Colorful Clematis in the garden

 With all the rain we have has my plants are blooming like mad. My three clematis are blooming big vibrant blossoms  They almost look artificial. 

Candy cane

Violet and fuchsia mixed together.

Here is one of my veggie gardens. The yellow collards are going to seed after a long winter. My iris are blooming well along side the strawberries and the broccoli. The basil and the mint are in a race. My tomatoes are slow coming up. But the peas are very happy with the cool nights. Some days are hot and humid and some days damp and rainy, but still weeding has to happen. The straw cuts down on my weeding chores. The straw also makes for happy spiders and snakes in the garden. They visit my garden waiting for a snack during weeding time.

Hickory Chickory

Last Wednesday we hatched out 15 chicks out of 20 eggs. It was a good hatch.

These are our own home grown farm mix. Marans, Old English, Reds and Buffs are all bred with strong 4 different roosters. One rooster is a bantam and will soon have bantam hens of his own.

We gave away 10 of the larger chicks and kept the slower later hatched ones. With the addition of a new rooster we are getting different chicks this time. More color in the feathers and smarter behaviors and less aggressive. It is always a challenge raising your own. But so worth the effort. I love my farm life.

Mule me Over

This is a gaited mule that belongs to a trail rider in our town. She is a sweet and well trained mule.

She has a pretty head and stands when being haltered. This gal has manners.

Parking out for us.

Isn't this the coolest truck accessory? I love this heavy cut steel artwork on the back of their truck. 

Three Stooges

Life on the farm is never boring. Last week my shepherds killed a pair of armadillos. Apparently, they were parents of these three babies. These guys showed up next to my garage and were just plain too cute. I wish I could have held one, but they carry leprosy. So I took photos of their rooting around the grass. Armadillos are bad in that they dig up foundations and veggie gardens. But still they are cute when they are the size of your hand.

They are eating ants and grubs that are all around the area.

We left them alone for them to find a new place to live. I am sure I will meet them again when they are bigger. But I hope they just go back to the woods and be happy growing up there.