Hatching Guard

Look carefully and notice our cat, Coco, behind the light watching the new chicks. That is why I have the heavy metal lid on the cage. These buff orpington chicks will soon be moved outside to grow up with the flock in the coop.These chicks are very calm and like to be handled. I am hopping they will grow to be big like their mama.

Hard Way Out

This leggy chick was trying to hatch days after its siblings. It was having trouble and after

looking it over I realized it was not fully developed in the abdomen and it had to be euthanized.

It was a hard choice, but it did not have to suffer the pain of underdevelopment.

Elf Dress Fitting

I was asked to help fit a costume to fit this young elf. The costume was a marriage of a wedding dress and a prom skirt. The costume requires some refitting and lots of hook and eyes to turn a two piece into a single dress. Also the dress needed more drama so a belt was made.

Here is the top being refitted with new modest sleeves. The top was not sitting well on her shoulders.

We decided to add another row of back loops and change the white lacing

 into the matching purple I had in stock.

Now the final costume with new belt, sleeves and back lacing.

A very happy dancing elf.

Got Blues in the garden

Our blueberry harvest for the year. Not many as a hail storm hit the buds.

My purple cabbage, I have 4 this year.

My blue hydrangea are doing well.

Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News

"Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News"

That is one of my favorite songs from the musical, The Wiz. I understand that song sung by Evillene as she tells her crew how she loathes bad news. As a creative person, I too loathe to hear bad news. It gets me thinking about other things and off what I was focused on. Some people love bad news, it make them feel riled up and tuned into something. I don't. I need to have my own thoughts and my own ideas and flow. Bad news pertaining to the farm, I have to deal with. But other news in the world that does not affect me, I can skip. I don't need to hear it. I prefer to deal in what I can handle as a creative thinker in the now. I do not need the sideline drama of some bad news that does not affect my life in any form other than stealing my time. There is enough bad news out there, I don't need it brought to into my life via the internet nor the TV. I can live without it. I don't need it and I don't want it. My life is challenging enough without someone else's bad news. That is my soap box speech for today.

Leechy

This leech is about a half and inch long until it moves, then it is about two inches long. And it can move fast on a blue plastic sled. It was left on our sled after I moved a dead snapper into the woods on our farm.

Here is a close up of the tiny ferocious hermaphrodite.

All mouth .

Trying to suck onto the pliers.

Goodbye Lucy

We got the sad news that our neighbors young border collie had to be euthanize after an emergency vet visit.

In her short life Lucy battled Parvo as she was bought from puppy mill/backyard breeder. She survived Parvo only to succumb to Canine Esophagus Disodia complications perhaps stemming from the Parvo later.

 My shepherd, Osa, loved to run into the pond with Lucy for a swim. 

Osa and Lucy learned together about electric fences, digging up moles and the joys of cow paddies.

Lucy had a great life filled with gourmet meals, freedom, frisbees, goats, and turtles.

Lucy was a bundle of energy and fun on the farm and she will be greatly missed.

Ducky Day

Our Khaki Campbell (tan) and Cayuga ducks ( black).

One of our Cayuga drakes

Cayugas love watermelon

Turkey Run

One of the two remaining original Bronze Breasted. 

The two of the five first turkey run. The foxes got three this year.

Here are the two bronze and some of the next generation mixed breed turkey and one baby tom. I hope they all get the chance to grow up on our farm instead of becoming fox food. Our goal is to have our turkey reproduce. We have been told the big breasted turkey do not breed, too big. So we bought mixed breeds and will see what happens.

There be eleven

Our best broody hen ever set on 15 eggs and hatched 11 chicks.

Here they enjoy watermelon for the first time.

She is a very attentive and protective mom.

Turtle Drama

 Yesterday, we watched as one of our young ducks (Monty or Burns) was eaten in the pond. We knew it was a turtle and began the hunt. We both took turns shooting at the turtles as they worked on the deceased duck. But this morning my husband asked me to bring the .22 and walk the pond to look for sunning turtles before I let the ducks out. And sure enough there was this one at the edge of the pond. I shot it in the head and flipped it over to get the heart. Now we have 2 left to eliminate from our pond.

 About 11-12 inches long.

A Peace Valley Wedding

This past Saturday my husband and I attended a wedding in Peace Valley, Missouri. The wedding was outdoors and on a friends farm property. The wedding was so unique and special. The fathers of the bride and groom read from the bible and talked about their views on marriage. They were insightful and thought provoking. There was music throughout the event. The bride was calm and the wedding party was genuinely happy. I have attended several weddings and I have to say this was the best one. The inclusion of both families joining together two young lives was so beautiful. The weather and the location all worked well for everyone attending.

Blue Hydrangea in the barn windows

The Bride and her Father. She is wearing fresh flowers.

Children sang songs for the wedding.

The groom kisses the bride. I love how she is watching him.

Husband and wife. I think the dress turned out very well. It was made out of muslin and antique lace.

Together they skipped down the aisle to the barn  for the reception. Even the wedding party skipped after the bride and groom. A very happy event for all.

The barn decked out in lights and lanterns in the final hours before sunset.

The father of the bride brings around the horse and sulky so the couple can depart.

The bride and groom are barefoot and are about to leave the wedding party to begin their new life together.

The sun sets as the feasting ends and the wedding party leaves.

Everyone is relaxed, full and happy to be at such a beautiful place.

It was an honor and a privilege to attend such a unique and beautiful event.

Last glimpse of the sun setting as the moon begins to show.

We were the first to leave the parking at the barn. We got to follow the bride and groom as they trotted home in the horse driven sulky. The photo is blurry since it was shot from the car. It was a nice conclusion to a wonderful ceremony. These families are truly blessed.

Never Done Farm

Isn't that a great farm name, NeverDone? Turns out is belongs to a fellow farm blogger here:
It seems I am in that same boat, too many irons in the fire and farm chores that never all get done.

Everyday is a new day and a new challenge. In the past 48 hours I have given tours at our old mill, vetted our filly, made up wedding basket and attended an outdoor wedding, went to church, help dig post holes and build a deck, shot at some predators, harvested crops, visited elderly neighbors, dug a small garden, fenced in my corn crop from the deer, chased off a doe, re-potted basil seedlings, dusted the garden, weeded the neighbors garden, cooked several meals, spread straw in 2 gardens, removed some ticks off me and the pets, went to the grocery and about 1,000 other things I forgot. Whew! And this morning I set out the new turkeys, set free our hen and 11 chicks, picked up tick Rx for pets, visited neighbor, weeded my garden, fed the flock and started the laundry all by lunch. And who says life in the country is boring? And it never all gets done. But it is always an adventure.