu is pregnant. She's turning into a fine ewe. Fingers crossed that she delivers well.

 We finished the back gate and Lisa painted it. Mr. Lee cut hay on his land. This was the first time it had been cut for hay since we've been here.

 He got quite a bit out of it. There was a lot of clover and tall fescue. He was hauling 9 large round bales at a time and was at it all day and most of the next day.

 The garden is doing well. Besides the cucumbers we had our first green beans tonight for dinner.

 We got all the posts that were dug finally set. Next is the transition around the culvert. Lisa is raking the grass cuttings for hay. She puts it in stacks and hauls it with the four-wheeler and dumpcart. It is going in the stalls for the lambing.

The Gate

Mr. Lee said it was okay for us to put a gate in the fence to his property. We need to get back there occasionally and before we had to go the long way around.

 We dug the holes and set the posts last week. The fence is down now, we have the corral panels up to keep the animals in.

 The gate is behind the barn next to the power pole. It will be easier for the utility workers to access it too. Abbey and Libby were keeping an eye on me in case I suddenly produced a bottle of milk.

 I set the tension wire for the gate post and the stretcher post. This is the stretcher, the gate will hang on the other side.

 It was hot and sunny.

 Meanwhile Lisa was planting some new trees. This one will be a Kwanzan Flowering Cherry.

 This one is a Red Flowering Crabapple.

 It has crabapples on it now.

 Gracie came to visit.

 Anne and Sarah showed up too, they brought Marianne and Ashley with them.

 We had pulled bunny with potato salad and coleslaw.